Monday morning mood

I'm not really in a "mood," but it is Monday morning. Mondays, it's so hard for me to get going; I'm not one of those, "let's attack the week!" types, lol. If you are, I probably don't like you. No, for me, it's a planning day of the week, not really a DOING day. (Also, I think there should be a BAN on weekend emails -- nothing new should be waiting for me when I first login. I'm still trying to remember what happened LAST week, and probably catch up to it.) 

Anyway, here I am: I've put my top tasks at the top of this week's planner page, and I'm sure half of those will be overtaken by whatever new Most Important Things are handed to me from other people throughout the day/week, sigh. No respect. At least I'm working from home today.

One fun thing on my calendar is New Kitchen Appliances. We bought them yesterday -- fridge, range, microwave, and dishwasher! Three of the four of those actually NEED replacing. Mostly the range -- the door and its handle are falling off, causing the glass-front to also fall off periodically. Usually while I'm cooking inside it. And it's not really something that can be repaired, it's plastic bits that have decayed and can't hold anymore. I mean, we've tried to repair it -- Shawn got washers and screws and has made it better, along with duct tape -- yes, I have duct tape keeping my stove together. So that is the impetus for the whole thing. Our fridge, too, has issues. The icemaker no longer works (first-world problem, we're using ice trays, the horror), and the motor makes a loud ticking noise sometimes if you open or close the doors. We have to shake or hit it to get it to stop. The dishwasher has done nothing wrong, it's just loud as all heck. Our microwave works perfectly, but it wouldn't match if we replaced the range, so... there you have it. BestBuy was selling them in bundles, so we bought the whole kit and kaboodle. I'm really excited. 

The NEW fridge has French doors, a bottom freezer drawer (swoon) and a special "Beverage Center," -- no, even more special than you're thinking - it's this one if you're curious. The oven will have both convection and AirFry options (how that works, I have no idea). The dishwasher is only 42 decibels and will once again have a "Delay Start" (our old house had an old, off-white (ew) dishwasher, but at least it offered that useful feature)! Delivery date for all four is August 5. We'll have to eat up everything in the old fridge/freezer before that date -- perhaps this means I won't go to the grocery store next weekend at all! We'll see. 

I can't believe summer is nearly over. Kate has one week left, and has already started some of her school volleyball season. In fact, HHS hosted a small tournament this past weekend, so we were there Thursday & Friday nights and all day Saturday. We met most of the other parents -- "our people" now, I guess -- and liked them quite a lot. Guess we'll be sitting in the stands with them, carpooling, and working in concessions. It's exciting to see your kid doing her thing, in an official uniform with her last name on it like some kind of superstar! (Oh, and she made a club volleyball team earlier in the month, in case you were wondering. It's going to involve slightly more travel than the last 2 years, and slightly more $, but hopefully we can manage it.)

Alex still has a week or two at home, but I'm trying to mentally prepare for him being gone again. :( I have a feeling we will see him less this fall than last, because he's been added to the travel marching band, so he'll be attending most of the Away games as well as the Home games (of the National Champions, I might add, Go Dawgs). He's going to be busy!

So life rolls along. This morning was nice and cool on the porch -- a relief, after a typical mid-July stretch where it's been much too hot to be outdoors, even at 7 am. I try to take care of myself with coffee and a 10-minute Calm.com meditation on the porch, as many days as possible. Even when I'm going to the office. 

And I'm trying to be open, to listen, to watch, for signs that will show me what's next for me with my job, if anything. I want a really clear sign. Like, hit me over the head clear. You might argue that I've already gotten it, what with all the poor treatment of me over the last 6 months. Each time, though, I've felt like I have to "wait out" whatever drama occurs -- Shan being fired, then my boss resigning, and now the new boss being hired. That was in May. He gave me a small raise so I feel a little bit beholden to him in gratitude, and I know he has discovered a lot of other problems he needs to fix. If I left now I'd definitely add to his burden. I also don't know where I'd go or what I'd do, yet. So that's the sign I'm looking for. Trying to be patient is difficult; I'd really love to rip the band-aid off and just hightail it out! I could hang out with my new appliances, making amazing dinners and desserts for my family, haha! But you know that's not me. I hope I'll know exactly when is the right time, and where I'm headed. 

