As I have stated before, I love summer vacation. I feel like I am a better wife and mother because I actually have time to keep the house clean (within reason), the laundry caught up, and I cook more often. I really kind of like to cook, but just don't have enough time when we are working and busy in the evenings.
Yesterday I made lasagna, salad, garlic bread (okay, I put the frozen slices in the oven), and I made a homemade lemon 7-up cake. All three girls were here, so our family ate together at the table, tv off. Now you moms know, this scenario has the potential for disaster. The kids sometimes argue, or they don't like the meal and complain - after I have spent hours preparing it. Someone might make a huge mess. The dogs can get annoying as they bounce around the table willing one of us to drop a morsel. Last night, it was actually enjoyable. Everyone got along, even while carrying on a conversation. They all liked the food (since it was a new lasagna recipe, I really wasn't certain that it would be palatable). It was the way that family meals should be. Success.
This summer I feel like I have been somewhat of a hermit. We went to Virginia Beach for a week, and I spent several days last week at a reading conference in Indianapolis, but other than those trips, I have spent a lot of time at home, which happens to be my favorite place to be. I am working on some writing projects, which was one of my summer goals, and I have completed my deep cleaning projects. I had planned to paint our upstairs living room, but haven't gotten the motivation to start that project. I keep trying to convince myself to just jump in; I can have it finished in two days, but I hate the preparation for painting.
I have continued to run, although not as much as I should. I ran in Indy last week. My conference happened to be right across the street from where my niece Erin was working, so we met up one day and ran along the canal. It was a beautiful run, but the heat and humidity were absolutely miserable. I whined a lot. I was happy to get some exercise after sitting in class all day, but I was drenched in smelly sweat about a mile into our run. I was so thirsty that had I seen a half empty bottle of water along the route, I would have taken my chances and downed it.
My daughter goes to college in Indy, so the three girls and I stayed at her apartment (this also had the potential for disaster). The girls hung out at the pool during the day, and we spent our evenings together. One night, Bethany, Addison, and I did some workouts that Bethany can get through her cable network. We did belly dancing! I must admit, my body just doesn't move like that! My hips don't swivel. The woman who was teaching just looked sexy as she 'burned calories'. I looked like a soon-to-be-grandma attempting to belly dance. Not sexy at all. It was well worth the laughs with my girls!
Once I returned from Indy, I was determined to get back into a running routine. I awoke early Saturday morning to meet Kass and Jackie for a run. I have to share what happened before I ever got out the door. Addison and my niece Emily were asleep on the couch, and my nephew Evan was sitting there watching TV. As I was quietly grabbing my keys, I saw a dark shadow on the kitchen floor. I flipped on the light, and it was a huge, disgusting spider! HUGE! As is always my first instinct, I grabbed the first spray bottle I could find. It was Windex with vinegar - spider killer, for sure! This gets worse. As soon as I sprayed Giganto, she (yes, I know it was a she...read on) took off, and a thousand little baby spiders began to fall off her back and onto my kitchen floor! I was in pure panic mode. I kept spraying, just hoping to slow Giganto down. She worked her way into a corner, and then began to stumble. I ran to the garage for bug spray, and found only a can of OFF. Hey, I was desperate, and did not want those babies taking up residence in my kitchen cabinets. I continued to spray until I was confident that they were dead. My husband was none too happy when I awoke him with my story of the gargantuan spider and her 100,000 offspring. I insisted that he clean them up - I was not touching them. Besides, I was going to be late for my run (I was getting the heck out of there!).
We three girls ran about 4 1/2 miles that morning. I skipped Sunday. Guess what we did! We lounged on the couch all day! We watched A Time to Kill (great flick), and six, yes six, episodes of Criminal Minds. It was a great day. Monday, it was time to get another run in. It was also nearly 100 degrees. Kass, Jennifer, and I decided to brave the outdoor oven, and try to get a few miles in. We waited until 7:30 when the sun was finished beating down. We ended up running three miles, which was plenty considering there were heat advisories. Today the temperatures are more tolerable. Kass, Jackie, and I are going to run five or six miles this evening. It wasn't long ago that I was tired of cold weather and having to bundle up for runs; now I long for those temps. I have pretty much decided that I am just going to try to maintain fitness this summer, and not run races. It is just too hot. I ran a 5K a couple of weeks ago, and it was no fun at all. It was so hot that I continued to sweat when I got out of the shower. I prefer to run races in the fall. I still plan to run the Monumental Half Marathon in November, so fall Saturdays will be spent getting in long runs.
So, what to do on this July day? Whatever I want! It is summer vacation, and it isn't going to last much longer! Now get out and do something fun - you will never get this moment back!
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