no no no no NO.... well ok - maybe

I hate to break it to you all, but summer as you've known it, is coming to an end! This past week has been spent frantically trying to squeeze in every last thing I wanted to do before school began. You know, harvest the garden, hike to Bertha Falls, one last trip to Glacier, go fishing, Walleys Beach... yadda yadda yadda. Something tells me most of those things will have to wait until next year. Luckily, my Brother Chad and his wife came down for the weekend. We spent a few days playing with them, eating at Jewel's, watching movies, and pickling! Heather, Jewel, and I did pickels AND beets! It was such fun to work alongside the two of them. As we chatted, laughed and stuffed jar after jar...it hardly seemed like work at all.


Before Chad and Heather went home they took us to Writing on Stone for the day. Neither John or I had ever been there before. It really was an amazing little place, full of hoodoos and fun things to climb on. I couldn't help but think of a few of John's nephews who would have LOVED it there. Our kids played and climbed and would have done so for hours if we'd let them. We enjoyed a great picnic together, played down at the beach and basically tried NOT to think about the fact that summer was almost over. HA!

That was yesturday.     This morning we got up early, and John got ready for work. Even though the students don't begin classes until Tuesday, John had to start work today.      All morning I kept begging him to just call in sick.      Don't go.      If he truly loved me....he wouldn't go to work ...that kinda thing.        I know- I'm not needy or anything eh?:)         I am not ready to say good bye to the convenience of having him around all the time.      It's been so nice.  Perhaps I just know too well this time around what we are in for.    Hours of lesson prep...late night marking....coaching.... Arrgghhhh!             So that is how today went.    John went to work, and I took the kids grocery shopping alone, harvested the onions, baked 8 loaves of zuchini bread and cleaned out my fridge.     The entire time however, I was lamenting the fact that we were not out enjoying these fleeting summer days!

However, I couldn't help but notice some nice and perhaps welcome changes. For example I actually cooked a meal tonight, and we ate alone as a family for the first time in a long time.   We enjoyed a nice family walk as the sun set.     The kids were in their beds by 8:30 as opposed to the summer routine of you know -  no earlier then 11:00!   I forgot how nice routine is.

So what started out to be a sad goodbye to a really great summer, has almost become a welcome to the new season.     I really do think I'm looking forward to the change.     Someone remind me of that when the first snow falls eh!