Summer summary.

I don't quite understand how I've updated less during the summer when I'm not working every day, than during the hectic school year. And now summer is almost over [mixed feelings]. But that's for another post.

Quick recap of the last month:
Lots of reading [I love this aspect of summer].
Not having internet for almost 3 weeks [verrrry long, frustrating story].
Amazing weeklong Responsive Classroom training [one reason I am so excited for school].
Appointments that don't fit in during the school year [eye, teeth, car, internet, internet, internet].
Brittany coming for a quick visit [we witnessed an anime convention together, I'm just sayin'].
PandaMania VBS at church [fun but oh so different from the good ol' days at FCC]
ALASKAN CRUISE [so monumental that it will get a post of its own soon, with pictures].
Passing the one year mark of moving to MD [seriously can't believe it's been 1 year already].
Planning for the school year [trying to get ahead of the game a bit].

At the end of the school year, I remember saying I would post soon about some of my goals for the summer. [Quick check back to the ol' blog . . . yep, never happened]. As the summer draws to a close, I've been reflecting on what I have and have not done over the summer as I had planned. I have: done some lesson planning, made necessary appointments, became more consistent in reading my Bible daily, tried some new recipes, worked out often, visited the farmer's market, read some books just for fun, hung out with Brent lots, and made the bed almost everyday. I have not: done as much school prep and planning as I wanted, updated the blog often, played around with my camera to become more adept with it, lost weight, memorized much scripture, or bought a pair of TOMS.

But I must say that it's been a relaxing, lovely summer. Compared to last summer's events: finishing teaching year 1, watching Brent graduate, planning the wedding, getting married (!), honeymooning in Mexico, moving across the country, and starting a new job . . . it was nice to have a chill summer this year. As always, though, the summer has passed so very quickly. I hope to make the best of these next 1-2 weeks until the school routine sets in again. [School doesn't start until after Labor Day here, so weird!]

I catch myself reflecting so often on how life has changed since we moved over a year ago, and I can say that we truly do like it here in MD. We miss our families dearly, but we are blessed to be here. I love looking back on the people we've met and the situations we've been in that we would be missing out on if we were somewhere else. I love knowing that we have a God with a plan, even when we can't see it yet.

Another post will come soon about our cruise! I can't even begin to describe how beautiful it was. Picture preview [more to come!]:

Glacier Bay National Park, AK

Hoping you are enjoying the end of your summer or beginning of your school year! God bless!
[hugsfromMD]