The last day of 2022

Here we are at the last day of the year...yet again.  There are many things I enjoyed about the year, and many things I did not.  It was such a huge transitional year as Andrew and I became empty-nesters.  I'm grateful, for the first year since 2017, we didn't lose a family member.  However, this year was full of more drama than I ever imagined, and it began an entire year ago.  I sincerely hope that the drama stays in 2022.  This two week break has not at all been a break as I had envisioned, because I worked either at school or at church nearly every day.  The kids have been challenging as they seem to think they are staying in a motel where they have no responsibilities.  I'm praying for peace as we head into the new year!

Christmas 2022

Another Christmas Day has come around and now it is evening and nearly gone.  It's really been a lovely day, and the first white Christmas we've had since 2017.  We headed north today, and we were surprised how not great the roads still were, which helped to show us we definitely made the right decision last evening.  Mom had let us know this morning that she wasn't feeling well at all and wouldn't be able to participate in celebrating today.  The meal had already been moved to mom's friend's house, and I was so grateful she still wanted us to come on over.  Deb has never married and has no children and her siblings live hours away, so she had never hosted a big holiday meal.  She was excited about having the opportunity, and we were grateful that she was such a gracious host.  One of my cousins even brought their kids over for a bit, and Deb insisted we visit while she cleaned.  It was a wonderful afternoon.

The kids really enjoyed their gifts this morning, and we enjoyed receiving gifts from them as well.  Catherine and my mother-in-law especially enjoyed the blanket sweatshirts we gave them.  I'm not entirely sure what we'll do this evening, but I'm sure it will be entertaining.  There is plenty of wine in the house, and no schedule for tomorrow either!

A change to our Christmas Eve plans

We had to abandon our plans for the day.  We had planned an afternoon Mass and then venturing to our former town for dinner with both families.  I was beginning to be concerned though, about the trip home after dark.  The wind didn't die down until late afternoon.  When Andrew's mother, an extremely devout Catholic, suggested just watching Mass on TV, I knew she had no interest in leaving the house.  Our church decided to cancel services, and I realized that things were just not good out there.  I had planned ahead earlier in the week and made sure to have a frozen lasagna so we could have a decent meal in case we needed to stay in.  While I would have loved to have been with our friends, I can't be sad about a cozy Christmas Eve at home.  We had many of these in years past.  Merry Christmas!

So much...too much

It's been a heck of a week in absolutely all fronts.  Andrew and his mom arrived here Monday evening, and that was the last day our lives weren't crazy until today.  Tuesday I had to work quite a bit both on school work and at the church, in addition to a meeting.  Then Wednesday was more of both, and the meeting was much more lengthy.  Additionally, there was some shopping and things that needed to be finished up, and since Andrew was working at baseball practices and athletic events that lasted hours on end, I was the one that needed to handle it.  Yesterday we were supposed to go to my mom's house and be helpful, but she decided she wasn't up to it.  Goodness knows what condition her house will be in for Christmas, but I can't worry about that because there is nothing I can do about it.  Instead of helping, she had me drive up there and run some errands for her.  I'll be honest, I was exhausted but did appreciate a bit of quiet for several hours.

Then last night "hit" in many different way.  We had a winter storm come through that dropped the temps by 40 degrees in six hours (the bulk of the drop was in just a few hours).  Then the rain turned over to snow, and the winds picked up to actually allow us to reach blizzard status for a few hours.  Everything is basically shut down for 24 hours, and we weren't sad that all activities for last evening and today are cancelled.  In the meantime though, our family heard from Robert, and it was pretty awful.  There had been some miscommunications between all the kids, and he decided to absolutely attack me in verbal ways that while not surprising, certainly were hurtful, and he decided to draw in others as well.  It's been a very, very long time since we had an evening filled with that much drama, and drama that was completely unnecessary.  Thomas was concerned that Christmas would be ruined, and I assured him it was days away and we'd all feel better after a good night sleep.

Today the windchill is in the -30's for the entire day, and we are grateful for a 100% completely unscheduled day.  Since there is no where to drive, Andrew and I have even allowed ourselves a daytime drink.  It's a wonderful day to be stuck here with family and our Christmas prep!

Fabulous family fun

Yesterday was a fabulous way to begin our winter break.  We left late-afternoon to head to my hometown, and our first stop was to see my grandmother.  We took her some fun gifts of a warm fuzzy blanket, some fuzzy socks, and some soap and lotion from my favorite store in town.  Grandma especially loved seeing the kids, and since she was dressed and had on a festive necklace, we took some pictures.  We then headed a mile or so north to my second-cousin's house, and altogether there were 33 people there.  We had a blast.  one of my cousin's kids from Virginia was there, and it was also her 30th birthday.  In addition, our cousins from Massachusetts were there.  It was so great to see them!  My oldest cousin realized that all surviving members of our generation were there (her brother passed away twelve years ago) and so we took pictures.  So glad we thought to do that!  It was such a special evening, and I'm so grateful for family willing to host and willing to travel!

Today, Andrew has ventured east to get his mother.  Originally, it was going to be tomorrow, but things needed to be rearranged and he is there now.  I'll be glad when they return tomorrow, and we are looking forward to all of the time we'll have together!

It's the most wonderful time of the year

Not only is it the holidays, but it is now the only time of the year where I have two solid weeks off.  I do have some work I can do (and need to do) over break, but I have the next seventeen days off work.  It's beyond delightful!  We are only three hours into the beautiful expanse of break.  Andrew is working at a swim meet this evening, but we are hoping to have some champagne later to celebrate the end of the semester!

Less than eighteen hours to go

In less than eighteen hours, our entire house will be on break.  I'll be honest, I've felt like we've been crawling toward this for the last three weeks.  But here we are, and it's almost here.  After tomorrow, I won't have to go to work for an entire seventeen days.  Actually, that isn't entirely true as payroll needs to be done, and I have progress reports to read and have out the first week of January.  But most of those days I will get to sleep in, and I'm very excited about that for us all!

The beginning of December

The first ten days of this month have been absolutely crazy, and definitely exhausting.  Last weekend, Thomas came home because he had purchased tickets to a concert for Christmas for his girlfriend...held on his campus.  She doesn't drive, and I didn't love the thought of him driving them both that far and on the interstate, so I picked him up Friday, took them back up on Saturday, waited around for the concert, and then I was very grateful when Andrew agreed to take him back to school Sunday.  I actually enjoyed my Saturday checking out a few relatively empty stores.

Sunday at church was my morning to "introduce" myself to the congregation.  It's an initiative for our church council, and while I thought the church often hears far too much from me, I was out voted.  I also made an announcement about getting the gifts still remaining on our Giving Tree, and since many people decided to make a monetary donation, I got to spend lots of time shopping this week.  It was also a really crazy week at work as we had about 20% absent all week, and that included students that needed to be going home during the day.  It made for some very crazy days.

Wednesday we got a phone call from Catherine.  While everything is going to be okay in the long run, she needed some help to deal with some financial things and it involved me having to drive to her that evening after I had worked at the basketball game for three hours.  Getting home at nearly 10:00 that night was not only physically exhausting, but dealing with her choices was also mentally exhausting.  Again, she is fine, but things needed to be handled.

Thursday, Thomas finished his first semester of college!  He had originally thought he would be done Friday, then earlier in the week realized it would be Thursday, and it turned out it was actually Wednesday but we couldn't get him home until Thursday.  We had hoped to both get him, but there was an emergency Board of Education meeting due to our levy failure in November, and Andrew needed to attend that very unpleasant meeting (his second of the week).  That meant making the trip to get Thomas by myself.  And of course, him coming home means his cat comes home as well...and his fish too.  Oh my goodness, the chaos.

Andrew and I have realized that having four humans, four cats, a dog, and a fish is a lot of activity when our lives have become very quiet.  It's absolutely crazy, and it seems as though Andrew and I have become very accustomed to the quiet.  When we all got home last evening, I was so relieved we'd made it through the week...and only one more week until our break!  I went to bed at 11:00 last night, and truly slept better than I have in quite some time, and I slept blissfully until 10:00 this morning!  I clearly needed all that sleep!  

Today Andrew and Thomas left to go east for two nights.  I was finally able to get some gifts wrapped and the Christmas cards are almost finished, and I actually feel like I am getting some things accomplished.  Although we aren't doing anything special, I'm enjoying my evening with just Catherine and I sitting here.  And in six days we will be starting break!

Fourteen years of blogging

Fourteen years ago today I started this blog.  That is a lifetime ago.  There are so very many things I want to write about, but this isn't the evening.  I am exhausted and not feeling great, and I have many things I want to accomplish.  Thomas is home, Catherine is home, there is pet chaos, and I wouldn't trade it for anything.  I'll write more again soon.  Happy Blogversary to me!

Another December has rolled around

Although the minutes at work often feel as though they are crawling slowly by, the days are zooming.  It's a busy month, and I'm trying to remember to do what needs to be done, and to be present in the moments.

Thomas called Tuesday evening and scared us to death with his intro of "So I did a thing..."  It turns out he bought a cat.  It was a three-year-old cat that needed to be re-homed.  Part of me couldn't believe it was happening, but then he explained he felt lonely (which was heartbreaking) and also that it reminded him of his late uncle's cat.  And then I completely understood.  My super sensitve, kind-hearted, emotional animal-lover of a son needed to buy this cat to "save" it, and to give himself a friend.  I 100% understood where this was coming from, and my heart broke even more.  He is so much like me in that regard, and because of that, when things make him emotional, I know just how he feels.

