It's only been twelve days since I last posted here on BBB, but I feel like I've been gone forever.  Taking two week-long vacations in one month will do that to a person!  It was lovely in upstate New York, though.  My family and I had a great time visiting LDS Church history sites, exploring the Finger Lakes region and getting soaked at Niagra Falls.  We stayed in a cottage at a B&B on Lake Cayuga; its lush, green lawn offered the perfect reading spot.  There's just nothing like savoring a good book (or two or three) in such a beautiful, serene setting.  Between my lazy, lakeside lounging and the 9-hour (round trip) plane ride, I managed to finish several books.  Now, I just need to review them.  I'll get to it.  Promise.

At any rate, it's good to be home.  As much as I complain about Arizona's hellish summer temperatures, I'm actually glad to be back in the dry, desert air.  I used to laugh when Arizonans said, "At least ours is a dry heat."  I thought hot was hot, didn't matter whether it was a dry heat or a humid one.  Yeah.  That was before I experienced New York's wet, sticky version.  Yikes!  If I have to endure blazing temps, I'll take them dry, thank you very much.        

Now that my vacationing is over, it's time to think about getting my kids ready for school.  They start on August 7th.  My oldest is entering high school, a fact that still boggles my mind.  Even though it's making me feel downright elderly, I'm anxious to get on with this new phase of life.  It's always good to get back into a routine, even if it does involve waking up early, dealing with homework, and taxiing my kids all over the globe for dance class, karate lessons, choir rehearsal, Cub Scouts, etc.  Reading's my stay-sane strategy so, never fear, I'll keep inhaling books and giving you my always professional, totally unbiased (ha!) opinions on what I read.

In the meantime, I'd love to know what you've been up to this summer.  Have you taken a great vacation?  Read a thrilling book?  Do tell.