Hello July

Time for another update.   It's been busy since the last update but there have been lulls so that's nice, especially on weekends.

• We had Gavin's graduation shindig in Waukon in June and I have to say it went quite well.   He was surprised with how tiring it was but we had a good turn out.   It was nice to not have a plethora of food left over.   I did have a ton of paper plates, cups, etc. left over but we'll make good use of them.    I'm thankful for all the help we had and it was a much better idea to have it in Waukon and not Ankeny.  
• I taught a class for 5-6th graders at the end of June and it went fairly well.   The students were talented and gifted so I was a bit nervous but I simply tweaked some of my college content and activities and they thrived.     The maturity of some of those students was concerning for them being so bright and smart.    Still waiting for my paycheck but should be getting it at the end of July.   I actually had a couple of the kids in my after school program a few years ago.  
• The summer camp is going well and we are entering the last three weeks.    I am happy with 75% of my employees.     A couple need to be fired but I cannot get rid of any life guards so my ratios are OK and another culprit is a grad student.    I did have to dismiss a child from the program due to his anger issues.    I hope that's the only dismissal so far.
• A group of people are starting a book club in Ames so I'm excited to join it.   It's supposed to be a variety of genres as well as a social mixer type of thing.    The leader for the endeavor says about 25 people are showing interest so far.    
• It sounds like our vacation plans will take us to Minneapolis at the end of July and early August.    The Cleveland Indians are playing the Minnesota Twins (Dan), there is a good zoo (all of us), and maybe a trip to ValleyFair (all of us).   It's close to Dan's birthday hence an activity focused on him.    He's still trying to get days off work though which is proving to be difficult thanks to his work environment.    He's the first to help people and work for others yet no one steps up to help him.    He needs a new job.
• We attended a concert recently and I was finally able to see Bush and Gavin Rossdale in the flesh.   It was actually a great concert and paying a bit more for good seats was wise.   Our next concert is July 29 (Shinedown and Godsmack).  
• I’m procrastinating at home and still don’t have my office in order as well as storage in the basement.   The “man cave” is also in shambles but that’s Dan’s job to fix.  I need to have my tasks done before ISU starts.   
• We had a meeting this weekend in regards to Dan’s troubled 15 year old.  We are taking a step back from things.  He’s going to Newton after treatment and not staying in Ames.  He won’t agree to our terms and conditions so his mom can deal with him.  She keeps sabotaging things away so she can deal with the consequences too.  Case and point, he’s not to be using the internet (says his therapist) yet when he’s on pass with her, he’s on the Internet all day.   We would uphold that rule and be the bad guys.  We can’t win so we are bowing out.   She can fix the mess she keeps contributing toward yet isn’t taking responsibility for at the same time.   You can’t be your kid's friend.  You need to be their parent.  
• Gavin had his orientation for ISU and was guided thanks to LeAnn.  I was able to pop in at times but I had conflicts due to the 5-6th grader class and my summer camp program too.  We’ve picked out a meal plan and he’s done his financial aid counseling.  I finally purchased his graduation present too.  His new laptop will be arriving in a week.  We are going to start searching for his textbooks online too so we can find deals and avoid the bookstore prices.  We got his dorm situation worked out too and he’s living with his friend fromAnkeny in the Birch dorm.  I’ll share his address in the future if people want to pepper him with mail in the future.  His ISU email is gfsmith@iastate.edu

That’s enough for now!