St. Simons...Year 18

Our trip to St. Simons this year was another good one  in spite of the way it started....with the question I dread most from any teenager:  "Mom, Can I drive?"  (though usually it's "DAD, Can I drive" because they know the yes is more likely to come from him).  Hannah has had her permit since October and while she is progressing nicely as a teen driver, she is still in the learning stages.  However, I set aside my own personal inhibitions (fear for my life) and said she could drive us.  I also graciously agreed to give Matt the front seat on the drive.  Selfless of me, I know.  She did just fine in spite of one extremely awkward yellow light where Hannah couldn't decide whether to stop or go so she rolled through it at 2 miles an hour.  That thing had almost turned back to green by the time we finally made it through.  But other than that, she did great and even got some highway driving in.  

We rolled in on Monday to our usual accommodations and of course the first thing Matt had to do was run down and jump into the ocean.  The temperature was a little chilly so it was a quick trip. 

After that we ordered from our favorite pizza place (Fox's pizza) and settled in for the night.

Tuesday was our first full day and kind of set the stage for the rest of the days.  Matt and Hannah up for a run early followed by coffee and a gentle morning.  Plans for today included a grocery run, lunch at Iguanas and Bocce at the beach.  We have had our bocce ball set for quite a long time but for one reason or another, never had the opportunity to use it.  This might have been a good thing given how things turned out, but I'll get to that in a bit.    

When we got down to the beach we set up our Shibumi shade and it was fantastic.  Easy to set up, super light to carry down and provides great shade.  Highly recommend (and if anyone from Shibumi would like to pay me for my plug, I can be venmoed.  But really...it's worth the hype)   

Hannah and Ben... unnecessarily shirring up the tent poles.   They were certain I didn't have it in the sand the right way, but I did!! But...I'm not mad that they made a sand castle together :).  

Bocce ball was so fun! (at first).  We each chose a color...Ben was red, Hannah yellow, Matt blue and I had green.  These would be our colors for the week.  The goal is to throw your (kind of heavy) ball across the sand to try to be the person closest to the previously tossed white ball.  We added our own rules...whoever won not only threw the white ball for the next round but also got to determine the order of the player for that round.  And also got to create any additional rules for that round.  This kept it interesting for sure.  We had a great time, were pretty evenly matched and couldn't wait to play again tomorrow!  

That evening we ate in and watched "Bruce Almighty" as a family.  We don't do this a lot and now I know why.  What I remembered about that movie was that it was heartwarming and sweet and funny.  Somehow I sort of forgot the super (and even more super with teenagers) awkward scene there is in that movie during "date night".  Always fun to see those things with your parents in the room!  You better believe that movie dinner on the following evening was much more carefully vetted out...

The next day was a lot like the previous...lunch out-this time at Marshside Grill (where Ben decided he was slightly chilly so we opted for sitting outside on the porch...he warmed up in no time with the 100 degree temperatures overlooking the marsh. The rest of us might have melted slightly).  

Glowing....

After lunch it was back to the beach for more bocce!   We laughed and made ridiculous rules-left hand only, overhead throws with both hands, and backward throwing were just a few (the backward throwing was a little more dangerous than we liked so we toned it down after that).  As the game evolved, everyone kind of developed their own style of play...Ben wasn't so concerned with winning as much as sabotaging everyone else's game.  When he threw...there was going to be collateral damage. Hannah...well she was the self proclaimed MVP of the entire game because she was just so gosh darned good at it (winning about 25% of the time).  Matt was the one who won most often (on this day of play it was cute and endearing.  This would change) and I just never seemed to have enough power on my throws.  Probably need to go to the gym more than once a year but we will see if bocce is worth all of that.  

We headed up for dinner and a movie at the condo...this time was Rush Hour and everyone enjoyed it with minimal cringe so that was a win.  

Thursday was another good day. We had lunch at Barbara Jean's (I'm embarrassed to say it was our first time!) and a quick photo sessions at the live oaks nearby.  

