Friday 5: summer misc.

1. Writing off a day –> turning it around

On Wednesday I had a crummy day. I was just in a “mood”, everything was sort of annoying me, I felt unfocused and distracted and irritated with life. Fortunately I do not have these sorts of days too often, but I suppose they happen to all of us.

I think I am getting a bit better, though, when this happens, at noticing it, acknowledging it, and just sort of accepting, “Yep, this is one of those days.” No need to overanalyze it or try and “fix it”… the sun will set on it eventually and it will go away. lol.

In my case, I ended up basically scratching all existing “productive” evening plans and went to a movie! We saw the new Superman movie and shared popcorn + a kids pepperoni pizza for dinner. Ha. See, taking “cook dinner” off the agenda worked out fine.

It was a discount night at one of our theaters and it was PACKED, which was actually really fun! I feel like ever since the pandemic movie theaters have not been as busy (probably doesn’t help they are crazy expensive nowadays, too!) but this theater was full. Also, the couple sitting next to us were SO INTO THE MOVIE. They laughed so hard at all the lines (like big boisterous laughs) and Ivan and I kept giggling and exchanging looks. It was cute! It made me happy to see them fully experiencing and enjoying the movie. 🙂

2. My Nova Scotia plane tickets are BOOKED!

For anyone who hasn’t heard the news, SHU and I are going to Nova Scotia to visit Elisabeth in October! We are staying at very cute looking inn near Elisabeth’s house in Wolfville and we.cannot.wait to not only hang out in person, but also experience a fall getaway in (hopefully) peak season, MEET ELISABETH and see part of Nova Scotia!

We had booked lodging way back in January (which I’m so glad we did, because it’s their Thanksgiving weekend and the rooms were already filling up back then!). But now that the flights are booked too, it all feels extra official. It’s only 3 months away!! 😍😍😍

3. Some other things I’m looking forward to in the near future:

• Panama City Beach, Florida. We’re heading there in a couple weeks and I’m really looking forward to some relaxation time. This is our family’s one repeat destination (seriously, have been going there intermittently since I was like, 6!), but it’s somehow been 5 years since our last trip. I am SUCH a sucker for the white sand and clear, warm water along the Gulf Coast! (Looks like they’re currently getting some tropical storm type action right now and getting pummeled with rain… let’s pray it all moves out. Always a weather risk in FL with a summer trip, but we looooove the warm nights and the super comfortable water temps. Lots of Wisconsinites head to the Gulf in spring (PCB is located in the northern panhandle of Florida) and I see photos of people in sweatshirts on the beach in March… no thank you! I like it HOT HOT HOT at the beach, so August works best for us. 🙂 But yes, it can be risky weather season…).

• Fall! I am still totally loving summer, but we had a cooler day yesterday (e.g. I had to wear a zip up on my morning walk) and I had brief passing thoughts of fall. I’m not ready for it yet, but the whole stretch from summer > fall >the holidays is my favorite half of the year. I’m already looking forward to the smells, the leaves, football on TV, cozy meals, the fireplace… (again, NOT YET!! But I like knowing that it’s coming down the road.)

• Ethan’s fall HS soccer season + Asher’s winter HS swim season. Asher’s club swim season is currently light, and Ethan’s spring tennis is not as intense as soccer, either. It’s been a nice breather, but I’m also looking forward to donning my team hoodies and sitting in the bleachers again!

• We may be going to Ireland for Christmas!! Still finalizing a few logistics, so not quite official yet, but I think this is happening. SO EXCITED. We have never spent a Christmas in Ireland at my sister’s, and I think it’s time! The timing is a bit challenging with Asher’s HS swim season + Ethan’s final exam schedule, but I think we can carve out about 8 nights to be there. This will be super special!!

4. Weekend plans= Milwaukee for Regionals swim meet

Compared to previous summers, Asher has backed way off on the swim intensity this summer. When he was younger he did a ton of summer meets and I felt like we were constantly away for multi-day meets all summer.

I don’t think I’ve blogged about this yet, but this summer, he decided that he wanted to keep swim a bit more “chill”. He still practices 4-5x/week, and he went on the big team training trip to Virginia, but he hasn’t really done many meets (except one little one).

Now that he’s in high school, his main focus has shifted to high school season (Nov-Feb). That season is super intense with multiple meets per week, daily practice, lifting, team events… it’s SO MUCH, and he loves it.

But he didn’t want his summer to be totally dominated by swimming this year, too. He is 15 1/2 and wants free time to just enjoy the summer: to golf a lot, fish a lot, work a lot, be with friends. In past summers, he’s sometimes had to say no to things in order to attend meets, get to practice, or just be rested up for competition. He also didn’t want to have to go to early morning practice every single day if he didn’t feel like it, either.

I get it, and I think that’s fine! It’s his sport, and his summer… his choice. You only get one set of childhood summers. 🙂

He also figures that from a training perspective, dialing it back a bit in the spring/summer, and then re-building intensity through the fall leading up to high school season makes sense.

However, this weekend is Regionals in Milwaukee though, so we are going to that meet. He’ll swim both Saturday and Sunday, and we’ll stay overnight at my parents’ house. And then his swim team goes on break until club season resumes the first week of September!!!

5. A quote I liked:

I saw this in James Clear’s newsletter and really liked it:

“After a lifetime of blaming others, it is exceedingly difficult for us to finally acknowledge that the only person who has consistently been in all the scenes of that long-running soap opera we call our life is us, and, as a necessary corollary, that we bear some large responsibility for how the drama is turning out.”
Source: Why Good People Do Bad Things (hat tip Dylan O’Sullivan)

Ooooh, yes! WE are the common denominators in our own lives….

Daily Gratitude:

I am grateful for taking care of an oil change in my van this morning. Always a bit annoying to have to schedule and deal with those appointments, but, grateful to have “free oil changes for life” (negotiated perk when we bought the van), a nearby Honda dealership, and, it’s done now for a while!

P.S. Bonus #6: You know how I said I’ve been cleaning out my storage room? Well, I moved everything out into our basement rec room while I’m sorting and reorganizing it all. Including my fall scarecrows. Who now SCARE THE CRAP out of me every day when I use the microwave behind the bar…. Seriously, at least once a day I startle because I see a “person” out of the corner of my eye. 😅😅😅