Blur

Was that June speeding by? With the kids at camp, I expected to have plenty of time to relax and also to get some things done both at work and at home. That did not exactly happen. I'm amazed each summer by how much more work seems to materialize in my office. I swear I had some down time during the summer when I first took this job seven years ago. People often ask, "So what do you do up there in the summer anyway?" In fact, my colleague said to me yesterday, "If one more person asks 'What in the world do you guys do up there in the summer anyway?' I will not be held responsible for my actions." So yes, the question comes up often.

What we're doing is trying to hire the best possible professional staff including in my direct responsibility three counselors (two retirements, one transfer left these positions open), one special education transition coordinator, two social studies teachers, and two special education teaching positions (plus one more if I hire internally for the transition coordinator). I've been in what seems like nonstop interviews. I'm also finalizing the master schedule, which is somewhat dependent on hiring decisions and has a deadline of July 3rd in order to work with a planned system changeover in the technology department. Yesterday I spent all day out of the office at a district-wide administrators' retreat, thinking about what I could have been doing with my time back at the office. Not that it wasn't valuable, but it seems like the timing for that annual event is always off somehow. I am looking forward to tomorrow, though, where all I have on my calendar is one meeting with my social studies curriculum specialist and a haircut, the latter of which is sorely needed.

Adventure Guy and I have done pretty well as practice empty-nesters. We've eaten out a bit more than usual, and we worked together in the yard on Sunday between rain storms. We've also watched some good movies from Netflix and thought a number of times about going to see Waitress, which is still on my list. Maybe an all out last-ditch effort will be made tomorrow night. Oh, and did I mention our newest addiction? In the not good for the waistline category, we have the local organic bread store. Best Friend introduced Adventure Guy to this culinary delight on his birthday when she presented him with his very own rustic baguette and a "frequent loafer" card. What can I say? She knows my man. All month now he's been saying things like, "Since you're nearby, can you run by the bread store?" The baguettes are good but the challah is to die for. I'm also likely to be found on Saturday mornings circling the lot in hopes of finding the chocolate filled croissants in stock.

Thursday night our friends whose kids are also at camp will arrive again from Houston. We'll pack up the respective Suburbans and head to Branson on Friday morning. Friday and Saturday will be devoted to boating, fishing, and shopping (in no particular order). Then on Sunday we'll get to see the kids for a full-day of closing activities: track meet, swim meet, family vespers, cabin awards ceremony, carnival, camp term movie. Monday morning it will all wrap up for another year with the announcement of major camp awards and the results of the tribal competition that's been going on all month. By ten o'clock we'll be headed back to our rental cabins on the lake and soon after we'll hit the pontoon boat with the kids in tow this time.

It's hard to be this close to seeing the kids and not be missing them desperately, but things like this make it easier to take. That's Soccer Boy, clearly letting his cast keep him from enjoying camp!