Back to School

My summer was fabulous, but now it is time for me to start shifting gears.  A week from today I head back to Sierra Vista High School, home of the mountain lion.  This will be my 26th year of teaching school in the Clark County School District.  I have to admit that at this very moment I wish I could turn the clock back a few months and vacation in Hawaii again.  My mom always used to tell me that you could tell if you had had a good vacation if you wanted to go back another time.  Well, I do wish I could turn time back so things must have been good for me this summer.  As I shift gears and focus on lesson plans and the myriad of other responsibilities I will soon face, I am actually glad I have a job and that it is one I take pride in and feel a sense of accomplishment.  Here's to a great school year for me as well as my grandchildren or anyone else who has to wake up to an alarm to be to school on time.

The Andersons in Santa Cruz

This year our annual "Anderson Sisters and Brother Get-Together" was held in Santa Cruz, California.  We stayed at Pam and Jay's beach house.  The back patio faces the Pacific Ocean.  It was a wonderful place to reconnect.  The weather was cool and comfortable, the visiting was heart-warming, the activities were fun, and the food was delicious.  I am so grateful everyone could arrange their schedules so we could spend four days together.  It reminds me who I am, who I love, and why family is so important.  I think Mom and Dad were smiling above as they saw us share time together with a family they worked so hard at creating and maintaining family ties.

While in California we enjoyed biking, browsing through stores, eating out, eating in, walking on the beach, playing cards, visiting, and being together.  Thanks, Pam and Jay, for giving us this great opportunity to be together as family while enjoying your beautiful home and warm and gracious hospitality. 

Sheldon, Julie & Jace's New Pictures

I'm The Birthday Girl

My birthday this year fell on Sunday.  Considering that I had to teach Sunday School, buzz home for a quick dinner, and then be off for an Eagle Court of Honor, the idea to celebrate on Monday, August 8th, seemed logical.  Today Steve and I met Thomas, Natalie, Cali, and Ashton at Whitney Ranch which is in Green Valley near the Galleria Mall.  We went swimming, enjoyed a nice picnic lunch by the pool, and opened presents.  It was a great afternoon, and I enjoyed my 59th birthday party very much.

Yesterday Melanie, Heather, and Julie all called to wish me a happy birthday.  It was nice to talk to everyone all on the same day and hear the latest news from everyone.  I told Steve not to get me anything because he footed the bill for a fabulous Hawaiian vacation this summer, but he didn't exactly listen because when I woke up Sunday morning he had flowers for me.

New Pictures of Chad, Heather, Kyra, Skye and Dane