Hmmm.

Should I keep posting things on my blog?  I'm not sure.  I wasn't sure our lives in India were all that interesting that anyone would want to read about it.  Peoria?  I have my doubts.  You are all on facebook, right?

We've been here about 6 weeks.  Mark was back in India 3 of the 6.  We're adjusting slowly, not necessarily easily, but adjusting none the less.  Sam is working hard to do a year of Algebra II this summer, Ahnalies has reviewed all of 7th grade math and is heading for Quebec to spend a week with a British friend from India before school starts.  Joe has brushed up on his reading, writing and arithmatic and is more than ready for 4th grade, and is our family ambassador to the rest of the neighborhood - he's made several friends and advises us where to go out to eat.  Jake has worked on a Chemistry class and is starting to think about packing for his freshman year at Villanova - he's so ready to go.  (I'm less so.)  Jake and Sam have finished their required driver's training class and behind the wheel training,  and now are waiting for (Jake) to turn 18 and (Sam) to have his learner's permit for 9 months.  Both feel the wait is endless.

I drive.  I believe I'm making up for the 2 years I couldn't drive.  I take everyone everywhere they need to go, and many places they don't need to go.  We've driven to Iowa, Chicago, and Kentucky.  We've gone school shopping, to tutoring, to the grocery store repeatedly because it's so fun (for real!).  We've gone out for ice cream, to movies, and to one of my favorite places, the library.  We've had a pretty normal summer, I guess.

Now we feel as if it's time to go.  Go where?  Don't know, but our internal clock says we should be going somewhere far away.  Instead, Jake will go far away from the rest of us and that feels unnatural.  The other 3 will go to their respective schools, Mark will go to work, and I'll continue to drive.

I'll include a few pictures from our summer fun for anyone who didn't see them on facebook.

A weekend in Iowa to celebrate my parents' upcoming 50th anniversary included a little water balloon slingshot action.  Daniel and Sam hold, Jake aims

A weekend in Chicago with our neighbors in India included dinner at Gino's pizzeria and a Reliant K Concert.  Farid, Donna, and Lynn

Jake decided to get a jump on the ROTC requirements and had me buzz his hair before anyone at school saw it longer.  It aged him a bit,we think, but he's too young to think that's a bad thing!

Another weekend was spent in Kentucky, where our former neighbors live now.

Jake, Sam and Zach

On the way home for KY, we stopped to pick up our version of therapy, Bailey, our new puppy.

So, there you have a thumbnail sketch of our summer.  I knew there wasn't anything exciting to write about!