Friday, June 11, 2010

Summer Break

It seems that the last couple of months have flown by. Spring has been busy with work, birthdays, finals, anniversaries, festivals, buying a car, activities & more. One of the highlights this spring was taking a daytrip with my grandma to Mansfield MO to visit the Laura Ingalls Wilder Homestead/Museum and attend a pioneer festival. My family is avid Laura Ingalls Wilder fans and readers. I grew up with the show and the books. I connected with her because I grew up in the MidWest where pioneer history was around every corner and moved alot like her. Maybe this is why I still braid my hair in pigtails and still love the rolling prairie hills. It was almost surreal walking into her kitchen, seeing names such as Nellie on greeting cards, and other personal items mentioned in her books. The best was seeing Pa’s fiddle. At moments my mind was at odds with what I was seeing and what I remembered from the books/tv series. As I walked around I kept hearing bits of her books replay in my head. It still amazes me that she lived so close to where I am now and did normal things like eat at the local diner and drove cars. My mind wanted to keep her in that pioneer image. It was a wonderful day and I am glad to share it with my parents and my grandma.
I am getting ready to go on my 2 week break from work and I wonder how in the world the time sped by. The kids are already gone for the summer, the pools are full, summer heat has hit, and the gardens are producing their bounty. It is June 11th and I am only now able to completely take the time to enjoy it without looking at my to-do list. I think the reason why Spring snuck by was because it was such a short season—weather wise. We didn’t have the normal transition into spring. It was pretty cold and not the traditional spring storms. Maybe that is why I feel that I am a season behind. :)

The end of the school year has brought on some changes. I am now going to be a 12 mth employee. Changes are happening in my office and we all are switching some responsibilities. Change is good, but the unknown can be a bit stressful and exciting. It is silly but I haven’t had to work full-time in the summer for over 10 years. This will be a bit of a change but I won’t mind the paycheck. :)

The family is doing well. Everyone is healthy and the kids are growing up fast! I don’t know how much longer Auntie Lisa will be able to keep up with them. I am still dealing with my back but the PT is really working and helping me address the issue. I am hoping to focus on this during the summer so I will be healthy by August.

I don’t think I will be doing much travelling this summer. I have a trip up to see the kids and Utah planned but all others have been postponed. Plus it seems that Mother Nature keeps delaying flights periodically in Europe and I can’t risk it this year. Woe is me….LOL!! I will just keep myself entertained with the World Cup----- that will be another post! Time now to go walk barefooted in the grass and turn off my alarm for the next two weeks.
I will post some spring pics soon. I hope that you are enjoying the summer sun!

Cheers!
Lisa