Until We Meet Again

It is 5:15AM and I've been awake and working since about 3:45.  I think it is safe to say we have resumed our relatively absurd schedule in which we desperately try to achieve work/life balance.  I'm not gonna lie, I feel relatively unbalanced this week.  Never enough time to get anything done either at work or at home.  

When I start to get overwhelmed my immediate reaction is the need to relocate somewhere to the middle of nowhere and simplify.  Live off the land!

And then really smart people remind me that it isn't all fun and games to live off the land.  I don't know...I bet it still beats a 6 hour roundtrip commute, don't you?

We spent most of last week and all of last weekend packing up the summer place in preparation for the community's shut down this past Tuesday.  We had to empty the cabinets and fridge of food in preparation for winterizing and to make it unappealing for any unwanted guests that might sneak in looking for warmth between now and April.  We had to rifle through drawers for this that and the other that we couldn't bear to be without in the next 6 months, and convince the child that yes she really should pack up those toys because really for real we cannot go back until April.  

And so Monday we took a last walk around our little summer haven.

And lined up the golf cart with the others, ready for pick up and storage...

And were the last lights in our little neighborhood to dim.

And true to our normal storybook endings, my fully packed car, complete with one kid and one dog, would not start.  And so we got to enjoy an extra hour while we waited for AAA to arrive and determine it was not the battery and inform us that the only way home was on a tow truck.  

But we'll ignore that, and the fact that the kitchen of our house is serving as the temporary storage unit of everything we brought home, and look back on what a good summer it was and count the days until we are walking through our little summer village where you can't pass a person without a nod and a wave.  

Maybe Pleasantville really does exist.

A Little of This, A Little of That on Pajama Sunday

Is there anything better than hearing rain on the roof on a Sunday morning?

Shelby thinks not.

We all slept in this morning.  That never happens anymore.  Bliss.  

Yesterday was busy.  Saturday = soccer (and so does Sunday, these days.  But not today, thank you for the rain, MoNa).  But I digress.  

Arden's soccer game was at 9AM yesterday morning.  It was a great game - evenly matched teams.  We won 1-0.

This has been an interesting season thus far.  Her current coaches tend to move the kids around to different position each time they are on the field.  Here is Arden playing goalie.  It is not her strength.  I can't take the pressure of her being goalie.  Happily no one scored on her yesterday.  (Yes, they are 8, and yes, I still take this seriously.  I'm working on it.)

Arden is an interesting player.  She's an extremely strong defensive player, but she is also aggressive when it comes to offense and as long as she doesn't get swept up in her fancy footwork attempts is a force to be reckoned with.  And, now that we've been running together her stamina has increased substantially so she can run hard for as long as necessary.

Basically what we learned yesterday is that center fielder is the right position for her.  A little of this, a little of that.  If only they would let her play this position at all times.  Equal opportunity rotation is no longer necessary (in my humble and right opinion).  I thought, for about 35 seconds, about offering to coach her team next season.  But then I remembered that: 1) I know jack about soccer and 2) I sometimes forget it's about the fun.  (I swear, I'm working on it.)

She was surrounded by lots of gold jerseys much of yesterday's game.  One of the kids kept grabbing her jersey.  Not gonna lie, love that they have refs this year to call this stuff!

After soccer we headed to Windrush Farms for the Special Olympics Equestrian event.  Arden's Pony Club provides food every year for this event, so this was A's first experience in volunteering.  She loved it.  She shooed me away - she's way too old to need me around.  

We decided to host Dora's horse people to organize around Lola, the stolen horse (more on that in a separate post).  We had 3.5 hours in between deciding this and getting the house ready and food prepped.  The troops came and are mobilized.  We will get Lola back to Dianne, her rightful owner.  Stay tuned.