Last day of July

The last day of July has arrived.  It was a full day, too.  I worked until 4:00, so basically back to the normal grind.  A cold front came through, which at least broke the horribly hot weather we'd been having.  Two weeks from today it will be the second day of school.  Lots to do between now and then, but I am ready to get back to a routine...and regular sized paychecks as well. 😁

I really do love my job, and I don't love summer weather, so I've been wondering why I'm feeling sad about the end of this summer.  We had a great summer.  We enjoyed a wonderful vacation with everyone and then another great trip with friends, but summers are different then they used to be.  My children are now adults, and I accept that.  As with everything in life, it has both pros and cons.

I've realized though, how much my life changes when school starts.  It isn't just my job, which cranks up, obviously.  But Andrew goes from having almost no responsibilities during the year to having the busiest season of the year.  And our town COMPLETELY changes.  Our quiet little town adds about 16,000 students, not to mention that even professors and other staff leave town during the summer.  Right now, going to the grocery is a piece of cake.  That changes dramatically when we have all those extra people. 

I know this is a short-term "mood", and I love fall and all that it brings, followed by the holidays and hopefully some snow.  Hopefully the cooler weather of the weekend will help to life spirits!

Last trip of the summer

This past weekend we took our final trip of the summer.  Yesterday was also my final day off for the season, but we still aren't working full days.  Yes folks, the new school year is nearly upon us.

I had originally taken these days off to have a nice long weekend at home.  Plans changed though.  Friends from California were going to be in Pittsburgh so that meant traveling over on Friday, and then my mom had a medical appointment on Monday and I told her I would take her, then we had lunch with my daughter-in-law, so needless to say, not nearly as many things got done as I had hoped.  But that is life!

Anyway, it was a nice visit in PA.  We got in Friday for an awesome dinner with my mother-in-law.  Saturday I was able to sleep in until almost 10.  We had plans in the city, and we had such a great time seeing so many people we hadn't seen in quite a while.  In fact, in my case it had been years since I had seen them.  It was so hot though, and even in the a/c, it was so crowded that it was really warm.  I was grateful that by early evening we were back at his mom's house and brought in a pizza for dinner.  We watched a cheesy Christmas movie, and I really enjoyed having the opportunity to visit.

Two weeks from today we will be getting ready for the first day of students the next day.  The summer always goes so quickly, but I love my job...and I'm soooo ready for cooler weather that the fall will (hopefully) bring!

The end of another June

June has absolutely flown by, which I suppose it does nearly every year.  This weekend though, has not flown by (I've been off since early Thursday afternoon) and for that I am very grateful.  

I'm grateful that work has been fairly uneventful since I returned from vacation.  I'm also grateful that we are closed for this entire week.  This was my idea three years ago, and it is really one of the best decisions we've ever made.  If we were open, one of admin (and probably only one) would have to be working and would be resentful (at least I would be).  This way, ALL of us can be off, and none of us feel like we are missing anything.  I'm going in a bit here and there to bring in mail and check on the plants, but overall it a good amount of down time.  I certainly don't need to water the plants, by the way, because although we are in a heat streak that is absolutely miserable, we are having daily monsoon downpours.  They tend to come up out of nowhere...just increasing my desire to remain indoors. 😂

Summer break is almost half over...but it's been a great first half!

Mid-June

I am off work today, and I've enjoyed the quiet.  I don't get much alone time in my house in the summer, and I'm cherishing this opportunity.  Catherine is home from work, but is taking a nap in her room.  I should be more productive, but I'm listening to our sink drive (ugh!) and enjoying our cat, Maudie, who is insisting to be right up against me (it's a little warm, but sweet).

Tuesday, Andrew hit the road again, God love him.  Our original plan for the summer had been to take a trip to Vermont at the end of July and to take his mom with us as it was a visit to Andrew's aunt who is 92.  However, the week before we left for vacation, a phone call came explaining that Aunt had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.  Treatment would only extended the inevitable, and at 92, well...I think you understand.  It was decided that Andrew and his mom would make the trip right away, and unfortunately it meant I couldn't go.  I'm so, so grateful though, that Andrew and his mom are able to do this.

I've also been spending day looking around at my house.  I love photos.  I love having memories literally staring at me.  The hard part?  I can't cover every single wall space and flat surface with photo frames.  In the last six weeks, we've had two big photo-worthy events in the wedding and our vacation.  As I said, we took a TON of photos on vacation.  I'm trying to not have a cluttered house, while also having these memories surround me.  They truly bring me joy.  

