Thursday, June 3, 1999

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

I just read your letter written during Memorial Day weekend, Bennett, and the fact that it was in the 90's in Texas. Our high temperature today was 60, and it has been gray and windy. It is hard to think of summer when I'm still dressing in winter clothes! David had a baseball game yesterday, and we parents had on our winter coats and were wrapped in blankets again while we watched the game. You can imagine that there were a few grumbles because it is June now! The last week has turned unusually cold again with lots of fog and overcast and even some rain. I will be glad when the winds die down, too.

I have finished with my substituting for the year. I went in several times for a teacher who had a ruptured appendix, but they have found a substitute who can finish out the year, so I said that I can't do any more days. I need to turn my attention to the end of year activities and get us ready for vacation. I have gone to two PTA parties and have two more to go to. I also went to a nice breakfast honoring volunteers at the high school. Next week, I am going on a field trip with David's science class. It is an inland seas trip aboard a marine study vessel that goes out into the bay. It is a culminating activity to their oceanography unit. Michael went on the same trip as a Lyceum class and really enjoyed it.

Steve is in San Diego this week at a conference. He left Tuesday evening and will return on Friday. His Washington, D.C. trip is back on for the week of June 14^th. He plans to drive the minivan to Los Angeles and fly out of LAX. He returns late Thursday night and will meet Steven on Friday, load up the car, and drive home. We will leave for Wyoming early on Saturday. Steve doesn't have too many days in the office during June, and he is a little concerned about that, but he will manage.

Steven, we enjoyed talking to you on Sunday. It sounds like a very quiet weekend at UCLA. Steven said that most people had gone home for the long weekend, and those that stayed were busy studying. People came alive about 7:00 p.m. and socialized in the evenings, but the days were quiet while everyone worked. Steven spent the time planning and drawing the sets for the summer drama camp. He will be technical director again and is in charge of the set. Steven has one more test and a big paper due before finals. Good luck, Steven!

Michael is nearly finished with his school year. His spring concert last week was wonderful, and Michael's solo was absolutely awesome. I don't say that just as a parent, but everyone in the band and in the audience showed great appreciation, as well. Even Michael thought it went well, and he is usually very critical of himself. Of course, from a parent's point of view, we were very proud! Michael's final exams began this week with his seminar class on Wednesday. He is taking his French final tomorrow, and the administration has agreed to let Michael take the final for enriched geometry tomorrow, too. Remember, Michael was not able to fit that class into his schedule, so he has been taking an easier math class, but the principal said that they will give him credit for enriched geometry if he does well on the final. He will take the final for his own math class, too, next week. He has been learning the geometry on his own time, so we wish him luck on that test. Michael's other finals are next Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. Thursday is a half-day just to check out.

David has been working very hard to finish all of his last assignments. He still has a few tests to take, but by the middle of next week, he will be finished. It looks like his speech will be next Monday, so he will have the weekend to practice more. Then he will have one more week of field trips, parties, and activities like that. He finished reading Old Yeller and really liked that book. He did well on the test and is now reading Shane. I keep finding him carrying his pistols around and practicing his quick draws when he should be doing homework. It is a great book, though.

We had a nice Memorial Day weekend. Michael went out both Friday and Saturday with friends and saw the new Star Wars movie and Notting Hill. He slept late on Saturday and participated in a flag ceremony at church on Sunday. Michael was elected the new Senior Patrol Leader for his troop, so he will have a high profile for awhile. He worked on homework Monday so that he could enter the week in good shape.

Steve, David, and I went on a hike to Castle Rock on Saturday so that David could get an advancement requirement signed off for scouts. He had to plan and do a five mile hike using a map and compass. He also wanted to identify ten native plants and ten animals, but the fog was so thick that we had a very difficult time seeing any wildlife. We had to finish the list with birds from our backyard. He listed the tick that bit Steve, though. David was elected Assistant Patrol Leader for his patrol, so we are proud of him, too. John spent the night with David on Sunday night, and David had a baseball practice on Monday. David played his last regular season game yesterday, and now we are waiting to see if his team is in first place going into playoffs. The rest of the time, he worked on homework.

We all went out to eat with the Kalisvaarts and the Allens on Monday night, and that was fun. Jonathan is home now for the summer, and he is doing really well. Steve and I also went out on Saturday night to Santa Clara Theater and saw Lend Me a Tenor. It was good entertainment. We are going to San Jose Repertory Theater this weekend, but I can't remember what we will see there.

I picked up my new ring last Friday and am really pleased with it. The jeweler called today, though, and said that my old rings were "too far gone" to repair and set with a blue zircon. That's too bad because I had decided that I really wanted to do that. It is too bad that "they" don't make wedding sets to last a lifetime!

I hope everyone has a good week, and we'll talk to you soon.

Love,