Whoops, skipped June altogether

A meeting got cancelled just now so: found time! 

How've you been, blog friends? I am hanging in there. I've decided: I spent the first 6 months of the year grieving and railing against my new normal at work, but I want to be done with that mindset. I'm trying, as July begins, to move more lightly through it. It's JUST WORK, for gosh sakes, and it isn't brain surgery. I am doing my best. I am doing fine.

The new boss is working out okay so far. He seems to see the situation clearly. He did give me the small raise I should have gotten in January, and has promised to hire me half an assistant. (I'll have to share her, but I'm okay with that.) It might be an interesting new challenge to have a young person as a Direct Report. I assume she'll be young. It's weird, approaching the age of fifty and knowing that more than half of the work force is younger than you. But anyway, lightness and capability. I can do it, I am doing it. 

If I start regular exercise/walks again next week -- this week has been too hectic -- that will also help. I get really bummed out, and depressed, and downright hateful about work, when I don't workout. So the only way to continue managing this job with lightness and capability, until I can leave it, is to MANAGE the mental health. So say we all.

Meanwhile, home is in summer mode. I realized this week that it's my last year where summer will be harder than the schoolyear -- next summer, if all goes well, Kate will be driving. It will leave me free to go to the office without worrying that I need to take her somewhere or pick her up. YIKES. That is a gut-punch, as well as a huge relief. The very definition of "days are long, years are short." 

We had our family beach week in June (lovely long days in the hot sun and cool water); we repeated our July 4th from last year at Alex's girlfriend's neighborhood, with her parents; and tomorrow little AJ from blog-days of yore will turn 19! We have a lot to do in the next few weeks to get him ready to move to his first off-campus apartment in Athens. He doesn't yet have a bed, eek. I am counting on Amazon and Ikea to help us quickly resolve those issues. It's been so nice having him here this summer. 

Big deal today is club volleyball tryouts. Club season doesn't start until October, but tryouts for every club in town are this weekend. We're trying a new team this year, which makes us both, Kate and me, nervous as all get-out. Butterflies in the tummy, both for the new place as well as feeling weird/bad about leaving the old one. But we'll see what happens. Good vibes and prayers for Kate are appreciated! 

Lots of Good News

I have so many things I want to share, and I don't want to forget them all, so for this Friday, a quick brain cleanse with bullets:

• Alex and Kate both got straight As for 2nd semester of their respective freshman years! I mean, this is not a surprise but it's still mighty impressive, and wow, it's fun to be a parent and get to be proud of your kids for being hard workers, and smarty-pantses.
• Kate made the high school JV Volleyball team (tryouts were this week)! This relieves the sting from last year's disappointing result, for sure. It's going to be a fun fall season. I want to remember this, from the coach: She told Kate she was really impressed, that Kate had clearly worked on all the things she told her to work on last year, and she said, 'You proved me wrong.' !! Validation. And commendation because Kate did, indeed, work REALLY hard this year.
• My company hired a new General Manager and he seems nice enough... We'll see. There are some people who "only give him 6 weeks," but I'm hopeful it will be a good change.
• I have been told multiple times what a good job I'm going in my new role. I've had to admit out loud, to both the new manager and others, that it really has been hard. However, I'm starting to feel like I halfway know what I'm doing, and when this higher-up told me he could see that I'm more relaxed, and confident, THAT was a boost of confidence.
• Shawn closed on the sale of his mom's house! Huge weight lifted from him! Of course it's a mix of emotions, selling the home he grew up in. But he has worked so hard on all the paperwork and lawyer discussions and dealings with banks etc., and I'm so proud of him. It's been hard to sit on the sidelines but since I wasn't named an executor, it really was kinda all on his shoulders. 
• My mom's two procedures, a knee injection-in-lieu-of-replacement, and a carpal tunnel surgery, are both DONE and hopefully will be successful for her! Less pain is very much YAY. I'm so happy my sister and brother-in-law got to be with her this week to help her while she recovered.
• I just had a huge win at work, getting rid of a project that was an absolute albatross around my neck - the people affected were agreeable to it and I'm SO relieved.
• Kate was confirmed at church 2 weeks ago, and it was a JOY-FILLED 2 days, with her cousin -- the daughter of her godparents, incidentally -- coming to stay with us and serve as her Sponsor. I would love to write more eloquently about how I felt that night at the church, but I don't know if I can articulate it. We were surrounded by friends (kids and parents from her St. Joe's class of 9 years), a former neighbor and longtime church member who had known her since she was tiny, surprising her with a sweet card, PLUS having family there from out of town... it was a holy moment, indeed. My heart needed to feel that full, and it was so good.
• (And now for a complete shift,) I have done 5 full days of Intermittent Fasting (16 hours fasting/8 hours eating window) and it's not that hard, and I feel pretty good, like it's already a helpful thing for me. The book I ordered about it should arrive today. I am excited to delve a little further, and feel optimistic. The doctor/author seems to know her stuff, and says this way of eating helps not only weight loss, but all the other things as well. It reduces risk of disease, inflammation, blood pressure, etc etc etc. Snake-oil? We'll see, but I'm willing to give it a go.
• The weather has been lovely the last several days! I just had lunch on the front porch with Alex and it was cool, breezy, and I think I'm going to finish my workday here as well. 
• It's about to be a 3-day weekend! I hope you have something fun planned! We don't, really, but I am so grateful already for the day off, and for it being summer!