I am so grateful for this summer and the slower pace of life!

I love Memorial Day weekend

Memorial Day weekend has always been one of my favorites.  It is the unofficial kick off of the summer, and many years (at least since moving here) we are done with school.  I loved the years we did the cemetery trip with my mom's family, and when Dad had his cottage we tried to spend a day there as well.  As a child, Dad would often take us to my grandparent's place in Michigan.  There were lots of friends gatherings over the years as well, and of course it is often a weekend filled with graduation festivities.  And of course, we get an extra day to the weekend, too!  This was so incredibly needed as the month of May was beyond crazy at work. 

This weekend had some grad parties with very dear friends, it had quiet time with just Andrew and myself, I tried to shop (unsuccessfully), and we had a lovely day with the kiddos.  There has been a tremendous amount of stress and drama involving the kids, and it was so much fun to hang out today for a meal and then a family game of croquet.  I laughed, and I especially loved hearing my daughter-in-law laugh out loud.  In two weeks we will be on vacation with all of us, and I think it is going to be an incredibly special week where we make lots of memories.

We have a lot of fun plans for this summer, and I plan to soak it all up! 

And now it's been another three weeks

With the passage of another three weeks, we are here at the last weekend of summer.  I'm looking forward to having a regular routine again.  I can't lie though, I do wish that my regular routine didn't have me getting up quite so early.  And as I told Andrew, those Friday afternoons are going to be really rough.  I worked very few Fridays this summer, and most Thursdays I was out of there no later than 2pm.  I appreciate the more laid-back and flexible schedule of the summer, but I will also appreciate the nicer paychecks of the school year!

Andrew and I had a wonderful trip three weeks ago, but I'll write about that in a different post.  There have been a few other things happening as well, like the Olympics, but again, other posts.

I can write though, that this last weekend in summer has been very fall-like, and I'll happily take that!

Three weeks later

I enjoyed my week off, Andrew had a great time in Montana...and here we are in the later part of July.

I need to explain my absence.  My kids are young adults, and it truly has been the toughest phase so far.  But those things are their story and not mine.  I truly do believe they will be okay in the long run, and they are safe, but sometimes the choices they make only eliminate their options for the future.  Anyway, it's just hard, sometimes, to want to visit my blog.

I had a wonderful week off.  I was amazed at how much I got done.  I've been doing a lot of organizing, especially of photos. I was especially thrilled to get our bedroom picked up.  Catherine was here for a couple of days, and I always enjoy having her around.  Her job is going really well, and we are so grateful for that.

We spent the Fourth of July with our dear friends.  Several of their other friends joined us, and it was really a lot of fun.  Their younger son flew in from Texas and brought his girlfriend.  She seemed really nice, and we are glad we got to meet her.  After the other friends had left, we stayed and played a game with our friends and their girls.  We really appreciate that their girls love us like family as well.

The next week Andrew went to Montana with high school friends.  Including spouses there were twelve altogether.  I was invited, but I had no desire to make a very expensive trip to Montana.  He had an amazing trip and even was able to spend a day at Yellowstone.  I'm so, so glad that he was able to make this trip, but I'm also very glad he's back!

This week I had a church meeting and we visited with my grandmother.  After a really, really awful May, Grandma is doing a lot better.  She enjoyed the fact that I brought Andrew with me to visit her.

Tomorrow, Andrew and I are headed to our own little trip away.  We even get to take our sweet Abby with us!  Catherine is coming here to take care of the cats because Thomas's work schedule is too challenging.  I've been looking forward to this all summer!

Back to work tomorrow

My little mini 'staycation' is coming to an end and I'm back to work tomorrow.  The nice thing is that it will already be Thursday, and I'm not sure if there is any need for me to work Friday.  Even if I do...it's a two-day week!  And next week I'll only work four days before before the office closes for the July 4th week.  This is what I love about my job in the summer!!

The last six days have been wonderfully special, starting almost right after I got off Thursday.  We had won tickets to the Dayton Dragons in a silent auction and we took our dear friends with us.  There have been some issues I won't get into, but the love and compassion that they have shown us during a really rough time is indescribable.  We watched about half the game, then walked across the street for a beer.  Then we spent Friday evening at their house hanging out as well.  It was a great start to the time off!

Saturday I didn't leave my house at all.  I did some cleaning, and just really enjoyed a bit of down time.  Sunday we had planned on church, but I woke up not feeling well.  Sadly, three days later, I'm still not feeling great.  The kids were all here Sunday evening for dinner, and we are enjoying the beginning of that tradition.

