The summer of 2019 will always be known as the summer of unexpected surprises.

In late June, the possibility was presented of a new role in school leadership. It would take several weeks for the exact details to be worked out. It meant many meetings, startling two schools and rearranging some summer plans.

On August 1st, I officially began my tenure as Interim Head of School of my high school, Mount Alvernia High School.

That major career choice aside, we had a lot of our typical fun. There were beach trips, a Weird Al concert, and fun with friends. The kids both had summer programs – Brendan went back to Studio 3 – this year the show was Footloose. He loved his sparkly costumes, heals and the fun he had with his friends. Bren also participated in a Boston Ballet summer program too. Aidan attended the summer music program at BLS. For two weeks he enjoyed playing music with friends. In addition to his time 

We planned for some fun trips this summer. Brendan and I had a whirlwind weekend at the end of July (same weekend I actually received my official offer!). We went to LA to go to the Hollywood Bowl’s production of Into the Woods- one of Bren’s favorite musicals. We had the opportunity to see our friends Matt and Maggie and have In-and-Out for the first time. We also got to be tourists for a bit and go to Disneyland too – it was very hot! Because of scheduling, we then flew to New York because we had tickets to see Frozen on Broadway! It was fantastic! We were supposed to take a bus home but there was some sort of issue. So we rented a car and drove home! What an adventure!

For my Dad’s birthday we made our typical trip to York Beach. Always a fun time with everyone reliving our childhood favorites – the beach and local restaurants. And of course ice cream. Even if it only means going for the day, it’s still something to look forward to.

We also planned a girls/kids trip to Lake Compounce in Rhodesia Island. Tracy had raved about it and we know how much we all like roller coasters, hotel pools and family fun!

The big finale of the summer was our trip to Aruba for my 40th birthday. I had been talking about this for months – inviting my favorite people to celebrate for a weekend and enjoy the last hurrah of the summer. Chris’ parents, the Parisi’s, my sisters and the Meaney’s all made the trip. We enjoyed the beach, the pool, tropical drinks and lots of laughs. We took a sunset cruise and had a fun time all together. For my birthday we had dinner all together. When the cake came it had sparklers. It was the best night and the perfect ending to the summer.

June s Brendan’s favorite month of the year. Besides school ending, it is also his birthday and Pride month!

This year’s Pride Parade was another warm day. We marched with Boston Public Schools – same as last year but a much bigger turnout! We saw friends along the way and had a great time.

Big news this month – Jenney was named a rummer up for Massachusetts Teacher of the Year! There was a special ceremony at the State House. We are all so proud of her! Her school decided to have a special day in her honor as a surprise. We all went to her school for the ceremony. The kids were dressed in her favorite colors. There was a special video. They had tshirts made in her honor as a surprise too. She was very moved. It was such a fun day!

On Brendan’s 12th birthday he found out he was not going to school – instead we were heading to New York to (finally) see HAMILTON! We also had an opportunity to see the Stonewall Inn as it was about to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the riots.

School ended with all the fun end of the year events. The kids were very ready for a summer break. In the fall we will have a high school freshman. Yikes!

One of the highlights of the month for me – seeing the New Kids on the Block Mixtape tour with some very special friends!