August was a month full of preparation for the coming year. August 3rd, Naomi and I were able to go help in the library at the middle school. Over the summer, a construction crew had been hard at work adding a green room and a digital citizenship classroom to the media center area. This meant that all the books had to be moved and stored in the back room. That was all taken care of before the year ended. The new and exciting development was that the media center was getting new carpet. We had to move all the books from one side of the library to the other so they could lay carpet on that side. Then, a couple of days later we had to move all the books to the other side of the room so the carpet could be laid on that half. Once that was all done we had to put the books and shelves where they needed to be permanently. It was a large, but fun task.
Naomi then got to spend the afternoon playing with her friend's new kitten and then was off to a birthday party that night. Steve was excited because he finally got his new stereo in the Xterra. His "truck" is finally coming together the way he has always dreamed it would.
August 4th was a work at home day. I started working on my nemesis - the back corner of the yard. I have never really had a vision for this area of the yard and as a result it has just been an area to grown weeds through the years. This year that was going to change. I was a woman on a mission with a vision. When I was all done with the corner it would be a garden for my lilac and iris as well as a meeting area complete with a table and fire pit area. I am so excited to finally have a completed back yard.
Our friend, Adam, came over later that day to do a woodworking project with Steve. Adam had a piece of cedar he wanted to turn into a bowl for his wife. They had seen this gorgeous cedar bowl when they were registering for their wedding but it was really expensive. Steve helped Adam turn his piece of cedar into a gorgeous bowl. Misti was so happy. The rest of the day Steve stayed in the garage and worked on his scout knives and I did some finish work in the bathroom. It is almost ready to paint.
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| Gorgeous sunrise with an impressive cloud. |
August 5th we got a new bishopric. It was sad to see the old bishopric released, but we are equally excited about the new bishopric. That night was the Pies and Ties farewell event for Matthew Hedrick. He was leaving for his mission to Argentina later in the week and we all stopped by to wish him well. During the event Naomi complained of the right side of her face feeling funny. It was really swollen for some reason. We immediately went home and gave her some Benedryl. The next morning she was fine. Weird!!
August 6th Naomi was my support as I had to say goodbye to my phone. It was refusing to charge and was quickly heading toward dead. I hate picking out a new phone and Naomi came to help ease me through the process. You may laugh, but his is truly a mourning process for me. I don't like it one bit. I am happy to say that I am adjusting to my new Samsung 9+ phone although it will be some time before I can honestly say I like it. I am not ungrateful, but incredibly stubborn.
August 8th Naomi was invited to be a part of the elite marching band at school. Mr. Scaringelli wanted to give her a challenge and thought this would be the perfect thing. She LOVES it!!
It was a busy day of me driving everywhere to make sure that Nick got to and from cross country training, Jeremy got to and from work and Naomi got to and from band camp. It is all worth it though. I didn't realize how much I relied on Jeremy to help me move people around.
August 8th Naomi's face got swollen again. I called the doctor and they wanted to see her immediately to rule out an allergic reaction. Last time it was key lime pie and this time it was apple slices. The doctor felt that the two incidents were a fluke but she wanted me to call immediately if it happened again.
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| Poor baby! The whole right side of her face is swollen. |
After making sure Naomi wasn't in serious peril, Jeremy and I drove all his mission and visa papers to the post office and got them mailed back to Salt Lake so the missionary travel department could finish the visa process.
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| The paperwork and hoop-jumping is finally finished. |
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| This picture is just so Jeremy. I love it. |
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| We also found some time in this busy day to re-dye Naomi's hair. |
Our new bishop is originally from Sao Paulo and was so excited about Jeremy's mission call to Brazil that he invited us over for an authentic Brazilian dinner and a chance to ask questions. Another young man from a ward in our stake was also going to Brazil (just a couple of weeks before Jeremy) and we would get to meet them and talk all things missionary. Jeremy was really excited. I found a recipe for a Brazilian potato salad to add to the meal. Jeremy gave it two thumbs up. I think it actually made him more excited about everything he would experience while in Brazil. Also, that day, his Portuguese scriptures arrived.
That night was so much fun. Bishop Arias answered all sorts of questions from all of us about what to expect for the next two years. Both missionaries were very grateful for the Q&A session. Our new bishop is going to be amazing.
August 11th I had my big, annual kick-off for seminary teachers event. It is a 4 hour training to get us all ready for the coming year. I actually look forward to it. Steve was on kid chauffeur duty for the morning. He got to go to the mall with Naomi and Jeremy to pick up some more things Jeremy would need on his mission. Nick had Matt come over to hang out for the day and Naomi had all her friends over for a Voltron party. The new season had been released the night before on Netflix and they were all excited to watch it together. That night Jeremy went to Hubert's birthday party. It was a packed day for everyone.
The next several days were full of errands. On 8/14 I managed to put 100-plus miles on the truck. I was not home for more than 20 minutes all day long. I helped at the library at school, drove Naomi and Ari to the mall (and followed them around for two hours), dropped the girls off at the Wilsons, dropped Nick off at cross country, picked Naomi up from the Wilsons, picked Nick up from cross country, took Naomi to school so she could perform with the Knight Riders at the beginning of orientation, and then finished the day off driving Nick to and from basketball camp. 100 MILES!!!
