Summer's Over?

First day of school this week, or should we say "days."  Tess had high school orientation on Tuesday, which Marta and Luke both attended as part of the orientation team.  Then they all started officially on Wednesday.   Well, that is all but Eliza, who will begin classes at BYU on August 29.  Truth is, the real challenge begins tomorrow, when the three high schoolers begin seminary at 5:55 a.m.  Somehow, that seems more brutal than previous years' 6:00.  It will be especially difficult as everyone's a bit short of sleep and used to a much later schedule.  Two of our scholars (who will not be named. . .) began their school year on little (two hours) and NO sleep Tuesday night.  And that's not because they were excited.  It's because they are PROCRASTINATORS.  Ahem. . .

On to cheerier topics:

• The tomatoes keep producing and producing and producing.  
• Mom and Dad actually completed their Saturday to-do lists--not sure if that was because they were efficient, or the lists were wimpy.  
• Levi's soccer season began, and he is enjoying being one of the big kids on the team.  Still lopes about the field and seems overly polite when it comes to attacking the ball, but he's learning!  
• Marta is learning that Varsity water polo is meaner and dirtier than the Frosh/Soph game.  And she seems to like it that way, in spite of getting two fouls in a row even though "the other girl was the one grabbing her suit and pulling her under." 
• Tess survived the twelve-hour band play-a-thon.  
• Luke did a beautiful job cleaning out the Bronco and has resigned himself to driving it. . .under threat of prosecution.
• Eliza continued to save lives at the lake.  
• Mom and Dad made it to the temple--Fresno this time.  That means three different temples in the last three months.  
• And the good news is, no jury duty for Mom--this time!

Oh, and there was the birthday.  Although admittedly, it was Denise's wish to go to the gold mining ghost town Bodie for her birthday, she does find it curious that she celebrated such a day in a town that is being kept in a state of
"arrested decay."  Is that what swimming does to a body of this age?  Eliza made a marvelous gourmet dinner and delicious banana split ice cream cake.  Yum!

And speaking of curious things, does anyone else find it somewhat interesting that all our girls' middle names have the ree sound in them?  Marie, Irene, and Karina.  Hadn't noticed that before!

Finally, last night Luke showed real character!  (The good kind.)  It may not seem particularly positive to him right now, as he's exhausted and probably disappointed and embarrassed, but he stood up to peer pressure to keep commitments and do what he knows is right.  Then even though he wasn't in until after 3 a.m., he made it to 9 o'clock church and all the way through even the meetings afterward.  The good guys are cheering right now!

And that's the wrap on our crew this week!