Sophomore Year by Lily Loewen

The school year is quickly coming to an end, and I'm pretty sure everyone can agree that this year went extremely fast. For me, this was definitely the weirdest year.

Freshman year was no doubt the best year of my life. It was the first year of high school, and I couldn't wait. I finally found my friend group and had relationships that I thought would last forever. I look back to photos and videos of freshman year and I've never seen me happier. That year was hard to top, and sophomore year miserably failed.

Socially, so much has changed from when I walked into the school year. There were some people that I was so close with when I walked into school and now I barely talk to them. But as much as I did lose a few relationships, I gained a bunch that will definitely last forever. The ones that I lost really hurt me, though and definitely contributed to me having a rough year. I didn't see it freshman year, but as I matured the year I realized that some of my friendships were really toxic and not worth saving. When I got rid of the bad friendships I was really happy at first, but soon looked back to old memories and got really upset. It hurt me what the people did to me, but it was so sad to let the happy times go and I started to get really regretful. If there was one feeling I felt this year, it would be regret. There were some decisions that I made that I wish I didn't, but deep down inside knew it was the better thing to do. 

Academic wise, this school year was pretty good. I loved all my teachers and my classes. I also got pretty good grades. A lot of my classes were really fun and I had a few friends in each. 

A great aspect of sophomore year are all the sweet 16's. A lot of my grade did not have actual sweet sixteen parties, but all my friends did something nice for their birthdays. They were all so much fun, and I can't wait for mine in June. 

Sports was also amazing this year. I did volleyball and track and these seasons were great. I got the coach's award in volleyball and I also did well this year in track. 

This year for spring break was also so much fun. My family and I went to Mexico, and had a blast. We made so many memories and had so many laughs. This trip was definitely a highlight of my year, and made it so much better. 

June is almost here and I'm so excited because that is my birthday month, so close to summer, and usually the most fun time of the year. One of my best friends and I have the same birthday, so I'm so excited to celebrate with her. I also can't wait for summer. My friends and I all have so many plans such as boat days, beach days, pool days, sleepovers, and hanging out with each other all summer long. Even though this year wasn't the best, it makes me want a great summer and I'm going to make sure that this summer with outweigh anything bad that happened this year. 

Here are some pictures of this year: 

The SAT Scandal By: Jenna Blandina

        One of the most recent scandals in celebrity magazines and every newspaper in America, is celebrities and rich people finding a way around the SAT test to improve their childrens’ test scores dramatically. This is so their children can get into an elite school they would have otherwise might not have gotten into. The people committing this are using money to their advantage by paying people to do a variety of illegal things. One being paying doctors to write a fake diagnosis to allow for more time on the SAT test. Others, are paying other people to take the test for their children. Some, are photoshopping images of their child being involved in a sport such as rowing as well, to increase the chances of getting into an elite school. Teachers are even being paid to change test answers on the scantron.
         This scandal is one of the first major outbreaks where there is solid evidence that specific people actually cheated their way into college. People’s favorite TV stars such as Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman, among other wealthy parents were found doing this by the FBI.
         Wouldn’t one think that the people who cheated their way into college should be thrown out? I certainly would think so, but, many of the parents are insisting that most children had no idea they were doing anything of the sort. If I was one of these people’s children, I would think that my parents did not do this out of love. If this happened to me, I would feel defeated because this implies that my parents did not think I could get into the college by being myself. I believe that everyone has the right college for themselves. If one doesn’t get into an elite or ivy school, there is a reason. Maybe it would be too sressful because the academic level wasn’t being met. Now, because parents are buying their childen into college, the whole purpose of the SAT is defeated. Someone can not measure the academic ability of someone and allow them to be accepted into a prestigious school, if the system is rigged.
        A major issue now, is the question of whether the SAT should even be a requirement for schools because there seems to be ways to cheat, as shown from the FBI investigation. Is the SAT going to be thrown away? Will people stop trusting the testing process? This is all an unknown for right now, but what we do know, is people are very mad about this. People who probably deserve to get into an elite school because they earned it, (not because they had the money to get in) but get denied are definitely feeling angered. If I was them, I too would be mad. Now, college admissions might be changing requirements for testing and scores to get into their schools which could change the way many people have been studying exams such as the SAT. Only time will tell on this scandal, and more information will be available once a more thorough investigation has taken place.
     