Back at home we spent the rest of the day at the pool. That night Nick has his Eagle Board of Review. He is officially an Eagle Scout now.
August 15th was the first day of 11th and 7th grades for Nick and Naomi.
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| Traditional first day picture. They are smiling this year. I hope that is a good omen. |
Jeremy and I spent the day looking for good shoes to fill the needs of his mission. That is no small task, but we did find two pair that will be perfect for his p-days and sports as well as some boots for working and sloshing through mud. That night we all did a little star-gazing. There were four planets all visible. It was super cool.
August 17th the day started with Steve taking Nick to InstaCare for an infected toe. They gave him an antibiotic and told him to watch it. Really? OK! Meanwhile, I was on my way to an all-day women's retreat in a little place called Meadows of Dan, Virginia. Our Relief Society president's parents live there and had invited us up to enjoy a day of sisterhood and relaxation. It was an amazing day and accomplished all it was supposed to accomplish. I love the sister in the Relief Society and had so much fun getting to know them all better.
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| The front lawn and pond. |
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| A class on the benefits of massage. |
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| Checking out the couch Misti's mother build - by herself!!! |
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| The whole group. |
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| Working on our craft. |
Sunday, August 19th, we attended a meeting to announce some new stake boundaries and wards. Our ward was not affected this time, but we did lose the Matthews ward to the South Stake which was split in two and five new wards were formed. There has been so much growth in South Charlotte and northern South Carolina. It is amazing to watch the Church growing like it is.
August 21st was Back to School night for the HS. Steve and I got to meet all Nick's teachers and Nick got to walk across the parking lot to attend his last basketball camp of the summer. I think this year is going to be a challenging, but rewarding year for Nick. He has two Honors classes and choir along with cross country. He is getting involved and is loving it so far.
August 22nd Sandra and I were finally able to coordinate our busy schedules and go to lunch together. We caught each other up on all that has been going on in our lives and just had a fun and much-needed break from being busy.
August 24th I got to sub in 6th grade science. It was the day they would be trying out their solar ovens they had built the day before. Some of them did nachos and others tried cookies. One two or three of the ovens worked the way they should have. The kids were given the chance to evaluate and correct the problems the next week. It was fun to watch the kids really learning and being able to apply what they learned.
Later that day Jeremy and I got the email from the lawyer he hired that his ticket had been dismissed. His driving record is clean.
That night was the first football game of the season. I worked the Spirit Store and Naomi played with the Knight Riders. It was so much fun to watch them come marching into the football area. They would play occasionally throughout the game as well. I can see why Naomi loves it so much.
August 25th was Nick's first cross country meet. Steve was able to go watch him. Nick ran the course in 23 minutes. Not bad for the first race of the year.
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| On the start line just after the gun went off. |
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| Nick coming down the home stretch to the finish line. |
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| So handsome in his uniform. |
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, I was in charge of making sure Jeremy got to work and taking Naomi to the SoccerFest for the beginning of the fall AYSO season. This is the day where they observe the girls playing and build the teams. Before taking Jeremy to work, we went to several stores to find cilantro so we could make our Cafe Rio dinner for the missionaries. There was none to be found. We ended up buying an actual plant.
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| Jeremy and our cilantro plant. |
August 26th Naomi was set apart as the Beehive secretary. We also had the elders over for some Cafe Rio. Jeremy had been bragging at church a few weeks earlier about our Cafe Rio dinners. Both the elders and the sisters had been standing there and wanted in on the Cafe Rio action. I booked them back-to-back nights for dinner at our house.
August 27th was our 25th wedding anniversary. I can't believe that 25 years went by so quickly. It was also the first day of seminary. Nick's infected toe did not resolve with the oral antibiotics (a very sarcastic SURPRISE!) and I ended up taking him to a podiatrist to have the nail removed. He was a real trooper. Shots in your toe are not fun at all. I dropped Nick off at school and planned my lesson for the next day then went back to school to pick up the kids. At 5 I was at Latta Plantation to get Nick from cross country. We hurried home so I could finish getting dinner ready. We had invited the sister missionaries and the Wrights over for dinner. I dropped Naomi off at soccer and hurried home before our guests arrived. Halfway through dinner I picked Naomi up and she was able to join our dinner party. It was a busy day.
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| Happy Anniversary, Honey!!! |
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| Every girl's crazy 'bout a sharp-dressed man. |
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| With the favorite pink shirt and dachshund socks. |
August 28th Naomi fell victim to the nasty cold that was going around school. She had a fever and a really sore throat and I kept her home from school.
August 31st we got to dog sit Felix again. Naomi had to play with the Knight Riders at the football game so I brought Felix with me when I picked her up. He was really afraid of the big crowds but was excited to see Naomi. It was all worth it though because he got some serious lovin' from all the cheerleaders.
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