A Daunting Game of Catch-Up

When Julie suggested I start a family blog, I liked the idea but worried about the maintenance...how often to blog, what to blog about, and the unthinkable...how to catch up if I missed large chunks of time??

Ya see....I am a text book Type A personality. If I am not running at least 5 minutes AHEAD of schedule, I feel nervous and stressed. Everything has a place...neat and organized and orderly - it's just how I roll....and for my family - because I run this show here at home....it's how my family rolls too!!

So back to the unthinkable....it happened....I blogged the first of June and have been MIA since then...that's 5 weeks people....5 weeks of stuff that's simply OUT OF ORDER, almost like it never happened, oh my, the horror of that....it will not do!!

So please, humor me and allow me to play catch up so that I can begin anew with this here blog of ours. We have been so insanely busy since Spring rolled in that I feel like if I don't chronicle some of our happenings, I will forget them myself when I get to this chapter of our life in our family scrapbooks.

So...our spring/early summer in review...and yes, there's a slide show that will serve as proof....or additional boredom depending on your perspective!

slide show

Five Friends
I spent a wonderful weekend with my college girls at the Shoji Japanese Spa in beautiful Asheville NC.- this was in honor and celebration of our 40th birthdays. We hadn't all been together in 5 years and it was as if not a minute had passed since that time. The five of us have been connected in such a beautiful and meaningful way; we have cheered each other on in the best of times and held each other up in times of unspeakable pain and sorrow. We've cried tears of joy when we shared our wedding days together and shed tears of grief when we buried spouses and children- our history is rich indeed and I wouldn't trade a thing for what I have in those 4 girls. So while it was my intention to dedicate a blog post to our weekend together, I realized that one long arduous post wouldn't do it justice anyway. I'll just honor it by saying....

Wendy, Kel, Danielle and Julie - You four are gold to me...you know how I feel about you and how thankful I am for our Shoji time together. Can't wait til Maui in 9 more years!!

Another School Year Comes to a Close
For both Grant kids....Lilly wrapped up her first year of preschool. One more year at Bethany remains and frankly, I can't even begin to think about leaving that wonderful place that has meant so much to our family these past few years. We enjoyed another closing picnic on the playground and said our goodbyes to teachers and friends - at least until it all begins again in mid-August. Winston finished his kindergarten year with flying colors, another excellent report card and strep....not exactly in that order but you get the picture. That precious boy had a great last few weeks of school with Field Day, Messy Art Day, and a little graduation ceremony that warmed our hearts. He had several individual speaking parts in their closing program and we were so proud of our boy -- he had a fever of 103 during the whole thing and still performed like a champ. I seriously cannot believe I have a soon-to-be first grader....good grief.

Reunited...and it felt so good!
The Monahan gals returned home for a week....a glorious week of fun. Lilly was so happy to have her best friend back home. We had dates at Chick Fil A, mornings together at the Y and a sleepover too. The Bethanys celebrated my birthday at Oscar's and it was just dreamy to be with those gals again. It was oh so sweet but oh so short....we'll continue to keep in touch through bloggy updates, emails, phone calls and such...and wait patiently until they return again.

Camp E.D.G.E.
Vacation Bible School...always an adventure and this year was no exception. I taught the 3 year-olds again and was blessed with 18 of them. I would be lying if I said I didn't have a mini panic attack when I saw my little Rainbow Trout roster and noted 18 children - 12 of them B-O-Y-S but it was a week filled with blessings and cuteness. My friend Linda donned her Superwoman cape and flew in to the rescue the Sunday before it started - she stayed in the classroom with Kathy and I until after 7pm that evening helping us create a CAMP scene in our room that would have won a prize for the best decorations. Our Camp Edge looked fantastic if I do say so myself. It was a great week, a busy week and a blessing-filled week. We had 18 precious little people....busy little people...but precious for sure. Winston and Lilly had a great week too and I was so proud watching my kiddos on the stage singing of God's love and grace. As I always do, I ended the week having an even higher appreciation for those special people in the world who answer God's call to TEACH. God Bless you teachers....I do not know how you do it every day but I am so thankful you do.

Virginia Trip
We left immediately following closing programs for VBS and headed to VA/NC for our usual summer tour.It was a shorter and busier trip than usual but still nice to get home. We spent several days in Dry Fork celebrating Papa's 80th birthday with the Dean/Grant cousins. Always fun stuff happening there. We ate Grandma's fried chicken, for which there is NO rival anywhere on this earth. Seriously folks - it's not a bit good for you but it's worth the splurge every now and again. We spent some time with Grammy and Granddaddy too and stayed around the house this trip - we didn't see any of my hometown friends this time; we already had a packed schedule. We finished up our travels in Raleigh for a few days with our beloved Kindts. This was our first trip back since their downstairs construction project was completed and my, oh my....it is a beauty. John has what I will call the "Ultimate Man Room" complete with a custom-built English pub style bar, a stage for his drum set, a pool table and a Mrs PacMan arcade game. Highly addictive that thing is (Ms PacMan that is)...for me AND for Winston. Kelly has a craft room that made me feel tingly just a little bit...oh the cutting and cropping that will be done in that fancy schmancy room. It was a beauty....for sure. We had some pool time, some BBQ time and some chattin' time....all of it added up to a GREAT time.

Happy Independence Day
We returned just in time for July 4th. By the time suitcases were put away and laundry was caught up, it was time for some fireworks. We started our July 4th weekend at Kiawah with doughnuts for breakfast - a beach tradition. We had a great day at the beach - the boys brought the fishing seine and caught the teeniest, tiniest little fish but it certainly added to the excitement of our beach day. We spent July 4th with the Yoders. Brian has become quite the Grill Master this summer and we have certainly reaped the benefits of his new obsession...he is fully equipped with a gas grill, a smoker and now a charcoal grill....and he's not a bit afraid to use them!! We had a lovely and festive dinner; celebrated Katie's upcoming birthday with her favorite dessert and some presents too. We piled in the cars for a quick trip to The Ponds for some fireworks. Great holiday with great food and great friends.

And so you'll be happy to know -- this here bloggity blog is now caught up now and my heart rate is back to a healthy pace. We've been busy with swim lessons these last few weeks and Winston's effort and progress deserves a post all its own. So stay tuned for that....and a post about Folly Beach Fish....I know it's hard but try to contain your excitement.

It's hard to believe we are down to 5 weeks until school starts...the summer is flying...we have Science Camp for Winston next week and the Dean girls coming for a visit after that. Lots to blog about....I am just hoping to stay current this time!!