Monday #1: Monticello

No surprise that so much of our visit centered around food. I fixed Hash Brown Casserole, an omelet, and cut up a honeydew. It's also no surprise that my immediate family fled the table when I brought out the camera.



We headed up to Monticello, Thomas Jefferson's estate, in Charlottesville. Situated on top of a mountain, the views were stunning. From one spot, we could see the University of Virginia Rotunda (designed by Jefferson at his "Academical Village," which would later become UVA).



It was a little cool, but we were all thankful it wasn't raining!



We took a guided house tour that was fabulously interesting (well, it was, as far as house tours go!).



Following the tour, we were allowed to wander the lower level at will, and walk the grounds.

Some kind of really cool tree.

Jefferson is buried on the property in a family graveyard, which is still used today.



Breathtakingly gorgeous.


Yes, these people were breathtakingly gorgeous also.

Life and Minotaurus

My mom and Mike are on a brief side trip to Washington, DC.

Robert and Trevor and I borrowed a second metal detector this morning from a friend. I'm not sure what kind of person has two metal detectors, but I'm glad he's a friend of ours.

We played a mid-week soccer game last Tuesday at a different field. At some point during the night, the chain around Robert's neck (alright, no jokes) broke, and he lost a gold cross somewhere on the field. Or somewhere. That's where the chain slipped off his neck.

On the positive side, it's not a popular field, and we don't believe anyone else has played on it. Robert was only in a few areas, plus walking from the car, so it's as bad as looking for a needle in a haystack--at least not a big haystack. It's frustrating to know it must be there somewhere. He/we/kids/Mike, in some combination, have been back to the field at least six times, including at least once in a steady downpour of rain (that wasn't me!).

I really should have taken my camera this morning.

On the way home, Trevor and I ran into Walmart. I've made Holly's birthday cake but not yet frosted it. I've washed yet another ton of dishes (ongoing dishwasher problems!), cut up fruit to go with breakfast tomorrow morning. I have a breakfast casserole to make, cauliflower to cut up, birthday presents to wrap, and a resume to create (ugh).

I wish I could borrow time.

Meanwhile, Trevor and I continue to enjoy a Lego game he got for his birthday. It's a hilarious game. The little pieces are a bit too small for me but perfect for hands used to Lego. And the die had rubber sides, often bouncing all over the place and adding to the fun. I won this game by ONE spot, yay me!

Yesterday . . .

began with an early morning return to the Lynchburg airport to pick up a suitcase that did not make the flight along with my mom and Mike. Robert and I made the trip--it's just an hour away, and that's an easy drive for us. (Although it was funny the day before when Trevor began complaining about the car ride. How quickly he forgets!)

A few jolts of caffeine and sugar had us good for most of the day.


Trevor convinced Grandma and Grandpa to test out the Wii, playing golf and bowling. Grandma was shocked to see that Trevor is oh-so-close to her height. The camera angle here does not show how close he really is.


Soccer in the evening. Trevor's team tied.


Robert encouraging his team. Or giving them the evil eye. Or something. Whatever it was, the onlookers had to turn away.


But it worked. They won.



Holly bearing the bloody knees to prove it. She went down twice and bounced back up. My heart, however, stopped for a half second.



A nice night, fun to have my mom and Mike along to see how we live four months out of the year.

Thursday

Rain, rain, rain. Rained all night.



Robert and I had shopping to do at Walmart.



The rain finally stopped, but the clouds stayed low over the hills. (Yes, it's a busy intersection, but it has the only good view.)



He worked on the dishwasher. This has been an ongoing effort to find out why dishes end up dirtier than when they go in. That's plastic duct-taped to the opening, so he could watch the arms spin water. Good news: that's working. Bad news: means we have to try something else (and I use that "we" quite loosely). And believe me, he loooooves when I take pictures of him.



We headed off to the Lynchburg airport to pick up my mom and Mike. This would have been sooooo lovely if the sign hadn't been in the way.



This is the Lynchburg airport. It's about the size of a large Kroger, except that it has just one baggage claim and one bathroom. But we saw six TSA agents for this little airport that might have one flight every two hours.



The drive home into the Roanoke Valley is so pretty.



There are no photos of weary travelers, as it took them two days to get here (going off-island, staying overnight in Seattle to catch a 6 a.m. flight, changing planes in Atlanta, dashing to make their connection, and landing here at 4 p.m.) We fixed a stellar dinner at home and had a lovely evening before everyone dropped.