Yesterday I visited my grandmother.  It was a very nice visit and she was doing well.  My amazing grandmother is going to be 92 in a few weeks, and she still has her mind for the most part.  We are so incredibly blessed to have her in our lives.

I need to get to church and work tonight while Andrew has conferences, then tomorrow begins the weekend.  It will be crazy like everything else, but each day brings us closer to a few weeks off work!

Thanksgiving memories

As I went back to work today, there is no denying that Thanksgiving is over, and that always makes me a little sad.  While I am always grateful for the month of December and the festive holiday, I truly have always loved Thanksgiving.  It was exactly three years ago today that we celebrated one of my most favorite Thanksgivings.  Aunt Cathy had passed away just a couple of months earlier, and it seemed to remind me to truly enjoy and soak up the family as we spent the day together.  I took so many pictures that day, and I'm so grateful I did.  It ended up being G.G's last Thanksgiving, which isn't surprising as she was 90.  It also ended up being the very last big family Thanksgiving.  I knew it would be the last Thanksgiving before Catherine left for college, and I think in my heart I knew big changes were coming.  I'm so very grateful for those memories.

As a kid, we often were able to see both sides of the family at Thanksgiving, which was such a blessing.  The day after Thanksgiving we always helped my Grandparents decorate their tree...even when we were in high school!  It always came down when we spent the night at New Year's Eve.  I'm grateful we make a family event of decorating the tree now with our kids.

Thanksgiving also means the end of the college football season, and that makes me sad too.  Those thirteen Saturdays from Labor Day through Thanksgiving weekend are the best of the entire year.

Yesterday, I cried after I dropped Thomas at school.  The memories are getting to me this year, but I'm so grateful for those memories.  I love this phase of our life, but it sure is quiet here right now.

It all goes so, so fast

Our incredible amazing long Thanksgiving weekend is coming to an end.  There are few days that bring as much joy as these five days do.  Although Catherine arrived Sunday and Andrew and his mother arrived Monday evening, it didn't really feel celebratory until I was finished with work on Tuesday and Andrew arrived home with Thomas.  He had taken his mother along to see the campus, and it felt so, so good to begin our weekend Tuesday evening.  We ordered pizza and watched our episodes of "Friends".  It was so relaxing and felt so good to just laugh and laugh.

Wednesday of course brought some sleeping in and lots of preparations for the meal.  Fortunately Andrew and his mom enjoy those meal preps, because I sure don't!  Dinner was some quiche and we continued on with sharing "Big Bang Theory" with Andrew's mom.

Thursday was Turkey Day!  We watched the parade and my mom and her friend arrived early afternoon.  They were on the road back home by late afternoon, and we watched some football after cleaning up, then more TV shows, and we did absolutely nothing at all productive.  Thomas brought his girlfriend to the house for a while, and we all seemed to be in a turkey coma.

Friday we got the decorations down from the attic.  My mother-in-law napped for several hours, so it was difficult to get things accomplished without waking her.  Andrew got all of the outdoor furniture put away and got the outdoor lights up.  We got the trees up and mostly lit, although by the time we realized we needed to get some new lights, we decided it would wait until the next day.  We had leftovers and more TV shows in the evening.  I was supposed to attend my high school class reunion, but decided I just simply didn't want to do so.

Yesterday we made a trip to get lights and some groceries.  We were home in time for the OSU vs Xichigan game, which did not go at all the way we had hoped.  We finally got the trees decorated late afternoon into early evening, and two crock pots of potato soup was for dinner.  I continued decorating until we ND vs USC game, which also didn't go my way.  We finished with more TV shows, and early bed times as Andrew needed to hit the road early to get his mom back, and I needed to make an announcement in church this morning.

Catherine and Thomas left 30 minutes ago to get Thomas to his girlfriend's house for a few hours before I pick him up and take him back to school.  The house was on the way for Catherine as she headed back.  It is suddenly way too quiet around here.  These last five days have held so much love, laughter, and good times I can't even describe it.  It all went so very fast, and I'm so, so grateful for the moments.

Grace has been gone ten years

 Ten years ago today, the world lost the beautiful little Grace, who was ten years old at the time and a classmate of Catherine's. It was such awful news, and I'll never forget it.  It was a day I was gathered around with my kids and Andrew's parents, and their family was experiencing grief I can't even imagine.  This holiday always makes me think of that sweet girl and her sweet family.  I know though, that Grace is smiling, laughing, and running pain-free in Heaven, and for that I am grateful.

I haven't missed it one bit

This weekend is the wreath pick up weekend.  It is the first time in many years that I haven't been worrying about/working with band wreaths.  And I am absolutely thrilled!  Last year Andrew needed to pick up his mother, and I begged him to see if the neighbors could help and meet him so that he didn't have to be away overnight.  This year, Andrew really wanted to go and watch the Steelers home game against the Bengals, and he went with my blessing.  Today, Andrew and I wanted to swing by the shop where the wreaths are picked up, and I stopped outside to buy a gift for my grandmother.  I chatted with the new chairperson for a bit, and then we went along and finished our shopping.  

It is so wonderful to be able to do whatever I want this weekend.  I haven't missed the wreath sale, or any other band function AT ALL.  I've come to realize that I had actually grown resentful of the time I spent, although I'll always be grateful for knowing the kids and that I was able to be so involved with my kids.  It is nice to be done though.

We had a fabulous family weekend

We truly had a lovely family weekend.  We had tacos for dinner on Thursday, and then we just sat around and hung out.  I ventured to my hometown Friday for a bit of shopping.  Catherine was home mid-afternoon, and Thomas joined Andrew for some frisbee golfing.  That evening we made hot sandwiches and watched the UD basketball game and some episodes of our current favorite shows.  Yesterday we woke up to the snow, and the four of us ventured to support the fundraising with Empty Bowls.  Thomas and I didn't want soup and we didn't want to be surrounded by the people, so he and I did some walking while Catherine and Andrew ate.  Thomas spent the evening with his girlfriend while our best friends came over for dinner and hanging out.

We were supposed to attend a family celebration for a baby shower today, but I had a rough night and didn't feel great this morning.  The nice thing is that instead of having to  rush around, it actually gave us some more time with the kids, and I'll never be sad about that.  The house seems so quiet with everyone gone.  Catherine brings her kitten home with her when she is here, and he is adorable.  We told Catherine today that a "grand kitten" is the best kind of kitten because he is fun to have around for a few days, and then goes away. :)

Thomas also added to the family by getting a fish last evening.  So next week, there will be five people (my MIL is coming for the week), three cats, a dog, and a fish sleeping here.  And I can't wait!

The best kind of Saturday morning

This has been a truly lovely Saturday morning, although it was shocking to wake up to accumulating SNOW this morning!  It's been snowing over two hours, and we have over an inch.  It's amazingly beautiful.  It's also fabulous because the kids are home, and we are having a great time together.  Last night we made hot meat sandwiches and watched UD basketball and some of our favorite shows.  Today we are headed to a fundraiser we haven't attended since we first moved here, and it's just an absolutely wonderful weekend!

Really looking forward to this!

I have been looking forward to this weekend for quite some time.  I'm off tomorrow, which is delightful.  Thomas doesn't have class, so he will be here as well.  When Catherine found out, she decided she wanted to be here also, so she arrived this evening and will drive back for her classes tomorrow, then spend the rest of the weekend with us.  It's going to be cold, and with my family around, so very cozy.  It's also a little town festival in my hometown which I plan to journey to tomorrow, and Saturday has the Empty Bowls fundraiser in our town for those facing food insecurity.  I am so very excited about getting to share this with my family.  I am so grateful!

Early November weekend

I'll be honest, it didn't exactly feel like early November around here much as temps have been in the 70's.  Yesterday was rainy and dreary, but today was bright and sunny.  The winds yesterday took most of the leaves off the trees, but fall in Ohio is still pretty darn lovely.

Yesterday had some really great college football games.  The weather was hard on OSU, but they still be Northwestern.  LSU gave Bama their second loss of the season.  I hate rooting for LSU, but love seeing Bama lose!  I was disappointed Tennessee lost to Georgia, but LOVED the Irish victory over Clemson.  Awesome games!

Today Andrew took advantage of the weather to get a lot of yard work done.  I spent some time working in our back sunroom to make it a more pleasant space.  It will give Catherine her own space even when my mother-in-law is here.  It still needs work, but it's coming together.  This evening we drove up to have a dinner with just Catherine.  It was such a lovely visit, and it's so nice to see that she is in such a good place.  It makes me so excited about Thanksgiving coming up and all the time we will have together as a family!  And then on the way home, we got to see the most beautiful sunset!

I love this month, and in this month of gratitude, I am so very thankful for so many things!

Christmas stamps

Today I needed to mail my absentee ballot (we have now all officially voted) and while I was there, I realized I hadn't yet purchased my Christmas stamps.  It used to be this was one of my favorite things of the fall season, but life changes.  I'm still looking forward to sending cards, but there has just been so very much going on, and I'm getting older!  I was pretty disappointed in the selection this year, because I don't want religious stamps and I didn't care for the elves that were released this year.  Santa Claus stamps as a repeat of last year it is!  For the first year since I became a parent, I won't be sending a photo in any cards this year.  For one thing, the kids aren't here, and while we could take a picture over Thanksgiving, I'm not going to stress about making that happen.  For another thing, my kids are basically grown, and they don't change that much.  Pictures aren't necessary this year, and I am looking forward to our cards going just a little more quickly.  Looking forward to the season this year!

