Summer

I love it. I love the heat, the sun, the sand. I love taking a nap after a long day at the beach. I love late afternoons on a deserted beach. I love the lake. Boats on the lake. Tubing, skiing, and swimming. Floating aimlessly in the pool and canon balls in the deep end. I love the late night dips...the early morning ocean breeze. The sound of the waves from our bedroom on clear nights. The bright stars from our patio and s'mores from the fire pit.  I love it all. I especially love that Abby loves it all, too.

 

I wish summer could go on and on. And since it can't...we'll enjoy it while we can.

Family Time

This summery weekend has been filled with family and once again reminds me how awesome it is to be back in Maine.  I wish I could say I have pictures to document, but I don't.  I've grown to rely on my family (uh, Mom) to take pictures and then do a quick download onto my PC.  Let's hope there were pictures from this weekend to share.  My only set of aunts and uncles who live out of town (out of the 10) live in Wisconsin and we see them once every year or two.  As a trainer at VTB I was fortunate to visit them on their turf while I trained in Chicago.  The flew in on Wednesday and we've seen them four times!  Four family get togethers in 5 days and it's been fantastic!  From Amato's sandwiches, lunch on the fly, lobster bake at our house, to a BBQ by the pool oh my have we had fun. 

I've promised myself to really enjoy summer this time around and forgo chores until absolutely the last minute and tonight was a great example.  The most perfect day deserved one more dip in the pool, one more bite of cake, one more beer - okay, two, and one more hug goodbye.  We didn't get home until 8pm just enough time to tackle bed time, put the dirty diapers in the wash, and crank on the air conditioner in the bedroom and set up shop with the laptop.  The Wisconsinites go back tomorrow and we wish them a safe journey until next time.  For now, stay tuned while I hunt down some pictures....

Just Like Riding a Bike

At the end of day 4 I seem to be balancing family, job, life, etc fairly well.  I know, not really a substantial test, but in reality back to work is just like riding a bike.  It's going so well I'm contemplating how I can squeeze in some gym time.  There is a small workout room and showers at the newly renovated call center so I can either go there, run the boulevard, or sign up for another gym.  We've canceled our membership at the Y since we don't need the day care option and it's summer!  Who needs to be inside when everything fun is outside!??!

I am very impressed with LL Bean and the number of employees who are celebrating not just 5 or 10 years of service but 20, 25, and 30 years of employment.  It's amazing and speaks volumes for the kind of company LL Bean is.  I look forward to getting to know everyone, learn more cool stuff, and contribute my expertise and enthusiasm.  I wish the bike had a fast forward button to quickly push past the learning curve.  :-)

394 Sleeps Ago

394 days ago was my last day of work.  Yes, I know motherhood is work, and, yes, I know I worked seasonally for L.L. Bean this past winter.  But, tomorrow marks my first day back to a brain moving, healthy salary, leave-Abby-at-daycare job.  Am I excited?  Absolutely!  Am I nervous?  A little - I'm hoping I don't screw up too much.  Am I hopeful?  I'm positive I can knock their socks off so this job becomes permanent at the end of January and not seasonal like it is now.  Am I anxious?  YES!  I can't wait!  Will I sleep tonight?  Probably not - sort of like going back to school after having the summer, er 394 days off.  Am I sad?  Just a smidge - Abby is certainly fun to be around, and I am sad we won't have beach, playground, or library play dates, etc.  Okay, maybe more than a smidge sad. 

What's going on with Abby?  She's been going most Fridays for the past year to Sue's House and loves being there and they love her.  I hope Abby doesn't miss me too much while she's hanging with her friends at day care.

I've been extremely blessed to have this sacred time off.  I am grateful for Tim for his support and appreciative of all those who have helped hang with Abby when I had interviews, appointments or needed time to myself.  I am looking forward to going to the bathroom without the door open, eating lunch in its entirety, using my brain for more than a grocery list, and of course contributing to our bank account.  Because you know, there are lots of things to save for.  Things like a new roof, vacation at the Cape, Abby's brother or sister (no, we're not pregnant, but thinking about it), new shoes, and maybe college education. 

For my last sleep?  Abby and Daddy let me sleep until 8am.  Tomorrow?  Abby or the alarm will wake me up at 6am.  I am thankful for 394 non-alarm wake ups. 

Happy Independence Day!

One of my favorite holidays.  The kick off to a glorious summer, fireworks, BBQ's, family and friends, showing gratitude to those who make our country safe and free, summer, and usually a long weekend.  So fabulous.  I hope you enjoy your day!