Friday Five: Health, books, friends, and (2) kids

1. Health update: I finally got a negative Covid test this past Tuesday, thank goodness! Took forever... and I punished myself, I guess, by continuing to test so many times, hoping. But anyway, I'm so glad that's over. I still feel some lingering effects, like a persistent need to clear my throat a little, and by the end of the day, I get a little stuffy nose. For those general two weeks, I was having to allow myself some afternoon naps -- I got so tired! Made me even more grateful for WFH, not that they would have allowed me to the office with Covid. Both the nose thing and the fatigue seem to be getting better now. (I would still like to allow myself naps, however!) I never lost taste/smell, thank the heavens above.

2. I got new books! One afternoon last week, while both kids were at a graduation party from 2 until 8, I took my solo trip to Barnes & Noble. It was so fun. I came back with a copy of The Borgia Confessions, which I hope will be good. It's been a good while since I've read a 15th-century Catholic-church-scandal-drama, lol. From now until the beach trip, I downloaded from the e-library an Emma Donohue novel, The Pull of the Stars, set during the time of the 1918 flu epidemic. Appropriate! So far I love it.

3. For my birthday we had a double-date! We never do a ton of double-date-nights with friends, well... because we don't feel like we HAVE that many couple-friends, really. Or schedules don't line up. (People who have kids, y'know?) But for my birthday, I decided that's what I wanted to do. We made plans with Allegra, my best band-mom buddy, and her husband, and had a lovely, lovely time! A couple of peach bellinis helped, to be sure, but even without those I think we would have enjoyed it. (I only felt slightly bad that I chose to go out without the kids for my birthday. Then I stopped that thought; sometimes you have to allow yourself a wish granted. I deserved it.) Last night, we met up with the family of Alex's future UGA roommate for pizza. It was also fun, and they said they'd like to get together a few more times before the boys head to school. A little as if they're interviewing us repeatedly, Shawn pointed out, but I still want to. ;) So yay!

4. Alex is enjoying some downtime after a very full, very non-stop senior year. I'm glad for him. He deserves to rest and relax; he's reading for pleasure, gaming, sleeping really late. I even think he's been bored some of these afternoons. (Good!) This week, though, he had his very first job interview. Fingers crossed, because I can't have him bored all summer, and a little spending money will be nice for him to have. Yesterday he and I went to lunch at Panda Express, one of his favorites. I'm trying not to think about the finite number of days we have left with him at home....

5. Kate is away at WinShape. In every photo we've seen, she seems utterly happy, no surprise. But I woke up in the night thinking, among many other things for over an hour, about how she's cut off from her 8th grade friends this week (phones aren't allowed), and the minute she gets back we'll be going away again, to the beach. I guess July will require some social events planned for her. I want her to keep those friends close.  

Hooray for Fridays! We have Alex's senior piano recital tonight, and maybe tomorrow we'll see a movie (and maybe do some dorm shopping? At least that's one thing I'd like to do...). 

Things I'm Excited to Buy

First, though: Graduations!

Last Tuesday:

And last Thursday:

 

We did it! Both kids decorated with Honors, making us so very proud.
I also got Covid. I don't want to talk about it. 

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I have some things on my summer wish list right now; want to talk about them? 

1. A new wall calendar! Our very last St. Joe's school calendar ends in June -- it has been a constant companion on our fridge these last 13 years (!), handy because it already had half of the important dates printed on it. I'm happy because 2022 calendars should be on sale, probably, and I can finally choose a pretty one. (The St. Joe's calendar, while handy, was not pretty in any way.) 

2. A beach-read paperback! I just started The Midnight Library on my Kindle, and I can tell I'm going to like it; however, I will probably finish it before our vacation at the end of this month, and besides, I am not a fan of bringing my Kindle Fire to the beach. Stupid glare. I could go back to using my original Kindle, I guess, with its paperwhite screen... maybe I will dig that thing out and try to charge it and see what happens. But still: A good paperback is the ticket. I have no idea what I want so I might allow myself a fun trip to Barnes & Noble to browse -- one of my very favorite things in the world is to browse a bookstore and leave with something new!

3. Feta cheese. This is silly and small, but I keep seeing "summer salad" recipes online that use orzo and feta (and veggies, of course). I bought the orzo this past weekend but I forgot the feta. The salads seem so delicious and refreshing (just please: no mint) and I need some new lunch inspiration. 

4. New athletic shoes. I've been wearing Asics Women's Gel Venture the last several years in a variety of colors, and I like them, but I'm also kinda ready for something new. I'm trying to be good about buying athletic shoes frequently, because that's one thing my doctor told me about both back pain and foot pain: Wear good shoes. Old-lady shoes. Supportive shoes. So, fine, I'm an old lady. At some event I was at recently, two women were talking about these Hoka One One (?) shoes that seem to be trending; I never know what's on-trend so I was glad for a little insight. I would rather not spend $150/pair, but sometimes it's worth it.

5. All the dorm things! Yesterday Alex secured a dorm room for himself and his roommate, and I've been reading the packing lists and looking at the pictures and trying to start thinking about buying all of that stuff. It's so hard! For one thing, you just don't know exactly what the kid will want, maybe not until they get there and start living there. I guess I should stop right there and just be okay with waiting -- there is such a thing as Amazon Prime, after all. If he gets there and decides he needs XYZ storage cabinet, we can order it and have it to him in 2 days. Also, it's hard having a boy who claims he doesn't really care about rugs or full-length mirrors or comforter designs, when I myself would like his room to end up looking like something the Property Brothers designed -- subtle, yet neat and sensical. Ha! I guess I will hope that he'll develop a Personal Style as he gets older, and until then, a bed with a pillow is truly all he needs (and all there's room for! it's like decorating a Tiny House)!

Next Two Weeks: This Is It!

