School has started for all my kids - Jr. High, High School (Senior year!) and two College Freshman. I wasn't really ready to give up that summer living, and truthfully, we've all had some adjustments to make and some growing pains to work through.... and they look like this:
Brody, my baby, has started Jr. High and was *VERY* nervous. But, he's doing great and even went out for football. His hope is to be a receiver. He loves to run and pick that ball out of the air. But, for now he is center. Big adjustment for Mom & Dad? Brody is now in practice until 5:00. Being our chief skid loader operator and tractor driver, this puts quite a kink in the schedule!
Alecia has started her senior year. Mom hasn't quite recovered from sisters' senior year and has been admittedly entertaining a bit of denial. But, it has started and she has also started a new job. She works the counter at a local pharmacy and really enjoys it. However, Dad has lost another farm hand a few nights during the week. I've lost my big kitchen helper. It's definitely starting to show in the details.
Erica is all moved in at WSU and really, really seems to be adjusting very well. I am moved and proud and not even a little bit surprised at her easy transition to college life. We are all loving skype and have also installed it on her boyfriend's family's laptop so they, too, can SEE her now and again.
M'Lynn is finding a comfort zone with the other Animal Science majors at Hawkeye. I'm beyond delighted! She's purchased a desk and chair and is re-arranging (picture gutting and starting over type re-arrangement) in the room that was (and still is and will be) hers to share with Erica. She's been studying up there and changing her approach and routine to school work and it makes my heart swell!
Chris has had probably the best summer he's had in a very long time. I'm loving it! And, to be truthful, I'm waiting for the crash. We've never had so many good days in a row and NOT had some hard crash, so it's hard to enjoy without that hanging in the back of your mind.
And me? Well, I've got an answer to the years long question of why I exhibit classic symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis, thyroid condition and here lately, asthma, but repeatedly test negative for all. I've joined Erica and lots of other folks in our area in the Lyme Disease club. It's a long treatment, and I'm not looking forward to the antibiotics and supplements required to get healthy - or the expense of any of them - but I'm grateful to know what I'm dealing with and now know I will be getting better instead of progressively worse.