Sports Lessons

It's about to be club volleyball season again, so last night Kate and I went to her club's gym for Day 2 of tryouts. It was not one bit fun. 

(Well, I was happy to see mom-friends from last season, but the mood of the room was pretty fraught.)

Our club, for whatever reason, conducts tryouts "from the top down." I don't know if all the volleyball clubs do it this way. On Day 1, this means they begin forming their #1 team, a team at the "national" level that will travel to multiple tournaments outside our immediate geographic area. Kate and I prefer a "regional" team, which plays most of its tournaments in the Atlanta metro, but does travel out of town for one tournament (driving distance). And you can indicate, up front, which types of teams you are trying out for (there's also a "local" level which is exclusively in-town tournaments). 

Of course the very most ambitious girls usually want to be on a national team. Kate wants to, too, but for budget and time reasons, that's out of reach for us. I can't justify spending for plane tickets or gasoline, and hotels, 8 or 9 weekends of the spring, plus a final trip to Orlando in the summer. And I can't just take off work whenever I want to on a Friday to go to these tournaments. So we chose "regional" on the sign-up form. It's still stupid expensive at that level, but at least manageably so.

Naturally then, she didn't get picked for the #1 or #2 teams which are national. On Day 2 they started building the #3 regional team. All the girls rotate around the courts and gyms, playing non-stop while the various coaches stand on the sidelines with clipboards and iPads, making notes. One by one, girls get called over by coaches, and there they receive their offer to be part of a team. 

It's brutal. For many reasons. Number one, and my mind has been trying to formulate this thought all weekend, is that we PAY to tryout -- so we pay for the privilege of hoping that we'll get offered the chance to... pay them more money as a member of a team. Highway robbery, no? 

More important than that, though, is that as your daughter is playing her heart out, trying to show off her very best skills, she's seeing her friends and teammates get called over, while she maybe doesn't. If she's not called early in the day, then she knows she isn't being chosen for the higher level teams, which is discouraging. The later it gets, the worse she feels. And yet she has to keep playing her best. 

Anyway, Kate was the very last of her friends to be pulled last night, with about 20 minutes left of the tryout. She was offered a spot on the #5 team, which to her, means she isn't very talented at all. (I argue this point -- the #3, #4, #5, and #6 teams are all "regional," and so I see them as all the SAME level, but Kate does not.) She isn't on the same team as many of her friends from last year (most of whom got offers for the #4 team). So to her, it was a failure. AND YET, as I keep trying to gently point out to her -- some girls in that gym played until the very end and got NO offer. 

Is this the most heartless of systems, or is it just my momma heart that can't take it? 

I hope that in a few weeks the pain of the tryout will blow over and she will be making new friends on her new team, and they will play well together. Sports, man. They're not for the weak.

There's Another Plan

Well, it didn't go the way she wanted. 

