Another Week in the Books

After our adventures in Bayfield, life returned to normal.

John went back to work and I tutored and babysat for the Budreaus.

My classroom waxing is finished so I was able to move all of my things back into the classroom and do my tutoring in the classroom, which makes things much easier.

I tutored my two Tuesday kids and then worked on arranging my room, a teacher is always trying to find new and better ways to make the classroom run more efficiently.

On Wednesday, I tutored three kids and stayed at school again to continue my arranging.

Thursday, three more kids to tutor and more classroom arranging.

I love my Summer Scholar program and the kids I tutor.  It is always fun to work one on one with the kids.  It helps me get to know and appreciate their individuality which can get lost in a large classroom.

On Friday I was able to watch Kaliyah and Treyton for the day.  They are such fun kids and I really enjoy my time with them.

I am only watching them a few times in June and July, their mom is paying me well and I am glad to help them out.  Plus I have lots of fun with them.

With all of this going on, the weeks go by so quickly and before we know it, school will be back in session.

 

I did not see the girls at all this week.

They are vacationing in the U.P. and having a great time.

I am looking forward to our Door County trip this next weekend.  Courtney, Paul, and the girls will be joining in the fun.

 

That is all for now.

An Anniversary Celebration in Bayfield

John and I took a long weekend to celebrate our 40th anniversary in Bayfield.

We had not been up in this neck of the woods since we were first married, so it was time to come back and explore this beautiful part of Wisconsin.

We left on Friday morning.

Ate lunch in an A and W in tthe tiny town of Philips.  Everybody knew everybody, well, except for us.

After lunch we headed to Copper Falls State Park.

Note to self:

Next time take mosquito spray, those suckers were fierce and take water, it was hot even in the woods.

Other than that, the falls were beautiful.

Here are a few photos:

 We left Copper Falls with more than a few mosquito bites and checked into our condo in Bayfield.

It's a nice condo located on the Port Superior Marina.

We ate at Pier Plaza in Bayfield and loved it.

We had a trout and whitefish fish fry which was yummy but the best part for me was the drinks I had.

It was a bayfield bubbly which was moscato, raspberry liquor, and some cranberries for garnish.

Oh my goodness, that was one good drink.

After dinner we bought some more wine for a night cap at the condo.

On Saturday we took our bikes to Madeline Island on the ferry.

It was a gorgeous day, perfect for a 12 mile bike ride to Big Bay State Park.

After our ride, we enjoyed lunch at Grandpa Tony's and then we walked around the Island.

We took a ferry back and got off just as it started to rain.

We enjoyed another delicious dinner at an Italian Restaurant called Ethel's at 250.

I had spaghetti and meatballs and John had baked spaghetti.  That and a few beers made for a terrific dinner after a day of biking.

Today, Sunday, we took a three hour tour of the Apostle Islands, luckily, we returned safely and did not end up like Gilligan did on his three hour tour.

We met some nice people, learned a lot about the Islands, and enjoyed a wonderful cruise.  The weather was perfect again.

After we got off the boat, we had lunch at Pier Plaza again.  We had whitefish sandwiches, I just cannot get enough of those whitefish, so yummy.

After lunch we took a little drive along the lake and then bought a pizza to have here at the condo.

Another great day.

Tomorrow we will head home after a wonderful long weekend.
I am looking forward to driving home through Mercer and Minoqua and reliving some happy memories from times there. 

What is our World Coming To?

My summer is off to a great start.

My Summer Scholar program is going well. I have nine students that I tutor and so far, we are all having fun.  I cut the time from an hour to 45 minutes this year and it has made a great difference.

Today Courtney, Tiz and Soli came out for the day.

We had planned on swimming, but the weather was not cooperating for us.

It was sweatshirt weather today, so we went shopping at the Outlet Mall instead.

It is always nice to share time with the girls.

Now on to a few other things that are happening in our world.

Yesterday, a little two year old boy, vacationing with his family at Disneyworld was snatched by an alligator and dragged away while his parents fought with the alligator to get him back.

They found the little boy's body.

And, now the debate begins.

So many "perfect parents" pointing their fingers and using social media to blame the parents for this tragic accident.

