Winding down....

As I sit here late, late, Tuesday night (even though it is really very early Wednesday morning now) I am very sad. I realize that one week from tonight I will be miserable, exhausted and counting the days until winter vacation. You see, next Tuesday I will be getting up at 6:00 a.m. after 10 weeks of sleeping until 8:00... ish. I will be hustling to get myself together and packed and out the door to make the almost half hour drive to school for the teacher inservice day. I will spend the morning in meetings, learning all these so important things, spend the afternoon preparing my class for a new position I am starting this year, and then hurrying out the door at the end of the day to spend the night preparing lesson plans after rushing to pick up the girls from their classes and sitters, make dinner, pack bags for the next day and do it all again.



I know you may have a hard time finding sympathy for me. I have, after all, just spent the last 10 weeks on summer vacation. I have had the joy of spending time with my family and loved ones, traveling, reading, scrapping, visiting friends, taking naps, meeting my husband for lunch, taking the dogs for long walks, and grocery shopping on weekdays when the stores are not so busy. It has been more than nice, it has been blissful. I have not accomplished even a tiny fraction of my list of things I wanted to do this summer. No closets all cleaned out. No huge pile of scrapbook pages completed. No organizing of anything. No hours logged in the gym. I pretty much goofed off, chatted on the phone, or on line, read, crafted, visited, and soaked up the joy of life every day. It has been bliss. I can think of no better word.

I have so completely enjoyed this summer. I had my list of good intentions... that went out the window before July 1st... but I am ok with that. I did some, but I spent the time with my children. We went places. We saw family they have never even met before! We played. We swam. I spent time with my mom on a girl's weekend; just the 2 of us. I don't think we have ever done that and it was priceless. I stayed up ridiculously late with my husband, keeping him company as he did work in the office at home, just chit-chatting about whatever. Watching bad movies. Drinking too much coffee. Sometimes just silent companionship, but being together. I love doing that. During the school year we keep very different hours so this was a real treat for the both of us. Every day of the last 10 weeks was delicious, I just sit here and soak it all in; you can see why I am so sad it is ending now, right?



So, that being said, maybe you can understand why this is so hard for me. I am so lucky to have had the last 10 weeks, to have the opportunity every summer to take the time to "smell the roses" so to speak, that when September creeps up, well, it is double hard. How can I say goodbye to such the perfect time? How can I let go of these days that are filled with nothing but absolute pleasure and joy and just about everything I could want in any day of my life? I know, I know, Summer is just 10 months away... suck it up... I get it.... The school year is probably why I appreciate my summers so much more. It sure doesn't make it any easier to switch gears though.

So, for now, I sit here drinking my late night cup of coffee, not decaf mind you, the real stuff. Knowing that in one short week all this delicious bliss will be a fond and dreamy memory, something to hold onto tightly to get me through until another JUNE comes rolling around on the calendar....