When she came out of the gym, her eyes were wet but almost convincingly bright, she was trying so hard to keep her emotions in check. The coach spoke to each girl individually, I guess, because she told Kate if she'd had 16 spots on the team instead of 12, there would have been room for her. Told her to improve her speed getting to the ball, and be louder. Kate said she didn't understand how girls who didn't perform as well as she did, got a spot at the callbacks. (Boy, did that one resonate with  me -- I watched SO many theatre auditions go that same way, where the girls who could only kind-of sing got the big roles and I was always, always relegated to the chorus even when I knew my voice was clearer, more on-pitch. Maybe not as loud, but definitely prettier. Sorry not sorry, it was true.)

Anyway, it's a crappy lesson to have to learn, but I guess we all have to learn it somehow. You can't always get what you want. 

I'm proud of her for trying, for fighting her nerves and going for it, and for coming out the other side okay, despite the negative outcome. I talked to her (texted her) about going back next year -- the coach encouraged her to -- and how that would show character and persistence. And I bet a lot of the girls who made it this year were rising sophomores who didn't make it last year but came back. It isn't like marching band, where they can take basically an unlimited number of people -- there are only so many spots. And she asked, "How can I get better over the summer?" which makes me the most proud. The club she played with this spring offers some summer day camps which she can go to, and I bet they offer other things throughout the fall, too. And of course there's next spring's club season.

She's most disappointed, I think, because she had set her heart on this being her "identity" in high school. And that's a really big thing to have to let go of, for now. She probably doesn't even realize that's what hurts. But God's got another plan for her and we'll just have to wait to find out what that is.

Tough thing to parent a kid through, that's for sure. Do not recommend, zero stars. 

Tryouts

High school volleyball tryouts are this week -- last night and again tonight. Our KT baby is 1) old enough for high school (!) and 2) very, very eager to play on the Hoyas' team. Last night went well, despite her nerves. I reminisced about feeling nervous for an audition/tryout. (She had tried to accuse me of not knowing how it feels. Ha!! Hahahaha!) My entire teenage life was about auditions/tryouts! Every musical I ever wanted a role in, and I think there were at least 11 of those, and every single high school year (except the year I skipped) cheerleading. I remember, indeed. The butterflies. The dread. The clammy hands. The having-to-go-to-the-bathroom so many times. I did not envy her last night, you can be sure. 

But she was brave and actually thought it went really well. (Naturally, parents were barred from watching.) The coach had a style she was familiar with, the drills they did were nothing she'd not seen before, and she knows what she needs to show them tonight. 

Doesn't make ME less nervous for her, though! There are 47 girls trying out for about 26 spots on the team. 

Various friends from club volleyball and other places have had their tryouts, as well. Some of the other schools in the area have a 9th grade team in addition to JV and Varsity. Not ours. I wish we did. 

I'm at work today of course, but every time I stop for a minute, I remember what's coming at 6:00 pm and I get a little shiver of butterflies. It's so big. A potentially defining moment, whether she makes it or not, I guess. She should know by the end of the evening. 

Volleyball Mom: I'm learning

Here are a few things I learned this weekend about club volleyball tournaments:

1. They are equally as exciting/nerve-wracking for a parent as marching band competitions
2. You can enjoy them while not fully understanding all the rules of the game (and believe me, I do not fully understand!)
3. You can meet new parents as you cheer on your kids together
4. You should definitely bring a book for the hour-long breaks between your player's games, when her team has to referee for two other teams that you don't care much about (I'm so glad I had one!)
5. Bring snacks and drinks not only for your player, but for yourself
6. Or you can go get drink-drinks with your cousins who are club volleyball pros, and this is a better option
7. The merch table is a dangerous pit -- do not go near unless you're ready to part with a lot of dollars (of course I did)
8. You will be tired and cranky by 5pm if you don't eat any actual meal

So, we traveled across town to Kate's tournament this weekend, both Saturday and Sunday. Long days. I'm actually so GLAD that Alex had other things to do -- it was his Honor Band weekend for the county/district, so he had a whole day rehearsal on Saturday and a performance Sunday afternoon. He would have been bored at the volleyball thing, and would probably have felt a little out of place.

(I also learned that I really don't like having to miss one kid's big moments while watching another kid's. Thank goodness for video.) 

Anyway, we went, and we invited Lara and Jeff on Saturday, whose daughters played club volleyball about 8-10 years ago. That was a good call and added some fun to it for us. 

Kate's team lost every single set they played on Saturday. It was terrible! After they lost the first one, they just couldn't muster any positive energy. None of them played like they usually play! But Sunday, they managed to come back and win a match, which helped their morale a lot. It's really fun to watch them as they're learning these big sports/life lessons.