Monday, Andrew and I decided to head north and make a quick visit to the Air Force Museum, then we drove even further north to meet up with my mom and several of my high school friends.  A very dear friend had flown in from California, and it was so incredibly great to spend the evening together.  It had been nine years since he'd been here, and that is entirely too long!

Yesterday was our one evening "away", but it's a bit comical.  Andrew and I won a night at an airbnb property in a different silent auction, but I'm not sure it was even two miles away from our home.  It was so needed though.  We drove out to the state park for dinner, then drove back to the place and watched the Reds game before I turned in fairly early.  It was a really great evening to just have to ourselves.

Today, my California friend drove to our town and we spent the afternoon just the two of us.  I was kind of ready to be just "done" with people, but I'm so glad that we took this afternoon together.  It was so very special.

During all of this week, we've been under a heat advisory and/or warning.  It's been in the 90's all week with indices over 100.  This is NOT my kind of weather, and I suspect that is why I haven't been feeling great.  Sadly, there is no break until Sunday when it will "only" be in the upper 80's, then next week we are back to all 90's again.  Not at all enjoyable.

I'm ready to get to back to work...and then enjoy another weekend!

The first week of summer

The first week of summer has come to a close.  This was supposed to be our "quiet" week at work, but it was definitely anything but that.  The good news is, it is just the beginning.

My week consisted of working over 33 hours, but it was more flexible than a normal school week.  I also made a trip both Monday (with all of us) and again on Wednesday to visit my grandmother.  We are trying to have someone check in with her every day, but this is not sustainable for months on end.  And honestly, while Hospice is involved, I suspect she is going to be here when school starts again in August.  I'm not even ruling out her still being here at the holidays, although I certainly wouldn't have expected that a month ago.

I also got lots of laundry done and I got most of the house picked up.  That's a good thing, because I need to work at church tomorrow.  My allergies are making me really, really miserable.  Part of that is because the weather has been absolutely gorgeous, and I've been able to have all of the windows open.  Since Andrew has been at his mom's house, I've been able to sleep without any snoring or other bedroom distractions (like our sweet pup) and I've been able to make the bedroom downright cold.  It's been lovely.

Today is my cousin's birthday, and it would have been my maternal grandmother's birthday as well. She would have been 95 today, and I'm grateful that our family gathered together to celebrate her 90th.  It's really so hard to believe how much has changed in five years, and it's also really hard to believe how fast the last five years have flown by.  Family things make me fairly emotional these days, but I'm so grateful for the memories! 

Tuesday at the end of May

I love the fact that although we have been out of school for almost a week, there are still three days of may remaining.  I think we can all agree that the best part of summer is the beginning!  I have eleven entire weeks until the next time I have to get up for a school day.

Andrew has gone to visit his mom and help her with some things.  He took our sweet pup with him.  I miss them, but I appreciate the quiet time.  Thomas had a short work day today, but I was able to get three loads of laundry done and lots of school work.  The end is always really busy.

I'll be honest, I'm really sad that we aren't taking a vacation this year.  I know that an ocean vacation is not in the budget, and I know that the kids can't get off work to join us, but I'm sad that we can't make it happen.  Not only is the ocean amazing, but I always appreciated that our family had an entire week together, no matter how things were going in our lives.  I suspect we will be able to take a vacation again at some point, but I acknowledge things will never be like they were.  And that's okay, but it does make me a bit sad that those days are over.

I'm hoping to really spend some time working on some things around our house, and I hope our summer schedule allows this to happen!

The last week of our summer

School begins with students in five day for both Andrew and myself.  Summer flew by, but so does the school year.  I have to say though, August already feels like it has been a forever month.  I think back to two weeks ago, and it seems impossible for me to believe it was only two weeks ago.

My mother-in-law was here for the past week.  It was lovely having her visit.  Catherine was here for five days at the same time, which meant lots of family time.  We had some dinners out, some fun TV, had dinner with my mom and sister, and just enjoyed hanging out.  Of course, Andrew and I also had plenty of meetings and school events to handle, but we really enjoyed having her here.

There have been some crazy things happening, and I'll write about them soon.  Today though, as we stare at the end of our summer, I'm just going to be grateful that we had time together and had the fun that we did!

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.

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!

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 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!

The best day of the summer

In many ways, today is the best day of the summer for me.  I went into work today, but only for a couple of hours.  And now school is closed until July 11.  It's only one week, but I don't have to travel anywhere, and I get all this time at home.  I am so looking forward to each day!

