Time Flies When You're Having Fun...

Wow!!  I can't believe it's already September!!  It's crazy at how quickly this summer flew by!  It seems like just yesterday that I was counting down the days until summer vacation and our trip to Germany... And, now we've been back from Germany for a month and I started school again on Tuesday...  Time seriously does fly when you're having fun!

Looking back on our summer, if I had to describe it, I'd have to say that it definitely kept us on our toes.  The month of July was truly memorable!!  It was so wonderful to be back in Germany and spending time with such dear friends!!  I must apologize for not keeping up with my blogging in Germany, but while I was there, I was doing my best to live in the moment and take advantage of every last minute I was there, which meant that the blog was put on the back burner... But, have no fear... I do plan on filling you in on all of the fabulous adventures we had in Germany... You'll just have to be a little patient with me in the meantime. :)  We arrived back in the States in the beginning of August, and that's where life decided to get a little interesting...  Between cars, appliances, animals, finances, and work related issues, we've been dodging curve balls like crazy since we returned... Aiyiyi!  But, in between some of those crazy issues, we've still managed to take some time to relax, unwind, and spend quality time with family. Overall, the summer has managed to keep us guessing, but it's still been one for the books. :)  Here's a short recap of the American half of our summer (and, I promise,  more in-depth recaps will soon follow. :))...

My sister came to visit and we enjoyed ourselves some very tasty Hugos...
 (A Hugo is a yummy German summer beverage I became addicted to discovered during our time there in July! ;))

Vander and Kaden enjoyed some quality time together while we were up north visiting my family. :)

We took the Raptor to the Silver Lake Sand Dunes and had tons of fun riding the dunes...

... while enjoying this spectacular view of summertime in northern Michigan. :)

It was during our second trip to the Dunes that we took Kaden for his first ever sand dune ride...
So. much. fun! :)

Taking a break to enjoy the sunshine and sand! :)

During that trip, we took a lunch break on the beach and soaked up this gorgeous view...
I love northern Michigan summers! :)

We enjoyed a family bike ride while up north... :)

While we were visiting my family in northern Michigan, we also celebrated my baby bro's 30th birthday!!
He turned 30... That's still crazy for me to even think about! ;)

In true Jason fashion, he threw himself a huge shindig at the local "watering hole" to celebrate his 30th...
And what a party it was! :)
This is my favorite photo of the night... Shows our family in all its glory, chaos, and quirkiness... Love it! :)
(Now, if only we can figure out a way to photoshop Stacy into the mix! ;))

When we returned home from our trip up north, I found that this arrived in the mail for me!!
It's official... I'm a certified Reading Specialist... Yippee! :)

Kaden came back down to our house with us and hung out for a few days...
He's currently really into golf, so we went golfing and he wound up getting a hole-in-one! :)

Me and my little buddy! :)

We spent a night camped out on the living room floor watching the movie, "Rin Tin Tin", on my laptop...
Such a fun night. :)

We spent a morning jumping around at SkyZone...

... and we also taught him how to do a little rock climbing!  Yay!!  He's a natural! :)

We spent a night camping out in the backyard... Yep, the award for "Coolest Aunt Ever" goes to me (especially since I set up the tent by myself in the middle of the night!). ;)

We also enjoyed a little time in the sun...
Ahhh, summertime! :)

One of the curve balls we were thrown this summer was when I found out that I was being displaced from the school that I loved teaching at. :(  I had to pack up my entire classroom and move it to another building where I'll be teaching another grade level this year...
I also moved into a classroom where the previous teacher (whom retired last year) had taught for 27 years.  Apparently he was a "Science teacher at heart" and he had a thing for dead animals hanging from the ceiling of the classroom.  He also had at least four aquariums filled with critters and a deer skeleton hanging in the window...  In addition, he decided to leave most of his belongings in the classroom...  So, needless to say, alot of work was involved in getting that classroom ready for the school year....

... But, I'm pretty pleased with how it's turning out. ;)

This guy has also been spoiled rotten this summer since we felt so guilty leaving him for the 5 weeks that we were in Germany!!  You can clearly tell that he's living a "rough" life at the moment. :)