Big Night!

I'm so excited because we finally have a babysitter or, as Elizabeth puts it, a kidsitter. And she's the best!

It's true. Brian and I don't get out much. In fact, the only time we do go out is when our parents are in town visiting. We've just never known a responsible teen whom we've trusted with our children. However now that my good friend's daughter is old enough (and looking for employment opportunities so she can buy a car), we called on her. Emma's a responsible kid, and my kids have known her for a very long time so they are comfortable with her. She's fun yet not ridiculous like some most teen girls. She has a good head on her shoulders and a brilliant mother. Really. I can't think of a better mother for a teenage girl today than Jennifer. If I need parenting advice, well, first I might go to my own mother, but if I need parenting advice for today's world I call Jennifer. She's insightful and just plain knows stuff and about stuff and about people in general. Emma is lucky to have her leading her through these murky waters, and while I drove her home tonight I could pick up that Emma knows that. A teenage girl who not only respects her mother but recognizes that she's right about a lot of things? Yes, she's really different from the others in the best ways.

So Brian and I got to enjoy a nice evening out at a fundraiser held by a lady from his work. Sure all everyone talked about was work, but it was just fun to go out and act like grown-ups. On a Thursday. When no one was visiting us.

All You Need Is the Beatles

Well, for a little while at least.

Monday I finally loaded the iHeartRadio app on my phone. I was tiring of Pandora, and the radio station keeps telling me to do it. So I did it. The app immediately asked for my music preferences, so I made my selections and waited a moment for their suggestions. I didn't get far. The first recommendation was "Beatles 24/7." Seriously? Play!

I'm on my third day of all Beatles, all the time. Yes, I realize that's a lot of Beatles. I already know I have an obsessive personality, so you're not telling me anything new. I am, however, having a blast cleaning the house, reorganizing the linen closet, bathroom vanities, and sorting through my piano lesson books from twenty-five years ago all because the jobs are set to a Beatles soundtrack.

It's a good thing I'm alone all day because I'm certain others would find my antics obnoxious, and I'd end up embarrassed. The music is my spoonful of sugar. I'm not just getting through these mundane tasks; it's as though I'm hardly noticing the effort. For example, I'm hitting an imaginary cowbell on "A Hard Day's Night," screaming "Jude, Jude, Jude, Jude, Jude!," and timidly singing, "eat wild rice" because I've never been able to figure out that lyric in "Penny Lane" but am too proud to look it up, answering back with my own "yeahs" in "It Won't Be Long"--yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah--then shaking my head sideways with the riff, and trying my best (though I'm sure unsuccessfully) to harmonize with the guys on "If I Needed Someone."  I am completely lost in the music yet getting so much accomplished. I feel like I'm sailing around the bowling alley (remember that movie?) when this one comes on, but I probably look more like a leprechaun dancing. But you're not there so it's okay and I'm smiling!

Oh Shut Up, EB.

This is the time of year that Eddie Bauer tortures me. I enjoy looking through the catalogs, imagining my family (well at least Brian and I as their catalogs are way short on children) doing all those outdoorsy activities in woodsy and lakeside settings. Then reality always wakes me up, and it isn't long before I'm bitter because I'm stuck sweating in the stupid desert. With no woods. And no (real/clean/mountain) lake. It's 112 degrees in the shade here. I don't need your dumb jacket, Eddie!

I can complain about it every year, but I'll never say it as well as I did last year.

Christmas in July

My guitar teacher Bob says getting new strings is like Christmas. He's right!

It's not recommended to use the same strings for literally a year and a day, but that's exactly what I did with Genevieve. I brought her home on July 27th last year, so on this 28th day of July 2014, Bob taught me how to restring my guitar. It's not as hard as I thought it would be, and I'm glad I don't have to take her into the guitar shop every time it needs to be done. I'm no little lady. I love being a capable woman. I suppose the next thing I have to figure out is realizing when her strings should be changed because I didn't think she sounded bad. However, after we switched them out it was clear that the old strings were dead. Poor thing couldn't sing to her full potential, but boy can she now! She sounds bright and true and, oddly, a little softer. That might be because I don't have to try as hard. It's not effortless, but the strings ring longer and the chords blend better on the changes than they have for a while. She just sounds better, plain and simple.

