Friday, July 30th

No car shopping today... spent the entire day pricing everything that goes in tomorrow's garage sale... Grace and I are completely spent, and the real fun starts early next morning...

Thursday, July 29th

Sure (in the ad photo) it appears to be exactly what I'm looking for... a short test drive (and closer inspection) gave evidence to the fact that it is not... I also did a 7-hour new-teacher orientation with the other 11 members of the Fleming Island faculty recruitment class of 2010!

The Car Search Continues

A long day of looking at cars just about had me plunk down $5,000 for this 2002 Maxima... in the end, the condition of the interior, high mileage and sketchy record of service led me to pass... not quite at the desperate stage; this time next week will be another story...

Monday, July 26th

Tim and Kara @Hilton Head with the Richardsons...

Sunday, July 25th

Grace and I spent the day with Kara... went to her church (Trinity Anglican) in the morning, brunched with her old roommate Ashley... ...got a tour of the house she shares with four other girls (photo shows my girls pictured out front)We just got back to Jax...
Kara is spending the next couple of days on the beach at Hilton Head with her brother and the Richardsons! (photo taken with Kara's smart phone upon arrival)

Saturday, July 24th

Ezekiel and Jonah Herzog getting an early look at their brother Micah Jude, who entered this world early yesterday morning, weighing in at just over nine pounds!

Friday, July 23rd

Part of getting ready for the July 31st garage sale is figuring out what stays and what goes... today we decided to change out the pulls on these two chests of drawers and keep them... wish I had a "before" picture to show you ;-)

Tuesday, July 20th

Here's the note my sister-in-law posted on her Facebook today:

Is anything better than becoming a grandma?? I'm going to be a grandma again!!!
Kristen and Joel just announced they are expecting Jan. 17!!

Congratulations Kim
(and Steve), and of course Kristen and Joel!!!

Monday, July 19th

Bonnie turned 24 yesterday... the celebration ran through today, beginning with lunch at Barnacle Bills and Grace's personalized tour of Old St. Augustine (where she lived/worked years ago)...

Grace lives 8 minutes from the beach, but it took Bonnie and Drew coming up from Ft. Lauderdale to get us out there.
Here's a look at the crew breaking for lunch at Angie's...Oldest son Nathan took our order...

Friday, July 16th

My apologies for the lapse in entries... busy week taking care of all the pre-employment requirements at the county office... got fingerprinted today!
Something really exciting to report: signing a 12-month lease last week entered me in a raffle for an i-Pad... they called today informing me that I had won! Since turning in my lap-top @ACA, I've been wondering what I should do to replace it...
---------------------------How about that?!?!

Two Men and a Truck

"Got 'er done" with the help of Grace, her oldest son Nathan and his friend Donovan...

Spain 1 - Netherlands 0 in OT

Not the most exciting World Cup Final I've ever watched, but I did get to see it with Grace and the best team did win... Tim sent this picture from the sports bar where he and a bunch of his friends took in the game; he and I watched the 2006 final with a bunch of heart-broken French fans...

Saturday, July 10th

No excuse not to get in shape with these two 50 feet from my front door...
---------racquetball anyone?
Grace and I have been playing tennis every two or three days at 7:00 a.m.; it has been way too hot later in the day... the weather people reported 100 degree temperatures in Jacksonville yesterday, and it was only a couple of degrees better today!

Friday, July 9th

Grace and the pool at my new apartment complex...

Thursday, July 8th

Signed a one-year lease on an apartment here:I'll be in apt. 613, right across from the fitness facility (that includes two indoor racquetball courts) and behind the lighted tennis courts and pool... It's a one-room apartment, but there will always be room for guests!

Wednesday, July 7th

Met with the foreign language department chairperson (a sign language teacher), got my teacher's editions and to see more of the campus... here's a look across the atrium at the "cafetorium" (cafeteria/auditorium combo)I'll be teaching 3 Spanish I and 2 level II classes (M-F 50 minutes ea.); first period starts @7:20. First day of classes: August 16th!

Unemployed no longer!

Fleming Island High School offered me a contract to teach Spanish beginning August 9, so I have roughly one month to find an apartment, get moved out of Grace's garage and living room, buy a car, get Tim settled @UNCA and prepare to re-enter the classroom... big relief to have that decision behind me; thank you all for praying!
Other exciting news: My niece Chelsea and her husband Adam Craw welcomed my mother's first great-grandchild "Lydia Bella" into this world yesterday afternoon @2:35 She weighed in at 7lbs 14oz!

Independence Day

Church/Picnic on the grounds this morning, a nice "quiet" cookout with Grace and her brother Jonathan in the evening and fireworks all around us, courtesy of the neighbors... all in all a great day in celebration of our Lord's day and the 234th anniversary of our country's declaration of independence!

July 2nd

The Benzings stopped by on the first night of their Florida vacation!Grace and I were ready for company after those crazy World Cup quarterfinals in which the Netherlands took out top-seeded Brazil 2-1 and Uruguay downed the last surviving country from the host continent in penalty kicks after Ghana missed the chance to win in the last minute of overtime by banging a pk off the top bar.

First Day in July!

Been missing this young man lately... He's been busy working at a landscaping job in Asheville; trying to save a little for college. He found out today that the assistant coach who recruited him to play at UNCA has been made the new head coach... today he's been working on paperwork for his eligibility.

Last Day in June

The interview with the principal at Fleming Island High School went really well. Sam Ward has been at the helm since the school opened in 2002 and has established a culture of excellence; the school of 2,300 students consistently earns an "A" rating based on its FCAT scores; last year it was rated the 12th best in the state of Florida!