4ward Motion

It's been a fun and exciting start to the new school year. The boys are enjoying their new classes and making friends. We've had our first couple rehearsals for the Lapeer County Concert Choir and I am taking on more duties as VP, creating a new website and FB group, plus easing into helping with the sponsorships. We have some challenging and fun musical selections for our December concert titled "Cathedral to Village: A Hope for Peace."

Last Tuesday I helped at the North Branch hosted TVC jam and worked in the shoot for the first time. Basically as the runners came into the finish I had to number them for places and try not to get puked on. It was quite an invigorating experience and I must say I was a success in both tasks. Fox didn't get as good a time as previous meets due to a sore ankle, but he still ran a legit race. Several parents have told me stories about Fox being an encouragement to their kids, one girl that was on the middle school team with him last year took his advice and got out and ran all summer long, now her times are really showing it. Another boy joined the team for the first time this year because he was impressed by Fox during gym class when they had to run the 1-mile. He's also coming into a new level of social outreach....when I picked him up last week he made me stop the van, so he could jump out and go say hello and give hugs and knuckles to a group of kids that he knew. Shocker!...but very cool.

Saturday I watched my first U12 soccer game with the brothers Parton on the field. Not sure exactly what the finally score was but basically we creamed 'em again. Ethan did great getting in there and being more aggressive, and Ben continues to be a strong player. Both teams played a good, clean, game on a beautiful fall morning.

Ethan doing his stuff, even out manuvering his big bro!

After the game, we came back to the house, grabbed some lunch then headed "around the corner" to Reynolds Berry Farm to pick more raspberries. Seriously if you live in the area, go and pick some, there are tons, I hate to see them all go to waste. Only $2.50 a quart if you pick them yourself, we got 6 quarts in just a short time. They are on Ceder Creek road off of Burnside, just East of Lake Pleasant.

Saturday evening I attended a gathering of the Rollicking Readers book club for the first time. A friend of mine from our former homeschool co-op and fellow soccer mom had invited me several times but it never worked out for me to go. I went even though I hadn't read the book (Three Musketeers) and had a fantastic time with the ladies, many of whom I already knew and some I met for the first time. Now that I am the only woman in the house since Alexandra moved out I am making more of an effort to get together with lady friends, and not just that but get together in a social setting without "being in charge" of anything. We also watched "Something Borrowed" and "Hanna" after our pot-luck meal and book discussion, the giggles abound leaving me looking forward to hanging out with them again next month.

Rob's job has been going well, at his one month review they expressed how impressed they were by his abilities and knowlege (never had they sent a tech out on a job by himself so quickly). The owner of the company even hinted that there is a new position they are going to be creating and he would be a perfect candidate for it, adding "it's more responsibility, but with more responsibility comes more money!" Time will tell.

I'm off to my first sub job of the school year, back by popular demand, in afternoon special ed. begindergarten (sp?), then to watch the cross-country county meet hosted by North Branch. Go Broncos!