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!