Tuesday Miscellany

* We're down to a family of 4 again for the next week. Our oldest has gone on vacation, and he really deserves it. He spent 12 arduous days hiking at Philmont Boy Scout Ranch in New Mexico, 4 days driving to and from Philmont, and then a week at Group Workcamp in Athens, GA, painting homes for disadvantaged families. For a kid who thinks that it's torture for me to awaken him at 10 a.m. during the school year, 23 days of waking up between 5 and 6:30 a.m. is deserving of a week of utter relaxation. His best friend graduated from high school in May, and a family friend invited them to spend a week with him in Florida, just being beach bums and eating at nice restaurants. I'm happy for the boys and their week of luxury, but I really need rich friends with Florida condos.

* My kids and I are meeting two college friends and their kids at a waterpark tomorrow. It's kinda weird to be driving 2 hours to go to a waterpark when we have the amazing Splash Country so nearby, but it's all about the people, right? And I love having immense amount of free time so that we could just do this at the spur-of-the-moment.

* We had our American Heritage Girls leaders' meeting today. One of our leaders opened her home and pool and provided her oldest son as a lifeguard, so 20 or so kids happily splashed about while we moms planned. It was a very productive afternoon, and I'm so thankful for our fantastic leaders.

* For some weird reason, we're all obsessing about kickball around here in my group of friends. I keep hearing friends say they've been playing kickball in the evenings. I really need to do a Monday Memory about kickball, because it's a powerful one. As soon as Dr. H and I digest our hamburgers, we're headed out to the backyard to play a rousing game of kickball with the kids and their friends. The girls are going to kick some butt, if we don't get malaria first from all the mosquitoes.

* And here is the biggest news of late: my parents have a buyer for their house in New York. I don't know why I haven't blogged about that yet. It's a really, really big deal. Last summer I blogged a lot about it. Like here, when I was helping my mom go through boxes. The house didn't sell last summer, but just last week they signed preliminary papers. In just a few weeks, we're headed up to my hometown, and this time it really will be the last time I stay in that house. But I can't really think about that right now.

* Also that week will be my 25 year high-school reunion. There's been lots of reconnecting on Facebook after the past year, and I'm looking forward to re-meeting lots of people face to face. One thing I've learned in the 25 years since I graduated: growing up in western, upstate New York is a unique experience. It'll be nice to be with people who understand good chicken wings, the importance of graduation parties, the smell of Seneca Lake on a hot summer night, and a slice of Cam's pizza.

* Our time is up. Two little boys and two pretty girls are ready for kick-ball.