Picture of the Week - 8/27/2020

 There are so many things that have come up over the last 18ish years that we were, in hindsight, SO unprepared to deal with.  So many things!

And yet... we got through all of them and can now look back fondly(?) at all the lessons learned.  Parenthood is awesome, y'all!

I mean like no one really talked about how hard it is to cut baby fingernails or how to handle a toddler sunburn or what to do with that wiggly tooth that just won't come out.  I was unprepared to deal with middle school.  Period.  Driving lessons, that first break-up, when your nearly grown child has ideas that aren't completely aligned with yours.  Phew...  there's just SO MUCH that we just figure out along the way.

We are in the middle of one of those phases right now.  The college decision.  The college application process.  The inundation of information.  It's a lot.  A lot of mail - both the physical kind and the e kind.  (The attached picture is stuff we've gathered THIS WEEK.  If I had saved all of it along the way, I'd probably have 3 inches of postcards and flyers.  One of my current major fears is simply missing something important in all this noise!

To be honest, I actually think we probably haven't really even gotten into the hardest part of this process.  How do I help my boys decide what is best for THEM and what THEY want out of life.  How much do I let them just fly with and how much help is appropriate?  I've never done this before and we don't know the rules or the best practices or where the pitfalls are.  It's kinda terrifying from this almost-September of the senior year vantage point.  

Spencer has already started the application process.  He has a top 3 schools.  The order changes from time to time, but the top 3 is pretty consistent.  So that's where we are focusing right now and trying not to keep the blinders on TOO much, but also not to become overwhelmed by options.  (Like, sorry Muhlenberg College, as nice as it is that you want to talk to Spencer about wrestling, you are a private liberal arts college in Pennsylvania, please stop sending stuff.)   

This is a big weekend for Spencer.  On Saturday he's finally going to take the SAT for reals.  (Cross all fingers that our high school stays open to administer the test!)  He's taken the SAT before and the PSAT a couple of times (which is why I think we get so much mail, to be honest), so he's feeling pretty good, which makes me feel pretty good!   We need these scores to provide to a couple of early decision options and kick off the process of trying to secure a nomination for the Naval Academy.  The test is kind of a big deal for him - even though the VAST majority of applications this year do not required test scores thanks to Covid.  

Then on Sunday Spence and I are hitting the road to head to Daytona so he can do his first college tour at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University.  We had plans for several tours over the summer, but...  Covid...  Luckily this campus is open to visitors.  We are still waiting for his other top choices to open touring back up.  I can't even imagine having to make this decision without getting to step foot on each option in person.  Ahhhh 2020...  you are such a weird year!

Stay tuned for more information and decisions along the way.  And then guess what - we get to do it all over again with Quinn!  Woot!  

In other weekend news...  Beckett has his first football game on Saturday!  I am really looking forward to watching him play.  Zane's team's schedule is a mess right now due to some youth sports ridiculousness, so his first game isn't until after Labor Day.

Enjoy these last few days of August and then celebrate putting another month of this crazy year in the rear view mirror!

Picture of the Week - 8/19/2020

 Happy Thursday!

We are plugging through our first full week of school and all is well.  There is drama - of course - and to listen to the news we are all just awaiting the pending doom.  But all is well.  And I pray we can keep it that way.  

I do think the return to having a schedule has been a bit of a shock to the system for all of us.  Everyone seemed pretty tired by last night!  But we are all still doing all the things - football for the younger guys, wrestling for the older ones, work and such for the parents.  Life...  plain old boring life never felt so good.

We did finally get Quinn's jeep painted.  This took several months longer than expected because of the covid shut down - and then the amazing place that painted Spencer's car hasn't reopened (may never...  sad...) so we had to find a new spot.  (Aside - it's harder than you might expect to find someone who is willing to "just paint it" without trying to make it super fancy!  I mean, this is a 1997 jeep with almost 300k miles on it.  Fancy clearly isn't what we are going for here...)  He picked a dark blue and it looks so good!  Now there are plans to replace the soft top and some stuff inside.  I mostly turn out when talk turns to car parts, to be honest.  But I do think the paint job is nice!  :)  And Quinn is pretty cute too!

Saturday Zane plays his first football game.  Our opponent is essentially an all star team.  We all know what's coming and the goal will be to get out of the park without any serious injuries.  LOL  It'll all be gravy after that first game!!!  Aside from that - more of the same around here.  What are you up to this weekend?

Cheers!

Picture of the Week - 8/13/2020

 Well today is the first day of school.  All the boys are at school today.  Zane and Beck took the bus.  Quinn rode with a friend.  Spencer drove.  

Then Bob and I just looked at each other like, hmmmm, now what?

It's weird.  I am very unsettled.  I'm not nervous about them going.  I'm not afraid that they will get sick - or bring something home.  Is that a risk.  Yes.  Of course it is.  So is putting keys into Spencer's hand and letting him drive to class.  

It's just - I don't really even know.  It's like no one knows how to think or what to feel right now.  It's an unfamiliar feeling - like the million other unfamiliar feelings that have come along in 2020.  Bob got as close to describing my feelings as anything when he suggested that the issue is that we are just waiting for the other shoe to drop.  I think that's kind of it.  There's no trust in the routine, the normal, the "expected".  And it's unsettling.  

So I'm going to do my very best to pretend I'm fine and things are fine until they are, well, fine.  I'm looking forward to hearing how Beck likes his new teacher.  I'm anxious to hear if any of Zane's friends are in his class.  I can't wait to find out who Quinn sat near (but not with) at lunch.  And Spencer, well, I want to know everything about his last first day, but I know him well enough to know not to expect details and to hear the ambivalence in his voice to prove he doesn't care about such things as high school - even if underneath I really believe he was looking forward to walking those halls today as a Senior.  

I pray this year treats my boys well.  I pray that the teachers and administrators have peace and confidence in the decisions they have to make.  I pray the parents and families show grace and patience and understanding.  I pray I can figure out how to respond if things change again.  And in the meantime, I am grateful that they are, at least for today, back to living the lives young men should be living after this long, weird summer.  

Pool picture is from the weekend, but too good not to share.  Back to school picture is from today - Spencer (Senior), Quinn (Junior), Zane (5th grade) and Beckett (3rd grade).

Picture of the Week - 8/6/2020

 So I guess this is the last week of summer.  The boys go back to school next Thursday.  

I really wish things felt more settled, but I guess this is what we've got right now.  

Not really too much to update.  Spencer is away for the week doing some work in Albany, Ga.  It's not the way I'd want to spend the last week before going back to school, but he really wanted to go and after much debate - off he went.  Quinn is here and working hard at being social.  He is off for meals with friends or swimming or working out or ??? almost every day.  He's basically living his best life.  Zane and Beck are at the Dojo again this week.  This was their favorite of all the summer camps this year (except of course the sleepover camp!)  Next week they will just hang here with us for a few days and the off on the yellow bus.  

I don't know how long it will last.  Watching the news, I am not confident they will make it to October, but all I can do is hope and pray for everyone involved.  (And maybe clear off that spot on the dining room table that they will need if we go to virtual learning...)

And the dogs, well lets just say that they have gotten extremely used to us being here all the time.  Especially Ozzie.  He is asleep at my feet about 80% of the time.  If I ever have to go back to the office, I'm not sure who will be more upset - him or me?  LOL

Have a great week - enjoy whatever it is you are doing because who KNOWS what's next in 2020!

Picture of Ozzie chillin w me on the back porch.  We are both spoiled rotten...