P365 - 2013 - Day 241 - getting closer

P365 - 2013 - Day 241 - getting closer

We are getting closer.  After the permit went in the window the beginning of this week the dumpster arrived.  The way I see it, if there is a dumpster here, at some point there will be something in said dumpster.  Then today, our contractor dropped off the siding and roofing samples!  That leads me to believe that at some point in the foreseeable future the siding and roofing that I pick out will be on our house.  All the t's have been crossed, the I's have been dotted, checks have been written (in amounts I have never written in my life), there is a permit on the window, a dumpster in my yard, and I (the queen of indecision) have picked a siding color. (I think)  I am cautiously getting excited.....I am even ready for the aggravation that I understand may be a part of this process.  I just want it to get started.  We are closer than we were last week...

*I am a slow walker, but I never walk back. - Abraham Lincoln*

P365 - 2013 - Day 240 - Happy Faces

P365 - 2013 - Day Day240 - Happy Faces

The kids and I went to the new student orientation at their new school today and these were the three happy faces that I brought home.  (The face behind the camera was happy too.)  It was such a nice experience, as a parent, to walk into your child's school and be greeted warmly and friendly but the staff, have the principal introduce herself to each individual child and shake their hands and then take us all around the school for a tour.  I breathed a sigh of relief and the kids sensed the difference as well.  I don't want summer to end, but we are ready to start this year...with happy faces and happy hearts.

*The purpose of our lives is to be happy. - Dalai Lama*

P365 - 2013 - Day 239 - friend

P365 - 2013 - Day 239 - friend

A friend came for a beach day with her two little daughters.  The Princess was happy to have some little ones around to hone her babysitting skills...they did some sand castle building, splashed in the water, and collected shells while I had a chance to catch up a bit with my friend. 

*It takes a long time to grow an old friend. - John Leonard*

P365 - 2013 - Day 238 - permit

P365 - 2013 - Day 238 - permit

I have made no secret of how much I hated where we were living.  Subtlety is not my M.O.  So, even with My Wonderful Husband heading back to work, I was doing yet another happy dance this morning.  This was the day that school started in our old district.  And we did not have to be there. :-))  So on this beautiful morning, instead of being stuck in central PA sending my kids to a school I could not stand, I was meeting with our contractor so he could hang up the construction permit for the addition to our house.  I thought this was an appropriate way to begin our "bonus summer week and a half".  We are renovating our house and our lives.  

* I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be. - Douglas Adams*

P365 - 2013 - Day 237 - "We're doing an experiment!"

P365 - 2013 - Day 237 - "We're doing an experiment!"

How do you know that your kids have spent a ton of time on the beach this summer?  When they start filling their remaining beach time, not only with the usual beach sports and fun, but also by performing experiments.  Yes, experiments.  This afternoon, The Boy came over and said, "We're doing an experiment!".  My Mommy senses perked up at this statement, so I asked for more information.  As it turned out they were curious if the seagulls would take food off of their bodies.  So they had some friends lay still under towels with chips on top of them, while the rest of them waited to see if the seagulls would take the chips.  The experiment was successful or unsuccessful depending on how you look at it.  The seagulls did get the chips but looked seriously irritated by these shenanegans.  Our beach scientists were having a ball nonetheless. 

*To myself I am only a child playing on the beach, while vast oceans of truth lie before me. - Issac Newton*

P365 - 2013 - Day 236 - 16 Years!

P365 - 2013 - Day 236 - 16 Years!
(photo credit - The Boy)

Today My Wonderful Husband and I celebrated 16 years of marriage.  The day started with a 6 am surf session for My Wonderful Husband and the kids while I got to sleep in.  It was followed by a lazy and relaxing day at the beach together, and ended with a wonderful dinner out - just the two of us.  (Thanks to two wonderful friends who watched the kids and let them hang at their houses)  It was a great day.  I can hardly believe that our wedding day was 16 years ago...It has been one heck of journey so far - I wouldn't trade a single moment.  I am so lucky to have this man as my husband (he's pretty lucky to have me too... ;-)).  I love him with all of my heart and soul.  I am proud of the life we have built and the family we are raising, and I look forward to many, many more years together on this journey.  xoxo

*The passing years will show

That you will grow

Ever  more beautiful in my eyes.

