Let's not...

...do the thing where I tell you why I haven't been blogging.  Hi, there!

So, here is my life in a picture:

Core D--We started our school year the first of August.  This year we decided to go with Sonlight curriculum again, after taking two years off from using it.  I am so glad we revisited the idea!  Sonlight is so complete, totally planned out, and structured.  I love those aspects, but sometimes I let the "box check-er" in me get all freaked out about deviating from the schedule. 

Magazines--I am still serving on the city council.  It has been challenging, rewarding, and humbling.  I have so much to learn, so much growing to do.  I am grateful for the opportunity, so I am trying to make the best of the situation, make the best decisions I can, and never forget who I serve.

The English Novel--My fall college course has started!  I am doing a directed study on the novel.  I think it will be very interesting, and I am grateful to be studying under one of my favorite professors.  He is intelligent, thoughtful, and has always believed in me.  Let's hope I don't disappoint him this semester ;)

I hope to be back to a more regular schedule of blogging!

Out Like a Lamb

Our quaint little town has little carnival every year, the Lions Carnival (hosted by the local Lions Club).  It is a carnival only in the sense that there are games, such as "Dunk-your-pastor-in-the-Dunk-Tank" (fun for kids and adults alike); rides, such as "Mini-Ferris-Wheel-located-just-under-the-power-lines;" and local food, such as a Napoleon-Dynamite-esque selection of  Prairie Farms Ice Cream.  It is cheap, the kids love it, and I get to see pretty much every person in our town. 

We began our Lions Carnival fun with the "parade."  Why the quotes?  The parade is only a parade in the sense that a few otherwise strange looking objects follow each other down the street hurling cheap candy at onlookers while cops follow, watching.  Here, see for yourself.

Parade = Tractors

This is the "Bucking Bronco," a trailer with saddles and a messed up axle that simulates a three-legged pony ride.  As a rule, I never ride anything with a saddle, but peer pressure is a pain--even when you are over thirty.  So, last night I "rode" it.  I stood in the middle, holding on tightly to a terrified five-year-old boy, and still managed to get off of the three minute ride with lower back pain. 

Can you say "old?"

Where is the cop when you need to discuss child restraints?

Hey, aren't they supposed to be at a game?  Watch it boys--the only thing we take more seriously than tractors is football.

"Dude, I know. "

He looks how I felt:  resigned.

Here is how The Husband spent the four minutes of the parade:

 

Baby Elyse wanted to come along, but like a good mother, Tiny Love arranged for child care before hurling herself into the street for smashed Tootsie Rolls.

Reactions once the fun was over?  (Wow, that was fast.)

"What was that?  Where is the CHOCOLATE?" 

I tried to explain the word "recession." 

Never miss a teachable moment.

Ever the optimist, Curlyjo just looks at the bright side:  Dots. 

We ended the evening (you know, five minutes after it started) by watching The Husband pose on government property outside "The Million Dollar Courthouse." 

I have been looking for teachable moments with him, too.

Sarcasm aside (no, really?), we had a great time. 

But, like Randy Jackson, "That was just weird for me."