Listening to "Moses and Marco Polo Suite with Yo-Yo Ma... Lovely! I was on the front porch for a bit but the humidity chased me off.
So I am here, in the living room, with Miss Amy sprawled across the rug looking very, very relaxed. She lays on her back and bears more than a passing resemblance to a sea otter floating across the ocean trying to open a sea urchin!
I digress....Summer "Vacation"...yes. The word "vacation" is defined as.."A period of time devoted to pleasure, rest, or relaxation, especially one with pay granted to an employee." Okay, let's look at this.
First off, my husband and I are, for the most part, self employed. You should see the pile of 1099 forms at tax time. No pay granted for time off here. After having spent time in the cubicles and offices of the business world, I have to say that I do like that fact that every day is different, for me. I miss the camaraderie and the gathering around the coffee station to talk over the previous evening's events or to catch up on the latest gossip. Sometimes I miss the clockwork of being paid on the 15th and 30th of every month. I don't miss the morning commute or the office politics or the dictation of my time. Trade- offs, to be sure.
So I wanted to take a moment and account for my time - my summer time - here - to remind myself of why my life is as it is and why, for the most part, I continue to chose to go on as I do.
The month of June was a whirlwind of activities. Mallory turned 14 and we celebrated in a very laid back fashion. I remember how my mother always made every birthday feel special and that has passed on to me and how I want my daughter to feel. What does a 14 year old love to do? Go to the mall, of course!!! So Mr. Stephen and I took Mal to the mall and we shopped. First stop was the food court and then we hit all her favorite stores. Now, I have to add here, we do almost 95% of our clothes shopping in resale stores. Mal and I have a lot of fun finding treasures. The concept of getting a lot for a little and recycling to boot has helped her understand and appreciate value vs. consumerism. As much as she loves to visit the mall with friends she is also a bit put out by the cost of things - I am too! The mall represents a bit of freedom from parents and a chance to hang out and be. I get that.
Okay, so we had a very nice evening together and she proclaimed it one of the best birthdays ever. She did have a birthday sleepover on that Friday, complete with ice cream cake and a birthday breakfast for the gals the next day. That was also the day of the 8th Grade Party at school which I was able to work a few hours at. It was a giant outdoor event that was well planned and the kids really had a great time. It was a special birthday and I was very satisfied that her "well" got filled that week.
I write of the "well" of love, support and family spirit that keeps us going through the worst moments of self doubt, betrayal or disappointment. My parents did a fine job of that. As I get older and hear more stories of friends and family I now see that that is, quite often, not the norm.
Marching Band began to, quickly, take over the summer plans. Mal joined the Color Guard in May and marched in her first parade on Memorial Day. She starts as a Freshman next week. What a terrific intro to her high school career. June saw a three day "mini-camp" for the Marching Band and she jumped in with both feet. It will be a great group to see her over the hump of High School Daze!
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