Summer is drawing to and end!

You can't tell by the weather because it still feels like summer outside but there is a feeling in the air that fall is just around the corner. As I leave for work there are children on the side walks, and riding their bikes down the street, and lined up at bus stops, plus there are more cars on the road. This summer we hardly ever saw children out side when we were leaving for work they probably weren't even out of bed yet. Yes, another school year has begun. Isn't it funny how they can't wait to get out of school for the summer but they can't wait to get started again. Maybe it's because we can't stand not to having structure in our lives for very long. I'm sure any mom can tell you that at some point during the summer the kids get bored and you hear, "I'm bored! I don't have anything to do!" I'm sure the moms are just as glad maybe even more so to have the kids back in school and have a little free time just for themselves. Come January when I retire I wonder if I'll be like the grand kids and be saying, "I'm bored! I don't have anything to do!" Na, I don't think so. Jeramy will be graduating in just a few days with his Masters! Can you believe it?!? Professor Cook! What an accomplishment! Les and I are very proud of him. It has been a family effort because the kids and Rebecca have had to make a lot of sacrifices to get Jeramy where he is today. I can't wait to put pictures on the blog of Jer in his cap and gown. So stay tune for the rest of the story.

Here's a picture of Jake, Keagan and Lily after their first day of School. Keagan says, "do you notice anything different" other then she grew up over the summer?

Happy 82nd Birthday

Yesterday we celebrated my Mothers 82nd birthday. My sibs and I, and our spouse all got together at my sister Nancy and her husband Rogers home. We had a great time just visiting with one another, every though it was 103 degrees we had a pleasant evening visiting in their beautiful cool back yard. I thought to myself as I watched each of my siblings, "why don't we do this more often?" And I made a mental commitment that I am going to make an effort to get together with my family more often. Life has gotten to be such a rat race and we need to stop and smell the rose. I think Mom had a good time as well. What an accomplishment to have made it "82" years and she is still going strong. She volunteers at the Senior Citizens, she gets together with her lady friends for club 3 times a week, and she hardly ever misses church. She loves to read, crochet, travel, work in her garden, she has a fun sense of humor and she loves visiting with her friends. We are so blessed to have her in our lives as the Matriarch of our family and to be able to glean words of wisdom from her life and her example. I hope there will be many birthdays to come.

The Birthday Girl - Still as beautiful as ever.