June 2013...Gone in the Blink of an Eye.

This month was an absolute whirlwind...from beginning to end we were on the move, and there seems to be so much that needs to be shared.  I have been thinking about writing all month long, but I seriously haven't been able to make time for it -- how can a teacher, who hasn't "worked" since May, not have time to write?  Well, we've been busy around here, and I'm about to throw organization aside and catalog June 2013 in a very stream-of-consciousness kind of way.

It started with a strong desire to not fall into my normal summer-mom pattern...we hangout all lazy and low key, love it for a few days and then go crazy because we have lost every semblance of routine.  We like to have a rhythm to our day and the kiddos always want an answer to,"What are we going to do today?"  So, we made this chart, inspired by Pinterest, of course...I couldn't really call it a 'bucket list' because Faith would need to know why it's called a bucket list, then we'd be forced into that awkward conversation, so we settled on 'Summer Fun 2013!'  On day one we checked off 'Library Days' after our first trip of the summer.

I knew that there wouldn't be too many items crossed off this list in June because I have spent an awful lot of my summer in training sessions and classrooms.  My first training session was held for three days in the first week of June, and I absolutely loved the premise of it.  It was a fantastic reminder that sometimes we need to remember to stick with the basics and ask "Why am I doing what I'm doing?"  It was a valuable chance for me to reflect on my year and get excited for next year.  After that training I spent a week teaching a booster program for our freshmen AP students, and that was a blast.  Fresh, excited faces who are super-ready to make a difference at Bremen.  It was fantastic.  

During those two weeks we managed to sneak a quick lunch-time trip to visit Kevin for lunch at 'Brown-bag Friday' in Morris, where we watched Sheriff Callahan win the Hot Dog Eating Contest for the third (?) year in a row -- it was a sight to see!  CJ also wrapped up his first season of soccer and was pretty excited to score a few goals and receive his first medal, "just like 'Wreck it Ralph.'"  

By the middle of the month I knew that things would slow down for a bit, but first I needed to cross The Color Run off of my list.  Way back on a cold, dreary February day, my sister-in-law, Lindsay, posted that she had just signed up for the run and for some reason I thought it was a fantastic idea...as June 16th approached I realized it was Father's Day and that put a damper on my anticipation for the run.  I knew that Kevin would soon be working his crazy summer days and I felt even worse knowing that I would be 'running' out on him early on Father's day morning.  However, it gave the kiddos a chance to make and serve him breakfast in bed, and I am pretty sure that part made Faithy pretty happy.  Anyhow, The Color Run was super-fantastic and I am fairly sure I will do it again and again, as long as it doesn't interfere with Father's Day in the future.  Nora and I had a conversation about living in the moment rather than pausing to take a photo of every.single.thing. we see throughout our days.  It told her she would have no photos of her children while they grow up, she shrugged and said that would be okay...then I think I told her I would take them for her. :)  As I said, it was an amazing morning (wife/mom-guilt aside), and I know that even though I will never, ever be a runner, I was super-fun to live in that moment and run/walk that 5K!

The following week was a big one: a trip to the realtor, an eye doctor appointment for Faithy, and prep for and execution of the garage sale/lemonade stand.  I have finally come to the realization that we are really going to move.  I know that I have packed boxes, I know that we are putting those boxes into a storage unit, I know I have various Realtor apps that I browse regularly, and I know that my daughter tells nearly everyone we meet that we are moving to Morris...but I've just finally realized that this is actually going to happen sooner, rather than later.  So, I stopped into several Realtors' offices...that day sort of paralleled 'Goldilocks and the Three Bears'...one Realtor was too slimy, one was too uninterested, and, of course, one was 'just right.'  I didn't necessarily learn anything I didn't know: the housing market still sucks, but I did finally admit that this is going to happen, and just in case I needed further pressure, the gigantic Re/Max hot air balloon literally floated through my neighborhood.  If I was looking for a sign, I got one.

On a completely different front, Faith went to see Dr. Khammar after her longest gap between appointments, and we had a little news to celebrate.  When she first met Dr. Khammar her vision was 20/200 -- she was legally blind, and following her 3 surgeries, she could see at 20/100.  Now, after 2 years of patching and glasses he told us that she is "finally reading at a level that will allow her to pass a driving test."  Believe me, it makes me shudder to think about that little girl behind the wheel, but I was way too excited to hear that news because he said that getting her to 20/40 was one of his major vision-goals for her, and she's made it!  Still a lot of work to go, but we're so proud of her.

And, speaking of being proud of this kid, we were able to cross 'Have a Lemonade Stand' off the 'Summer Fun' list.  As many of you know, Faith, with some help from Connor, ran a pretty fantastic stand which benefited the Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation.  When she was first planning this out she told me she needed to donate at least half of her sales to charity...we talked about several options and she selected ALSF because she wanted to help a cause connected to children's cancer.  She was professional, polite and purposeful when sharing the mission of the foundation, and adorable in the moments when people would completely misunderstand her concept and leave by calling her Alex.  She set her goal at $50, but through the awesome nature of our generous facebook friends she raised $468, and she is blown away by it.  This has been a wonderful experience for all of us, and we never anticipated that she would surpass her goal in such an impressive way!

We wrapped up the Lemonade Stand weekend with a super-brief birthday celebration for Kevin which required us to sing 'Happy Birthday' and eat cake all before 11am because June is a crazy month for Kev, and CJ is still asking when we are going to have Daddy's real party...not gonna happen, buddy.

However, we certainly celebrated along with Chicago and the Blackhawks throughout the month of June. I'd definitely call myself a new hockey fan since the 2010 season, and I am pretty sure I'm hooked for good after the wild ride this year.  It has been fantastic to experience this season with the kiddos, and I laugh every time I think of my hockey talks with Faith.  She often debated the merit of Corey Crawford, and she swore that the Kings would get the best of the Hawks...even while we watched the rally she shook her head and said, "I cannot believe we beat the Kings.  They were the champs, Mom.  We beat the champs."  I love the collective 'we.'  She's a part of this.  And of course there's Connor...his favorite player: Oduya.  Why?  "Because his name is funny."  I remember the Bull's championship runs like it was yesterday, and I am so glad to have had the chance to experience this season with Faith and Connor because I think at least one of them is hooked for good.

This was taken after fireworks woke her on the night the Hawks won the Stanley Cup!

The month ended with a somewhat lackluster AP conference in Plainfield...it seemed a bit too pretentious and there were a few too many references to NPR, The New Yorker and excessively lofty pieces of literature.  Not that I have anything against those things, but enough is enough...the Hawks won the Stanley Cup and there were people in the room who were shocked to hear the news.  C'mon people...

Yep, so there it is...June 2013 in a nutshell.  I am so looking forward to a slow and easy July full of bike rides, farmers markets, and lazy days, and so far there is almost nothing on the calendar, so Bring It, July!