Mall memories

Sunday when I took Thomas back to school, I decided I would do a bit of shopping since I was five minutes from a mall.  This particular mall didn't exist until I was in college, but it had a few department stores, and I desperately needed some new pants.  I parked near Macy's and went in.  I rarely, almost never in fact, shop at department stores in malls.  However, as a child, that is exactly where my family shopped for just about everything.  Even though it was still October, the stores were already decorated for the holidays.  It brought back lovely memories.  As a child, my mother (and usually Grandma went with us) would take us to the downtown department stores.  Rike's (which eventually became Macy's) had a store window display that was magical.  Back then the big downtown department stores had restaurants high up, and eating out was always a treat!  There was also a bakery in each one, and I still remember the joy of getting to pick out the cookie we'd choose that was covered in colored sugar sprinkles.  This past Sunday, I wasn't there very long as I was delighted to quickly find some pants and be on my way home, but I sure enjoyed thinking about those memories!

Sunday took a turn

After I wrote on Sunday, the day took a dramatic turn, and not for the best.  Catherine called.  Her friends and roommates were with her, and she had learned some dramatic information about her boyfriend and she wanted to end the relationship.  We've realized he isn't the must stable person, and things took a dramatic turn that resulted in us heading to her.  It was more drama then any of us wanted for the evening, and it was nearly 9:00 before we got home.  Catherine ended up having a very emotional night, and his reactions and behaviors only convinced her that he was not someone she wanted to be with.  Being totally honest, we aren't at all sad that this relationship is not continuing.

It was a dramatic ending to our weekend, but it doesn't change the the time we had with our kids earlier in the weekend.  We are so grateful for this phase, and we love our kids so much!

This might be the best phase

Catherine and Thomas were both here for the weekend.  Catherine arrived Friday even before I was home from work, and Andrew went to pick up Thomas.  Catherine also brought her new kitten with her.  I was afraid that was going to be a little crazy, and although it was, the little guy is also very entertaining, and he got along fairly well with our crew.

When Andrew and Thomas finally got back, we went to dinner at our favorite restaurant in town.  There is never a crowd and the food is very reasonably priced, and SO GOOD!  We laughed and enjoyed our meal.  We came home that evening and watched some of our favorite television shows.  It was a truly lovely evening.

Yesterday Andrew took both kids so they could do their early voting.  After the big OSU comeback in the 4th quarter against Penn State, we decided to do some work rearranging the sunroom so Catherine will have a place to be comfortable during the holidays since my mother-in-law will be here.  Thomas then picked up his girlfriend for dinner out, then they came home and did a craft and watched a movie before he took her home.  

This morning Andrew made a big breakfast and we watched church online before I went in to be the Sunday School volunteer.  After lunch, I hit the road with Thomas to take him back and Catherine also drove back to her apartment.

I told Andrew in some ways, this might be the best phase of our lives.  We have a blast with the kids, and since they are still in college, we are still their "permanent address" and still get to spend a decent amount of time with them.  At the same time, we get to enjoy lots of quiet time with just us and I sincerely appreciate that as well.  Our lives are an amazing blessing!

A truly lovely birthday

I'll be honest, I'm not sure I was really looking forward to my birthday today.  For the first time since I became.a mother I didn't get to see any of my kids on my birthday.  Last year we were all together because my father-in-law had passed away, and the year before Catherine's class schedule allowed her to come for dinner and spend the night.  This year, it was adorable that Thomas texted me right at Midnight, and when Catherine texted me this afternoon she wished me a happy "27th" birthday...so sweet!  Everyone at work was kind, and I was even serenaded by the middle school students on their ukes and kazoos!

This evening I had asked Andrew to take me to our favorite winery where we could not only have a glass of wine, but we could restock my wine fridge.  We wouldn't be gone long.  Since the kids are coming home tomorrow evening, I decided we would do my birthday dinner with them.  Tonight I wasn't really worried about what would be for dinner, and as we were driving home we decided to stop at Dairy Queen.  A blizzard for dinner with french fries?  Yes please!

Now that we are home, I'm in my jammies and looking forward to a quiet evening.  And tomorrow is Friday, which is always a good day!  I'm so very grateful for today!

A perfect fall afternoon

This afternoon has really been the kind of perfect fall afternoon I love.  A front came through overnight and dropped the temps by twenty degrees.  While my co-workers were bundled up for morning carline, I was delighting in my surroundings in just a long-sleeve t-shirt.  My co-workers are very patient with me though, as I am exuberant in my giddiness! 😁

Additionally, today is very overcast and even a bit drizzly.  Wednesday is the day that I only work in the mornings, and even with a haircut and running a quick errand, I was home a little after 12:30.  At that point, not only did I have hours of solitude ahead of me, I had absolutely nowhere that I needed to be.  I have lit a candle, and I've enjoyed having the three pets napping in the family room with me.  The woods behind our house has changed the colors, and even though the leaves are dropping, I've enjoyed the scenery.  This finally feels like "late October", and I know that means November and the holidays are just around the corner.  I can't be sad about that at all!  In addition to enjoying the view, I've been thrilled to get a bit of Christmas shopping done as well.  It's been a perfect fall afternoon!

The end of the month

Unlike previous Octobers, I truly feel like this month has absolutely crawled along.  In some ways, that isn't a bad thing as October is generally my favorite month of the year.  We've had amazing weather in many ways.  We had some chilly days, but we also had lots of days in the 70's.  While I don't always love it being that warm, especially in October, I do appreciate that we haven't had to use the heat much.  It's been truly lovely.  Today though, might have been the end of the 70's, and that is okay too.

A year ago today my father-in-law passed away.  I understand Andrew's feelings about the day.  The days of Fall bring back that year nine years ago when my dad passed away.  Andrew and I have enjoyed a quiet evening.  I'm grateful for these days.

As we head into the holidays this year, I'm feeling a little melancholy.  I still miss our large family Thanksgivings so very much.  We are hosting again this year, and my sister has already announced that she won't be coming because she doesn't want any "obligations" for that weekend.  Kind of a crappy way to see spending a holiday with your family.  I think it's more awful for my mom though, but I know Mom appreciates coming down here.  I just miss the big family gatherings and getting to see everyone.  I also very much miss having our kids at home, but I think it will help to make the days even more special!

Only a few days left in this month that is taking forever!

An unexpected and beautiful weekend

Last weekend, we had a brief conversation with Thomas that he might want to come home this weekend.  On Wednesday I had reached out, and he said he had no plans to come home.  Andrew and I decided it would be awesome to visit our favorite winery and enjoy our Friday evening.  And then of course, Thomas texted Friday morning and asked to come home.  I was pretty annoyed and wasn't going for it, but Andrew wanted to cave.  Ultimately, I agreed it was fine, as there was a death on campus and I just thought it would kind of be a depressing weekend there.  I also knew that at this time of year it would be a gorgeous drive, and of course it was.  We took our sweet pup with us, ordered pizza on the way home, and had a lovely evening with Thomas watching our new favorite show ("Ghosts").  It was a lovely beginning to our weekend.

Thomas was up early yesterday and spent the entire day with his girlfriend.  Andrew and I worked athletics, and then went to a gathering at a co-worker's house.  They have a farm on the top of a hill, and again, everything was absolutely gorgeous. 

This morning Andrew and I went to church while Thomas went back to have breakfast with his girlfriend.  I then took Thomas with me to do a quick shopping errand, then took him back to school.  The drive was especially gorgeous as I took rural Indiana roads, and it was so peaceful.

The leaves truly did make for a beautiful weekend.  This is peak color weekend in southwest Ohio, but it's not nearly as pretty as some years.  To say that it is dry is an understatement.  We've had mostly browns with some yellows, some occasional orange, and very rare reds.  It's still lovely though, and while I was a little annoyed at the last minute change of plans, it was a lovely weekend.

It's been ten years since we didn't have to attend

I found out last evening was a middle school and high school marching band concert.  I realized it had been ten years since we didn't attend this annual fall concert.  I'm not going to lie, it didn't make me sad.  I mentioned it to Andrew, and he commented that not only did we not have to attend, but he didn't even know about it.

I've really missed nothing about not being involved with band, except for not getting to know the kids.  To be honest, I didn't really realize how resentful I had begun to be about how much time and effort I was putting into it.  And to be honest, no one seems to care.  I'm incredibly grateful that awesome people have taken over and they don't need me, but even though it took three people to fill all my roles, the directors and other board members never expressed thanks or gratitude.  Many parents were always quick to do so, and although it's not why I did it (it's about the kids), the fact that I'm not particularly missed makes it even easier to just walk away.

I would love to attend the chili supper next month, but I have a meeting.  Hopefully I'll be able to attend the band concert at the holidays.  That one was always one of my favorites because it was one of the few I could attend and not have responsibilities.  But now, I get to enjoy any of them that I choose to attend!

A cozy Sunday evening of a weekend with a little bit of friends and a little bit of family

We are having a very cozy Sunday evening here.  I mentioned to Andrew that in many ways, Sunday evening is my favorite part of being empty nesters.  Sunday evenings are much more relaxing these days.  We only have he and I to think about schedules for the upcoming week, and it's a lot less daunting.  

Friday evening Andrew and I had a dinner out.  We've really been watching our budget, but Andrew did some extra class coverage last week so we enjoyed our Friday evening, and then came home and watched some favorite TV shows.  Yesterday we were able to sleep in and we had nowhere to be until late afternoon when we ventured north for a friend's birthday dinner.  We were able to so many very dear friends who we don't get to see nearly often enough.  The best part is that we were able to be home in time to see Tennessee knock off Alabama.  Woohoo!!!!  We finished our evening with the disappointing Notre Dame loss.

