Aaahh...the sweet days of summer are coming to a close. The great thing is, only recently have I felt really ready to send the kids back to school. We have had such a fun summer together - but their recent bickering has helped me long for school to resume.

The kids finished swim lessons this week - I am happy to report that all of my children can swim. As a mom, it's just a huge relief to know that your kids can hold their own in the water. Isaac completed a Guard Start program, where he learned the fundamentals of being a life guard. On his last day, they put him to work and continually tested him by breaking the rules. At one point, he had 2 instructors of the female persuasion swimming at his feet, saying things like: What's your name? What are you doing later? You look good without your shirt on!...just really giving him a hard time -but he did really well. He is a talented swimmer. He starts Cross Country practice next week.

Hood to Coast is only a week away. We had a get-together last night, discussed vans and legs, adjusted our pace chart, etc. Kenn & Brian will be drivers for our van, which will be a lot of fun. Dave has taken on the most difficult leg in the relay - about 18 miles total with two "Very Hard" legs (uphill, during heat of the day). I'm running 17 miles - my longest leg (7 miles) is in the middle of the night, so at least I won't have to deal with the heat. Anyway- we are pretty excited. Can't wait to have a family team: if we can survive a houseboat together, we can surely cram ourselves into a couple of vans for 36 hours and run to the point of complete exhaustion. Doesn't that sound awesome?!

In other news, it looks as though I will accompany Barb on a trip to Norway this fall. I am so excited to visit Marnie there and to see all the region has to offer. I always have anxiety over leaving the family for that long, but Dave assures me he and the kids will be okay without me, and I'm sure they will. Whenever I go away, I realize that they don't need me nearly as much as I think they do. It's probably me that needs them, really.

And it looks like the Stinchfield clan is ready for the Indian Summer Half Marathon in a matter of weeks. I am so impressed with everyone's dedication to training and I think it is going to be a really fun experience. Running are: Barb, Dave, Adina, Brent, Buffy, Kim, Paige, Anne & Peter - also Treven's sister, and a friend of K&B's. We are going to be quite the group!

I have procrastinated on my "To Do" list long enough. Hope everyone is well -

Adina