- Joshua Kadison*

P365 - 2013 - Day 235 - "endless summer"

P365 - 2013 - Day 235 - "endless summer"

If only it really were an endless summer... whether these friends are hanging at the beach, playing in the street, or giggling together over ice cream, these kids have made the best of every minute of their "endless summer". 

*There shall be eternal summer in the grateful heart. - Celia Thaxter*

P365 - 2013 - Day 234 - "But Mom, it's Gotham City!"

P365 - 2013 - Day 234 - "But Mom, it's Gotham City!"

This has been a summer of changes and quite a bit of "growing up".....but I love when the kids remind me that they are in fact still just kids.  We had a friend over to play in the morning and when I went up to the boys' room to check on them and see what they were up to, I walked in and the room was dark - blinds drawn and lights off.  So I said, "Don't you all want a light on so you can see?" and the answer was a resounding No!  Their reason? - "But Mom, it's Gotham City!" Of course it is boys...carry on.  :-)

*What is genius? It is the power to be a boy again at will. - James Matthew Barrie*

P365 - 2013 - Day 233 - Snuggles were in order

P365 - 2013 - Day 233 - Snuggles were in order

My Wonderful Husband came home in time for The Boy's practice.  For the first run of the new schedule, I think it went pretty well.  The kids and I kept busy, My Wonderful Husband got a lot of work done, and we were all happy to see him come home.  Snuggles were in order for this guy....

*There's nothing half so pleasant as coming home again. - Margaret Elizabeth Sangster*

P365 - 2013 - Day 232 - The moon

P365 - 2013 - Day 232 - The moon

The moon was beautiful as we drove home from soccer practice.  It hung in the sky like a prop in a play - it just didn't look real.  The Princess said it looked like a face.  The Boy said it looked like a cookie. I thought it looked like it had been velcroed to the sky....it was huge and close and so pretty.  So when we got home, I tried to get a picture of it.  I had a hard time getting a good shot with my little camera - this picture surely doesn't do it justice.  But take my word for it - it was beautiful. 

*When I admire the wonders of a sunset or the beauty of the moon, my soul expands.... - Mahatma Gandhi*

P365 - 2013 - Day 231 - first day back

P365 - 2013 - Day 231 - first day back

I have no idea where the time went this summer but today was the first day back to work for My Wonderful Husband.  The Fall semester is upon us and with it our new schedule.  He left at 5 am today.  But on the bright side....we did not have to pack up and drive back to PA yesterday.  I will miss him while he is gone but I am seriously doing a happy dance about not being forced to go back to PA.  So, while the summer is drawing to a close which I am in complete denial about as usual... (although the kids just bought an extra week and a half from this move), My Wonderful Husband is back to work and his new commute, and the house renovations are at a stand still until all permits are in.... I do.not.care.  I need only to remind myself that I do not need to go back to Chambersburg, PA.  My Wonderful Husband can join me in my happy dance when he gets back.  I'll be waiting.  ;-) 

*They always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself. - Andy Warhol*

P365 - 2013 - Day 230 - just where we needed to be

P365 - 2013 - Day 230 -just where we needed to be

We decided to go out to dinner tonight and without even thinking about it, we ended up at ScoJos - which we rarely go to during the summer months.  As soon as we got out of the car, The Boy said, "Poppy used to always go here with us - he loved this place."  So he did...and it's funny how we ended up just where we needed to be tonight.  Dinner tonight was in honor of Poppy...always in hearts and memories.  We miss you every day, but today just a little more.  All our love. xoxo

* I wrote your name on the sand .... but the waves washed it away.
I wrote your name on the sky .... but the wind blew it away.
I wrote your name on my heart .... and forever it will stay."

