Summer Has Just Begun

... for Ben.

Today marked Ben’s last day as a case worker AND today was the deadline for completing 

all summer coursework for the PACE program. I am amazed at the volume of education coursework can be crammed into one summer. At first, when he told me about the program and confessed that there would be 3-4 hours of work every day (including weekends) I thought to myself,

“Yeah right, there is no way these classes will monopolize that much time…” I was wrong.

There was a tremendous amount of work to be done in the span of three short months!

I’m glad I didn’t have to do it, and I’ve even more grateful that it is over (for now)

so we can hang out as a family again.

To celebrate, ALL of the Dows are leaving Amarillo for a long weekend to see Dorothy

(and the beach!) in North Carolina. Then Ben will turn around to go on the annual man-tastic fishing trip to Vermejo Park Ranch, New Mexico before setting up his classroom and preparing for the

2010-11 school year.

I have been promised that NEXT summer we (the two of us) will go on a big trip.
Fingers are crossed.