Around Here Week 28: 07/12-18

 A glimpse into what it is like to be in our family just this moment. 

photo cred: Abba

photo cred: Becky C (thank you!) 

Violet's Junior counselor; Lily

photo cred: B

photo cred: Kristy H

Intentional Outdoor Hours: 321+ hrs (of 1000)
Beautiful (although hot) weather until Thursday when our state was blasted by the smoke coming from the Canadian wildfires. The low air quality is very frustrating (and has me worried about our goaties, chickens, and Osa) but I cannot stop thinking of how terrible it must be up there if it looks and smells like this all the way down here! Our air quality around our home got as high as 310

Reading and finishing Margo's Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe. I really loved it at multiple levels and made so many notes in the margins. Then I started Heart the Lover by Lily King which is my book club pick for my Lit Ladies club. Also still reading, I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith

Summer To Do List Accomplished: 

• created the happy ads for my varsity players and Coach Daddy
• Rusty and I worked hard in the basement den to clean up, clear out, and deep clean. We had two big bags of garbage and one donation bag. Moved the shelf cupboard in to hold children's books (the shelf cupboard that used to be on the back porch) and rearranged the furniture layout. 
• Updated the August calendar to include school dates (eek!)
• Finished my PD course and earned 5 Act 48 hours

Grey visits Montana for fly fishing with his best friends! What a wonderful experience for him to get to travel with his best friends' family to fly fish and explore all week! They had a river right in their backyard and also booked a float with an experienced MT fisherman. I loved seeing pictures all week of him smiling and holding up beautiful trout. The Conns also visited Idaho, saw wild animals at the Bison range (including bison, elk, and a bear!), and got to fish with Nick (who married cousin Morgan and who lives in Montana with their two daughters). I am so very grateful to have Becky and Dan who took such good care of my sonny boy and invited him along on this incredible vacation! It takes so much more than just including him - I know you worried about him, cooked for him, cleaned up after him, endured three teenage boys silliness and antics, got him through the airport and traveling, and sent me pics and updates throughout. Thank you a million times; love you guys like family. 

Violet spends five days at Camp PARC as a peer buddy. She volunteered as a neurotypical designated friend to a neurodivergent camper alongside her junior counselor, Lily (a neurotypical teen) Violet slept in a camp bunk and participated in activities (like crafts and games) and meals together too. Her junior counselor, Lily, was so sweet, encouraging, and supportive (Vi loved her!) Violet's friend Brady let her borrow her phone at night to text me updates on how the day went each night (thank you, Brady!) and she sounded happy each day, which gave me peace of heart. 

However, it was a tough week for a momma's heart. Two kids out of the house for more days than I'm used to. I know that I am the one that needs practice at space (and I told them both that) but I cannot get over what a heartbreaking plan it is that as a parent you spend so much time loving, teaching, supporting, and being near your kids and if you do a good job then they grow up and leave you?! What the actual hell?! I am holding on to two mantras over the next several years as we continue to see our kids grow up and make a wider world for themselves:  

1) young adults don't spend their time thinking about their parents. They are LIVING and having fun and learning about themselves.  They think about their parents when things go sideways. If you're not hearing from them while they are away, it probably means they are having fun and everything is mostly good. (thank you Kate and Bunny for that peace of mind when I'm spiraling in worry). 

2) "A goldfish will grow 2inches in a bowl, 4inches in an aquarium, 6inches in a creek, 12 inches in a pond, and over a foot in a lake. Still the same fish, it just got to grow." My kids need a bigger world (literally, emotionally, independently,  experience-ly) to grow bigger and better. Let go of your grip, momma. Let that goldfish grow.  (I'm the momma in this scenario)...The love though.... so big it literally hurts.

Pura Vida dinner with my friends in Washington DC on Monday night. Back in 2004, as a junior in college, I got to study abroad in Costa Rica for the spring semester. I met some amazing people including some that I still talk to. I went to my friend Emily's wedding (and she to mine) and we are all friends on social media and still comment and send DMs occasionally. In some serendipitous pura vida magic - five of us were all able to meet up on the same night in DC to have drinks and dinner together - after 22 years! Emily, Meg, Marisa, Vicki, and I enjoyed an incredible dinner at ISLA and then B got to meet us all up for drinks at The Crown & Crow. How fun it was to catch up on each others' live (everyone went around the table and did a five minute highlight spiel of the last 22 years, LOL) and then reminiscing over our time in Costa Rica and sharing photos and music that we remembered listening to and dancing to in Costa Rica. How wonderful it was to collapse time on itself and laugh with friends. 