Two articles on this scandal:
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-4753217
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/14/us/sat-act-cheating-college-admissions.html

Lacrosse By: Lukas Hein

     I never would've thought in second grade, when I first picked up a lacrosse stick that I would be at the place I am now. For some people, lacrosse is just a reason to get out of the house, or kids are forced by their parents to play. It was never like that for me though. Lacrosse became an important part and played a pivotal role of my life. Lacrosse has given me the desire to never give up, and you could be down a million to nothing, but giving up is never an option. Everything I've handled in life that was challenging, I faced with that mentality. Whether it was a hard test, impossible homework, or other things, I've learned to keep my head up and keep going. This sport has become an important part of my life because it went from just a thing on the side to a huge focus. For me, it's not just another thing to do. Year round training, constantly playing, receiving emails all came from the hard work I put into the sport, and showed that if you work hard enough, the results will favor you.
     Growing up playing allowed for me to mature differently than anything else. It built a toughness, mentally and physically. You fall down, and you shoot right back up knowing that might've not been your play, but you just have to forget about it. Just like getting a bad grade in school. You forget about it, move on, and focus on what's coming up next. Being able to move on from things involving school is always hard, but lacrosse allowed for me to realize how easy it is to forget about it and rebuild the confidence to say I'll get the next one. I'll score that goal the next time, I'll get an A on the test next time. Lacrosse's importance in my life is something like no other, and the goals I set for myself and the achievements I've accomplished would've never been a reality had I never picked up that stick in second grade.

The Snow Song Akshat Iyer

I wake up, again, and again, in this room

The school is about to lead to my doom

But there are some days where that goes away

It's almost like it's a holiday

When the ground is white, and covered with snow

And roads are black, which makes it hard to go,

The day that every child hopes for

But will it ever, will it ever

Snow

Will it fall on the lawn that we mow?

I really want a snow day tomorrow

Otherwise I will have great sorrow

5 Tests, need sleep

I can't do this any longer 'cause school's cheap

I'm falling on my bed, needing a miracle

Divine Intervention, Help me 'cause it needs to 

Snow

Please fall on the lawn that we mow?

I really want a snow day tomorrow

Otherwise I will have great sorrow

I woke up,
And the ground was white, and was covered with snow

And the roads were black, which made it hard to go

The day that we all hoped for,

It has really, it has really

Snowed

It fell on the lawn that we mow,

I had a great day today,
forgetting about the tests I had tomorrow,

But then I realized,
I'm in the same situation as yesterday,
I still have 5 tests, and I need sleep,
I fell on my bed, hoping for a miracle

Divine Intervention, Help me 'cause it needs to 

Snow

Please fall on the lawn that we mow?

I really want a snow day tomorrow

Otherwise I will have great sorrow

Snow

Please fall on the lawn that we mow?

I really want a snow day tomorrow

Otherwise I will have great sorrow

Credits to the Autumn Anxiety Discord for helping me think of the refrain of this song.

The Fall Drama- You Can't Take It With You by Tessa Gori

Penny and Paul (Claire Riley and Kasey Sentatore)

As you all probably already know due to the copious amounts of advertising, the fall drama, You Can't Take It With You, is this weekend. After preparing for months, the cast and crew are incredibly excited to be presenting this funny, crazy, classic show. If you choose to come see it (which you all should), you will be introduced to the Sycamore family; a band of wild cards where plays are written but never finished, rockets regularly explode from the basement, and snakes greet newcomers with friendly hisses. When the youngest daughter, Alice Sycamore (played by me) faces her persistent suitor, Mr. Anthony Kirby Jr. (played by Owen Welsh), Mr. Kirby Jr. assures Alice that he finds her family endearing, and he embraces them in all of their craziness. Tony's parents do not feel the same way. Tony Kirby comes from a sophisticated, well to-do family, opposite the Sycamores. So, Alice attempts to whip her family into shape to allow the Kirby family to believe that they are just like them, polite, well mannered and sophisticated. She goes crazy planning for an extravagant dinner party, however, when Tony brings his parents to dinner at the Sycamore house one night early, chaos ensues. Will they end up together despite their family's differences? Find out at the shows this Thursday (Nov. 29), Friday (Nov. 30), and Saturday (Dec. 1) all at 7. The cast and crew of this show have worked incredibly hard to bring these crazy characters and their setting alive. I hope to see you all there!

