August: Traditionally an Emotional Month for People?
As a kid, August was always an exciting month for me. It meant back-to-school shopping, getting back into a routine (I thrive on routine), seeing my friends again, and – most importantly – going back to school. I love(d), love(d) school and school supplies. That’s probably what made me decide to become a teacher, honestly. As a teacher, I also loved August, though let’s be honest – I learned to dread it a bit, too, haha. August meant meetings and SpEd accommodations, but it also meant setting up my classroom for a new group of kiddos, opportunities and possibilities, and back-to-school shopping. Now that I’m no longer teaching, August is usually just another month on the calendar. I do have fun seeing my friends’ pictures of their kids on the first day of school and their comments (“I haven’t cried yet, but wait until tomorrow when I drop so-and-so off for [insert grade here],” or, “thank GOD school has started again…I love my children but they were about to turn me into a homicidal maniac”). I suspect my parents’ Facebook posts, had Facebook been around when my brother and I were kids, would have been much more in line with that second statement, though I do recall my mom getting teary on the first day of school more often than not. I’m sure I’ll be the same way with my own kids. This August has been more emotional for me than any I’ve previously encountered. This August brought about the wedding of one brother (and the subsequent addition of the sister I’ve always wanted) and a goodbye-for-now to my other brother who moves to Spain on Wednesday.
On August 11, Robby married Elizabeth. YAY! It was the moment we’ve all been waiting for since he popped the question in March. The ceremony was absolutely lovely, the food was fantastic, and getting to spend time with family and friends, many of whom I’d not seen in quite a while, was the icing on the cake. (Did I mention the cake – YUM!) As the older and arguably wiser one, it was hard watching my baby brother take the vows Scotty and I exchanged four years ago. I’m so happy for Robby and Elizabeth. I know that wonderful and exciting things are headed their way, and I am excited to watch them grow together as a married couple. Still, it’s tough accepting that he’s all grown up. Here’s a totally pirated picture of the happy couple:
Following the wedding weekend extravaganza, I joined my parents and my aunt, uncle, and their grandkids/my two cousins (ages 8 and 10) for a week in Midland. The weather couldn’t have been more perfect for a group of people from Boston and not used to the Texas heat. We swam, checked out native Texas things (longhorns, horses, cactus plants, tumbleweeds not tumbling, jackrabbits, pumpjacks, mesquite trees, etc.), and played games. My cousins taught me how to play Cloud Patrol Skylanders, a game which I am sadly still playing two weeks after they returned home. It was SUCH a JOY to get to spend time with my Boston family, wonderful people whom I’d not seen since Scott’s and my wedding more than four years ago. I wish I had a picture to post here, but I didn’t take a single one while I was home. My aunt took all of the pictures and I haven’t gotten any from her yet. Ooops!
This past weekend, Scotty and I headed to the lake to spend our last weekend with Grant before he moves to Madrid for a year. We had a wonderful time hanging out with Grant, two of his college roommates, Seth and Andy, and Andy’s girlfriend Mallory, toasting Grant with Patron shots the way only true friends and siblings can do. It was so great to hang out with Seth and Andy and get to know Mallory a bit better, too. Grant and his roommates would come up here for dinner on a decently-regular basis, and while I won’t speak for Scott because he’ll say I’m getting all mushy, I cherished the time that the guys would come hang out at our table, sharing stories, laughing, and generally having fun. I am truly going to miss having that whole group come out to our house, though I completely intend to keep in touch with Seth, Andy, Mallory and Matt (who missed out this weekend) even while Grant is away from us. While I’m SO excited for Grant to have this amazing opportunity to live abroad, my heart aches when I think about how long it will be before I get to see him again. I am so blessed to have two brothers whom I deeply love and adore; I am not ashamed to admit that I got weepy telling Grant goodbye. I get weepy every time Robby leaves/I leave Robby, too. I hope that we will be able to go over and visit Grant at least once while he’s in Spain. I just don’t think I can go a whole year without seeing him… plus… Spain? Yes, please. Here’s our most recent family photo (and yes, I got a bit weepy looking at this picture… I’ll get over it one of these days):
I guess I’m back to August being an emotional month for me after all. I kind of like it… it keeps things interesting. I wonder what next August will have in store for me! :)
OH! And, as an added bonus since you made it all the way though this blog entry, here’s a picture of me feeding a longhorn!
