Let's Try This Again....

So apparently my goal of keeping up with a blog didn't quite pan out as I had planned last year...  I made it to November.  Woot!

So, let's try this again.....

I am down to my last few days (I can count them on one hand) before I head back into the daily grind of teaching preschoolers.  Although I am excited for what this year holds, I must say, having to go back to work on Monday is not the best birthday gift I could think of (Monday also happens to be my birthday)!

This summer has been full of fun...

First there was the "Summer Beach Vacation to Chincoteague Island, Virginia."  This place is really heaven on Earth, paradise, the best place ever!  I have grown up going to this little island, and regardless of whether we visit in the summer or the winter, it really does feel like home away from home.  We went with some very good friends of ours this summer, and although the weather wasn't the best - we still made it fun and adventuresome!

Then, my "little" brother visited from South Dakota.  He moved there a little over a year ago and now has a girlfriend, who he brought home with him.  We did everything we could squeeze in during the 10 days he was here.  From picnics to winery day trips to Put-In-Bay and even a dual-First Communion party for our very good friends' children...we did it all.

Finally, I spent a few days in the Blueridge Mountains in Virginia with my parents.  This is my other most favorite vacation place.  It has something for everyone...  It is only about a half hour (at the most) from Charlottesville, where you can visit presidential homes and learn a lot of history.  There are also the mountains, where I love to hike and enjoy nature, and of course look for bears!  And finally, there are plenty of wineries, breweries, and cideries.  This year, I took my dog with me to hike and visit wineries.  She was a great travel companion as my husband spent his vacation days at the beach earlier in the summer.  This is my wine stock up trip, too; this year I brought back eleven bottles of wine.  Each one from our favorite Virginia wineries!

Throughout the summer, my mom and I took our dogs for training hikes in our area.  I had to make sure my little Cocker Spaniel could really hike in the mountains since I was planning to take her to the Virginia mountains and hike.  Boy was I ever surprised when we started hiking and learned my little Maggie not only enjoyed (duh!) going to wherever we would hike for the day, but she absolutely loved hiking!  The more she had to climb to get through the trail, the faster her little nub would wiggle and the more pep she had in her step! 

I also took the plunge into starting my Master's Degree this summer.  It is an 18 month program, and at the end I will have a Master's of Education degree in Curriculum and Instruction, with a concentration in Literacy.  I am almost done with my first class (it ends Sunday) and have a 99% as of now.  I get a week off from class (which is perfect timing since I am starting back to work Monday), and will start up again August 26 with a new class.  Classes are five weeks long, so a lot is crammed into a short time, but I am finding that I am actually learning and able to make connections. 

I must say, I am truly sad to see the summer break end.  However, I am excited to see what the new school year has in store for me.  There have been rumors of big changes in store, that seem to have a positive impact on how the year will go.  So, here I am, making a pledge to try to keep up with this blog thing yet again...