The Day After the Busy Day

 I did have a full day, and now I'm paying for it.  My poor feet.  I've had this plantar fasciitis, I think, since the trip.  One day I'll think I've conquered it with ice and rest, and then a few days later it will be back and impossible to ignore.  Thank goodness it's only when I get up in the mornings or get up from periods of staying still, but it still hurts.  A lot.  And now because of favoring my right foot, I have some pain in my left one.  I just can't get it all together, but I'm not complaining too much.  It was a fun day.

I'm glad I made myself get to the grocery store when I did, even if it was windy and cool.  It was good to get that chore over with.

I took some pictures while I was out just to have a few things to put here for the future to remember.

The sky is ominous, but that's not a storm cloud here.  It's just the usual ho-hum let's keep the people guessing about the weather cloud.  No thunderstorms to cheer us up.  

Safeway is a nice enough store.  The workers I deal with have always been friendly and helpful, and I don't notice anything out of the ordinary.  Thank goodness, since it's the only store in town.  Elise will go to QFC in North Bend because she has prescriptions there and just likes it and especially likes to go to Trader Joe's and Fred Meyer.  I don't usually enjoy a jaunt for my groceries, so if I can't get them here, I'll order from Amazon.  I really do enjoy that in the winter!  

On the way home:  Cross the Snoqualmie Parkway, take the first right, and I'm home in about 5 minutes if I catch the light.  This is the front of the Chevron Station and convenience store and a Thai restaurant next door.  The entry is in back, and it looks nice from the parkway.  There are some more businesses back there too along the back side of the apartment complex.  

Baker Street (called Bakery Street by the girls forever) where the apartments begin. This is a pretty time of year, and the landscapers do a good job - they're just not allowed to make my street pretty yet.  Streets are swept often and stuff picked up.  It's a pleasant place to live.  

These are the impatiens Elise found that are so pretty right now.  She worried about putting them outside since the temps were in the 40s, but I think that's what they needed to perk them up.  Those flowers are dropping now, but we're hopeful there will be a lot more to come.

Put the groceries up and headed to Mah Jongg.  I allowed myself a couple of quick pictures since I hardly ever see a car on Ridge at this time of day.  It's a walkable distance, like I mentioned, but I like having a car there when I get through, so I just drive the 3 or so blocks.

This is the front entrance to the Y, and those steps are not hard at all.  It's easier than going around the side and climbing the incline up to the parking lot.  Almost everything I have to do in this town is within walking distance.  The employees there are so sweet to us Mah Jongg-ers and have learned our names and when we need our room.  

Naturally, my battery on my phone died just when I was getting ready to take some pictures of our group.  We did have 5 people, and one of them sits out every game.  If they want to, they can walk around and try to figure out the winner before the game actually starts, just by looking at what tiles we're dealt.  I'm not totally into playing for money or betting or anything but just playing, but I decided to try it, and I picked the winner!  That means the 3 losing players had to pay not only the winner but me too.  Easy money, especially when I won a game myself, but I did lose 2 or 3 games where I had to pay!  It was fun, but we won't play again this week.  I think I need to practice online a little more.

Graysen was already at the apartment when I got there, enjoying something to drink and working on one of her many projects due this week.  This new one is from band and calls for a presentation on some band.  Not hard, but the teachers need to have something to keep them busy these last few days. 

Katherine came in at about 3:40.  Her school is dismissed at 3:36, so we teased her about running all the way there because she knew I had been to the grocery store. These are the last few days I'll have someone walking from the school.  Sad.....

This was their end-of-school activity today.  I can't see it being worn too much, but I know it was fun to get it done.  They both get their yearbooks Friday, and then it's just a few more half days, and it's summer.

 They left to walk home in happy moods.  I enjoy them so much.  I made a quick ham and cheese sandwich since I had not eaten all day and barely finished it before I was nodding off.  There was no one to tell me not to, so I got ready for bed and was asleep by 6:00.  I did wake up at 11:30 with aching feet so got up to walk around a little and finish up this typing.  One Tylenol, and I'm ready to try sleeping again.  

I don't think I have a thing to do today except fold a few clothes and practice MJ and try to find a new audio book to listen to.  Not a hard day at all.  

Busy Tuesday and Kid Recap

 I'm going to go ahead and start this post because it really is going to be a busy day, and I probably will fizzle out before the day is over.

