A Spanking Good Time

Well, we are back from vacation – settling into the house which seems oddly cleaner than it was when we left. Isn’t that funny how the very things that drive me nuts about this place look so wonderfully welcoming after I’ve been gone?

We had a great vacation. There was hiking and canoeing and lots and lots of swimming in the pool, also a lot of relaxing which was sorely needed by all three of us. The really amazing part for me – other than seeing The Kid literally unwind from the tensions of the last two weeks) was how happy I was to come home.

I am surprised at how much I’m looking forward to the month ahead, The Kid starting first grade, Lefty starting a new semester and all the chaos that his job entails, and I have something new beginning too. I am leaving my little office job to freelance write from home. I am terrified and really really excited – first date excited, anxiety in the middle of the night excited.

This is something I have always wanted to do – and no matter what I was doing to earn a living, I have always considered myself a writer. So now I’m going to try it full time – as full time as any job can be with all the responsibilities that come along with being a mother and a wife! I am certain if I didn’t take this chance, I would regret it – and who wants to be the cranky old lady filled with regret?

So it is August, and a time of new beginnings for everyone in my little family, but there are still a few weeks of summer left. Time enough to swim and eat popsicles, go to a baseball game, and marvel at the fireflies in the backyard, just enough time to get ready for everything that lies ahead.