Boom, pow, crash, zoom...

It's pretty difficult to get really great shots of fireworks. They are so colorful and magical when they are happening, but I can't quite capture that beauty on my camera yet. Maybe it's just another aspect that I need to work on to improve my photography skills. I haven't been taking many pictures lately, so I figured I should post what I have since I took some last night of the Independence Day fireworks.

My summer has been fairly busy and productive so far. Right after the end of my school year (and teacher workdays), I house/dog-sat for a family from school while they traveled around Italy. Since they live so close to school, I spent a ton more time than I probably would have otherwise at school getting organized for next year. It felt really nice though because I feel more prepared than I ever have before the beginning of a new school year. Plus, since I'm teaching 3rd grade next year, instead of 4th grade, it was nice to organize all the new materials that I had inherited and create an effective organization system for all of my new teaching resources.

I just finished house/dog-sitting at the end of June and worked almost every day at school trying to get things in order for next year, so I was happy when July 2nd arrived because I could finally sleep in and relax. My wonderful friend Jenn was in town this past weekend. We haven't seen each other since our cross country trip last year, which seems absolutely crazy that it's been so long. Nevertheless, it's as easy to hang out now as it would have been if we'd just seen each other last weekend. I love friendships like that; they are the best kind of friendships to have!

This week/weekend I'm working every day at the Ox and Rabbit, so if you are in town and need a refreshing milkshake, soda, or float to quench your thirst from this unrelenting heat, come see me! I'll be there pretty much all day from Tuesday through Sunday. Then, I get a REAL break as I leave for Florida the following week...sunshine, visiting dad, spending time with friends...should be awesome! Before I know it, my summer will be over and I'll be back to the daily grind again. It all seems to go by so quickly, too quickly. I'm trying to enjoy it while I can though.