Today we had church this morning and then came home for a glorious afternoon of nothingness.  The weather has been lovely and I feel a little badly that I spent so much of it indoors this weekend, but it is what it is.  Both Andrew and I took a nap, which we really needed.  We then drove and met my mom half way for dinner.  It's been a long time since Andrew and I have been with my mom without any kids.  Mom is having some physical mobility issues, but I'm grateful she can still get around, even just as it is.

Overall, it was a fairly relaxing weekend, and I'm so very grateful.  I love my kiddos and of course I miss them, but generally this is the rest of our lives, and I'm grateful that Andrew and I are adjusting fairly well and enjoying our times together.

Fall sports season is coming to an end

I'll be honest, I'm not sad that the fall sports season is coming to an end.  Andrew has worked at least two nights each week, and many times three nights, and I've often worked at least one.  This is pretty much the end though, except for a JV football game he'll need to work next weekend.  I would love to say that it means we'll have so much more time together, although ironically I have two evening meetings next week.

Yesterday I made a trip to take some things to Thomas.  It was a beautiful drive with the leaves beginning changing, and of course it was awesome to give Thomas a hug.  He won't be home again for another two weeks, and I sure do miss having him around.  Catherine doesn't have any immediate plans for a visit either, and it sure does feel quiet around here.  It will be awesome to have everyone around at Thanksgiving.

Looking forward to a gorgeous fall weekend!

A long weekend that sure didn't feel long

The long weekend is coming to an end.  It didn't feel very long though.  Andrew was home from the football game Friday early enough for us to watch some TV and just hang out.  We caught up and laughed, and really enjoyed our evening.

Yesterday we both had to work at an athletic event, although I only had to work for about an hour taking tickets.  I made a quick trip to the grocery after being done, and then spent all day cleaning the house.  My dear friend was in town for the college Homecoming game and was coming for a visit.  He ended up not staying very long, and honestly that was fine.  Andrew and I spent the rest of the evening watching the Notre Dame victory.

Today we slept in, and honestly just sat around.  I wasn't really great, and I was somewhat productive in other ways with laundry and computer work, but really just sat.  While I feel a little guilty, Andrew pointed out that there was absolutely nothing we needed to get done...and we've been so busy lately that it's okay to take this day.  I'm grateful to Andrew for being so awesome.

The weather has been ideal this weekend.  I somewhat regret that we didn't go anyway today to see the changing leaves.  The temps were perfect as well.  It's going to be in the 70's for a few days, and then I suspect we will be mostly done with those temps as well.

Also, the kids are doing well.  Thomas had midterms coming up this week, and is preparing ahead.  Catherine has recovered from her latest set of incidents and both kids are doing their thing.  We are proud of them, but it does seem odd to not know the next time we will see them again.

It didn't feel like a three day weekend, but I'm grateful it was!

A fall Friday off work

Today is an absolutely gorgeous day.  Honestly, it is probably my ideal weather day, and I'm grateful to have the day off.  Although there is still a lot of green, the leaves are beginning to change.  As we were driving to PA last weekend I really noticed the brown in the fields.  It is absolutely October in the midwest, and I love it.

I ran some errands today, but I think I'm getting to old to be out in public.  In spite of the gorgeous environment around me, absolutely everything annoyed me.  I'm grateful that is finished, and right now I'm able to be home and with an awesome candle lit and just enjoy some quiet.  I'll be doing some cleaning as a dear friend from high school who lives out of town will be visiting tomorrow, but I'm just going to enjoy the beauty of the day!

Off work until Monday

No work tomorrow as our school is off.  Andrew has to work, and he'll be off next Friday.  I wish we could have the same day, but I'll appreciate my time, I'm sure.  Looking very forward to extra hours of sleep!!!!

Exhausted, but I wouldn't have traded any of it

We made a trip to visit Andrew's mother this weekend, and the kids came with us.  We left here just after 5:30 Friday and began our drive west because we needed to pick up Catherine.  We then finally went east so we could grab Thomas, and finally arrived at our destination at nearly Midnight.  Today we were on the road by Noon and made the trip in reverse, arriving home about 6:00.  It was a lot of time in the car, but I wouldn't have traded anything about it.  Yesterday was especially fun.  Andrew and his mom went to church, and the original plan was dinner.  But between church and the hurricane remnant rains, we decided to just bring dinner in instead...and that was the best decision ever.  We sat around the table and we shared awesome food and laughed so hard.  We bought Andrew's mom an assistant device for her birthday, and as Thomas put it together, we laughed some more.  The car rides were fun, and I really sat there and soaked up every moment as I enjoyed getting to know my children as adults.  Andrew and I have another really long week this week, although for me school is closed on Friday.  Regardless, I knew we would have a blast and I'm so, so glad we made this trip.  I may be exhausted physically, but my emotions were truly buoyed by this trip.

How is it only Tuesday?

 I was trying to figure out why I keep thinking surely it must be Wednesday or Thursday.  Then I realized I have worked 15.5 hours at school, an hour at church, and 4.5 hours at athletics in the last 36 hours.  That's 21 hours, and since I work short days on Wednesdays, there are Thursdays when I go to school and don't have this many hours yet.  Of course, tomorrow I'll work at least most of the day due to staff shortages, and possibly all day (depending on some things) before I head to the church again.  Honestly, it is exhausting, but I'm grateful for the opportunities.  The way I see it, is that every penny I earn is then one more penny I have to help the kids with their college expenses.  That's important to me.  So if we have to be this exhausted for a few years, we'll be do it!  And even with all these hours, that is still far fewer than Andrew has worked this week, AND he has parent conferences still to go!

Not today

We had plans with friends this evening.  I love these friends with all of my heart, but I just can't today.  In fact, that is almost what I titled this post..."I can't today."  It's okay, because today I don't have to.  The last two weeks have been hard, and the four weeks before that weren't a piece of cake.  Starting the school year had challenges at my job.  We face the same staffing challenges of many places.  Andrew has worked a lot of athletic events, and I've added them to my schedule as well for some extra money for the kids.  Thomas had his roommate drama and adjusting to school, while Andrew and I are adjusting to empty nesting.  And then of course there is everything with Catherine, more than is for public knowledge.  It's been hard.

I had something every evening this week.  Yesterday's "thing" was handling a bank transaction that required an hour drive each way, and it was a Friday afternoon where I was the only admin staff working and there was some chaos.  I finally made it home just after 6:30, and was so grateful Andrew had thrown a quiche in the oven.  It was a piping hot meal on a chilly Friday evening, and it felt perfect.

As Andrew and I were sitting here last evening, I said to Andrew that it was so nice to be home and be, and he interrupted me by saying that's where the sentence ended.  It was nice to "just be."  And that is what I need this weekend and today.  I love my friends, but I am protecting my mental health.  The thought of going out this evening made me want to cry.  When I told Andrew, he understood completely.  In fact, he said that although he was looking forward to eating out, he didn't want to continue the evening beyond that and that isn't how we do things with these friends.  That's okay, but today, I just can't.

Soup, sweatshirt, and scented candle weather

 Yesterday's high was 93 degrees.  It wasn't overly humid, but it was still way too hot.  Today, the high was 74 degrees, and that was after Midnight.  The afternoon high was close to 70.  Tonight it is supposed to get down into the 40's.  I had soup for dinner, I'm sitting here in a sweatshirt (and wore long sleeves to work today), and my favorite fall scented candle has been lit.  I absolutely love it.  It is especially delightful as we are heading into the weekend.  In just nine days it will be October, and fall will be in full splendor.  I love this!

I needed this Wednesday afternoon

Wednesday is the day I only work 1/2 days.  It is tremendously appreciated.  Last week, after getting off work at school, I went straight to church for a meeting with our Pastor, and by the time I was ready to leave church, life with Catherine had exploded.  The week before, after getting off at school, I went straight to church, and then went back to school to work after care.  It was almost 6:00 before I got home that day.  While I have a meeting at church this evening and will also need to work, I'm grateful I've had a few hours here this afternoon to have complete quiet.  I am very grateful for this time.

This is also the last official day of summer, and the weather tomorrow will be appropriate!  Although it is currently in the 90's (ugh, and another great reason to be grateful I'm not working!), tomorrow the temps won't make it out of the 60's.  I could not be more excited!!!  In fact, by tomorrow I expect to be downright giddy!

Our weekend

I'll be honest, life has been pretty draining for these last few days.  Ultimately, I think everything and everyone is going to be just fine.  It's just been a tough few days.  Catherine slept away nearly the entire day of Friday, which is exactly what she needed.  Again, she has a clean bill of health (physically), and physically she is bouncing back quickly.  Honestly, while she could use some specific behavior therapy, I believe if she would maintain visits with her counselor, she can manage her incidents in the meantime.

I picked Thomas up from school Friday evening.  He had to work, so I didn't get there until 8:00.  Because Andrew had to be at the football game, we asked Catherine's best friend to come and sit with her while we were both gone.  Belle had these same pseudo seizures for years when she was in junior high and high school, but she had never seen one.  It was a new perspective for her!  She had a quiet day yesterday, and by today she was feeling much better.  Andrew took her back to school this afternoon.  She can't drive and has an appointment with regular doctor Tuesday morning, so I'll need to go get her after work tomorrow, and then take her back to school Tuesday morning.  I'm trying not panic about what this hospital bill is going to be and how much work I'll miss (maybe one of these days I'll have a job that actually has paid time off)!

Meanwhile, Thomas had his first work shift Friday evening which is why I picked him up later, and we didn't get home until about 9:30.  I appreciated that most of the traffic was gone by then.  Yesterday he hung out until it was time for the school homecoming dance.  Since his girlfriend is still in high school, he had come home to go with her.  To be honest, it was not much effort or excitement in our house, mostly because we just weren't up for it.  He had fun though, and enjoyed seeing underclassmen he knew.