And that is what it was, a tragic accident.

These parents will be flying home without their baby.

How do you ever recover from that?

You don't, not this side of heaven and yet those "perfect parents" continue to say hurtful things and throw blame around on social media.

Time to stop it and just pray for this family.

 

In November, we will be electing a new president of this "not so great anymore" nation.

Our choices are bad and worse, dumb and dumber.

Donald Trump vs. Hillary Clinton.

Both of them are liars and cheaters.

Neither one deserves to lead this nation.

My only comfort is that God is in control and He has a plan for this country.

Keep praying.

We need to bring God back to the U.S.A.

 

Tomorrow John and I are leaving for Bayfield.

It is our long weekend get away for our anniversary.

I am looking forward to exploring a new area and making new memories.

Dancing Divas and Adventures in Babysitting

We just got back from the girls' dance recital.

John, my mom, and I headed to Oshkosh to see the girls perform

It was a great recital.

Tiz performed in jazz, ballet, and tap numbers while Soli made her dancing debut in a ballet/tumbling number.

After the recital we headed over to Cherry Berry for a treat.

Mom, John, and I ended our night with two pitchers of beer and pizza at On the Rock.

Great way to end a great day.

Here are some photos:

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I am tutoring again this summer.

I started this past week.

I tutor eight kids.

It's fun and it is going well, so far.

I am also babysitting (although they are no babies) Treyton and Kaliyah Budreau a few days in June and July to help their mom out with childcare.

My first day was Friday and we had a blast!

We planted fairy gardens, played games, and went to the Aquatic Center.

They are wonderful kids and they really are a joy to be with.

Plus I am making $100.00 for a 7 hour day, so I cannot complain.

Tomorrow is our church picnic.

Should be a nice time.

 

School's Out for Summer and a Long, Wonderful Weekend with Tiz and Soli

First of all, Another year of school is over.

We had a fun end of the year concert, my kids were little birdies and sang some fun songs about birds.

We also sang at the 8th grade closing service for the first time ever.  The Preschoolers loved the song and sang their little hearts out.  We will definitely do it again.

I was given a gift for my 15 year anniversary of teaching at St. John's. 

I never intended to be there this long or have the preschool I started turn into such a huge success, but God had other plans.

I know 15 years isn't very long, but I had already had a "retirement" type party when I left Mary Linsmeieer after 22 years.  I went to St. John's with the intention of cutting back by just working mornings in a 3 year old preschool class that I started.

Well, now I work full time teaching 2, 3, and 4 year old preschool with an assistant teacher and an aide.

I am happy doing what I do and hopefully I can do it for a few more years at least.

So, School's out for summer!

I will be tutoring again this summer and watching my two favorite kids Kaliyah and Treyton (well, favorite, not grandkids) a few days each month.

We just got home from Oshkosh after a wonderful long weekend with Soli and Tiz.

They came home with John on Friday night.

We mixed up four different bubble recipes to see which one worked the best.  Our bubble experiment ended in a big water fight.

After that Soli and I did a bunch of chalk drawings in the driveway.

Tiz was in her favorite spot watching TV.

On Saturday, we used our free zoo pass and visited the zoo before we attended another play, Lilly's Plastic Purple Purse at First Stage in Milwaukee.

Our goal at the zoo was to ride the Zoo Mobile, see the Big Bug display, and then do whatever else we could fit into our day since we had to be at the play by 3:30.

We had a great time at the zoo, accomplished all that we wanted and a bit more even though it rained from lunch time on.

The play was awesome, we are never disappointed with those plays.

The girls fell asleep on the way home, so we just ordered in some pizza and watched a chipmunk movie.

Here are some photos from Friday and Saturday:

On Sunday, we went to church.

After church we took a bike ride to St. Vinney's parking lot.  

The girls then enjoyed a spin in the Escalade.

We headed back to Oshkosh in time for the girls' soccer practices.

Today, Tiz and I took a bike ride around Oshkosh and made it home just in time before a big downpour.

We all tie dyed after our bike ride.  Stay tuned for finished products.

In the afternoon, Soli and I took a bike ride.

John picked me up after work and we are back in Watertown.

It was a wonderful weekend.