Just counted them out. There are 67 days until the first day of school for meagan's 10th grade year. Mason will begin kindergarten and kelsie goes to Pennsylvania for her college sophomore year. (she has been home for more than a month and we are really not counting her days - almost done with her summer class and then summer ball begins.)
We intend to make each day count this summer by counting and documenting each day.
Here we go - the countdown begins.
4: Last day of daycare. Ms. Cindy and Mason did well to hold back the tears. Visited our Kindergarten classroom today and now we are preparing to receive Hurricane Irene as we pack to take Kelsie back to college.
5: Everyone at work with Mom today and then Mason's school physical after lunch. Uggh - 2 shots but now we're ready for school.
6: Staff meeting at the state park, lunch at Chickfila and then E-A-R-T-H-Q-U-A-K-E!!!!! Volleyball scrimmage was canceled due to earthquake so they came to our house for pizza party.
7: I began my new Monday work schedule. Power-outage cut the day short, shucks. Find of the day: new Yankee Candle coconut bay car jar. I know, I'm pathetic.
8: Church, lunch with friends then fun and games and relaxation the way Sunday afternoons should be. Meagan got to practice driving.
9: Detailed Kelsie's car so she can take it back to school for sophomore year. She LOVES her car. Saw Hillsong United in concert. Great time of worship and very LOUD music.
10: Megs made Varsity volleyball team. She's back in action - Go bears!!!
11: My new mommy-mobile was ready a day early. Funky smell - gone, floor mats - in place, cup holder - fixed, cruise control button - replaced. Let the gas-guzzling begin.
12:
13: Car back in the shop. Loaner from dealership is a Dodge Charger. Mason says it's a race car. Sweet ride for a date night. We went to late dinner and a late, late movie. Keepin' those kids guessing.
14: Doctor appointments all day and reading assessment for Mason. Emissions testing for Kelsie's car. Checking the boxes as we get ready for school.
15: Church picnic day at the state park. Beautiful surroundings after morning showers. Turned out to be a lovely day. I climbed a huge rock (see the dirt on my arm?) and played horse shoes. Michael and the kids played in the rapids. We left dirty and tired with lots of memories.
16: Volleyball tryouts begin. Saturday is omelette day.
17: Kels took her friends to the Spy Museum via the Metro.
18: Kelsie hosted friends from college for an overnight visit. We had crabs and corn and lots of laughs.
19: Car still in the shop. You want to "loan" me a brand new Ford F150 to drive while you fix my car? I guess I can handle that.
20: Unexpected slice and dice at the dermatologist. Testing and treatment will take a few months but then that brown sun spot should be gone....like yesterday is gone.
21: Water park day!!! at Chesapeake Beach. Fun sun day.
22: The girls had friends for dinner and overnight visit. Steaks on the grill were yummy good.
23: Painting day - pixie violet to be exact. But first the primer to cover the navy blue and teal colors.
25: New doc for Kelsie. Good experience and lots of tests. Megs final PT appointment was granted permission to wear her beloved flip flops on occasion.
26: Sports physical for Meagan. She was cleared to play volleyball and do whatever else she wants. Could walk on her heels and toes with no pain. I would call that healed.
27: Tuesday
28: Moth on front porch - made my Favorite Friday Foto post.
29: Michael and Kelsie basketball tourney at Loyola.
30: New car - full day at the dealership - uggh!
31: Meagan to Kings Dominion and we saw Smurf Movie after dinner at Chevy's.
32: Meagan began a new reading and test prep class. She will learn to speed read with better retention in hopes of better test grades.
33: Wed
34: Tuesday
35: Rainy day Monday. Let's call it torrential downpour Monday. Kelsie and I ran errands and did school supply shopping and got more than a little wet. I have never seen lightning strikes so vivid before.
36: Lunch plans after church quickly turned into a cookout at our house when the restaurant wanted us to wait an hour to be seated. Continued the party clean-up and swabbed the deck before we all took naps.
37: It's a pirate party ~27 adults and 23 kids in the house due to the heat wave! ARRGGGHH!!! It was a swashbuckling fun day.
38: Mason's 5th Birthday today. Party preparation day. Kelsie will come home from camp tonight. Record heat today way over 100 degrees.
Only one PT appointment left but no flip flops yet. Michael rode the Sea Dog speed boat in Baltimore with some friends tonight.
40: Wednesday night fajita night.
41: Went to Chocolate World and Hershey Park today. What a fun family day! Played in the water park most of the afternoon while Michael, Meagan and a friend rode all of the roller coasters in the park.
42: Mon
43: Sun
44: Michael and the kids spent the day fishing on a boat in the bay. Did anyone bother to take a single picture? Of course not. We enjoyed dinner date night in Baltimore. What a beautiful night to be near the water at sundown.
45: Fri
46: Thurs
47: Meagan was semi-released from her boot today. She has to ease out and wear good supportive shoes and get ready for volleyball tryouts in August.
48: Still not 100%. Hoping we are done with this summer cold soon. Quiet work day with an empty office. Praying for our staff and others on mission trip to Honduras.
49: Michael worked from home today. That's always fun. Mason and I met friends at the mall for lunch and went to see "Mr. Popper's Penguins". Meagan saw a movie as well and Kelsie visited a friend out of town.
50: Sick day - Michael stayed in bed til noon with his bad cold. It hit me mid-afternoon. I was able to enjoy church and walking group afterwards. We were very dormant the balance of the day. The girls taught children's church and drove to Arlington for Kelsie's games. They enjoyed sister time.
