Lots of Excitement

It feels like things have been happening lately.  We've been busy with work and school and things, that's normal, but things have been so crazy lately that we can barely keep it all straight.  Part of it is probably just the beginning of summer, with daylight at a maximum we are spending every hour outside go-go-go-go and dropping into bed exhausted when it finally gets dark.  Add to that our (old) house is finally under contract, so we've been dealing with those negotiations, and then last week our truck died.  It's not worth the price to fix it, but thankfully, we were able to drive up to VT to pick up my Dad's old truck to use instead.  At least for the time being, we can stave off buying a new one.  And we got a short visit in VT with Grandma Sally, which featured angling for panfish in the world's easiest fishing pond.  The fish bite bare hooks.  True story.

Finishing up school and after-school activities, the kids have one foot in the school year and one already bounding into summer.  Haley and I took off early one afternoon to attend a workshop on some research about how warblers are using patch cuts in a nearby town.  The researchers set up their mistnets to catch breeding forest birds, and we were able to see some beautiful warblers up close.  Haley was thrilled when she got to hold a black-throated blue warbler all by herself.  She also chatted non-stop with everyone in the workshop, enchanting them with her knowledge about everything from frogs to My Little Pony.  Later that week, we all trekked to King Arthur Flour for a family class on making home made stromboli.  And then, the  highly anticipated Daddy-Daughter Dance - Haley has been waiting for months to dress up in fancy clothes and go to the dance with Andy.  She did look very beautiful in her pink gown, and according to Andy the dance was a lot of fun, though it involved more twirling and running around like crazy than actual dancing for Haley.  She came home EXHAUSTED with lots of great prizes and a belly full of cookies and cupcakes to boot.

So yeah, I guess we're to blame for most of the craziness.  Summer is definitely here.  Up next?  Our annual summer trip to Long Island, featuring my grandma's 90th bday party, and Jeanne & Joe's wedding!

Aiden's last LAX game