The End of The Holiday Break

Here it is, the last day before we hit the grind again.  I’ve enjoyed the time off and have even had the opportunity to follow the wind a little.  The day after Christmas, I got in my little car and drove the few hours to my sister’s house.  I spent the night, visited with my nieces and nephew and then headed to Sacramento and the Sierra Nevada foothills.  I haven’t made that drive in years and I’ve never made it completely on my own before.  Talk about climbing out of my box!  It was an easy drive full of great music (Elvis and I had a moment) and lots of quiet thought.  I discovered that I enjoy driving in the wee hours of the morning before the sun comes up.  But given my normal wake-up routine, I suppose it’s no surprise.  I was able to spend a little alone time with my dad, who I hardly ever get to visit with and I even had one night where I got 11 hours of sleep.  After a few days, I answered the phone to a tearful call from Max and I knew it was time to go home.  The drive home was just as easy.  It felt good to get back.  Of course, I walked in to a mountain of laundry and a note on the fridge that said, “we need food and lots of it”.  I looked through the cupboards and freezer and concocted a meal.  Then it was back to the Dance.  

Now, Clay, JJ and Kateri are on a trip.  The older kids haven’t seen their grandparents in quiet some time, so they are all enjoying a little family time.  

The other kids all start back to school tomorrow.  Tristan and Max are going back to the Catholic school and I’ve been busy getting them outfitted with their uniforms and school supplies.  Today it’s time for haircuts!  I’m really happy to think of the kids back together at that school.  We have had kids there for 8 years and it feels like going home.  Next year, Gabi and Lex will both be in preschool there and I may even be working there.  Talk about change!  But for now, I will just enjoy going back to a routine that I’m used to with people who know us well.  

Kateri and JJ head back to school at the end of this week.  We will see them again at Easter.  I know the time will go quickly.  However, that also means that the rest of the time that Clay has at home will pass quickly.  He will be deploying again in May.  It’s good that the kids will be able to see him again before he goes.  

I hope each of you had a nice time off, that your holidays were peaceful and that this new year is full of opportunities that are realized and taken!

To life~

This entry was posted on January 4, 2009 at 1:07 pm and is filed under New Year, change, children, deployment, family life, kids, military, miltary spouse, mom, school, schooling, travel, trip. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site.