Summer is coming to an End

I can’t believe summer is almost over, it seems like it just started. I haven’t had enough time in the warmth of the sun, in the dirt of my garden or in the wind from windows rolled down. But most of all I didn’t get enough time off to spend with my husband and kids. Next year will be different, I promise!
As Labor Day approaches I’m inclined to reminisce about what we did do this summer, and all those things we didn’t do. I truly enjoyed spending the time we did have together, as a family. Like I said in an earlier post, we’ve created memories that will last a lifetime. Our kids will always remember this summer as the summer we spent most of our weekends on the boat and the summer Nana & Grandpa got a pool in their backyard. The kids love the water, so having the ability to let them spend their summer being little fish is very gratifying. It’s been great; I don’t remember one that has been better. Hopefully it won’t end just yet.

But as we head towards the fall in all its colorful glory, I’m compelled to make some “winter resolutions”:
1. Work out more
2. Eat healthier
3. Recycle more, and buy more products from recycled materials
4. Read a lot more & watch a lot less TV
5. Stay organized

Wish me luck!

4th Grade

Ethan started school last week, 4th grade. Due to overwhelming growth in our area, which led to building new schools and ultimately boundary changes, he’s going to a new school this year. I’ll be honest, I was a little afraid for him. I remember starting a new school in 4th grade, it was rough for me, I was shy and I didn’t know anyone at my new school. But I know this is different for him. He isn’t shy or timid, he’s very friendly and likable, not to mention all the kids in our neighborhood are now also attending this “new” school. Luckily Ethan has several good friends in our neighborhood, although none of them ended up in his class.
He came home the first day and said how much he liked the new school, his new teacher and how he made new friends in his class. I was so relieved! The second day he seemed quiet when I picked him up. When I asked how his day was and I got the short response of “fine”. I let it go for the time being, knowing that this was something I would need to address with him later in private. That night we sat down and he told me how some of the older boys were picking on him, following him around the play ground, poking him. I told him that kids will tease whoever it seems to upset the most. I told him to ignore them and they’d eventually go away. Ronnie had a different solution, which I believe would have made matters worse. A few days later Ethan came home from school and said the kids were no longer bugging him, they moved on to someone else. He said, “I ignored them and pretended they weren’t there.” He said at first it bothered the kids and they started poking harder, but eventually they realized they weren’t upsetting him and moved onto their next target.
I don’t really remember having to deal with bullies in school, there was one girl in high school who I guess would be called a “mean girl” these days, she liked to verbal confront everyone, including me, but that was about it. For the most part, everyone got along. It’s upsetting as a parent to know that your children have to deal with bullies and “mean girls”. I guess the only thing I can do is try to instill morals and values in my own children that will help them avoid these types of kids, more importantly avoid them becoming these types of kids.

Hmmmmmm

I received two emails yesterday from friends that made me wonder "is someone trying to tell me something?"

"Life if too short to wake up with regrets.

So love the people who treat you right.

Forget about the one's who don't.

Believe everything happens for a reason.

Nobody said life would be easy, they just promised it would be worth it."

"There comes a point in your life when you realize:

who matters, who never did, who won't anymore... and who always will.
So, don't worry about people from your past,

there's a reason why they didn't make it to your future. "

"Baycation"

Ronnie and I grew up enjoying different things. Being raised by a single mom, who worked two jobs to provide for me and my brother, we learned to enjoy the simple things in life. While I enjoyed what I had, and rarely complained (we may have to ask my mom about that one), I always knew I wanted so much more for my kids.
Ronnie had a more fortunate childhood. One of the things he talked of often was boating. He grew up having family boats and enjoying the vacations they would take to the lakes. He always said he wanted to buy a boat when we were better established. We are thankful that time came sooner then we thought. And after looking at dozens of boats and figuring out what options we liked best, we purchased a boat at the end of last year. I know it seems like bad timing with the gas prices so high, but honestly, it’s been one of the best decisions we’ve made. The value of the time we spend together and the memories we are making together far outweighs the value of the money we spend in gas. If you actually think about how much it would cost to take a family of four on a week vacation (airfare, rental car, hotel, food, souvenirs, etc), it’s about the same as taking our family to a local lake almost every weekend this summer.
Since the day we bought the boat we’ve talked about what we should “name” it. I have often caught myself reading the names of the boats at the dealerships and storage facilities close to my office, some of my favorites: Romper Room, Aquaholics, Home Away from Home, Reel Fun, etc. I vowed to not name our boat until we could be that clever. Hopefully we’ve accomplished that.
Over the past few months I’ve heard at least a couple dozen times the word “staycation”, which is basically a stay-at-home vacation. With gas prices being so high and the economy being on the decline, many people have opted for staycations instead of the traditional vacation. It hit me, somehow we needed a name that told people this boat and the trips we take on it, are our vacations, hence “Baycation”.

Regret

Regret…such a simple little word, but so huge at the same time. Regret is the feeling of sorrow or sadness about something previously done or said, that now appears wrong, mistaken, or hurtful. I’ve made plenty of choices in my life, many most people would regret, but I don’t. If I could go back and change any of those choices who knows where I would be or who I would be. If I would have taken a different path at any point in my life, everything could possibly be so different. Who knows who I’d be married to, who my kids would be, or who I’d be.