51: I was up early today. Everyone else slept in. I got floors mopped and checked off other assorted items on my to-do list. Megs returned home safe from the beach. We watched another Phillies game and ate some crab legs for dinner. We finished out the night around the fire pit with neighbors, a few marshmallows and lots of glow sticks. So simple and relaxing.
 |
| Let's Go Halladay!! Keep those STRIKES coming! |
53: Heard more from Meagan today than any other day this week. She is having a fab time at the beach and claims she is not burnt yet. I think she misses us a little. Said goodbye to our co-workers leaving for mission trip to Honduras tomorrow. We pray for safe travel and changed lives as they work in construction, VBS, medical areas and such. Spent a quiet evening at home. Michael introduced me to "Swamp People". Gotta say I'm not a fan. Mason left dinner table early and we found him snoring in his bed a few minutes later. We'll see if he sleeps through.
 |
| This is our typical summertime side dish. Grilled veggies with lots of garlic. YUM!! |
54: Today was family movie night at home. Mason wanted to watch Spy Kids. He liked the costumes. We watched the movie with Michael's famous popcorn while Kelsie and I worked on a crafty project for church. Mason is really missing Meagan this week. Funny note: We heard him singing the National Anthem in his bedroom this morning. He's only heard it a thousand times....at least twice a week since he was 4 weeks old.
55: Ooh - this morning came EARLY.....but we made it to daycare and work and then back home again in the evening. Mason had a play date/sleepover with a friend at our house. We were all ready for bed very early. Trying to catch up on sleep that I didn't know we missed on the weekend, I guess.
56: Happy 4th!! Michael and Mason went fishing first thing today. They caught 2 little fishies and came home just in time for lunch and a shower as we had plans to go see "Cars 2" with friends. "Kachow!" Then back to the house for cookout. We ended the day with about 22 friends and neighbors around the firepit in our driveway roasting s'mores and setting off fireworks and having a fun, relaxing evening.
57: It's Sunday!! We attended early worship service so that we could join the walking group at church. We WERE the walking group this week. Michael, Kelsie and I went 3 miles. I ran more than I ever have. It felt good but breathing is good also and I had to walk intermittently. I rode with Kelsie today for her late afternoon game in Arlington. We took the scenic route along the C&O Canal. Saw this view below from the Chain Bridge. Looks like a great place for future exploring. Michael and I finished the day with a visit with friends in their hot tub. Came home to see Kelsie reading a bedtime story to Mason. ("two stories" as he corrected.) Very nice.
 |
| This is not my photo. I found it HERE. |
58: Build firepit....check. Get groceries including s'mores fixings....check. Send Meagan off to the beach for a week with a good friend....check. Watch Kelsie play a great game of basketball....check. Check out Arlington Whole Foods....check. Find a fun place to eat a healthy dinner out....check. Maneuver our way home out of Arlington through DC and onto the BW Parkway....double check. Fabulous sunny day and fun time exploring new places.
59: Happy July!!! It was a beautiful, fun-filled day with lots of happenings. We spent the afternoon at the pool with some friends. Came home to a catfish caught by Ms. Cindy. She promised Mason she would bring him home a fish. Well, she kept her promise and we were called up to retrieve the fish still swimming in a bucket. Daddy took that fish and "prepared" it for cooking tomorrow. Mason got a quick lesson in the circle of life. Enjoyed the AAKP "Friday Night Show" performance bringing a week of performing arts camp to a close. Ice cream for everyone!!!
 |
| Sorry Bob, didn't mean to cut your head out of the picture. The sun was in my eyes. |
60: Last day of June - only 60 days left before school begins again. Camp day 4 for Megs. Chem final for Kelsie. Michael will say good-bye to two long-time coworkers/mentors today. Good luck guys!!!
Check out this magnificent creature I saw on my neighbor's front porch this morning. You can bet I'm gonna GOOGLE that one. Was sent this link to match the pic. Io Moth What do you think?
 |
Photo by Becky of Tacobird, Inc. -Thanks ; ) |
61: Highlight of today: kayaking/dinner/shopping with my sweetie and 4...count them...4 (I know you're jealous) unexpected hours of uninterrupted conversation. Totally enjoyable evening.
62: Mason spent the day at work with me. Surprise!!! There was a boy his age spending the day with his mom there as well. What fun to have an unexpected friend to play with. It was a busy day and when the lightning storm kept us from our hot tub appointment at a friend's house I opted for the chocolate peanut butter egg from the freezer. Ooh so yummy good!!!
63: It's Monday and back to work for Michael, class for Kelsie and camp for Meagan. Mason has a play date and I've got a date with the laundry pile and a few other errands. Mason loves to help with the neighbors pets while they are away.
64: After church we had lunch out with friends. Took naps, worked in the yard and enjoyed dinner on the deck. We harvested our first veggies from the garden this evening: 1 beautiful zuchini, 5 jalapenos and 3 cherry tomatoes.
65: Grand family day as we toured Philadelphia. Rode a double decker bus, played in a fountain Love Park, saw the liberty bell, ate 2 meals outside (my fave) and met some lovely people along the way.
66: We had fun in the hotel pool while Michael toured Citizens Bank park. His favorite stop on the tour was sitting in the Phillies dugout and standing in the on-deck circle. Then we all went to the game. Phillies won with one run in the 9th inning. I got a gluten-free hot dog - YUM. Kelsie saw a friend from school. Mason loved cheering and watching the Phanatic. Megs rocked her new hat and enjoyed special time with her sister. Michael checked a box on his life list. A fab day to remember.
67: Meagan spent a quiet day at home and then while visitng a friend she held a newborn baby. After spending the day with me at work, Mason rode The carousel at the mall while Kelsie picked out her new phone.