Alice and Tony

   On another note, I would like to write a bit about the experience I've had with this year's fall drama the past three months. This show has brought me closer to all of the people around me and allowed me to connect with my fellow actors on stage and off. Also, I've grown incredibly appreciative for all of our tech crew in realizing how much they do in order to see the show succeed. The on stage chemistry is unbelievable considering the close bonds we all share in real life. I'm so excited to perform it this weekend, and to further experience the team work it takes to produce such a wonderful show. We have truly grown to be a family the past three months and I'm so thankful for every cast and crew member.

Sparta Student Found Dead, Autopsy Points to DBQ as Cause of Death By: Alyssa Lasko

The front cover of the daily newspaper read:

SPARTA STUDENT FOUND DEAD, AUTOPSY POINTS TO DBQ AS CAUSE OF DEATH

An unnamed student was found and later pronounced dead on Monday morning October 29th. She was just 15 years old.

The police investigated the household for nearly the whole evening until they discovered a rough draft of a Document Based Question, a.k.a DBQ. Dr. Chen, a pathologist, believes this caused the death of the teen.

“There’s not much to debate. [Double D] even said the assignment stood for ‘Death By Question’ several times during class [last year]. It was an accident waiting to happen, there’s not much we could have done to prevent this."

One Outfit For One Hundred Days~ By Julia McEllen
            
            A middle school art teacher at the William W. Allen Middle School in Moorestown, New Jersey, Julia Mooney has decided to take a different approach when focusing her energy on more important things than clothing. By wearing the same dress for the first one hundred days of school, Julia Mooney is reflecting on the needed steps that are essential in creating awareness for the environmental costs that come with modern day fashion.



           Because of modern day "fast fashion", 21 million tons of textiles are thrown away every year in North America. Fast fashion refers to the constant changing of fashion styles in stores across North America. Many different styles are sold in stores depending on what is trending, and they are easy to access and are affordable for many purchasers. The downside to this is that since the fashion styles change so rapidly (fast fashion), Americans end up disposing of or not wearing a majority of the clothes they buy. Fossil fuels and a large amount of water which is used to make these pieces of unwanted clothing are then wasted, and this ultimately hurts the environment.


           By creating this challenge, Mooney is teaching her students the importance of eco-friendly behavior and the impact it has on saving the environment and bettering our world. Mooney also extends the challenge to her home life to show how dedicated she really is to conserving our ecosystems. Not only does she wear one dress to work everyday, but she also keeps the same dress on at home. Mooney also does not believe in washing her clothing in a washing machine because it is not eco-friendly, so she resorts to hand washing instead.
           Mooney believes it is better to help the environment than to be in style everyday just for the purpose of looking good. Through this challenge, she has opened up about her feeling toward fast fashion and its environmental costs and has also inspired many others to join her on her "one outfit for one hundred days" journey. I think it is important for people to act like Julia Mooney and bring awareness to these problems our society does not usually pay attention to. I also believe she is courageous in doing this, especially for sticking to her challenge no matter how hard it may have been for her to complete.

https://6abc.com/education/teacher-wears-same-dress-daily-for-lesson-in-sustainability/4235649/ 

Pete Davidson and Ariana Grande broke up? I'm sorry WHAT by Tessa Gori

      This past weekend, in a DEVASTATING turn of events, America's favorite couple has split. In their short lived but ~intense~ relationship, pop icon Ariana Grande and SNL comedian Pete Davidson became one of the touchiest, most vomit-inducing couples in the country. Which is why it's come as such a shock that the most unexpected pair of this decade has mysteriously called off their engagement. Let's get to the bottom of this. Here's the tea.
      The first tell tale sign of ~trouble in paradise~ was announced last week when Pete was seen in public with his "Dangerous Woman" tattoo covered by a heart. Because the heart still had an 

Pete Davidson's tattoo covered

"A" next to it, fans passed it off as just a small, meaningless, change. Just for fun, right? WRONG. We were all fooled. Grande and Davidson were even seen in public holding hands only a few days prior, on October 10th. AND Pete was seen kissing all over Ariana on her Instagram story just last week (barf). Something seems fishy to me...too fishy.

Pete and Ariana's last public appearance (Oct. 10th)

          The initial shock of this break up has passed, and the five stages of grief are kicking in for angry teenagers all over America. The split was confirmed when Ariana posted an Instagram story, saying she needs "a break" from everything, leading some fans to believe that Pete is the one who initiated this absolute travesty. However, Pete's stock is at an ALL TIME HIGH right now; everybody wants Pete Davidson. Everybody but "Arianators" (i.e., Ariana's fan base). Look out, Davidson. A mob of hormonal teenagers is coming for you.