1.  We have almost run out of snacks, so I have to stop at Safeway on the way to MJ and pick up some more things.  Nothing fancy.  The girls have gone back to loving Goldfish and vanilla wafers - back to their toddler days.  They can certainly go through a week's supply in just a few days though.  I have to put them in plastic bags in portion sizes, but no one stops at just one baggie, including me.  What is there about those comfort food snacks?

2. It's a day that makes me regret not going out yesterday.  I woke up to rain.  It was nice comforting rain that makes you glad to have another hour to sleep, but it's always in the back of your mind that you have to go out there in it eventually.  

3.  Garbage Day again, and the cats have found their comfortable hiding spots.  They do not like those big trucks clattering in the alley and driving down the street.  I, on the other hand, do love them, because it means someone is taking away things I don't want, and I'm not the one in charge of all the work.  Elise is great at remembering on Monday night to check all possible trash and recycling cans and even cleaned the refrigerator last night.  Unfortunately, with Mah Jongg on Tuesday at 1:00, I usually have to be the ones to round the bins up and bring them in before I can move my car - and they're usually wet.  Small price.

4. Graysen came in right on time yesterday and was in such a good mood.  She's handling being a teenager a lot better lately.  There will be ups and downs, but I think she's settled into her personality and is tired of trying to fit in with what other people think she should be.  She has some sweet friends and is keeping her grades up, although she is constantly complaining to me how badly she is doing in all her subjects.  I happened to be with her math teacher Sunday, and she had nothing but praise for her!  

5.  Now that school is almost over, it seems like the teachers are loading the kids up with "projects."  Gray has to write the story of her life.  Like she says in a very dramatic voice.  I'm ONLY 13.  I haven't even had a life!  She's right there, and it's been such a happy and uneventful life.  She was making a list of what kinds of activities she's tried through those years, and it was mind-boggling to me:  Toddler soccer, gymnastics (gymAStics), tap and ballet for one year, beginner soccer where she was once put on a team of boys because of her name, I guess.  That was not a happy time for her.  She sat on her ball and watched them play mostly.  She has tried snowboarding, sledding, swimming, roller skating, ice skating, mountain bike riding, team soccer, lacrosse, basketball, tennis, and cross country running as well as playing the flute and taking some piano lessons.  She's glad to have tried all these these - and probably more - and feels lucky to have had the chance.  Her favorite thing, though, is still reading, with soccer and cross country her favorite team sports.  Katherine has also dabbled in all of these plus art, softball and martial arts for the past few years; she calls that her lifetime sport.  Her middle school instrument she has chosen is the trumpet or percussion, according to where there is a spot next year.  It's a wonder I've even spent any time with them!

6. I had them when it was dancing in the grass and coloring for hours and doing puppet shows and puzzles and pretend play and clay and beads.  I had them at their best, and I'll never forget a moment of it!  

7. Gray says she was accepted into the WEB program for 8th grade (Where Everybody Belongs).  I'm not completely sure what all that involves, but the main thing she's looking forward to is helping acclimate the new 6th graders to the middle school this fall.  They have to go through quite a bit of training and learn how to present the various activities and classes to the new students.  She's come a long way in her confidence to be able to do that, and I'm so proud of her.  Kate will love having a sister who knows everything showing her around!  Hopefully, she'll love it.  

8. I took no pictures yesterday, but we had a nice fun afternoon talking and working on homework and planning some summer things.  They mainly just put up with me, but at these ages, I'm grateful for that!  

9.  After the grocery store visit - and the wind and rain are still going strong - I'll end up at the Y for two hours of Mah Jongg and relax and enjoy myself.  Today it's Sharon and me from the Thursday group and Abbye and Sandy from the Tuesday group.  Sharon and I go both days if we can but lots of people are on vacation now or getting ready to stay home with children for the summer.  

10. Graysen will probably come here from her bus, but Elise will be here, and I'll get home about the same time as Kate, unless she has crossing guard.  Next year, they'll both get home at 2:45 or so unless they have after-school sports - and Kate still refuses to entertain cross-country!  

I'll come back and try to bring some pictures and see how many of those things I was able to pull off.

We watched this video about 5 times yesterday, and they thought it was hilarious.  It's still one of the funniest and most spontaneous ones I have.  Kate had on Gray's clothes and was trying so hard to keep up with her and at the same time keep her eye on "rabbit poop" that she keeps worrying about in the grass. Graysen is just feeling the music! Fun times.  

