The Trip Back To Normal

I was reminded the other day that my blog was suffering from cobwebs.  This is true.  The blog has become a place of squalor and dank dark corners.  It was the pretty new dress that now sits in the back of the closet untouched.

Another friend pointed out the positive, "Hey, at least you know you have readers that pay attention."

Until this afternoon I hadn't had a trigger event.  A trigger event (I made that up) is when something happens and I feel compelled to write a post. 

Basically this summer was the worst summer in recorded history for us.  There's others that will dispute this and say it was actually the best summer they'd ever had.  Experiences are relative.

At this house we spent the first 4 weeks battling a stomach virus which would not go away.  It would pretend to go away and then sneak back in during the night.  Kind of like that one relative that always out stays their welcome.  After that we had a couple weeks reprieve and then Jace came down with pneumonia.  It was bad enough that the doctor wanted him to go check into the local hospital.  Being a man chicken he refused.  He was then forced to endure MY nursing.  He hates that.  It means he will get well by my sheer force of will power.  That and I make him take his medicine on time, not at any-ole-time like he would do.

There you have it.  We were worn down by plagues and disappointment.  We didn't get to enjoy any summer vacation plans or swimming lessons. ( Believe me, if your kid has a tummy virus, you won't enroll them in swimming lessons.)  By the last week of summer we were begging to be released from all this torment.  We prayed daily that somehow school would start earlier and we would feel like things had changed. 

Finally the day arrived.  The first day of school!  Rowan showed her excitement by getting up at midnight and putting her clothes on to make sure she wasn't late.  We are now into week two of school.  She loves it.  I love it, too.  We are enjoying our time away from each other since we spent the summer in quarantine.  This year has brought something new.  It's all day school.  It feels a little odd.  I felt myself wondering, "what am I supposed to do with all this time?" 

I have found an answer to that question.  Get other women with that same dazed look to do things together.  It's brilliant.  I have found one woman who enjoys going to see movies and her husband doesn't go to movies.  I have another friend who likes to try different places to eat.  Another friend likes to go to farms and yarn shops.  Another friend is giddy with delight that she can do something with someone her own age.  Really, you should see her face when we talk about meeting.  Big grin, sparkly eyes, and giggling.  The list goes on but suffice to say I have become very busy and actually need a planner to keep track of all the activities.

Today, though, really let me know that we are out of summer and back into a regular routine.  We are in fall.  Rowan came home today and I looked at her.  I asked, "Didn't you wear that dress to school yesterday?"  She replied, "Yes, but I like it so much I wanted to wear it again."  Uh huh.  (Her Father let her wear it)

Things are back to normal.