Next week is our travel weekend, and we'll go to Montgomery, AL for a 2-day tournament. Just a couple hours' drive from here, but it's exciting to stay at a hotel and all. The parents are making plans and goody bags and I hope it's a good time. 

Alex has a percussion competition (he's playing cymbals this semester in the percussion ensemble!) the same day, so Shawn will attend that instead. I really hate missing things. But I suppose it's time to start getting used to that, as the first kid prepares to leave the nest in the fall.... IF he gets in where he wants to (Georgia Tech), of course. We're waiting on pins and needles until Spring Break, I guess, when those decisions get made. 

Tonight is an 8th grade night at the high school so I'm taking Kate. So much transitioning to new things lately! Maybe that's why I feel a little ...adrift? Unsettled? Something. I can't quite get solid bearings; everything feels like it's swirling around me a little bit. I sit down to work and am unfocused. I try my best to do one thing at a time, but it's hard. 

I'm not stressed over it (yet), although I did have a stressful moment Sunday night when every group I'm part of started text threads at the same time. Band moms, Volleyball moms, basketball moms, and just regular friends, ding! ding! Ding-ding! I nearly turned the phone off altogether. And meanwhile, teens and preteens were sighing loudly at me (and speaking like teens speak to parents, which is to say, somewhat unkindly).

This is the time of our lives, right? :) 

No cooking this week! Well, I have some salmon I might make on Thursday, we'll see. 

Today is Shawn's Birthday

Happy birthday to my Darling Husband! Today, I will bake you a cake! 

(I seriously love working from home.) 

He went to his office, on the other hand, on his birthday. We are both gluttons for punishment; back in June I worked on my birthday, too. BUT: In a wild act of celebration and treating himself, he did not make a lunch this morning. I think he's going to have a Jersey Mike's sub, and CHIPS. And a full-sugar SODA! 

He has some presents to open later and I will make his favorite meal -- say it together, everyone: Chili. :) It's a perfect winter climate for it, that's for sure! I wrote in my planner for January (because I'm so cheesy) that I want to celebrate him and make sure he feels loved on his birthday, and chili is definitely the way.

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Things have been rolling along, here in '22. Kate and I have attended her first club volleyball events, for which I finally broke down and bought bleacher seats with a back to lean on. These tournaments are long days in multi-court gyms, always on metal bleachers, and my lower back is not a fan. Hopefully the seats will help. Still, it's fun watching her have fun. Our determined little athlete. She really plays hard and gives it her all. 

Alex is doing All The Things in his spring semester senior year! And excelling (sorry to brag, but it's my blog and I will keep bragging): He auditioned for the county Honor Band and made 2nd chair clarinet, and then he went on to audition for All-State and made that, too! (He says he's last chair for that one, but I say, it's still a chair!) So there are several concerts in our future, with the preceding day-long rehearsals for him. He's playing cymbals in the Indoor Percussion Ensemble (new instrument!), and I think he's joined the Jazz Band again, as well?! Not to mention his two AP classes. He's a rock star.

Side note: It's so interesting to me, how in my family of origin, one of us kids (me) did all the artsy things (theater, choral performance) and one, my sister, did all the sports (basketball, cross-country, and later, crew and triathlon). History repeats.

All-State Band will be in March in Athens, a 2-hour drive away, and he'll miss a day of school. I booked a hotel. Along with Kate's out-of-town tournaments (one for basketball and one for volleyball), that means I have three hotel reservations at the moment, in the next 2 months. I hope I can keep everything straight. The problem is both kids seem to have events on the same weekends. Shawn and I are having a Big Calendar Meeting this weekend to work it all out -- who's going where and when. I am not stressed about it, just want to get these many ducks in a row. So I don't ...quack. HAHA!

I'm somewhat nervous that my manager is going to throw in work-trips for me, also; we have lots of tradeshows in March, ughhhhh. Pray she doesn't. I suppose I need to tell her about my personal calendar, but you know what's weird? Those things don't really get discussed as much because we don't see each other at the office anymore. We used to go to lunch once a week, but it has been a very long time since that has happened. 

