The 43

Back to school today, and I co-oped Ben's class in the afternoon. The school was so warm, even with air conditioning; recess was so hot and humid, even with clouds rolling in. I'm not going to mind when temperatures drop back into the 80s. Co-oping went well, which was in contrast to my freelance work, which frustrated me today. I'm feeling better about it tonight, and I'm out on the porch doing a fantasy football mock auction and enjoying the cooler weather. Summer is almost toast.

Labor Day. And you know what, I labored today, freelance writing to give myself a little cushion this week. The weather was hot and humid again today, which got a little annoying at the Salt Lake Bees game this afternoon. We had great seats -- 11 rows behind the plate -- but didn't quite get into the shade until about the eighth inning. We enjoyed the game, even though the Bees lost to the Reno Aces 17-7. We grilled steaks for dinner, and I took Popcorn for a walk. And I earned money by writing. Labor Day.

Six days without blogging. Six days without any non-work writing at all. An eventful six days. I did my first two co-ops of the year Tuesday and Wednesday. Ben is having so much fun at school already and has made a good new friend. Michael is stressed about reading but is happy to be back with his friends. I conducted our first soccer practice Tuesday, combining the two teams into one workout. I tried an unofficial practice like this back in the spring and didn't get many kids. Tuesday, we got 17. That makes me optimistic for the season. I picked up all the uniforms for the season and got practice times on Thursday. Wednesday, we went to the waterpark one last time. We met one of Ben's soccer friends and his family there. The day was so hot, so the waterpark was welcome relief (although the wave pool felt like bath water, but the one pool that is usually freezing wasn't as cold). Barely a crowd, either -- I love the waterpark after school for just this reason. We left about...

Today was cloudy. I wanted to take the boys to the waterpark tonight after school, but we had clouds. Yesterday wasn't as bad, but these two days are just a reminder that summer is winding down. I've turned my attention to fantasy football, with a draft coming up Thursday. I haven't afforded my preparations the usual attention I do every August, so I'm playing catchup. I've also been focusing on the boys' soccer seasons. I'm coaching both teams again and am looking forward to the year. Sunday, I took the dog on a hike and worked. Today, I worked a little bit, walked the dogs twice, bought and installed a new toilet seat, and took the boys to the JCC, where Ben resumed swim workouts and Michael and I played basketball for a while. Yep, the wind-down is in progress. I'm mostly resigned to it. It's OK.

Today we got the kind of the summer thunderstorm I always associate with August in Utah. Michael and I had gone to the park where he plays baseball -- the league was silk-screening the kids names onto their jerseys -- and a big storm, after teasing us all week, finally downpoured. Michael, who had been catching flyballs with the other kids while I took Popcorn to the dog area, and I tried to brave it out but finally left after we got the jersey. That was pretty much the highlight of a mostly lazy Saturday after the busy first week of school. I bought a case for my new phone; Lori went to Trader Joe's; Ben and Michael hung out with their friends. I have a lot on tap the next few days, so one lazy day was good.

Another lull in posting, but only after another busy week. School started for the boys Wednesday, and already, we are believing it will be a good year. Michael's teacher brings so much energy to the class, and Michael is happy to be in the same class with two of his best friends. He said that his days so far this week were just average; I'm guessing he's not exactly thrilled to be back in school. But he's had no real complaints yet. We'll see how he likes it next week when the class gets past its welcome-back-to-school phase and gets down to a routine of learning. Ben had a fantastic week.He's a second-grader in a combined 1/2 class with a lot of new kids, and he is enthusiastically taking to his role as an older, wiser student. On his first day, he was happy because there were no mean kids in his class. I'm hoping the dynamic of his class, which was so mean last year, is different and he can continue having "awesome" days, as he told me. Mon...

This blog came to a screeching halt the past two weeks. Luckily, nothing catastrophic caused this hiatus. I got my wish: The last few weeks of summer have been jam packed. Some of the craziness has been work. I'm getting as much freelancing as I unintentionally did during vacation. I'm not complaining -- the work has been challenging and productive, and it will be a means to achieve the other goals I've been trying to reach for a while. But much of the hiatus is a result of cramming a lot into these last two weeks. We took a little trip to a lake in remote Utah, went to the pool and waterpark often, saw a couple concerts, and prepared for the coming school year. The boys have hung out with their friends. Before I knew it, two weeks have passed and I hadn't blogged. Admittedly, the freelance writing has sapped some of my energy to otherwise blog. If I'm with my laptop, I feel the need to work and succeed with the contract jobs. I have deadlines I must keep, a...