Thanks for the cake!

Mom,

Thanks for the cake. I dont feel 36 - and from what I understand I act like I'm 18. All is well up here in Northern Virginia, but it feels like a swamp. 98 degrees today and 80% humidity. We're having a contest to see who can make the biggest on sweat rings on their shirts.

Allie had her final softball game of the season last night. The teams here go by grade - so our 6th grade team won their division. We were scheduled to play the 7th grade winners but they had to forfeit. Her team moved on in the bracket and played a really good 8th grade team, and so their season is over. Jacob is wrapping up baseball today. His team is in the championship game at 12:30. His soccer team has three more games because of all the cancellations and rescheduled games - due to non-stop rain.

We are VERY glad that summer is here - but the kids dont get out of school until the 13th and they start again after labor day. Jacob is being placed in the an advanced academic placement program. Robin is going to work twice a week during the summer, and I will work from home one day a week. The kids will spend one day alone at the house.

We joined the swim, dive, and tennis club last week that is about two blocks from our house. It's a nice facility with two big pools and slides and diving boards, sand volleyball, tennis courts, bbq grills all over the place and a clubhouse. So we will spend a lot of time there this summer. The kids can walk down there - and they are going to be on the swim team so they have a one hour morning practice every day. It seems to be where everyone hangs out. I imagine we'll just take some hot dogs and drinks down there and spend the day on the weekends. There are very few "public pools". The only other option is to join one of these clubs.

Not sure about our summer plans. We may be coming back to TX for a while - or at least Robin and the kids. Her uncle Dick (cancer) , and her grandfather (advanced alzheimers) are not doing well.

We had a blast in NYC. We went over memorial day weekend and saw a Yankees game. I wanted to go before the old stadium is torn down next year. We did all the sight seeing we could stand. It's really amazing. I didnt think I would like it - but I have a new respect for people who can survive in that mad house. We had an interesting time in little Italy on Mulberry street, where they filmed the parade scene in the Godfather. In the movie there is a parade going on in the street - and the italian guys are carrying a statue of St. Somebody (Francis?) down the street and collecting money. That is is exactly what we saw - it was like being in the scene. We had a nice italian dinner - and the best potato gnocchi I have ever had.

Miss all of you and hope to get back there in the near future. We have started to save our pics at http://www2.snapfish.com/. Our ID is jrajplata@yahoo.com, PW- 4silver. We will send individual pics - so you dont have to go through all of our good and crappy pics - but right now I gotta go and get Jake to his game.

Talk to you later....
John