The only regrets I have are the reasons for the choices I’ve made. I regret being too shy to do or say what I want, I regret that I was too intimidated by this world we live in to go and find my own way, I regret not following my dreams, because I was too afraid of failure, I regret the friends I didn’t make along the way because I was too guarded, and mostly I regret that I've held on to disappointment and hurt, and let it interfere with me being able to forgive as I should.

I’ve recently made a choice in my life that is right for me right now. One day I might regret not letting things go and moving forward, knowing that this hurdle is still in my future, instead of my past. But for now I’ll be content with my choice, for me and my family.

Although I regret the reasons for my choices, I don’t regret the choices. They’ve led me to this point in my life, to Ronnie my wonderful adoring husband, Ethan and Sophia our beautiful children who own my heart and to me, the person I’ve become with all my strengths and my flaws. I’m blessed to be where I am, and there is no regretting that.

Summer Review

I’m so ashamed; I’ve become a blog neglecter. It’s so hard to keep up when summer is so busy. When we’re not working we’re busy with summer stuff and other random things. I thought I’d give you a little run down on things I should have posted about, but haven’t had the chance.

Ethan gets sick: This last week has been crazy. Ethan picked up some sort of bug or virus. He started complaining of stomach pain and nausea on Saturday morning, in the car. We thought he had become car sick, even though he never had before, but that didn’t seem to be the case. Two days later, after several complaints of stomach pains and two days of not eating I called the dr., who told me to “pass go and go directly to the hospital”. From Friday to Sunday he had somehow lost 13 pounds. When he started out at 66, 13 lbs is way too much. The hospital did test after test and found no clear reason as so his pain or severe and sudden weight loss. We’ve been watching him carefully and he seems to be getting better. He’s gained a couple pounds and has actually started eating again. Hopefully it’s over, but it did get a little scary there for a while

Boating: Absolutely love it! We’ve had so much fun this summer with our boating trips. We’ve managed to go out almost every weekend, with a few exceptions. When we first started going out, Ronnie did it all. He’d back the truck up to launch the boat, jump in the boat to back it off the trailer, park the boat on the dock to run up and park the truck, and then the reverse at the end of the day. I’ve talked to several people we know that have boats, and I’m surprised how many think this is normal or ok. I’ve always felt I should be doing my part, and I’m so proud to say, I am now pulling my weight. I’ve learned to back the boat off the trailer and pull up to the dock (without hitting into the dock) and then pulling the boat back onto the trailer at the end of the day. I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to back the truck and trailer up, there’s just something about it. We’re so lucky to live where we do, with so many beautiful lakes to visit. We also made a short trip to Flaming Gorge; the scenery there is absolutely stunning. The kids enjoy the days on the lakes as much as we do. I’m so glad Ronnie convinced me to agree to buy a boat. I do have some fun stories, but I’ll have to post on those later.

Racing: Ethan has done so great this year racing. They are on “hiatus” right now; he doesn’t race again for a few more weeks. He’s gotten really comfortable on his 65. One day I was walking past his bedroom and he called me in and said, “Mom, racing is my life. If I couldn’t race, I’d die”. I didn’t like the dying part, but it was so cute that he was so adamant that his life was racing. We’re so lucky that we are able to afford to let him do something he has such a passion for.

Pre-K: Sophia was moved up from preschool to the Pre-Kindergarten class, even though because she missed the deadline she won’t start kindergarten for another year. Here comes the bragging…. She was so ahead of the preschoolers she was bored, so they moved her up with the kids that are starting kindergarten this year. Her teacher told me she can tell who works with their kids at home and who doesn’t by what the kids know, and she thinks we’ve done a great job with her. I don’t think we do any more then most, but apparently we do. One day when I was picking her up I listened to a little boy recite the ABC’s to his mom. I was shocked to later learn that little boy will be going to kindergarten this year, he was having such a hard time with letters, it was baffling to me that some parents think that is normal. Sophia is starting to put words together, simple words, but she is still able to sound them out.

Freak Summer Storm: On July 22nd, we had a freak summer storm which destroyed my garden. I was at work all day and although the rain and hail that fell there was impressive, I wasn’t fully prepared for what I found when I made it home that evening. Driving into the neighborhood I could tell there were some severe winds there due to the tree branches down in the streets. When I pulled into the driveway the first things that caught my eyes were the leaves that had blanketed our sidewalk to the point you couldn’t see the sidewalk, and the piles of hail that had managed to survive the 95 degree temps. The blooming garden that I had looked out on my way out that morning had become a garden of sticks protruding the soil. We were missing shingles, our window wells were full of more hail, and my poor vegetable garden was demolished.

This is my neighbors tramploine, on the outside of their yard...

This is the park in our neighborhood, the hail is still there hours after the storm although temps are in the 90's...

This street is outside our neighborhood, see the top of the fire hydrant...

One last thing: I’m supposed to attend a family reunion tomorrow in Portland with my father’s side of the family. I wish I could be there, but I hope they understand why I can’t. I would love to see everyone and I know it will be a long time before we all are able to get together again; it’s just really bad timing for us. I hope they all know how much I love and miss them all.