You know that saying all or nothing? There was a time in my life when that was true. When recital time was really busy and then it would be followed by a big let down of nothing to do. The beginning of school would consume two full weeks, but then we had quiet until the holidays. It doesn’t work that way anymore. It’s ALWAYS busy! I will admit though, I tend to make it that way. I fill each crevice of space with something. Like tar closing the gap between two slabs. We had lots of logistical issues to overcome this weekend in order to make everything smooth, but we made it work. Our dance studio does a golf outing every year. Adrienne was required to be there to dance and Mark golfed in the morning. When Mark finished he headed down to Ohio for a combined graduation/birthday bash for an old friend. Adrienne was tied up for the day(until 9:00) so that left Lexi, Sof and I to ourselves. It begged for a day trip. We had a dance recital on the west side of the state to go to, so I decided to make a day of it. Friday night I threw beach toys, towels, extra clothes, and kites in the car. We were going to the beach!
The kids were super excited and never once complained about the driving or early morning. When I got Sof up she said, “No school before beach dance show!” She was thrilled when I said she was indeed not going to school! She is so used to hearing me say, ”After school we’re going to…”. In the car Lexi said, “this is really fun”. I agreed, it felt so “summer”; full car, loose itinerary. First stop was the dance recital(well, after McDonald’s, Starbucks, and the gas station)! My niece by heart was doing her last recital as she is going to be a senior next year and wants to focus on other things. I don’t know how she got that big…
Sof loves her Aunt Nette!
We said our good byes, and got back in the car. We drove another 45min to Grand Haven to stretch our legs on the beach. It was windy and cool, just perfect for what we wanted to do.
A couple hours after we got there some storm clouds started rolling in. It was the perfect time to pack up and head downtown. We visited all our favorite places, Great Harvest, The Kite Store, and of course Fortino’s! How can a girl choose from all this candy?
We fit in a taste of all our favorite things, just enough to satisfy our hunger until we can get back. Alas, we had to pick big girl up so we started out on the 2 1/2 hour drive home. As I drove I couldn’t stop the urge to keep that summer feeling flowing. I made a few calls and set up a cook out at our house for the next day. The girls were in such a good mood(and Adrienne ended up getting a ride home), that I pushed it and stopped at the grocery store. We collected burgers, chips, and fruit salad. When we finally got home, Adrienne was there, and we were all giddy. I told her I felt she may be under represented in this blog post so she obliged me with a picture…
It pretty much sums up the mood of the house:)
Although I loved my day with the girls, I will admit I was excited for some adult conversation the next day! I made two decisions that I quickly reverted on. First, I decided I was not going to take any pictures. I certainly had enough for this post, and I thought for once I’d just sit back let the pictures be in my mind. That was before this girl showed up…
She’s edible right now. A brand new walker. How can you not snap a few shots of that cuteness?
The bigger girls were inspired by the kite laying in the garage. They tried really hard, but it just wasn’t kite flying weather!
The second decision I made was not to serve dessert. I decided it wasn’t necessary to always have dessert after the meal. Plus, it was Sunday, which doesn’t feel like an indulgent kinda day. That lasted until Mark was checking out his FB and randomly commented that Rick’s birthday was in a few days. Well, in that case…we HAVE to have dessert. Adrienne was happy to whip up some brownies, and you know Sof, girfriend loves a celebration. We did candles and sang and it was good for all!
Happy Birthday Uncle Rick!
We have six short, busy days until school is officially over. We are more than ready for our life to look like this on a regular basis! In other(really good) news, we were finally given our placements for next year at work. It’s been a source of anxiety for all, and a great relief to know. My partner and I will be staying together teaching Kindergarten share time at the school she came from. Yay! We are VERY happy. At the same time, it was one more very real reminder that our school is closing and we will be parting ways. Boxes showed up today for packing, and our time together-teachers, students, parents-is winding down. It will be sad. Good bye’s always are.
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