July Highlights

I hate when I don't blog regularly because then there's just too much to write about and things get lost.  My memory is so terrible.  If I don't write it down, it might as well have not happened.

So let's see.  Where did I leave off?  The AP Institute at the beginning of the month was pretty good.  I got some good ideas, but it's always a challenge because I will forget things by the time I go back to work.  The district cut us back to 2 prep days before school starts this year, and those days will contain a 3ish hour faculty meeting, a department meeting, a coach's meeting, a PLC meeting, an advisory meeting, and possibly one other meeting that I may have to attend.  And a meeting with the secretary at some point to learn the new finance system.  So I'm not going to get much actual work done those 2 days.  That leaves me no time to prep for 2 classes I've never taught before, one class I haven't taught in a few years, and another one that I've taught for years, but now I'll be teaching honors.  So I'll be changing some things.  And writing new disclosures.  I'm just planning on working that whole week.  Which is why the school district can get away with cutting our prep days.  They know we'll just work anyway.  But, luckily for me I still have a few weeks before I have to worry about all of that.

OK, so here are a few summer highlights.

We went to the drive-in to see Despicable Me 2 and Monsters University with some of the Chamberlain cousins.

The annual Chamberlain Pineview Extravaganza was great fun.   Everything went great, except for the thunderstorms that always seem to roll in only when the Chamberlains arrive.  But there were S'mores and campfire, games, swimming, Sean and Brinley catching catfish and then the other kids arriving and making a little pool to keep them in, Jaden cracking everyone up with his awesome joke, relaxing and visiting, and of course wave running.  The water was especially excellent for wave running this year.  I could have gone for another couple of hours.

Sean taking the kids fishing

Playing the sign game

Eating Max's dutch oven cobbler

Climbing trees

This child refuses to get her hair combed.

The third installation of my (soon-to-be Award Winning) photography series entitled "The View From My Awning", in which I take photos of the view from under the awning of my trailer at different campsites: 

Sean took the whole week off because we weren't coming home until Thursday, but he ended up with jury duty on Thursday morning, so we came home Wednesday night.  Thursday night we took the kids swimming at their grandma's house, Friday we went to Seven Peaks, and Sunday we went to Lagoon.  It was a busy and fun week, and I'm glad we got to do some fun things before the kids had to start school again.  

Another fun Chamberlain tradition happens in July:  the Bountiful Handcart Days parade.

My kids are on year-round school, so they started back last Thursday.

Sean and I went to the Jason Aldean concert last Saturday night.  It was really good.  I didn't really like the venue so much.  It was at Rio Tinto soccer stadium, and we had floor seats, so we were down on the field.  It was hard to see.  I like stadium seating better.  But the music itself was so fun!

Heather is here visiting, so we've been over to visit a few times.  Mostly we're just doing wedding junk, though, this week.  Everything takes forever, especially when you're me.  It takes me forever to do anything. I don't care if everything is perfect, because it won't be, but I just want to have fun.

Next up:  Pineview with Scott and Katie.  I'm so excited!