Here's your sign

Are you familiar with Bill Engvall's "Here's your sign" comedy?  If not, look it up!  I find it funny, and definitely had one of those moments today.

Me to sub teacher in email: "Hi, hope you've had a good summer!  I'm checking to see what your subbing availability is for the fall.  Also, here's our academic calendar for the year."

Sub teacher in response: "Thank you for sending this.  Are you still hoping for me to occasionally sub?"

Me to sub teacher: "Nope.  Was just wondering when you'll be sitting around at home doing nothing.  Here's your sign."

Ugh.  Obviously that last part isn't my actual response, but good grief people.  Get it together.  It is August and I don't have time to explain common sense to you.

My day started with me locking myself out of the house.  'Tis the season for craziness (and the temps don't help)!

This week is a stark difference from last week

Last week was the final week of July.  We still had three weeks until school begins, and we were off on Friday and working short days.  This week is a stark difference to last week.  The teachers have been in and out all week, parents have been in and out and communicating, and there has been so much going on.  Next week is my least favorite week of the summer.  I'll be ready for the routine of the first day when it arrives.  We still have two weeks, and tomorrow and Friday will be shorter days.  Hanging on to what is left of summer, but ready to see the kids again!

This has not been the most relaxing beginning to August

 We are only two days into August, but it's not on track to be my favorite.  It's not awful (we don't think) but it's been a lot for just 48 hours!

It really started Friday.  I spent the day helping my mother work in her house.  I won't get into how emotionally challenging that can be, but trust me that it is.

Yesterday was uneventful until late afternoon.  Our friends had invited us over for the evening.  As we were arriving, we found out our home was under a tornado warning.  As the evening progressed, we ended up being under a warning at our friends' house a couple of times.  It's not exactly the most carefree way to spend an evening.  We were home by 11, and realized that our sweet pup had eaten some trail mix that included raisins.  That meant that Andrew and Janey were off to the vet hospital and didn't make it home until after 2:30.  Short night for me as I had to be at church early this morning to prepare communion.  

I came home and did a major grocery run, then got to work cleaning our sun room.  It was significantly overdue for that, and I'm exhausted, but feeling a major sense of accomplishment.  We've been keeping a close eye on Janey, and although she isn't out of the woods yet, things look promising.

Longer days begin tomorrow, and no more Fridays off.  It's that time, and I'll be ready.  I'm grateful that I have a job that I truly, truly love!

The kids bought a house

Thomas and Lyndi are purchasing a home!  It's a good starter home for them.  I don't love the community they will be living in, but the location provides Lyndi with an opportunity to take a job with an organization that will help pay for nursing school.  That's not a definite thing, but it allows for the option.  It's still just over an hour from us.  Andrew went there and confirmed it is a decent neighborhood.  I'm really proud of them.

On the downside, Thomas sliced his hand last night while working on his car.  He drove himself to the hospital because Lyndi wasn't home, and three stitches later he was sent home.  I saw the pictures, and holy moly.  He still went to work today even though there is some decent pain, and I'm really proud of the adulting that he is doing these days.

And in other unfortunate medical news, Andrew was stung AGAIN.  It just happened this afternoon, so we'll find out tomorrow if it swells and if he'll need to make a doctor trip.

Fingers crossed that is the end of the medical issues for a while!

We had dinner with my aunt

Yesterday, my aunt had a birthday.  Since Uncle Darrell has only been gone two months, I knew it would be tough for her.  Andrew and I wanted to take her to dinner.  My cousin spent yesterday with her, so we took her out this evening.  We really had a lovely evening and it was a lot of fun.  It's been a very long time since we had just sat and chatted.  Andrew and I both agree we'll need to do it again.  

Meanwhile, Thomas is the emergency room.  Lyndi called to let us know.  It seems as though Thomas was working on his car and managed to slice his hand.  Fortunately, he only needs two stitches.  That kid (technically young man, but to me still my kiddo)!

School starts three weeks from today.  I know it will be exhausting, but I'm ready to see the kids again.  It's been a fabulous summer!

I never really knew how much I took it for granted

When I was a child, my grandparents had a place in a corner of North Lake in Coldwater, MI.  This picture was taken in 1977, and truly doesn't do it justice.  My grandparents had a double lot so there was a full garage along with the trailer.  Because it was in the corner, we had amazing views of the wide open lake without the "boat" traffic right outside our door.  I can still remember how fun it was though watching the boats out on the open lake.  The trailer was positioned such that the big living room windows faced the water.  We spent time there every summer as a child, and because my parents had very little, it was usually our family vacation.  By the time we were a little older, we were making two or three trips there every year.  It was a 3.5 hour drive, so very doable to go back and forth.  My grandpa's brother had a place right around the corner from us, and very good friends had a place next door to them.  These are amazing childhood memories for me.

Of course I knew this was special because it was from my childhood, but until I got older I really didn't realize how truly special this was.  When I was in high school, my grandparents sold this place because the drive back and forth was getting to be too much.  They built a cottage on a lake just about 45 minutes from home.  It was nice.  Truly, it was.  But it was built on a channel with no open water views.  By this time I was also not nearly as excited about spending time with my grandparents, so the visits up there were a little less frequent and usually with friends.  My grandfather developed Parkinson's Disease in his 60's, so this place was sold before I turned 30.

I'd never really thought about how much my grandparents' place on the lake shaped me.  As I was looking through photos of the my adult life, I realized I LOVE having water as the backdrop.  And it's true.  I could just sit and look out at the water all day.  That's kind of what I did on Thursday.  While we've seldom been able to afford to stay in places with water views, almost always the water has been a factor in our vacations as an adult.  I'm so very, very grateful that I can make those memories with my family these days, and I'm even more grateful for the memories from my childhood.  I know now that I took those days (and views) for granted.

The sting

Andrew arrived with his mom a week ago yesterday.  We were thrilled to have her here again!  It hasn't been terribly scheduled, which is good for us all.  Last Saturday, the kids all came over, although they didn't stay particularly long.  Sunday, we each watched church services from home, then Andrew headed out to work in the yard.  He's been out a decent amount of time when he came hobbling inside, exclaiming that he had been stung.  As he began taking his shoe off, he realized that there were still about six yellow jackets swarming his foot!

Ultimately, he was INCREDIBLY lucky.  He only had one sting, which was absolutely a small miracle.  Andrew ran outside with his show, although one yellow jacket "broke free", but even that one managed to find his way outdoors shortly after (but not before giving our sweet pup a bit of a scare).  It could have been so, so, so much worse.  We iced his foot and waited to see what would happen as he assured us he was not allergic to stings.

That may be the case, but he sure did have a reaction!  Monday, his foot was very swollen, and by that evening his mother and I were trying to convince him to see a doctor.  He went Tuesday morning, and was given prednisone and and antibiotic as the doctor said an infection was starting.  It was really, really ugly.  He was pretty hobbled for about 24 hours but fortunately it didn't impact him too terribly much on our trip.  And even more fortunately, the view was so fabulous we didn't mind just sitting!

The yellow jackets have a nest in the ground in our backyard.  Andrew said he'd known about it and kept meaning to do something about it.  Needless to say, I am giving that area a very large clearance if I'm out there!