Sweet Face

 Since I don't get to see these girls as much as I used to - daily, sometimes all day long - I love passing by the digital photo frame on the desk and seeing a picture I haven't seen in a long time.  

It's going to be a rainy week, it seems, so I need to figure out what I'm going to do with myself. 

I should go to the grocery store and get a few snacks for this afternoon, but I'm not sure who is coming or if anyone is.  I'll either make a serving of three-cheese ravioli or some cookies or muffins.  That should compensate for not having anything exciting.

I don't think I posted Katherine's pictures from her end-of-the-year musical.  We ended up all the way at the back and could never get a good picture and could hardly see her, but there were some nice pictures on Facebook that I confiscated.  I wonder if that's the last time I'll go into Cascade View.  I should go back and try to find at least one picture a year for memory's sake.

Before we moved here and we visited, we would drive by the school and know that if there were children, that was likely where they would go.  A pretty "little red schoolhouse" with a beautiful few.  Of the Cascades, I guess.  

Then when Graysen was born and we walked her in her stroller or on her bike, we would always pass by the school and know that would be her school.  And later on, Kate's too.  They even had mostly the same teachers for each grade too.

The musical was nice, and we enjoyed the songs as well as the marimba band, recorders, ukeleles and even a few solos.  

I'm not sure how the end of school will wind down.  Lots of emphasis now on getting the fifth graders acclimated to the middle school.  I think Graysen is going to be in the group of 7th graders who were chosen to welcome the new students in the fall.  If so, that will be so special.  At least two of her friends have younger sisters coming up to 6th grade too.  I think it will be a fun year.  At least, they're counting on it, now that the younger ones know all the secrets of success!  

I guess there will be another "dance" of some sort at SMS and the traditional Beach Bash for the fifth grade.  

Right after school is out, they head for Issaquah to SweetLines, a mountain bike camp.  They're not deeply involved in racing or the whole summer camp, but they go for a week every year and reconnect with girls they have run into for years.  It sounds like they get more than just bike riding but social interaction and lingering memories.  

I'm looking forward to the warm weather and Noreen getting her knee back to normal, so we can go out and enjoy some things away from these apartments.  The swimming pool is open as well as the splash pad just waiting for sunshine, soccer games, movies in the park, a Fourth of July fireworks event, and some outdoor music planned.  I guess they're finally too old for the Fourth of July parade where the whole town is in the parade and have almost no spectators.  I've never missed one though!!  Somewhere in all this, I'm going to have to get the car washed and cleaned up, the garage cleaned out more, and getting some plants started.  These cool days, it's too easy to get one more cup of coffee and read.  

Sunday Brunch

 I was invited out for brunch this morning by friends and former neighbors, Linda and Wes with daughters Carly and Ida.  They moved several blocks away last year, and I really do miss them living right above us.  We see Carly more often since she and Gray and Kate are all friends, but it's always good to catch up with their lives.  

I was impressed at how nice their newer place is.  Although there is a second story, one of the bedrooms is on the first floor along with a bath and another half bath near the entry.  I didn't go upstairs, but there are two more bedrooms and a bathroom there plus a playroom/office at the top of the stairs.  I would love for us to get lucky enough to find a place like that.  We do need that extra bedroom.

I'm not sure who did all the cooking, but we had pancakes and sausage with some watermelon, strawberries, cherries and a welcome cup of coffee.  I really wish I had not forgotten my phone since I wanted some newer pictures. They're taking off for their vacation next month to the East Coast - PA, DC, and a few other places.  They've asked Graysen to feed and pet their kitties.  More responsibility to add to her resume!

Although their apartment backs up on a busy street, Fairway, there is a thick row of hedges and an elevation that buffers a lot of the street noise.  There's a patio, a front porch, and a back yard with a place to cook out.  So nice.  We're keeping our fingers crossed to find something like that, although we love the convenience of living just a few blocks from the rest of the family and friends right on the same street. 

I came home and went next door to pick up some soup Noreen had made to keep in our garage freezer for her upcoming knee replacement and ended up staying and visiting for a bit.  As usual!  It will be good to get this surgery over with before the nice part of summer gets here, so we can enjoy getting out and walking while it's warm.  Which certainly wasn't today.  I would compare it to an October day except for seeing spring flowers blooming and a little sunshine.  Just a cold and windy walk.  

