June 30

Today was a mixed bag; some pieces good, some full-on not good. But that's how life goes sometimes, especially when you're on vacation.

The plan, when we got up this morning, was for Adam to stay at the house to meet the a/c repairman, since he had a few calls for work on the calendar and needed access to his laptop anyway. So the kiddos and I took the Ginormo Infiniti into Damascus and to the Dunkin', where Brady and I indulged in donuts, Isaac enjoyed a bagel stuffed with cream cheese (like Holy Cream Cheese, Batman-stuffed), and Abby tried out a Strawberry Coolata. She'd been interested in them for a few weeks now and since we don't have a Dunkin' near home, figured she'd try it out here. The verdict? Lukewarm. (As an aside, I included the parking lot picture as proof that I managed to park the Mega Mobile inside the lines on the first try.)

I had Stars to use up by tomorrow, so we made our way a little further down Main Street and landed at the Mother Ship, where Brady sipped a dragon fruit refresher and Isaac consumed breakfast item number two, a sausage egg wrap. 

With nothing else on the schedule for the afternoon and Adam still back at the house waiting for the repair verdict, I took the kids on a trip through the rolling hills and farmland of my early childhood. Brady was sitting shotgun and in a question-asking kind of mood, so I regaled him with tales of families I knew way back when and repeated the magical "none of those houses were there when I was young; it was just a big field" line more times than I can count. Isaac in particular was struck by both the color and the volume of vegetation, so I pulled off at one of the trailheads in Little Bennet Park and we took a short stroll to check it out up close. But it was indeed a very short stroll because it was over 90 degrees and humid out; according to the weather app I consulted, the "feels like" temp was 102. Yuck.

From there we moseyed over to Roy Rogers to pick up a very late lunch and then returned to the house, where Adam shared the news that the a/c unit was kaput. It was a frustrating and disappointing revelation to say the least, and hard for me to digest. I knew that I couldn't stay there with no a/c because of my ongoing sinus issues and allergies, so after talking with Adam, I called Reaya, and they graciously offered to have us over for the night. But some of the kids were unhappy with the upheaval, and, in my own weakness, I snapped at them and said things that I didn't really mean and now regret. Sometimes my humanness makes me sad.

But lest you should think the day ended on that note, I am very glad to say that it did not, because I got to have dinner with some of my EGG gals in Olney, at Full on Craft. We were a smaller bunch than usual, but it was so, so wonderful to connect with Shay, Wendy, and Eileen in person (and to consume my first-ever crabcake grilled cheese. Such a beautiful creation that I didn't even know existed). We've known one another for more than 30 years now and time with them is always a blessing and so good for my heart.

And now... well, now I'm tired. There were definitely sweet parts of today; I don't get the chance to share about my past with my kids very often so I'm thankful to have had the opportunity to be with them on what was once my turf. And I'm thankful for the time with sweet friends. And I'm thankful for my brother's family's hospitality. And I'm thankful for the fresh new day that's coming tomorrow, too.

June 29

This is actually a fairly representative photo collage of our Sunday.

We all got up on our own time (except for Isaac, who was rudely awakened by yours truly a few minutes after the clock struck noon. But I'm getting ahead of myself there).

Before any of the kiddos were up, Adam headed out to a local Avis rental car location with high hopes of securing a less tiny vehicle for our stay. He returned a little later with a mid-sized SUV --some sort of Volkswagen with New York plates-- but told me that something had gone awry on the way back to the house: a rock (or, as we now suspect, a bird) struck the undercarriage of the driver's side fender, causing it to bend. I have no idea how something like that even happens but we rolled our eyes, got into that second rental car, and returned to the local Avis. While I crossed the parking lot (in the blazing heat and sun; man alive, I am no longer accustomed to humidity) for some icy caffeinated sustenance from a nearby Mother Ship, Adam explained our plight, filled out an Incident Report (super excited for the outcome of that), and successfully snagged the only available large SUV: a giant Infiniti with Georgia plates that some dude had literally just returned a hot second earlier.

