One for the History Books

The school year has come to a close.  All three kids achieve outstanding grades and created lasting memories.  I am so proud of all three for what they accomplished this year.  Here is a blurry picture of Trisha as she leaves middle school for the last time as an 8th grader.  I can't believe she is going to be in high school!!

Unfortunately the kids have had to learn some very hard life lessons.  About 2 weeks ago, one of the star football players from the high school drowned.  Kristin knew him pretty well since he briefly dated one of her friends, was in the class ahead of hers, and was friends with the guy that took her to prom.  His death brought back all the pain and sorrow from the tragic death of another friend back in December.  Then, two nights before school was to let out for the summer, Trisha learned that one of her classmates had taken his own life.  That tragedy has left me stunned.  Trisha and I have talked.  She's asked 'Why?' and I've told her that there will never be a way to understand what all was going through his head to make him feel that that was the only solution.  The accidental deaths are no less tragic, but they are easier to understand 'Why'.  All we can do is pray for them and their families.  And hug and kiss our own kids as often as we can.

The summer is already packed with activities.  Blake and Trisha have camps to head off to.  Kristin has volleyball conditioning and a 3-day-a-week babysitting job.  I have Knitters Connection and a girls' weekend away. Ed has his 6th Ironman Triathlon.  Together we have a week at the beach.  We may not be able to fit in a trip to Tennessee this year.  The kids are going to be disappointed about that, but I'm not sure when we'd be able to fit it in.

On the knitting front, I finished the baby blanket for my friend, but forgot to take a photo of it before gifting it.  I'll see if I can get my friend to forward a picture to post.  I'm now trying to get Decimal finished.  I have another summer sweater waiting in the queue, but have vowed not to start it until Decimal is off the needles.

Busy days

It is hard to believe but the summer is over and Labor Day weekend begins tomorrow. Now begins the busiest time of year for me, and my favorite season.

Since I last blogged, the kids have started back to school. Here is Dancer before heading off to her first day in a new school. No longer is she going to the private school of her elementary years. She gets to now experience school in fashionable clothes, walking instead of bus riding, and the extensive resources of a public education. So far, she hasn't shown any signs of home sickness for her old school, but I'm getting prepared for the inevitable. About two weeks into the new school year is when it hit her older sister. Dancer is making a lot of new friends. There are many other girls to hang out with after school, which is a big positive.



VBGirl also has adjusted well to the new school year. To my complete amazement, she has been setting her alarm every night and getting herself up in the mornings. I haven't had to harrass her about getting out of bed. It makes my mornings much more pleasant!!! Both girls are fixing their own breakfasts and totally attending to themselves. I sometimes wonder what aliens abducted the real VBGirl and when she's going to return.



Both girls are busy with their volleyball. VBGirl has had 4 matches already. Her team has a 2-2 record. The games have been extremely exciting. I can tell how much the girls have learned since last year. Dancer has just begun practicing. Her matches won't start until mid-September. She is playing on a team from our church since the public schools don't start sports until middle school. Dancer's other extra-curricular activity is dancing, of course. She will have tap and ballet lessons on Monday nights. She is taking those lessons with her best friend from her old school, Sare Bear. Dancer and Sare Bear have been best friends since pre-Kindergarten. Sare Bear is staying at the private school. It has been hard to separate the two girls, but since her mom and I are friends, I'm sure they will remain friends also.

Dash started school 3 days after his sisters. He is still at the private school and is loving being the only one there. Ed gets him up and off to school after the girls leave and I head off to work. Towards the end of the summer, he began getting anxious to return to school. He was getting bored with hanging around the house everyday. It was difficult for him to see any of his friends because they don't live in the neighborhood and, like us, their parents both work full time. It is ironic that Dash's most entertaining week at home all summer was probably the last.



For the past two weeks we've had a house guest. Two weeks ago, Ed's best friend from college flew into town. The plan was for the 'boys' to go up to Lake Erie to meet another college friend, spend a day or two up there, come back here for a day, and then Tim was going to borrow our camping equipment and tour Ohio for a week or so. Well, as they say, 'The best laid plans of mice and men...' While in Sandusky that Friday evening, Tim encountered a little misfortune which resulting in him being stuck at our house for a while. Even though he felt like he was imposing, he actually helped out by hanging with Dash all week because the girls were back in school but Dash wasn't. Tim and Dash played games and watched videos all day. In the evenings, Tim, Ed and I would sit out late on the deck, eat dinner, and enjoy a beverage or two (or three). Earlier this week, Tim did manage to get away for a couple days, but returned yesterday. We spent one last evening out under a full moon. Today, actually about now as I type this, he is heading back home, provided he was able to get past the airport security without his driver's license. He may need to return later this autumn to deal with his misfortune, but that is still not fully determined.

In a way, I'm going to miss having him around. It was a nice change of routine to have another adult to talk to. Even though I've known Tim for about 18 years, I've never had much of a chance to really talk with him since he lives in California. It was nice to finally get that chance, even though the circumstance that allowed it sucked.



And finally, the tomatoes in my garden are finally ripening. Here's the lastest cache. The pepper are still not ripe and the watermelons are rotting on the vine. My green thumb is a bit brown and mushy around the edges.



Oh, and because of all the activities listed above, not much knitting has happened. With volleyball season upon me now, I'll get a little more in during matches.