(the one where I catch up with June)

1. Maddy was invited to the Taylor Swift/Justin Bieber concert (the last one on the tour) but then the mom couldn't go. So I took Maddy and friend. Oh, the decibels! But it was great fun.

(They wore fabulous red lipstick for the occasion, of course.)

2. We've been in sports watching frenzy mode all month long. Celtics (sob), World Cup games (I hear buzzing just thinking about it), Wimbledon (oh that cute Isner playing one set for 3 days). 

3. I hung some pictures in our house! It only took 3 years of indecision. And, even so, there will be changes, I'm sure. 

4. Maddy graduated from middle school (more to come on that) and attended the traditional 8th grade semi-formal. I'm impressed by what a good sport she is about finding a dress that is her spunky style and modest at the same time. 

 5. I have learned, again and again, how important exercise is for my mood/energy/life/brain. I am starting to consider it a daily vitamin.  Still loving my 4-mile loop. And, some mornings, playing tennis with Greg, Maddy, or Sam. 

6. I saw Toy Story 3 with Sam the day it opened. We cried. (See it!) 

7. Sam left on his very first scout camp this week. He's excited to sleep in a hammock every night, pass off his environmental science and swimming merit badges, and shower only when he wants to. We miss him but have been taking advantage of the girls-only days, I assure you.

15 minutes after this photo he got a haircut, by the way

8. Where's L this month? Good question! Sometimes we wonder that, too. Studying and taking finals (oh, those junior year pressures). Social life galore. Learning the guitar with her friend A. Scheming to fix up the attic in her room with paint and electricity (the previous owners dropped the ceiling and put in a drop down ladder, making her own private storage space). Getting ready for her next big adventure this summer, leaving in two days for...Tonga!  More about that soon. 

9. We were gifted with a visit from our dear friends of yore, the H family (aka the Sties) this weekend.  We were all thrilled to bask in their awesomeness for not one, not two, but three days (Maddy said "sometimes it feels like they're not just our friends, they're our cousins." True. Also, wishful thinking!)  Alas, I didn't take pictures so I'll have to wait until I can swipe some of theirs.  But it was good to get my Christie fix. I miss her. (And she left me with an awesome hostess gift, a vintage globe from a local antique shop that I have had my eye on for ages.  Seriously, she is that fantastic.)

10. We are off to Eclipse tonight. In a moment of weakness (despite knowing I am WAY too old to stay up that late) I agreed to take a car full of teens to the midnight show. I'd better go take a nap.