The beginning of my summer break

I got off work just a little over an hour ago.  I don't have to be at work again until about 8:30 on July 12.  That sounds absolutely wonderful to me!  Since our office doesn't shut down at any point during the summer, this is the longest break I'll have.  I'll get some other days here and there, and of course the daily hours are shorter, but this is the only week I'm off the entire time.  Since we are leaving Monday and returning Friday, we even get the weekends at home to be productive, which helps me to feel less guilty about going away.  Today is even an incredible weather day.  The temps are in the 70's with no humidity and lots of sunshine.  It couldn't be more beautiful.  Although I'm not usually a day drinker, I poured myself a small glass of wine to celebrate the beginning of my time off!  It's delightful!

An evening home alone

Catherine will be leaving shortly to go to work.  Andrew took Thomas to his swim meet.  Normally I would never even consider missing a summer swim meet, even when they were away.  However, this meet always starts later because of the diving afterwards, and it's the biggest team, so the coaches always do all the optional events.  I work tomorrow, so I don't get to just sleep in.  Not only do I hate to miss Thomas swimming, but I hate for Andrew to have to be alone.  However, they put out a plea for timers this morning, and Andrew doesn't mind timing, and that would solve him being alone...so home is where I am.

I've had a tremendously productive week, both at work and at home.  I'm so grateful for working fewer hours.  I'm only working about 5-1/2 hours each day and trying to leave between 2 & 2:30.  It's working out very well, and the house is even picked up (although that is also another post).

I'm grateful for the quiet time, and the time to reflect.  We are getting ready to enter Thomas's senior year.  We are becoming very close to being on the edge of empty nesting.  Honestly, I don't understand how it happened so fast.  I couldn't help but remember a moment that occurred fifteen years ago yesterday.  We had taken the kids to a church festival, and the younger two rode a little roller coaster.  Each time Thomas's little car passed us, he was becoming more and more concerned about the situation until it was just all out tears.  I'll never forget how comical it was (since we knew he was truly okay), and I vividly remember how Catherine was trying to comfort him from her seat.  I love that she is still such a good sister to him, he's so good to her, and they are friends.  I'm so, so grateful for that.

Which of course brings up thoughts of my oldest.  Last weekend at the closing ceremonies for Thomas's week, there was a lot of military fan fare.  To be honest, I feel guilt in terms of the fact that Robert was so awful in the military. I know it isn't my fault, but listing to things just hurt and made me sad.  It is what it is though.

I don't want to fail to mention that we have had absolutely gorgeous weather here for the last couple of days.  Tuesday it was actually chilly in the evening, and even though it is much warmer now, the humidity is still low.  Love these summer days with beautiful sunshine and awesome temps! 

Living life

The weekend flew by, but I knew that it would.  I've been so exhausted, but I did catch up on sleep a bit this weekend.  I've got another especially crazy week coming up, but at least Andrew will be home to share the craziness with me!

The kids are working tons of hours, which overall is a good thing.  Catherine has made a couple of trips to the amusement park with her friends.  I'm grateful for her friend Elizabeth.  Our family would be completely lost without her.  Thomas is trying to get to swim practice, but work keeps getting in the way of that.  Overall though, they are having a good summer.

We attended a family wedding last evening.  Oh goodness, we had a blast.  It was definitely a quirky wedding, and we had to call 911 for the groom's grandfather (my dad's first cousin), but he ended up being okay.  I wish I had taken more photos, but I just allowed myself to be there.  At one point I realized that of the eight surviving great-grandkids, all eight of us were there.  There is a pretty good chance it has been 30 years since that happened.  I am so incredibly grateful for our extended family!

Nothing else exciting is happening...we are just living our lives!

Summer plans

Our family has made just a couple of summer plans, and I'm so very, very excited.  Two weeks ago we booked a four day trip to Holland, MI.  We knew that a trip to the ocean wasn't going to happen this year, but Thomas really wanted our vacation to include water.  I had taken Robert to a running camp in Holland four years ago, and really liked the town.  It is only five hours away, and the four days there will be perfect.

Additionally, Andrew and I made plans to get away for two days, just he and I.  We are going to a nice hotel in Lexington, and again, I am so excited!  Our Billy Joel at Notre Dame concert was postponed again until 2022, so after not taking any trips last year, it will be so very nice to be able to do this over our summer.  I am so grateful we can make this happen!