I did get my camera and take a few pictures.

All the rain this week after a lot of sunshine has made the potted hydrangea start to show signs of blooming.  I'm planning to get a rosemary to plant in the permanent pot near the car where I usually have a geranium.  This way, it can stay there undisturbed and be useful.  

The front porch is sad right now.  The ferns looked good during the winter, but now they're just bedraggled.  I really shouldn't try to carry them through the winter.  I might have better luck just leaving them outside.  Elise's favorite plant does very well inside with occasional visits outside in the summer.

Another grouping that just goes dormant in the winter and pops back out as soon as it gets a little warm. 

These made it through the winter sitting right here, snow, hail, and freezing rain. 

Emily's spider plants have babies constantly, and she is generous to share them.  Noreen and I got a set of twins, and hers did fine, but I lost both of mine  I received this teenager last week, and he looks happy enough next to the cactus that isn't Christmas or Thanksgiving.  It just blooms randomly throughout the year.

 

Demanding no care or thought, this beautiful hosta is my favorite (and only) flower bed plant.  I'm told I can't plant things in the apartment flower beds because we have landscapers, but they can't seem to keep things alive, so I might sneak some hostas in and line them up in front of the boxwood skeletons.  

Emily and Ryan worked in the clinic all afternoon getting ready for the renovation that should make it a really pretty place.  The former tenants had kind of let it go, it looks like, so I can't wait to see it all fresh and new.  Noreen will be one of the first patients, but I hope I go in just as a visitor!  It will also be nice to have Emily here in town more.

Some before photos! Brown and disgusting!

There will be a new cleaning service!

I'm probably about ready to get on my warmest pjs and get ready for getting ready for bed.  I stayed awake most of the night last night, so maybe it will be a good night for catching up.  I don't have any good books to read or listen to, so I'll play some online Mah Jongg and really get sleepy.  I've enjoyed my cheerful card cover that I ordered from an Etsy shop in Birmingham - RobinandRoseStudio.  It happens to match one of the mats we use on Thursdays.  Buying MJ-related things is a huge thing right now.  Anything and everything.  I even want a $500 set of tiles, although I have no one to play with me here at home except Katherine, and she prefers the bubblegum pink ones.  Instead I bought 4 tires and would never consider paying that much for a game.

I think I heard we're not playing this Tuesday but will be back at it on Thursday.  I need to practice.  I'm not doing that well online this week.

June is Here but No Summer

 We get a few days you can call really hot and get all excited about warm weather finally arriving - and then we have days/weeks like this.  It's still beautiful with all the rhodies blooming and the blue skies and flowers, but it is a bit nippy!

It's been a good week, but I'm sure I won't remember everything since I refuse to write every day.  

I'm not sure about Monday.  I think I worked on a few filing and budget things and did some laundry, but the girls didn't come after school.

Tuesday was really a strange day though.  

I got ready for Mah Jongg even though I was having a little bit of burning in my eyes, especially my left one.  I think with allergies (still a lot of cottonwood blowing around) both my eyes would be affected, but I usually have one worse than the other.  I'm thinking it might be some face cream or soap that's irritating them since it just happens every once in a while.  Anyway, it wasn't enough to keep me from going to our 1:15 game.  The garbage and recycling bins are always behind the car on Tuesdays since that's Garbage Day, and they don't really pay much attention to where they leave them.  Sometimes I have to move some of the neighbors' bins too.  

Once in the car and backing up, I felt something different.  Something underneath the car.  Just a small difference but enough to make my heart beat a little harder.  Our two cats - the boys anyway - like to sit around by the garage door where it's sunny and is right across from the green area where they might see a bunny sometimes.  I sat there a few seconds and wondered if I should look but figured the damage was done already, so I slowly rolled backwards and breathed a sigh of relief when there was nothing in the driveway.  

Then as I started forward up the alley, the car started rolling back and forth with that awful feeling of a flat tire!  It's pretty unmistakable, and there was nothing to do but turn around and go back and park.  And call Ryan for help!!  

Elise had made a quick trip to the grocery store in North Bend the night before but had not noticed anything.  She took the interstate route where there is construction but otherwise didn't notice running over anything.

