Synopsis of the Last Month or So

Here is a quick synopsis of the past several weeks:

1. We drove, as a family, to Ohio.
2. Christina's cousin, Melanie, got married to Andrew. It was a beautiful wedding. Unfortunately, I spent a good part of the ceremony babysitting my youngest daughter.
3. Right before I left Aunt Elaine's house to head back to Mississippi, I had to save my 5 year old and 9 year olds lives. They were in the pool, splashing about, when Amanda started walking from the shallow end toward the deep end. I was standing several feet away from her when I warned her not to go any further, as she might end up going too far. No sooner had I let the warning slip from my tongue when she slid down the portion of the pool that leads to the deep end. She went under and struggled to break the surface. Unable to do so, and watching her slip deeper, I mindlessly dropped to the prone position and extended my arm. Barely reaching her, I grabbed her under arm pit and hoisted her out of the water. After standing her up on the side of the pool and ensuring that she could breathe properly, I heard a woman's voice yelling. Finally able to understand what she was saying (my mind hadn't quite come out of auto-pilot yet), I noticed that my 9 year old, Katie, was struggling to remain above water. After watching her slip under and then back up (which took all of maybe a second), I reached down and grabbed her and pulled her out. The lady who was yelling to me was standing in the pool, water nearly to her waist. I thank God that she was willing to risk her own life to save one of my children. I am especially thankful that no one was hurt. To prove just how odd my children are, they got mad at me for not letting them get back into the pool!
4. I left them in Cleveland and proceeded to the Mississippi, again. I spent three weeks having my skull crammed full of knowledge. So intense was the course that no one who graduated was spared the effects of having their stomachs tied in knots. I very nearly wanted to go to the latrine and puke my guts out. I could have sworn that I would have been lucky to pass the last test with anything more than a 70 percent. Strangely enough, I passed with a 96 percent. Strange things still happen, I suppose.
5. I made it home safely and spent a couple of weeks there before going on another adventure. That adventure is known to the Royal Rangers as summer PowWow. To us here in South Dakota, that means September. Somehow, we managed to place it on a cold weekend. It got bitter cold, with plenty of wind. Typical South Dakota. Where else can you get a fifty or so degree spread from high to low? The stars were very close and very bright. Absolutely brilliant. God sure knows how to light up a night.

Now, we have found out that, God willing, we will be moving to Spain sometime after the start of the New Year.

Cheers