When Seagull installed her original strings, they cut off the excess string close to the guitar. Bob, a professional musician, uses a different technique. At first, I was afraid she would have curlicues coming off the top of her head, but he assured me she would not. I'm still fuzzy on why they should be a little longer--something about it being easier to change the string if it breaks--but I've never broken a string so I have no idea about that. I hope I never do break a string because I'm fairly certain that would scare me to death. In any case, here's what she looks like now. I think it looks a bit messy, but maybe it will grow on me.

After he taught me that, we went over a few things and I was sad to have to say good-bye to Bob. My lessons with him were gifts. My good pal Jennifer bought me the lessons for Christmas, and then my dad bought me another month's worth for my birthday. So I had a total of ten lessons with Bob. I would like to carry on with him, but I'm a stay-at-home mom and lessons just aren't in my budget. He also lives fifteen miles away. It was fantastic to have him evaluate me and assure me I'm on the right track, and he taught me a lot and gave me a great foundation in a short amount of time. There's still a lot of information I need to wrap my head around, and I know I will do that better without the pressure of going to a weekly lesson. So it's a good thing I went to him for a bit, and I will go back to seeing what else I can do on my own. Maybe someday I will need to call on him again for some help.

I'm going to miss him. At the end of my lesson, sometimes we sit and talk for a few minutes. He's a super cool guy and a talented guitarist who's been playing since he was five. He started in 1964 after sitting on the living room floor while his older brothers watched the Beatles on Ed Sullivan. He said he was playing with his train set (his favorite toy at the time), and when he heard the Beatles he looked up and was captivated. Never touched the train again. He likes to play on his own, he likes to teach adults and kids, he's been in some bands, and he's a darn good songwriter. He's shared some original songs that some of his students have recorded, and today he shared one of his own. Unlike my friend Jennifer who does not like listening to amateur songwriting, I really enjoy it. So he threw on a song and asked for my feedback (because I'm loaded with credibility?). In any case, it was cool to hear him do his thing.

So I'm taking what I learned from Bob back to Justin and seeing how far I can go. Genevieve is all freshened up and ready for the adventure. In addition to going to more musical places, I'm also going to try my hand at guitar string jewelry. I figure making them into bracelets is the perfect way to hang on to Genevieve's original strings. I've looked up how-tos and the possibilities are endless. This one is my favorite so far, but there are so many ideas to choose from it's ridiculously overwhelming.

Wish me luck. With everything. I'm going to be so busy!

Not So New but Very Improved

Friday is laundry day. As I was hanging out in my beautiful laundry room two days ago, I realized that although I vented and complained to you about the process of that room coming to be, I hadn't shown you the finished product. Well that's not cool! Brian worked really hard on it, and it was definitely worth the wait.

Though the laundry room is bare bones right now, it's organized and efficient. I spent a good portion of my time last school year making my entire house more organized and efficient. This year, my goal is to maintain that order and add some personality to our home. Make it more us. My friend Julie's home is very personalized with lots of touches that make it feel cozy and homey and just theirs. In fact, there's a huge, gorgeous family portrait on canvas above their fireplace. I don't know that I have that in me exactly, but I definitely want to add some more photos and put more reminders of what really matters within our view. We don't have a fireplace anyway. A home is always a work in progress.

Back to our new and improved laundry room, it's tiny but I managed a few shots. A wide-angle lens would have been helpful, but this was the best I could do. Here is the view as you walk in from the garage.

Here's the view as you're walking to the garage. Cleaning and laundry supplies are tucked away in cabinets now instead of sitting on a wide shelf above the washer and dryer.

The alcove is the best. There's a practical counter, the cabinets hold our sports equipment, there are baskets for our shoes, and I absolutely love my laundry sorter. It makes laundry day bearable!

Last but not least, a curious Matthew was wondering why in the world his weird mother was taking photos in the laundry room.

Tough Day

It may sound strange that a tough day for me included three naps, but that's how it went down. I awoke at 4:20, was running at the park by 5:30, strength training with friends at 6:30, and forgetting my breakfast an hour later. That's were it all went wrong.

