*sigh* the end of summer...

i blinked and then August was gone. i don't remember much between Aug 2nd (when i landed back in the US) and now - vague memories of recovering from jetlag & reading a LOT. it's a good thing i take pictures b/c it turns out that i was busier than i remember...

for one thing, the olympics happened. i didn't get to watch much, but the little i did see was great!

a big grp of us met up on 8/8 to watch the opening ceremonies & chat with an M friend from out of town. too bad this sports bar was filled w/ fans watching the pre-season Raiders game and NOT the opening ceremonies!

i also took the requisite summer trip to the Hollywood Bowl, vowed not to return to the Getty w/ out of town friends ever again, visited Angels Stadium for the first time, and hurt my shoulder bowling an awful score.

oh and on top of all that, the most impt thing this month: i took D home to meet the folks...

here, he's being introduced to yummy Pappasito's!
My parents was quite impressed w/ D! i was actually surprised how quickly everyone became comfortable w/ one another. very cool...

this is us @ Hungry's w/ my HS best friend and her hubby...

and here we are, all dressed up:

you may ask, WHY are we all dressed up? well, to make a long story short - my brother eloped!!! so the wked we were there, my parents planned a wedding "announcement" dinner to celebrate the event w/ all our family and friends. it turned out to be a wonderful event - filled w/ a lot of grace & love.

this was taken on the day of my brother's wedding. he's a handsome man, no? =) and I got pretty darn lucky in his choice for my sister-in-law. she's awfully sweet (patient) and loves my brother. what more could i ask for?

so... *sigh* - i'm not quite yet ready for school to begin. though i did relax a lot, i had enough excitement to last a while. haha, too bad that time keeps moving forward.

but i have to say, of all the reasons NOT to look forward to going back to work, seeing the kids again IS a reason to go back, and i am excited to see them. i pray, though, that i will work to LOVE them more than i've ever done in the past, even in the middle of the year when i'm tired and forget that i have such an opportunity to share so much. i'm lucky in my professional calling and i should never forget that!