It has been a crazy two weeks since I returned home. I brought back a wicked "head cold" from Ireland and had to return to work the next day. A shout-out goes to Mackenzie and Mason for being so understanding and fending for themselves as I went to bed early for an entire week trying to get well and adjust to our time zone.
Darin and I celebrated our 22nd wedding anniversary on Friday, August 20th. He was still out of town and I had such a busy day that I totally forgot it was our anniversary until I checked the mailbox and found a card from my mother-in-law, thank you Carolyn!
I started my 20th year of teaching on Monday. It has made stop and think about August 1990 when I stepped into my first 6th grade Geography classroom at a computer magnet school in downtown Fort Lauderdale. I often smile when I think of those veteran teachers who became my mentors. By now, I am sure most of them have retired from teaching. I vividly remember the awesome travel posters I had hung in the classroom. At the time, I would never have thought that I would get the chance to visit some of those countries such as Switzerland, England, France, Italy, and Ireland. Thanks to a wonderful husband who enjoys traveling overseas as much as I do. Especially, a great big thank you to Grandpa and Nana who always encourage us to visit as many countries as possible and stay as long as we can even though they are the ones watching the kids. Another shout-out goes to Grandpa who can hand draw maps of cities, places to visit, and places to eat after it been years since he visited.
Speaking of smiles, I have had quite a few this week. Darin returned home on Sunday. Mackenzie and Mason had a great week as they entered 7th and 3rd grades. A parent email thanking me for an act of kindness that I showed to her daughter in class. Getting a hug from a old friend who's son just enrolled in my school. A potluck dinner with fellow technology teachers and the main course was Shepard's pie (just as good as found in Ireland). An unexpected wedding invitation for the entire family. Watching Mason's eyes "light up" with the thought of getting to wear his suit again to another wedding. This makes our third wedding in 2010 Check out the invitation below, very creative!
On Friday night, we did crash at the Ritz but it wasn't a wedding. It was a dance party hosted by a local ballroom dance company. It was open to the public but almost everyone there was from the company and "oh man" they were awesome dancers!
On Saturday morning, Mason played his first flag football game of the season. He got to play on the local high school's football field with its $100,000 astroturf. Check out the action shot of Mason throwing a pass.
Saturday afternoon, the kids crashed a party of their own. There is a small Lutheran church at the entrance to our neighborhood. The church posted a flier inviting all families in our development to join them for a few hours of food and games. Even though we are members of a catholic church, we decided to stop by for some fun.
Another action shot, Mason getting "dunked" in the tank. 