Andrew and I went to church this morning.  Honestly, it was a little depressing because it was the kick-off for the Sunday School year, and there were all of five students in attendance in grades pre-k to 12.  Not five in each class, five total.  It's a rough time in that regard.  Thomas went to a picnic with his girlfriend, and then I needed to get him back.

I'll be honest, I was so tired, but I loved the time we had together to chat.  Thomas is so much like me.  He doesn't dislike being at school, but he does appreciate being home.  He loves being with the pets and with his family.  Dropping him off at school, while I know he isn't unhappy, pulls at my heart strings.  Big time.

In fact, the drive home felt like it took forever.  I was looking forward to getting home and having a quiet evening with just the two of us.  But as I pulled into our neighborhood, and I realized how drained I was from all of my emotions, and I realized just how quiet it was going to be this evening, I began to cry.  I miss the reasons our house has craziness.  It was just the emotions of the week catching up with me, and with two meetings this coming week and working at an athletic event, it will be another crazy week, especially with two trips for Catherine.  I don't want to wish away time.  Life seems too short as it is.  I've been blessed with some lovely downtime, and my life is full of amazing blessings.  I just couldn't help but think of 15 years ago.  I was exhausted with having little kids, but somehow things seemed easier.  The things we worried about with our kids didn't seem so life-altering.

My husband is amazing.  I haven't cooked in forever, and when he asked what was for dinner this evening, I replied, "popcorn."  He said, "You go!"  He knows I love popcorn, and it is what I need this evening.

Discharged

Catherine will eventually be discharged sometime tonight.  Poor kiddo, nothing is happening fast.  They ran a very complete series of tests, and everything is fine.  Physically, Catherine is fine.  Emotionally, she is not, and the challenging part is that she doesn't really realize it.  She needs to seek some mental health help, and we will be there every step of the way with her.  I am very convinced she will get through this.  Her official diagnosis is Conversion Disorder.  I am very grateful that they are sending her home, and I'm so grateful that everyone will get to spend the night in their own beds here.  It will be wonderful to have her home, and hopefully she can rest.  And even more hopefully, she can get herself together enough to at least go to classes on Monday.

It's ironic I had to make the drive on this date

Just a day over a year ago, I wrote about Catherine's breakup with a boyfriend.  What I didn't write about, was what happened exactly a year ago today.  I had sent a couple of texts throughout the evening, and she didn't respond.  Andrew was working at an athletic event and he didn't get home until after 9:00.  By then, I was frantic.  I decided I needed to drive to her apartment and make sure she was okay.  Andrew felt I was completely overreacting, but wasn't going to let me go by myself.  While I drove, he attempted to call campus police to have them check on her.  About half way there, in the middle of corn fields, Catherine called us to let us know she was okay.  I've never regretted setting out on that drive.

Today, I made the same drive with almost the same emotions.  Catherine began having seizures again, and went to the e/r.  Andrew went to be with her, and I stayed home with the dog.  I love my daughter, but I don't do well in medical environments, and I'll be honest, I'm a little irritated that she hasn't been doing everything she needs to do to take care of herself.  While they are nearly certain that, just like last time, there is no neurological cause, they have chosen to admit her and run some tests tomorrow.  Andrew needed his computer charger and comfy pants so I took them up to him.  I took our sweet pup along so that Andrew could see her, and he gave her a walk while I went in to see Catherine.  She is in good spirits and I'm convinced that if she starts making better choices she will be fine.

I came home and realized I hadn't eaten dinner yet, so I made myself a big bowl of popcorn and turned on the TV.  I smiled as I realized there a bunch of episodes of "Friends" on back-to-back.  For one thing, it is one of my favorite shows and I appreciate the mindless entertainment.  Additionally, it made me smile, because it made me think back to when this happened with Catherine two years ago.  I was concerned about leaving her alone at that point, and we put this show on because we can all enjoy it, just like we did six weeks ago when Rosie died.  Honestly, it brought me comfort.  I have tremendous faith that everything is going to be fine, and I'm grateful for that peace.

It's been a long day, and I'm so grateful to Andrew for not only being willing to take a day tomorrow and be with her, but for being able to do that without any problems.  And more than anything, I am grateful for my faith.

Tuesday in mid September

 The weeks seem to be passing so quickly.  I wish time could slow down a bit, but I guess it would slow down on the weekends, not so much the weeks. :)

Andrew had to work athletic events last night and tonight, he has a school board meeting Thursday and works the football game Friday evening.  Tomorrow I'll be spending some significant time at the church when I get off from school, and then I suspect I'll be doing church work at home tomorrow evening.  Friday I'll be making a trip to get Thomas to bring him home for Homecoming.  This eleven day stretch is the longest I've gone without seeing him.  I know this is a good thing, but it doesn't stop me from being emotional.  Catherine will also be home this weekend, and I love that we'll have a bit of togetherness again.

In fact, I've been a little ridiculously emotional about a lot of things today.  Seeing a cute pic of Thomas from middle school made my heart yearn.  Telling a coworker about something that happened 16 years ago that made me cry had me in tears all over again today.  I watched the end of the Apollo 13 movie and cried.  I know that I'm tired and there is a lot going on, and it's a transitional phase of life.  I'll be fine.

The weather has been gorgeous for these two days, although it will be getting warmer as the week goes along.  In fact, it's supposed to be nearly 90 on Saturday.  Ugh!!!!  I'll sure be glad when the real fall is here and sweatshirts are needed!

Sunday football memories

Today is the kickoff of the NFL season.  It's a very cloudy, dreary day in southwest Ohio.  As I've been watching the sights and sounds, I've realized how ingrained this is in my memories from childhood.  When I was in college, Sundays at home watching football was the thing I missed the most.  In my mind, it is just full of cozy memories.  Even though it is fairly warm outside, the cloudy skies help it to feel cozier inside.  With no one at home, the house is staying cleaner so a quick dust and pick up yesterday and then vacuum meant I didn't have much to worry about today.  I also told Andrew though, a Sunday like today also makes me miss the kids more.  I guess I just completely associate Sunday with being a family day.  I'm grateful for the memories, both recent and those from long ago.

A quiet Friday evening at home and the passing of the Queen

Yesterday Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain passed away.  She was 96, and although there had been some issues, I think she was mostly healthy until the very end.  Most of us discussed how sad it makes us, and I think it is because it is one of the very few constants that almost all of us have had in life.  A British coronation ceremony is something that hasn't happened in 70 years, and I'm sure it's a pretty impressive event.

I'm grateful for this quiet Friday evening.  It's been a month since this has been the case, because Thomas was home the last two Friday evenings, and before that we had Catherine's nursing induction.  Andrew is still doing football stats tonight, and honestly, a Friday evening alone is really what was needed.  Work has been absolutely insane.  We've been short staffed and I've even covered after school duties this week.  I'm always grateful for the opportunity for a little extra money, although with also working athletic events for some extra income (like I did on Tuesday) that makes for some really long days.  It's really hard to believe it was only a four day week!

Tomorrow Andrew has to work the JV football game, and then our plan is to take some naps, have some snack foods for dinner, and just hanging out.  Sunday will be church and the NFL opening games, and then next week is another crazy week.  Before that though, I intend to soak up the peace of this weekend!

Twelve years ago today was my first subbing job

It's hard to believe it was twelve years ago today that I had my very first sub job ever.  I loved it, and in fact, that specific job was one of my favorites ever.  High school French probably was my most favorite ever, but that year in Kindergarten would probably come in second.  I ended up being in the class over 30 days during the course of the year, and in fact was in so frequently that the parents began to know me and were comfortable asking me questions.  I was in so much that by the second half of the year, if the teacher became ill in the middle of the night and couldn't leave lesson plans, she didn't worry as long as I was her sub because I knew the routine so well.  I truly have wonderful memories of subbing in those early years.  It was such a great job to have to make sure I was on the exact same schedule as my kiddos, and it allowed me to still be so involved in their school.  Subbing was truly an amazing blessing in our lives, and I miss it tremendously.  I truly enjoyed my job and it fits into our lives so wonderfully right now as well.  And of course, the job where I was able to work with my father for over six years was absolutely amazing.  I am more grateful for all of this than I can even put into words.

It was a wonderful Labor Day weekend

I really loved this weekend, just as I thought I would.  The only downside to the weekend is that is has to end.

I think Thomas was a little bored this weekend.  His girlfriend wasn't allowed to see him at all, and another friend he texted wasn't available.  Hopefully that will make the fact that he is staying at school next weekend more appealing.

Saturday was a complete washout of a day with the weather.  It rained steadily all day, and that made the football on TV even more wonderful.  It was exactly the kind of Saturday I love having in the fall.  The only thing that could have made it better was if Notre Dame had beaten Ohio St (ugh, I hate when they play each other), but it was a wonderful day.

Yesterday we awoke to a large branch that had broken off our tree and was partially blocking our street.  The police had been called by a neighbor.  By the time we dealt with all of that we decided to watch our church service on TV.  I am always, always so grateful for our pastor and his messages.  I went to work a bit at church in the afternoon, and Catherine came home late afternoon.  We made tacos for dinner, and as always, I love hearing the sounds coming from my living room when the kids are together and bonding.  After dinner Andrew and I paid a short (and delightful) visit to a new neighbor, then we came home to watch a movie as a family.  It was not at all a great movie, but mindless and I knew we would chuckle and maybe even laugh...which we did.  I loved all of us sitting in the room together sharing those moments.  

