Summer’s Here!

 

6/22/17

Hey, all!! Summer’s here!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9G4jnaznUoQ <—–still my favorite version of this song, from my high-school years. South Americaaaaaaa!

So, what’s been happening:

-Dano got a job!

Yes, in a world where a) 40 hour/week summer jobs are hard to find for teens, and b)some teens now see the summer job as a violation of their God-given right to boredom and angst during the summer months, Dano impressed me. I got him a job at a factory that likes to hire kids fro his school, but while the money was good, it was 35 miles away . The solution? He got on Craig’s list and found another jb just 4 miles away…in ten minutes. Dang, boy! Great work, and the uniform’s not even dorky! Great!

…I went for grades 4-6 to Saint Thomas Aquinas school in Toronto, Canada. There, a girl had won the prize for best Science Fair project in all of Canada for asking “Why do Beets Turn the Water Red?”
My son Chris took that idea and ran with it for his Science Fair at The Highlands School!

…well, it didn’t go national (Canada’s a much smaller country, eh?), but he DID get a 93%, and did all the work himself [parents know what I mean...too many projects are the result of parent work, not the kids'... ]. Way to go, Chris!

Chris and Jamsey also got to go to Camp El-Har, the summer camp for boys run by the Legion of Christ. The boys went out of their comfort zone to sell Raffle Tickets to raise money for their experience, and they went out of their comfort zone & did well. Their reward? A week of Paintball, horseback riding and a host of other amazing events and enjoyments, along with Mass and adoration. Chris loved it so much he wants to go back as a counselor next year- we’ll see what happens.

Last week, the family hit the lake!
The upside to having a large family is you meet other large families. And those large families know where all the cool stuff can be found for free.
Case in point: Joe Pool lake, free to residents of Grand Prairie:

 

Great day! We met with our friends, the Cyrs and the Gaglianos for BBQ lunch and hitting the water after Mass last Sunday. Who cares about 90 degree weather when the water’s nice and just a short walk away? Jeanna had a great time, & it was nice to see. She misses her family, and the good news is she’s here with them now for a visit on the West Coast. Su will go there next in a couple of weeks, and me and the rest of the boys in the last third of July.
Dear God, thank you for today, thank you for my family and the good friends and experiences we’ve had the chance to have. Keep guiding us, please, and bring me, my wife, and all my children to love you, your Son, your Holy Spirit,, your mother and all the saints, our siblings in Heaven, whose prayers i ask for here & now,
Amen.

PS: Nothing says Texas to me like a mariachi band in full dress at the lake in 90 degree weather, 20 feet from your own picnic table: