Less than half of Summer left?

Isn’t it interesting how you yearn for the future season, only to have it arrive and find yourself still longing for that greener grass that neglected to show up on schedule? That’s kinda how it’s been around here. Where are the lazy days of summer?

May found me counting down the final days of 6AM risings post baby-induced sleepless nights, anticipating finally catching up on those countless hours of sleep lost to the throes of Whooping Cough and teething, producing a child who has missed out on early lessons on sleeping alone, content to spend her entire existence latched to Mama’s bosom (and yes, she is currently right there at this moment, catching a late afternoon nap). And the dog was finally to be trained to not jump all over people, all 40-some pounds of her, to be content at home and not constantly attempt to take unauthorized excursions all over the neighborhood, and refrain from messing upstairs in the bedrooms, which a previous owner’s pet apparently considered his toilet.

Instead, we have encountered a seemingly never-ending stream of activities and events, from sports camps, band camps, concerts, and most recently Vacation Bible School, and T-ball/baseball for two of the middle boys. We spent nearly two weeks away at my sister’s, and carefree vacation scheduling, bookended by 20 hour drive to and from, attempted all in one burst to minimize childish whining (theirs or mine, I can’t rightly say which). All of which to say, I’m still exhausted and I’m afraid my coffee habit is not improving.

Having had a taste of what having four kids out of the home would feel like this week during VBS, I’m somewhat ashamed to admit I’m looking forward to the start of school. In fact, two days a week, five of them will be enjoying themselves in the large brick building next to our parish Church. Maybe I’ll finally have time to put a decent website up for our web design business. Isn’t it funny how projects for other people have a habit of demanding more of our attention than our own?

Actually, I need to amend that count, as my dear, sweet Brian will also be going to school. He’s been admitted to our local 2-year college in their Digital Media Technology program. It’s a new outgrowth of their marketing division, dedicated to all things digital and artistic, from graphics to digital photography and videography. At the end of the program, he should have both an Associates Degree and license to find a career in a field eager for his artistic talent, kissing the “water boy” job good-bye. As long as he can pass those pesky humanities courses! Academia is not his forte, but I know he will enjoy the degree-oriented work.

So what has been accomplished, then, this summer? Baby Zizzy, as we’ve taken to calling Eliza, has finally taken her first steps, just shy of 14 months old. A couple web design projects that had been simmering are nearing completion, one of which is an actual truly paying customer (the other is a streamlining of an existing volunteer project I keep for a group to which I belong). Loose plans for the complete re-construction of the upstairs of our home have been articulated, my father as the contractor-in-charge, with his newly acquired carpentry knowledge learned at the side of my long-time contractor uncle in Hawaii, coupled with a research project undergone to unearth the original plans to this surmised 1920’s era home, and a quest for possible historic site status. A couple actual, real books have been read, and my feed reader’s subscriptions have shrunk in an attempt to regain ground lost to the cyber-ether. Obviously keeping up with this blog can not be included among things accomplished this summer, though not because I haven’t got anything to blog about, a failing I’ll have to remedy.

Enjoy the last few weeks of tranquil summer, dear readers! I’m going to attempt to focus my thoughts more upon the moment, not anxious for the next season and presuming situations will be more to my liking. I’m also going to find a place to hang my replacement hammock, take a book outside and read! (Currently absorbed in the second volume of the Inkworld series by Cornelia Funke and a manual on Infant Potty Training.)

~ by Bekah on July 24, 2009.