This morning we all slept in, and then Andrew made breakfast.  Cooking is definitely his love language.  Thomas packed up his loads of laundry and other things to take back, and shortly afternoon we headed to my hometown.  We had a wonderful visit with my grandmother, and I know that she was so happy to see us.  We then took Thomas back to school, and it was nice for Catherine to be able to see how it all worked at his school.  She left to head back to her apartment when we got home, and Andrew and I had a quiet dinner of leftovers.

I'm a little melancholy this evening.  Not just that the house is so quiet again, but that the weekend is over.  I made the mistake of counting and realizing it will be 15 weeks before I have another Monday where I don't have to work.  I like my job, but I don't love getting up as early as I do.  Anyway, I loved having some noise around this weekend, and the weekend was full of so many blessings.  I feel peaceful this evening, which is a lovely way to begin another crazy week.

We have finally arrived at Labor Day weekend

I just looked at my clock, and my first thought was that it must have stopped.  How on earth is it only just after 9:00.  It definitely feels much, much later.  I only had to work until Noon today, but then I went and picked up Thomas for the weekend.  He tried to make some plans, but it didn't work out, so he's stuck at home this evening.  Andrew had to stat at the away football game, and I'm watching Michigan State play football.  I'm so grateful for an extra long weekend to catch up on some sleep and enjoy some family time! 

The first of September

It's been a long week.  Work continues to be just a bit crazy and adjusting to our new normal is also a bit draining.  While I do have to work tomorrow, it is only 1/2 day, and there are no students, and of course no work Monday.  I'm going to get Thomas tomorrow, and Catherine is planning to come and stay over Sunday evening.  We have plans to hang out and watch a movie.  I'm excited to have all of us under one roof for a night.  Not going to wish away the weekend though.  

And of course it is college football weekend!  This weekend has the BIG Notre Dame/OSU game.  You know what I love about this?  NOTHING!  Someone has to lose, and I'm not happy about that.  Of course I'll be rooting for the Irish, but I know they are the underdog.  The game is my big plan for Saturday evening though.  Tonight I'm watching Pitt/WVU, and I'll be flipping between that and Penn State/Purdue.  I LOVE that college football has returned!  I love so many games over Labor Day weekend!  I'm glad it's all arrived!

Random Wednesday afternoon thoughts at the end of August

I love being back into my schedule where I don't work on Wednesday afternoons.  This semester, I am off work at 11:30.  It's wonderful.  The only downside is that my work departure coincides with the university's class change, so it takes me twice as long to get home as it should.

The weather today could not be more gorgeous.  It is in the upper 70's today with no humidity and bright blue skies.  I might even  be able to light a candle this evening because it will be cool enough.  Andrew is playing frisbee golf this afternoon, and we have nothing on our calendar for today.  It's delightful.  Because we have no students on Friday, my mind keeps thinking it is Thursday.  That will be lovely as well, but I am grateful it is Wednesday so I can be home.

While I love this weather and having the afternoon off, I can't deny that this date brings me a touch of sadness.  I won't give away identifying information, but if you know my family well, you will understand the meaning of this date.  I regret it is a day that can't be celebrated.

But looking ahead, Labor Day weekend is on the horizon!  And that means college football!  This will be the first Labor Day weekend in several years that none of us are traveling to my in-laws, and I'm looking forward to having a fabulous weekend of all football, and hopefully a little family time as well! 

It was harder yesterday

Yesterday afternoon we took Thomas back to school.  Because had had moved into a room by himself, there were several things he needed from the grocery again.  Yikes...not cheap!  We bought him some cold medicine also as he didn't feel 100%, and I'm hoping and praying for multiple reasons, that it isn't COVID!

I'm grateful that dropping him off coincided with us having plans with our good friends, because it was a lot harder this time.  When we dropped him off the first time, it was all so exciting and full of so much possibility.  Yesterday didn't feel that way at all.  Thomas had a hell of a tough week.  He knows his classes might be tough.  There had been lots of good, but also lots of "hard" in those eleven days.  It was so, so much harder to leave him there yesterday, and I'm not going to lie...I am very grateful I get to bring him home again on Friday for a long weekend!

Not the alone time we thought it would be

When Thomas decided to attend school that would be over an hour away, we knew it meant he would be living on campus.  With Catherine at her school apartment, it seemed to indicate Andrew and I would have these glorious evenings and weekends with endless hours, just the two of us.  Don't get me wrong, everyone knows I love my kids and I love having them around.  The thing is, I love when we are ALL together.  Having just one around feels harder.  And I love my husband so much and love our time spent together.

The day that we moved Thomas into his dorm, we were home by 3:00 in the afternoon.  Andrew and I kind of sat around that day and looked at each other...now what?  That day felt like it would drag on forever, and I remember wanting to go to bed at 8:00 that evening.  I thought that was what our evenings were going to be like!

Haha, not so much!  The very next day, Andrew played frisbee golf after school and then I had a church meeting that evening.  We had a fairly quiet Thursday evening, and I was looking forward to enjoying a quiet weekend after we got through Catherine's nursing induction on Friday.  But then Andrew needed to work two athletic events that Saturday, and I was asked to work one as well.  Sunday became the day that we drove to see each kid at school, which meant we were gone over seven hours.  Our Saturday late afternoon and evening were exactly what I was hoping it would be, but it was hours, not day.

This week was even less so!  Monday I went straight to church to work and then did our weekly grocery shopping.  Tuesday I had to work a bit late at work, then had a church meeting at 6:00.  Andrew also had dinner with Catherine.  Wednesday I had to drive to take Thomas his glasses, and Andrew had to work an athletic event until after 9:30.  That was also the evening that things fell apart with Thomas.  Thursday I ended up working an athletic event and it was 8:00 before I got home.  Although I knew Andrew needed to attend the football game last evening, my original vision was a quiet Friday evening at home for myself.  Instead, I was back to move Thomas and bring him home, AND he unexpectedly brought a friend.  That means that although I knew Andrew would be working athletics this morning, my expected quiet Saturday didn't happen either.  We have plans with friends this evening, and I think Andrew and I are going to need all day tomorrow to recover and prepare for another crazy week!  maybe we'll have a quiet evening together this week, although I know he's already working athletics two evenings!

Lots of ups and downs

This week ended up turning south quickly.  The roommate situation for Thomas, which we thought was delightful, turned into a nightmare.  His roommate apparently has some serious mental health issues, which made Thomas feel unsafe and was leading Thomas to have some mental health concerns as well.  Fortunately, Thomas has a good friend who allowed him to sleep in his room, and we were able to move Thomas into a different (although VERY expensive) room yesterday.  Yikes.  Because of everything, we agreed Thomas could come home for the weekend, although he ended up bringing a friend and we are taking them back this afternoon.  Ultimately, this is all going to be lovely, I think, but the drama getting us here has been HARD. Like, "I-thought-he-might-drop-out-and-not-be-in-school" hard.

Catherine has also presented us with challenges.  She is convinced that she can handle things on her.  And of course, she can.  But some of her choices aren't the best, and it will cost her in several ways in the long run.  Of course, I have to let her make those choices, but it sure is disappointing that not only will she not ask for help (or even advice), when her choices start to go poorly she then lies about them.  I continue to point out that is she wants to be treated like an adult, she should start to act like one.

On top of the craziness of it being the first full week of school and challenges both Andrew and I have had at work, this all had made for some downs.  The good news though, is that here we are at the weekend.  Thomas seems to be in a good place, and life should begin to settle down for all of us.  AND, college football is right around the corner!!!

Mid-week

We are into Wednesday evening.  I appreciate being "over the hump" for the week, and I further appreciate that only work until 11:30 on Wednesdays.  I'm not going to lie, today was a bit of an emotional day today.  I had to make a trip to take Thomas his glasses.  I took our sweet pup with me, and it was nice to spend a few minutes watching them together.  Thomas is doing better today, and he also was very happy that he got a job this morning!  He will be able to lifeguard at the pool at school.  It's a great fit for him.  I'm glad I was able to see him in person and hug him for a few minutes.

For the first time, I'm finding myself struggling with being an empty nester.  It's not that I'm sad that my adult children are off at college, it's that I'm a little sad that they are adults.  I was determined not to be that person, but for this evening that's who I am.  I no longer get a say in whether my children are around or whether all holidays are completely devoted to our family.  I know this isn't a bad thing, and I am proud of the adults my children are becoming.  I know that I was careful to soak up the little things, and I'm so grateful that I was home with them so much and for so many things.  I know that we made so many memories and I'm so, so grateful.  Walking past those empty bedrooms this evening though, well, it's getting to me.  I also know that's okay as well, and it won't be long until I adjust to this new phase of life.

It was a tough day

I'm not going to lie, it was a tough, tough day.  Both Catherine and Thomas are having some struggles, and hearing Thomas get emotional on the phone made me cry.  His first day of each class has overwhelmed him, and while I know that is normal, it's hard.  He really wanted to come home this weekend, but we are trying to get him to wait until Labor Day weekend.  Andrew is being really strong about this, but part of me wants to compromise and let him come home for just one night.  I know at the end of the day things are probably going to be okay, but today has been a tough one.  I'm grateful that today happened to be the day that Pastor Logan sent an email to him.  Sounds like divine intervention to me!

Our first weekend as empty nesters

Today was actually a day all about the kids.  Andrew and I drove over to take a few things to Thomas and take him to lunch.  We also invited his roommate to go with us.  We were thrilled to meet him...he's a great fit with Thomas!  And Thomas was also telling us about all of the other people he's met in his "friend group".  We couldn't be more thrilled!  His classes start tomorrow, and we can't wait to hear all about it.

