31 and Counting...

Yeah, I started writing again and then went away. What's up with that? VACATION!!

I have been very lucky this year to get 6 weeks off from work to enjoy time with family and to relax and have fun. Well, really just 5 weeks and 6 days, but rounding up sounds even better.

During that time, there has been very little computer work. What there has been has been fun. And more fun. And relaxing. And reading. And napping.

Let's take a quick inventory...

We've gone camping three times...or was it four? Either way, plenty of time to relax and swim and kayak.

We spent 7 nights and 8 days on St. John in the US Virgin Islands. Oh yes, just as awesome as you might imagine. Beautiful beaches. Lots of swimming and snorkeling. Fabulous food - all served in open air restaurants. Wildlife, scenery, ruins, hiking - we had it all.

Reading. I love to read. But during the school year I end up mostly reading things related to work. So far during my time off...9 books under my belt! And with almost two weeks left, I'll get another couple of books crossed off my "to read" list.

Napping. Lots of napping. A boy is never too old for nap time!

So was it all about being lazy and hedonistic pursuits? Nah. I've also done a bunch of chores around the house, helped the neighbor lady with some of her chores, helped move Son1 back home. And helped prepare Son2 for his move away to college. So I've actually found time to be productive when I wasn't reading, napping, swimming, snorkeling....well, you get the picture.

A few more days to go. I hope YOUR summer is just as awesome!!

IT IS OFFICIAL!!!

Last night at approximately 7:45 eastern time, Son2 strolled across the stage (so far away from where we were sitting that he was mostly a maroon spot on the horizon!) and collected his high school diploma. It is exciting when any kid reaches that milestone. For a kid who struggles with asperger's syndrome and a few other complicating factors, it was truly momentous. An achievement for him, for us, and for all those who have helped him along the way.

Congratulations!! We love you!!!

It all comes down to this...

I've written about all my kids on the blog, but I've written about Son2 far more often than the others. Having a kid with multiple special needs provides a lot of story prompts!

It also provides more anxieties than any person should have to endure. And right now we are in the middle of final exams. Not just any final exams. Oh no, my friendly reader, I'm talking the FINAL final exams! This is it. Graduate if he does well. Live in our basement and sell vacuum cleaners door-to-door if he fails.

Okay, maybe that last option is a bit extreme. But after 14 years in the public school system (we stretched high school out over five years for maximum benefit), we really have come down to one class that must be passed in order to graduate. Oh it would be nice if he did well in all his classes. Hell, I'm a teacher. Of course I want him to do well. But he could truly fail three of them and nothing would change. But one class...the chem/physics class...it all rides on that one. And he is going into the final with a somewhat mediocre average in that class, so the final really could mean the difference.

Fourteen years coming down to one test.

When he started school all those many years ago, I had a head full of thick, dark brown hair. The kind any woman would want to run her fingers through. Well, not any woman, really. But my wife liked it okay. Now...fourteen years later...some thin spots, some gray hairs, some receding in the hairline area. And I'm wondering if this one test can push me from thinner and grayer to wispy and white?!?! The stress is just unbelievable.

We should have grades very soon. I'll keep you posted.

A Lesson In Loss

A few folks have looked at the Wordle I posted when I returned from my long absence and said they would love to hear more about some of those words. And I’ll certainly share on several of them. For my own benefit, I’ll probably spend more time on the happier words than the sad words. But I’m gonna start with the sad ones – especially since they contributed to my long absence from blogging.

Some of those words in there – funeral, mother-in-law, estate, and cancer – all relate to the loss of several family members over the past 30 months.

Our first loss was our niece who died in a tragic accident in December 2007.

We really had not recovered from that loss when my mom passed away in February 2008. I never wrote so much about her death, but I did share some of what we dealt with after the fact both here and here.

Just two months after my mom’s death, my favorite aunt passed away. One more emotional blow when we were still struggling with our recent losses.

Throughout all of this time, my mother-in-law battled leukemia. After a long struggle, she finally passed away this past October.

All of these required our family to pack up and travel all around the country for funerals. We all became too good at putting on our “funeral clothes” doing the meet-and-greet at viewings and meals hosted by friends and churches, and serving as pall bearers to loved ones. These are skills at which no one should have to become very adept.

Aside from those skills, we learned other things. We learned to enjoy our family more. We learned to seize the day – go out, have fun, travel – not just worry about saving money for the future. The future is just too uncertain.

During that time of grieving, regrouping, learning…I stopped writing. It just mental energy to write that I just didn’t have at the time. I know, if you’ve read my writing, you think not a whole lot of mental energy could be going into that! But it was more creative energy than I could muster.

Instead, I spent time with family. I read a lot. We talked about our future and what we really wanted. We regrouped. We traveled. We ate out more. We started to have fun and embrace life in ways we never had before. Not that we did “new” stuff…we just did “more” stuff. A lot more.

That’s not to say we don’t still grieve. Some of it still feels too recent to let go. But losing people you love can really open your eyes to those you love that are still with you. Making the most of the time together is a critical thing to do.

We’ve worked hard to learn that lesson.

The First of the Season

The first camping trip of the season is always one of the best. Oh sure, it takes a lot of work setting up the camper, stocking it with food and supplies, just getting everything in order for the season.

But there is also the relaxing, the sitting in the sun, the swimming, the paddle boat, the kayaks, the delicious meals on the grill and the fun of just hanging out with the family away from the phones and the homework and the chores and the errands.

Hope your weekend was just as awesome.

Timing is everything

Some folks would swear that the beginning of the school year is the busiest time of the year. It is not.

Some folks believe the holiday season is the busiest. They are wrong.

The end of the school year is the most ludicrous time on the calendar.

As you know, we have three kids. Going to two different schools. That means two different schedules for finals, end-of-year projects, band concerts, staying late to prep for finals, and registering for a summer class (Son1 at his college). Then there is the scrambling to find summer jobs (Son1 who always waits too late!), trying to find time to open our camper and get ready for camping season (first day at the camper will be tomorrow), planning our summer vacation, planning for Son2's graduation, preparing for Son2 to attend college orientation and move into his dorm later this summer, etc, etc.

In addition, since I work at a school, that means a third calendar to follow! A different crush to get things done at the last minute. Different types of projects to wrap up for the year. Different graduation. Different final days for teachers.

It wears on you. Last night, my wife woke me up about 11PM. Why? Cause I had fallen asleep in the chair about 9PM and she just let me sleep till time for bed.

But just 15 more work days for me. YEA!

Of course, I'll be right back at work when summer school begins.

Did I Miss Anything?

Yep, I'm afraid I did. At least here. Sixteen months ago I wrote my last blog post. Didn't know it would be the last one when I did it. But, well, life gets busy, ya know? And I just drifted away from writing.

But I did miss it. And I missed connecting with friends online. Now that's not to say I didn't connect. So many folks sent e-mails all through those 16 months. They were kind enough to check on me...to keep in touch...and to encourage me to write again.

And so I am. But it would just be crazy to try to write a post that catches you up on the past 16 months. And I'm pretty darn sure not one single person is still checking in here anyway...so no one will really notice. But, on the off chance that I pop up like some long-lost friend on someone's RSS feed, here is the past 16 months on one Wordle...

Yep, that's it. Some things that just were not fun for our family. And some things that were lots of fun.

And as we move forward and I share new things, no doubt you'll pick up on some tidbits from some of those past moments. I know...pretty exciting, huh?