After that we hung out at the condo and played cards-hearts, and blackjack and gin.  Oddly enough, Matt managed to win every game we played, kind of like in bocce.  Less cute and endearing when everyone loses every time except for one person but its fine. It was fine.  Like, we were all fine with it.  

Fast forward to Bocce time and well...Matt won every time with the exception of one game.

 But we were still fine.  No, really we were.  

 

For four games. 

At which point Matt ran completely out of cute and endearing and found out quickly that it's lonely at the top.  Everyone picked up their ball and went home.  Matt was utterly confused..."Guys? Why don't you want to play anymore?  All I was doing was trying my best!" (literally these were his words).  In other news...if anyone is looking for a gently used bocce ball set, we have one we won't be needing anymore.  Free to a good home.  

Later on, Ben went to the tide pool and hunted on behalf of the entitled tide pool dwellers...the minute those ibis's spotted Ben's net, they cozied right up and waited for a meal.  It was actually pretty cute to see...he would scoop up a netful of shrimp and then toss them to the bird who was ready to swallow them up.  When that bird was full, off he would go and another would show up immediately to take his place.  Birdie fast food I guess! 

Thursday night we ate with Matt's work family at Fiddlers, and as much as it pains me to share this with you...it is the best restaurant on the island and you should go there.  Except DON'T go there because there are already way too many people going and I hate crowds.  But really the food and atmosphere are perfect and fit the St. Simon's vibe perfectly.  

Friday was more of a chill day.  Matt and I went for a long walk-something we were able to do daily and it was probably my favorite part of the trip.  We reminisced about all the years we have been coming down here both with family and his company and admired all the cute houses in St. Simons.  This time a storm was slowly rolling in so the weather was overcast and the breeze was almost chilly which made for great walking conditions.  We also walked right by this guy:

...we were so close and he didn't pay a bit of attention to us...just waited for us to take the pic and continued eating.  Just a little more of the magic of this place.  

Coming home from St. Simons is always bittersweet.  On the one hand, we have to leave one of our very favorite places knowing that it will be an entire year before we get to return.  On the other, though, is the relief of coming back to a home you love and getting to see the red fur baby.  She surely makes leaving hard.  I'm just so thankful she got to spend time in her home away from home with Nana and Dee.  I think we missed her more than she missed us! 

 Now the countdown to year 19 begins....364 days to go!

 

This looks pretty generic.   

And it probably resembles the photo that a lot of 'parents of seniors' end up with.  

It could be titled, "yay!  My kid’s going to college!  We did a great job!"

But, like so many images, it is just a snapshot that grazes the surface. The picture suggests a happy ending to a fruitful journey and one that everyone has anticipated with joy from the start of high school.

The truth is that, like so much of what the world wants to sell us, there is more that what meets the eye. At first glance you see two proud parents and a newly accepted college student ready to seamlessly step into the next phase of his life.

But if you don’t look closely, you would miss the best part. The one that God knew we needed-
The gift of a nine month cross that presented itself as helping this amazing kid make the next step into adulthood.

If you carry a cross-especially if you carry one that you believe is a result of your own failings-stay the course. This particular cross was given to us because God decided we needed it.  It was his cross to give and ours to accept and lean on Him hard to help us accept it. The heavier the cross feels, the more He wants you to know that you cannot do it without Him.  And whether you believe it or not, it is a tremendous gift.

Senior year for the best senior we know has been hard.  There were no clear cut answers or clear paths. The three of us found ourselves a month away from graduation and in the desert.

But while we were in the desert, God knew what we needed.

We needed Him. 

And He delivered with a love that never fails…Matthews next step at Emmanuel College was perfectly curated for him and will allow him to stretch his wings while staying close to God and geographically close to us. 

 Emmanuel means ‘God is with us’.  It couldn’t be a more perfect answer to our prayers.