So, as usual, Ryan to the rescue.  I had already decided to not go to Mah Jongg because how could I?  No car, worry about a new tire, weepy eye and runny nose.  But he said he would take me to the Y, just a few blocks away, and come back and get the tire and take it to be looked at.  Getting in and out of that truck is not a fun thing, but it was worth it that day to leave my troubles behind and relax with friends.

And it was probably my best day ever with MJ.  There were only 3 of us, and we played with a 4th dummy hand, so we got in 5 games at a pretty fast pace.  It didn't start off too well since Anita won one game and Sharon won the next, and we were playing for money.  It's not much money, but it kind of makes you aware of wanting to win more!  I was down 75 cents, and it wasn't looking so hopeful, but the next 3 games were just perfect.  Even though they started off not so great, the jokers came and the right tiles just fell into my hands, so I easily won the next 3 games, the last one before we had even settled into the game.  I had to apologize, because I'm not too driven to win.  Not that I don't like to, but we are still just interested in learning the rules perfectly and learning the etiquette and just having fun.  Once I win one game, I'm okay with everyone else having a turn, but today I would have been irritated with me!  I think I ended up with a profit of about $2.  I don't really like it though.  I would love to keep score and just know how to figure out the complicated system, but our Thursday group doesn't really want to bother with having quarters available or getting out the chips.  Regardless, it was just what I needed to get my mind off my potential HUGE purchase, since I figured I would need all new tires.  And I did.  Sharon was nice enough to drop me off at home where Wuffie was lying in one of the rocking chairs on the front porch looking very handsome and curious about who was coming to see him.

I didn't see the girls again that day since they were all headed for a Mariners game in Seattle that night with the Wheats.  I'm sure I went to bed super early!  

A few pictures I insisted on their sending.                                                                                               

If I want to catch up on what I did when, I can usually go back to my texts with Noreen and Emily and see.  On Wednesday, Noreen asked if I wanted to go over for coffee/tea and meet her friend Helen who had just moved into an apartment down the street from us.  Of course I did!  And it was such a great morning.  With Noreen's upcoming knee replacement, Helen's uncertain knee and leg status right now, and my self-diagnosed plantar fasciitis, we found we had a lot to discuss!  N had made some sweet treats and set out a pretty display of munchies, and we drank our tea, talked, and laughed and just enjoyed our morning.  I feel like I get comfortable over there and forget to go home sometimes!  And then I have such a good feeling all day when I've been with friends.  Sometimes I have to force myself to leave the apartment, but it's so good for me.

On my way back to my place, I ran into Jennie, our office manager, walking her little girls back home.  They needed to speak to Wuffie and Bowie, and I was able to admire a school project - a diorama? - that one of them had made.  Jennie says the pool is open and the temperature is at 80 degrees, so we're keeping our fingers crossed there won't be any problems this year and plenty of warm days.  We actually had a HOT day Tuesday, and the new-last-year splash pad near the Y was full of happy children.  

I'm not sure where the girls went after school that day, but I'm sure I did nothing else.  Melissa, who lives above our garage, texted and said she noticed I had a flat tire and volunteered to help.  And she probably knows how to do it too. She is great about letting us know if our garage door has been left open or if there is a package back there.  So nice.  A plus is how much we enjoy her piano playing when she has time and also hearing the children doing children things!  Although Noreen and I both hold our breath ever time we hear how fast they run up and down those outside stairs.  Neither one of us wants to witness a fall!  

 Elise did walk over to Safeway to pick up something and saw Ryan and Graysen driving by.  He's figuring out tire stuff for me.  Four tires from Costco.  He took one and jacked up the front end and will drive over Friday morning and get them all put on.  It sure is nice to have someone to take charge.  I'm just useless on things like this.  

Thursday was Mah Jongg again, and we had four this time - Sharon, Gina Lori and me.  Elise volunteered to walk with me to the Y since it's very doable.  I just don't like to do it by myself.  I never know what my aging body is going to decide to feel on a certain day!  It was a pleasant walk, and she pointed out every ridge in the sidewalk and fussed about how I should have taken my cane.  She got a little irritated that I wouldn't hold her hand!  I did on curbs though.  I haven't forgotten the one that conquered me 5 years ago.  Unfortunately, we had to pass the vet's office where I had the fall that started all my problems.  I try to never look at that spot when I'm driving, and we did have to cross the street to avoid walking there.  

