Book 26

I finished book 26 this weekend:

I've had this one on my shelf for a long while, and it did not disappoint. I'm not usually a fan of thriller type books, but I really enjoy Dan Brown. He has a great way of surprising you in ways that seem so obvious once they are revealed, and I love the depth of his research when he writes. 10/10 would recommend.
 

Launched!

We officially transitioned to fall at our house last night. The pumpkin candle was lit, the chicken fried, the fall vibes playlist played, and the backpacks loaded.

This morning, we launched both kids to high school:

Issa technically started her college classes two weeks ago, but this morning she went for her one last class at the actual high school:

Evan reluctantly started his freshman year:

He likes his schedule and teachers (at least based on orientation), but he is just not a fan of getting up and doing things.

This was the big difference:

Issa drove them both to school as we waved from the porch. Evan was more than a little thrilled to be walking in from the student lot instead of being dropped by his mother. Issa is loving the freedom of having her license. 

Of course I cried once they were out of sight. I am so super proud of who they are who they are becoming, but these firsts and lasts are coming at a rapid pace these days. They are doing exactly what we raised them to do: they going out into the world and making it a little better. I can't wait to see what this year holds.

 

The Whole Driving Thing

We are still getting used to this whole Issa driving thing.

Last Thursday, she went to pick her brother up at Black Dragon for the first time. Bless her heart. She parked across the street in the gravel, which is now mostly sand, after rain. She called when she was stuck. I tried to rock it out, and I couldn't get it either. Thankfully, three of Evan's high school teammates showed up. Those sweet boys tried to push it out and ultimately just used a tow strap. They could not have been more gracious, and I was glad Issa has a good first car trouble experience. We also now know how to rock out and where to not park.

Sunday, she made her first grocery run for us, which was nice. I had planned a new, complicated recipe, and I just didn't have the energy. It was amazing to be able to pivot without leaving the house!

Yesterday was the big day, though! Nana got a new car and generously passed down her old one to Issa:

We feel so good about her driving this tank, and she loves it! Last night was her first night of dance, and she drove herself in her car!

I am slowly worrying slightly less when she is on the road, and it is so nice that she can get she and her brother where they need to be now that I'm on campus full-time again. It's a year of new adventures, and I'm here for it!

 

So Many Adventures

It was a very big weekend around here!

Issa officially received her first teacher shirt:

The principal where she volunteers gave her one of the EC Team shirts since she works so closely with them. She was absolutely giddy, and I'm so happy to has found a profession that she loves!

Friday night the kids and I went to see Kai play:

We lost 49-0, but he had some great plays! We just need our offensive line to hold and the coach to let us punt. This week is the first home game, and I can't wait!

Tyler also came to town this weekend, but I didn't get a single picture! He drove down Mom's new car, and we spent the whole day Saturday eating and catching up. I will always love watching my kids hang out with him. Listening to Tyler and Evan talk wrestling was wild considering I remember Tyler being the jungle gym for Evan when he was a toddler.
 

Other Weekend Happenings

Friday night, we went to Kai's football scrimmage:

He made a couple of great blocks, but we still lost 30-0. 

All foreseeable Friday nights will spent in the stands, and I'm not mad about it!

Sunday, I spent some time reading and napping in the tree house:

Mom came over for burgers and we ended the night with s'mores around the firepit:

Evan is getting really good at building roasting fires:

It was a great weekend, and we are looking forward to another one soon!
 

Book 25: Not What I Thought

Book 25 was entirely not what I thought:

 Somehow this ended up in my fiction stack, and it was definitely non-fiction.

The author present a biography of Marlowe in which he wrote all of the work attributed to Shakespeare. It was different take on the argument than I've seen before--one centered on Marlowe as a spy and his own fake death.

While there are lot of theories presented as fact, he builds a compelling case. I need someone else to read it to puzzle it through with me!

Our Grown Up Treehouse

Last week, I kept hinting at a major project because I was afraid it would not work. I often have big visions that kind of fall apart on execution, but this one worked!

