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We had a wonderful time snowshoeing! 18 inches of fresh powder and hiking with friends (both old and new) was just fantastic! We were really worn out after it but the smiles were awesome!

We've had a really good time since then, other than being busy with work and dealing with the various sicknesses that working with students bring to us.

I play my guitar at a couple of open mics every week. This past week, one of the open mic hosts asked me to always be the opener because he said, "You bring such a great energy and set a tone for everyone that follows!" You want to talk about a super stroke to my ego! Teacher said that she wasn't surprised.

I mentioned in a previous update that Teacher and I went to a salsa dancing class last month. There was another one this weekend at a local venue that is always pretty loud and we wondered if we could deal with the noise. We checked it out and decided that a quieter evening at home was just what we needed. So we grabbed a sandwich and headed back to her house.

Teacher had shared earlier that she had to admit at a staff meeting that she enjoyed doing "stuff" outside of work that probably couldn't be talked about in mixed company during one of those 'mixers' that staff trainers feel like is necessary. She said her co-workers acted both amused and a little shocked that someone of her age still engages in those sort of things. She said, "You all have children and are probably interrupted and probably have to schedule that time! We don't!"

So, after our sandwich and television time, well, we didn't have to worry about interruptions or scheduling. Later, we laughed and agreed that we need to do that more often!

A good night's sleep and fantastic dual prepared and shared breakfast brought the weekend to a close and we started getting ready for the coming week. We laughed as she shared a photo with my mom of her "holiday" cactus that finally bloomed. Teacher gave my mom a Christmas cactus last year and it hasn't stopped blooming since then. Teacher's was a bit of an underachiever!

Oh, common CD...two truths and one lie isn't one of your favorites? LOL! I hate those mixers, too. If you were starting in a sitcom, who would you pick to be your costars and why?

I'm not surprised you were picked to open, either. I'm glad you have a great outlet and support system. Plus, it sounds like you're good at reading your audience and knowing what may hit the spot musically.

CD

Just checking in to see how you’re doing. Hope all is well.

Bumped at OP’s request.

Wow, the end of the school year just sucked up all my time and welp, hadn't visited for a while. In post retirement failure news, the school I was teaching at experienced an enrollment drop over the past few years and as COVID relief $ ran out, the principal had to make some adjustments and I and 4 other teachers were let go.

Never fear, another principal called me and asked me to apply for a 7th grade science position at his school, so I did and was promptly hired for next school year. I'm pondering adding another endorsement to my teaching license so that when I renew it for the last time in 3 years, I can be a more valuable potential teacher until I actually do finally retire.

But that's not what some of you want to hear...is it?

Teacher and I both survived the end of our school years and then headed to Kansas for a quick trip to see my brother and sister in law and listen to some fine bluegrass music and adjust our bodies to a bit of extended vehicle travel. We had a fantastic time and enjoyed seeing my little brother.

Which brought us to an epic 3500 mile, 2 week camping trip to see my oldest son, his partner, their dogs and their new home. The biggest challenge was finding a place for little Molly to stay while we were gone. Teacher's long time dog-sitter unexpectedly passed away this spring so it was a pretty big issue. I called my parents and asked them if they though they could take care of a 15 year old little dog. Of course they said they would. We had to laugh as my mom sent us a picture from the first night with little Molly already sleeping on Grammy's bed!

We just took our time and following a loose plan and just had a fantastic time. We saw many wonderful sights of epic landscapes of mountains, deserts, forests, oceans and lakes. We spent 9 nights in a new-to-us rooftop tent and well, neither of us fell off the ladder! We actually slept quite well and woke each morning to campground espresso prepared by the fine little mocha pot and my campstove! We didn't see Bigfoot, but that was okay.

The only concerning issue was meeting my son's adopted Belgian Malamois (sp?). We needn't have been concerned. He took to us like we had been around him all of his life and I laughed at how my son's jaw dropped when the big lug came and gave me a lick on the face and sat on my lap. The dog actually liked Teacher even better than me. If he hadn't of weighed 85 pounds, I think Teacher would have tried to smuggle him home with us!

Our return took us on a slightly different route and we again marveled at the beauty of the western United States and had our breath taken away upon every turn of the highway.

Molly and Grammy and Pop got along well. We all returned home, tired and happy and with a strong desire to just turn the pickup north and keep going along with the trip!

[This message edited by countrydirt at 12:54 AM, Friday, June 28th]

Great to hear from you, CD. You've been missed.

Sounds like an awesome trip. Never stayed in a rooftop tent but not falling off the ladder is a major accomplishment.

Yay for great updates!!

"The biggest challenge was finding a place for little Molly to stay "

Pick me haha I would make a great pet nanny lol

So glad you took the time to leave such an inspiring update. And happy for you that you had such a great trip!

Hey CD, nice update! You’ve been on my mind. Glad you and Teacher are well!