What a Summer!

It's been a busy summer but a lot of fun. Work has been a bit crazy with a move of the department and clinic, preparing a self-study for accreditation of the doctoral program, and the usual stuff. The fun part has been having visitors. In June Maggie and Evie came for a visit and they were able to stay for almost three weeks. Maggie has done a much better job of chronicling all that transpired while they were here. Needless to say, it was pure joy to have them for so long. Before they arrived, I flew up to Omaha and took a road trip with J.J. out to Utah. She is spending a couple of months there experiencing the Utah lifestyle, visiting with family members, and working with her Aunt Patti for the Utah Festival Opera. Like Maggie, she has done a great job of reporting on her adventures on her blog. During the second week of June Zach and Karli (they finally got a blog going, check the list on the right) and Carol and Morray came to visit. That weekend we had a wonderfully full house and a lot of fun. Maggie posted a video of Zach and Evie on her site that pretty well sums up the fun of the weekend.

Maggie and Evie left on the 24th of June and a week later Kim and I flew out to Durham for a long weekend for the 4th. Again, Maggie has done a better job of documenting that trip. Although, she didn't quite do justice to the color-consulting. There were about a half-dozen trips to various paint stores involved (Evie and I got to stay home for most of those and of course, Ron was snoozing or at the hospital), Paint-sample boards were moved, meditated on, and moved again; and Ron and I made sure to say the M.C. (that's Maritally Correct) thing. Actually, it was fun watching Kim and Maggie make plans and get things all laid out and the rooms for the kids will be cute.

Now we are anticipating the next round of trips. Next week Kim is going out to Utah to visit and drive back with J.J. who is returning to Omaha to get started with her second year of teaching. This year she is going to add Girls' Basketball Assistant Varsity Coach at Westside High School to her schedule. But will be able to come to St. Louis for a few days and we are looking forward to that. We're counting on her to help get some things organized in the basement. We are still trying to get things squared away now that our remodel project is finished.

In August we will be making a trip to Lincoln for a Husker game--Oh yeah, also to see Baby Smith (come on Zach and Karli we need a name). And in October a trip out to Durham for new Baby Rawlings. What fun!