I even made it the night before! I had my yogurt with mashed banana, berries, and almonds in the fridge, but I left it at home. I was so disappointed but also too cheap to buy food with my coffee at Starbucks. I may have saved some money, but I paid for that poor decision all day.

Lesson learned. Waiting two hours to refuel after exerting yourself in hot weather is two hours too long. Eat the carbs and protein when you need it. If you don't follow that advice, you'll feel woozy and weak and a bit nauseous all day.

That's me. Always learning!

♫ Here Comes My Guy ♪

Since reading my plot for a Tom Petty musical months ago, you know he's one of my favorite musicians. Well he's sharing some new songs with the world again! I'm excited and happy he has so much to say. I like how he says it in music and in this printed interview. Tom's my kind of guy! Except maybe not to converse with according to the video that goes along with that interview. Don't do drugs, kids. And buy his new record.

Playing Games

Elizabeth's Aunt Meg introduced her to the phone game Draw Something. Similar to Pictionary, you draw a clue and your opponent has to guess it. Meg is very artistic and talented at drawing, and Elizabeth enjoys art so they've been sending pictures back and forth.

Elizabeth invited me to join her in the game. Unlike Meg, I am not good at drawing, and fat fingers on a tiny touchscreen does me no favors. Elizabeth may enjoy playing with me only to laugh at what I try to come up with. Sometimes she gets home from school and exclaims, "Mommy! What is this?"

Well this morning I opened up our game and was thrilled with my clue. I wonder if she will get it? Can you? Sadly, this is one of my best efforts. And I still did it wrong! Once you figure out the clue, can you also find my mistake?

When Positive Reinforcement Turns Negative

I never pretend to know it all. I have a lot to learn and I'm always learning. Every day a person or experience teaches me something, whether it's good or bad. I also do a lot of teaching. I admittedly don't always get it right, but I try to behave the way I want my children to behave. Sometimes it works and they develop good habits such as always wearing their seat belts. Other times I need to remind them over and over again to do something or to not do something.

Fortunately, I've had the opportunity to sit in a lot of elementary school classrooms, and I've picked up some tips on how to manipulate children into making good choices. The most powerful I've seen is the giving of positive reinforcement to peers. "Thank you for pushing in your chair, Emily." Suddenly, the kids who didn't push in their chairs are going back to their desks and pushing in their chairs. And no one yelled at them or even told them to do it. Genius. I decide I'm going to try this at home.

You see, after dinner Elizabeth always clears her place at the table and takes her dishes to the sink while Matthew leaves everything where it was to go do something fun, fast. So after dinner last night I thanked Elizabeth loudly for helping to clear the table. Without a word, Matthew walked from the family room to the kitchen table, picked up his plate, and walked to the sink. I didn't say a thing but was thinking, "I did it. I got him to do it. He's learning. This is so great!" He set his dishes by the sink and I was opening my lips to thank him when he picked up Elizabeth's dish and put it back on the kitchen table. Oooooh. Mom was denied.

Hmmph. Teachers don't know everything. I bet they learn something new every day, too.

Summer Soundtrack

Summers are fun. It's also fun to relive them through music. So when I was a preteen and teenager, every August I'd make myself a cassette tape of the popular songs from that summer. I don't know where those tapes are now. I suspect my parents threw them out, but I wish I could listen to them today to see what's on them. I bet memories of the Summers of '88 to '94 would come flooding back. Or not. Who knows? But I'm sure I'd do plenty of smiling and even laughing if I listened to them now.

The other day I was reading an article about the top ten songs of this summer, and I didn't recognize many of the song titles. Am I officially an old fogey? I listen to the radio--maybe not the coolest stations but it's still popular music. Occasionally I go to classic rock, but we're mostly tuned to the pop stations. Unless a rap song comes on. Yuck. And even though these two sort of ruled the summer, Iggy Azalea's and Ariana Grande's music just isn't my cup of tea.

