Another Year Closes, A New Year Begins

While most people celebrate year end in December, there are lots of old and new year goings on in my family around this time. It's the teenager's birthday and the end of the school year, which are major events for me. This year it is also the end of middle school and the doorway to high school.

This week, the teen was off for 3 days on a school field trip, so I've had some much needed alone time. Ahhhh...sweet to think only of myself for a change. I read a good bit and hung out with friends both nights. Other than that, I did nothing productive; I didn't even feel the requisite guilt regarding my slovenly ways. I had planned to get in a little extra cleaning, wash my hair and exercise like a mad woman. Instead, I reveled in walking around half naked (with a glass of wine in my hand) and slept stretched out across my king sized bed (in fact, last night I fell asleep on one side of it and woke up on the other!) I rarely get to do that since I am usually joined by a bed usurper around 2:00 or 3:00 am. Bad dreams, middle of the night toilet visits, any excuse will do.

She's back but, she's exhausted, so maybe I'll get the mattress to myself (and avoid the backhands to the head and karate kicks to the thighs) for one more night.

I know I'll miss all that in four years when I am likely to be sleeping on my own and the rhythm is changed permanently. The whole empty nest thing. But that is a future state and the present has me too often cramped, hanging off the edge of a huge bed and pushing her over to "her side" (how'd she get a side anyway???). Well that's what I get for not having a man around.

Tomorrow's the big birthday party. We're heading to the university pool and celebrating with a friend of hers who also has an end-of-May birthday. They always have competing parties so this year, in the spirit of friendship and inclusion, the girls decided to have one party and invite their very different circle of friends.

The birthday girls come from different neighborhoods, races, religions, economic status and popularity scales. I'm hoping this turns out as well as they both envision it (sort of like my hopes for Barack Obama).

Neither of the girls are cliquish but, I don't know if their friends are as accepting of their differences as they are. My daughter and her friend decided they liked each other in the 6th grade and have remained true to that although, their friends have never really mixed. We'll see - I'm rooting for a successful blowout full of fun, frolic and poolside joy!!!

Work will get a bit crazy because it's our busy season, with test scores coming into the schools and AYP (the federal government's answer to the issues facing public education - do more with less) to live through. No small feats here; only herculean efforts are appreciated. Well, not exactly appreciated, more like expected.

So, that's it for me. I've been working on a few other poems (I'm hoping you'll like them) and will post them some time this summer. But, it's likely that June will be too busy for regular blogs - at least not every week. I'll make sure to upload a few graduation pics and some of the 8th grade dance, next week.

Here's a pic of the big night...


Love to you all!