Dog Business P. 2

As it has been exactly one year since we took our Penny home, I thought it a fitting time to follow up with a report on small dog # 2; the one we decided to acquire as a much needed companion to our little copper girl.  Well, as much as I do love a good sugar coat...there really is only one word for New Dog.  Bricksforbrains.  Not a word yet recognized by Webster; but if it were, there would be an ugly cute picture of a s'mores colored, unnaturally large footed, rat weenie.  Let me begin where I left off last post though, so my readers don't miss a single, gorry detail.

That Tuesday afternoon, we went to go get Mr. Sam (a name decided by children who, sick of ironic animal names-have you met our cat, Hungry?- had wrested naming rights from Matt and me).  He was groggy from boy dog surgery but still rapturous to see his! new! home!
We introduced him to Penny...slowly at first lest there be any hostility...Penny has never stopped being a firecracker...but it went beautifully!  Sam loved Penny!  Penny loved Sam!  We even made up a song for them and we though the rest would be history.  We would be that family with the cute pair of perfect tiny dogs; the ones to whom small children flocked, and newspapermen photographed...we had (dog) arrived.

48 hours in and we knew we were in trouble.  In that short space of time, Sam had met one set of grandparents (from whom he tried to alternately hide and then eat), pooped in the dining room 86 times, howled all night long and then pooped in the living room 76 more times.   72 hours in and we were hoping that this time when he went out to notpoop outside, he might find another sweet family (or a speedy bumper along the busy highway near our house).  This boy was a mess!!  He couldn't ride in the car without drooling, go outside without terrorizing the neighbors or go inside without...well GOING inside.  The word, "rehome" was thrown around quite a bit.

But never around the littles.  Hannah and Ben had decided to champion Sam's cause...they saw how well he and Penny played, and how much Sam NEEDED affection.  How much he appreciated a warm lap and a bowl that belonged only to him.   And he had made strides since that first 72 hours.  The howling all night ended once we put him in the same crate as Penny (an arrangement she also appreciated...in the morning, we would wake up to a two a dog doughnut where it was impossible to tell where one ended and the other began).  He tried to listen when we called him and it was very nice to really see how tolerant our neighbors on either side could be.

So we decided to stick it out.  Penny and Sam's love won out in the end...and this week when we went around the table naming the one thing that we were thankful for in the past year, most of the answers were, "Sam".  He still has work to do with Matthew...apparently Sam is the only one that thinks pooping in Matthew's room is a great way to make friends...but all in all, our lives are better with Sam than without him.

And we needed that $5,000 fence anyway....

