BIG Week in the P House!

So this week has been pretty momentous! I will save the best for next, but it's been a big one. It started out with me finally getting processed to be on the substitute list for the district. I was nervous about it, but it ended up being for no reason whatsoever. The procedure was quick and painless, and I walked away from the district office being an official substitute! Then, on Thursday afternoon, I got a call from the secretary at the kids' school wanting to know if I could sub on Friday-- for gym class. I know better than to turn a job down, so I said "Of course!" And I ended up having a blast. I already knew most of the teachers and many of the kids, and they accepted me in my teacher role with open arms. Really, it couldn't have gone any better! When Maya asked Niko how I did compared to Mrs. S. (the regular gym teacher, who everyone loves), he said "It was the same!" I will take that as a huge compliment!

In even BIGGER news, though... Gus got accepted to law school!!!!!!!! Let me back up a bit... We began talking about this a while back. At his current job, Gus basically acts as a lawyer, but he has none of the authority that an actual lawyer would have. His coworkers realized this long ago, and it set into motion what would eventually become a big push for Gus to go to law school and "become official." After months of discussion and planning, his boss put together a written proposal, promising to cover Gus' law school fees in exchange for an extended commitment to stay with the company (which he would have done, anyway). And, of course, Gus would receive a pay raise commensurate with hew new level of education. Gus would have been a fool to pass up this opportunity! But what it meant was that he had to apply, interview, and take a placement test. I helped with his application essay and collecting his letters, but I couldn't do much else... Still, Gus took care of it all, and then we waited. And he got it! He will be starting his first semester in January 2016! He will be going to school three nights a week while still working full time, which means we won't see him a whole lot during the school year for the next four years. It sounds like a long time, but I know it will pass quickly. And once he passes the Massachusetts Bar Exam, it will mean a significant improvement in our family's quality of life, plus improved marketability for Gus! It is so awesome, and I am so incredibly PROUD of him! He deserves it, and he has our full support. We know that he is going to ROCK it!! :)

In other, slightly-less-big-but-still-important news... the kids had their first soccer game on Friday, which was Maya's first game EVER! My parents came to watch, which was a lot of fun (nice that they are only ten minutes away now!).

The kids both also had their first scout meetings of the year, and Niko had is his first pack meeting/campout of the year. He actually ended up not camping out, but we hung out around the campfire for a few hours, and he earned his "Call of the Wild" belt loop from attending cub scout camp this summer. We all had a good time (and it was nice to come home and sleep in our own beds!).

Since Gus is out of town on business, I wanted to take the kids to do something fun today. I wanted to pick some more apples, so we did that. But we also went through the little sorghum maze at the orchard. It was perfect! Not too long or scary, and the kids led the entire time. It only took about ten minutes. They were very pleased with their navigational skills! And then we picked some monster apples. It was a great morning!

Anyway, it's been a week full of positive change for us, and I am looking forward to the future. Good things are coming! We're on our way! :) After we got home, we spent some time putting laundry away and tidying up in preparation for the week. Now that I could potentially be working any day, it changes how I do things a little bit. Once everything was set, we went to my parents' house for a delicious dinner. We came home, everyone showered, and now we are all tucked in bed. I doubt this week can live up to he last one, but it will still be great!