I joke a lot about Not Planning This Very Well, when my friends marvel that I've got both a graduating high school senior and graduating 8th grader this year. I really did count wrong: When we got pregnant with Kate, I looked at the age Alex would be when she was born (3), and thought, "oh, perfect! He'll be a high school senior when she's a freshman! He can show her the ropes!" I forgot to notice the months, and the schoolyear cutoff month, and all that. Whoopsie. Not that there was anything to be done about it, but it didn't cross my mind again until, oh, a few years ago when Alex actually started high school. "Waiiiit a sec," I realized. "He'll graduate when... oh. Shoot." Haha. 

So anyway, the next two weeks are Pret.ty. Big. for our family. First it's the last week of school... Alex has already been Senioritis-ing his way through this week, since his AP exams are taken, and all the band concerts are finally done. He has his yearbook, his cap and gown (needs ironing asap), the announcements have been sent, and we're mentally moved on to August and his move-in at UGA. (Did I tell you he chose a roommate? He chose a roommate; a kid from band. They're not best of friends, but I think they'll do fine together. It'll be nice to start with someone familiar, maybe. Good family. I'm relieved.)

Kate's teachers are still making them work for it, with a few last projects (one final "hey Mom this is due tomorrow" moment yesterday, Thank You So Much Dear Teachers) and academic days. But the mood is set, we're getting pumped about the 8th Grade Last Day festivities at St. Joe's, and then Hoya Lights at the high school, a night of fireworks and baby pictures that's designed to make moms cry -- again, Thanks So Much, but I really didn't need any assistance there.

This morning I was gathering school-years pictures of Kate for a poster I'm supposed to make for her. It was so fun. And also, of course, heart-squeezing, as I wondered if I've really enjoyed all of these years as much as I should have. Gulp. Probably best not to ponder. But I did enjoy them didn't I?.... I know I tried. I hope this blog shows evidence of me trying. There were some hard years, juggling everything, especially when my work situation made me tense and unhappy. But I enjoyed the Drama club chaperoning for both kids. I enjoyed them having friends over. I enjoyed Kate being funny and little and crazy. I enjoyed the heck out of being a Band Mom for Alex, as you well know. Many more things (I discovered the blog archives this morning and yes, there were happy times. <3)... And I'm SO, SO grateful that God made it possible for me to have a little more flexibility, here at the end of both things, so I can manage it all right now. To wit:

Sunday: Baccalaureate for Alex (which he had never heard of and I had to define for him)

Wednesday next week: Candlelighting Mass at St. Joe's and then Kate's last Vball practice with her class

Thursday: Hoya Lights at the football stadium

Friday: Carpool shenanigans, 8th Grade Vs. Teachers Volleyball Game, picnic, pool party, and Alex's Last Day in High School (typing this just made my throat tight) - I took the day off work

Saturday 21st: Two graduation parties for Alex's friends (overlapping), and Kate's class dance party

Monday 23rd: Grandparents arrive!

Tuesday 24th: Kate's graduation 

Thursday 26th: Alex's graduation

Friday 27th: Alex's graduation party at home (small, family)

I declare that Monday the 30th, Memorial Day, will be a day of napping.

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. 

Menu Planning in May!

I guess I gave up cooking in about mid-March, due to all the practices and Cornhole and Board meeting circumstances every night of the week except Thursdays. It has made me feel off-kilter, for sure, but was also a relief to just let it go. We've fared okay. One of Kate's favorite busy-weeknight, pre-volleyball practice go-to meals was frozen potstickers. Any brand, any variety will do. They take about 10 minutes in a skillet to cook up and have a nice crispy edge, and she ate them at least once a week. I know Alex and Shawn have had plenty of Spaghetti-Ohs dinners. Once in a while I've made recipes thinking they would last the week and provide some easy leftovers meals... and then no one ends up eating them but me. Things like red beans and rice in the crockpot, a sausage/pasta baked casserole, and BBQ meatballs.

But THIS WEEK we are without any volleyball or drum/band practices on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday! So I actually had to think a little bit when making a grocery list.

I don't think it's necessary to tell you everything we're eating this week, because it's all my usuals, nothing new -- first I have to see if I remember how to cook, lol. Maybe next week, or better yet, after school ends for the year, I'll venture into trying new recipes again. 

Meanwhile, I hung my just-delivered fundraiser hanging baskets yesterday -- pretty pink-flowered "million bells" -- and set out my 2 tomato plants, so that makes me want to clean up the rest of the planters. I do love puttering around in the garden! We also have some pretty red house finches making a nest on top of one of the columns on our front porch. Interestingly, there seem to be three of them building the nest -- a modern bird family, I guess! 

Would be nice to have a spring meal or two outside among the fresh flowers and birdies before it gets too hot. Also trying to decide if I can manage to host a graduation party for the graduate; if I do, that would likely be in the backyard as well. We'll see. No time to muse about it, my job tasks-list is huge today. But happy Monday and happy new month. I think if I can get through May, ... well, I was going to say "things will calm down," but that may not actually be the case. I will work on ENJOYMENT of each day no matter how busy, instead of "getting through." Remind me. 

Mid-April Rundown: Some book recs, sunrise/sunset moments, etc.!

Here it is, mid-April, and I haven't posted anything at all. What will solve it better than bulleted updates? Nothing, I think.