   As for the couple post breakup, they are rumored to be planning on "finding their way back to each other" in the future. Both Pete and Ariana seem to be doing well; Ariana has continued her constant selfie posting on social media (and pics of her baby pig...my heart), while Pete has already begun joking about his life post Ariana. For the sake of the well being of millions of fans, I really hope they get back together, and soon.  

The Summer Everything Changed~ By Julia McEllen

           Every summer I look forward to those gorgeous days on the beach, tanning under the sun and swimming in the ocean. I look forward to those lazy nights, sitting by the campfire and roasting marshmallows. I look forward to those girly days, getting my nails done with my mom and my sister, and going shopping as we slurp down our Starbucks iced teas. But all of that changed this summer, when my sister, Madelyn, went away to the University of South Carolina. Soon all those days became the "last time". The last time we would ever have a girly day during the school year with her. The last time we would ever be able to come home from the first day of school and tell each other all about it.

          My sister and I are both really close, and we love to do everything together. When those last few weeks of summer were approaching, I knew she would be leaving soon and it was hard. I knew we wouldn't be able to have movie nights or talk in her room for hours on the weekends. I knew she wouldn't be there to drive me to school or pass me in the hallway anymore. When the day finally came for her to leave, my brother, my mom and I packed up all of her things and drove ten hours down to South Carolina. We thought of it as a fun family road trip to end the summer, trying to distance the fact that Madelyn would not be coming home with us afterwards. Although it was hard for me to leave her, I knew it was even harder for my mom. The first day home without my sister felt strange. I remember waking up and going into my sister's room to see if she was awake. Walking in and then remembering she wasn't home was probably the strangest part. It took awhile for us to get used to the fact that we
won't be seeing Madelyn 24/7.

         Every summer after the first week of school my family and I go apple picking with my cousins. We meet at the orchards and after picking apples, they come back to our house for a sleepover. My cousin Kara is my age and she has an older sister Cailin who is my sister's age. Despite the fact that my brother is sort of the odd one out, we are all still really close. To not have Madelyn there for our summer apple picking tradition was hard for all of us.
        Although I won't be able to see her all of the time, we write letters and call each other almost every day. She will have the time to come home a lot in her school year which makes me really excited. I think knowing that she is happy and loves her college and her roommate makes it easier to handle the fact that she is so far away. Honestly, she couldn't have picked a better place to go to college because now when I go to visit her, I get to go to the beach!

What I Love About Fall

Whether it's waking up to a crisp autumn morning,

Or maybe getting a little snow without warning,

Fall will always be the best of them all.

Walking down to the bus, listening to the crunch beneath my feet,
The colorful leaves fall looking elegant and sweet,
Finally putting on a sweater,
While the weather slowly gets a little better

Spring may have the flowers,
But you can't forget about the showers,
And that is why fall
Is the best of them all.

Shortest Summer Ever by Lily Loewen

This summer might have been the shortest summer of my life. Last year was extremely stressful, and I needed a long summer to refuel and get ready for sophomore year, but I got just the opposite. Last school year ended June 30, which is normally two weeks already into summer on a normal year. When the summer started, I was so relieved as my first ever high school finals were over, and once summer started I jumped right into my vacation. I had as many sleepovers and hangouts with my friends as I could get because I knew this summer was going to be a short one, but I didn't let that stop me from having a great vacation. In July I spent most of my time with my family in Wildwood Crest where we stay at the beach. We went to the beach as much as we could, but by the end of July the weather started to get really bad with rain and wind. Even in the rain we would still have fun, though. We went fishing and crabbing, we went to the pool, and even on some bad days we would still hang out at the beach. My cousins and I also went to the boardwalk almost ever night which was so fun. But once July ended, and I was back home with my friends in Sparta, volleyball season started. We would have practices every day and a few scrimmages and even a tournament, which our team did very well in and go to the semis. Very quickly I could feel summer settling down and everyone started preparing to go back to school already. I just kept feeling it was too soon, though. I felt like we just got out of school and now we were already coming back.