Downtown

Trevor at a sleepover, Holly at class. Robert and I enjoyed a lunch out downtown. The end of summer is killing me; I'm missing it already!

Full moon

Harvest moon over soccer. If I went past the utility lines, the trees would block the view.



Moonset in the morning.

Blurry weekend

Friday night soccer.

Worked Saturday. Came home at 6, crashed at 8, and slept until 6:30 the next morning.

A few minutes of peace, coffee, paper, husband

in the screen porch, listening to the rain.

Worked on a few online job apps and school schedules. Robert and I hit the mall to birthday shop for Holly, checked out the soccer field where we'll be having an extra game this week, then hit Walmart.

We made it home around 5:00, and I sliced my thumb nicely on the lid of a can. That meant Robert fixed dinner completely, and I licked my wounds (figuratively speaking, of course). I still had several things to do, accomplished a few, delegated or postponed the rest in time to catch the season premiere of Amazing Race.

School Monday morning, work Monday afternoon/evening.

Argh!

Walk with Trevor

Our options for walking nearby are somewhat limited, so Trevor and I took on the challenge of a hill one street over in an effort to expand our possibilities.

(This is not the hill, lol!)

The homes were gorgeous, the views were stunning.



It was a pleasant, two mile route, and we knew we had the easy downhill near the end. I love walking like this in the evening, getting out of the house, the peacefulness of it all, the talks we have as our distractions melt away.



Trevor made friends with a neighbor's cat, who dutifully waited for us to return. Summer's not really gone yet, but I'm desperately missing it already.

Tuesday soccer practice

Holly going for it.



Would you believe this is the number one team in the 9-12 age group?



End of summer, beautiful night. I am nowhere near ready for cooler weather.

Book Reviews

Playing for Pizza by John Grisham

A simple, mindless little read not in any way remniscent of the terrifically twisty thrillers for which Grisham first became famous. I picked this up when I had nothing else to read; fortunately, I now have other books that are worth the effort of turning the pages.


In a Heartbeat: Sharing the Power of Cheerful Giving by Leigh Anne and Sean Tuohy

Sandra Bullock and Tim McGraw played this couple in the movie The Blind Side--which was an excellent movie that we would wholeheartedly recommend. I'd first read The Blind Side in Reader's Digest a few years ago. In a Heartbeat was written by Leigh Anne and Sean to give a closer look at the inner workings of their fast-paced, frenetic, full family life, including the time when they were brought together with Michael Oher. I enjoyed reading their story from their perspective.


Another Day in the Frontal Lobe: A Brain Surgeon Exposes Life on the Inside by Katrina Firlik

Recommended to me by two different friends, this is a cut and dried (sorry, no pun intended) book about the background and medical career of the author. Made more interesting (to me) because she's a woman in a male-dominated field, the writing is very black and white, practical, and easy to read. While not spectacular, it was a subject I've not read of before and kept me mildly entertained.


Life of Pi by Yann Martel

Interesting in the narrow story line of the boy living on the raft with the tiger for 3/4 of a year.

I have no interest in reading books and then finding it necessary to read more information in order to understand exactly what the author was trying to say--or what other people think the author was trying to say.

I got how many people would be fascinated by the religion allegory. I found it horribly sad, an all too popular false belief in our current culture. But I KNOW the Truth, and this book just didn't do it for me. It's tragic that the book appeals to the masses who are destined for an eternity they can never imagine.

Annual invasion of the stink bugs

Nasty little things . . . although they are not so little. We've had a dozen or two in the house. Although I freaked out when Trevor noticed this hidden up in the screens of the screened porch, at least they are on the outside and not getting in.



Everything I've read indicates they stink when attacked and may bite. Thankfully, we've not experienced either.

Nasty little bugs. Someone around here needs to build a bat house or two. Hmmm . . . I sense a school project coming on!

Friday night soccer

Right up there with requiring shin guards and cleats is the league rule which states NO JEWELRY. We agree with the rules; the problem is that Holly's ears will close in literally a few hours. The remedy is to cover her assorted piercings with band-aids. It's just part of getting dressed for soccer.



Another win for the 13+ team, which is undefeated and currently in second place (they have a goal scored against them; the first place team has not been scored on yet).



The rule about elbows isn't quite as black and white.

You go, Holly!