Night away for Mom & Dad since we were already going to be in DC for the Pura Vida reunion dinner - B reserved us a hotel (thank you credit card points!) and we got a road trip, night in a hotel, breakfast, and a walk in the park just the two of us. It will never not be hilarious to me the deep deep sleep that comes with a night in a hotel bed with no kids. A solid, comalike sleep; I'll take that joyfully!

Camp PARC visit & pick up. Olive and I headed out to Camp PARC on Wednesday to see the finale show, it was America themed in honor of the 250th anniversary. Violet got to square-dance with her group. The show was very sweet and included all campers, counselors, and peer buddies. We got a dinner afterwards and got to meet Violet's camper and her junior counselor who she spent most of the five days of camp with. She had a great time and said already that she wants to go back again next year! So proud of our girl and so very happy that she is back home again! 

Girls Trip to Wildwood, NJ. Gemma, Violet, Olive, and I all headed out on a six hour road trip towards NJ for Gemma's Gators team at the Beach Blast soccer tournament on the beach! We stopped four hours in for food at Chili's (finally used a gift card from Christmas!) and then pushed through the last two hours to finally make it to the beach. We shared a VRBO apartment with Kristy (thank you for booking!) and two other soccer players: Gina and Molly. It was tight, but we made the most of it and all found a way to share space and a tiny bathroom between 7 girls! Bless those big girls who played a million games of UNO with Olive and were patient and sweet with both my girls. I packed food (#bigfamilymombrain ) and we were only a block from the beach so it was easy to get back and forth. Gemma and her soccer team visited the boardwalk amusement park on Friday night while Violet, Olive, and I went to the beach until dark. We even got fireworks on Friday night! Saturday morning, Gemma had two soccer games and in between the games - we did a lot of swimming and wave jumping. The Gators didn't win their games, but they looked awesome and played tough; never giving up the whole time. Gem got a fancy girl dinner out with the team on Saturday evening while the little girls and I got ice cream from the boardwalk and barely outrun a severe thunderstorm! I will never get over that I get to be the mom of three daughters; that they get to be sisters. I.will.never.get.over.it.

Thankful for hard working boys who spent the boys-only weekend at home working on projects! Rusty and Reddy helped get the yard cleaned up while Pappy and B cleaned up trees and trimming all around the house between the rainstorms on Saturday. Grateful for you handymen and for teaching our sons to be handymen! Their hard work was happily rewarded with chicken wings from Old Tollgate Inn! 

Time with family and friends: Rusty and Reddy got a sleepover with Chum and Olive and Gemma got a sleepover with Pappy while B and I spent the night in DC on Monday (thank you!!) 

Sporting with the fall sports on the horizon. Rusty finished his all stars baseball tournament on Sunday and then picked up his helmet/ pads/ and jersey for youth football (from summer to fall sports in one week! hah!) Gemma attended three days of weightlifting/ conditioning, had two basketball games, two soccer kick arounds, and the Gators Beach Blast soccer tournament on the weekend. I attended the football booster meeting and signed up for all my duties for the season (team dinner, coordinating senior night game, away game food scheduling, and organizing the red & white game) Gentle and loving reminder: if a mom of six kids, full-time public school teacher, and the wife of the Varsity head football coach can volunteer her time and talents - you certainly can too (I say that with love and encouragement!) B and I both worked the concession stand at the all stars baseball game too - a romantic day date! (LOL). 

Making hot honey chicken nachos, crack chicken sammies, pizza quesadillas, chicken fried rice, meatloaf with potatoes and carrots, and copycat Olive Garden chicken pasta. On Thursday, I spent most of the day cooking and baking to prepare for the weekend. For the golf outing cookie table I made: 4 dozen pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, 2 dozen rice krispies treats, and 2 dozen chocolate covered pretzels. For the soccer tourney in Wildwood I made, 2 dozen chocolate chip cookie bars, 2 dozen double chocolate muffins, french toast (ready-made for reheating), sloppy joes (ready-made for the crockpot), and shredded chicken (ready-made for teriyaki noodles). While in Wildwood, NJ for the soccer tourney in our apartment airbnb, we had: buffalo chicken dip, sloppy joes with microwavable mac&cheese, chicken and broccoli teriyaki noodles, ordered in local pizza, and Hawaiian deli sammies. 

Movement: not a great week for exercise over here, bummer but I rollerbladed 1.1 miles and weighted vest walked NO miles! I did hit a PR in speed on my rollerblades on Tuesday night but in that also made my leg muscles so sore that I was kind of hobbling on Wednesday and Thursday. To add to my minimal exercise this week though, we did walk the boardwalk and very long beach Friday & Saturday and I played in the ocean with the girls twice on Saturday. Moving for FUN! That is the point anyway.