The End of a Season

As I write this post temperatures are slowly creeping up into the 90s, however my summer season is quickly coming to a close.  It feels like it's been a whirlwind of a summer, and  I haven't any idea how I ever thought I had so much free time and was yearning for some project to keep me busy, which is what I wrote about back in June.  Here are some highlights from Summer 2011:
1. Molson: has brought much joy, lots of smiles and laughs, and is a constant creature of energy.
2. Cooking: didn't do any fancy cultural menus this year, however it was a pleasure to savor the tastes of homegrown tomatoes, basil, and fresh South Carolina peaches!  I tried my hand at baking a bit more than usual and found out I make a pretty tasty peach crisp, and delicious cupcakes. Homegrown tomatoes and basil also kept the salsa and bruschetta flowing, which are two of my favorite snacks!
3. Spending time with family and friends: we've had more than the usual amount of houseguests this summer, which kept my cleaning and tidying up at an all time high, however it was all worth it to get to spend time with them!  We await one more short visit from Bop and Kevin's brother Phil in about a week, and then things will quiet down around here. Even with all the hectic scheduling around here this summer, I managed to enjoy a few nights out with friends for drinks and chatting, as well as some lunch dates with friends I only see a few times a year!
4. Exercise:  Once the temperatures started to rise, it's been a little tougher to just get out and run, but my twice a week training sessions with Stephanie at Ciarla Fitness http://www.ciarlafitness.com/ have kept me building strength and toning up, as well as helping me stay on track for staying fit.  I'm sure the exercise has also been what's helped me keep my energy up to par with Molson's. 

Even though I thought back in June that I was sitting idle, my summer has been a busy and memorable one sans any special project!  I look forward to cooler temperatures and new opportunities around the corner with Fall.

Writer's Block

School let out not even a week ago and I'm already restless being off from work for the summer.  This is probably why I have always worked during summers, and of course last summer I traveled with Bop, so I was hardly idle.  I fear that if I allow myself to just relax and hang out, read books, sit by the pool and be "lazy" I will become a lazy person.  And lazy I am not, yet for some reason I can't seem to get this fear out of my head.  Sometimes I think maybe the reason I keep busy all the time is so that I don't have to think about my worries, my dysfunctional relatives, my problems (yes, we all have them).  I have family and  friends that would love to have this kind of free time right now, all my friends that have small children, jobs, and traveling husbands, what they would give for just an hour of time to be by themself... and yet, I somehow can't get comfortable with this time I've been given.  For whatever reason, I have been given this time to enjoy life, be at peace, be independent, do basically whatever I want without anyone else to worry about during the day and it bothers me.  Do I feel guilty that my husband gets up every morning and works hard so we can have this wonderful life? Do I feel guilty that my sister travels like a maniac and is constantly stressed? Do I feel guilty that my father burns his wick every day and hasn't had a day off (atleast a real day off) in over 20 years?  I don't think it's guilt as much as I wish I could help the people I love in some way since I have been given all this free time.  I'm sure as you read this you're thinking, "What I could do if I only had the time."  I have those thoughts too, usually during the school year when I'm running around frantically and booking my evenings solid for weeks.  But now that I have all this time, I don't know quite what to do with it.  I've had lunch with a friend I haven't seen in a while.  I've done some professional training. I will clean my house, but other than that I feel like I've got to get a PROJECT to work on.  My projects usually consist of cooking up a fancy meal, but with temperatures in the 90's the thought of turning the oven on really isn't appealing.  One project I've always wanted to do, but "haven't had the time" is to write a book.  My problem now is what would I write about?  Hence the title of this entry.  Do I write a fictional piece? A children's story? A cooking piece? A memoir or some crazy story about my life?  The possibilities are endless, and yet I can't begin this project.

A Man Named Bop

When I first met my husband, he told me about 2 things... 1) The St. Lawrence River in upstate New York, and 2) Bop, his grandfather. *not in order of importance* The St. Lawrence River sounded like a beautiful, serene place that I thought to myself, "I hope this guy works out, I'd love to be able to go to THAT place!" Little did I know a year after that I'd be spending a week's vacation every summer in that exact spot! Bop was another story... Kevin told me, "He's 91 and still drives up and down the east coast to visit family and friends, he builds dollhouses,has the latest technology, and does tons of 'projects'; in fact that's who taught me all the handy things I know."  Again, I thought to myself.. "Can this guy be for real? He values his grandfather and HE'S handy!"  Almost 4 years have passed, and I've grown to love Bop as my own 2 grandfathers (RIP).  I enjoy hearing his stories about growing up in the 1900's, living in different places, how to fix things, and most of all, I adore his sense of humor.  To know Bop is to love him! I could go on for days, but I won't, I'll get to my point... So due to some health issues that wouldn't allow his aunt and uncle to spend the summer on the river as they normally do,  I volunteered to drive up there with Bop, so he could still go on his usual summer trip!  I was excited from the day I found out he was excited, the jury is still out on which one of us is more excited!
Bop arrived at our house last Thursday, where we've spent the last 3 days celebrating his 95th birthday and Father's Day.  Tomorrow morning at 6am, we will leave South Carolina and head to Allentown, Pennsylvania where we will visit with 10 of Bop's cousins.  From there, we'll head into Philadelphia for some Philly cheesesteaks and sightseeing on Tuesday.  That's all I know for now.. so check back in a few days to see where we go!

A Teacher's Summer

In 12 years of teaching, this is the first summer I have ever taken completely off, and even still, I feel just as busy as I did all those summers I tutored, waited tables, and nannied!  The first week, I thought I'd go to the gym, and then waste away for the rest of the day with a book by the pool.  That was the case for about 2 days, and then things picked up to a  busy pace again.  What amazes me the most is that I'm still getting up between 5:30-6:00am, in hopes of getting the day going early, however I've found that it's just irrational to start cleaning one's house at 7am in the morning. Afterall, I wouldn't want to wake my neighbors with the vacuum cleaner! So instead, I've caught up on the latest news, finished 2 books, and learned to navigate my new Smartphone which my husband is so excited I now have!
See, I told you in my last post that I'd be busy!
This week I had a bit of time to relax by the pool briefly on Monday, then the week has gone to lightening speed and suddenly yesterday I realized I had the next 24 hours to get my house cleaned, hit the gym, grocery shop, buy party decorations, write a grant, tutor a child (ok, I'm guilty, but I'm just tutoring 1 kid this summer), do laundry, shop for things for my month long vacation, and spend some quality time with my hubby before I leave. 
On Monday, I will be leaving for a month of fun, adventure, and relaxation!  Check back, as I will definitely write about this adventure!