• I haven't bought any dresses for me -- well, except one, the Bridesmaid/matron dress for Jilly's wedding in June. Kate and I are the attendants and we bought matching-color dresses in very different styles. I had a dream last night that I tried mine on and it fit perfectly in the waist/bodice, which I truly hope is what will happen. My fear is that I ordered one size too small and it will be too late to fix it. Panic panic panic. I'm working very hard to drink 75 ounces of water every day and am doing dreaded "core strengthening work" just to make double-sure I've done my best to fit into it. (I did measure myself before ordering but I don't trust those size charts.) ....Anyway, I still need something to wear to each kid's graduation. I might try to hit Kohl's this afternoon since the Easter dress racks should be on sale... 
• Kate is well-stocked with three dresses for the season (so far). She did have a hard day of trying on a lot of things and nothing really fitting right or available in her size. Don't you HATE shopping trips like that? I really felt bad for her; it's such a quick way to a bad mood. 
• I just finished a great book, The Burgess Boys, by Elizabeth Strout. I did love Olive Kitteridge, and even moreso, Olive, Again, and her writing style has endeared her to me, although I did NOT love Lucy Barton. Still, I highly recommend The BB. Before that, I read one called The Giver of Stars, by Jojo Moyes. Either I wasn't paying attention or she didn't link the name of the book to the story, but at any rate it was an enjoyable historical fiction about a small mining town in Kentucky during the WPA era, and the Packhorse Librarians who delivered books to the rural poor. Two thumbs up, would also recommend this one, if you think it's your thing. 
• Easter was a lovely day yesterday and I had the thought, what if it's our last Easter with Alex home? Maybe he won't want to come home for the weekend next year! Sob, sob.
• Which brings me to the official news: He has committed to UGA and we put down the big deposit! Go Dawgs! (Never thought I would be a UGA devotee! Have always been kind-of annoyed at the stupid spelling of "Dawgs" when the official mascot is, in fact, the Georgia Bulldogs. But here we are, and I'm actually really excited to wear a lot of red and black in the near future.) Now I have the next milestone tasks swirling around my head. I joined a FB Group for Parents of the Class of '26 and (it may have been a mistake, because) all the talk is about finding a roommate and how do we use this website or that, and "did your kid get this letter in his portal account?" and it's making me crazy. My feeling is the kids need to do this stuff their dang selves if they're about to go away to college! I'm hoping Alex will soon have time to start working on those things, and on his marching band audition video (he's already working on it -- due May 1). 
• No sooner did we finalize UGA than the University of North Florida sent their admittance letter and a $16,000 Presidential something-or-other scholarship. Which is lovely. Still wouldn't cover the cost of out-of-state tuition, and we're hoping for more from the state of GA. But it was somewhat confusing for him to get that letter; he said, "It just feels wrong to turn down that kind of money." And I agree! 
• I am WAY behind in my gardening! I know you're supposed to wait, anyway, until after Tax Day or Easter, and those just passed... but my backyard feels sad. No time to do it this weekend, either - we have a volleyball tournament. Tra-la! I guess it will get planted sometime....
• Kate's been really sad about leaving her school. She and her friends are listening to sad songs, crying together over old pictures (I assume) late into the night. This has happened twice now. It's alarming when we hear her just sobbing, but we asked her about it and were told to kindly leave her ALONE, she's just sad. I get it. I remember some similar crying in my own life, after 6th grade and after the particularly fun community theater shows ended. Endings in life are hard, aren't they? Especially when you're young. 

Keeping the diary updated, that's all I can muster! ;)

Retirement Age

Shawn and I just attended the retirement lunch for one of his coworkers, Cathy, who was once one of my coworkers. I knew her before I knew Shawn, actually. She seemed "older" at that time, but she was probably around my current age, maybe a few years younger. HA! (She threw us a little co-ed wedding shower, actually, at Manuel's in our old neighborhood. Remember, honey?) He and I have 15 & 20 years to go,  respectively, but it's weird to think that we're at the age now where we're learning how to give good retirement parties. Not bachelorette parties or wedding showers, or even good kid birthday parties: retirement parties. 

It was odd to go out to lunch at all, to be honest. I go out once a week-ish, with my current favorite cowrker, but I remember the days when going out to lunch was a nearly-every-day thing. Sometimes, a group of us (including this friend who's retiring) went to our favorite restaurant twice in the same week. Frequently. Oh, Sundown Tacos, how I miss you. Paying for a full lunch twice in one week is pretty unfathomable to me now. Particularly since I work from home, but even if I didn't... I just can't see allowing myself to spend money like that, all willy-nilly! TWICE?! That's just crazy talk.

Anyway, we're old, get off my lawn, the end.

Well, not really the end, I guess: this WEEK will never end. It's only THURSDAY gahhhhhhhh. And directly following this week is a super-long weekend of full days with both band and volleyball. TIME OF OUR LIVES, TIME OF OUR LIVES, I keep telling myself, and there IS an element of fun energy to it, that if you can put blinders to the logistics, is truly THE BEST. Last weekend, for example: volleyball games were won! Kate was playing well and happy! Volleyball moms are sweet and fun to hang out with! Walking to lunch on a gorgeous 70-degree day! Dinner with (other) friends! Then an AMAZING concert at a beautiful concert hall, with Alex playing the star-highlighted clarinet part! I mean, my heart could not have been more full. I just had to not think about 1) handling all the things on the calendar at once and 2) DRIVING all over creation. 

It's really true what I was told as a young mother, though, crying over having to work full-time and put my kids in daycare: They actually need you MORE when they're older. It was so hard for me to fathom that then, but now I see it. While our teens don't necessarily want us around them all the time, they need us more, a) to drive them when they aren't old enough yet, and b) just to be the assuring support behind their big activities. To BE THERE. Presence. It lays that foundation for them, and lets them be themselves and do their things and become who they're meant to become. 

So thanks, Marybeth, for that sound advice so long ago. 

My sugar detox went fairly well, if you consider having one small piece of dark chocolate at the end of day 2, and one peanut butter energy ball w/chocolate chips during day 3, a success. And I do. It's much better than a day with 2 quick cookies, then an energy ball, then a piece of dark chocolate, and maybe one more cookie a little later. I am my father's daughter. I think even a 3-day fast from sugar was difficult, though (clearly). Maybe I should do one day off, one day on. Still thinking on it.

I'm also trying to eat more salads as meals. It's just that it's kind-of a pain to make them. But worth it, really, and maybe with summer almost here, I'll feel more like salads. Maybe I'll try new vegetables (radishes? endive? more cabbage?) and allow a little bit of good cheese (FETA, droooool). Make some yummy vinaigrettes. Does it sound like I'm trying to convince myself? Because I am.

Hey guess what else? It's time for me to buy dresses for GRADUATIONS. My own kids' graduations, not just "the season of." This whoooooole post is connected now -- getting old... eating salads... fitting into new, pretty dresses, graduating kids!

