Sweet Summertime

I'm really enjoying this whole not-having-homework part of being off school, but I'm not really enjoying the substitute teaching EVERY day part. It's my choice to work, and I want to as much as I can before school is out, but being a substitute is sort of stressful. I just don't like not knowing what the situation in each classroom will be like until I get into the room for the day. Most days the students I get are not bad. This job is definitely  helping me to exercise my willingness to be flexible and be able to practice my judgement to react to various situations quickly. It's valuable job experience, much more so than working at a grocery, restaurant, or department store. I'm thankful for this job, but it can be stressful. Speaking of which, I am trying to decide exactly what my summer job plans are...

I plan on working with my father on barn repair, but he likes to just work in the mornings (when it is cool) so we can both have the second half of the day to do other things. He needs the help and I'm available, so I will be doing this with him for about 4-5 hours each day. I am also wondering if I should take another job. My mother was talking to someone she knows who is a manager at Cracker Barrel. They are hiring servers, cashiers and other positions. I'm trying to decide if I should also apply to work somewhere else (like Cracker Barrel). What do you all think? The thing about working at Clare's Barn Repair is I will only be working part-time and there will be at least two weeks when I will not be working (Mom & Dad will be going on a summer vacation and Dad will be cutting hay). I could also decide to try to sell some handmade things or try to book some photography sessions this summer which would help me make some more money but not tie me up as much as working somewhere like Cracker Barrel. The question is, should I be some-what lazy and just work part-time or take another part-time job and possibly be very busy because I have two part time jobs? I'm almost leaning toward the lazy-summer option, but we'll see.

I have accomplished a little bit in my week of being homework and class-free. One of the first things I needed to get done was groom Nova. Her hair has been cut and she got a bath..I think she looks better and probably feels much better too! She was beginning to look like a homeless puppy. I meant to get good before & after pictures but she wasn't cooperating with me taking her picture. I've worked 5 days in a row as a substitute and I'm still going strong. This past weekend I was able to meet up with Captain Something Fun and Granny Eyre in B-town and go for a hike. It was great!

I got to try the smores frappucino
(& it was happy hour!) Delicious! 

I also got to go to my first drive-in movie last weekend. I was really excited about going, but it wasn't quite what I expected. We didn't have the best parking spot and it was a warm night. We were too far away from the screen...there were just several problems. Next time we will probably bring chairs and bug spray and sit up closer to the screen. Several people in trucks fixed up the bed of their truck to be comfortable and watched the movie from there. The truck beside us had what looked like a blow-up swimming pool in the bed of the truck and lots of pillows and blankets in it and they watched the movie from there. It looked cozy! We saw The Avengers and The Longest Ride was coming on second, but it was 11:30 by the time the first movie was over, so we didn't wait for the second one. I really wanted to see The Longest Ride though!

My summer photo-challenge is going pretty well. I've already skipped one day accidentally, but I haven't given up yet. It's much harder than I thought!

This girl is looking forward to more time celebrating summertime! 

The Farmer's Daughter