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This semester I am not even trying to make real "meals" every night of the week. Instead, I'm writing "take out" or "fast-food" or a new term we learned from another family: Helpy-Selfy. Haha! I love that. Full meals are for Thursdays, Fridays, and Sundays only. All other nights are spoken for with practices. Here are some of the things we've eaten lately:

• A cheater's version of meatloaf, mashed potatoes and corn: Old Standard. Everyone likes this, possibly even better than "real" meatloaf. I am opposed to the NAME of meatloaf (so unappetizing), but I enjoy eating it. 
• Sushi & Ramen! Using Kate's kit that she got for Christmas, we made homemade California rolls a couple of times. It's fun! ...although the process makes quite a mess.
• Chicken & Dumplings in the crock pot. I like C&D and it seems like something my Georgia native kids should know and love, for some reason. Is it a Southern food? I don't actually know. But this recipe was good, flavorful. I didn't add any vegetables because that doesn't seem right. I want my C&D to be a thick, carby white food. We had salad on the side and crusty bread to dip into the soup.
• Pork Carnitas Tacos (crock pot again). Very yummy. I made a lime crema (learned it from Hello Fresh), and served with black beans, shredded cabbage and cilantro. 

Lots of Proofreading and Memory-Making

It's a busy time for me at work. Our product catalog is in production, as well as another mini-catalog, so that means I'm doing a lot of proofreading. Most of our publications originate in Europe, so that means I change a LOT of "fibres" to "fibers" and "colours" to "colors." And all the "-ise" words to "-ize:" Realise, minimise, accessorise. It's tiresome, but easy work. I can put on an album and get into the flow of it. Our office has moved, but we're still waiting on final inspections before we can actually GO to the new building. I've seen my cute new office (I got a real room, not a cube, woo!), but I can't set my stuff up yet. I LOVE the idea of putting things away in an orderly new way. A place for everything (except all the old stuff I happily threw out) and everything in its place. I bought myself a little violet plant for my new desk (no windows, so it has to be something that does okay in fluorescents), and I have new school pictures to put in my 5x7" frames, so come on, building inspectors! For once, I want to be there! 

For a day or two. Then I want to work from home again. ;)

Updates: Band

Alex's senior marching band season has come to a close! Or, it will, tonight at the Fall Awards Reception. We made it! All the Friday afternoon/evening meals, all the competitions, all the football Fridays have finished, as well as our memorable trip to Orlando. The poor kids did not get to march in a parade at Universal  after all: Weather prevented it. I had seen the forecast for "90%" chance of rain, and thought, "Eh, it's Florida. It will rain for 10 minutes and then clear up again. This happens every afternoon." 

I was so wrong. It POURED rain from 6:00 am until 10:00 pm, non-stop and hard. And cold, for Florida. The high that day was about 65. But we put on our ponchos by golly and endured it, because we had paid money to be there! I guess the band kids were happier, even, because it meant more time on the rides than they would have had. 

Anyway, the Thrash family enjoyed our time at Hogwarts/Diagon Alley, drank our butter beer (yum), practiced magic with our $60 (!) wand, and rode every ride we could fit in. Most of them were simulators with 3D video, which I enjoyed at first. But I'm here to warn you: at age 47 after several of those in a row, the inner ear is not a happy inner ear. I closed my eyes in each of the last 5 or 6 rides we did, and breathed very deep, slow breaths. I still feel a little sick remembering it. 

On day 2, we hopped over to the Magic Kingdom, leaving Alex behind but happy to be in the Happiest Place on Earth. (We really did like Universal, though, and want to go back. Lots of rides were unavailable because of the rain.) I'm so glad we took Kate to Disney again. Last time she went, she was four years old. So this time was completely different -- we rode all the "roller coasters" they had. In quotes because Disney roller coasters are not very scary or big. She was scared of them! But brave! And we loved them all. Seven Dwarves Mine Train (a first for all of us), Big Thunder Mountain (my very favorite), and Space Mountain! We even stayed until the fireworks show (also a first! when the kids were little we never stayed late) at the castle. It was a Magical day, for sure. And we were so tired, after 2 days of it. But it was so worth it.

Volleyball

Club volleyball started last night with Kate's first practice. Here's what I was hoping for: All the moms who've done this before welcoming newbies like myself... someone asking where we live... perhaps finding a neighbor who asked did I want to carpool (the practice locations are a 25 minute drive for us)... coaches giving us parents a friendly welcome speech and "here's how it's going to work," and Kate receiving the $500 worth of uniforms I bought a month ago.