Sugar Detox

"Sugar Detox" is written is big letters across today, tomorrow and Friday on my planner. After yesterday, I need one. Well, I have needed one much longer than that, but yesterday was just the final straw in feeling discouraged with myself about how much sugar I can consume in a day. It's Phil's fault. 

My coworker, Phil, from the UK, surprised me by being in my office yesterday when I got to work! I am still trying to only go to the office one or two days a week -- in fact, this week, my boss told employees that with the cost of gas rising so much, we are all welcome to work from home again as much as we like (he's so good about this stuff since Covid) -- and Tuesday is my day. I don't work with Phil on a daily basis anymore, so I had no idea about his travel schedule. What fun to see a friendly face from so far away when I arrived! 

Phil always brings treats from Great Britain. Yesterday they included some good shortbread, which I cannot resist. But I had already treated myself to a Pop Tart, because I needed an "on the go" breakfast! And then he held out the tin of shortbread (it's a tin because it's British), instead of quietly just placing his gift in the break room. What else could I have done but take one as he stood there? No polite way out of that, and because shortbread is SO delicious I found another small piece of it later in the day after he DID take it to the break room. I felt called after that, to learn how to make shortbread at home. Buttery and sugary and that crumbly TEXTURE?! Heaven help me. But I also kept hearing the word "diabetes" in my head, Wilford Brimley style, and therefore: Sugar Detox. 

Over the past weekend I also made some treats, myself, at home. I was thinking of Toll House original chocolate chip cookies, but those take some time and dirty so many dishes. So I went with a 3-ingredient recipe for "Super Rich Cookie Bars" instead (it's 1.33 cups of graham cracker crumbs, a can of condensed milk, and 1.5 cups of chocolate chips, bake at 350 for 30 minutes). And I've eaten at least 4 of them. You have to cut them small because they're so rich, so it seems like a reasonably tiny treat... until you eat 4. ANYWAY. I also made "protein energy balls," which have healthy old fashioned oats and coconut and peanut butter in them, but are really a no-bake cookie (also chocolate chips and honey, lol). 

And in general I like something sweet after a meal. A square of dark chocolate or some dried cranberries. 

It's just too much sugar. So the rest of this week I am going to be drinking lots of water, and will attempt to have sugar-free gum at the ready after meals. I'm not aiming to never eat sugar again, just need to put a hard stop to it for a bit. Clear my cache, so to speak. (Clear my cookies is more like it!) I sincerely wish I could "lose my taste" for sweet things in 3 days, but we all know that isn't gonna happen. Wish me luck.

College Nostalgia and Impressions After a Weekend at UGA

It's really interesting, I think, that a person's college experience can shape so much of who they become. I really believe that. For myself, I truly found myself as a chorister/musician; I found a group of friends that I still see, however infrequently, to this day; and I got an internship my senior year which led to a full-time job which is where I met Shawn. So it's a monumental thing, and I guess it's why I've been so thinky (and maybe naggy) about it for Alex. It's important! It's the launching pad for your life trajectory. 

Our weekend in Athens was excellent, starting with a perfectly-timed campus tour. Once he got the acceptance letter, I quickly got online and lo and behold, there was an available tour the day we were planning to arrive for All-State. His rehearsal didn't start until 6:45, and the tour was at 2:30. Divine intervention. I signed us up. It was neat when the enthusiastic guide started his welcome speech with, "I hear we have some new admits here today..." and knowing he meant my kid. 

We liked the campus and I was glad it wasn't as overwhelming/large as I'd imagined it to be. Very manageable. We lucked out with a beautiful spring day. (Short-sleeves and I wish I had worn open-toed shoes, it was that warm. God bless Georgia sometimes.) Nothing like a college campus when the weather's good, fall or spring! We took pictures in all the iconic spots, bought Alex an official 2022 National Champions (football, in case you aren't a college football fan) t-shirt in the bookstore, and ate some dinner in the student center. I want to remember this, also: One of his favorite things about the student center was a gaming room. Ha! We walked past it several times and saw kids hanging out in there; I think it was eye-opening, that they had their own place, right there in the middle of everything. 

I tried not to explain things so much that I annoyed him, but it was fun to talk to him about getting around campus, scheduling classes, best places to study (for me it was a Theology library; at UGA it's apparently the Law Library), RAs, roommates, and free food events. ;) He was asking good questions. I told him college is really the only time in your life when everything/anything is available to you. You're on your own, don't have to ask permission (in most cases), and you can just sample things you're curious about. 

I remember, for instance, renting a tent/sleeping bag from the rec center at Emory and going on a camping weekend (tour guides love to tell you this is possible, at every campus). We would go to the A/V library on Friday nights when we lived on campus, to watch a movie for FREE. I volunteered/ushered at the campus theater. I had interesting little jobs at a residence hall desk and later at the same A/V library. You could go to basketball games for FREE. (I mean, free with your tuition, lol.) Workout at a gym for FREE -- I'd never done that before. Join an intramural softball team just for fun. Go hear a lecture by a random author. I planned pizza parties for after Sunday night Mass. Music students knew that we could get very cheap tickets to the Atlanta Symphony, and we had to, for credit in our classes; I never have gone to the symphony as much as I did while in college. There's just SO MUCH available. (And we didn't even have a football team, much less a championship one!)  

So, the real reason we were there was the All-State band concert that Alex auditioned for and made. During the rehearsals on Friday, I was able to see one of my college besties and his family, who were there for their daughter's All-State concert as well. So that made me even MORE nostalgic.  

Sadly, we were disappointed with news from Ga Tech while there -- we held our breath and looked together at the expected email, and... he was not admitted. But, as my sister Jill pointed out, what better place to receive that news? We were having fun at UGA, who needs Tech?! I think that made it easier for Alex. For sure makes the decision process easier! 

I don't know that he feels CERTAIN about it, in the way that you just KNOW about some things; but he was definitely in a state of, "I could be happy here." And you know that makes me happy. :) 

Guess What?