When we got back to the house, we found Brady and Abby awake and dressed, and I roused Isaac so we could leave for late brunch (which I could just call "lunch" but we all picked breakfast entrees so there's that) at the IHoP in Germanton. We took a quick run through Target for a few missing essentials and then stopped at Jimmie Cone for some ice cream. (Although I initially posted that I was the only one who got jimmies --also known as sprinkles-- I would like to formally correct that error and note that Abby actually did have rainbow jimmies with her ice cream.) We then returned to the house, where my mom was waiting with a key for us to borrow. After she left I promptly fell down the stairs to the basement (well, the last six or seven steps. Not the entire staircase. But I did make a nice, extended thunkety-thunk noise on the way down and I do have a nice bruise on my back to show for the effort).

Then I laid down on the couch in the living room (also known as Brady's Bed) and took a nap. Ah, sweet nap.

I'd been in touch with my brother Bobby since relatively early in the day (since I didn't sleep well; it was too warm and I was amped from traveling) and we arranged to meet for dinner at The Hornet's Nest in Damascus, so that's what we did this evening. We lingered over our food there, and then joined Bobby, Reaya, and Brendan back at their house for a few hours (partly to talk, and partly because the air conditioner at grandma's isn't cooling very well). I got to catch up with Reaya (and watch her while she worked with her sourdough starter, which is so interesting to me) while the boys (and Abby) watched "Dodgeball." 

It was late when we got back to grandma's house but I was in the mood to look for lightning bugs since it's not something we can do at home, so Isaac and I stayed out front and gazed into the distance over the wheat field until our eyes adjusted to the darkness. After observing for several minutes and seeing just a few (including one that seemed to be mimicking an airliner), we finally noticed a significant number of those distinctive little flashes high in the nearby trees. Out there in the silence, Isaac mused that he thought he could probably live in a rural place; the revelation didn't surprise me. I think the peace and the stillness appeal to him. 

And that was our day, in a relatively expansive nutshell. It was a good one and I am thankful for the company and the time. Weird in some ways (because how many people have three different rental cars within a 12-hour span?) but it's so good to be in this place that is so familiar and holds so many memories that I don't mind a little weirdness.

June 28

Today was a travel day. We got up reasonably early, secured travel-day-approved Mickey D's, and headed to Oakland airport to catch our flight to Maryland. (Well, kind of. We actually caught our first flight to LAX. And then we caught the flight to Maryland. But you get my point.)

It was, as far as travel days go, a fairly smooth one. Our flight out of Oakland was on time; the connector was not. A guy Brady knows from school was, strangely enough, on both flights and wound up waiting near us in the rental car area. (Although the boys didn't actually speak to each other, save for an enthusiastic hello before we left Oakland. That would've been weird, according to Brady.) Said rental car counter in Baltimore was slower than molasses in any month (as is always the case when we arrive late in the day) and they were out of the minivan-style car we'd "reserved" so we currently have a too-small-for-us SUV. The kiddos looked like sardines crammed into the single backseat row. They didn't think it was funny, but the sight hearkened back sweet memories of Abby, Logan, and Isaac lined up in their car seats in the Highlander when they were young.

We got to the my grandma's house after midnight and my mom was here to greet us with the key. As I looked out into the dark, dark sky, I saw the flash of a lightning bug for the first time in years and enthusiastically told the kiddos to watch because they'd never seen them before. We don't have them in Northern California and I'd forgotten they'd be out this time of year. And as odd as it sounds, it was sweet for me to share those little flickering bugs with them. They're not little anymore, but I could still see their eyes light up in wonder at the sight. 

It is, like it was last May, weird to be here without grandma. The house will be officially sold very soon, so it's definitely the last time we'll stay here. And I'm still deciding how I feel about it and I sense lots of long locked away memories and emotions rising to the surface of my consciousness. But those thoughts are for another time.

For now, I'm thankful for the chance to take a week away visiting my home state. I'm thankful for the chance to see family and friends and to explore places my kiddos haven't seen. I'm grateful for super-neighbor Mary for once again watering my plants and watching our house. And I'm thankful for a peaceful day of travel (even if my right ear still hasn't popped).

