At Last...Summer!

My classroom is packed up for summer, our end-of-the-year banquet was today, and my paperwork is complete so it's officially SUMMER!!! I came home at 2:30 and took a well deserved nap to celebrate...keep in mind my 49th birthday is just 16 days away so napping beats going out for drinks these days. I am, however, enjoying a lovely bottle of pinot grigio and sitting by the pool at the moment. :o)

So, what does a teacher do during the summer months? I'll bet the majority of America thinks we sit around with our feet up watching movies and eating chocolate. Seriously? Summer is when we schedule all of the maintenance for our houses, our families, and ourselves. Here's a list of my summer plans:

June
1. Get glasses fixed (they broke about 8 weeks ago)
2. Get windshield replaced (it broke about 5 months ago), oil changed (a month overdue), and inspection sticker (6 months overdue)
3. Go to Tampa to daughter's graduation and haul two-and-a-half years of her life, along with her car, back up to West Monroe.
4. Fly daughter and her boyfriend up and entertain them for a week.
5. Take daughter to LSU for freshman family orientation.
6. Spend a week at school writing math tests for next year.
7. Go to dentist for cleaning and crowns upon our return.
8. Most importantly:  Begin writing my Sockems and Monkems books and my alphabet book.

July
1. Go for pre-op bloodwork and CT
2. Have 4th sinus surgery and spend a week to ten days recovering.
3. Son comes home for a week.
4. Sister comes up for a week (this is a week to look forward to!)
5. Trip to Natchez with sister to tour antibellum homes
6. Annual trip to Dallas with sister and daughter to go back-to-school shopping
7. Get daughter to doctor for physical and college shots (don't tell her though - she has a serious needle phobia!!)
8. Get myself to doctor for annual bloodwork/physical.

August
1. Take daughter #2 to LSU for a week of Stripes and pick her back up again.
2. Daughter #1 comes home for a week.
3. School begins again.

I realize some of this is fun stuff and optional, but you have to throw some fun in with the obligations and grunt work. Most of my summers sound just like this. I think I know why I'm always ready to return to work in August. ;-)

I'd love to know how my fellow teachers spend their summers. If you teach, post a comment and tell me what you're up to! If you don't teach, tell me how you fit all of the maintenance into your yearly life. I'd love to know!