Last Friday, I drove myself and Kate to our weekend sports getaway in Charlotte, NC. Second weekend in a row. It was a perfectly normal road trip, except for lots of construction on one stretch of I-85 through SC and NC which made my knuckles white and my pedaling foot tired. We arrived at our hotel, got parked and checked in, and then quickly drove to the site of the first basketball game of the tournament, to watch our boys' team.

I found a seat on the bleachers. The phone buzzed. "Guess what" from Alex.

It was around 5:30; I thought for sure the cats had finally knocked over my vase of flowers from Valentine's Day. But no: The next message was this:

Y'all, I was overcome. I loudly gasped right there in the gym. Thank goodness I was with friends, who were so sweet and congratulatory and understanding when I got SO teary. OUR BOY IS GOING TO COLLEGE. What a moment. WHAT a blessing! Bless dear Alex, for sharing it with me! My heart still gets going when I think about receiving the news. 

It's been hard, since he didn't apply early decision, seeing lots of his peers start receiving their letters already. I thought we would have to wait all the way to March, so this was a huge surprise in the middle of February.

Of course, he still has 2 more schools from which to hear, before he makes a decision. But this utter RELIEF that yes, he WILL go to a university and not be resigned to the commuter college down the street (which is a good school, but you know). 

HE DID IT.

Road Trips

One of my favorite road trip memories from childhood is when we listened to books on tape. Remember those? You could check them out from the library or buy them, and they were a set of 4 cassettes or something. On one 7-hour drive from Hereford to Dallas, I seem to recall that we heard James and the Giant Peach, and on another, it was The Secret Garden. Both were such good stories, of course, and I just loved that we were listening together.

Does your family ever play the cows road-trip game? If you see them on your side of the car, you claim them, and try to estimate/count how many... but if you pass a cemetery you "lose" them and go back to zero. Shawn and I did that once or twice before kids. There's also the alphabet game, the license plate game... twenty questions... 

I had some vague hope that my road trip with Kate last weekend would include similar fun -- not with a book on tape, obviously but maybe with a podcast -- Office Ladies, for example. We'd been listening to it after school several months ago, but not in a while. Music would've been be fun, too; typically when she gets in my car these days she plugs in her phone immediately and starts up the Taylor Swift/One Direction playlist. I'm not an official Swiftie, but I have to admit I have my favorites. ;) 

Alas, it was not meant to be. And I guess it's my own fault: When the kids were little we fastened the dual-screen DVD player to the backs of our headrests and gave them the book of DVDs. They never learned to look out the window! Curious George, the dreaded Caillou, and Ben 10 were the discs of choice. And The Princess Diaries -- I remember Kate asking for that one Every. Time. (Poor Alex.) We trained her precisely to watch movies on long road trips, and so this past weekend, that is what she did. For 3 hours straight, all the way to Montgomery. With AirPods.

We've graduated to streaming Netflix or Disney+ with our unlimited data plan (I can't say I fully understand what that means because there are times when we still get "you have almost reached your limit" notifications) in the year 2022. I know she watched a few Gilmore Girls episodes, and finished the movie Inside Out. I was left to play my own music, softly and with the Fade/Balance turned all the way to the driver's side so it wouldn't disturb her (!). It was less than satisfying. On the other hand, I was driving, which is a rarity for road trips in my married life, so I had to pay attention.

This weekend we're loading up the Ford again and headed north, to Charlotte NC. I volunteered to drive one of Kate's teammates. She is happy about that. I bet they will not even acknowledge my presence, this being the usual method of teens. I will be the invisible Driver. I'm fine with it, really -- again, the need to concentrate on the road. 

Orrrr... I wonder how far I can push to be "Fun Mom" and make it a "Road Trip" before I embarrass her? Should I find Hair Nation and turn up/sing Bon Jovi real loud? Or buy some Twizzlers and hang them out of my mouth? 

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. 

A Gentle New Year to You

I had the nicest start to the New Year. I got to spend the entire morning of January 1 with coffee and my two planners, last year's and this year's. I sat on my front porch with a delicious breeze and sunshine, thinking and writing, reviewing December, filling in calendars, and really thoughtfully giving myself some gentle goals (if those pages in a planner are empty, I don't feel like it's ready to be used yet). 

The first page in my book (I'm using one by DayDesigner, found at Target) is titled, "Big Picture:" 

1. Gratitude every day
2. More focused time with Shawn, Alex before he goes to college (!), and Kate
3. Celebrating 2 graduations (!) and Jilly's wedding/reception!
4. Taking Care: of myself and of my family, including mom & dad, Shawn, Alex and Kate

That's it. That's the big picture for 2022, the things that are most important. After 2 flipping years of weirdness, I think I just want to love my people, find things to be thankful for, and take good care of us. 

Of course each of those can be broken down into smaller goals and to-dos. Number four, for instance, includes smaller goals of Movement, Nutrition, and Time Management to take care of myself. But that's as far as I'm going. I didn't write down anything like, "Workout 20 minutes a day" or "Update my 401K by [date]," because we aren't going to invite Failure to just waltz right in! NOPE. The column called "Accomplish By" in my planner has VERBS in it, not deadlines.

I really feel so proud of this gentler approach to the New Year., and happy that I had such a peaceful experience planning it. I'm checking the goals pages every day so far, but I don't think I'm going to obsess over them; its just to remind myself to notice. Do I still have a "wish list" of things I'd like to get done this year? Yes. Get an estimate for new floors. Explore new refrigerators. Paint downstairs bathroom and our bed/bath. Etc. And I reduced the Screen-Time limit on my phone, with hope for better habits. But those are not the goals. The goals are To Be Content, To Experience Joy, To Be Attentive, To Maintain Work-Life Balance and (silently, because I'm hesitant to even whisper its name) To Avoid Stress. 

We'll see how this goes. Perhaps nothing whatsoever will get accomplished but by golly I'll be blissed out about it. At least that's the plan! 

