Well, hopefully you’ll be reading more blogposts here, more regularly, from today onward!

Please forgive a little boasting: I did it! I successfully completed my master’s in Adult Education and Training! Done!

It has been so nice to have a few more hours each week to try and catch up on other things, to “take time to smell the flowers,” visit with friends, clean the house, complete some to-do list items, and so on!

Posting on my blogblossoms blog is another item on my ongoing to-do list.

Flowers brighten my world and get me through difficult days. I’d like to share some photos with you:

Mom saw a photo and copied the idea of stacking terra cotta pots of different sizes and planting them with portulaca — they’ve been so beautiful on mom and dad’s deck this summer. And the window hummingbird feeder has been delightful to watch (suction cup attachment to window pane).

Just this past week, many leaves have turned orange, red, yellow — summer is fading… glorious autumn will soon be here!

Here’s hoping that you’ll find time, make the time, to enjoy at least a few special moments admiring nature, sharing smiles with friends and/or family, feeding your spirit…

I have been remiss at posting here. sigh.

I have all of the usual excuses: Life’s been busy. I’ve been feeling overwhelmed! (and so on and so on)

However, today I read this beautiful blogpost and it made me want to “connect.”

I am busy. I am feeling overwhelmed. This will not be an extremely substantive post.

But I do want to share a few important-to-me updates:

* Our daughter is busy job hunting, has had several telephone interviews! [She is in San Diego now, but applying all over the States]. She’ll fly to Tallahasee this Thursday for a follow-up face-to-face interview. She’ll fly here to VA in a few weeks, and from here will drive to more face-to-face follow-up interviews; exciting times for a newly graduated (Master’s!) young adult. I am extremely proud of her!

* My parents recently relocated to live near us; a very traumatic move. After living lifelong in NJ, they are now VA residents, having moved into a much smaller home located approximately 14 minutes’ drive from our home. This move has significantly impacted weekly routines and planning.

* I have begun work as a consultant for EnglishCafe [http://EnglishCafe.com]. Here’s a link to

my profile page

there.

* My Master’s in Adult Education and Training should be completed this August (one more class to go!)

* Twitter (my Twitter ID = hollydilatush) continues to be an important part of my professional development and PLN (personal learning network). The NIFL listservs have had very rich discussions recently as well. This July I will attend the NOVA VAILL Conference in Fairfax, VA.

* Warren (my wonderful husband) and I claim 29 years of marriage as of June 21, 2009. He’s been incredibly supportive–cooking, shopping, encouraging–throughout these recent trying months… and they haven’t been easy months for him, either. His late April – early January employer of the past eight years (Warren’s also a tax consultant, and quite busy completing others’ tax returns late January through mid-April each year) is closing their doors at the end of June. This means no more health insurance benefits for us, a disturbing, challenging, economic burden soon to descend upon us.

* There have been many other adventures, some documented in Flickr photos. Please visit and enjoy!

Life does bring challenges! We have much to feel grateful for.

Around us, flowers are blooming, birds singing, friends are caring, family is near.

Best wishes, dear readers, that you are well!