Posts

Showing posts from July, 2016

Summer 2016: Days 73-77

We left one oven just to land in another -- though we're not in 110 range, Salt Lake has been firmly in high 90s/low 100s since we got back from Las Vegas. The past five days have been dealing with the heat, trying to get back into a routine, and looking forward to our next trip. There was plenty of swimming over the weekend and a Bees game. Michael played in a 3-on-3 tournament the past two days (his team is 2-2 so far). Ben rocked some killer swim practices this week. And I've tried to stay cool, though I'm again being defiant by working outside. I am still self-dousing to beat the heat, and Monday I crashed the water fight of Ben and his friend. I'm writing outside at 10:30 p.m., and it still feels like it's 90 out here. I'm tempted to run through the sprinkler. I keep reminding myself, this is my favorite time of year ...

Summer 2016: Day 72; Vegas, Day 5

Not much to Vegas today -- we packed up the car and left about 10 to head back to Utah. I worked in the back while Lori drove. We stopped in St. George for lunch and Freddy's, and the boys listened to "Divergent" on the trip. Popcorn was so happy to see us when we got home. This was a nice trip. In two weeks we'll be back on the road for a longer one. This is what I love about summer.

Summer 2016: Day 71; Vegas, Day 4

The temperature got to 112 today in Sin City. Sweltering, but fortuitous -- whenever the temp tops 110, the High Roller Observation wheel is $10 off. Lori was going to take the boys (kids 12 and under are free) while I found a cool place to work, but because we were already planning to pay for one adult, the discount was practically a 2-for-1 and I joined them on the same wheel Ben and I rode back in March. The view was nice, and the we had a whole air-conditioned car to ourselves. Michael played his last game of the tournament, and the kids actually made a game of it but lost by seven. He wasn't as frustrated today, though they still committed too many turnovers. We hung out by the pool after the game, and went for all-you-can eat sushi after the High Roller. Michael's rough basketball experience aside (today, he was accidentally bitten by another player ...), it's been a good trip.

Summer 2016, Day 70; Vegas, Day 3

More heat today, and more frustration. The smaller roster came to a head today with Michael, who was tremendously frustrated after two losses. His teammates were throwing the ball away and not passing, and one of our opponents were, frankly, jerks (one kid called Michael a "little bitch"). I've never seen Michael so flustered with basketball. He said later he didn't have fun. We weren't in quite the mood for a big dinner, so after basketball and swimming, I picked up Popeye's and Five Guys. The dad of one of Michael's teammates took the trio of friends out for the night, and we bought Ben a smoothie from the poolside bar. I was so tired that I almost dozed off working on the balcony.

Summer 2016: Day 69; Vegas, Day 2

Today was long and wonderful. It started early and ended late. It was jam-packed in between. Lori bought groceries for the week, and she took the boys to the pool when the waterslides opened and the resort was hosting a rubber duckie contest at 10 a.m. I met them down there later and tried the waterslides -- they were very fast (but at least completely enclosed). We went upstairs for lunch, then went to Michael's first game of the tournament. Unfortunately, two players who were supposed to be on the roster never showed and never bothered to tell anyone they weren't coming, leaving us with five players. We added a girl from the fifth-grade team, but we still got pummeled and worn out. Michael got a little beat up -- at the end of the game, I noticed a footprint on his back, and neither of us knew how it got there. Ben met a new friend -- the sister of one Michael's new teammates -- and they hit it off immediately. The two are the same age and have much the same persona

Summer 2016: Day 68; Vegas, Day 1

Vegas, baby! Michael is playing in a basketball tournament in Las Vegas this week, and we drove down today in advance of that. We left about 1 p.m., and Lori drove most of the way while I tried to work in the back seat. This year, we are staying at another resort without a casino, the Cancun, on Las Vegas Boulevard south of the strip. I like our condo better this year than last -- more room, and we have a balcony. For dinner, we drove to the Cosmopolitan and ate at Holstein's, which my boss treated us to last year when we had a work function in Vegas. Good burgers and good shakes -- and the boys loved it. Ben was insistent with the waiter that his Drunken Monkey shake should have no alcohol! Afterward, we walked down to the Bellagio to watch the fountain show. Then we headed back to the room. It was a long day.