Successful Christmas Gifts for our Teens

I spent so much time worrying over Christmas gifts this holiday season. Every year, Shawn starts saying in October, "We really shouldn't wait... we need to ask the kids what they want... we should get started Christmas shopping...." and every year, I agree with him. And then don't really start until after Thanksgiving. It's terrible. I would like nothing more than to FIX THAT, but HOW? This year seemed even harder for whatever reason. But Santa's delivery brought enough Surprise and Delight (always my goal) to make it a good Christmas for both kids, even if there were some very random things included. 

For Alex, Shawn happened to find a PS5 available in October or November, and he jumped on it. Alex had not even asked for this, but the boys in our family are gamers and therefore any gaming system is a good bet. This was the main gift, obviously; everything else for Alex was silly IMHO (and I bought everything else). There was a good quality Braves jacket (for a kid who rarely wears a jacket, but oh well)... a poster frame for this year's marching band show poster... some toiletries stuff... some new pajamas... a book by one of his favorite authors (never a bad idea, so point for me)... and some gift cards. 

Kate's main desire was clothing from lululemon. This is the Esprit of the 2020s, I guess; all the girls MUST have it. It's expensive, so Santa brought her one pair of leggings, and grandparents bought some other items. She had also asked for a pair of Nikes, which she and I bought together at Thanksgiving (so she could try them on, and because her size is hard to find). I asked her permission to wrap them and put them under the tree, since they were already on her wish list, and she agreed. Womp, wommmmp, sad trumpet. You know you're mature when you agree to that! Sorry, Kate. She had given us more of a wish list, so she also got a skincare kit (Drunk Elephant brand), 3 vinyl records by Taylor Swift, a sushi-making kit I found on Amazon, a milk frother for lattes, and some new perfume. And gift cards. It still probably didn't add up to the same monetary total as the PS5, but I'm okay with that. We've already used the sushi kit (fun!) and the milk frother (super fun!) so I feel like those gifts elicited the "delight" I'm looking for. Or maybe I like them for myself, ha! They do live in my kitchen... ;)

Stockings were stressful, too, and I do not feel like I did a very good job there. New shower scrubbies (loofahs) for everyone, some nail polishes for Kate (so she'll quit using mine), random travel-size items and candy, and lottery scratch-offs. I was glad they're old enough for those now - I remember getting them in my stocking when Florida introduced a lottery when I was a teen. I should have gotten more gift cards, I think, or put cash in stockings - it just didn't seem like "enough." Which is silly. Maybe I need to start employing a Swistle mentality about stockings and buy/stash away year-round.

Last note: I have never done matching Christmas Pajamas for our family, but this year I kept seeing people's photos who DO that, and I was jealous. So I am doing it next year. I'll order them online from LL Bean if I must, but I think it's so cute. 

Covid diaries: The kids tested positive

I knew we would eventually get Covid. On Dec. 21st, both kids were planning to go enjoy their first days of Christmas Break by hanging out with friends -- Kate at a sleepover and Alex ice skating with a group. We happened to have three home tests, and because there had been reports of lots of cases in Kate's class toward the end of school (a Christmas semi-formal was postponed), and Alex had been congested and Kate had had a sore throat and headache, I thought it was best if they just quickly took the tests before leaving the house.

Both tests showed positives instantly. We were supposed to leave for Savannah on the 23rd. That plan was scrapped, as well as the kids' plans that day, much to their (Kate's) dismay. Kate has adamantly said the home test was "a fake," and she "doesn't even feel bad," so she doesn't believe it's Covid (she clearly has not watched enough Nightly News). The test result was very clear.

That first day, I didn't know what to do. I sent them to their rooms hesitantly (well, Alex masked up, poured himself a glass of water and then took himself up there with a joking, "Okay, BYE, see you in January") -- but I really didn't like the idea of them banished for 10 full days. I called the pediatrician; the nurse advised exactly that, to quarantine them for 10 days in their rooms. Sigh. By the end of the afternoon, Shawn and I had decided we weren't going to enforce it. Our house is not that big, and since all of us would be home for a stretch of days, anyway, and he and I are vaccinated and boosted, we decided that if we all wore masks and social distanced in common areas, we were fine with them living in the whole house. They're teens, they keep to their rooms pretty naturally already. Sleeping until noon helps. 

For the first few days, I did have them eat meals in the dining room, and us in the kitchen. It was weird, but at least those two rooms are connected with an open doorway so we were still kind-of together. We served from the stove, one at a time. And actually, it was fun seeing the two of them having conversations, laughing (probably at us), and enjoying each others' company. By the third or fourth day their symptoms were subsiding -- and it was Christmas -- and I decided to stop worrying about it. 

Shawn and I have never developed any symptoms. He took the third home test since he was going to work on Dec. 27 -- it was negative. (He wears his mask.) I haven't yet taken one because they are nowhere to be found! There's one drive-thru test site near us and its line is HOURS long; I'm not doing that. I'm mostly quarantining with them in the first place, I'm vaccinated/boosted, and I've double-masked when I've been out to look for home tests or to the grocery store. Maybe I shouldn't be going out at all; I feel like the advice on this isn't abundantly clear for vaxxed/boosted ppl who are exposed but not symptomatic -- in fact I've read that we do NOT have to quarantine. But some of the Internet sure wants to make you feel bad if you don't lock yourself down fully. We've taken some walks outside (masked if we come near anyone). I have an appointment for a PCR test on Jan. 4, the first one available within 25 miles of me, but I'm not really sure I even need that appointment. I'll probably keep it so I can go to my office with a clean conscience. 

Yesterday, a friend dropped off 2 home tests she happened to see in a CVS near her. So kind! I'm saving those for the kids, for before they go back to school, and of course still on the hunt for more, for the future, though it pains me to think we may need them AGAIN.

I also don't know when they will be able to get their boosters now. It was on my to-do list for the holiday break, at least for Alex, who's over the minimum age. But does he have to wait a few weeks now? School will start before then and the DOOMSDAY NEWS tells us he needs a booster to be safe. Not to mention Kate, who isn't old enough for the booster, I don't think.

