I’ve been in a holding pattern of sorts. The girls have a week until school starts. Bacon is between temp assignments. We’re hanging out at home. Which means, I’m picking things up off the floor–ponytail elastics, white athletic socks, colored markers . . . you get my drift. I’m ready to pack up my family and send them where they need to go, but it’s not time yet. I’m holding off the impulse to be impatient and gripe a lot.
Coming home from New Mexico, the transmission died in the minivan. The timing was good, if that can be said about a catastrophic repair. We were pulling into San Antonio instead of driving through the New Mexico desert. We limped home. The car works again, but we have a dent in our savings account, and we’ll have to look for a different vehicle to pull our pop-up trailer on next year’s adventure.
Coco celebrated her seventh birthday. The anniversary of Cherry’s adoption day was this month. Eight years ago this week, we were in China. Watching the Olympics has been a special experience. It’s impossible to count how many times we’ve said, “We were there. We saw that. Look, girls! Look!”
It’s terrific to watch the Olympic swimmers with our baby dolphins. Cheering on Michael Phelps as he reached the pinnacle of his sport has been our primary activity this week. Coco was so sleepy yesterday that she asked us to wake her before the relays. Cherry wrote down finish times like she does at her swim meets.
Thank you, U.S.A. Swimmers for setting such a terrific example for my children. Dara Torres went to the judge to explain that her competitor had torn her suit and would return. Michael Phelps thanked his teammates and his mom. These images weren’t lost on my children, who were fascinated by the underwater dolphin kicks and the slow motion replay of the butterfly final finish. This week, I’m glad we own a television. I don’t always feel that way.
I’m diving back into my work in progress by writing back cover copy for the finished book. Since the book isn’t finished, it sounds like I’m ahead of myself, but writing the blurb will help to focus my concept. I’ll see better where I’m headed.
Have a great week!
CRISPLY SPOKEN 