Sam started school this week. He is growing up so fast. It is hard to believe he is in 5th grade. He seems happy with his teachers and classes this year. One of the big events for the 5th graders will be a trip to Washington D.C.  I have already made the deposit, and plan to be going as a chaperone for the trip. I think I am almost as excited about the trip as he is.

We also added a new furry member to our family at the end of July. His name is Smokey and he is a gray tabby kitten, who was between 8 and 9 weeks old when he came to live with us. He is an inside kitty for now, but I hope to slowly introduce him to our other cats, so that he can become an outside cat. I had forgotten how much energy kittens have. I am beginning to wonder whether Smokey's name should have been "Destructo" instead.

 Last night Todd was out of town, so Sam and I decided to meet my sister at the movies. We saw "Ice Age - Continental Drift." The movie was very funny. It felt good to laugh after some stressful events earlier in the week. The most upsetting thing that happened was a disagreement with some extended family members. While I am hopeful that we will get everything resolved soon, I am still very disappointed.

 Around 6:30 this morning I got up and walked around the yard. I love the time in the morning just as the sun is beginning to rise. Everything was still wet from the storms we had the day before. I moved two large tree limbs that had fallen, and watered the plants on the front porch. Times like this remind me of how grateful I am to be living here. At this moment, Sam is playing on his laptop, and Smokey is running back and forth across the room. Life is good.