Who am I to blow against the wind?

Pictures of the girls on their first day of school.

And then it was summer no more.

The girls walked out the door to school, and just like that, we take the next steps as a family.  There were some mixed emotions on my end, especially dropping Violet off at school on her first day, and watching her march in with her class and backpack that seemed too big for her little body.  But I watched, and waved...with the other parents there.  Then they were gone and I returned to the car with Sam.

Now I sit here in bed, tomorrow bringing with it my first day back at school with our district institute day.  Wednesday is the first day with students, and I have so much to do...but I am sure everyone does.  There is so much to learn and relearn...but I am trying to be present in the moment and take things in small bites and I transition back to my own classroom.

This weekend was a hot one, and we did a few things of note.  On Friday Kim and I took the girls to Ravinia and watched Lord of the Rings while the Chicago Symphony Orchestra played the live soundtrack!  It was a perfect night as we sat in our folding chairs and snacked while Frodo began his journey across Middle Earth...all while one of the greatest orchestras played the amazing music to match the magic on screen.

We returned near midnight, only to awake at 6am to drive to Indianapolis for a birthday!  The drive was long...both ways, but it was fun to see family and let the kids run around and have a good time.  This did, however, leave us all exhausted Sunday.  Sam decided that he would wake with the sun...which meant that I did as well.  The girls all slept in and the day has been filled with play, cleaning, and preparing for a full week of school and work for everyone.

And so here we are, showered and ready for the week.  While my head is getting ready for the new season of learning ahead, my heart still remains in the summer...holding onto memories of baseball, walks, runs, laughter, adventures, naps, and smiles.  I try to stay in the moment, but everything moves forward.  And as I am pushed along to the next adventure, I simply smile and ask, who am I to blow against the wind?

-a