To everything, there is a season...

I can't believe we're halfway through August already. It's been an eventful summer. Perfect weather. The mighty Kekambas took the Bedford Knothole title, but more importantly, baseball was fun again. Now we're on to football season, and I can't wait.

This season will be bittersweet for me. It is Craig's senior year, and while it will be exciting to watch this year's Kickin' Mules, it will be sad knowing that this is the last time we'll be watching this magnificent group of boys play together. I've watched them play for nearly half of their lives. They epitomize the word "team" and we have lofty expectations for them. JV will be fun as well...the "little ones" have all of a sudden gotten very big.

We have senior pictures taken care of, and are starting down the path of selecting a college. DePaul has been heavily pursuing Craig but there are a few others high on the consideration list as well. I know that the next year will fly by...maybe someone knows a magic spell to slow it down just a little so I can enjoy it.

One Small Step

It is hard to believe that it has been 40 years since the astronauts of Apollo 11 first stepped on the moon. At the time, I was 9 years old and living in Detroit. We had experienced --- a little too closely --- the Detroit Riots in 1967, and memories of the assassinations and conventions of '68 were still fresh. Neighbors and siblings of some friends were over in Vietnam. The space program brought something positive to the front...truly the Wonder Years.

I have some clear memories of that night. I recall watching the events unfold on tv--our black and white console--even though it was very late at night, at least for a 9 year old. For some reason, I have always pictured a full moon in my mind, but a visit to a perpetual calendar site today shows that it was a waxing moon, two days shy of being half-way to full. At some point, my dad and I (maybe it was my mom--that's a little sketchy) were out looking at the distant orb, and I was adamant that I could see the flag that had been planted using our telescope. (We used to do quite a bit of star-gazing with our telescope. Do kids today still do that?)

My sister ended up with a special bit of memorabilia from that night. My grandmother had woven each of us a blanket. My brother's had an eagle on it. Mine had an oriental-based bird and flower on it. My sister's was just a patchwork, with a few special squares. One of these was the square that my Granny was working on 40 years ago tonight. It has a silhouette of a moon and the date, July 20, 1969. A keepsake for sure, and ironic for many reasons that I won't divulge. Me, well I have a series of pictures that were in some Scholastic publication--I think they are in my cedar chest. Maybe I should dig them out.

It saddens me to think that there is a small part of society who do not believe that the lunar expeditions occurred. I have read several articles over the past few days debunking these conspiracy theories, and the photos of the lunar probe show physical proof for the believers. If nothing, this event served to bring together a fractured nation, at least for one evening. What will be the next giant leap for humankind?

New Year, Renewed Me

Well, the calendar has rolled over into 2009. I can't say I'm sorry to see 2008 go. It was an up and down year. I lost a few friends (Steve, Sherry, Steve). Made a few new ones (my football moms!). I still have a job even if I don't always like it, my kids are great--the younger boys were successful in both academics and athletics. Andrew had a bit more of a tumultuous year, but I'll leave it to him to tell that story.

With the change of years generally comes the traditional New Year's resolutions. I swore them off a couple of years ago. Sure, I could stand to lose 20 pounds (ok, 30 pounds), but I'm at an age where my inner workings are making that more and more difficult. I'll do what I can, but I can't let that rule me. I'll eventually get around to using that Y-membership.

Instead of things to change, I like to set out a list of things to do and see how many I can check off. This year I will:

• Pray. Daily.
• Set aside "me" time to recharge my batteries. This will include things like getting lost in a good book while soaking in a bubble bath, and doing girls' night out (or weekend retreats) on a regular basis.
• Visit my parents more often. I am blessed to still have them, and they live around the block--yet I do not see them very frequently.
• Do things with my sister more often. She also lives within a mile of me, and I see her even less frequently.
• Catch up with my friends. I owe Dave, Monica, and Jenny lunch; Bob, Kim, and Michelle dinner. I have a good friend Margo who was my partner in crime for many years, but life got in the way and we haven't seen each other in forever--we owe each other one of those girls' weekend retreats.
• Help those who need it--continue to volunteer for whatever beckons.
• Help those who may not need it--random acts of kindness--doing the unexpected--can change a life.

I should probably also include more mundane things like organizing my garage and basement store room, and maybe my closet and sock drawer. um, maybe not.

Here's to a wonderful 2009 for all my family and friends (and me!).

Getting started!

My friend Cheryl has convinced me that I need to start my own blog. I've been a bit of a blog-hog in the comments area of the wonderful women who blog as Befrazzled and Blonde Highlights, so it's time to put myself out there. When I figure out all the mechanics, I'll link you into their very funny ponderings--Cheryl's as well.

I'm going to be spending much of my time with the joys of motherhood since my life revolves around my teenage boys (and the 25 year old who is planning his wedding with the lovely Brooke). Since the boys are heavily into sporting activities, you'll see quite a bit about the exploits of the mighty Kicking Mules of Bedford High School, and since I'm a proud CMU alumna (see, I even learned gender-specific latin terms up there!), I'll be bringing in some ew-wah, Chippewa fun as well.

The middle age part, well, that's where I am. It brings its own set of challenges. In fact, I'm off momentarily to help plan my 30 year high school reunion. 30 years? You have to be kidding--that would make my graduating class old enough to be grandparents for crying out loud! OK, so we are--but we're also still baby boomers who know how to have fun.

Tomorrow, I'll catch y'all up on a week without the boys, who are enjoying the beach down in Florida.