READING: Reading all the bits and pieces around here that have accumulated so that I can start a new thread when GCHS starts up again in a couple of weeks and I am working again, haven't decided exactly which direction I am going as I am torn between three at the moment, all historical in nature, no big surprise, I'm sure.
LISTENING TO: Puccini's Madame Butterfly, first show for the season in September, getting a head start on listening.
SWIMMING NEWS: Matt is swimming at Nationals this week in Palo Alto, California, his last swim meet before becoming a college swimmer...12 years completed to date, that's a lot of water. (Top photo of him is at a fish restaurant with the swimmers. Daniel's parents, Kathy and Dan, treated Matt to a birthday dinner to help celebrate his birthday, complete with a little birthday cake! Such a nice thing for them to do for him on his special day.)
SWIMMING NEWS: Matt is swimming at Nationals this week in Palo Alto, California, his last swim meet before becoming a college swimmer...12 years completed to date, that's a lot of water. (Top photo of him is at a fish restaurant with the swimmers. Daniel's parents, Kathy and Dan, treated Matt to a birthday dinner to help celebrate his birthday, complete with a little birthday cake! Such a nice thing for them to do for him on his special day.)
COOKING BYTES: This blog is going to be changing a bit to accommodate our Empty Nest coming up in a couple of weeks when Matt heads off to college. I see a lot of partial recipes, minis, and foregoing of certain items completely in his absence. I also see a lot of cookie making to ship off to him at college. Sunday's Snippets is replacing Friday's Favorites Fare here on the blog to fit in with all this better...at least that is the plan.
FAV NEW FIND: Mark and I are practicing Empty Nest this week with Matt in California and the two of us home alone. When he returns there will only be two weeks until he goes to IU. It's easier than I thought it would be actually. That said, I am really really going to miss him. 
FAV THING THIS WEEK: Matt's birthday is today...last night we went to dinner with Grandma and Grandpa at Matteo's and Reyn came along as well...a wonderful evening. (Photo of them at restaurant with us above.)
WEEK IN REVIEW: We are experiencing a lot of "lasts" this summer with Matt on the verge of leaving home for college. We aren't taking the days left for granted, filling them with swimming, hanging out, and making plans for college living, planning dorm and college supplies, and hitting the sales putting it together.
PRAYING FOR: Bill and Jim, two great guys whose gals are depending on them to recover quickly.