Morning was for relaxing.
Afternoon was for relaxing, too. And a bit of spray painting.
Evening, our first fire in the new firepit.
the boy
Recital
The Boy had his first recital today. He’s been fretting about it on and off since he decided he wanted to participate in his music school’s annual recital, and he was particularly worried about it once we arrived at the venue — it was all too real then. But once he got in the warm-up room, he seemed fine.
“Do you want me to stay here with you?” I asked. He glanced up at his teacher.
“No, I’ll be fine.”
I went into the auditorium and found the girls. It wasn’t hard: there weren’t more than fifteen to twenty people in the audience.
Once he and his teacher worked out a little cord issue, he began, and though he later said his hands were shaking, you can’t really hear it in his playing.
Afterward, of course, it was time for some family pictures.
And then the Girl drove us home — on the highway.
Tuesday Evening
The Boy has a new chore: watering the grass in the front yard.
He does it even when it’s not needed.
I’m sure the fact that he needs to (in his mind) get soaked in the process has nothing to do with it.
In the meantime, K took some pictures of our flowers.
Of course, the real highlight for the Boy was in the evening, when his packages arrived.
Washing Clover
Team Picture Spring 2022
Last Saturday in April
The Boy’s soccer team is finishing up this weekend with a tournament. They lost their first game today 0-4, and they tied their second game at one apiece. I didn’t take the camera to the first game; I wasn’t at the second game, so no pictures.
Instead, a picture from twenty years ago.
Bethel Bash 2022
Caving and Volleyball
The Boy and I went on a one-of-a-kind Scouting adventure this weekend: we spent the evening rambling around an enormous cave system, then spent the night in said cave.
We all met in the parking lot around six, gear in hand, all excited, with the adults (well, speaking for myself anyway) a little anxious about how all the details might work out.
Our first stop -- our camp location. It was an enormous room, with a relatively high ceiling and a length probably five times or more its width.
After we dropped off our belongings, it was time to explore. We had what's called a wild tour, which mean we got to go to places most tourists don't see and crawl through passages and openings that left us covered in clay and dirt.
Finally, it was bedtime. It was then that the fun began: the echoing snores; the footfalls that reverberated throughout the cave as people plodded to the bathroom; and a whole host of mysterious noises.
We made it out at a little past seven in the morning -- as instructed -- and after breakfast, headed home.
The Girl was in Knoxville, playing volleyball.
After Dinner Play, Redux
When your kids ask if we can do the same thing after dinner as we did yesterday, and it involves laughter and the dog, of course, you say yes!
The Day After, Again
What is it about the day after Easter or Christmas that makes us want to do nothing? We do what we have to do, but it’s just off. And even if the day after is a day free from the obligations of work, it still feels off.
I’m not talking about hangovers — those are easily avoidable. Just don’t drink to excess. It’s undoubted the feeling of deflation, of everything coming down after building up for so long.
The party is over; the friends are gone; the spell is broken.
I want to say it’s because we don’t have anything to look forward to, but that’s not true. We look with anticipation and excitement at many things coming in our family’s near future: a camping trip, several tournaments, a summer trip to Poland.
Perhaps it’s the bustle of getting so much ready so quickly for a party, and then the sudden release of all that?
Or maybe it’s nothing…