Summer of heat!

Our lives haven't been CRAZY per say lately---bit DIFFERENT from the one we have known in the past--so I will try to update as best I can with the insanity!

• First, the girls (including my niece Mattie--my "other daughter") and I got to take a trip to North Carolina. Our friend Jodi was going on a mission to Denver--so it finally was justified. On the way we got to stop and see Ashly (my life long best friend and her crew) It had been over two years since we had been to NC and it's amazing how some relationships are still the same --and when you leave there is a small piece of your heart that stays there. It was especially sweet (and heart wrenching)when Bill (Torie's "buddy" from birth) and Torie said good-bye. He would pick my big 9 year old up and hug her and hold her. She kept saying after how much she missed him. It's time like these that you realize the impact of those early years.



• Torie took a 2 week trip to visit her Great grandparents (My Mom's parents) and my Aunt. My parent's were heading out there and Torie had mentioned wanting to visit Aunt Carol (she really adores Carol) --so she got to fly out with them and have quite a vacation. She got to see the jelly belly factory (much to my pleasure as I have been living on the bag of "belly flops" since she returned), San Francisco, tons of swimming, movies and fun with my cousins Tara and Nick..(who are in their 20's so I was very impressed with all the amazing things they did with her-) It was a good time for her.


• Meanwhile at home--it was Alyssa and I...oh wait and Hunney (my parent's 9 month old puppy) --Jason was ocassionally around but in reality the strike is still on and we see him very little- I digress---Hunney is very cute---however, she is the center of my Dad's world and spoiled rotten. I felt like I had another child...she chewed my new laptop cord, terrorized my cats, and whined incestantly...after one week she went to stay with Samantha. No dog for me. She was so cute and sweet, but I didn't need a whiney extra child:)


• So that is where we stand---well for now. I am hangin' in there and looking forward to a new school year for the girls---it has been a summer of fighting and high demands--so I will glady send Torie to 4th grade and Alyssa to pre-school for one more year!