For the kids and me, it was pretty much a OneRepublic summer. If we weren't listening to them, we were listening to ten other songs that prompted me to ask, "Do you know who wrote this?" Elizabeth caught on soon enough and would automatically sigh, "That guy from OneRepublic?" "Right!" She is now well-versed in Ryan Tedder's songwriting and can find the similarities in the openings of "Love Runs Out" and Adele's "Rumour Has It." Yeah, he did write that. He also co-wrote that new Maroon 5 song so we may be setting ourselves up for a Ryan Tedder fall, too. I don't know, though. Jason Mraz is gaining strength with his new album and I'm liking it. A lot. But it's hardly fall yet, even though I think it is because I'm all alone while the kids are at school and have time to ponder stuff like this. It's definitely not summer anymore.

So although I'm not going to make a cassette tape to celebrate Summer 2014, I came up with a few songs that will forever remind me of these past few months. These aren't necessarily my favorite songs. In fact, I dislike John Legend's song of cliches so much that it doesn't stay on for longer than a few notes, and when I really listened to what Sam Smith was saying I no longer cared for that one. If you have a pretty song then write nice lyrics for it, people! But Paramore really is fun and that's what summer should be.

Sara's Summer of 2014 Soundtrack

"Love Runs Out" by OneRepublic

"Am I Wrong" by Nico & Vinz

"Rude" by Magic!

"Sing" by Ed Sheeran
"Believer" by American Authors

"Stay with Me" by Sam Smith
"A Sky Full of Stars" by Coldplay

"Me and My Broken Heart" by Rixton (easily Matthew's favorite tune right now)

"All of Me" by John Legend
"Raging Fire" by Phillip Phillips

"Cool Kids" by Echosmith

"Ain't It Fun" by Paramore

"Maps" by Maroon 5

"Love Someone" by Jason Mraz

Freedom!

Just kidding. But not really.

The kids went back to school today so, thanks to our carpool arrangement with the neighbors, I do have some freedom from about 8:00 to almost 3:00. I'll comfortably drop off the kids at 7:45, and Hannah will pick them up in the much more chaotic parking lot at dismissal. Hey, it pays to be a morning person. My commitment is about ten minutes and hers probably ends up being twenty. That means more freedom for me! Unfortunately, that freedom is more about getting things accomplished rather than doing fun things I want to do because my must-do list is a mile long. I was working like a dog this morning and exercising what I feel might be manic behavior. I reminded myself that there are a lot more school days so I don't have to do it all today. There's really nothing to report except some cleaning and errands.

I was excited when the kids ran through the front door after school because I had been looking forward to hearing about their day. Elizabeth said she thinks sixth grade is going to be really fun, and Matthew proclaimed that this was the best day of his life. When I asked why he said, "I love school. I love my family. I loved everything about today. I love PE." I think the PE teacher's everything-is-awesome attitude must have rubbed off on him. Fine by me! This kid came home and was so excited to start his homework. He had to do it. Now! When I asked him if he wanted to go out for popsicles first he said no. Who is this kid? I hope he sticks around. His homework was to decorate a box of tissues for his classroom. Clever.

He worked on one side tonight and gave it a Minecraft theme. Of course he did. For a change, Elizabeth was the impatient one who just wanted to go out for popsicles already!

But let me back up to share some photos of the kids this morning. First, I really don't know why they can't blink at the same time. Gosh!

our next door neighbors/carpool buddies, Alex and Luke

Matt on the playground

Who are all those old ladies sixth graders?!

So after school and after Matthew's homework, I took the kids out for a treat to our favorite Mexican popsicle place called Paletas Betty. They gave me more details about their school day over a cool treat. Bonus: I captured a photo and no one blinked.

We're hoping for another fun and productive Day #2!

Go for the Bronze!

The highest award a Girl Scout Junior can earn is her Bronze Award. In order to earn it, girls must invest twenty hours towards a service project that is sustainable. They must come up with their own ideas for projects, weigh the pros and cons of each, choose a project, do the research needed, complete the project, and then prepare a summary and presentation of their work.

Elizabeth had been wanting to earn the award for the past two years. We started researching a project about a year and a half ago with one of her friends, but it fell apart. This time, another of her friends was on board and they saw the project through.  I'm really proud of Elizabeth. She took the responsibility seriously and worked hard. She went to the first meeting and presented four project ideas. After they narrowed down the ideas, she did her homework by making phone calls or sending emails. After they nailed down the project, she did her research and her part to make it happen.

