Ah...the weekend

To be honest, I've been pretty darn giddy about this weekend!  Since it was the first week of work, I decided to allow myself not to work at my mom's house, which means I get to sleep in for the first time in weeks.  Andrew doesn't have to work tomorrow either, so we actually have a day at home tomorrow.  I'm ecstatic, and know it could be weeks before this happens again.  Sunday has some extra church commitments, and tonight Andrew has the football game.  I'll be continuing my photo organizing this evening and I'm excited to be moving along with those.  AND there is COLLEGE FOOTBALL on tomorrow!  Only four games, but ah...it's here!  The weather is still very warm out (and going to get warmer) but we are headed into my favorite season.

And how was the first full week?  Well, this school year feels like an absolute gift.  Our families are wonderful, our new staff is amazing, and we are so thankful for the way things are moving along! 

RIP Dolly Parton

It was sad news yesterday when we learned that Dolly Parton had passed away.  She was talented, smart, philanthropical, and so much more.  Andrew told me that even his students knew who she was.  There will absolutely never be another like her.  May she rest in peace.

We made it through the first week and the first short weekend

Last week was three completely normal days.  We kept commenting on how much we can get done when we aren't worrying about the chaos that is ensuring around us.  It was delightful.  I think it's going to be a really good year.

This weekend was short, but full of some emotions.  I'm working through photos, and I completely wrapped up all of 2017 and 2018.  In those years, my aunt, my grandmother, and my father-in-law were still alive.  We still had fabulously fun family gatherings.  And we still had all three kids as part of our lives.  

The part about Robert is weighing on me a bit.  I would love to have a "family" ornament made with all of our names.  But, it doesn't seem right to put him on it...and yet it doesn't seem right not to do so.  What if he comes back one day and sees it?  It feels complicated.

I went to see my grandmother yesterday.  I only stayed about ten minutes.  There is part of me that is so angry she is alive.  I feel terrible for even thinking that.  But she just lies in bed and does absolutely nothing.  Visiting her is hard because there is no talking, and the TV isn't on so it's awkward to just sit there.  She is so small and this just isn't my grandmother.  The anniversary of my grandfather's passing was Friday, and there is part of me that thought she wouldn't make it through the weekend.  I hate seeing her "living" like this, because it isn't living.

We have five full days this week, but our evenings are fairly unscheduled.  Next weekend I am not making a trip to my mom's house, and then I'll only work four days the following week.  We were even able to turn off our a/c this evening.  I am so ready for cooler weather!

Thirty-four years ago today I was one of them

Today is move-in day at the university.  It is not anyone's favorite day.  The students arrival doubles our town's population, not to mention the family members who have arrived to help move them in.  The traffic is an absolute nightmare.  I miss the quiet of our little town already.

The thing that is so hard for me to believe is that I was one of those students, and I moved into my freshman dorm exactly thirty-four years ago today.  I can't believe how quickly the time has flown by.  I also have to note that I didn't love move-in day any more as a student than I do as a town resident!

Two days into school, and our school year has been delightful (knock on wood).  I'm so very optimistic this is going to be wonderful!

At least I bounce well?

Today is the last day of the summer break.  Students arrive tomorrow, and I'm looking forward to it.  We had planned for today to be a fairly short day.  I made sure all the paperwork is ready to go, and I'm excited to see the kids.  Andrew is working an athletic event this evening, and I'm grateful for the extended hours of a very quiet house.

While I'm ready for school, my computer is not.  It hasn't worked well for a while, so we purchased a new one.  Today was supposed to be the day that we finally hooked up the new one and transferred things over.  But, nothing worked the way it was supposed to.  I went to look for some additional cables, and had to climb some steps.  A door ended up shutting behind me, making the space very dark, and I thought I was off the steps when in fact, I was not.  Knowing that my body was about to collide with a cement floor, I was very concerned.  I was so grateful that I didn't hit my head, nothing is broken, and while I'm sure I'll be sore tomorrow, it really wasn't a big deal.  I guess I kind of "bounced" off the cement floor, so for today I'll be grateful that I bounced well!

We moved here thirteen years ago

Thirteen years ago we moved in to our home.  The time has absolutely flown by.  Part of me didn't think we would still be here at this point, but at this time there is no place else I'd rather be.  I may not be a huge fan of living in a college town, but I absolutely love our home, and I love this little wooded neighborhood.  By Christmas, I will have lived in this house longer than any other home I've lived in during my entire life.  That seems unreal.  As a child, my parents purchased a home right before my sister was born, and then we moved to our next home just over 13 years later.  I loved both of those homes and was so lucky to get to grow up in them.  I lived in our second family home a little over 7 years, then moved out on my own into a house that my dad owned and I eventually bought from him.  I lived in that house for about 6-1/2 years before Andrew and I were married and bought our first home.  We lived there for 10-1/2 years before moving here...and I just can't believe we have been here 13 years.  I'm also having trouble believing it is only Andrew and I at this point.  This house has been such a tremendous blessing! 

The Uhauls are beginning to arrive

After church today, I had to run back into town and make a very quick trip to the grocery.  It was still an easy drive with very little traffic, but I couldn't help but notice that there were several Uhauls along the way, and I signed a bit. 'Tis the season, and I know our little town doesn't exist without the university, but ugh.  I haven't missed the students, nor have I missed needing to drive around block upon block to locate a parking spot.  This time next week, though, the semester will be starting in just about 12 hours and the town will be crazy again.

Our family had our annual back-to-school dinner this evening.  Without realizing it, I've made a tradition of making sure we get together right before school begins.  The fall is really hard for Andrew and I with the schedule, and I wanted to make sure we saw our kiddos.  We learned today that a classmate of Thomas's was killed in a car accident this weekend.  Love and hug your babies and loved ones, because tomorrow is never promised.

Our family is incredibly blessed, and a blessing as well.  It's time for school to begin again.  I'm grateful for each day, even the school days. :)