We then drove over to have dinner with Catherine and meet her boyfriend.  We were still stuffed from lunch, but it was a pleasant dinner.  He clearly cares about Catherine a lot, and we are grateful for that.

Our weekend ended up being far more scheduled than I had anticipated.  Andrew had to work six hours at the athletic events yesterday.  I have agreed to work at athletic events to take tickets if I am needed at any point.  It is a paying position, and while I may not get asked much, any amount is a bit more to use to help the kids with college.  We ended up with a nice afternoon and evening, just the two of us, which will be even better in a few weeks when college football begins!

So grateful for friends who are like family

Yesterday I worked at the girls' soccer game (I'll write another post later about that and our weekend).  There is a farming family in town where I know (and adore) the older grandkids from my subbing days, and I've been able to know one of the moms/sisters.  There are four sisters (and another that passed away many years ago, before having children).  The grandmother arrived for the game, and I didn't realize another grandchild had entered high school.   All together, there were twelve members of this young lady's family there to watch her play her first high school soccer game.  As I realized this, I began to cry.

I know that sounds a little crazy, but it's been an emotional week.  The oldest son of one of my cousin's moved to OSU this week, and my sister made a really big deal about it.  I get that, except that my son, my sister's nephew, also moved to college this week, and not only did my sister NOT make a big deal about it, but she wouldn't even join us for dinner last weekend...and we drove to Dayton so she didn't have to come down here!  I always wanted the family like they have on "Modern Family", where there are big family meals and big extended families at the events.  I knew it probably wouldn't happen when moved here, but I always made an effort to attend things for my cousins kids.  Not just athletic events, but plays, and birthday parties.  No one ever saw my kids in the pool, no one ever saw my kids in any high school band event.  It breaks my heart that my kids had no one at their senior nights.  I pray that as we go forward, our family as it is can remain strongly connected.

That is also why I am so incredibly grateful for friends who are family.  There are so many who have made sure my kids felt special.  I'm so grateful for the friends who are able to be there for the big events, and even the not-so-big events.  I'm grateful for the friends who want to create holiday traditions, and who treat us like family.  I'm so, so grateful, and I'm remembering to count our blessings.

Nursing program induction

Two weeks ago, Catherine had let us know that there would be an official induction into her nursing program once she completed "nursing camp" this week.  It was so sweet when Thomas asked if he should be there.  We pointed out he would just be moving in and it would be okay to stay at school.  In addition to Andrew and I being there, Catherine asked our best friends and their daughters to attend.  As it got closer, two of them couldn't come, but Catherine's best friend Belle and her mom made the trip.  We are more grateful than we can put into words that they are always there to support her.  It wasn't a terribly long ceremony, but it was very nice.  This program is truly going to challenge Catherine, but we are so proud of her.  She really wants to do this, and we can't wait to see her be successful!

Alone at school

Yesterday as we were driving home from moving Thomas into his dorm, Andrew mentioned to me that this year at school would be the first year he'd be there without one of our kids there in eight years.  And of course, we had those two fabulous years when all four of us were there.  The reality made us both a little sad.

This morning I kept thinking about that, and I had a pretty rough morning.  We no longer have any of our kids' "first day" photos to post.  We hadn't heard anything at all from Thomas since we left him.  I certainly didn't want to be a crazy parent, but even a "thumbs up" to a text I sent would've been nice.  I was pretty sad about things this morning.

I'm so grateful that Thomas texted early this morning, and it was such an incredibly positive text.  He mentioned all the good things that had happened since we left and said he hadn't texted because he was busy being involved.  My heart was so happy to hear these good things!  I am so grateful things are going well!

First year move-in day

Today is the day Andrew and I became empty-nesters, at least during the school calendar.  We are so excited that Thomas applied and was accepted to participate in a leadership program that is for the next two days.  What an amazing opportunity for him to meet a smaller group of people, who probably share some of his same passions!  We are so grateful that he took it upon himself to apply and was accepted!

I remember when Robert left four years ago.  As we dropped him at the motel and said our goodbyes, I cried.  I wasn't sad that he was leaving, but I was sad it had all been so hard, and I think I was crying tears of relief more than anything else.  Also, I kind of felt like I was supposed to cry.

Catherine leaving was so, so hard.  Once Robert left, our family of four had so much fun together, and life was so wonderful.  We made these incredible memories together.  And then of course, we had all that bonding time during the pandemic, and then she began having seizures which made me worry even more.  When Catherine left, it felt like she was "breaking up" our fun.  It was hard on me to have Thomas be home alone so very much.  Those two felt like a pair, and it was just hard with only one home.

Today, I was so excited for Thomas.  This opportunity to go early and to meet a small group, it was exactly what I thought he needed.  Andrew was insistent we could do this in one car, and by some miracle everything fit in my CR-V!  He is on the fourth floor, but the door from the parking lot is already on the second floor, so that helped tremendously.  It only took three trips in, and then Thomas wanted to unpack while Andrew and I went and spent our life savings for "last minute" items.  We then took him to lunch, which I'm so grateful we did.  We took him back to the dorm, and said our goodbyes, and watched him walk into his dorm.  Andrew was so very emotional, but I'm grateful none of us actually cried.  He's only about 75 minutes away, and he's ready.

I chatted with Andrew a bit on the drive home, and all was fine...until I walked in at home.  Oh my goodness, my heart could have broken.  There was just something about realizing this was it.  My baby will spend the bulk of his time, with only a few days of visiting here and there, at school.  This is the goal of parenting...so they can fly on their own.  It sure did happen fast though.  It's incredibly quiet around here, but life is full of so many blessings!

I can't imagine a more perfect weekend to end the summer

The first 18 hours of my weekend are already documented here, and they were absolutely lovely.  Yesterday I ran some errands, and then got a few "paperwork" things handled while continuing to enjoy the lovely weather.  It was even more spectacular that the NFL pregames were on back-to-back-to-back-to-back all day into the evening.  We were even able to see the Steelers play!  The three of us had frozen pizzas for dinner while watching some games, and then played a new trivia game I had purchased.  It was a very fun evening.

Today we went to church, where the college students were asked to stand up and tell about their upcoming year.  I appreciated the effort to recognize and connect with the students.  It's been a rainy day today, but still comfortable as far as temps.  Thomas is nearly packed and ready to go.  Catherine came home this afternoon, and then we drove north to meet my mom for dinner.  We love our pub fries!  The kids love it so much that they hadn't eaten in preparation, and I ordered an extra for us to share after we ate our fries.  Catherine couldn't finish hers though, and I was stuffed after mine, so Thomas devoured the entire extra order himself.

It was so wonderful to have this time together.  I know there are going to be so many changes and emotions and feelings and thoughts and things I'm not even prepared for this week and into the coming months.  I also know that it isn't bad...this is what we want for our kids.  We just didn't want it to get here so fast!  But here it is, and I'm so grateful we had this weekend together before we kick off this school year!

Sweatshirt Saturday morning

We have just a couple of days of beautiful weather right now.  By tonight, the humidity will begin creeping back up, but it's the most gorgeous Saturday morning right now.  When I got up and checked the thermostat in our house, it was 70 glorious degrees!  I'm enjoying my sweatshirt this morning.  It's especially lovely as we have a few things to get done today, and it's our last weekend with a kiddo around for a while!

It's the best Friday evening

I worked over 38 hours this week.  Definitely a long, long week.  I loved it though.  I love being busy at work, especially when it's just busy, not chaos.  Andrew also started back to work this and had some meetings.  Thomas worked almost as many hours as I did.  Definitely a crazy week.  The heat of the week certainly didn't help things.

A cool front came through Tuesday night, and then a really cool front came through last evening.  Oh my goodness, today was one of those amazing weather days.  The temps were in the 70's and there was no humidity.  Thomas had to work late this evening, but Andrew and I were home relatively early.  He'd gone to a cookout and wasn't hungry.  We made some drinks and sat out back and enjoyed the beautiful weather.  Although we are finished being band parents, with Andrew doing stats, I couldn't help but remember that the next ten Fridays are "high school football Fridays".  It made this evening even more special.  As it began to be too chilly to be outdoors, we came in and watched a move.  When Thomas got home, we shared a few laughs with him as well.

Andrew and I discussed the future...most of our Fridays from here on out will be just the two of us.  In four days we take Thomas to college.  So many memories and emotions.

When you get home from work with nearly 8000 steps

My job is a "desk job"...most days.  However, school starts next week, and our school is actually three separate buildings.  Today was crazy.  We also had a new furnace system put in two weeks ago, that meant we had to re-carpet the main building, and it needed painted anyway...so you see how crazy it has been.  Today when I got home from work, I had nearly 8000 steps already in for today.  And to top it off, the heat index was 107 degrees this afternoon.  I suspect I shall sleep well tonight!

Fastest yet

Honestly, this summer feels as though it was the fastest yet.  I'm sure part of it is the "empty nesting" that is looming in just eleven days.  I'm sure part of it is that I now work in the summer.  And part of it is just that with each day we get older, and with so many memories, the most recent ones feel like such a blip.

Tomorrow I can pretty much expect to be on my fairly regular schedule.  I have no idea how late I'll need to work each day, so I'm allowing myself to sleep in just a bit for this last week and go in a tad bit later.  Andrew officially reports Friday, but he has a full day of responsibilities on Wednesday, and a bit of a schedule on Thursday.  This was the last weekend of the summer, in pretty much all accounts.  It really, really feels like it just started.  This was, by far, the fast yet.

