Goodbye Summer, It Was Great!

Wow...it's been over 3 weeks since my last post.  When I said I had a full calendar, I wasn't kidding.  We went to San Diego for a few days earlier in the month and had a great day at the beach on Coronado, caught a couple of Padres games and did some back to school shopping.  And made a stop for a campus tour at Cal State San Marcos.  Chandler's still not sure where she wants to go...so we continue to try to figure that one out.  

Upon our return, it was non-stop with doctor's appointments, school orientations and cheer practices and other stuff.  I managed to start reading for my upcoming semester.  The days have absolutely flown by, with very little downtime and now here we are the night before the first day of school.  

This, without a doubt, was one of the best summers on record for me. It was for the most part, stress and worry free (minus Craig's golf cart accident...still on the mend and not 100%).  In a nutshell, I:

Read trashy books (you know which ones)

Vegged on the beach.  

Visited with very old friends...so great.  So great.  

Celebrated Craig's dad's 80th birthday. 
Spent a little time with my sister-in-law.  <3 

Worked (for 8 days).  

Baked a couple of peach pies.  

Took in a couple of baseball games.  

Went to the water park.  

Staycationed at a local hotel. 

Went to Dallas Cowboys Training Camp.

Jetski'd, kayaked, parasailed and horseback rode in Lake Tahoe. 

Spent lots of time with great girlfriends....with whom I laugh til I cry and til my stomach hurts.  (There were some fun, fun times.  I love my friends.).

I know there's more.  I wish I could say I worked out faithfully...but I did not.  In fact, I got very sluggish and lazy for the last month.  The ugly August weather might have something to do with that.  But, I have enjoyed as much as I possibly could this summer.  And in a blink of an eye...it's over already.  (Sad face.)

And so now another school year is upon us....

My girls both have big years ahead of them.  Chandler begins her senior year tomorrow.  She's having a hard time being excited about it.  Over the last 2 years, her best friend, Allison, moved away and more recently another close friend moved away.  And her boyfriend of 7 months will be going off to college.  I hope that she can see it clearly to make the most of this final year of high school.  I am so proud of this girl.  Yesterday, as we were out running a few errands, she stopped to register to vote...she'll turn 18 just before the election.  It was so surreal to watch her fill out this form...emotional.  And an hour later, she was officially offered her first job!  She'll be working at Good Stuff Pizza...and she's so excited about it.  Interestingly, this is the same restaurant that Craig was considering buying about 10 years ago.  

And Rylee...she starts 8th grade tomorrow and I am equally proud of her.  She competed on 3 cheer teams last year and still managed to make a 4.0.  She will be in two clubs at school this year that will keep her busy...and she is really looking forward to it.  I can't believe my baby is in her last year of middle school.  Wow..the time....does it ever fly...

And me...I start my second semester of nursing school on Tuesday.  Yep, and I'm scared to death!  Wish me luck!

Olympic Love

It was the '72 Summer Olympic Games, when my love for the games and gymnastics began.  I was 6 and I was infatuated with Olga Korbut.  She had this signature type move on the balance beam.....

And I could so do this.  I loved Olga with her cute pigtails and her slightly crooked teeth.  She was my idol.  After the Olympic games, my mom enrolled me in my first gymnastics class at the "Y"...and I was hooked.  I continued gymnastics through high school.  I was alright...not great, but loved it to no end.  I was beyond excited when I was able to attend Bela Karolyi's traveling gymnastics camp when they came to El Paso.  Imagine the excitement to be able to tumble with Bela??!!  And his wife, Marta, coaching on balance beam?  Yep, pretty exciting.  

As much as I want to say that I follow gymnastics in the Olympics, I only halfway do.  I can't remember when the scoring system changed.  I still don't understand how it's figured.  And I am not sure when it went from the "Magnificent 7" to the "Fab 5."  When and why did I miss all this? 

I am so enjoying the Olympics this summer.  More so than ever.  Maybe it's because I notice that all four of us are laying on the couch enjoying it together.  Together, we admire the physiques and talents of the divers, the gymnasts, the swimmers.  (Ryan Lochte...yes, we love you.)  But, we love rooting our USA teams on.  I have cried almost every night watching..with pride and with agony. 

Today I have made it a point to avoid any news on TV or on the Internet.  Don't want any more spoilers for tonight.  

The countdown to back to school is on and I am overwhelmed by the amount of things that I have to get done and with a very full August calendar to squeeze it all into.

For starters, guess where I am headed tomorrow?  Yep, that's right...Dallas Cowboys Training Camp...with two VIP tickets.  I am one excited girl!