Sunday, June 13, 1999

Azaleas on the front walk of our home -Taken mid May

Dear Steven, Grandy, Pappy, Grandmother, and Granddaddy,

It is hard to believe that we will be in Wyoming in just one week. The days are flying by as the boys finish up the school year. Last week was busy for all of us, and next week will be busy in other ways.

Michael completed all of his finals and was pleased with most of the results. He will make A's in all of his classes (he thinks) except in Seminar. He has ridden on the borderline between a B and an A all year and was just shy of the A. That class has been extremely challenging, and Michael has learned a lot, so he is glad that he took it. He tried to talk the teacher into nudging him over the line, but she held firm! He made an 87 on the enriched geometry final, so he will not receive credit for the class. (He had to make a 90.) He said that he scored better than most of the students that were in the class, however, so he felt good about that. He is glad that he did the work self-study because he thinks that he will be better prepared for Algebra II/trigonometry as a result. He was disappointed not to get any credit, though.

The band played for graduation, so Michael got to see some of his friends walk across the stage. It was a beautiful evening for an outdoor ceremony. He slept late Friday morning and went out with friends later. He and Steve took a first aid/CPR class through the scouts (and Red Cross) yesterday, so they were at the church from 9:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. Both are now recertified. Michael went out with friends again last night to celebrate a birthday and the end of school. I hope he will stay home today and clean up his room. He is looking forward to driver's education this week.

David gave his speech on the Cayman Islands on Monday and received an A+. He made a copy of Mike's tape for his science teacher to use as a culminating activity to her oceanography unit. He took the quiz on oceanography on Thursday and had a test on Shane on Tuesday, so he has completed all of his work for the year now. He is really enjoying a weekend free from homework now!

I went on his marine studies field trip on Tuesday and had a wonderful time. We took a Marine Science Institute boat out of Redwood City and spent four hours out on the bay doing studies on hydrology, plankton, the sea floor, and fish. The instructors were excellent, and the students had a great time and seemed to learn a lot, too. When they pulled in the nets during their fish study station, they found 24 bat rays! They had to identify and quantify all of the other fish in the nets, too. I was exhausted after the trip, but we had to rush home at 6:00 p.m. and change clothes for a Little League playoff game. David's team won that game but lost their final game yesterday. That means that David's team will not advance to Tournament of Champions, and we can go on vacation without him having to miss playing. We pulled him out of the ballot for All-Stars because he will not be around for practices, but a lot of his friends are playing, so we plan to attend the games when we return. (David is already going through baseball withdrawal!)

David went to Great America on Friday with his entire school and had a great time. Yesterday was filled with fun at the ballpark with his playoff game, the end-of-season party, and closing ceremonies. He still has to go to school on Monday and half of Tuesday, but they are party days for him. He will probably make A's in everything except woodshop because he rushed through his last two projects and didn't finish them as well as he did his others. He will probably get a B in that class. He isn't sure whether he will get a B or an A in science, but it will be a close call. David invited John and Aaron to sleep over last night and plans to do the same one day next week, but I hope he will take a day to clean his room before we leave on vacation!

Steve was in town this week and has been trying to get everything done before he leaves for Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. He will not be back in the office until July, so he is feeling the pressure now. We attended the annual Sunday School teachers appreciation barbecue at the church on Monday and then went to the Boy Scout Court of Honor. Michael was installed as the new Senior Patrol Leader, and David became the Assistant Patrol Leader for his patrol. David began by mowing the church lawn yesterday morning before he went to the ballpark.

I worked at the church on Tuesday morning before the field trip and went out to lunch with a couple of friends on Wednesday. Lisa and I hiked on Thursday, and she helped me pick up food donations from three local restaurants for Cupertino High School's all-night graduation party. I enjoyed seeing the decorations when I delivered the food. Although it was not on as grand a scale as Lynbrook's, it was really nicely done. Michael enjoyed walking through them after the ceremony that night, too.

Our friend Rudy Prater, from graduate school at Rice, is in town for an interview at H-P, so we took him out to eat Mexican food last night. We had a good visit with him and enjoyed seeing him. He took a trip to Morocco in March, so he brought his pictures for us to see. He likes to travel and has taken several nice trips over the last few years.

Steve worked at home one day last week so that we could take the minivan in to be serviced before our trip. I think I have made all of the purchases that I need to make before we leave, so I plan to clean house and pack this week. I will buy some food for you to have on hand when you fly back, Steven. I have one more PTA party, an appointment to get my hair cut, a trumpet lesson and a piano lesson to drive to, and two meetings at the high school. I am counting the days until we leave for vacation!

We will talk to you this afternoon, Steven. I hope your last week of classes went well, and that your final exams don't give you any problems. I'm looking forward to seeing you on Friday!

Love,

One of Michael's Band Trips from the Fall 1998.