The project they chose was to plant a tree at their school. While planting a tree doesn't sound like a project that would take twenty hours, these girls are ten years old and had a lot to learn. As a Girl Scout leader, I understand that their activities are supposed to be girl-led. There's a fair share of manipulation you have to do when the girls are younger, but now that they are older I've really tried to take several steps back and allow them to work through things either by themselves or together. At this point, leaders are more like coaches--there to teach them the skills but they gotta do it while they're out there on their own. So when it came to this project, I made sure at least Elizabeth was thinking things through for herself. There were a lot of steps and she took them slowly and one at a time.

First she had to email the principal for permission to plant the tree. That sounds like something you or I could knock out in a minute, but she'd never sent an email before so she had to learn how to do that on the computer and figure out what to say and how to say it. I think she first typed chicken-pecked, "I want to earn my bronze award. Can we plant a tree at school? Where should we put it?" Well that doesn't beat around the bush, it also doesn't sound very polite or explain much. I read that and realized that I had to take my coaching job seriously, too. So we backed away from the computer for a moment and discussed exactly what she wanted to tell and ask the principal. Her second draft was less rough, and her final draft was loads better than the original. It's obviously written by a fifth grader, but she learned how to communicate more professionally and with respect.

Dear Mr. H---,

I'm working on my Bronze Award for Girl Scouts and I would like to make more shade. My solution is to plant more trees or a tree at the school. I was wondering if I could meet with you before or after school on Thursday or after orchestra to talk about this possible project.

Sincerely,

Elizabeth N---

Next she met one-on-one with the principal. I was there but sat back and let her do the talking. Of course, prior to the meeting we again discussed what she was setting out to accomplish and how to go about doing that respectfully. Though she didn't say exactly what I would have said, she was confident and polite and eventually got the answers to her questions.

So in the last few weeks, she's set up a time and place on the school's campus to plant the tree, worked with her friend to pick out a tree from Home Depot, and today they showed up with shovels and planted the tree with some help from Sophia's dad. Sophia's mom snapped this photos of their hard work.

There's a new tree on campus just south of the sixth grade classrooms courtesy of Elizabeth and Sophia. They and their peers can see their tree every time they change classes. All that's left to do is to figure out what to make and sell to recoup the money they had to pay for the tree themselves, put together their project summary, and give their presentation to the rest of the troop. I hope they inspire the other girls to work towards their Silver Award within the next three years. I have a feeling these two are already planning on getting that one, too. No manipulation necessary.

Tender Moments

Elizabeth and I had a sweet moment today. I was playing my guitar and she came in the guestroom to listen. I finished what I was doing and asked her if she wanted to play. She's held it and strummed it before, but today she looked like she really wanted to play something. I asked if she wanted to learn a chord; she smiled really big and nodded.

I taught her the E chord, gave her some tips, and within a few minutes she was almost strumming-picking-strumming it cleanly. We were both smiling and enjoying the moment. Those are the times I hope she remembers the most when she reflects on her childhood--the relaxed and enjoyable moments.

I wonder if Matthew will remember our sweet moment watching the moonrise the last time we went camping. He and I were walking to the restroom and I could see the glow of the moon above the mountains. I scooped him up and told him what was about to happen, so we stood there together and watched the moon come up. I said, "I'm 38 and never saw a moonrise until now. You saw one when you were seven! How cool! I'm really glad we got to share this moment." He replied, " Your breath smells."

Leave a tender moment alone, Matt.

Peace, Peace, Peace

That's my new mantra. I've found myself repeating it in my mind (and sometimes out loud) nearly every day this week. It's working. Well, it's helping. Most of the time.

I have a bad habit of taking things too seriously, getting anxious, and losing my wits when under pressure. I really have to stop all that because there's a lot going on that's really good and I'm focusing on the wrong things. I need to pay attention, be mindful, and be present instead of allowing my mind to fly off into some land of insecurity and worry when I'm in uncomfortable situations, especially now that the start of the school year is upon us.

Oh man, I have to speak in front of a room full of teachers. They don't even care what you're saying so don't sweat it.

Oh man, what if I run into the one, two, or ten teachers who intimidate me or make me nervous? Relax. They won't even notice you, what you say, or what you do.

