Summer Happenings

Ratings: 1-5 (low to high)

• Germanfest (3.5...only because of friends)
• Strawberry Fest in Coldwater, MI (4.5)
• Riverfest at IPFW in Fort Wayne. Ever seen a cardboard regatta (real people in cardboard boats racing on a river)? Hilarious! (5)
• Doing legal paperwork (1)
• Having all paperwork completed (5)
• Learning the ins and outs of Microsoft Excel at the public library (4...it makes me feel smart!)
• Interviewing and not getting calls back (2)
• Applying to jobs (1.5)
• Finding a job position where I am happy! (5.5...I started July 8th)
• Isma actually liking his math class. (5)
• A coworker who gives me free produce from his garden. (5)
• Going to the lake. (4.5)
• Fourth of July with Collins clan!! (5)
• Going to the pool. (4)
• Finishing some projects. (4)
• Collins Family Treasures "auction" to help my grandparents move. (4)

I'll share some of the projects that I finished recently and pictures from Coldwater coming up! 

Early Summer "Garden"

Dad dug up a volunteer tomato plant from the vegetable garden for Isma and I. So far, it has given us a grand total of 2 ripe red cherry tomatoes. Whoohoo! There are many green ones, though, now.

I received this chair for Christmas one year, but it is now loved but much past repairs. Dad fixed it twice, and now it can rest in peace and help my herbs get much needed sun. Dad and I made a table for the plants in late July to supplement the chair; I'll post pictures later.

Germanfest

Summer is almost over, and I have yet to post about any of it! In the next few posts I hope to get you up to speed on how our summer has been going!

Germanfest, not Oktoberfest, as it is in July. Isma, Jose, Arielle, and I decided to explore half of the contingency's meager German heritage and celebrate with leiderhosen-clad people by eating pretzels and bratwurst while listening to polka. It was overpriced, and I'm sure we won't go again, but it was nice to spend time with friends! Strangely, one of the highlights for me was realizing that there was brick pavement under the dirt where we had parked...I wonder what other treasures were buried there...

Outside Garden

...leads to outside problems.

My green villain.

I don't know where they come from, but they keep eating the arugula. That's for Isma and I to eat. :(

Midwest Safari

As the car slowly rolled down the gravel road, Isma, Mom, Dad, and I kept a watchful gaze for any deer heading out to steal the farmers' crops. The sun and the moon shared their place in the sky as the dust left a trail behind the vehicle. We tried to get close to the deer, but each time they lifted their white tails and bounded away. Mom laughed and told Isma that they really did bounce like kangaroo. Colin was convinced that kangaroo and deer were one in the same when he was younger. 

As our safari continued, we spotted a mother racoon halfway between the trees and road leading her babies through the soybeans. The perfect line of baby racoons and mothers silhouetted against the night sky caused Dad to stop the car as we watched. Of course Isma, with his love irrational of racoons, was entranced.

We passed many Amish homes and fields, full of cows, horses, and goats. One goat was tied up outside the family fence and straining to eat the tasty tops of the grass. I remember Grandpa Vance talking about his goat being used as a lawn mower too.

As we turned the corner to head back to the lake house, Dad stopped the car so we could look at the strangest cow we had ever seen. The bull/cow's horns were about 2 feet long, and the calf's horns weren't much shorter. I have never seen one like it. Isma commented that everything REALLY was bigger in the US.  I wonder what it would be like to bullfight with a bull like that...

News

Last week I left my teaching position. It was a difficult decision. I mean, we had a month left of school, the kids would have to have a substitute, and I might upset people at the school. However, stress and work hours had came to a point that I was feeling sick, having daily headaches and frequent migraines, and finding it difficult to get through the school day. So, I resigned. 

I thank those in my family that were there to support me and even send me a card from Michigan. After grading those last papers and handing them off to the substitute after entering the grades, I've been feeling a lot better. I'm feeling my old self again, something for which I'm grateful (and Isma is too). After working about 80 hours a week, it's been strange to have so much free time. Hopefully I'll find a new, less stressful, position soon.

Ukraine Adoption

Awhile back I wrote a post (see it here) about a friend, Crystal, whose family is trying to adopt a little boy from Ukraine. They plan to travel there the end of May or mid-June. Here is a video about their last fundraising effort to pay for all of the adoption and immigration paperwork.



If that doesn't work, you can try: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=C38j47huM80#t=0s