I'm not sure how many games we managed that day - 4 maybe.  I know I only won the last one, and we weren't playing for money. We'd rather eat! Sharon had brought the most delicious dessert.  She spoils us.  It was a monkey bread from a bakery in Factoria.  The Harvest Bread Company.  I think I would like to visit it one day.  These people actually go places and do things, so they had a discussion about a place in the shopping center there that sounds interesting - Hobby Town.  The name makes me laugh.  Lori showed us a picture of a 3D puzzle of Hogwarts Castle that she (and maybe her son) had done.  It was so impressive she displayed it on some shelves in her home, and it looks really nice.  I'm wondering if Graysen would like one of those to work on this summer.  I showed Kate a picture of it, and she said YES.  Actually, Amazon sells them, so I'll have to give it some thought.

Gray in her favorite spot on my bed after school.  She alternately gets a snack and reads or harasses me, according to the mood she's in.  

I wish I would take more pictures.  I gave Kate this bedside caddy for her birthday, and I think she's enjoying it.  Just not enjoying waking up.  Poor Gray has to get on the bus around 6:30, and Kate gets to sleep at least a couple of hours longer.  The caddy looks ready for any emergency, down to a couple of keychains and a water bottle (not shown).  

After school Thursday, Kate and Eiri came in and asked if they could go to Eiri's house.  They had not been able to reach Ryan, so I went out and talked to her mom Daisha who was walking with them and told her they could stay there or go to their house if it was okay.  They were planning on gymnastics, so I guess their bigger house was more appropriate.  Gray spent several hours here, alternately working on a presentation with her friend and doing her other homework.  

So now we're almost caught up on the week. 

Friday was a nice day to stay inside - so gloomy and rainy - so I got caught up on a few things I needed to do.  It was early release day, but Gray didn't come here from the bus but walked to her house.  Kate came, and she and Elise ended up watching a children's bakeoff on TV that was really cute and interesting.  Emily called and asked if I wanted to go meet Ryan's sister and her husband to eat somewhere near the airport since they were staying overnight before going on an Alaskan cruise.  I declined, mainly because the car is so crowded when you add me, and they haven't seen Lisa and Shane in such a long time they were sure to have plenty of catching up to do.  I enjoyed reading a little, playing a few games of MJ, and texting some.  Gray and Stephanie are planning to spend Labor Day weekend with us this year - on their way to a trip to Iceland and England.  Everyone we know is going somewhere exciting.  I haven't ruled out doing the Alaskan thing and trying to see a whale - maybe this fall, although it sounds a little chilly for me.  

The weekend shows nothing I have to do, but my one object is to clean the car.  Now that I have tires that cost a big chunk of my monthly income, I want the rest of my car to be up to par.  I'll try to get Elise excited about it since I know I won't do the whole car by myself.  Then we'll take it and get it washed.  That's all I can think of as far as weekend excitement, but it'll have to do.  

I found this pretty little notebook one day when Noreen and I were at Home Goods, but I haven't been in a hurry to use it, for some reason.  

I think I'm going to divide it into sections.  The first one is for Mah Jongg, and I started off by writing down some rules that are controversial or difficult to remember.  As I see things that confuse us, I'll jot it down here and maybe remember where I wrote it.  Someone was looking over my shoulder and left me a message yesterday.

I don't know how I'll use the rest of the book.  Maybe to consolidate a book list and try to keep up with the books I read or listen to, which are few lately.  I did listen to Far From the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy and loved that.  Nothing else I've checked out has interested me - but maybe soon.  I have some nice ones requested. 

There are lots of things I need in a central place, so I'll think about it.  Maybe just ideas when I see them, gift ideas or gardening or things to do.  Not recipes.  I have too many of those - everywhere - that I never get around to trying.  Lately, I've been enjoying a BLT almost every evening, and next week I'll be off on another tangent.  I found a huge box of beautiful strawberries last week and bought those along with some whipping cream to make strawberry shortcake.  I like just Bisquick for the cake part, but when I looked for my box, it was gone.  I don't remember using the last of it.  Anyway, the girls and I ate every one of the strawberries, and I'm using the whipping cream in my coffee, so it turned out pretty well anyway. 