Oh man, I have to greet these parents tonight? I know people but not everyone. If I don't know them do I ask if they're new to the school? How insulting would that be if this is their fourth year here? You gotta figure that if you don't know them, they probably don't know you. And if you haven't seen them in four years, chances are you won't see them again until next year's Meet the Teacher night.

Oh man, why did I say that? or Why didn't I say or ask that? or Geez, Sara. Get a hold of yourself! Well that's a good one. Yes, get a hold of yourself, woman.

Just breathe, calm down, and repeat "peace, peace, peace" until they all think you're nuts. Better yet, accept that you're human--just as everyone else is--and be yourself. Only be the version that's brave, confident, and fearless. Yes. Do that.

Still Strummin'

Though I took the summer off from lessons with Bob and Justin, I've kept playing. I'm doing the same things over and over, but that's okay because I enjoy it. My niche is strumming open chords. That's not hard to do but it's what I like. It's also not very impressive, even to a seven-year-old girl. I played "Let It Go" for Lila while we were at the beach and she sang along twice, but she never begged Aunt Sara to play her little Barbie guitar as I had fantasized. Oh well. I never claimed I was talented. The best I can ever hope for is to be layered in on rhythm with sixteen other guitar tracks. Dream on, Sara.

It's hard to believe my own sweet lady Genevieve is turning one at the end of this month. Awww. They grow up so fast. I got her almost a year ago and we've had a lot of fun. She's doing well even though I admittedly don't take very good care of her. That's gonna change! In fact, it already has.

A few days ago, the kids and I went to the guitar shop. Elizabeth is in the market for a ukelele, and I was determined to finally get a humidifier for my wooden acoustic guitar that lives in Arizona. We got some birthday ideas for Elizabeth, and I got a birthday gift for my guitar. Genevieve hasn't shriveled up into a raisin yet, in fact she's showing no signs of distress, but I wish I would have gotten one of these earlier. Whether she needs it or not, I feel a whole lot better now that I bought her a Dampit to protect her from hot and dry air. Next up, new strings.

Once she's all set up like new again--and these kids go back to school--I'll return to my lessons with Justin. I'm ready to be inspired and excited about learning some new skills. Can't wait!

Fifteen Years Later

Last week was our wedding anniversary. Fifteen is a big one so I had big plans for us to celebrate. Plan A was to recruit a team for the Ragnar Trail Relay in Lake Tahoe. That's where we honeymooned, I had a blast during the Ragnar Trail here last October, and both Brian and I like being active and know some other couples who could join us. Unfortunately, Ragnar postponed the inaugural Lake Tahoe event until the summer of 2015. Bummer.

Plan B was to visit and explore Sequoia National Park for a few days and then stay in the Airstream hotel in Santa Barbara for another few. My parents would come out to stay with the kids, and we'd have a week alone. Well that plan also fell through because of something out of my control. Life happens. I'm extremely grateful my dad is well and healthy. He can't travel by air yet, but we were fortunate enough to see him and Mom at the beach. So I can't be angry about not going on our anniversary trip.

I am, however, ashamedly disappointed. Yes, we had a lovely vacation and got to see a lot of our family. It was fun and relaxing and low-key, and I'm glad we went. But there's still a part of me that wishes we could have done something--anything--to celebrate a little more than we did. Because this is how it went down:

Our anniversary was the day after we came home from vacation. I spent the day doing four loads of laundry, making a list and shopping at the grocery store, and playing referee between my two kids who didn't have any grandparent, uncle, aunt, or cousin buffers around anymore. Someone tell me please why they can't just leave each other alone. I waited all day for Brian to call and ask if we all wanted to go out to dinner even though I would have said, "Oh no. I can make something. We need to get back to our normal eating routine anyway," but he never called. To be fair, his day was no better. He went back to work and back to the frustrating project he's been overworking on for months. So I bought some steaks for us and shrimp for the kids and made the most of it, except I messed up the steaks and forgot to buy potatoes. I was also out of rice so it was just steak and raw vegetables with hummus. That's barely a meal and not even close to being a celebratory meal. Though we don't exchange gifts, I did pick up a card and an $8 pack of Starbucks VIA (for which I had a $2 coupon) because the lady who buys and makes the coffee at work sometimes doesn't do it and he needs back-up. Wow. Fifteen years together and he gets a gift like that? Well it did beat the one he didn't get for me, I guess. But we don't typically get each other gifts so what difference does it make?

