Crazy July

So, July has been a haphazard month. The first full week started out easily enough--relaxing and getting things done around the house.

Then the second week came and it's been non-stop ever since. We spent a week in Wildwood, NJ with our two nieces and two nephews, Dave's sister Kim and then we were joined by Dave's brother Chris and his fiance, Monica, and her son Sergio. Dave's family has been going to Wildwood since before he was born and we've been going every year since we've been together (starting in 85!). It just has so much to offer with the beaches, a 2 1/2 mile boardwalk and 5 piers with rides (from kiddie to giant roller coasters to extreme rides where bungees and cables shoot you around a hundred feet in the air). The kids are all old enough to head up to the boardwalk unsupervised and we'll stay back for a while and play cards, or LCR and eventually meet up with them for some Paul's Idaho French Fries. The week we went, the weather couldn't have been better.

We returned on Saturday the 19th and then the girls and I set out for Dave's sister Kim's house from Sunday-Thursday. The girls were singing in the Long Island Masterworks High School Honors Choir. Adelphi University has graciously given over their facilities and some of their professors. Ali got a solo in 'Seasons of Love' from Rent and we were blown away when she opened her mouth on Friday evening. It was nice to finally hear her let it out. Can't wait until Cassie is confident enough to do the same.

We returned Friday night, the 24th around 11pm and got Ali to the airport for her flight to Washington DC. She's spending a week with HOBY (Hugh O'Brien Youth World Leadership Conference--Hugh O' Brien was the original Wyatt Earp on TV and went on to become an amazing humanitarian).

Now, when she returns, I leave a day later for California! After my return, we're really not going to know what to do with ourselves! I'll probably start thinking about and prepping for teaching this fall.

Cassie will continue to keep us busy with her soccer team though and her knee doctor appointments. Sadly, she got my knees in the gene pool. She has a 40% rotation of her kneecap on her right knee. A lateral release is a temporary solution and her doctor recommends that she see another specialist to discuss a Fulkerson procedure (not always successful). Her PT is working on taping her knee so it may gradually release to it's correct position without surgery. There's never a dull moment when there's kids around.