Good-bye to Dan and Jess

We waved good-bye to Danny and Jessica yesterday late afternoon. It was so fun to see them for a couple of days and get caught up on the latest family news.

Each night, we played games and talked to well past midnight. They treated me and the kids to lunch twice and Keith and I took them out to Shane's Rib Shack for dinner so that Danny could continue his national rib taste-testing contest.

We also went to Atlanta's Underground Mall and then to the Capital Building. Now the Underground Mall and the Capital Building are pictures in contrast. Airbrushed tattoos, caricatures, cell phone paraphernalia, personalized license plates, and the As-Seen-on-TV store in one place. Statues, paintings, state senate meeting place, the governor's office and stately architecture in another.

It was an adventure just getting into the parking garage in downtown Atlanta -- I'm just really glad that I was following Dan and Jess and not the other way around, or we would have been in a terrible mess. Everyone did well. Konner and Kade only hung off a three-story railing a few times. I was especially pleased with Keva who walked along with everyone really well. Usually, after she's been walking for a while, she gets tired and starts plopping herself down on the ground. This time, she stayed with me.

We were able to suck Danny and Jessica into a few more games. We played Ponce (or Nertz, as it is known by some of the misinformed). Jessica had played before and nearly whipped us all, but Keith game back from behind and won that game. Just the adults played that time because we could only find four complete card decks. We're going to have to take care of this serious deficit.

So today was a day to supposedly get back into the regular routine, except the regular routine has pretty much been absent all summer! I did get up a little earlier than usual and made breakfast. Kade had come knocking at my bedroom door holding his stomach as if dying.

After breakfast, I took Kathleen to go turn in her paperwork for school. We were hoping to get a tour of the campus, but they had just waxed the main hallway. Plus, the poor registrar was somewhat distraught. She had just received a call from a co-worker who had just found out that her mother had died in a car accident. The registrar barely looked at the papers.

Then, I asked, somewhat tentatively, "So, what happens next?"

"Someone will call you."

That was it. No information about when someone might call us or what we could expect. No information about orientation or anything. Just, "Someone will call you."

So, we left.

I did go online to get the rather extensive list of school supplies that she'll need. She needs a zip-up notebook to carry with her to classes, since she can't carry around her backpack -- I'm assuming security issues? Anyway, I've been haunting Big Lots lately waiting for them to put out their school supplies. I got my last calendar book there for $3, and I'm anxious to get what I need before everything is bought out.

For Keri Lynn and Kristofer, I'm to meet with their counselors the week before school starts and decide which classes they're to take. They'll have a chance to go around and look at where their classes will be on the Friday before school starts.

I'm also getting excited about the new homeschool year. My first objective is to get everyone up to snuff on reading and writing. Kylie just needs to practice reading to me out loud, but Kade and Konner aren't reading at all yet. Now that they're older, reading should come pretty fast for them with a teacher that is more readily available!

Next week, Kade, Kylie and Kathleen all go to Camp Sonshine from Monday through Friday. It is also our 19th anniversary week. AND, it's also a vacation week! Whoo-hooo! Keith and I will take a few days out of the week to go on a fling. This is so exciting! I can't wait!

The following week, Keri Lynn will be in the Florida Keys for her missions trip, and then the week after that, we're tentatively expecting the Kings (Ginny and her kids) to come for a visit. Then, school starts. Just like that. Ack!

I have done absolutely nothing towards my job prospects. Nothing. But, I started thinking about going in a different direction than planned. I'm going to specifically target working on publications -- newsletters, brochures and the like -- perhaps at our local hospital, our church, other business. I actually have some experience with this type of work from working at our church office 16 years ago and lately just from being a blog geek. And it's definitely something that I would be interesting to do! So now I feel that I've got an angle for my short-but-sweet resume.