Last Month of School

 I'm sure the time dragged for the girls while their mom was gone, but they did great.  Graysen managed to get herself up in time to get to school on time every morning.  I guess.  I didn't hear any different.  Kate got to school just fine and showed up in the afternoons just missing mom a little bit.  They were here most afternoons, doing homework, reading, talking - short afternoons.  But we had a sleepover last night with Carly that they seemed to really enjoy.  I might have over-prepped for it.  Gone are the days when I would make plans for certain things to do - and we would actually do it.  I had a list of possibilities for Sunday afternoon and night, and here's what they did:  

Carly rode her bike over with her sleeping bag in a backpack and got here a little bit before the girls - who packed quickly and made several changes in plans over riding or walking over.  Ryan had to repair a tire of Kate's bike, so that happened too.  Then they rode around town, just cruising up and down streets - one of those things that has left me behind.  They're on their own and now we have to depend on what they've learned and the attention of other riders and drivers.  Luckily, to be the day before a holiday, the streets were almost deserted even though it was a beautiful day.  Wes, Carly's dad and my former neighbor, remembers his childhood in Maryland, I think, where he would go out on his bike and stay out all day, only coming in at night.  I think he's a little more accepting of that than I am.  I do want periodic check-ins from them. 

They entertained themselves by making videos and taking pictures to compile into crazy things that cracked them up.  

Then just riding in circles in the back alley for a while and sometimes doing tricks that made me cringe but that they laughed at.

When that got old, they packed up some snacks and drinks and headed to Queen Kitty Hill, about a block away up on a hill that overlooks the parkway.  Then they got on the bikes and just rode around a little bit more.

Pizza was discussed, ordered, brought over by Ryan, and eaten.  

I'm just seeing pictures on my phone and posting a few of the ones I can make sense of.  That's very few.

You can't have a sleepover without playing around with makeup, and this was no exception.  Kate had been to a friend's house the night before and done nails, so that was taken care of.

I love the beauty of 11-year-old skin.  No makeup needed but so much fun to try!

Seems like just yesterday these three were making "potions" from whatever they could find in the kitchen and playing Old Maid.

I'm surprised the cats were able to sleep, but I joined them pretty quickly.  Elise was the designated late-night host, and I went to sleep hearing a whole bunch of laughing coming from the next room. 

Most of the pictures were pretty weird, and this one was too but more interesting than some.  I'm not sure what they were looking for here.

Looks like my phone is going to need a big clean up today.  If I have to depend on their photography, we'll never know and remember how life was in their lives.  

I'm still waiting for Emily to let me know she's home.  I wasn't clear when I talked to her earlier how much of a wait she had at the airport and how the time changes would affect things.  They were on Cumberland Island for the weekend and then in a cabin in Middle GA for the rest of the time.  I think she's looking forward to doing laundry and getting clean again.  Hope she's not working tomorrow!

There are still a few things happening before the end of school.  The 7th grade band and choir are going to Leavenworth on the bus Wednesday, and that's pretty exciting for them. 

Kate's last musical will be the same night, I think.  Her fifth grade class will have their visitation to the middle school and meet the teachers and explore night this week.  That's pretty exciting for her.  She's again be in the same school as Gray and Carly - for one year.

There might be a couple of end-of-the-year activities for both school.  Like Beach Bash or something like that.  

No one knows what we or they will be doing this summer.  Library time, lots of reading.  I'm a little disappointed that there don't seem to be a lot of events going on for their age, even with 6 libraries to choose from.  There will be soccer practice and DMW practice, Mah Jongg for me, and maybe some work on cleaning out the garage.  Always planned but never carried out.  I don't really care if I get anything done.  It will be enough to do a little planting and sitting on the porch in the evenings and just being warm.  The last 3 months of my 70th decade will be doing exactly what I want to do - when I want to do it.  

Timely message from Emily.  She's home from GA and in her car headed home.

Just a picture dump of our week at St. George's Island.  Everyone needs some time off to just do nothing they don't want to do every once in a while.  I need several of those times a year.  

The house was about right for us.  There were 3 bedrooms and 2 baths plus a bottom-story kids' apartment - which the girls hardly ever ventured into.  There was a ramp too for going up and down those steep endless steps.  All 4 sides had chairs, so we were prepared for a crowd.  I think there were over 20 seats.    

The WinBins making their presence known in Florida at what else? A boiled peanut stand.  

In reverse order.  Everyone was sad to leave.

Visit to the lighthouse park and Mike's El Tigre brick.  Em and the girls trying to make themselves heard to those of us who remained on the ground.