Heat Wave

Life is slowing down just in time for this insane heat wave we are experiencing here in New England. The timing is good - no one can move fast in this heat.

Here's what our weather looks like today:














It was 90 in the sun by 7am this morning. Apparently the shade will catch up by noontime.

Lauri and I took our walk this morning and it was mostly pleasant at the start but we were glistening with sweat by the end.

Yesterday, sitting inside enjoying a few moments of the air conditioning, I was reading a blog that I visit regularly. She was writing of cold, gray weather in June and her need for sun and warmth. I was a bit envious of her cold weather - a case of the grass is always greener? - and was wishing I could send some sunshine and warmth her way. Maybe she'd be willing to send a bit of coolness in exchange?

E wanted to go to the park today. She has been out of sorts and I wanted to do that for her. To do something she would really enjoy. But, it's just too darn hot. We had to run errands this morning and she was very patient for a long time. I was enjoying the free air conditioning and would've gone to another store just to prolong the relief from the heat. But she started to whine and I knew we needed to go home. Now she is sad to be home and not at the park. I feel for her but I can't fathom being at the park in this heat and I know she would not enjoy it for long. She has a terrible heat rash on her lower back from sweating in her diaper last night. It looks painful and I'm sure it's part of the reason for her foul mood today.

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Rick and I celebrated our 13th anniversary last week. We managed to get out for a date night on Sunday which was enjoyable and relaxing. We had considered taking a picnic dinner and hiking to some idyllic spot or other but the weather that day was hot and humid. The temperature dropped a bit in the evening but by then we had changed our mind and decided it was a good night for a standard dinner-and-a-movie night. We enjoyed seeing Then She Found Me with Helen Hunt and Colin Firth. Dinner was at a local brew house and the food, the beer and the relaxing atmosphere on the patio were just what we needed. It is hard to imagine that 13 years have gone by and yet in some ways we fit so well together that it feels like we were never separate from one another. We are one and I feel like we have always been. Our love is effortless and seamless. He is my best friend and my heart belongs to him. I cannot imagine life any different and yet I am constantly amazed at how we came to be and how our family has grown in the 17 years that we have known each other. We have crossed a multitude of pathways in our lives with decisions that could have led us away from one another. But somehow we came together and got to know each other and our friendship bloomed into love. And we have followed the same pathway, sharing a life and creating three amazing, beautiful children. Life is good. And it just keeps getting better.

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School is nearly out for summer. A finishes this Thursday and R is done the following Wednesday. I only have two more evaluations to do at work before I'm off for the summer. One this week and the one on the 24th. The month of July is pretty much booked between the girls' summer camp for two weeks followed by a week in Maine at the end of the month. I've never been to Maine and I'm very much looking forward to our first real vacation as a family. The last time Rick and I went on a 'real' vacation was in 1999. We went to Denmark to visit my host families. Since then our vacations have mostly consisted of visiting family in a couple of different locations. A couple of years ago we did rent a condo in New Hampshire but it didn't feel as much like a 'vacation' when you have to cook and clean throughout the whole week. It was more of a 'change of scenery' than anything and it was just as exhausting as being home, if not more so, because the girls were not in their familiar environment and were not sleeping well. I was also 7 months pregnant at the time - reason enough to feel exhausted. This year we are staying at an honest-to-goodness resort with linen service, full-course meals (including lobster!), and a kids' camp for the older two (morning and afternoon sessions). There will be a heated pool, tennis courts, shuffleboard, hiking trails, and sailing. I don't even know how to sail, mind you, but I plan to learn. They have instructors there to teach you. I also don't play tennis and have never even tried shuffleboard, but I'm willing to give them a whirl if the mood strikes me. I feel as though we are all going for a week of "camp" and I couldn't be more excited!

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Time to get something productive done - like laundry. At least the basement is cool. It's so hot out there that I plan to put a movie on once R gets off the bus and let the girls enjoy a quiet activity in the cool of the basement. I'll fold laundry while they watch some 'fluff' - I think we have a copy of Underdog from Netflix which they have not yet seen. Seems like a good plan to stay cool today.