June 27

When I got back from a quick Costco run early this afternoon, I found Brady in the kitchen wearing his recent uniform of choice --Christmas sweater and fleece pants (excellent summertime apparel)-- and cleaning up. He'd made a big stack of chocolate protein pancakes and was just about ready to eat.

Sometimes it's weird to realize that my baby is so self-sufficient. Sure, I bought the ingredients and stocked the pantry, but he figured out the recipe, cooked them, cleaned up, and ate all on his own accord.

I know I've said this about a million times, but it's a blessing to watch them grow. And I know that down the line, it'll be a blessing to look back and remember how much he loved slathering a thick layer of butter on his pancakes.

June 26

I'm still dealing with my ongoing sinus issues so I'll keep it quick.

I continue to get so much satisfaction from taking care of my little garden. They're still gradually growing and in the early stages of producing fruit (and bean pods). 

I took this picture as I watered my plants this morning because I love how cute fledgling tomatoes look. It may seem silly, but they make my heart happy. So for these very small blessings, I am thankful.

June 25

This team has a lot of heart. They didn't win the District Championship tonight, but they dug their heels in and played one of the best, most competitive games I've ever seen.

They fell behind early but stayed loud (giving the opposing team a taste of their own medicine), fought hard, and came back to tie it up 9-9. They lost 12-10 in extra innings, but I am so proud of all of them for their dedication and effort.

And naturally, I'm particularly proud of Brady. He went 2 for 2 with 3 walks offensively, and he caught --yes, caught-- all eight innings. He hadn't played catcher in a game for probably five years so I wasn't entirely sure how it would go, but when he popped up like a boss and fired a fastball to second base early in the first inning to try to catch a runner stealing, my worries eased. He didn't nab that runner because the defender unfortunately dropped the ball, but he did go on to throw out three other runners, which prompted the other team to stop trying to steal. (I think that made Brady feel pretty powerful.)

It's been a really fun season, and although it would've been fun to go on to the next tournament, I'm really happy with how they played and conducted themselves over the past few months. The Juniors experience has been a blessing, and I'm thankful for these boys and their parents.

And on to Freshman ball they go!

June 24

As I've mentioned previously, Brady's juniors little league team sailed through the regular season undefeated. Then they won the first two games of their Districts experience, which earned them a berth in the championship game. Said-game happened tonight. And it was little short of an unmitigated disaster.

Brady was the starting pitcher and threw plenty of strikes, but the other team hit well. (Where these players were during the regular season, I don't know.) And the defense behind him wasn't as sharp as they've typically been. And he had to throw to a back-up catcher, because just a few pitches into the game, the catcher who started called time and reported that something was wrong with his thumb and exited. The back-up catcher isn't really a catcher at all, so although he did a good job as a fill-in, he wasn't able to handle Brady's off-speed pitches, which created issues.

On top of that, his team didn't hit particularly well, either. And the icing on the crap cake? A ball took a bad hop on the infield grass and smacked our shortstop in the eye. He fell to the ground in obvious pain, and had to be replaced by the kid with the injured thumb (even though, as he told Brady --who was playing third base at the time-- he couldn't squeeze his glove at all, and hoped that nothing would come his way).

So yeah, they lost. By a lot. The coach was unhappy. Brady was bummed that the defense wasn't better. (And I'm not even going to bring up the umpire because that would be so cliche, but I'll say there were several very questionable calls made that adversely affected our team.) And it turns out that the injured thumb is actually a fractured thumb.

But although it was truly a terrible game for them, it was literally their first bad game of the spring. And although the timing of loss number one wasn't awesome, it's not over yet because the double elimination format means they will play again tomorrow. I have no idea who will catch or if the shortstop will be able to open his eye and I don't know how they'll react to being on the brink of elimination, but I trust that what should happen will happen. And I'm grateful that they'll have a chance to demonstrate resilience tomorrow, because it's a blessing to be able to bounce back from disappointment.