Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Kevin and Julie raft the Arkansas River






Last week, we rafted the Brown's Canyon section of the Arkansas River near Buena Vista, Colorado. We had a tremendous time and highly recommend this trip and the American Adventure Tours who provided the gear and guide. For you experienced paddlers, the runs were anywhere from Class 1 to Class 3 the day we went. The water temperature was about 51 degrees! It was so nice to spend a few days out of Texas during this epically brutal summer. Julie and I are the first two on the left or port side of the raft.

Kevin

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

ARF Success!!!


The Animal Reading Friends (ARF) program began in September 2010 at Travis Elementary School in San Marcos, Texas. This school-year long program attempted to improve the reading skills of seven second and third graders who were reading below grade level when they began in the ARF program. Each student would read to a pet partner team for 20 minute intervals on Fridays. The idea behind reading to the pet partner team had to do with 1) practicing reading aloud, 2) gaining confidence in reading and 3) instilling a feeling of enjoyment in reading. Quantitative measures highlight the success of this program. On average, our second graders improved 3.75 reading levels meaning that most of the participants are now reading above grade level. Even greater success was shown by the third graders. On average, these students improved 4.66 reading grade levels and each third grader began reading below grade level and ended the program reading above grade level. In addition, all ARF student participants improved their correct words per minute ability as well as reading accuracy. While these numeric measures certainly underscore the success of the program, intangible benefits such as improved attendance, gaining comfort interacting with animals, and having a positive mentor involved in their lives clearly show value in programs such as ARF. Please join us and become a positive agent for change in the lives of a local student!

Wednesday, July 06, 2011

2011 Michigan Road Trip








This summer, the Romig Pack decided to rent a cabin on a lake in Michigan for their vacation. The drive was long, but we got to do some fun things along the way. Two fun things we did were visit Vandalia, Illinois where Abe Lincoln served in the Illinois legislature. Lazarus Lincoln Romig and Dad took their picture with a sculpture of a young Lincoln. On the way home, we stopped in Cairo, Illinois where the three explored the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers off-leash. Magellan had a great time there. In Michigan we used the opportunity to recreate in Lake Allegan and Lake Michigan. Magellan and Dad are in Lake Michigan and Lazarus and Mom are in Lake Allegan. The whole trip was pretty relaxing though like a vacation is supposed to be-- see Magellan and Moses napping on Mom in the cabin. We had a great time and hope to go back again!

Kevin