On the 31st, their ten days will be up. There's still some faint lingering congestion, but it's not bad. Everyone can smell and taste now. Of course we all feel terrible that we didn't get to see Susan/Gammy in Savannah. We are considering a New Year's weekend trip instead, but our pet sitter isn't available; I could ask friends, but I don't want them to feel uncomfortable coming to a house that just had double Covid patients in it. Not that I haven't been Clorox-wiping surfaces most days -- I have. But as the news just gets WORSE with Omicron, it once again doesn't seem prudent to travel, when we're going to visit someone who doesn't have her booster yet (update: she got boosted 12/29) and has smoked her entire adult life. I think Shawn is planning to go on his own; I don't love that idea, it makes me feel terrible that she won't get to see her grandkids, but I also don't really want to go (and we can't all go and leave the cats). Bah. There's no good solution.

Otherwise, my/our Christmas was quite nice! HA. Mainly because I had time to read and finish THREE books and have started a fourth -- and they've all been great, so I'll share:

• Louise Penny's Bury Your Dead. I'd seen Louise on lifeofadoctorswife's book lists and then my mom had this one on my nightstand in Pensacola at Thanksgiving, so I grabbed it. I'm not usually a mystery lover, and this one didn't change my mind, but it was entertaining, particularly the snow-filled scenes of Quebec, perfect to read during a Georgia holiday break when temps have been IN THE 70s. The mood was just right. 
• Marley, by Jon Clinch. Ohhh, how I loved this! If you have any love for Dickens or even just the Christmas Carol story, I highly, highly recommend it. Well written tale that weaves Marley's story perfectly into the myth you already know.
• Scarred, by Sarah Edmonson. This was my Christmas gift, a culty book by an author whose podcast I listen to weekly, and I finished it in less than 24 hours. So good.
• Flight Behavior, by Barbara Kingsolver. Just started this one but already it's amazing, making me laugh out loud. It's set in Appalachia and the main character is just a hoot. I have a feeling that, like most of Kingsolver's work, there will be deep meaning as I get further in. 

Today I'm back on the laptop, although I think it's going to be a very quiet day with my manager still out (she told me yesterday she tested positive!). Mom and Dad also have reported colds; we're waiting to see if they can kick it quickly or if they'll need to test, as well. I can't believe we're still not done with this virus, can you?

Oh hi, December, is it?

12/8 Wrapped a gift this morning. Not one I had bought, mind you, but one my Mom sent for Kate because she is on top of things. I am not fully behind -- I have placed at least one Amazon order and half of it arrived, my Christmas cards are printed and picked up, and my house is decorated. So that's all good news. Naturally, though, I feel wayyyy behind on shopping. I am hopeful to get a lot of it accomplished in the next 4 days.

Tonight, for example, after my bi-annual work meeting at a hotel across town (I'm guessing dinner will be over by 8:00...?), I will pop across the street to the mall and pick up a few things on Santa's list. Doesn't that sound light and breezy? It will be so FUN to go to the mall! Hooray for malls being open until 10 during the holidays! hahahahaha. And Shawn has suggested we go out together to look at things for our nieces (etc.) this weekend. So there is a light sketch of a plan, at least, and that makes me feel mostly okay. I don't think we'll FAIL at Christmas. 

Of course we will be traveling on Christmas Day. Home from Savannah. You know what that means: Pizza Rolls! 

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12/15 record scratch. I didn't finish the post. Life got in the way. This is the neverending story of these days. Let's see... the work meeting went well, although the mall was NOT open after 8:00 pm! So there went that. I have had to go IN to my new office way too many days lately. Although it's a lovely new place, I'm not loving having to leave the house again. And so many MEETINGS lately.

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12/17 I just this hour finished a project that has been WEIGHING DOWN my to-do list (work) for the past 3 months. It didn't have a firm deadline, but did require several subsequent tasks, and I just COULD NOT for the life of me start it. But now it's finished. Thank the Elves Above! Now, after today's Early Dismissal and pickup at Kate's school, which begat a somewhat impromptu trip to the Marietta Market for an 8th graders' lunch, including me driving two girls there and being asked to "watch out for" another girl whose mom was also juggling other things. It was nice enough -- and a lovely day to be eating outdoors! In December! 66 degrees, sunny! -- but of course set me back, work-wise. Eh, I thought, as I drove us home at 2:00, it was a long lunch, big deal. And where was that attitude all of November and these preceding weeks?? lol.

ANYWAY. I have now finished that task and can coast to the end of the workday (maybe) by getting things prepped for when I login again on December 29th AND NOT BEFORE. Hence, this draft finally getting finished. (We'll see.)

As I told Suzanne (remember that no one reads this blog but us, it's private), I have felt behind so often this last month or so. And I guess it's good to write that down for posterity. Every workday seems to be a race -- even when I've been working from home. Maybe especially when I work from home, because I try to do HOME things as well as WORK things. I have forty-three things I need to do, and 5.5 hours to do them, with 2 meetings on the calendar seems like every day. The worker-bee part of me says, "I should not DO home things on work time!" but the kinder, gentler me says, "Hey. You are allowed to live your life. You are allowed to take 30 minutes to workout or unload the dishwasher. Or sit, away from the laptop, to eat lunch." And again, you'd think that I'd have figured out the balance at this point in our pandemic lives, but somehow I haven't. Or, when school started back in August it all went out of whack. 

I haaaaate to go on and on about the same thing (tl;dr - Lee is in a busy stage of life). My sister told me over the phone that she's trying not to say the word "busy" anymore. She says, instead, that her days are "full." I like the sentiment, and I agree it's BORING to say, "I'm/we're so busy." Everyone is; shut up. One thing that helps me is to just keep telling myself to KEEP GOING. And that it will all end abruptly one day when the kids are up and gone, and THIS is the MEAT of a good, good life, the exact life I wanted and wished for. (Sometimes it helps.) Just one foot in front of the other, do the next thing due.

