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Last Week

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 This was the last week of my summer break from my school job. I missed everyone and the structure, but I wouldn’t say I was ready to give up the freedoms of summer.  This was Dakota’s last week of summer break and also his last week of high school training camp…ever. Our first preseason game of his senior year is tomorrow.   This week I fulfilled my promise to take my oldest granddaughter, Natalie -age 12, to DC to take her time in the Natural History Museum so she could read all the things. We spent two whole hours in the gems and stones section while she soaked up every little bit of knowledge she could about what she was seeing. She was a pleasure to be around and I enjoyed being with her. On the way home we stopped to get Rebecca’s new glasses. She just went to the eye doctor and discovered she has very poor vision. I sat with her as she saw the world clearly for the first time and she was most amazed that the carpet was made of “strings” and not just a blob.  And on a very good n
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Senior Year

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 I have known it was coming. I have dreaded it for years. August 9,2023 Dakota started his senior year of football (#54💙) and there is a big countdown clock hanging over my head. I am determined to push it aside and enjoy the coming season and year, adding memories to the ones we have created in youth and high school football with the boys since 1999.   He is excited yet calm, takes care of himself and his things and even bought his own football stuff this year after working his summer job.  Today we paid for his parking spot and to “chalk it up” for his space the day before school starts. He didn’t want to do it so Kris and the kids and I will do it for him and surprise him. So many things to add to the calendar!  Tomorrow is his first scrimmage. He has to be on the bus at 7am for a 9am start time in LaPlata. Even though we have to be up and out early, these are the times I will miss the most. I love away games for the excitement of a different school, a nice meal after and my favori
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Changes, COVID and Career

 Somehow it has been four years since I last wrote in my blog. Address changes, we all lived through the COVID debacle, and I left daycare behind and changed careers last November. I am now in the last few days of my first year with Anne Arundel County Public Schools and I love my job!  I enjoy working with the kids, being a part of our school community and making friends with so many wonderful men and women who all, like me, come to work each day to help educate these young children.  Summer is fast approaching. Dakota is 18 (how did THAT happen) and finishing his Junior year of high school. He is driving now and Monday morning he starts work at his first job. I am beyond proud of the young man he has become. More on him in future posts, you can be sure! We lost our two big dogs, Raven and Riley in 2020 and late that year we got our newest addition, a shepherd mix named Jaxon. He is crazy and loving and crazy and expressive and crazy and loyal. Lots of pictures will be posted. He is v
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Memories

As I navigate my world without my partner of 30 years I find myself more resilient than I thought I would be, but I struggle with the memories when I go to the places we have gone together, which seems to be everywhere.  Today I went up to the football fields where both our sons grew up playing on that field and while there was only Coach Chris working with the 2-4 year olds, my fourteen year old son assistant coaching, I could hear from years ago my husband with his loud, energetic voice coaching the boys, yelling the drills, instilling discipline and work ethic.  I was so proud of him.  I am still so proud of the coach he is, though I am disappointed in the man he is showing himself to be currently.  I miss him with all my heart and I miss being his wife.  I was so proud to be his wife.  He doesn't remember anything good in our years, but we had a loving, connected relationship for a long time.  I will survive.  I have no choice.  But I will always miss the team we were together.
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Two Ones

Today I had the pleasure of being responsible for two one year old boys.  The little one just celebrated his first birthday and the older one is only two months from being two.  They were totally different, but so much alike!  First, these are the cutest two little boys you will ever meet.  One with dark hair and eyes and olive skin and the other fair with blond hair and blue eyes.  When God was handing out looks, these two little guys got an extra dose!  Second, they love to eat!  The older of the two would say "Eat! Eat!" and the younger knew he was going to get in on this action too!  There were crackers, cookies, applesauce, more crackers...  Third, they were busy!  Oh my gosh!  They had so much energy!  I was in the playroom with them watching them learn to play together and making suggestions, giving out hugs, changing diapers and doling out the snacks.  They were in and out and up and on and under and over and through.  They rode little motorcycles and played in the li
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Fifty Four and Counting

2019 has been the year of change and currently it is July 2019 and I have turned 54 and my life is different in almost every way than it was a year ago.  Although it came in full of promise and hope, 2019 was destined to be a year of challenges and triumphs, fear, failure and success. In February we were told that - SURPRISE - our oldest daughter, who I help with daycare for my three granddaughters, 7, 5 and 4, at least three days a week while she works, was pregnant with my first grandson.  Wow!  I was angry at the load it was putting on me, thrilled to be getting a grandson, worried about my daughter, who was not physically supposed to carry another child and not financially in a place to have one. Also in February my older son, engaged and moved out with his fiance of six months, broke the engagement and accepted a job in Mississippi.  It wasn't pretty and, although mutual, we lost an important person in our life that we expected to be our family member.  On February 15th, m
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And you blink...

It's currently February of 2018.  Last I wrote was in August.  Then I blinked and it was Halloween.  And I blinked and it was Thanksgiving.  Half a blink to Christmas.  Blink again, two months into the new year.  Today I am babysitting my three granddaughters and homeschooling my son.  We are having a relaxing morning since my son is finished his homework from his tutorial for the week and watching the first ice skating competition of the 2018 Winter Olympics.  The Olympics are a great learning opportunity for families.  You can take the opportunity to use a map to locate all the countries that are participating.  You can learn about the different sports that are involved.  You can tally the medals won, creating a big wall chart with flags and sticky notes.  I am a little sad because this is the last opportunity I have with my son to make it a part of his lessons.  The next time we have Olympics in two years he will be a high school student.  I'm thinking he is not going to wan
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