Just a lil' update...

I haven't written in a while, so I wanted to post a little "hello" to those of you dedicated enough to check out my blog. Thanks for caring, by the way!

My tutoring schedule is growing--next week, I'll be up to five students, and I will also likely be leading an actual two-session weekend class for PSAT prep.  For those of you not in education, the PSAT is a "practice" SAT that also acts as a qualifying test to be a National Merit Scholar candidate (a huge honor, resume-builder, and potential scholarship opportunity).  Students attending these classes are committed to obtaining high scores...truly "cream of the crop," motivated individuals!

I am particularly excited about my dad's visit this week.  He is flying in tomorrow (Wednesday) and staying through the weekend.  This is the longest that our family has EVER been apart, so it will be great to reunite and hopefully have some Arizona fun together.  :-)

I've been watching the Brewers mania from afar, hoping that if they play the Diamondbacks and if the Brewers don't get homefield advantage (although I'd prefer they do), maybe I could score some tickets and find a friend to watch a playoff game in Arizona.  As far as I know, the schedule has not been finalized just yet.  In other sports-related talk, it really stinks that I can't see Badger or Packer games on a regular basis here.  I was informed about a "Wisconsin bar" called Casey Jones Grill, about a 20-minute drive away, though.  When I looked them up on Facebook, I learned that the owner graduated from Brookfield East in 1975!  Well, what do ya know?!  I look forward to heading out there for a game sometime.

Random observation #9:  As fall approaches, new foliage is in bloom!  When these cacti first started sprouting red buds, I was expecting them to burst into flowers.  But as time went on and the red protrusions developed further, my mom and I discovered they are actually prickly pears!  I've never eaten one, but apparently they are sold for consumption and are believed to possess some great health benefits.  Hmm, maybe I'll have to pluck some prickers and give it a try!