The summer of unexpected

Well, as you all know it's been a bit of year for me so far.  Looking back at my summer I certainly had some expectations for how things were going to shake out.  Do some races to keep busy, move into my new place, and settle into a routine with the kids coming and going.

My race plans had a lot of hiccups.  I couldn't run the Drake Half-Marathon after a weeks of battle with MS fatigue mixed with food sensitivity issues and a bout of shingles.  I ran the Hope Run with Joshua and Joe, but couldn't run Midnight Madness due to leg issues I am still  working through.  I raced in the Ames triathlon which I signed up for at the last minute, only to opt out of Bluff Creek to spend time with my kids after either being on the road with them or not having them with me for many summer weeks.

My place still barely feels like home with mostly new (to me) furniture, new venue, and just a lizard to keep me company half the time.  I got moved into my new place and for weeks upon weeks I had totes and boxes and piles (still do really) on my porch, and in my parlor and bedroom.  We just got things hung on the walls a few weeks ago with the help of my folks and Steve.

Then there is the yard.  We got the trampoline moved out of necessity and spent several intense weeks building chicken coop 2.0 (there will be a separate blog on that) but neither of those are completely assembled in their normal functional state.  Then add the buckets and bags of plants I dug up from the old house, and all the plants I ordered with the hope of having a vegetable garden this year that languished most of the summer in place, only to get dumped out as water filled the totes they were hanging out in.

And the summer routine I thought would be simple ended up being a tad complex with mini vacation travels, Abby's first job (she taught swim lessons and life guarded at the local pool), an intermittent nanny, both kids off to scout camp, and grandma's house, loss of a friend, and a work trip plus travel for a big race (yet another blog), which left my head spinning and no real routine to be seen.


However, through all the crazy, and changes and reinventing I built some new friendships, conquered a few of the goals I set off to tackle, reintroduced myself to a new love that is constantly filling my bucket and I his, and started doing some of the things I've always wanted to do but for which I never had a willing partner.  All in all the last eight months have been a roller coaster of ups and downs but the driving force for me was hope for doing more than just surviving... finding my way to thriving.

So just know while I still struggle, and life it a chaotic and crazy most of the time, that I have found my way to thriving and I am loving it.  As always thanks for reading.

I leave you with the following quotes that I am aspiring to...

Slow down and enjoy life. It's not only the scenery you miss by going too fast - you also miss the sense of where you are going and why.
~ Eddie Cantor

In an age of acceleration, nothing can be more exhilarating than going slow. And in an age of distraction, nothing is so luxurious as paying attention. And in an age of constant movement, nothing is so urgent as sitting still.
~ Pico Iyer