Summer2009

Click here to view this photo book larger

The End of October

Yesterday was Halloween and the last day of October. The weather was perfect and the kids had a good day. Tomorrow is election day and I am off from work through Wednesday. I am taking some CareerTrack workshops, which isn't really how I envisioned my days off but oh well. I will not be running the marathon this year, as my gallbladder surgery is still in the recovery stage. I have begun walking and am confident I will be back up to five/six/seven miles in a few months. Thank goodness I have the treadmill this year - I will be using this as soon as the temp drops below 50F in the AM.
So as Fall rolls in and the long Winter run moves up, my focus will also change course.

And despite my love for Summer and the warm weather, I am surprisingly looking forward to the next few months. I am excited about getting back to running. I also have my Christmas cards planned so I am anxious to get going on these as well. I am looking forward to the Run/Walk for Life with TEAM MDLS - I may even run the 3.2 miles! And since both girls are dancing in the Nutcracker, that will be a treat as well.

I will be crafting more this fall and trying to stay on top of things through the holidays. We are working on our budget and can definitely see the light at the end of the tunnel - it is not a train but it is a long tunnel! But we are all happy and healthy and, really, what more can you ask?

The Old Parents

Do you remember back when you were in school and there was always one kid who you weren't sure if he was with his parents or his grandparents because they looked old? Well... the twins started baseball season last week with their first practice on a new team. There are only eight other kids and they all seem nice. The parents were all real friendly and excited about the season as well. The only problem - if this is a problem - is that Abel and I are the old parents! OK, OK, I don't think anyone will mistake us for the twins' grandparents but we are easily the oldest parents on the team.
The rest of the parents call Abel "sir" - what is that about (at least they're polite)?!?!! It was actually funny at first. We both noticed it and winced a little but laughed at the question, "When did we become the old parents?"

Hazardous Duty Pay

So today was Family Night Out at Chick-Fil-A ... this is a fundraiser for the twins' school and a dinner I don't have to cook so, of course, we went. Dinner was good - I had a salad and I am not a salad person - and the girls got a free ice cream cone. Then it was time to play. The play area is very small... and very loud. You apparently do not need to be in the play area while your child is in there, because I was the only adult amongst 20+ yelling, screaming, kicking kids. It was extremely loud and I thanked God at least twice that I was not hung-over. Zoe and I sat next to each other while we waited. We tried talking but I could not hear anything she was saying. Finally, I leaned over and said to her, "I wish I had a viedo camera for this." She smiled and agreed. I am used to noise and craziness - I have three kids! - but this was a different level of both sound and craziness. As we walked out, I thought how much I deserved hazardous duty pay - or least a tax break! It was loud in there and there were no parents to be found. Have a great weekend...be safe : )

Missing Socks

I wash most of our clothes in this house - about eight loads a week - and it has always baffeld me how we could lose socks. I have several socks without pairs for the kids. Most are really cute and I am sad that they are now lone socks. But they do not go to waste. I give them to the kids to make socks monkeys or puppets and they love it. I even occassionally lose a sock of my own. However, last week I lost one of my favorites socks. I didn't worry too much at first, thinking it would show up in a later load. But it didn't. I love those socks. Where the hell is it? I could completely understand if I was washing clothes at the laundermat or taking my clothes somewhere else to wash or dry. I might even wonder if I had taken a trip if perahps I had forgotten one of the socks. But none of these are the case. I wash all my own clothes and I do so in the luxury of my own house - where is that sock?!?!!! I am truly confused, annoyed, bewildered. Where could it be? The mysteries of life constantly confound me but this is a bit too much even for me...

Pitchers and Catchers

So I know I am somewhat of a cynic when it comes to life and love but I had a dose of reality when the kids and I were watching the news and the 5-day weather forecast showed the weather w/pics. Zoe looked at the pics and said, "Don't they usually put a symbol for all the holidays? Why don't they have a picture up there?" I said, "Zoe, they're only showing through Sunday and the holiday is not until Monday (Presidents Day)." Zoe just looked at me like I was crazy and she said, "Valentines Day is Sunday." I tried to be cool and just said, "Oh yeah. And Pitchers and Catchers report next week." I am raising jaded children.

Today is the 1st day of 2010. It's a little hard to believe and it sounds a little science-fiction-ish: 2010. But I am glad it is here, more so because I am just glad 2009 is over. It was a long, hard year and, although I am thankful for every day, I never thought the year would end.
We did not eat black-eyed beans or toast champagne at midnight. We did watch the fireworks from the upstairs balcony and I did give all the kids big, big hugs. I also did not make any New Year's Resolutions. However, there are a few things I would like to do in 2010; they are (in no particular order):
Finish another scrapbook
Run another half-marathon
Take a real vacation - one with the kids, one without (that will be a short one)
Spend more time on the beach (its only two hours away)

There are a few other things but they are more daily/weekly/monthly goals as opposed to "things to do" such as baking more from scratch, sending more thank you cards and wearing jeans everyday (OK, that's more of a wish than a goal). I will try not to complain about the pain in my knee or the fact that I need more sleep. I also hope to read more books this year and am hopeful that at least some of these are not now major motion picutres. I will also try to visit my grandparents more often and eat more home cooked meals.
I could accomplish all of these things if I was a stay-at-home mom but I married for love and not money so I must remain employed until at least age 65 and will therefore try my best to squeeze all of these things - plus a 50-hour work week - into my regimens.
So... with all that said, Happy New Year 2010.
Love and blessings to all