School is about to start......

So, the excitement of school is beginning.  Heck, I am excited!  I excite easily, but the new principle at my school said to me (while I was organizing stuff for the new year), "Hey, do you want to say something in front of all the teachers?"  They were in an all staff meeting and they were going to give me a microphone.  I had my baseball cap on, flip flops, but I was pretty sure I showered, so I said, "Heck, yeah!"  Bethany Larsen - you should be cracking up right now!!!!!  So should you Patrick Regnart!!!!  I gave them a brief intro to PTA, thanked them for taking my children soon, and told them about the free gift with membership to the PTA.  Forms to enroll were "right next to the sign in sheet".  "Sign in sheet?!??!?!" teachers proclaimed.  I said, "Yes.  Well.  Okay.  I am not your supervisor, but there is a sign in sheet at the front desk you may want to SIGN IN ON....and sign up for you PTA membership at the same time......"  The new principle was AWESOME and said, "Okay, I do not know what I missed, but yes, she is correct, sign in at the front desk."  I am starting to love her......and yes, it is because she said I was right!  Last time she gives me a microphone.....

Anyhoo.....I should give you the good, bad, and the ugly of the summer.  Good - our Four Corners Trip.  Amazing actually.  I love our family and I feel so blessed to be part of it EVERYDAY.

Bad....when I threw all the boys in the neighborhood out of my house because they were bored.  I was cleaning house, they were in my way, and (imagine) they did not want to help?!?!?  I stuck them in the garage to see if they could find inspiration from the street hockey equipment, scooters, bikes, sand toys, etc, etc. etc.  When I went out to get a mop, they were all propped up against the freezer and said, "There just is not much to do."  So, as I read in a David Sidaris book, I kicked them out of the house and said, "FIGURE IT OUT."  Thirty minutes later, I put out two fishing poles (one in a horrible line mess), a net, and a tackle box.  Remember, I am locked IN THE HOUSE.  I have disengaged the garage door and they keep asking to come in which I ignore.  Kyle says, "I know how to use those (fishing poles)!  Let's go."  Boys follow.  Remember, I live next to a river that has salmon and a bike trail.  I have a huge play structure in my backyard.  There is a tree house in my neighbors yard that is FOR US.  HOLY COW!  Anyhoo......all four left for four hours.   When they came back, they were covered in sand, wet, laughing and talking about fishing.  One of them even quoted, "Best day ever" and two others agreed.  Yes, I worry about them in the river - but honestly it is too low to care this year.  Yes, I worry, about them being gone so long, but I can hear their squeals from my office window.  Yes, I worry, but not enough for them not to live.  This is a young boys play land.....I will not take it away.  No devices, no TV, no nothing, but life.  Pretty cool.

Ugly....there really is none.  I need to get to the gym.  I need to get back to my program.  I miss my friends, bible study, etc.  I miss my life sans boys.  I have gained weight.  I have dealt with family issues, whatever, that is life.  I believe that they blood clots are back in my lungs, which they probably are not, but the mind is a powerful thing.  But the ugliest was when Grant took Mason to work for a half day to do my PTA copies and then a Mariners Game and Nolan was at Camp Barachach all day and I did not know what do do with myself.  That was sad.  I had to research it.  I settled on making breakfast, watching a movie everyone else would not want to watch, and scrap booking (FINALLY) the last eight pages of Nolan's 2013.  But you know the beauty?!?!  The beauty was that I was not the first on call.  The boys were with people that could care for them without me and for the first time in months, I relaxed.  IT WAS AMAZING AND WORTH THE UGLY!!!!  And, I finished Nolan's 2013 - yeah me!

Happy summer, happy school year, happy Wednesday, Ang