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Goodbye, August.
It has been a lovely, lazy August and I have managed, by and large, to avoid my end-of-summer blahs. Hooray!
I have, however, been in complete denial that I am a doctoral student who will soon need to account for her productivity and time. I really have only done minimal amounts of work in that area for the past...oh...four months. At this point I feel like a complete charlatan if anyone asks about how my program is going. I am consoling myself with the knowledge that I have to percolate my thoughts before I produce anything but, let's be serious, four months isn't percolating. It's pickling. I'll have to see what condition my thoughts are in next week when I tug them out of my brain brine. Otherwise they're going to come and take away my student's license, I fear.
So what have we been doing? The first half of the month we were in Utah, visiting family and friends (and I'm going to spend today posting some catch-up posts about that trip for the sake of family documentation).
The rest of the month we've been homebodies. Maddy has decided to take up G on his offer to do his shirts each week for the equivalent $ amount that he pays the dry cleaner right now. First she completed ironing bootcamp, doing practice shirts just to make sure she was up to the task. One thing about that Maddy, her outfits are an integral part of any activity, so she dressed up in her "funky housewife" get up. Whatever gets the job done, I say.
Lauren turned 17 in August. Yes, it's true. Is it just me or does 17 seem many years older than 16? To celebrate, she decided to bring friends to a polo match (see below) and then to WaterFire in Providence. She's prepping to take the ACTs, the SATs again, and driver's license test. She adores her new computer. It seemed like a good idea at the time, since she has a heavy senior year load and will need one next year anyway, but she has to be nudged-persuaded-threatened to get off of it sometimes. (But then, don't we all?) She is researching the feasibility of starting a shaved ice shack in our town, which would make me very happy. I love a good, pink lemon sour/peach shaved ice combo.
Sam turned 12 this month. Suddenly his body has done that endearing tween boy thing where they widen before they lengthen. He has his first suit, a handsome + grey 3-button deal. After being teased by several different people for looking like Justin Beiber, he is desperate to cut his hair before school starts to avoid that particular fate in the future. He's been reading up a storm, going on runs, doing various things with graph paper, and doing sporcle quizzes.
G is trying to catch up at work and church from the vacation. He is astonishingly upbeat about his quite heavy load, between bishoping and lawyering and husbanding and fathering. His outside (and therapeutic) puttering has produced a nice, raised-bed garden that is shooting out the peppers and tomatoes faster than we can pick them (oh! the sweet cherry tomatoes! nature's candy, right?).
Speaking of candy, I'm on week three of no sugar, no dairy. Why? Because I have a bad-boyfriend relationship with them both: I love them much, much more than they love me. Years ago I did this for several months and felt (and looked?) the best I ever have. A combination of headaches, stomachaches, and seeing my vacation photos (you know, the kind where you are wearing a bathing suit and "untag" yourself on Facebook?) have brought me back to it. Heaven help us all.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Reader Comments (9)
It sounds like you had a nice summer! We should meet for pizza again!
i am not even making this up... noe is sitting next to me while i read on here this morning, and when i scrolled down she goes "OHMYGOSHMOM! is that justin beiber in the suit? I LOVE HIM!!" either she's obsessed, or you should RUN that child to the barber. or maybe both.
i lvoed your percolating/pickling analogy. so clever. sounds like things are about to speed up for you. glad you had a beautiful august to prepare for it.
ooh, happy re-entry into scholastic life! best wishes.
that is a gorgeous family photo up top, and ahh, wildwood--I miss it so.
That family picture is really nice! Maddy is so cute. Hannah tried to iron Matt's shirts too-she lasted through 2 shirts then called it quits. I don't blame her-I hate ironing too. So I'm interested in how you will deal with a teenager driving a car. Do you buy another car? Will she buy one? How are we suppose to do the car thing? I only have a couple more years and I need tutoring in this area. Please advise!
I had my get-yourself-in-gear, back-to-school meeting with my dissertation chair today. She didn't exactly slap me on the wrist for goofing off most of the summer, but the amount of work I have to do between now and the end of October is frightening. In fact, when I think about it I have this automatic physiological response where I feel insanely weary.
Also, I feel like yelling at somebody.
And the I feel the tiniest bit like crying.
Is this the wrong time to say I was in college at 17?
I LOVE that Maddy is doing G's shirts. That is awesome!
How cute is Maddy? And the rest of you too.
I untagged myself just yesterday on Facebook. :)
I hate the idea that other people can tag us on Facebook. I've got several junior high ditties that need to be untagged. Heading over there today for that purpose.
So much to say:
1. LOVE Maddy's housewife getup. I am going to wear one myself just to try and be as cool as her.
2. I love that you are having her do G's shirts. Brilliant and budgetary at the same time.
3. Sam is adorable. There is no way he looks like Justin B. He's much, much cooler.
4. I am proud of you with the no sugar thing. I have got to break up with it myself. Things are getting WAY too out of control here for me.
5. Love the family pic. A Christmas card contender perhaps? (You should be thinking about it. It is September, after all.)
6. I really ought to just email you, this list is getting ridiculous.
7. I want to go on a trip in October. What's your school/thesis/family schedule like? Can you get away?
8. There. I think that is all.
P.S. I was typing about how I needed to break up with sugar with one hand in the box of Apple Jacks. It really is getting ugly around here, she says as she wipes the sugar crumbs off her face and licks her fingers.