Exactly none of that happened. 

Maybe it will, on Wednesday when the practice is JUST our team (last night was a "master coaching" practice with a mix of several teams). But so far my eyebrow is raised. I can see 2 tournaments on the calendar so far, one local and one in Montgomery, which isn't too far away. So that's a positive...

Meals

When we got back from Orlando last Sunday, what sounded good and was easy was a good old spaghetti dinner. Yummy. The rest of the week we ate:

• Chicken enchiladas
• Chicken and Rice skillet
• BBQ shredded pork (bought for a fundraiser), which we've had two ways so far - once as sandwiches on buns, and once as a "pork plate" with green beans, baked beans, and King's Hawaiian rolls. There's still a lot leftover.

I'm planning one other interesting meal this week, which is:

• Pineapple Pork with Coconut Rice

I'd also like to make a tortellini/sausage soup recipe my sister sent me, but not sure anyone but me would eat it. Bummer. Maybe I should make some for my lunches.

Next week is Thanksgiving! Can you believe it?? We're going to Pensacola to be with my parents and I can't wait to make sausage dressing with my Mom, and Apple "Waldorf" Salad for my Dad. :)

Big Wins

Alex Update:

The Harrison High School Marching Band won their first competition of the season, with a huge score of 92.1 (usually scores are in the 80s)! It was a great night, a local competition here in our county. They worked SO hard. Just a week prior, we had seen the end of practice (a "Parent Performance," the night that we had our dinner party) and it was a sad, sad state of affairs. But hard work and adrenaline made it all come together and it was a beautiful performance. So proud of them! We go on to our out-of-town competition this Saturday.

Alex was also named one of the top 50,000 kids taking the PSAT for the National Merit Scholarships, and was recognized for that. Top 50K doesn't seem that great unless you think about the number of high schools in your own state, let alone the whole country. Then it's pretty impressive.

Kate Update:

After a harrowing day of tryouts -- mostly because she was shooting daggers at me the whole time -- Kate made the volleyball team she wanted to make. She was mad at me because I wouldn't let her try out for the National/Travel team. Her 3 friends from school were all trying out for that highest level (only one of them made it). But sorry, girlie, I still have a full-time job and I knew I simply could not make that work, especially since this is our first go-round with club volleyball. Still, she played her heart out and maybe the anger even fueled her to do better. On day 2 of the tryouts, I watched from across the gym as she was pulled aside during a drill. She went to the sidelines and the coach said a few things to her and then fist-bumped her. Kate smiled ever so slightly, but her whole body relaxed and got lighter in that moment; she hopped off to get back to the drill but I knew they had offered her a position on the team. And, oh, my heart just swelled with happiness for her. What a moment. 

My bank account may never recover from this, however. Did you know that sports (outside of the little Catholic schools' league we are used to) are Stupid Expensive?! Imagine me looking at the grand total just for the uniforms (because there are so many "optional" pieces that I know she will want) and blinking slowly, repeatedly. Yikes. (Mom and Dad, don't worry, we have it covered, it's just surprising.)

Shawn Update:

Yes, there is a Shawn update! He also had a big win this week, in that his Atlanta Cornhole League team, The Sigourney Fevers 2, WON the local tournament last night! I'm so happy for him and his buddies. I like that he has this way to relax and have a beer with friends during the work-week. And I love that they WON! They now go on to a state ... wait for it ... Corn-ament! ;) 

Me Update: 

My Events Planning band job is kicking my butt. Everything that can go wrong has gone wrong. My partner got Covid, for starters. We have a home game and a competition this weekend so I'm having to manage those without her (thank goodness there are plenty of volunteers). And our next event, Senior Night, has had hiccups as well (the location we wanted is unavailable; the caterer is unavailable). It will all work out but it's caused me to wake up THINKING in the middle of the night, and that's always terrible. 

