A friend told me today that I update my blog every two months, whether it needs it or not! OK, friend! Here's an update, much sooner than predicted!

As of Wednesday, we're a one-kid household. My older son is in Canada visiting his girlfriend. My daughter is married and in Germany with her husband. It feels strange to only be the three of us! But it's kind of nice, too. Less to worry about, fewer people making messes, etc. Don't get me wrong. I miss the big kids. But I'm ready for this next stage. And the older son will be back for a couple of weeks before he leaves for Basic Training.

My younger son was in a parade today. Lewisville had their Western Days festival. My son's karate group marched in Old Town Lewisville. It was a small group and short parade, but it was fun! My husband and I drove the instructors van, equipped with an amp and speakers which were playing country music loudly for the crowd! It was good to help out!

Tonight we went to a thank you dinner for serving on the Brew Crew, our church's coffee service team. We serve coffee for the church services on Sunday. The coordinator hosted us to a nice dinner of fajitas and all the fixings in his lovely backyard. We had a wonderful time getting to know each other better!

It was nice to have a relaxing weekend with fun events. Not that we don't have a few fix-it projects looming in the future! But that'll be another weekend!

Back in the Saddle

Or, rather, bus driver's seat. The school hired two new drivers. One of them is terrific! The other one quit after a week and a half. They tried to get teachers to drive personal vehicles. They even rented some 15-passenger vans. It still wasn't working well. So they asked me to drive until a new driver, whom they had hired, could start in a few days. I agreed to drive for a few days.

The driver didn't work out. I'm still driving. It's only been a week so far, but the driving is much easier than last year. Instead of having 50-60 students, I have 20-30 students. Also, my route is over 10 miles shorter. I'm thinking about continuing the job. They asked me if I wanted the job when the new driver didn't materialize, but at that time I didn't think it would be a good idea. Please pray for wisdom for me. The money is nice, but I need my sleep and my sanity!

My daughter and son-in-law are in Germany. I hear they were supposed to move into an apartment, but I haven't heard from them since. A youth hostel, which has rooms full of bunk beds, is not a newlywed's dream accommodation! Also, due to Oktoberfest, the hostel was booked solid. The apartment came through the day their reservation ran out at the hostel! I hope it is working well for them.

My older son is leaving for a 5-week stay in Ontario with his girlfriend. He'll be back for about two weeks before he leaves again for Basic Training. It just hit the younger son that his brother wouldn't be around much longer. It's going to be a hard transition for him, but I think it will be a good one for us. It might be emotional, though.

We're still battling schoolwork issues with the younger boy. He's already sliding into bad habits. Driving hasn't helped any because I haven't had the energy to ride his case constantly. We saw the neurologist again on Friday. She's going to put him back on Adderall, but on the extended-release version. My son tells me, after we've left the office, driven across town, and are eating lunch, that he doesn't want to go back on it because it makes him moody. I wish he'd said that at the doctor's office! We'll give it a try and see how he does. The Focalin made a noticeable difference, but he still wasn't getting his work done. And, yes, we have seen him do his work willingly, if not cheerfully, when medication was working well.

My class is going well. I'm sticking closer to procedures than I did last year, and things are running more smoothly. I also feel like I'm getting more opportunities to provide academic assistance -- that is, actually teach!

As for the missions front, things are still moving slowly. We hope to be more aggressive in paying off bills. We've had a lot of home repairs that needed to be done, and we still have more to do! That will get the house more ready to sell, so it's not wasted money or moving backwards in our "getting ready" process. It's hard to wait on God's timing, even when you know His timing is perfect!

Sorry I left you hanging!

My daughter said I need to update my blog! She's right. I shouldn't have left you in a slump for a month!

My biggest bit of news -- NO MORE SCHOOL BUS DRIVING! After a near miss involving a tight turn and a ditch, I decided the stress of driving was too much for me after my roller coaster summer. My nerves are just not up to it. I think I'll be a better teacher for doing less. And I'll be available to tutor or meet with parents after school.

School has started, and we're setting into a routine now.

My younger son has started a new AD/HD medicine, and it seems to be working well. We are determined to keep him on track this year!

My teaching is going well so far. I still have a few challenges now and then, but that's just part of it! Teens will be teens. Overall, it seems much smoother than last year. Maybe I learned from the experience of my first year.

My daughter and son-in-law have left for Germany. He will be teaching English in a German high school on a Fulbright scholarship. Hopefully they are finding a place to live and settling in. I haven't heard more than a "Good morning!" on Skype. Of course, I was

asleep at the time! We'll get this time difference thing worked out eventually. I need to get a webcam so we can actually see and hear each other.

My older son is officially in the Air Force now. He departs for Basic Training in San Antonio on November 17. Life is changing in a hurry for our family. Frankly, although I'll miss my older kids, I'm ready for this next phase. I'm hoping it will be better for all of us.

Keep Mark in your prayers as he will be the representative in handling her estate. He'd be the executor, but the will she prepared wasn't valid. The lawyer said declaring her intestate would be easier and would give the same results with less hassle and expense. He'll have to make several trips up to Oklahoma on business days for court

appearances and such. They will also have to sell the property. The house still isn't empty, but it's getting there.

We've been able to use some of the money from my mother-in-law's estate to pay some bills and make a couple of purchases. We have some nice patio furniture that we're using in our living room that we got at the end-of-season discount of 50%. If we ever make it to Haiti, the termites can't eat this! It's cast aluminum. Also, Mark is buying a digital SLR camera, which has been a long-time dream. I think taking a photography class at church this summer stirred up the shutterbug in him!