It's still Monday, so I can squeeze this in! I know it's been weeks since my last MM, so I wanted to make sure I got this done. Then real life kicked in and I didn't get around to it. And then tonight when I did have time, I got to enjoying "Julie & Julia" by Julie Powell and the next thing I know it's after 9 and I'm almost ready for bed!

Anyway, I've been wanting to post this song for a while now. We've been doing this pretty regularly in church, and it just really moves me. We did it again yesterday and once again the simplicity and profundity of the chorus had me in tears. Musically, there's not too much to this song -- it just repeats the same four chords over and over. But lyrically, I'm just blown away by this. The end of the second verse is one of the best lines I've heard in a long time. The video is long for this one and the vocalist's voice is a bit grating (to my ears, anyway), but this really is a song that needs to be sung, not merely read.

So it's back to school time. The kids all started on Wednesday. They all seem to like their teachers pretty well. I don't love that Deborah's social studies teacher told the class on the first day that she hates that subject (Teachers -- should I speak to the principal about that? It really bothers me that she said it, but that was on the first day of school and I don't want to make a big deal about it. But it kind of IS a big deal, because that kind of sets the tone for the year. UGH!) and Deborah's science teacher assigned a scavenger hunt that is more suited for May than late August (where does one find a dandelion at this point in the season???), but otherwise, things are good. I definitely need to work with Christopher some more with his handwriting. He can do it, but it tends to be fairly slow, so he's not getting all of his journaling done in the mornings. Faith & James seem to be just fine!

In other school news, Jason is going to be going back to college in January! He has been wanting to go back to school pretty much since we've been married, since he never got to finish his degree. When he goes back, he's wanting to major in science education. I'm so excited for him. I haven't seen him this passionate about something in a long time, so I'm very happy to see him preparing for this. I'm sure it will make life a bit more interesting to have him in school with everything else that needs to happen with our family, but it's totally worth it to us. It will probably be a relatively long-term goal, but he's hoping that by the time he's 40, he'll be a middle school science teacher!

Tim started a new sermon series today on friendship and the importance of it. It feels very timely, because I am big time missing my friend Jul. I'm going to be getting involved in a new women's Bible study next Tuesday and I'm really looking forward to that. I'm hoping that I'll be able to meet some new women and make some new relationships. I'm strangely nervous about making new friends. Up til now, all of my friends have been "stage of life" friends -- high school, college, work, babies together, and so on. Certainly some of those friendships have endured and have been really deep and meaningful. But this is basically the first time I've had to meet someone based mostly on my merits and that's frightening!

Anyway, I'm wanting to make myself some broccoli soup for supper and I'm hearing some "you're touching me" chatter in the background, so I need to get moving. Really, I hope to get back to more regular blogging again, though I'm beginning to think I need to stop saying that, since I don't seem to be following through very well! Be blessed!

One of my friends over at PaperBackSwap is doing a book giveaway on her blog. Lori does amazing reviews and is an avid reader. This time she's giving away the new Alex Cross book by James Patterson. Even if it's not the weightiest reading you'll do this year, Patterson generally manages to write some pretty entertaining mystery books. By entering her contest, you have a chance to win one of three copies of "Alex Cross's Trial."

And if you're like me and enjoy reading, you may enjoy staying and reading at her blog! Check it out!

I'm married to a funny, smart guy. I'm cross posting this from his nerjal. Enjoy the hilarity!

I've been awful at updating my blog this summer. My life has been a series of status updates lately rather than actually expanding on what has been happening!

The summer has been going fairly well. We did have a big problem with a neighbor about our dog Fang, and as a result, we're looking for a new home for him. If anyone reading has room for a 65 lb mutt that is great with kids, is house and crate trained and is just a beautiful dog, let me know! We'd love for him to go to someone that we know will care for him, rather than taking him to a shelter and worrying that he'll end up with someone who may abuse him.

This past week we went on vacation with my parents. This year we went to North Carolina, to a little town called Lake Lure. We spent most of the time in the pool, though we did rent a pontoon boat one day and had a great time tooling around the lake. Saw some stunning homes. Faith said that several were fit for a princess and I would have to agree. I hope to have pictures up before too long.

We're now in the home stretch before school starts. I can't believe that summer is actually winding down. It has gone by pretty quickly!

I'll try to write a bit more soon. I apologize for being so spotty with my writing this summer. I hope that once the kids are back in school I can get back to more regular posting!

The children have returned home! Yesterday I spent the day driving. I went to Slippery Rock to visit one of my professor's whose wife (also a professor in the music department) had passed away. There were several of my classmates there as well. It was sad to see them under those circumstances, but it was nice to catch up in person nonetheless. Actually getting together encouraged several of us to make a trip before long to Pittsburgh to see some of our friends' band and to catch up a bit more in a more happy setting. I'm looking forward to that!

After the trip to the Rock, I went to Sarver to get the kids. It was great to see them after such a long time apart. Everyone got a haircut, so even in that short amount of time, they all look totally different. Deborah got about 5 inches cut off, Faith got layers and even James got a good bit taken off. Christopher showed me how he could ride his bike without training wheels now and they all showed me the gifts that my parents had picked up for them out west. Deborah had kept in touch with me by email over the 2 weeks, and I talked to most of them every few days on the phone, but it was good to see them and hug them in person. It just reminded me again that nothing quite beats live interactions with people you love.

We're into our final weeks before school starts up again. I can't believe that it's already August! The kids' first day is August 26. It's hard to imagine that we're so close. Next Sunday we leave for our family vacation with my parents for a few days. This year we're going to North Carolina. I think we're all looking forward to that.

That's about it for now. Nothing profound. It's just nice to have my family all back under one roof again!