As discussed elsewhere, Christmas spirit seems to be hard to come by this year. Again, just want to record it for Future Me: 2021, it seems, isn't feelin' it. For me in particular, my kids are (still okay, as kids go, but) at an age that appreciates very little. That's hard. They don't seem to care or worse, they openly roll their eyes and sigh in my direction. [I'm laughing at my own joke, they're "still okay, but..." haha.] Guess I've not done a very good job modeling GRATITUDE. To the New Year's Resolutions List it goes. 

Okay. So, yesterday I put my Christmas cards in the mail, wildly without return addresses, so if they get lost, TOO BAD! I didn't have time to get the nice, rounded-corners-matte card stock; ours are just glossies from Walgreens. lol. The photo is one of all four of us that already got posted on Facebook, so everyone's seen it -- not to mention there's a random guy in the back that I couldn't crop out -- but they're done, and I hand-wrote a small message on EACH ONE, so take that! I think I have most of what I need for my own kids' gifts, and maybe even enough time to figure out the rest in the next couple of days off. 

First, I'd like to drink a large Peppermint White Russian, read some of my mystery novel (Bury Your Dead by Louise Penny, which I'm enjoying), and take a nap. Just as soon as I set my out of office. 

Here's hoping the brain cobwebs clear out and I start focusing on what's GOOD, real soon! Merry Christmas!

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. :)

Podcasts I Love

It took me a long time to get interested in podcasts. And I still only listen to them sporadically -- usually in the car. Sometimes on a walk. I don't like to "subscribe" to them, really, because then I'll feel like I'm "behind" if I don't listen on the day an episode drops. But when I'm in the right mood, there are a few that I really enjoy. I've found, lately, that listening to a podcast keeps me more calm than listening to SiriusXM radio, because the radio plays all the same songs and therefore, my mind wanders. Or, more accurately, frets. With a podcast, I can just fully immerse in whatever topic is being discussed, and the faucet of frets gets shut off. So, here are a few of my favorites right now, and what I like about them:

Terrible, Thanks for Asking - One of my first favorites. I haven't listened to it in a while, actually, but there have been some amazing episodes. They're generally about people's sad or difficult stories, which you think would be depressing. But it's not -- it's more like, "we're all in this together, and sometimes it sucks." I am a big admirer of the host, Nora McInerny. 

A Little Bit Culty, with Sarah Edmonson and Nippy Ames. These two have quite a story, as documented in HBO's The Vow, which we watched a year or two ago and LOVED. They were in a cult, but then they woke up, as they say. In fact, they were some of the whistleblowers who brought the cult down. And I'm so happy for them that they did. Their guests talk about things and groups that are either a little bit culty or a VERY LOT culty (they've had Mike Rinder, ex-Scientology guy, and Stephen Hassan, ex-Moonie). For this podcast, I really DO wait with bated breath for the next episode to drop.

The Dream - I'm not sure if I heard about this one from the previous one, but possibly. It's produced by a journalist -- one of my requirements for podcasts is that they're well-produced, not just some dude in his basement recording himself -- and season one was in the same vein as Culty: it was all about "The American Dream" as it relates to Multi Level Marketing/MLMs (culty!!). Super eye-opening. Lots of history about how MLMs came into being and how far they are embedded into the American culture and politics (it's pretty bad, y'all). Season 2 was about the Wellness industry -- potions and "treatments" and even multi-vitamins -- and equally eyebrow-raising. I hope there will be a Season 3.

Office Ladies - On a lighter note! Who doesn't adore Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey? When Kate started us watching (re-watching) The Office last summer, this was a fun one to start listening to. It's interesting to learn how TV shows are written, and sometimes they have guests who were in the show, which is fun.

Smartless - Big thanks to my sister for suggesting this one! It is, as she said, "complete brain candy," but still: who doesn't love Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, and Will Arnett?! No one, that's who. Each of them has a voice I could listen to all day, and they surprise each other with other big-name actor or musician guests, and they're just FUNNY. I mean, I think all of them consider themselves comedians, so that's bound to be good. 

Sharon Says So - Sharon used to be a high school government teacher, and a good one if her pod and Instagram account are any indication. I actually prefer her Insta to the podcast, but once in a while I like to tune in and hear what she has to say on a topic -- which include a lot of history, and random history, at that. Example: She did an episode about Jean Lafitte and the battle of New Orleans. She stays very non-partisan, but talks about current issues: I definitely appreciate that. And her episodes are usually short, which is good when I have a half-hour commute. ;) 

Unorthodox - Ohhh, these are my Jewish friends. I haven't listened to it in quite a while, but I do love it. I don't have any claim whatsoever to Judaism, except that my ancestry.com DNA test showed I have 3% Jewish DNA (!) and I had lots of Jewish friends in college and was always interested in reading about their faith tradition in books like (well, honestly, Are You There, God, It's Me, Margaret was the very first) The Chosen when I was in school, and Bee Season in adulthood (both SO GOOD). The three delightful hosts comment on current events from a Jewish perspective, which I think is so nice as it very much widens my own. And bonus, they're very funny.

Jesuitical - After I started loving Unorthodox so much, I felt a little guilty for not exploring my own faith tradition in a similar way, ha! (Guilt = appropriate for Jewish AND Catholic sensibilities!) This is another one I haven't clicked in some time. But my favorite part is when they do "Desolations and Consolations" -- each host talks about something that either bummed them out (Desolation) or made them aware that God is good (Consolation) at the end. Such excellent Catholic words. 

I've listened to other podcasts, as well. I suggested Harry Potter and the Sacred Text to my mom, and she liked it more than I did (I only listened to 2 episodes, I think). Also Leah Remini's Scientology: Fair Game, Mike Rowe's The Way I Heard It, NPR's Hidden Brain, Serial, when it was popular, and of course This American Life -- but they don't all compel me like the ones above. 

What about you? Got any great pods to suggest?