Finally- an Update!

Wow! I can't believe how busy we've been around here at Chez Pennington! It's mid-July and I haven't come close to reading the massive stack of books I thought I'd pour through this summer. Nor has Extreme Home Makeover- Pennington edition begun, but by the end of the week it will be underway! So, let me back up and bring you up to speed.

School ended without much fanfare, thank goodness. We all went down to the lake (of the Ozarks) during graduation weekend so I could hide like a coward from the dozen or so graduation parties I'd been invited to attend. I'm tellin' you- if I'd gone to all of them I would've had to have dipped into Noah's college fund to give gifts. Anyway, rather than enjoying Memorial day weekend down there with Dad and everyone, I graded research papers, YUCK, but I got through them all before report cards were due.

Once school was finished I took a few weeks to decompress and enjoy the lack of routine my life suddenly has when school's out. Noah and I made trips to the library, the park, we rode and walked on the trail and spent a little time in the pool. (We had a really cool May and didn't even open the pool until June 1 so it tooks some time for it to warm up!)

The last weekend of June Aunt Susie flew in from NJ for a quick visit so we had a mini-reunion here at the house. Sadly, Laney and Grammy couldn't make it, but we still managed to have a good time. The kids all swam together and Aunt Susie took them all for a walk and to play at the park! While our time together was nice I find that it passes all too quickly and when some of us can't be there the tone just isn't the same. I will always remember summers with Matt, Laney and Mark when we'd swim for hours and hours, or we'd go for bike rides around McLean, ending at Taylor's grocery store to buy candy! Some times we'd stay at Aunt Susie's and there were trips to Lake Michigan, or to "the shore", there were space gun wars, or "shows" we'd plan, practice and perform for the family after dinner! I hope that Noah and Jackson will have memories like those too!

The first week of July I had the good fortune to travel to Washington D.C. as a delegate from Illinois at the National Education Association's Representative Assembly. There were over 600 delegates from IL, making us one of the largest delegate groups at the assembly. All in all there were over 11,000 educators from all 50 states gathered together to discuss, amend, and vote on NEA business, by-laws and more. It's a very interesting lesson in Robert's Rules of Order and the democratic process at work. The NEA is the largest professional union in the U.S. Of course, while I was there I did the usual site-seeing but I also watched the 4th of July festivities on the steps of our nation's capital! Jimmy Smits hosted the concerts and fire works which included performances by Huey Lewis and the News, Taylor Hicks, and Jerry Lee Lewis (no, he's not dead!) The fireworks were beautiful as they lit up the Washington Monument and the mall. In addition to the "usual" sites, a student of mine pulled a few strings and got me (and 5 other friends) a tour of the East Mansion of the White House!! It was really impressive, almost as much as Marine One flying just over our heads and landing on the South Lawn to pick up the President!! The next day our region (about 13 teachers) also got a tour of the Pentagon!

Since my whirlwind tour of D.C. I've been teaching swimming lessons, making frequent trips to the local farmer's market (tonite's dinner was fresh: sweet corn, tomatoes & basil, green beans and fresh, local cheddar cheese!) There have been a few more trips to the Ozarks, lots of walks and bike rides on the trail and a lot more swimming and sunning- yes I'm wearing 55 SPF and a hat!

So back to the home makeover- later this week our friend Jimmy is coming to tear out the closet in family room next to the fireplace, sledge hammer the mantel and install custom-built books cases on both sides of the fireplace and a new hand-crafted mantel! I'll post before and after pix when it's all said and done! After that, it appears that the pool is next on the "to do" list. There will be a new fence, new concrete and a new deck! Of course the new can only come after the old has been ripped out and sledge hammered up. Once the outside is done, it's on to the kitchen-- yes the kitchen! All the cabinets, countertops and island will be removed, along with the flooring in the kitchen, dining area, entryway and hallway! New cabinets, countser and a newly designed island, along with hardwood flooring will replace the existing! Of course there will be before and afters of that too! So look for a new & improved Chez Pennington next time you visit and a skinnier version of me (with no kitchen to use I'm guaranteed to lose a few lbs, right?!)

I hope you're all having a wonderful, fun, friends & family filled, Country Time lemonade kind of summer!!

Susan