The 43

The last two weeks have been phenomenally busy with family and work. Today, I completed a work milestone I had been working on for more than a month, and with it, I finally feel like I can breathe again. So with this lungful of fresh air, what am I going to write about? Fall has astronomically begun. The boys are deep into their routines, although Ben's will change here with fall baseball ending and winter swim team beginning in about two weeks. We will be on vacation in three. Halloween is five weeks from Saturday. Christmas is three months away. I hate when I get into these absolutely swamped periods because I don't stop to just enjoy the day. I don't write. I don't spend nearly as much time with the boys as I should. I get nothing done around the house. I'm only looking toward the next milestone, the next chance to get a deep breath. I don't have quite a solution to this other than taking a deep breath tonight as I write this. Can I include something fr...

The pool just looked too inviting. Ben only had 15 minutes of swim practice left in the indoor pool. I was sitting in the sun, getting some work done, glancing at the outdoor pool that was only open to lap swimmers. The mushroom shower on the shallow end was off. A couple of the lanes were in use. I wasn't going to swim laps anyway -- I am definitely a runner, not a swimmer. But according to my calendar, the one that begins this season in May and ends it the day before the first NFL game, this was last the day of summer. I had to jump in the pool one more time. I grabbed my goggles and walked around the to deep end, which has been incredibly clear lately, so much that I can see how deep it goes down -- a little unnerving for someone who's still somewhat afraid of deep water. I didn't hesitate and hopped in. The plunge felt like summer, one last time. The water was slightly chilly, but the experience was worth it. I made a good show of it for the lifeguard by swimmin...

A long but not terrible Tuesday of work today. Temperatures are pleasant, and I worked from the porch most of the day. Ben had his first Cub Scout meeting (technically, he's a Webelo) and had a lot of fun. It was more of an introductory meeting, but they den leaders had some fun activities planned for the boys. He's going to love this all year, I can already tell. I came home and completed a fantasy football draft with my co-workers -- I had started it on my phone during the Scout meeting. Then, I took Popcorn on a long walk, and managed to keep my calories for the day in the green (I'm back to tracking; it had been so successful in the spring, and I tend to gain five pounds every September ...). I listened to fantasy football podcasts all the way. At one point, passing a particularly bright streetlight, I caught my shadow and thought it looked young. It's probably just my skinny legs, but the view made me feel good after several trying days. I think that's going ...

Two weeks. No blogging. Ugh. The boys are back in school, and the routine I sought is just about set. But it's been a tiring two weeks. Work has seemed to drain all my creative energy and has been souring my mood. I feel like I gained back 10 of the 25 pounds I lost in the spring. I see things around the house that need to be done, yet I can't quite find the wherewithal to work on them. That goal to hit the waterpark one more time before summer ended felt like too much of a chore. Fantasy football drafts are in full swing, yet I've had no time to do my usual preparations. I've been taking my laptop to Ben's baseball games to work. It's an end-of-summer blah, one that I think I need the end of summer, at least by my calendar, to cure. The NFL season starts Thursday, and when it does, I close the curtain on Summer 2015. I'm in no rush for the weather to cool, but I'm ready for a little change of mood. The last two weeks haven't been terrible, ...