September is here.

You know it's September when...

it's volleyball season at Covenant School. Becca is playing on the Middle School team and Hannah is playing on the High School team. They have a new coach- Kaycee- who I've been a counselor with at Senior High Camp at Cowen. She's doing a great job with the girls- she can make them run and do push ups and say it with a smile and a sweet tone that makes you want to please her. Becca has improved a lot, especially setting the ball. Their first game was last week.

You know its September when...

Sasha has grown like crazy. Our puppy- part Boxer and part Lab-is three months old and getting bigger (and cuter) and every day. I'm walking her regularly, trying to train her so that one day I'll have a lean, mean running buddy.

You know it's September when...

it's Senior Picture time. I have no idea who started the tradition of taking pictures the very beginning of your senior year. But... through some friends, we found a nice, reputable guy who takes awesome pictures. (BTW, there are a lot of creepy photographers out there taking pictures of teenage girls- beware!) The only thing that bugged me was how mature Hannah looked! She looked 25, not 17. But she looked gorgeous and had a ton of fun.

You know it's September when...

it's Labor Day weekend. That means my 41st birthday. And that means the Kirk Family Reunion. That's Louie's mom's family- about 60 people gathered at his parent's house for food and games and a LOT of loud laughter. Louie's aunt and uncle live outside of Chicago and since they were driving to WV, Garrett hitched a ride. It was so good to see this face! (I got to hear him singing beside me in church, heard him cracking up laughing with the girls over something, and saw him help Becca with her science project.) This year, Lou made T-shirts for everyone at the reunion. They turned out great and made his mama very happy.

You know it's September when...

it's back to campus. I just had no idea that this fall, it would be me! Ever since May when I knew Covenant School wouldn't be needing me for the fall, I started looking for a new job. In early July, I saw a job posting that seemed absolutely perfect and I applied. This week, I found out that I got the job!

I was hired as a classroom teacher in the Luke Lee Listening, Language and Learning Lab at Marshall University. (It's nicknamed "the L") It's an intensive program for hearing impaired preschoolers that teaches them to speak and prepares them to be mainstreamed into Kindergarten. You can read about it at the website. www.marshall.edu/commdis/thel

I will work four days a week with an audiologist. The kids are 2 to 4 years old and our classroom is in Smith Hall. It's sooo strange to be back on Marshall's Campus- but I love it. I'm in the same building where I spent 4 years struggling as an undergrad. As I filled out my paperwork and walked all over campus, I got my MU faculty ID and parking pass. So cool. I'm an MU faculty member. Never in a million years did I think this would happen. AND I get to work with some amazing kids who I know will thrive despite the challenge they face. I have a lot to learn but the woman I will be working with is passionate about what we're doing. I can't wait to get started!!!

Tonight, Hannah got to do something cool. She went to WSAZ with the Huntington Mall fashion board (she's a member this year) and got to answer phones for the MDA Telethon. So I sat here with my laptop, looked up and there she was on tv, grinning. So funny.