don't you love it when jobs just kinda ... fall out from under you?

mariachi bands

Coming back to reality is the worst part about vacations. All the responsibilities left behind, the errands, the cares -- they all came crashing back as I drove home today. And let me tell you, driving 13 hours by myself, with no CD player, and air conditioning for about two hours the entire way is not an environment conducive to getting my mind ready for reality. I'm really glad that the last few hours or so were fairly traffic-free. My mind glazed over and if I think about it, I can't remember driving half of it.

Good news greeted me when I got home, though. My sister got the job that she really really needed and was hoping for. This is a breakthrough for her. Her first real job ever. We're all very happy. I hope that I can get my student teaching down there. Now that would be fun. Mike and Heidi have already offered me the guest room for that quarter. I had thought about requesting Texas in the first place, but now that I have housing all set up...it just might work.

Like most vacations, this one did not go by without some excitement. On Saturday I was fortunate enough to go to Schlitterbahn with some dear friends otherwise known as my roommate, Mary, and her family. Walking around a water park in nothing else but a swimsuit was a different experience. It felt wrong for a while to go everywhere without shoes on. Very fun, though. I even got some exercise. However, at the end of the day we discovered that my wallet was missing. How and where it was lost is a mystery that I am content to only ponder in a lecture class when it is 90 degrees outside. Thankfully, for me, there was really nothing important in it. Some cash of course, but that's kind of irrelevant. The only thing I could do was fill out a lost and found paper-thing, which I did.

To add to the day, I happened to leave my purse at the restaurant where we had dinner. We did get that back right away, though. So I didn't really lose it. Schlitterbahn called a few days later and said they had found it. I have no idea where, though. It was completely intact. Everything was inside and it wasn't wet, which is a miracle since it had spent a day in a huge water park all by itself.

San Antonio was our stop on Sunday. That is a gorgeous city. We walked dehydrated through the Alamo. It was enjoyable, but perhaps would have been better with some water. There were zero clouds while we were there. My brother-in-law, Mike, is a history nut and would dehydrate himself if it meant gleaning a bit more historical information from some place.

We went along the river walk after that where it did eventually rain. I had more margaritas there than I have had in my life. And they were quality margaritas, too. We were scheming a way to get mom and dad down there for a vacation. I never understand it, though. Whenever I suggest they go anywhere, my mom says that she's already been there (regardless if she has or not) and doesn't care to see it. How can you not want to see some place new and beautiful? Maybe it's my mentality...

the fam

The favorite part of my summers is whenever my family can get together. The past few years we all have been able to see eachother more often for some reason. I have 5 sisters and 3 brothers that are all older than me. All but three of us are married and there are 13 nephews and neices. Needless to say, it is always a juggling feat trying to get us all together in one place at one time.

This summer we have all managed to show up (except for two nephews and one neice) in Crookston, Nebraska. The middle of nowhere isn't exactly what people have in mind when they contemplate summer vacations. However, a family event has brought us all together again. It is always a ball whenever us six sisters get together. The nine siblings, some beer, a bottle of wine, and you have a fun time unlike any other.

Today, most of us went tubing on the Niobrara River. A few of us had not ever tubed before so it was quite the experience. Not many of us were burned, which is a miracle in itself. Tomorrow our dad gets ordained (finally). This is something that we have been waiting for for years. Andrew and Noel are the Mission Festival speakers and they will tell about their experience teaching in Taiwan for a year. No matter where we go, our family is usually the center of whatever is happening. I really don't see how I fit into this family, but it's gotta be balanced somehow I guess.