Finally, the dreadful day came. All the summers before this one I was ready to get back to school, but this one was just so different. There were so many things I wanted to do this summer that I never got to. I wanted to go to the beach with my friends one day, and another time with my cousins. I wanted to go to New York with my friends, also and finally go to the sugar factory. But none of that ever happened. I just needed one more week of summer, but before I knew it I was walking back into school, where I felt like I just left. I wasn't ready for the work, assignments, tests, and quizzes. Once I walked into school, I felt like just yesterday I was taking my last final, and nothing had changed. But now as it is more into fall, I'm getting used to the weather, and school, even though it did take me awhile. Although, in the beginning of fall I was dreading it, now I'm so excited for it. I can't wait to wear jeans, sweaters, and get pumpkin spice lattes, and I love all the football games. I also can't wait for Halloween. So even though this summer went by way too fast, and it was way too short, I'm kind of happy that it is fall time.

How The End Of My Summer Was One To Remember By: Jenna Blandina

This summer was definitely way too fast for my liking, as it feels like we were just completing our final exams a week ago. As much as I really wanted summer to last for a lifetime, it was nice to come back and see all of my friends again. Being someone who loves when schedules come out, getting school supplies, and finding the perfect outfit for the first day of school, I was anxious to come back the first week in September. As the Monday went by, then Tuesday, I was not sleeping because of first day excitement. My week was going perfectly as I got the perfect outfit and had all of my notebooks organized, so I decided to top off the week with a haircut. This might have been the worst experience of my life after what happened next. 


I was all ready for my first impression of sophomore year to be great, just when I show up to school with a giant mark on my forehead. Where I got this giant wound I will tell you now. I was finished with my hair cut and my hairstylist decided to curl my hair just for fun. Now I can guess you have already figured out where this is headed (ha get it). Just as she is making the fourth curl, she by accident hits my head with the iron. At first I didn't feel a thing, so I thought it would not be a big deal, so I didn't even bring it up (this was my first mistake). As she is taking her time curling piece after piece, my head starts to itch and really hurt. This hurt wasn't like anything I have experienced before because I couldn't tell if it was all in my head, or if my head was actually hurting. Finally when she curls the last hair, I can feel the water starting to build up underneath my eyes. I keep telling myself to hold the tears in, as they are all ready streaming down my face. I quickly ran to my car and just wanted the pain to go away. The mark on my face at this moment was barely noticeable, but as the day went by, the invisible mark turned into a plumb purple burn. Wednesday rolled by, and as soon as I knew it, it was Thursday September 6th, the first day of school. I walked into school and all of my friends immediately were asking what was on my head. I told them the story, and they all felt so bad for me. Now you might be thinking, Jenna, why didn't you just put makeup on it? This is what I was thinking too, except I was not allowed to put anything on it because I could get an infection. 

Fast forwarding, here I am today with a non purple mark on my head, just slightly discolored. I am alright, except for the fact that I had to take school pictures with a burn on my head and my ideal perfect first day was ruined. Being that I had this mark on my head for picture day, when looking back in the yearbook in my years to come, I will always remember that day and the feelings associated with it. As I will remember those feelings, I will also be laughing at myself because now it's a story to tell. 

Below is the lovely picture I took of myself the day I got burned.

No One Cries in Summer by Jordan Bucenec

“No One Cries in Summer”

As the freeing feelings of Summer begin to subside,

one cannot help but to feel terrified.

From long cozy nights of joy and bliss,

dancing in the sun and receiving the rays’ warm kiss,

To endless, shivering days of heartache and somber,

forever wishing that summer could just last a little bit longer.

No one cries in summer.

Not when you’re knee deep in the sea,

Savoring the feeling of the soft waves against your legs and the smell of the ocean breeze.

No one cries in summer.

Not when you’re spending time with people you adore,

Making jokes and laughing until someone falls on the floor.

Even when you’re in pre-season,

Pushing yourself to the limit until you start wheezing.

No one cries in summer.

Not until you witness the crisp green leaves begin to change their colors.

Thoughts of school and expectations push you up against the wall,

And that’s the reason why everyone cries in fall.

There is always so much pressure to be the best.

“Do your homework and go to bed early, you better pass that test!”

School always begins to feel like a competition,

Trying to do homework from eight subjects in one night like a magician.

Everyone is always fighting for the highest score,

Is this school or the civil war?

If only everyone could be taught equally,

Each and every student would come to school gleefully.

No more ‘A’s, no more wrongs and rights,

No more ‘F’s, and to the end with sleepless nights!

I wish fall could feel like less of a brawl,

But until then, everyone cries in fall.

She is the Fall by Tess Gori

Her dark eyes are the envy of the warm, brown leaves

as they aspire to match her depth and beauty.