Trevor's team also won, and they are in first place--pretty typical. I didn't take pics of that game, as it was too dark by then to get good shots.

Fall soccer games are played in Roanoke, adjacent to beautiful Mill Mountain,

(moon!)

Carilion Hospital,



and the LifeGuard helicopter pad.

(and moon again!)

I never tire of the gorgeous scenery or of watching the helicopter take off and land. And the wins go a long way for making it a great night too.

Tuesday

The morning was a blur of school. Holly's biology homework makes my head spin. I'm am so thankful that I am not teaching this--I would be hopeless. I take Lee's advice to heart: Invest in your weakness. And boy, is science my weakness.

Holly's completely enjoying her Shakespeare study, reading and re-reading Julius Caesar. I admit, I'm impressed. My head swims when I read more than a few lines.

I played catch up today, checking over yesterday's work and prepping Trevor for his day tomorrow, as I'll be at work. My schedule's been great, no complains, it's just getting back into that school swing.

I kicked Trevor outside and Robert put him to work on the riding lawn mower. It was a blessing for all of us.



I dropped everyone off at soccer practice tonight, then shopped at Walmart, and stopped by two different libraries to gather materials I'd had on hold. Two libraries = poor planning on my part. Well, my planning was good, one just got the material more quickly than I'd anticipated.

We came home, and Holly and I convinced Trevor to give X-Files a try. He liked it, and I'm wondering if he'll have trouble sleeping tonight! It's the latest series on DVD that Holly and I have been watching, usually one show each night.

All in all, a wonderful day, the weather continues to be lovely, and I'm dreading the inevitable change of seasons. 7 days down, 173 to go!

End of the week

Holly survived her first biology class.

I was sick enough to miss a day of work. Never mind that no one wants coughing, sneezing help; I couldn't drag myself up even if I had to.

Both kids' teams won fantastically at soccer. Although Holly was not feeling up to par, she was happy to win 7-1. Trevor had an opportunity to play offense, and his team won 7-0. There was also the excitement of catching up with friends we've not seen during the summer, and meeting the families of new players--just an all around fantastic first night of games.

I worked on Saturday, a perfect day to work particularly while navigating our first week of school. I'm so pleased with how well Holly and Trevor kept up with their schedules. Holly's jumping into a pretty intense semester; Trevor's using a few things that are new to him and require more independence.

It's a misty Sunday morning; we're in a wait mode with looking for a new church. I'm looking forward to a lazy day, gearing up for the coming week, and looking forward to it. Is it too early to say, five school days down, 175 more to go?

School - Day 2

I have Trevor's cold but WILL NOT deter from my schedule! I am so thankful that my work schedule allowed me to work just two days this week, Thursday and Saturday, giving us time to settle in a bit. I. feel. yuck.



Holly made Trevor lunch, always a nice gesture that they frequently do for each other. I appreciate it as much as if they'd made lunch for me.



On to soccer practice. With an awful domino effect, Holly's coming down with the same cold and sat out.



The timing of this is poor. She has her first biology class on Wednesday, and I feel bad that she has to sit through it for three hours when I know she'll feel her worst. Lights were out in our house by 10:00 p.m., and I don't know the last time we've all gone to bed so early.

With Robert's wacked out immune system, I wonder if/how this cold will affect him. He used to have super-immunity. But he changed meds, and his immune system's a mess. He suffered a horrible month-long bout of poison ivy this summer. And I can be around germy library kids every day and stay healthy, but I'm with Trevor for one day and get sick. Ugh! I'm optistic about me though. Maybe I'll stay healthy through winter!

Do I dare say it again? 2 down, 178 to go!

FIRST day of school!

For the past few years, Labor Day has been the first day of school.

This year, Trevor was sick.



Holly was sleeping. (To be fair, it was only 8:00.)



But even Lucky knew something was up.



Everything moved along right on schedule.



(Holly insisted I not show all of her.)



One day down, 179 to go!

Tuesday

While the local schools have been in session for a few weeks, we're waiting until Labor Day.



We celebrated Not Going Back to School Day. I used to make a big deal of this when the kids were younger; I'm not sure if we've recognized it much in the past few years. Whatever--it was a good excuse to go out.

(Mine's the big one back there, no surprise.)

The weather for soccer practice was greatly improved from last Tuesday. And Holly's team was pretty happy about that.


Hahaha!


I had fun. Obviously, they did too.