Summer days

Greetings from sunny July!!

It happens every year I'm finding...something about the slightly less stringent schedule and the gradual increase of free time over the summer leaves me often with not the slightest idea of where the time has gone. Summer is half way over now, and it has been a blast!!

The weather has only been intolerably hot for about a week this summer...surprisingly the rest of it has been very nice, with good thunderstorms to keep things cool and give Laura and I something to watch and/or run in on the weekends.

WORK TIME:
In addition to my soybeans project, I've been gradually getting back into working at the hospital. This is not nearly even part time work at the moment, but keeps me busy and adds a little extra cash flow. I like keeping my toes in the water a bit at least and oiling out the squeaky joints that I seem to have acquired over the past few months in the area of patient care under stressful circumstances. My love for and fascination with people keeps me going through just about everything there I'm finding...which is nice seeing as I'd like to sink my career in a similar environment.

I've also been shadowing at a local doctor's office, sitting in with both the MD and the PA who work there. It's been a blast to be taught by them, welcomed into their practice and knowledge base, and get to see a bit of a new angle when it comes to my future job. Because of the lack of regulation over PA's in general, there are many many areas which they specialize and/or focus in depending on their interest and the needs of the doctor they assist. Definitely not an easy job but I like the variety that I see in the people I have observed so far...all those bodies certainly keep them on their toes.

The house is finally painted...and despite the constant questions of whether we made the right decisions I think it looks great. Trim still needs to go in, along with a wood floor in the living room, but for now construction is over and we are looking forward to some sense of normalcy in the house for the next few weeks.

PLAY TIME:

We've had some great times hanging out with people lately...helped Jill get moved into her new rental out in South Shores, had awesome Indian food made by Mrs. Cheryl on the fourth of July, had the Higgins over for dinner and games, and had some various birthday parties and movie nights. Never a dull moment. I'm really enjoying the chance to kick back and relax.

I've also had some fun figuring out some of the stuff for my new apartment. I'm gathering things to move over there gradually (all the essentials: coffee maker, hangars, desk, etc) and on the lookout for good deals that I might be able to use. It's a little weird to be finally moving out, and very exciting too...especially with the knowledge that I can pick up and move back home for a night whenever I want to. I have great roomies, but I'm sure there will be a few times this semester when 6 girls in a house is just a bit too much estrogen. :) I'll be painting there a bit right before I move in, but for now I'm just puttering a bit.

TRAVEL TIME:

I've been out to see Matt's show twice in the last month, once with my family up near Chicago and again with his family in Madison, WI. Both were short trips that involved long drives and minimal talking/seeing time, but both were very fun. Nice to see what this crazy thing called drum corps really is and get to meet some of his buddies and see the show. I tried hard to have a critical eye but alas I find that my musical instincts die quickly as you move from vocal sounds to a different instrument. At any rate, I enjoyed getting to see him even for just a few minutes and was pretty jazzed to see how the whole thing worked out. I can confidently say, however, that I do not envy him for his 90 days of living on a bus with 45 guys. Decatur sounds pretty good for me... :)

This weekend I head to Ft. Wayne, IN to visit Faith. She's been wanting me to come up to "her lake" for about a year now, so Marc and I are hitting the road and staying over a couple of nights. It will be great fun to see her again and get to hang out and chat and sunbathe. Not quite the DR, but it's close enough.

When I return, I will have 1 day to work and pack before we depart for Colorado for 11 days. This will take us up to the cabin that we always visit, but also to a small town about 20 miles away, where my other grandparents and my aunt will meet us at a bed and breakfast for a few days. It will be great to see them (it's been more than a year) and catch up in the beautiful mountain air. Looking forward to fishing, taking pictures, reading, journaling, and being away from technology. Mom's parents have been vacationing there for more than 30 years now. There is solace in that place which I can hardly describe...it makes me wonder if someday I'll take my family there. I hope so.

Well, I'm sitting here and there is much to be done, so I'd better scoot...hope all is well in everyon's summers. Hopefully sometime soon I'll be able to sit down and compose a blog that focuses a bit more on thoughts and feelings and struggles and joys and a little less on schedule. But for now, this should keep you updated.

Blessings~
Morgs