8/18/12 - Dad/Poppy you are in our hearts always. Remembered and missed. xo♥*

P365 - 2013 - Day 229 - "The Puppies"

P365 - 2013 - Day 229 - "The Puppies"

The Boy and The Pooch (or as I affectionately call them.. "The Puppies") were hanging together in the backyard.  This scene may or may not have ended with The Pooch trying to grab The Boy's hat off of his head....;-)

*Every boy should have two things: a dog, and a mother willing to let him have one. - Anonymous*

P365 - 2013 - Day 228 - a crowd

P365 - 2013 - Day 228 - a crowd

Some kids come and go...some are always here...but the crowd of kids on our beach between 91st Street and 93rd Street is always that - a crowd - and they are a fun bunch.  From playing in the water to chillin near the dunes, this crowd always has a blast.

*  All in all, it was a never-to-be-forgotten summer — one of those summers which come seldom into any life, but leave a rich heritage of beautiful memories in their going — one of those summers which, in a fortunate combination of delightful weather, delightful friends and delightful doing, come as near to perfection as anything can come in this world. - L. M. Montgomery*

P365 - 2013 - Day 227 - retail therapy

P365 - 2013 - Day 227 - retail therapy

After a day of taking my brother to some doctor appointments, I came home to an empty house - all three kids were at soccer practice with My Wonderful Husband.  What ever shall I do with this alone time... nap? nope... cook dinner... possibly but nah... get in a little retail therapy- sounds like a plan!!  ;-)

*When I shop, the world gets better.... - Sophie Kinsella*

P365 - 2013 - Day 226 - what goes up...

P365 - 2013 - Day 226 - what goes up

What goes up must come down....but you can do it with style!!  The Boy was catching some waves and air while skimmin' and he surely had some style.  He was at it for hours and only left the beach to make it to soccer practice that night.  Needless to say, he slept well.... ;-)  

* Someday, after mastering the winds, the waves, the tides, and gravity... for the second time in the history of the world, man will have discovered fire. - Pierre Teilhard de Chardin*

P365 - 2013 - Day 225 - calm after the storm

P365 - 2013 - Day 225 - calm after the storm

After a day of some incredibly scary storms, the skies cleared and we went to the beach for another late afternoon.  My Wonderful Husband brought his long board and we all enjoyed the calm after the storm.

*After every storm, the sun will smile.... - William R. Alger*

P365 - 2013 - Day - 224 - strikes a pose

P365 - 2013 - Day 224 -strikes a  pose

After the kids go to bed, My Wonderful Husband tends to "rest his eyes" on the couch... The Pooch usually finds a spot close by and does the same - unless there is a camera, then he strikes a pose. 

* This tiger is sprawled
So still and so flat,
A question arises...Is he asleep?- Bill Watterson*

P365 - 2013 - Day 223 - best time

P365 - 2013 - Day 223 - best time

Our friends came for a beach day.  I suggested we all go out for lunch then go up to the beach for the afternoon because that is truly the best time up there.   I love how the beach empties late in the afternoon and becomes our own private beach.  The boys took a break from skimmin' and football to play in the sand while we just enjoyed the time to relax and chat. 

*My day is done, and I am like a boat drawn on the beach, listening to the dance-music of the tide in the evening.” _Rabindranath Tagore*

P365 - 2013 - Day 222 - another

P365 - 2013 - Day 222 - another

It was just another beautiful day on the beach with friends.  Life really doesn't get much better than this.  

*If you're lucky enough to be at the beach, you're lucky enough. - Unknown*

P365 - 2013 - Day 221 - 6 am

P365 - 2013 - Day 221 - 6 am

My Wonderful Husband introduced the kids to surfing at dawn.  He and a friend of his took all the kids out surfing at 6 am and they had a blast!!  These three kids who have been sleeping in all summer,after enjoying later nights, woke up before 6, threw on bathing suits, grabbed their bikes, rode down to the surf shop to get their wetsuits on and went out to play in the waves.  I am so glad that they can share this love of surfing with their dad. 

