July Family Update

1) On a scale of 1 to 10, how was your JULY?  9

2) What did you do last weekend OR what are your plans for this weekend? 

Went to James' football scrimmages on Saturday.  Tomorrow, going to Natalie and Jonny's for the summer slide party then to a softball doubleheader for Madelyn and last to Kincaids for dinner.

3) How is the extended family? 

4) How is job?  Good. My new manager has the gift of encouragement.  He has been very positive and complimentary of my work.

5) How is health?  Fine.

6) Did you go anywhere cool?  MN Landscape Arboretum for a cousin's wedding.

7) What made you frustrated?  Seeing how difficult it has been for Sheri to sell her parent's house.  It is a lovely home with a great backyard swimming pool.  It's getting the showings, but no one has put an offer down.

8) What made you happy?  Seeing Dad and Nathan haul that kayak across Paul and Jenny's front yard last Friday.  What a surprise!  Thanks to all of you and for making such a terrific memory.

9) Anything surprising? 

10) Movies/TV shows you watched?  Inception.  After reading notes on the movie on the Internet, the plot made a lot more sense.  I will be seeing it again.

11) Currently reading?  At nighttime I just started reading to James the Book of Mark. Madelyn and I have been reading a book called The Westing Game.

12) Something you made:  Baseball cards for my baseball players.  Each card had a unique picture of the player.  The back of the card also had stats.

13) Do anything cool?   

We went to a film festival last Sunday in Uptown to watch 5-minute movies that have to do with libraries.  My nephew made a movie that won the People's Choice award.

14) Anything bad happen?  One player on James' football team lost his cool.  We had to tell him to sit out.  Looks like he's ready to stop playing for the season.  Before that, we lost another player, and a good one, to illness.  He's out for the year.

15) Any cool people you've met/reconnected with? 

Yes, my friend Scott Bang from high school was in town.  He happened to be going to the Twins game last Tuesday.  Sheri and I met him during the game.  It was nice to hang out in the corridor and still be able to watch the game.

16) Any big purchases?  No, but I watched a big purchase from 1996 get thrown into the recycling dumpster.  Our '96 Dell computer!

17) Something that inspired you....  Watching James play football today.  The weather was hot and humid.  He was getting sacked time and time again as his blockers were missing their blocks.  Players were getting down on themselves.  And all the while he never complained.  He only sat out one play to rest.

18) What are you looking forward to in the month of AUGUST?  Seeing everyone when Derrick and Jane come into town.  Also going camping with Madelyn to Jay Cooke State Park.

19) Not looking forward to?  August coming to an end.

20) Complete the phrase: "In JULY I..."   enjoyed hot summer weather, took in a Twins game, painted the downstairs for a week with Sheri, and did football commissioner stuff along with everything else.