What am I so upset about? Nothing.

I'm happy. He's happy. We're happy. That's really all that matters. I only wish we could have done a little something more to mark the occasion. Fifteen years is big these days but it's just a number, right? Sixteen is even bigger so there's always next year. Or our seventeenth. Or eighteenth.

One Pretty Strong Lady!

Well now I've seen everything. This woman is my hero. If anything in this whole wide world is amazing and incredible, it is she. I've never seen anything like it and, unless you were also watching last night, you haven't either.

Back-to-School Mode

In May I couldn't believe the school year was over so soon. Now I can't believe our summer is over already. The kids go back to school in a week! Matthew starts second grade and is surprisingly excited about it. Elizabeth is looking forward to her last year of elementary school. We've been busy getting lunchboxes, uniform shirts, water bottles, and haircuts. It's such a process! 

I've also comfortably fallen back into my role as PTO secretary. I guess I missed it. Since we've come home from vacation, I've worked hard at carefully and thoughtfully crafting a flier, a teacher favorites form, and some other stuff. It's good to use my noggin, and it's good to use it on something I care about so much, I suppose. I just need to remember to not lose my noggin this time around. 

I'm glad my kids aren't terribly nervous or anxious about the start of the year. I used to always get that way, but they seem to enjoy their school and their friends and I'm grateful for that. I was looking through some first day of school photos over the years today.

Here's Elizabeth starting kindergarten in July of 2009. I've since learned to remove all promotional materials from the front door before taking these kinds of photos.

Here she is at the start of first grade. Man! What is up with me and terrible backgrounds? There's a three-year old Matthew, too! 

Elizabeth and her friends Lauren and Nina looked a little nervous on the first day of second grade. 

Third grade started off well in 2011. Here she is with Iris and Nina.

Matthew started kindergarten when Elizabeth went to fourth grade. There were some big changes at the school that year, too. The most obvious was uniforms. 

The first day of fifth and first grades, I had a new camera and snapped lots of shots.

So now we wait until Monday for this year's first day of school photos. I hope second and sixth grades go well for them and all of us. I've heard from friends that this could be a hard year for us as parents. The transition to junior high is not an easy one, but before we even think about that we have to get through all the emotional "lasts." This will be her last first day of school there and that's sad to think about. She's really enjoyed her time there so far and I'm thankful for these six and, hopefully seven, happy years of school.

I remember her first day of kindergarten. She was so excited, and I was so overwhelmed. Buses, cars, big kids, teachers with stop signs and whistles--we were so not at preschool anymore. My baby was starting school for real! In addition to all the photos above, I found this video taken on that day. She's so small, but notice how she almost plows down the kids in front of her so she can get into that classroom already. You also hear a baby Matthew crying and my voice quiver when I say goodbye to her. She's going to be just fine, but I'm already crying over the start of sixth grade.

Like in the Old Days

Physically, I haven't been feeling like myself for a few months. I probably look different, too. Have I stepped on the scale? No. I don't even have to. I'm sure I gained a few pounds, but I honestly do not care about my weight. I care more about how I feel, and I feel different but not in a good way.

I know why. I'm not training for anything. No new goals are set, therefore I'm not working harder. I'm doing the same things over and over. Except when I'm not. Though I consistently run three miles about four times a week, I haven't been diligent with my strength training. My elbow hurt and, though it feels better it's not totally better, so I want to work it but not so much that I hurt it again. It's been a slow process but I'm lifting items more carefully, stretching my arm when it feels like it needs it, and pampering my elbow with a five-minute massage at least once a day. It'll get there.

When I woke up this morning, I felt just about every muscle in my body. The delayed-onset muscle soreness from Fitness with Friends yesterday was the perfect pain to feel all day long and the reminder I needed that that's what I should be doing more often. I still have some soreness and I'm relishing it. For the first time in a long while, I worked my body hard. I concentrated on slowly and methodically moving through the exercises and the pain is my payoff. I need to keep doing sessions like that so I can get back to feeling strong and confident and energized. I miss that.

