Summer Recap

OK! I know I've been negligent in my writing lately. I wish I could chalk it up to being super busy with work, but that's not really it (although, I have been busy - just not very productive).

Mason has had an eventful summer. Her first one as a teenager (I know, I still shudder at the thought of what's to come). She's really growing up FAST. If Jenny were still here, Mason would be able to look her straight in the eyes - right now, she stands almost 5'4".

She finished 7th grade with a flurry - almost making straight A's - only a B in Mathematics (which is odd, since she is always telling me that Math is her favorite class). She achieved High Honors - so I guess she's doing well in school. During Summer School, Mason managed to pass all of her music pieces so that she could join the Concert Band for eighth grade. She's been first chair for the past couple of years in Cadet Band - she probably won't make first chair, but playing with the Concert Band will help her to get better.

In June, Mason spent a week with the Elseys and the McNeills in Michigan. They were staying at a friend's house on Saddle Lake. It was sort of like going to camp, except when I went to camp we didn't have Jet Skis, ski boats, inner tube rides and nice comfy beds. She took a lot of pictures, which we'll soon upload to Flickr.

The month of July was spent around the house. We watched the fireworks on Chicago's lakefront. Mason hung out with Grandma and Grandpa V and played with her friends. Found some kittens in the garage (no, we didn't keep them). I got stung by bees - luckily, our neighbor Flo came to my rescue with an Epi pen. I was stung on the leg and toe (of all places) and both of them turned purple and swelled up to about double their normal size. It took about a week for the color to fade and the swelling to disappear. If only Mason had been taking video of me at the time - surely would have won the $10,000 prize! Although, bleeps would have been required for family viewing.

I've been trying to clean out the house a bit. Hopefully, I'll have it in shape to put it on the market by next Spring. We did have a few storms blow through here, one caused our neighbor's tree to fall on my roof - unfortunately (or fortunately if you're State Farm) no major damage to the house - would have been nice to get a new kitchen ;-)

Yesterday, Mason returned from a two-week trip to Sarasota. She spent some time with Jenny's brother Bob (who seems to be doing much better, but he tires easily) and his girlfriend Renee, her kids and grand kids. Renee showed Mason a great time - spending nearly every day in the pool and when they weren't swimming, they were at Disney World, Busch Gardens and a local aquarium. She flew all by herself (well, other than the flight crew and the 100 other passengers) - it was tough to put her on a plane alone - but she handled it like a seasoned pro.

That about sums up the Summer. School starts in a couple of weeks. I'll work on getting the pictures uploaded soon.

~ Max