Catchup Post

I cannot believe I've let a month go by without blogging. I am a terrible person. Here's the thing: as a teacher, I still have summers off. You would think that this would mean that I have expert knowledge on how to structure my time to do fun things, while also doing all the things (photography, half marathon training, etc) that I SAY I am going to do. Truthfully? notsomuch. I always end up spending the first half of my summer in complete sloth and the second half of the summer trying to get all the stuff done that I said I would do all summer long. Oops. I've missed all of you invisible friends though :)

So, here is what the first half of my summer looked like:

Kev and I went to Washington, DC, Virginia, and Maryland to visit our friends Paul and Amanda. We did the museum thing (loved the Newseum and Smithsonian American History), the Mall (loved the WWII memorial) and got to see the marine band play on the Capitol's steps. We ate dinner together every night, spent the weekend at a fabulous house on the Chesapeake, and it was fabulous. I wish Paul and Amanda lived closer, or that Kev had summers off so we could travel more. I've also decided that if we ever left the midwest, I'd definitely move southeast. I freaking love that area.

I've also been babysitting a ton for my cousins. I totally forgot how awesome it is to work for a day and get handed a fistful of cash at the end of the day as a direct result of your labors. Also, is there anything better than hanging out with little kids in the summer? Parks = awesome. Popsicles = awesome. Sprinklers = awesome. Naps = awesome. Kids rule. I've also gotten a good tan from playing outside with them. Winner, winner.

When I'm not kid wrangling or travelling, I've been enjoying all the fabulousness that summer in Chicago brings. Baseball games, free movies in the park, drinking on porches, watching Kev's terrible softball team (sorry, Great Balls of Friar, but it's true), and generally making mayhem.

So, fret not, I am alive and I'll be getting back to a regular blogging schedule this week. Thanks for coming back after the hiatus!