ONE WEEK FROM TOMORROW MY KIDS WILL BE BACK IN SCHOOL!!!!!
(Me doing the happy dance)
Please don’t judge my enthusiasm–I really do sympathize with the back-to-school teachers. (((hugs)))
Truly, it’s not because I didn’t love having them home–we had a fabulous summer.
I got some projects done around the house. Cleaned out and organized all my clothes and the closets and drawers that hold them. *fist pump*
Then it was vacation time…
We went to Vancouver on our way to Alaska.
Then on to the Disney Wonder.
Tracey Arm, Alaska
Skagway, Alaska
Juneau, Alaska
And Ketchikan, Alaska too!
We also did some local stuff with visiting family…
The 9/11 Museum.
Summer in NYC
And then it was off to LA SCBWI!!!!
Caught a baby dragon <3
And happily hanging with my tribe. <3
And then a road trip to Lake Placid with my Mom…
Miracle on Ice
AuSable Chasm
And Whiteface Mountain.
But even when I was home, there was lots going on. Camps for the kids and just hanging out and enjoying the gorgeous Hudson Valley.
And while I absolutely did lots of writing over the summer, it was always writing that was done in and around other things. It was moments stolen here and there.
Which sometimes made it feel as if I was trying to type with a wee beastie in my way.
So, as great as the summer was, I’m looking forward to some longer, quieter, uninterrupted stretches of writing time.
And while my boys are moaning and complaining about their impending doom…
I think they’re secretly excited to see their friends again and perhaps to get away from their annoying mother.
(I know–hard to believe *snort*)
And of course, the trade off for that newly acquired work time will be lunches and homework and a never-ending schedule of after school and weekend sports and activities. But that’s okay. Although I have a reputation for hating change, I’m a seasonal girl–always more than ready for the next change of weather after the previous three months. And maybe, since I can’t slow down time (even if I wanted to) it’s a good thing that there’s some change I actually enjoy.
Love the one you’re with.
How do you do with the change of seasons? Back to school? Did you get more writing done over the summer of less? And what’s your favorite season? Mine’s fall–I consider it my own personal new year. <3
Today it’s 9 years since my dad died. Every New Year’s Eve, after watching the ball drop, I sit down and write a post for him. This year I knew I wanted to include a certain song in the post, so I toyed for weeks with the idea of writing it down ahead of time. No matter what I did, I couldn’t quite make the words come together the way I wanted them to. I didn’t know exactly what I was supposed to say–until I went to the movies tonight and saw The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. It was amazing. And it brought it all together for me.
First the song…
It’s a Miracle by Barry Manilow
I keep this song on my run list and whenever it comes up I yell “Hey Daddy” at the top of my lungs and point to the sky. I’m embarrassingly loud but not really embarrassed at all. Of course, when I’m at the gym I give it up with a whisper, but he still gets a fist pump. It just feels right.
But why does this song remind me of him so much? Why does it pump me up every time I hear it? I think it’s because I’ve always thought of my Dad as having a secret life like Walter Mitty.
http://youtu.be/RTWPbgh5eiA
My dad was a gentle, complex and wonderful man who had all these crazy wants and dreams tucked away at his core, but he buried those wants and dreams because he didn’t know how to balance them with being a good husband or a good father. He was responsible and obligated. He just did his jobs. He led his life the best way he knew how. Sometimes he zoned out.
Just like Walter Mitty, my dad was a “ghost cat.”
(I won’t spoil it for you with an explanation of what that means–go see the movie.)
My world was a really good place because of all the choices my dad made and all the things he did for me, but I often wonder what he would have been like if he would have allowed himself more of the real life magic while he was here. But despite that, I’ve stopped thinking of him as having missed out. Now when I hear that song, I always get the strangest feeling he’s off having adventures and he doesn’t have to zone out to do it. I have an overwhelming sense he’s now joyful and he’s doing all the things he never did before. He’s going to the most amazing places. This is how I picture him when we’re running together.
When I hear that song, I know he HAS found his way home and I am always thankful that it’s still right next to me.
Happy 9th Anniversary Daddy. I heard you tonight…
“But the message here was plain to see Believe me…”
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