We have slowly been reclaiming and reshaping our backyard, and a few weeks ago we decided to convert the swing set into a grown up treehouse. Issa did all the measuring and ordering, and Evan and I started the pre-work last week. Wednesday, he and I used a crow bar to get the slides, handles, and steering wheel off. Thursday, we did the power washing after Brad made the first Home Depot run of the project:

The whole family set Saturday aside the day to work! Brad and Evan took out one tree and three stumps:

The tree was badly angled and made me nervous in every storm. The bonus is it really opens up the yard:

Issa and I set to work staining Saturday morning:

By Saturday night we could hang the canopy:

And move in the cushions:

And hang the lights and chairs:

We were hot and sweaty, but we are also all in love with the new space:

The chairs can't live outside, but the lights are so sweet at night:

I spent a chunk of time reading and napping in the treehouse yesterday, and I am envisioning many more happy times out there.
 

She Did It!

This girl is a licensed driver:

She aced the driving test, and she drove herself to the high school to get her parking pass for the year. She also registered to vote and became an organ donor.

I am so, so stupid proud of her, but these milestones are hitting this mama hard. Senior year, here we come!

 

This Guy

Brad had to be in DC yesterday, and Issa had to babysit, which left Evan and I are on our own. So, we did what we not plan to do whenever it is just the two of us: we ate a big gluten-y meal! His choice this time was Olive Garden:

Evan can be my quiet one, but he was actually in the mood to talk last night. We laughed, talked about high school and wrestling, and just generally enjoyed being together.

The icing on the cake was his new wrestling shoes waiting when we got home:

After dinner, we worked some more on our super secret yard project. We are now on track to finish again this weekend! This kid is so strong and so fun, and I can't wait to see what is next for him.
 

Time to Go Back

It is time for the rabble to go back to school. An actual text I had to send:

Miraculously, they all reappeared:

 It's time to return to routines and less time around the house. :-)

Bird Watching

 I have slowly been reclaiming the backyard. We are loving the firepit--even just as a seating area without the fire. Last week, I added some bird watching!

I cleaned up our old big feeder:

And we got a new finch feeder since our old has become a home for paper wasps:

For the first few days, squirrels were our only visitors:

Now, though, we have a ton of birds that have found us! All kinds of sparrows, cardinals, blue jays, and indigo buntings have been visiting. I downloaded an app so I can track our visitors, and we are all enjoying watching our new friends.

This weekend we have a big project in the works, but I will keep that super secret until it is finished!

Suite Mountain Trip

25 years ago, these four guys became college roommates:

This weekend, all four families met in Davis, WV to hang out at a cabin in the mountains:

The youngest was not quite a year, and Issa is the oldest of the kiddos. It was so fun to have a weekend of playing with littles again, and Issa was the hero with the pipe cleaner crafts on Saturday afternoon:

Board games were played:

And Evan built a great fire for Smore's:

Babies were snuggles and introduced to trees:

Evan played king of the stump:

But mostly we laughed. I made breakfasts, Brad made lunch, we carried in dinner. We sat in small groups and the whole group to catch up on life. What ever grown up was closest helped the littles. 

We had not all been together in years, but it was like time had stood still in some ways. These are truly friends that have become family, and we've all committed to doing it again at least once a year.

 

Book 24: A Whole New Perspective

I finished book 24 yesterday:

 This one truly was one of those that had an immediate impact on how I do things. Admittedly, I took some time off this week because I was so burned out. There was no way I could go into the semester if I didn't recharge and find some new ways of being.

This book helped me reconceptualize rest. I've been working really hard on boundaries and being fully present in each moment, but when there are so many moments and so much to do I was still feeling haggard. I have already made a few small changes, and I'm so much more prepared for the semester ahead. Now to just keep building the habits....

Now We Wait!

Issa has decided, after a lot of thought and exploration, that her first choice college is Meredith! She got the email in June that the application would open soon, and she started working on her essay. Yesterday, the application opened, and she and I sat down just to look at it.

Two hours later this happened:

She submitted it! She is doing Early Decision, which means if she gets in she is going! We will know by November 15!

I was not really prepared to have her college application submitted yesterday, but once she got going she just kept rolling! All I did was look up phone numbers and cheer at each screen. I'm so super proud of her, and I'm glad this won't be hanging over her head when school starts. I can't wait to see what the next chapter holds for her...