Dog Business

A year and a handful of months ago, we lost the dog love of our life.  Chassie-girl, yellow lab only by breed- but in reality a four legged friend with the sensibilities of the best kind of human, was one of a kind. We originally brought her home to cure Caitlin and Matthew (2 and >1 at the time) of a fear of dogs.  What we did not realize is that she would create a love for dogs in those two that I feel certain will be life long.  She was our companion; she knew all the best playgrounds (the limp she developed late in life I am certain, was a direct result of her trying out all the slides that the kids went down); she tolerated the leg & ear tugging from four toddlers and she kept our floors spic and span.  Her only flaws were in the early days-firstly, a predilection for chasing our lovely next door neighbors (who happened to be African American...I don't think I was ever able to convince them that she was color blind) and secondly, for chewing exactly one half of every pair of Matt's dress shoes.  But really, every day we had with her was a gift.  When I started working full time she never held it against me; after a long day of being alone in the house she never ever failed to greet me with a grin and that powerful tail knocking over everything in sight.   I will always be thankful that just a few days before she died, we took her for a swim and romp at one of her favorite places. 
After she crossed over the rainbow bridge our hearts were broken.  Never, never could we do this again...the pain of losing her was too much and there was not a dog in the world that would replace her.  So we swore off dogs. 
Several months went by and then slowly, slowly...the little seed that Chass had planted in the kids began to grow.  She had made us dog people!  Of course we would never replace her-she was something special; but now we had a void to fill.  So we went dog shopping.  Right around Thanksgiving of the same year, we stopped in at the local humane society and fell in love with a tiny, copper colored squirrel of a dog.  We knew (though Matt took a little more convincing) that she was the one for us.  Different in every way from Chassie (after Chass died we all mentally retired the breed in the way that sports teams retire the jerseys of the best), this little firecracker puppy came home and made our hearts happy again.  So much energy!  Enthusiasm!  Love of food! (okay so not totally different from Chassie).  Our new Penny was perfect for us.  And she has loved us tremendously, but... she has her own void.  When we adopted her, she was in a pen with her brother.  Now mind you, brother was NOT the one for us.  He was very aggressive and the shelter folks said that he had to be separated from Penny at night because he was too rough and they worried that he would have hurt her.  So there was no question at the time, of us adopting both.  But Penny has never quite gotten over having a constant playmate.  Every dog she sees is her best friend regardless of size.  Her closest friend right now is our neighbor's giant German Shepherd...he tries to herd her and she plays along because ITS SO GOOD TO HAVE A FRIEND!  But this is only for occasional playdates and Penny needs something more.  She needs a lifelong buddy.  So, after lengthy consideration, Matt and I decided that it was time to find a friend for her.  So off we went; this time to the local animal control shelter.  So many dogs to see; so many that we could have brought home and saved from one more day in a shelter.  But when we saw #45362829 (poor buddy did not yet have a name), we fell in love.  This guy was a gentleman through and through-shy, sweet and super playful.  Tuesday of this week we will bring him home and Penny will finally have a friend.  I cannot wait to see them play together!  I can only hope that Chassie is smiling down on us; happy that she paved the way for two pups to leave shelters and find a home in our house and hearts. 

Schoolday Weekday

5:49am on a Monday.

Matthew's unnaturally loud alarm goes off exactly one minute before my own.  Wake up, get moving time to start the school day.  Shower followed by the uncomfortable task of figuring out what to wear, fashion always fighting comfort; fashion rarely winning.

"Morning, Ben!"  I cheerfully call, all the while praying to hear the 'Morning mom!" which means I don't have to go in and roust him out of bed.

Most mornings he is up and feeding the animals before I get downstairs.  Hannah is sitting at the table eating breakfast and begging me to help her fix her hair, though usually it is up in her signature slightly-to-the-side ponytail with the top crispy from an abundance of aqua-net.  I make a turkey sandwich-half for breakfast, half for lunch; kids lunches have been made the night before (a responsibility we added to their chore list this year.) 

Caitlin stumbles to the kitchen, grabs the box of smart start and eats breakfast while shaking the cobwebs left over from her 6 hours of sleep-she remains the child that needs very minimal sleep.  Matthew, who is the opposite, usually heads straight for the coffeepot-which we exclusively share since Matt replaced coffee with a healthy caffeine alternative.  

Matt comes down and peels a hardboiled egg and cuts up an apple-we all chat about the day ahead and usually someone will remind us that the weekend is only x number of days away.  This is a great comfort.  Quick check of the clock and then "Ten minutes, Matthew".  My timeline is strict...being on time is my obsession-being early is my drug.  Matthew understands and is in the car and ready to leave at 6:40.  Mugs of coffee in hand we roll out of the driveway and pray a bit on the way to school-for safety in the day, for the people we love, and for ourselves.

6:45-2:45-school and work for all of us.  After school the big kids do intense cross country practice  under a coach who is known for having trained an olympian.  Yes, they are tired when 5:30 rolls around.  They come home, and the littles are ready for their cross country practice (for Hannah this only applies when there is no volleyball practice.)  Matt heads to cross country with the littles to get his run in; I've got dinner going and everyone ends up eating in shifts.  Breakfast as a family is a blessing; dinner is just grab when you can.

7-8pm means enforced study time for Matthew; Hannah and Ben settle in with drawing pads and images to copy from pinterest-their new obsession.  I must remember to find frames for their works of art.  Caitlin studies and watches The Office.