My runs haven't felt very strong lately either. Sure it's hot and all, but I'm also not striving to get better at anything. I'm not trying to run farther or faster, so I think I need to run smarter. Starting tomorrow, I'm going to try to incorporate some interval training into my runs. It's probably going to feel like a lot of hard work and even though I run for sanity, I think putting in a little more effort will be as good for my soul as it is for my body.

So here's to a new (or former) fitness work ethic.

Hot Stuff

It's so hot here, and I feel like I've been sweating since I got home Wednesday night. Even in the grocery store I don't need my hoodie. Waaahhhhh.

Though it's humid in Georgia and North Carolina, it wasn't that bad while we were there. In fact, my last run in Georgia was one of the best I've had in a while. Brian and I went on a trail run at Kennesaw Mountain, and the trees provided shade as well as gorgeous scenery. I wish I could run those trails every day.

Meanwhile, back in the desert, my friends and I met at the park at 5:30 this morning and it was already 92 degrees. Today's high was 110, and I'm watching the news now and the current temperature at 10:15 pm is 97 degrees. Yuck. None of us had a great run this morning. I felt like I was suffocating and had to take three walking breaks during a three-miler. Aimee and Janette suffered through their runs, too, so we certainly didn't break any land speed records. This is the time of year in which we are forced to embrace our summer pace, and we're not happy about it.

There's nothing to do but consider this: Should we leave the heat only to have to come back or would it be better to stay and deal with it? That is the burning question.

The Other Half

Our week at the beach was sandwiched between two visits to Atlanta. We flew there, spent a few days with Brian's parents, rented a car, and drove to the beach. A week later, we returned to Atlanta for a few more days, this time with Brian's brothers joining us. Here are some pictures from our time in Atlanta.

Our first day there we visited the Tellus Museum, a really nice science center north of the city. The kids love stuff like that.

Matthew digging for fossils

He found a tooth.

Elizabeth panning for gems

I think Sue enjoyed finding the gemstones as much as the kids did.

The grounds at this museum were beautiful and very well-maintained.

When we came back the next week, we were so excited to meet baby Jonathan and see Brian's brothers and Meg.

Mike and Jason put on a lovely fireworks display. Both Jason and Grandpa bought fireworks so we had plenty to see!

Matthew enjoyed them from the window. He's not big on loud noises.

But Elizabeth was brave and held the sparklers.

Our pretty day on the lake was very fun, and there are lots of photos from it.

Jason did most of the driving. Jonathan was not a fan of his infant life vest.

Elizabeth and Matthew did some tubing.

Matthew doesn't like "high speeds."

Sue and Jonathan

 We found a nice cove for some swimming.

Elizabeth, Meg, Brian, Matthew

Mike and Matthew

Matt and Sue

It was all too much excitement for Jonathan.

After lunch and swimming, we really got into the tubing. Everyone but Bob, Sue, and GiGi had a turn.

Mike

Meg

 We found the best shots were those of us falling off.

Brian

Jason

Matthew didn't want to fall off, but he was sure to perform in front of the GoPro.

Then Elizabeth got a little fancy.

I, on the other hand, never claimed to be graceful. These are for Jill. She was disappointed the video was shot from so far away and, probably, that it was not also in slow motion.

The next morning, we took a leisurely hike on Kennesaw Mountain. It's very pretty and shady and green there. Brian and I returned a few days later to run the trails. So nice!

Bob, Mike, Meg, Elizabeth, me, Matthew, Jason, and Jake the Dog

Elizabeth and Meg

Matthew and me

We took a few more pics before Meg and Jason had to leave for home on Tuesday afternoon.

The kids, especially Elizabeth, enjoyed Jonathan. I think he liked them, too.

It was a nice visit with everyone, and we were able to do a lot while we were there. We wish we lived closer and that we could see each other more often. That might happen soon as Sue is considering retirement in November and may want spend some time winters in Arizona with her mom. And us. Until then, we'll have to fly to Georgia, Pennsylvania, and maybe even keep driving to the beach to meet up with all our relatives.