Coming Up For Air

As I was wrapping up at school yesterday, a coworker and I were chatting about the school year and she asked if it had already been a year since my dad passed. She was asking with love and sincerity and it still hit me like a ton of bricks. 'No, it's only been six months', I said with a heavy heart.

In most (actually, all) ways, this has been the most physically and mentally challenging six months of my life. I can't say that I would have expected otherwise given the circumstances, but I also think that there's a lot of value in calling life out for what it is. I cried and cried on my drive home yesterday because I realized that while I'll remember this group of kiddos as the hardworking and enormously heartwarming group that they were, I'll also associate them with the year that I lost my dad. With that sadness, though, will come smiles and laughter when I remember how many times they reached out when I needed it most and how often they got me through the day without even knowing it.

I need these next eight weeks in a big way. Even though there's a lot on the calendar, including thousands of miles to be covered in travel, CP happily reminded me that they are all fun and relaxing trips. A lot of times you don't even realize the extent to which you were stretching yourself thin until you no longer are, and today is one of those times. I slept in, enjoyed coffee and breakfast at home, walked Sloan at lunch, visited the Rooney/Jennings clan in Fredericksburg (!!), and am planning on staying up way too late watching mindless television. 

On Wednesday, my mom and I are off on a much needed vacation to Sweden, where we will eat Swedish meatballs, get Swedish massages, and find Sven. I kid, but it's a much, much needed getaway for both of us and I know that it's going to be an amazing time and that we're both going to come back refreshed and eager to take on the rest of the summer.

Summer 2014, I'm comin' for ya!!!