We had to say goodbye to Rosie

We knew things weren't going well with our sweet cat Rosie.  Last week Catherine had hoped to have another night with her, and that happened Thursday.  At that point, she was still eating and we had hoped that perhaps we would get more time.  When our friend arrived from out-of-town Sunday, Catherine came to spend the night again, and that gave her even another night with Rosie.  By yesterday, I knew things were bad and I had made an appointment for this afternoon.  Catherine didn't work today, and I asked her to be here early afternoon because she wanted to go along.

Today when Thomas got up, he found Rosie in the living room.  I rushed home, and Catherine arrived home about 25 minutes later.  Her sobs were the most heart wrenching sounds ever.  I will never forget those moments.  Rosie was her baby, and Catherine was Rosie's human.  Those two had a very special connection.  We'd had Rosie for about 9-1/2 years, and Rosie was only ten-years-old.  It wasn't enough time, but it never is.  That is the hard part about pets.  We know we are going to outlive them.

Catherine and Thomas were emotional, but they were also amazing.  As I told my mom, all I really had to do was provide moral support, drive to the vet, and pay the bill for cremation (Catherine wants the ashes).  The kids really did take care of everything else.  Thomas didn't want anything, but Catherine and I drowned our sorrows with some DQ.  Andrew was on his way home from his mom's house, and the three of us sat in a room together and just kind of hung out.  When Andrew arrived home, we ordered some dinner.  Catherine headed back to her apartment this evening.  It made me a little sad, but I get that she is an adult and has her own place.

It's been a draining day.  I am grateful that I only have to work a few hours tomorrow and that the weekend is upon us.  I'm also incredibly grateful for my amazing family.

Sprinkler

 Two weeks ago, we had a sump pump installed in our crawl space.  It required the digging of a trench out to the ditch.  Andrew planted grass seed and put some straw over the bare ground, and he has been very good about watering it.  He is thrilled that some grass is growing.  While he is gone, it is the responsibility of Thomas and myself to water the space.  I just went out and turned it on, and as I watched the sprinkler, I couldn't help but smile.  I have many memories of being a child and running through the sprinkler in our yard on hot summer days (similar to today!) and laughing and having a blast.  I needed that smile today!

Junior fair board

Sometime last summer, Thomas announced to us that he was interviewing for a position on the county fair board.  He wanted to be part of either the "dog" group, or the boy scout group.  To be honest, I didn't even begin to understand what he was really talking about it.  He had to go through an interview process.  I can only assume the idea came from something he learned about in FFA, an organization we love!  Shortly after the interviews, he found out he had been selected as the representative for Boy Scouts.  Now, this child of ours had not been involved in scouting in YEARS, so we weren't really sure about this.  And then we found out it was the ONLY group that didn't have an adult advisor.  He was literally on his own.  We weren't overly impressed with the junior board advisor either.  Thomas learned early on that she didn't particularly respond to emails.  I know it was a very, very frustrating experience for him.

We could not be more proud of him though.  Andrew and I both admitted that we absolutely would have just given up and not spent much time thinking about it.  Not Thomas though.  Earlier in the year he had asked his dad to have some things laminated that he could display at his booth during last week's county fair.  And last week, he spent his Tuesday afternoon setting up his booth and hanging out at the fair.  He was able to assist the "dog" group with the dog show that evening as well, which he loved.  He left everything up for display during the week, and on Saturday he made a trip back to the fair grounds to retrieve everything.  Our kiddo literally did absolutely everything on his own, completely by himself.  Andrew and I were available for anything he asked, but he made all the plans and completely handled things.  We are so proud and so impressed!

It hurt my heart a little

Because work is crazy this week, I want to get in there, so my alarm was set for just a few minutes later than a "normal" work day in the school year.  After my shower, I came into our family room/kitchen area, and was thinking ahead to this fall.  All of a sudden, I lost my breath and tears began to form as I was thinking about the mornings with only Andrew and myself.  I've been so focused on all the things I no longer have to do (band work, staying up late waiting for a kid to get home, getting up early for a kids' schedule on the weekend, ridiculously long swim meets), that I hadn't really thought about the things I no longer get to do...making sure he is up, well wishes for the day, hearing about his day, getting hugs, going to bed knowing all is well in our world.  Oh goodness, this is tough this morning.

My emotions are not helped by the fact that we are almost certainly going to have to put one of our cats down this week, as well as the fact that Andrew is traveling.  And of course, today is the first day of August, most often my least favorite month of the year.  Sending up prayers of peace for all who need it today!

The end of July

It's hard to believe the end of July has arrived.  Tomorrow August begins.  With my job, August doesn't really mean "summer" anymore.  I might have some slightly shorter days, but mostly it's all in.  This year presents some additional challenges with some logistics regarding some building repairs, so I really have no idea what this week is going to bring.  Andrew is also going to be spending the bulk of the week at his mom's house, so I'm pretty much on my own this week.

This weekend was exactly what I needed to head into the August.  I loved having so much family time on Thursday.  I loved that all four of us were together all day, and I loved that we watched a movie that evening.  It will go down as one of my favorite days of the summer.

Friday was another lovely day.  Thomas was off work again, so he and I headed north to my hometown.  My mother had a good friend in town who wanted to see me.  They were willing to travel my way, but I wanted to do some shopping at my favorite soap store, as well as take a a bit of time and visit with my grandmother.  I was even able to make a return of some clothing, so it was a productive day on top of everything else!

Yesterday was a day to get things done around the house as well as visit our former town for a grad party.  It was very nice to get to visit with so many people, and I always love seeing Thomas with that group of friends.

Today we had church, and Thomas worked all day.  We had found out at the end of the week that a very dear friend was traveling through town.  Because of COVID, we hadn't seen him over four years, and it was so wonderful to see him this evening!  Andrew and the kids will get to have breakfast with him in the morning, but with me having just had three days off AND the craziness of August, it isn't an option for me to join in.  I'm so glad we were able to make a visit happen this evening as well.

While August is pretty much my least favorite month, it does bring us one month closer to fall and to football season!

The fabulous day continued into the evening

Last evening our family sat together and watched a movie.  I'm pretty sure the last time that happened was December.  My heart was so incredibly full yesterday.  Our day as a family ended with all of us laughing together.  While I have NEVER taken those evenings for granted, the fact that going forward I may be able to count them on one hand is certainly on my mind.

Catherine was only here about 23 hours, but it was truly lovely.  I'm most grateful that she was able to spend some time loving on and cuddling our sweet cat Rosie, and that Rosie snuggled in bed with her all evening.  While Rosie has had some rebound days here and there, I'm afraid her days are numbered.  While we know something isn't quite right, she doesn't seem to be suffering.  We don't let animals suffer, so when that changes it will be time.  

I'm grateful for these extra days off to spend with people I love so very much!

A fabulous family day

I had mentioned to Catherine a couple of weeks ago that I would be off today, and that we could spend the day shopping for some things she will need before school starts.  Specifically, we needed to get her some shoes, and I wanted to spoil her with some other things as well.  The plan was that if Thomas happened to be off, we would all go.  When Catherine's work transferred her to the store near her school, she specifically asked for today off so we could make this happen.  She was very excited about spending the day with us (especially with our credit card 😂).  Thomas also somehow managed to not be scheduled today, and again, he wanted to spend the day with us rather than go to the county fair (that's another post...and again, probably because of our credit card).  We got so much accomplished, and then we had dinner out together at a restaurant we all enjoy.  I realized it had probably been since vacation that all four of us had eaten out together.  I know this is the beginning of those days being very rare.  I know Catherine will occasionally be home for weekends, and I know Thomas will sometimes be around on a weekend, but I have no idea the next time all four of us will have this kind of day together.  I soaked it up and am treasuring our day.  This evening we are going to watch a family movie together.  My heart is full!

Orientation

Today we took Thomas to orientation.  I pointed out to him that in spite of him being our third child, he is the first one for whom we attended a college orientation.  I'm glad we had the opportunity to do that today, and I'm excited for him.  I'm a little concerned that he is losing his enthusiasm as it gets closer, but ultimately I think he is looking forward to the experience.  Three weeks from tomorrow we'll be taking him to school!

The last break of summer

I've loved my work schedule this summer.  I was off for two days (and Memorial Day) right after school was out, then worked for nine days and then was off for vacation.  Then I worked ten days (no weekends) and then was off for the week of the 4th.  Then I worked nine days, was off last Friday, worked yesterday (a FULL) day and today, and will be off until Monday.  That will be August 1, and I'll be ready to hit the ground running.  Although I've worked fewer days this summer overall, I've worked longer days, and that is honestly how I prefer it to be.

I've come home to an empty house which I appreciate at the moment, but I know this fall there will be plenty of times I'm really going to find it too empty and too quiet.  Already this year, Catherine has been gone much more than she has been home, and it makes me a little sad because I know it will never be like it was again, and may not even be this much going forward.  I can only hope that my kids want to spend time with us as we all get older, and that we get to continue to share memories.

We have a few things planned with each kid over the next few days, but generally speaking, I get to enjoy some relaxation before August hits!

Vacation plans made

I received an email from a company we had used to rent a house on the Outer Banks.  Ironically, it was the 2020 vacation that never happened.  Anyway, they had released their 2023 rates, and I decided to check them out.  I wanted to stay in the resort that we love, go the same week as this year, have a Saturday check-in, and take our sweet pup.  That search returned exactly ONE option.  And we took it.  Technically, we only have a "right of first refusal" booked, but I showed the pictures to the kids, and they were excited, and it will be ours for the week as long as nothing changes our minds before December.  I don't know if the kids will be able to join us, but I've given them about as much notice as I can to make it happen!