Family prayers, tuck ins for the littles (the bigs tuck us in these days) and then its lights out...and off to bed before another day begins.

Snapshots of our days.  I can feel the change coming-Caitlin has college on her mind-she has friends in college and she will be driving soon.  I can't hold these moments with them.... I just want to be able to remember them as authentically as possible.  No frills...just the memory of the peace that every day with my people brings.  

 

The big kids and Matt just walked out the door for an afternoon run-and as usual, Matt's agreement to take the big kids was prefaced with, "GUYS.  We are NOT going for pace.  This is NOT going to be a fast run.  We are going conversational.  THIS TIME I MEAN IT." Followed inevitably by "Yeah Dad, don't worry.  We're tired from school.  We aren't going to do that to you this time.  We have been on the trampoline all afternoon..don't worry.  We just want to go for a slow jog."  I expect that within about 45 minutes the big kids will come trotting in, barely winded, followed by a beat down old man.  "GUYS.  WHY.  I AM NEVER TAKING YOU AGAIN.  I MEAN IT."  Getting old is the worst.  (I say this but you should know that the beat down old man ran 5 miles at a solid 8:30ish pace.  So really he should not complain.)

As for the rest of us, we are just chilling here at home (my favorite).  Ben has just finished three hours of baseball practice (insert gigantic unimpressed-with-baseball eyeroll).  Two hours were spent with his regular team and the last hour was spent with the 7U All Star team.  I think it's awesome that Ben made the team.  Really!   ....but I get the definite impression that his coach does not think I am quite impressed enough.  Upon announcing that Ben had been selected my immediate reaction was a barrage of skeptical questions-how much? how far? how long are practices?...Coach was taken aback and then instead of answering my questions proceeded to tell me that this all star team was the only path to...(in whispered tones)..."the big field".  I was like, "Major Leagues?!  He's seven!"  No, no, no...the coach meant the big HIGH SCHOOL FIELD.  "It's really the only way he's gonna end up there".  So although this guy is an awesome coach, I'm afraid he and I are probably not going to see eye to eye on the importance of three hour practices on a school night.  Ben doesn't help matters though because he loves it.  The other kids were complaining about how boring it is in and Ben's hamming it up and hitting the ball with all the energy of a little boy who has been cooped up in first grade all day.  Sigh.

Hannah bo just came in from the trampoline...yes.  The same trampoline I swore we would never have.  I still have reservations, but they have had such fun on it!  It has renewed Hannah's enthusiasm for gymnastics and helped her to be more confident about trying new things.  At her last meet she did a perfect aerial-first time ever during a meet!  So this part I love.  I could watch that child do gymnastics for hours.  She is so good-and she hasn't even gotten started.  Right now she is just raw talent.  Very strong, very limber and compact but still rough around the edges.  She had some reservations about staying on the competition team next year-most of which is laziness.  She would just hang out with her zebra's at home if we let her.  But we got past that (bribery) and she is on track to start her third year on the team.  This summer she will continue to practice and her competition season will kick back up early 2018.

We are all looking forward to summer-17 more school days.  17 more early wake ups.  17 more mornings of opening car doors.  17.  And then ten awesome weeks of getting back to all the things we love-family time, outside time, pool time, and that amazing relaxed schedule.  It's going to be awesome.  Maybe a few more opportunities to catch this old thing up too....we shall see-

Pics! With #hashtags!

She steals my phone...I post the pics;) #gorgeousgirl

Bad picture-but this is just a typical weekend night-right around 7:55pm. Thats right. 5 minutes before bedtime and Matt gets the brilliant idea that We Are WWE. FIVE MINUTES BEFORE BEDTIME. #notbitter

Yes I had to screenshot this-but these two are the greatest of friends. Hope they stay that way:). #schaeferschroeder

Post Williams walk 5k.  Love being outrun by this kid...#webothwon

Williams walk-little flyer:) #scarednotscared