Chocolate Stashes: Summer Fun

This post was written on Thursday, June 18

I have just enjoyed 7 nights off work, and if I could have crammed more activity into my time off, I'd like to know how! It was all wonderful though. I made time to relax, too. I try to work overtime during the fall and spring when Matt and the kids are busy with school stuff. I take it easy in December and when the kids are out of school for the summer. Three nights a week. Easy Peasy. I am required to work one full weekend a month, so it works out that I work the first three days of one week and push my three days of the next week to the end, and I get seven days off without having to take any earned time.

The week before last, Matt took his annual trip to his game convention in Ohio. He left on Wednesday and came home on Sunday. Luke went to Boy Scout camp, and he left on Sunday. I managed to get him packed and ready by myself. I was pretty nervous about that because Matt usually does all the Boy Scout stuff. I hardly know the leaders and where the meeting place is. It might not seem like a big deal to most people, but I was really proud of Luke for volunteering to take his own money to spend at the canteen. He never even considered asking me for spending money. I thought about him a lot during the week, especially every time it rained. I hate to think of my baby being stuck in the rain, even when it's not cold outside. Luke is the pesterer of the family, so it was mighty quiet around here while he was gone.

On Friday night, we traveled to Camp Sydney Dew in Adairsville to collect him. It was so sweet to see all the other kids run up and hug him after a week without him! We had a pizza party at the campsite and then attended the closing ceremony. We were there until 10:00 or 10:30. Matt and I both brought home some chiggers for souvenirs. Luke took classes in camping and archery. He seems to have had a wonderful time.

Saturday was a day of cleaning up in the house and yard. That afternoon, Bonnie and I attended a baby shower for a coworker of mine at the Mellow Mushroom. It was Star Wars themed, complete with an R2D2 diaper arrangement and a baby Chewbacca cake. Lots of fun was had.

On Sunday, we went to the early mass, and Bonnie's boyfriend came home with us. It was the first time that has happened. He got to experience an Ingram family dinner and explore Lake Creek. After dinner, we went swimming at my parents' house. We had invited several family members and friends over as well. Hopefully he wasn't too overwhelmed. If he was, he didn't show it. Matt took him back to meet his parents at the church at 9:00 that night.

I had an echocardiogram on Monday, and I spent a little time at the Goodwill. Will and Rosemary are attending drama camp this week. I picked them up at 4:00 and after we got home, we spent a lot of the evening practicing lines for the play they are performing on Friday afternoon. They are having a blast.

Tuesday and Wednesday were one big, fat case of the Sunday night blues. It is not so bad when I only have a few days off, but when I am off for seven days, I can ruin my last two days off dreading going back to work! I managed to finish staining the deck (which is a project I started late last summer), planted a rosebush, and spent Wednesday afternoon in the pool. Matt and I went for a nice, long walk on Wednesday evening. We've got some "parenty" stuff going on.

In other news, we have had some huge expenditures lately. We had to have our upstairs heat pump replaced a couple of weeks ago, and last week we had an $1,100 repair bill for the van. It is nice to only work 3 days a week, but I really feel the crunch at payday.

In even more other news, we have a new driver in the family! Bonnie got her learner's permit on June 2nd, and she has been driving all over ever since. She is doing very well. She also got a new kitten for an early birthday present. She named him Ashby. I can't remember if I mentioned it before, but Rosemary had her First Holy Communion on May 11th, and then she turned 8 on May 14th. Matt turned 42 on May 29th. Mays are always full on celebrations in our family. The kids all finished up with school the second week in May, so there's that, too. They all made all A's this year, and they all excelled in their standardized tests as well. I'm a proud mommy.