Summer to Fall

I swear school just got out for summer break.  I realize with my eyes that two full months have come and gone on the calendar, but it’s hard to reconcile the facts with feelings.  And it feels like it should still be summer.  Obviously the weather agrees with me!

But still, there is no denying the fact that it is that time of year again.  Time for backpacks and lunchboxes, routine bedtimes and alarm clocks.  Part of me is glad.  And part of me is going to rest in a moment of rebellion as I recall some of the memorable events of the summer.

When school ended, I needed a break.  Badly.  So we escaped to Grandma's house in Nashville.  The kids spent a week shuffling back and forth between the two sets of grandparents, and I pretty much hunkered down and tried to focus on breathing in and out regularly.  It was nice not to have to worry about washing clothes or planning meals.  We went swimming, visited the park, and ate way too many desserts.  Like I cared.

I still didn’t care a couple of weeks later when the kids were back at Nashville, but this time without me, and Wes and I were headed to Dallas for a long weekend spent with old friends.  We watched grown-up movies and went out to eat at new and interesting places, took in a play and went swimming.  Sometime in there I let go of my type-A mindset long enough to decide it was not too late to blog about things that were six-months past and proceeded to play catch-up.  This gave me the motivation to get caught up on my family scrapbook, which I immediately began to work on.  And perhaps read a few books, just for fun.  And quit gnawing on my fingernails.  All of this made me so happy I decided I should probably care a little more about too many desserts and proceeded to come up with a more healthy eating plan for our family.

Apparently, that weekend was the springboard I needed.

We went home, the kids came home (I was even happy to see them), Fourth of July and Kids Camp came and went interspersed with some family swimming and the first-time-ever trip to the Fayetteville Public library, and when it was finally time for a true FAMILY VACATION, I was ready instead of in dread. 

We spent the week at Branson, enjoying season passes to Silver Dollar city, riding all of the rides (well, not me, although I conceded and rode a few…somebody had to take the pictures, right?), shopping at Branson Landing twice (a completely random fluke on my part but I’ll be woman enough to admit the second time was for school shoes and frozen yogurt), and boating on the Spirit of America catamaran swimming tour (yes, I was the only one besides the captain who remained IN the boat the entire time…don't judge...nobody missed me in the water anyway...) but still, it was a really good week.

So now, even though I usually dread the onset of Fall like the plague (such a busy, stressful time of year to me), I think I’m ready to tackle it.  Good summer, good memories, more relaxed countenance, and 10 pounds down for me so far…whoohoo! 

I’m even looking forward to the football games.  Sort of.