Her tanned skin,

harbors the memory of the summer's warmth and effervescence,

as her welcoming arms shield you,

from the bitter cold,

and inspire feelings of safety.

while her long black curls,

fall down her back

like leaves from a beautiful tree,

her voice,

as smooth as the fall wind,

offers comfort to each person who hears it

She is my mother,

and her presence,

mirrors the Fall.

Struggling to Come Back By Mrs. Kopp

      This is my 16th year teaching and every August I start to get excited about the prospect of new students, decorating my classroom, and getting back into a routine. This August was the FIRST TIME EVER that I was dreading coming back to school.  I could not wrap my brain around the fact that I had to start again. My friends would ask me, "Are you ready to go back?"  And I'd tell them that I wasn't sure I was going to go back, I might just decide to stay home. 😐

      I didn't really have an explanation for this, I mean I love teaching and I love fall.  My favorite is when the weather turns crisp and I can read on my deck wrapped in a cozy blanket. I dream of the weekends when the windows blow cool air through the house and we can smell the banana muffins baking in the oven.  Pumpkins decorate my house and the anticipation of the approaching holidays warms my heart. (You'll all soon learn I'm a huge fan of Hallmark Christmas movies!  I know they are all the same, but I just love them.) 

     Despite my love of the changing season, I had to DRAG myself to school to set up my room. I avoided all other thoughts about school.  The night before the first day, I found that I needed to plan, since I had tried to avoid it previously.  I was up until almost 11 pm planning, then I was eating ice cream and looking at Instagram until almost 1 am - anything to avoid sleeping- until I finally got 4 hours in before my alarm went off.  I woke up with the typical first day butterflies (teachers get those every year, too!) and off to school I went.  

   Well, after my very first class (shout out to class 1 - 10th grade), I remembered why I LOVE this job.  They came in with bright eyes and smiles on their faces and they were happy and then I was happy.  When class was over, I just took a deep breath and reveled in the fact that I have an amazing career and I wouldn't want to do anything else.  Now I am ready for the year!

Perhaps it was difficult to say goodbye to summer because I love having those months with my family.  It's a gift and I don't take it for granted. Here are some highlights from my summer:

The minute that school ended on June 30th, we were on a plane headed to Houston Texas.  My cousin, Michael, is a chemical engineer there, so we stayed with him. We had a blast. We went tubing on his boat, ate kolaches (which are these little puffs of goodness), and visited NASA Space Center.  

When you're taking a NASA tour and they take a green screen photo, but your cousin is wearing a green shirt! HAHAHA We laughed about this for days! 

Here we are at NASA. Brayden loves science and he was really into this museum. 

The kids next to the "Saturn" rocket in rocket park! Pretty amazing! 

From Houston, Texas, we flew straight to Seattle, Washington! Mr. Kopp's cousins live there so we were doing a summer cousin tour. While we were there we kayaked in Lake Washington, ate lunch at the Puget Sound, hiked Snoqualmie falls, and then we hiked Mount Rainier - the highest mountain in the United States! 

Mount Rainier was one of the most breathtaking things I've ever seen. It was also pretty cool to be hiking in snow, in July.  

This was our whole group!

We took this picture! It's so beautiful, it looks fake!

View of Lake Washington from Gasworks park. Not only a dream to sit there, but it was only about 70 degrees - just amazing. 

Standing in the Puget Sound - it was cold! 

After we finished our cross country trek, we were home for a while and the kids swam on the local swim team and we spent time with family and friends. In August we went to one of our favorite places, Birch creek Lodge.  It's a cabin on 14 acres in the Catskills in New York State and we go there every year with two other families. It's like camping, but in a nice house! Glamping! 

My babies (who are getting big) posing on our last day. 

Our whole group - we take this picture every year! Yes, the man with the wild, white, beard is my husband.  He refused to shave all summer and it drove me crazy! Thankfully, he shaved right after this trip! 


Then, on August 20th, my sister had her first baby! Harrison Mayer was only 5 lbs 11 oz and he's just the sweetest little guy! He is the 6th grandchild in our family and we just love him to pieces!

Look at that little face! I call him my nugget! 

Two weeks old - wearing his first pair of pants! 

I'm getting in as many baby snuggles as I can! 

But, when summer came to an end, I had two children who were beyond excited to start school and I am really grateful for this summer.  The summer gave me the chance to explore, relax and read!  Now I'm going to enjoy my amazing students and the fall!