*Sometimes in the morning, when it's a good surf, I go out there, and I don't feel like it's a bad world. - Kary Mullis*

 

P365 - 2013 - Day 220 - trade

P365 - 2013 - Day 220 - trade

In the summer, I trade in my purse for a beach bag. I trade my shoes for flip flops and clothes for bikinis.  I pack this beach bag with all the essentials... towels, books, snacks, camera...and then I plant it on the sand next to my chair while I watch my kids swim and play and make memories.  In the summer, I trade in my every day life for a beach life.  

* At the beach, life is different. Time doesn't move hour to hour but mood to moment. We live by the currents, plan by the tides and follow the sun. - Unknown*

P365 - 2013 - Day 219 - Before the rain

P365 - 2013 - Day 219 - Before the rain

Before the rain, I grabbed my chair and a book and the kids grabbed their skim boards and we went up to the beach.  The sky looked so cool with the storm creeping in around us, there was a sandbar that the kids were having a blast skimmin' on, and I was snuggled in a sweatshirt reading my book and soaking up the salt air and ocean breezes.  I am so glad we got out before the rain. 

*If you spend your whole life waiting for the storm, you'll never enjoy the sunshine. - Morrie West*

P365 - 2013 - Day 218 - so glad

P365 - 2013 - Day 218 - so glad

We have had a chance this summer to meet some classmates from the kids' new school.  Today was a fun day playing together before heading over to soccer together.  I am so glad that we have had the chance to get to know each other and I look forward to many more fun days. :-)

* Ahh,  Summer - that long anticipated stretch of lazy, lingering days, free of responsibility and rife with possibility.  It's a time to hunt for insects, master headstands, practice swimming strokes, conquer trees, explore nooks and crannies, and make new friends. - Darrell Hammond*

P365 - 2013 - Day 217 - Last, but not least...

P365 - 2013 - Day 217 - Last, but not least...

Last, but not least... The Boy had his first soccer practice and met his team.  He is ready for this new team and this new challenge.  

*Sports do not build character. They reveal it. - Haywood Broun*

P365 - 2013 - Day 216 - August Flashback 2009

P365 - 2013 - Day 216 - August Flashback 2009 

While looking back through pictures from Augusts past.. I came across this gem.  Sure there were lots of pics to choose from but this one just made me smile and say....Hi Poppy.  Look at The Boy folding his hands the same way as Poppy, The Princess all snuggled in, and The Bear waving at the camera while Poppy just smiles.  These are the moments I hold close to my heart and I am thankful for every day.  xoxo

*If there ever comes a day when we can't be together, keep me in your heart and I'll stay there forever. - Winnie the Pooh*

P365 - 2013 - Day 215 - Tough guy

P365 - 2013 - Day 215 - Tough guy

The Pooch got a cool bandana yesterday at the groomer...no girly bows for my tough guy...skull and cross bones all the way.  Today he reminded me that he is less a tough guy and more a baby...he walked around with the bandana in his mouth all day and fell asleep like this as if it was a pacifier.  

*The only creatures evolved enough to convey pure love are dogs and infants. - Johnny Depp*

P365 - 2013 - Day 214 - couldn't pick one picture...

P365 - 2013 - Day 214 - couldn't pick one picture...

It was a day spent with new friends, old friends, and family on the beach.  The kids had a blast playing in the water and on the sand.  We came home to relax before dinner and ended the day welcoming back our handsome Pooch from the groomer.  It was a day so chock full of "good" that I couldn't pick one picture....

*We didn't realize that we were making memories: we just knew we were having fun. - Unknown*

P365 -2013 - Day 213 - finally

P365 - 2013 - 213 - finally

This Jersey Girl is finally official (and legal).  I have been waiting for my title to come in so that I could register my car and get my new plates.  This rainy day was a perfect opportunity to take care of all of this (thanks to some nice friends who watched the kids for us :-))  So glad I can now check this off my list of things to do and officially call this home. 

*Home is where your story begins. - Unknown*