Arrival

Oh it’s been a long drive! Through yesterday’s evening, all through the quiet, peaceful night, and straight through the morning we trudged on through to complete our drive. Now we find ourselves so close to arrival. We are no longer on the busy expressways filled with other cars. We are not even on a main road. We have made it so far that we are officially on a side street, turning block after block, looking for the next unfamiliar street to turn on so that we may make our way to our final destination. The kids are excited, yet beyond worn from spending such a long time in their car. Their behavior is surprising good, considering how long they’ve been in the car. So we keep on going, so close to our destination. And the anticipation continues to build.

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Roadtrip

The sky is such a peaceful black, lit only by the streetlights and the few stars you can see in the sky.

The usual bustling roads are covered only in the occasional fellow midnight driver passing by us on the open road.

The music is low, but very present.

You can hear the very slight breathing, not quite snoring but loud enough, of the kids in the back. My husband’s breathing, on the other hand, can definitely be called snoring. I don’t mind though.

The quiet, open road is welcoming, and I enjoy being the only one awake. At the moment, I am wide awake and content. I will continue driving through the night until I too am ready for some sleep.

Then we switch, and hope that the little ones in the back stay sound asleep.

Duke

I honestly did not expect to have such a strong reaction. He was sixteen years old…that’s a whole lot of dog years. We knew it was time to put him down. We had the appointment for some time now, and knew it was coming for much much longer. I was prepared and thought I was okay. I knew it was beyond time. However, I couldn’t fight the lump in my throat and tears welling up in my eyes when I got the message.  Such a simple and straightforward message: it was done. So as much as we try to prepare ourselves and try to accept things that need to happen, it it still never easy. So sometimes sadness is most definitely allowed.

Almost There….

Such an exciting day! You can feel the excitement all around the school.

And the craziness!

Most kids are beaming with excitement as they know they’re about to begin their Spring break. Yet there are others that maintain their usual calmness and passivity.

And then of course there are those that are just distracted and already on their own break.

You can sense the excitement among teachers as well!

Despite a bit of chaos and a little extra added stress with the craziness of today’s schedule, the teachers overall are a happy bunch. There are many smiles as we wish each other a happy Friday and encouragement to get through the days.

Happy Spring Break!

Perhaps a bit chaotic, but today is a happy and exciting day for all.

Uh Oh!

Oh no!

How did this happen?

All of us? We all overslept?!

I must have turned the alarm off rather than hitting the wonderful yet dreadful snooze button.

Well, however it happened, here I am just jumping out of bed at the same time I’m  usually on the road, heading to work.

While I’m overwhelmed with panic and frenzy, I am still grateful that I’m up just in time to still arrive on time.

Thank goodness for the mental alarm! While I may be cutting it close, it never lets me down.

Packing

Hmmm. 2 kids. 2 adults. Not so bad, right?

All the laundry is clean and folded, sitting neatly in piles. So why the dread?

Well, how much clothing do we need?

How many changes of clothes?

How many times will they need to change? Better said, how long can they stay clean?

 And swimming? There´s a whole new headache. We´ll need at least two sets each. No one likes to put on a wet suit. And then there´s swim diapers. And regular diapers. And overnight diapers. And can´t forget the wipes, of course!

Oh boy, I haven´t even gotten started on the bathroom supplies yet. Of course we all need our own toothpaste. And the list goes on…and on….and on…..

Traffic

That last bell has rang.

The last email has been sent.

No more phone calls or copies today.

It´s time to put this school day behind, and move on to the next part of the day.

Where we are all at home, together.

If I could just teleport myself there. Is that possible?  

Or do I have to sit here at this red light. Only to move forward just a few spots, before missing the next green light.

And waiting my turn, for the light to turn again and let me pass through this intersection. And on to the next.

Making my way through my same daily path, little by little. My radio tries to drown out the usual traffic sounds, especially the horns.

Because who does that really help anyway? So little by little, I try to stay patient and my make my way through the traffic.