Page 7



	What a summer and fall we have had. The family has been going through a big transition adjusting to my new work hours (3:30 to midnight). We have been so used to operating like a normal family that it took a long time to realize the activities we enjoyed weren`t going to work any more. Our lives have shifted from evening to morning and we still have to work around Beth and Laura`s school schedule. I guess we`re doing okay but we still really look forward to the days off I get, especially if I manage to wangle a weekend day off.

	Having days off in mid-week worked nicely for us during the summer. We were able to take several family outings since Beth took Wednesdays off from her summer job. One of our favorite haunts was The Wilds. If you`ve never heard of it, it`s a wildlife preserve outside of Canton and is the largest park of its kind in North America. They have something like 10,000 acres (So far, they are only using about � of that space.) with rhinos and giraffes and lots of other exotic animals roaming free. A bus takes you through the complex and often the animals are close enough to touch! The tour takes about an hour and they have plans for the other � of the land so it will get even better.

	Beth chose to go back to work at the bank over the summer. For the most part it worked out well. They were so anxious to have her back that they gave her practically anything she wanted; including Wednesdays off, 4:00 quitting time, and no obligation to work Saturdays. It was a good arrangement for the summer months but she was glad to get back to her school bus in September. She`s a full-time, regular driver now and has her own route and everything. She was so excited the day she got to bid on her route, especially when she was able to get a route that is in our neighborhood. She also gets to do field trips. She`s had four so far and we`re enjoying the extra money that they bring in.

	We have begun our second year of homeschooling. It maybe her age, but Laurie doesn`t seem to be enjoying it as much this year as last. We thing she has forgotten how awful her public school experience was. As a compromise, we enrolled her in 7th grade Art in Westerville schools through a part-time program they offer. Laurie enjoys getting out of the house everyday for class and then riding the bus home with her friends. Next semester she takes Life Skills-we think they mean Home EC.. This outside class has forced us into a more rigid schedule. We have to have all of our homeschooling done before we leave for school and that has been good for everyone. Beth (a sequential analytic) and Laurie (an abstract global thinker). Our future plans remain the same at this point; homeschool through 8th grand and then plug her back in the 9th grade.

	We remain status quo in the animal kingdom. To date, no new pets have been added, much to Laurie`s dismay, and none have departed. Well, except for Calavares. He was one of Laurie`s tree frogs. Appropriately named, he leaped out of the tank unbeknownst to Laurie when she was changing the water. He wasn`t missed for several days. Needless to say, we found him and, well we won`t go into details but I`m sure that you can figure out how it turned out. Poor Cal! Sam, Bunny and T.C. continue to entertain, or annoy (depending on who you are asking).

	In late August we took our annual summer vacation. Once again we headed for on of our favorite get away spots: The Great Smoky Mountains. Financial limitations kept us from going someplace more expensive but that`s okay. We love it there and we had a great time. We took our mothers with us again and stayed at the Serenity House like we did last year. Wisely, though, we left the pets at home so we wouldn`t have to deal with damage to the house like last year!

	As I said, we had a great time on vacation. We went fishing and climbing on the rocks in the river. We had a couple of picnics and played games. We even got up really early one morning to go to Cades`s Cove to try to spot some bears. We arrived just after sun up and it was so foggy that we couldn`t have seen a bear if it had been in the car with us. After that the girls spent most of the time shopping. Laurie had managed to save most of her allowance throughout the summer so that she could have a shopping spree at the outlet malls. When she found the Old Nave and the Tommy Hilfigger shops she thought she was in heaven. She was able to go to her class at school with her head held high sporting her logo attire. Our friend Steve Wonderly came for a visit a few weeks ago. It was really nice to get to see him although we were a bit disappointed that Betsy didn`t accompany him. She was in Colorado seeing her daughter and new grandchild. We still had a great visit with Steve though we probably bored him to tears. It was a lot of fun spending the evening with him.

	We`re nearing the holidays once more so I`m sure the next edition will be filled with more Head family hijinks. Keep checking for more updates.