Category: interesting stuff

The first week of school has coma and gone. I don’t know who came up with the idea to make the first week a full on, but by Friday all of us were ready for a break. It was a busy day today, although it doesn’t seem like I accomplished a whole lot. Oh well, maybe next week.

It’s that time of year again. Summer vacation is drawing to a close, and the beginning of another school year looms. This past week, the teachers in our district went back to school for in-service training and to prepare for the students’ first day on Monday. I don’t know if everything is ready, but the students will be there tomorrow regardless. It’s been a little cooler here in the sunny South, and we are grateful. Hopefully the trend will continue, although it has been known to get hot around here in September. We’ll see.

The summer vacation is winding down. Next week, the teachers in our district head back for in-service, and the students come back the following Monday. Looking back, it seems like the summer has flown by, although it didn’t seem like it at the time. It’s been a good break, and in one sense I’m sad to see it end. On the other hand, I’m looking forward to some schedule changes that will make some parts of my life better.

Last week Jan and I were in Los Angeles visiting our daughter, Jennie. We went to a party on a roof overlooking Hollywood, hiked in a canyon, saw some blue whales and dolphins, went to a Mexican market in downtown LA, and attended a street festival. I even learned to drive in LA traffic. We had a wonderful time, and it was hard to leave. But, leave we did, coming back to the 95-100 degree temperatures here in the sunny South.

After a couple days of near record temps. (heat index over 100), it’s cooled down quite a bit here in the sunny South. We’ve had a good amount of rain here, and my fire pit became a water feature for a couple of days. Fortunately, it’s too warm to use it anyway. We’ve had some good news here in the Shope household the last two weeks. Josh has landed a job at an architectural firm. It is the kind of work that he has been hoping for as well. Jennie started working at a company that does documentary films. She’s one week through a two week trial, and I’m positive she’ll show the folks there that they should have hired her long ago.

Another week has come and gone here in the sunny South. It’s getting warmer as we enter the July 4 weekend. I always enjoy this time of year, with picnics, festivals, and fireworks. The main reason this is an enjoyable time is the annual celebration of my marriage to Jan. This Tuesday marks thirty one years of marriage (I know, neither of us look old enough to be married for thirty one years). It’s true. The amazing thing is the fact that she has put up with me this long.

After another busy week, this weekend has been packed with things to do. Very good things, so it has been a good weekend. We received some good news that Josh starts a job with an architecture firm on Monday. We are praising God for his provision.

It’s been a busy week. Between basketball, driving a shuttle bus, visits to the chiropractor, and yard work, there’s not been much time to relax for very long. It’s all good though, and I’m grateful for the chance to do all those things. It’s been nice and cool here in the sunny South, although warmer weather is supposed to move in tomorrow. Tomorrow is Father’s Day. If you can, wish your dad a happy one.

Summertime, and the living is…. This month, the living is pretty busy. Between driving for camp and basketball, other things have to be squeezed in. Sometimes it can get a little hectic, and I have to remember not to overdo it. But enough of the chit-chat. On to the important stuff.

One of the interesting things about having church on your back porch is watching neighbors a few doors down getting into a loud shouting match in their front yard. Someone called the sheriff and two cars came. It was quite entertaining. The school year ended on Thursday, and the summer has officially begun. I’m driving a shuttle bus for a local camp every morning and evening, and will be busy with summer basketball this month. It will be a nice change of pace and should keep me busy enough to stay out of trouble.