where has this summer gone?!

who would have thought that taking summer school and working part time would have kept me so busy? go figure. so, in effort to make up for being MIA this past month, I thought I ought to post (oh, I finally gave in and got internet service... a month without it really made me realize how much I need it and so much more grateful for how blessed we are to have it.)

Though it doesn't seem like it has been that long since memorial day weekend, I've already finished my first summer term class - calculus 1, four credits in just four weeks. I did really well, made an A, one of only two in the class (out of 23 students, eventually... started with 31, lol.) It wasn't too hard, since I've had all the material before in high school (and even got credit with my AP test), but I'm definitely glad I took it because I had forgotten most of it. It even (revealing my nerdy side) was kinda enjoyable... it's been a while since I've been in just an objectively graded class (a lot of art/studio classes...). Jumping into calculus 2 would have been near impossible. I've just finished my first week of second term. It's been... a challenge. Not so much the material itself, but learning so much in such a short amount of time, as well as just finding the time to do all the homework after class and work and church commitments. Let's just say I'll prob. be pretty sleep deprived the whole month of July. I think I'm doing okay, at least on hw/quizzes... first test was yesterday, so hopefully that went okay. Though, even if it didn't, with four tests and a final plus eight quizzes, two maple labs, and a couple dozen homework assignments, I think I have enough grades to make up for one test.

Aside from school, work is going well. I really enjoy it - who would've thought I'd find a job that I don't dread going to? and even though I leave for the fall semester, they really want me to come back in the spring! So I even have a guaranteed job for next year. How cool is that? The best part is I finally think I'm getting the hang of what I'm doing, and my supervisor told me he trusts me to do my job and with archives more than the other student workers who've been there longer than me! That was very reassuring, to say the least. I think I would easily like to stay with this job until I graduate. It was surely a unexpected blessing that fell right into place.

Other than school and work, I don't really have time to do much... church, I suppose... let's just leave that part of my life with the thought: only five more weeks before I'm released, lol.

Fortunately, Blinn (the junior college where I'm taking my summer classes) had the week of July 4th off, so I took a much needed vacation to go home and spend time with the parents / be as lazy as I could after being burnt out with school and work. I wasn't very productive, but I had a great time and was really glad I got a chance to go home. It makes me so glad that I am close enough to drive home for a long weekend when so many of my friends live too far away to even consider it.

Anyway, we got to do a lot of fun stuff - playing games (okay, just one game a dozen times), baking cookies, shopping at IKEA, seeing fireworks with friends on July 4th, and even got to go see a minor league baseball game - the Frisco Roughriders! That was a lot of fun, very nostalgic, esp. when Dad got us ice cream in the plastic helmets. We got front row seats a little ways behind the first base (in the sun for the first hour, but once the sun set, it was great and no one in front of us!). The home team got creamed (the end score was 7 to 3, two of those runs made in the bottom of the ninth), but it was fun nonetheless. There must have been at least a few dozen balls hit into the stands - many times even if the foul ball didn't make it into the stands, the players would throw it to the crowd anyway. One guy a few seats away from us caught three! I'm really glad I got to go, and just go home in general. Sometimes it really makes me sad to think I have to grow up and be an adult already when it's so fun being at home. Granted, there are some pluses to living on my own. I guess I'll just have to get used to the fact that I'm not a kid anymore and just enjoy my visits home as much as I can.

Here are a few pictures from the ballgame and the fireworks.