This is going to require a list (a rather long one):
1. The semester is over. Woohoo. This was to be our hardest year so far of Paul in graduate school, because he was required to complete a residency year, basically attending full-time for 12 months. While working full-time. While being a father and husband. Adding to that, I took on a heavier load of classes this semester--more than ever before. So we were both working quite a bit for the last five months, and Paul even longer than that.
But we got through it without too much trouble. Paul made an A in a difficult class (yay, sweetie!) and our marriage and family stayed intact and strong through the stress.
2. Although the semester is over and our summer break has officially begun, we're not actually free this summer. Paul will be working intensely on his research and will need to be in the lab quite a bit.
And...I have taken a new position and will start in early June. I will still be at the community college, still part-time, but instead of teaching I will be the Disability Services Coordinator. It's an exciting opportunity for me to use my degree and training and to build a program from the ground up.
And still have a family life. Imagine that.
3. Our sweet dear wonderful babysitter Samantha is leaving us to go to graduate school herself. We are very excited for her but sad to be losing her. She has been such a blessing to us and to the girls and we're going to miss her terribly.
In addition to Samantha leaving, our friend Daisy (and her family) is also moving away. Daisy and Barrett shared Samantha most every day the last year. So my girls are losing their babysitter AND our friends.
Naturally, as sad as we are, we've decided to have a little going away party for them before everyone disperses at the beginning of the summer.
4. Of course, this leaves us without a child care option for the summer--and with my starting a new job and Paul working on his research.
Luckily a local church (right on the University campus) is putting on a day camp for school-aged children and for preschoolers, so we're hoping we can do that. Owen will probably prefer to be in a group environment anyway and it's really time for Barrett to be with other kids as well.
Keep your fingers crossed that we can enroll them. And that we can get Barrett into the University child care center for fall, too. I'm working on that one. While there is a waiting list, the Director told me today that they are going to expand to another classroom, so there might be space after all and being part of the University means we get priority. Please pray that we can get her in because that will be the best option for us then.
5. All of this makes me wonder if I need to start reading a different set of blogs--those of moms who work outside the home. I keep reading the blogs of moms who don't work outside the family and who homeschool and I start feeling inadequate that I don't have time to bake bread and make homemade granola and make all of my own cleaning products and grow huge gardens and preserve everything in it and sew clothing for my children and do art and nature projects with them daily and run a photography business on the side...
I used to feel bad about myself reading all those blogs, but lately I've begun to think that maybe I just need to start reading something different...
6. I've also been thinking of, perhaps, quitting blogging myself. This semester was so hard that I neglected this poor space severely and my stats have dropped significantly. And, even worse, I've just not been feeling it lately with the blog.
But then Paul (and my friends) remind me that this blog (and the other one) constitute a record of my girls' childhood. Or more accurately a record of myself during their childhood. And I can't give that up. So I will persist. I hope you'll hang in there with me.
7. I am doing a few things for myself this summer. First, I am taking a four-week (once-a-week for four weeks) writing workshop which will hopefully stimulate me into writing more, maybe even blogging more. Also I am taking this photography e-course--and I am very excited about it. I finally get to learn (hopefully) how to really use my camera. I will definitely share with you here the fruits of my lessons.
8. I do have a few weeks before my job starts and during which we hope to spend some family time together. We're going camping this weekend with friends (Hi Pat! Hi Steve!) and family, taking the canoe for some paddling and basically relaxing.
9. While camping, we will celebrate our 12th wedding anniversary (which, oddly, always seems to fall during trips with my family). To honor our marriage, Paul & I are hoping to take an entire day (one day next week) from sunrise to evening together. Mom's going to babysit and we're going to get up early early and head out, hiking and exploring and taking pictures, eating a picnic lunch, maybe dinner somewhere nice and, if we're not too tired, maybe even a movie. Just a day for us. So nice.
10. There is more to say (about strawberries and summer lists and gardens and reading and such), but I am tired and this post has grown too long already. You've pretty much got the scoop now.
I cannot promise another post until we return from our camping trip, but I can promise there will be photos then.
Thanks for staying with me.