Summer 2016: Days 62-67

There was a swim meet last week, stretching over a few days. Ben did well. More accurately, Ben did awesome. This was the state long course championship, and in the 10-and-under division he ended up fifth in the 50 back, seventh in the 100 back, and 13th in the 50 fly. He posted best times in both backstrokes as well as in his leg of the 400 freestyle relay. He was on three relays that took fourth, fourth and fifth. Ben had struggled with long course the past couple months, but he peaked at the right time. He gets a week off before the rec team's conference meet (this is his last season swimming rec) in a few weeks. Other highlights of the past few days: The heat is back ... Went out to eat too much this week, but between the four-day swim meet and Michael having basketball practice a couple nights, it was inevitable. Five Guys, Cubby's and Costa Vida. Yum. The world is going a little crazy. Work was OK, at a perfect pace. Yes, it was otherwise an uneventful week

Summer 2016: Days 58-61

This posts encompasses Friday through Monday. There was vomit. Michael had gotten sick last week, throwing up overnight, but he recovered right away. On Saturday, I managed to pick up the same bug. I woke up early and felt pukey. We were going to go to a sort of party on Rockport Lake, but Lori took the boys while I stayed home and descended into a gastro-intestinal mess. I didn't throw up much, but I did feel bad almost all day, eating just a few crackers and drinking some ginger ale. To make matters worse, between the tensing up from vomiting and possibly napping in a strangle angle, I threw out my lower back. So I was barely moving and queasy. By Sunday morning, just as soon as it had hit, the bug was gone and I felt better. My back felt better, too, as the day progressed. The weather blessedly cooled off today, and we opened windows in the house and turned off the air. My back felt much better, and I did spend about 10 minutes in the hot tub at the JCC, which also helped.

Summer 2016: Days 55-57

Argh, these are the days that go too fast and that I think I'm not enjoying summer. The last three days have been a blur. I woke up early every morning, took Ben to swim practice, worked all day, and generally felt tired. The boys had a swim meet Tuesday and did well. Michael was up all Tuesday night throwing up; he was out of commission Wednesday and rested again today before basketball practice. I worked in the backyard every day. The Cubs kept losing. I didn't have much energy to write outside of work And here we are, three summer days passed, and I don't know where they went. This is probably just a little rut, but I need to push through these rut in order to enjoy every day, write, exercise, and revel in summer. I'm hoping that is what Friday brings.

Summer 2016: Day 54

Happy Independence Day! Our day started with the Sugar House Pet Parade (for which Michael, Lori, and Ben volunteered; I walked Popcorn). We got back in time for the neighborhood parade as well. In the afternoon, we hung out at the house/pool of some good friends of ours, and the boys swam almost the whole time. After we got home, I walked the boys to see the Sugar House fireworks. While there, a humbling thought occurred -- it's been 40 years since the bicentennial. The Fourth of July is always an milestone of summer, today as much as it was four decades ago.

Summer 2016: Day 53

Popcorn and I went for our first hike up Milcreek Canyon this year, to Dog Lake. She's out of shape but still loved the experience and got to swim for the first time since last summer. That took up most of my morning. In the afternoon, we saw "Finding Dory." We missed a thunderstorm during the movie -- we got outside and it was sunny and humid again. I was feeling antsy and annoyed about something (I'll spare you the details) and went for a drive up Emigration Canyon in the evening. The view was nice.

Summer 2016: Day 52

Michael's basketball team lost a heartbreaker but finished in fourth place in his tournament division. He played well, registering a double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds. He also grabbed a rebound and went coast to coast for a basket, which produced a stunned look from his coach, who couldn't believe he pulled that off. After the game, we went to Simply Sushi for all-you-can-eat sushi. It was just OK -- the crab didn't seem as fresh as usual. Still, we loaded up and were sufficiently (dare I say painfully) full afterward. When I got home, I took the do to the park, but she didn't want to chase a tennis ball. The heat remains.

Summer 2016: Day 51

We're into July, the heat is back, along with some humidity -- but the thunderstorms never quite happened. Michael played two basketball games today in the Big Mountain Jam, and his team split, getting blown out in the first but coming up with a good victory over what was probably a better team in the second. It was an all-over-the place kind of day, with Ben having an afternoon swim practice and I with a haircut that was canceled (I worked at a Starbucks for an extra hour instead).