Did you miss me?

I took a several month sabbatical to figure out where I was in my personal life, who I was to my husband, my kids, my family and friends, and what I want to do with my blog.  I've decided that THIS is going to be my "personal blog." This is my "safe" diary. This is where I share about parts of Valerie, and her life. And I celebrate here.  I come to you refreshed, renewed, and energetic. What an awesome way to approach summer!

Speaking of summer, when does yours begin? Mine begins on the first day of my children's summer vacation. So, although the calendar says we're in the waning days of Spring, I have had nearly two weeks of SUMMER GOODNESS.

I've deemed this The Summer of Reconnection. I decided several weeks ago that I wasn't working, so I was going to just play with the kids all summer.  Of course, once I decided that, God decided to have fun with me. I am working, but it's completely stress free. That way, I alleviate the stress that's driven my life the last 6 years. Right now, I'm just creating 3 web pages, at my own pace, and I'm doing one newsletter a month. It's pretty amazing, and I still have a creative outlet that's somewhat lucrative. At least, it pays the extras!

So, I'm reconnecting this year. With my kids. With my husband. With nature. With myself. We got season tickets to the local amusement park and water park. We've spent a good part of the summer there so far. We've purchased a medium sized pool, and spend afternoons keeping cool. We got some lawn furniture and Tiki torches, so we now typically grab our lunch and dinner and run outside to chat and dine.  We've issued a challenge to the boys...we'll give you $1 for every day you go without television this summer.  Now, we spend evenings sitting on the porch chatting, or in the backyard playing, or snuggling on the couch. It's pretty amazing.

We've also cleaned much of the yard. After my surgery last year, I was unable to keep up with the yard. This spring, it looked like an overgrown jungle. So I've spent the last 7 weeks cutting brush, cleaning scrub, and planting pretties. My yard is beautiful!  We've contracted with a local landscaper to build a patio and a retaining wall that directs water from my neighbor's yard into a small koi pond. We're hoping construction on that begins soon.  We're looking into what it's going to take to finally update my porch. My house and yard are beautiful.

And, of course, there's camp.  We decided to forego this year's summer school / camp. The classes were the same, and we just didn't want the stress of having to get the kids to school in the mornings. Plus, it's summer! We want to play. But we do have the kids signed up for other activities. They all play ball this spring. Emily's a catcher, Matt's a third baseman, and Mikey plays pitcher. Matt, Emily and I start dance next week. Emily got her first pair of pointe shoes, and will be taking pre pointe, ballet turns, and jazz.  Matt got his first pair of tap shoes and will be taking tap and hip hop. I'm taking summer burn.  We also hope to sign Matt up for piano.  Emily made Student Council for 8th grade, and this week, is at Leadership Camp at a college midway across the state. She is having a blast, and enjoying the freedom and fun. Matt and Mikey have Cub Scout sleepover camp in the next few weeks. In July, Emily is a teen counselor for Girl Scout Twilight Camp. So they are keeping busy. Just not stressed.

So, now you're caught up on my summer doings. Let me know what's going on with you!  I'd love to hear from you.  In the meantime, here are a few pictures of what we've done so far this summer. Enjoy!

Emily up en pointe.

My much-wanted new PT Cruiser

 
Cleaning the brush from the backyard