I'm 44, Say What?

In the blink of an eye, or so it seems, I turned 44.  When I round it by 10's, I can still say I'm closer to 40, but if I round to the nearest 5, well I'm almost there--you know--at the mid-point of this decade.  YIKES!

This year has been different all around.  I'm still serving in two different capacities at the College, (they still can't find someone to fill my interim position), and time feels crunched. It makes my days off feel that much more valuable, so I try to make the most of them.  In September, I took a half day, and my mom, Little Lewie, and I went apple picking.  This was the start of fulfilling some of the items on my fall bucket list.

I'm glad my mom took this picture of us.  It shows how much Lewie is catching up to my height!

Of course, while we were at the farm, we fulfilled another item--buying yummy apple cider donuts!

On my birthday, I had a work retreat--actually two of them, back-to-back.  I was a little concerned as I would be away from Lewie for four nights total.  I knew my mom and Hubby would take good care of him, but still...I wouldn't be home for the nightly ritual of tucking him in bed and sprinkling fairy dust over his head or the morning ritual of getting his breakfast and lunch ready.  I also wouldn't be home to make sure he was reading, completing his homework, or practicing his trumpet.

Miraculously, everyone survived, and the work retreats brought a little unexpected fun.  For one, Big Lew was able to come up for dinner on my birthday.  We rode on a party bus to have a few cocktails, had a nice dinner, and then called it an early evening, so we could enjoy the hotel's pool and hot tub.  He even stayed with me overnight while my mom watched Little Lewie.

On the last day of both retreats, I had a chance to take walks and capture some beautiful autumn pictures.  Since both retreats were held at historic places (on the water no less), the scenery, buildings, and houses all had this rustic New England charm.  If there's anything to know about me, it's that I'm in love with old houses from the 1600's, 1700's, and 1800's.  Here's just a few of the sites I couldn't help but take pictures of...

Can you tell this is a pumpkin person at a spa? It has cucumbers on its eyes, a robe, and wine glass in hand.

Beautiful historic homes overlooking the sound.

I just LOVE the pumpkin wall...

I love the narrow European inspired streets and alleyways.

I might have stayed here...

The last amazing part of the retreats was the sweet phone calls and big hugs from my Little Lewie who said he "missed me so much!!!"  On the morning after both retreats were over, he whispered, "Mommy...things run so much smoother when you're here."

During a year when I feel as if I have too much to do and there is never enough time, I have a little boy that very innocently reminds me that I'm doing a pretty good job after all.  I'm not sure I'm thrilled about turning 44, but at least at this age, I can say I have the fortune of good health, love, and happiness.  What else can a forty-something-year-old ask for?

Saying Goodbye to Summer

This summer was a mix of work, vacation, some slow summer days, and more work.  It was the "work" part that made this summer feel less fulfilling.  The College had asked me to take on two administrative roles instead of one, which meant more meetings, more responsibilities, longer hours, and less time for family and friends.  It did mean more pay, but I soon discovered that when given the choice to spend more time at home versus earning more money--I choose home.  I'll always choose home.

I'm still serving in two administrative roles, but it looks as if they will be hiring someone soon for the interim VP position I've been holding.  When that happens, I will probably celebrate in some way... Maybe I can go back to my daily walks and my weekly blogging?  My morning exercises and my nightly reading with Little Lewie?  My biweekly dates with hubby and monthly "spring" cleaning days?  My den leader Cub Scout planning and participation?  Yes, when I get my life back, it will be glorious.  I will get to daydream again, too.

After our vacation to Yellowstone, it was back to work as usual, so we made the most of our weekends.  In July, we went to see fireworks and hosted some pool parties...

A visit with old friends... Here they are dressed after a full day of swimming...
(I'm not sure why Lewie reached for a long sleeve shirt...)

Then, in August, we celebrated some birthdays and fit in some final days with friends...

All summer long, we ate ice cream...

And then we ended our summer days in September with some afternoons on my dad's fishing boat.  (Yes, we did not get the boat out until after Labor Day...)

Finally, we squeezed in a few milestones, too, like our first time water-tubing and our first time paddle-boarding.  

Yes, it has been tough saying goodbye to summer this weekend.  I suppose it's because we won't see the season for another nine months.  Goodbye old friend.  I will think of you often.  Until we meet again. 

The First Day of Fifth Grade and a Weekend to Remember!

Little Lewie's first day of fifth grade was the last Monday of August.  We weren't so prepared for the back to school routine; in fact, we didn't do any back-to-school shopping at all!  Lewie left the house with his same backpack from last year and same clothes.  Fortunately, we had enough unused pencils, notebooks, highlighters, and pens that we didn't need to purchase those either--whew!

According to Lewie, this is his "signature pose."  Fifth grade is a big deal this year because
he will be switching classes and learning how to play the trumpet!

Part of me wants to make a big deal about the first day back, but there's another part of me that hates to see the summer go...  Back-to-school means back to rushing, routines, deadlines, and of course, colder weather on the horizon.  As is our annual tradition, we took Friday the 30th off (i.e. played hooky), so we could have a long four-day weekend of fun and festivities.  This definitely helped ease the transition...

On our "Hooky" Friday, we stopped by Burr Pond to try paddle boarding.  It was fun!!

Our next stop was our annual visit to Lake Quassy Amusement Park. 
Since most kids were back to school, we had the amusement park to ourselves.

Notice how Lewie is the only one on the Pirate Swing.  He must have rode this 20+ times.

No trip to Lake Quassy is complete without the train ride!

On the Sunday before Labor Day, we went to the Goshen Agricultural Fair. 
We hadn't been to this fair since Lewie was a toddler!

Pretending to milk Bessy.

"Beep beep, I'm a sheep", I said, "Beep beep, I'm a sheep!"

Every good fair must have rides...

By the end of our four-day weekend, we felt ready to embrace school again.  In fact, on Labor Day, I found a "good luck charm" to carry us through...

I picked the clover by our pool and put it in a bowl of water.  I never saw a four-leaf clover in real life before.  It's just perfect.  Honestly, just perfect!