Last night was the first one in a while that I've gotten to stay at home after work. Alex had his piano lesson, and I did run to the grocery store, but after that, I sat on the couch and read my book. A luxury! I'm reading The Book of Lost Friends by Lisa Wingate -- a book I picked up while just browsing at Barnes & Noble, and how long has it been since you've done THAT?! so fun! -- I really like it so far. I was tired from getting my flu shot the day before, so a night off was just what the doctor ordered. That was MY Big Win for the week! :)

Getting Through the Days, vs. Enjoying Tiny Moments of Joy

The days are long, my people, but the years are short. Gretchen is right.

The days are indeed long.

We survived the last week of September, although I cringe to even type that -- "we survived." Of course we did. The only difficult thing we had to deal with was a calendar with too many things on it. Not the Plague that still plagues us, or a death or a catastrophe. Why does my brain default to, "Just get through this long day," instead of waking me up with thoughts like, "Okay, today has some FUN stuff in it, like a Sales Meeting in a pretty hotel with your out-of-town co-workers, and then tomorrow we get to go downtown to the Big City to see a concert at the Arena! On a school night! That we bought tickets for 2 years ago! Wheee!" 

Instead I thought, "Ugh, I have to drive on the Interstate THREE days in a row and I hate driving on the interstate. Meanwhile, I hate to ask other people to rearrange their lives to pick Kate up from school because of this work meeting. Also, I don't even really LIKE Lauren Daigle's music -- and I feel awkward around the people we're going with, as nice as they are -- I wish I didn't have to go to this concert and be out late on a Thursday in scary downtown."

It could have been the pull of the moon if ya know what I mean, but I felt all week like I was pushing myself, that I was constantly behind, especially with my professional work (still trying to pound out 8 hours a day, which hasn't ACTUALLY happened since March of 2020, and I should be okay with that by now), and that I was surely going to crumble from stress. I didn't, of course. I got through it with the help of Shawn, and of kind friends. In fact, the meeting was fine, the Interstate was fine, the concert was quite good -- and no one upon no one knows or cares if I work 8 hours or not.

Tuesday was the best day. It was Alex's college visit at Georgia Tech, and I took the day off work. He loved the campus, and I think it energized his college search/application motivation... at least for that day. ;) We did the official info session, the student-led tour, had lunch on campus, bought a t-shirt, the whole works. He is not sure he wants to go to an engineering school, but I can see him there... maybe. We still have a few other campuses we want to look at, and a lot of work to do, application-wise. But that was a good day.

Saturday was the craziest: Alex had a 9 to 9 band camp day. Kate had a volleyball tournament across town. Shawn had invited friends to our house for a little casual dinner party. Thank goodness the work event for THAT day (oh yes, there was one) got cancelled. I left my own dinner party early to go help at the band camp concession stand.

Through the whole week, I was really trying to find tiny moments of joy. Here are a few I wrote down:

• A short walk with Alex in our neighborhood on Monday
• Talking w/my aunt Kimmy about an upcoming trip to Orlando
• Sitting on the front porch in the cooler fall mornings
• Being in a college bookstore (swoon!)
• Feeling "part of the team" (work)
• Listening to a great podcast while on the Interstate
• Driving safety
• Seeing a sunrise when getting the newspaper 
• The smell of making gumbo reminding me of the holidays and my mom

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Last night Kate and I went to her first "clinic," or "Train for Tryouts," for a club volleyball team. One of the things I have loved about Kate's school volleyball team is her coach's emphasis on having fun. He's a parent volunteer coach, a really good one, and before every game, I heard him tell the girls, "Hey, let's just have fun out there." I think that's missing from so many kids' sports these days. And it was missing last night, I'll tell you that. This club, while not the MOST aggressive in the area, is definitely in it to win it. The 2-hour clinic was a fast-paced, drill-heavy workout, and Kate left it feeling like she isn't good enough and definitely won't make a team. I'm sure she will, but I'm NOT sure it's a good idea to commit to that level of difficulty. 

She says she still wants to try out, and while I'm hesitant, I guess we'll go to the next clinic on Wednesday. 

This week's evenings are packed with activity, as well, including one Alex just told me about this morning -- his induction into the music honor society at school. Also on Wednesday, ha! When I was planning our dinner menu this week, I decided that since none of us was going to be home at the same times this week, I did not need to plan any sit-down meals. I bought hot dogs and buns, pasta and sauce, pizza crusts and toppings, frozen black bean burgers, and we have leftover gumbo & rice from the weekend. It is WEIRD to not have planned a single weeknight meal!