Around Here: Week 25 2024

{June 16-22nd}

It's a long story, but after hearing Josh's replies to certain conversations my sister was having, she sent this text message about how if we were living out "A Handmaid's Tale" he'd be one of the husbands who would help us pass notes. Best.compliment.ever.

This random K ended up by the showerhead in my shower,
so everyday when I see it, I send a little love & strength
to my dear friend Kari who was recently diagnosed with cancer. 

Josh used a Scrub Daddy to clean the pool 
and it worked amazing!

I love George's little mittens.

Visiting... Jack at work (!!!) at his friend Roxy's family boba shop where Jack is helping fill in while her mom is out of town. He is such a hard worker and was so motivated to get there everyday. I am so proud of that kid! 

Before... work started Jack spent a few days in Wenatchee, knowing once he started working he wouldn't be able to get out of town so easily. He had fun with my sister and her kids, making himself useful with her littles and just enjoying being away. 

Picking... Logan up in Quincy after he spent a few days in Wenatchee after Jack with his cousins, aunt, and grandparents.  He got to go to Slidewaters, which was so much fun, and he went fishing with my dad and even got a haircut! He looks so fresh!! 

Hosting... my niece Romy for the day.  She and Carly had so.much.fun together. It was fantastic! They play so well and it was honestly like I had no kids here. Hah!

Enjoying... Carly so much. She's currently watching Country Comfort (a cute little sitcom); making up songs constantly; and playing with her friends whenever they're available. She's a little social butterfly, that one. 

Opening... the pool and being faced with a gross mess of yucky water. In the four years we've owned the pool we have never opened it this late. But this year it just wasn't warm enough to swim, so we waited.  Poor Josh is now tasked with the monster job of getting it clean. 

Wishing... Josh and my dad a happy father's day. Father's Day feels quite empty with his dad and my grandpa both gone. But boy does it make me grateful for the years we got with them, and for the years we still have ahead of us with Josh and my dad. 

Cleaning... house somewhat frantically when my friend Christi needed me to host book club because her basement had flooded. Honestly, it was a really good reason to get my house clean and whipped into shape. Haha! I was every meme about moms cleaning house frantically and making the kids live in the yard when they're done. 

Baking... banana bread for book club. Yummmm!

Hosting... book club and it was exactly what I needed. Talking with my friend Christi about parenting (she also has four kids); homeownership; and the summertime slump that happens when you go from doing all.the.things to having nothing but time. 

Meeting... with my counselor for the third time and finding out that a family member and me chose the same therapist!!! What are the odds!?! Thankfully there is no hard and fast rule about seeing people in the same family in the state of Washington, so I get to keep seeing her. 

Ushering... in summer on Wednesday when Josh was finally (finally!) done with work. His students finished last week, but he had meetings on Monday & Tuesday. We are so happy to have him home full time with all of us now! Let the summer of sunshine commence!

Living... with three teenagers and an 8 year old is messy!!! I have promised myself to only clean up three times a day. When I wake up (if the boys "close" at night, its not as well done as if Josh or I do); at lunch time; and before bed. That way I enjoy my summer as well.  I swear I could spend my entire day cleaning up around here. Ugh.

Making... dinner and discovering that I love it without children. Especially if it's a meal my kids will rave about. This week it was salmon patties and they were delicious!

Watching... Couples Therapy on Hulu and playing solitaire on my phone. If you haven't watched Couples Therapy and you like psychology and reality TV, I highly recommend it. My sister told me about it and I'm so glad. I honestly feel like I learned so much as well!

Loving... how Logan loves fishing. He's gone so many times this week with different friends. It's like a little bit of old soul in him. 

Struggling... to let my kids leave the house with friends. The other day I had anxiety so bad that I didn't realize what I was thinking until I was at the end of this:
"Oooh, he's driving with that one friend of his. 

I bet he goes fast. 

They live out in the country. 

What if he speeds? 

And they get in a wreck?
What if Logan gets a head trauma?
If he gets a head trauma, he won't be able to be hospitalized here. He'll be in Spokane or Seattle.

He'd be an awful patient. He has no ability to sit still.

Maybe I could make him happy by bringing George (his cat) to visit. 

But that trip might stress George out so much... 

Maybe I could bring him and he could stay with Logan. Do they allow cat boxes in the hospital?"

It wasn't until I hit "litter boxes" that I realized I was awfulizing and imagining a terrible and unlikely scenario. Damn. 

So, yeah. Still working on being okay with all the freedom these sixteen year old babies require. 

Trying... to limit screens for the kids, especially Carly, but oh my goodness it's so hard!!! Tell me your best tips and tricks, friends!

Giving... Josh's brother a haircut and hating to cut it because it's curly and so pretty. Hah! But he said it's too hot to have long curly hair, so we chopped it all off! We left it longer on top and I was proud of my blending!

Thinking... of my friend Kari who was recently diagnosed with breast cancer. She is so brave and seem so peaceful as she faces this. You can follow her journey: and kari on on Instagram. Love you, Kari. 

Starting... a summer book (finally!) and feeling excited that it's the summer season! I live for summer!  It's called Meet Me at the Lake. 

Working out... for an hour two days in a row, which felt good at the time, but then I crashed HARD with my fibromyalgia, suffering total exhaustion and body aches to the point where I could hardly walk. 

Taking... Friday off from anything and spending nearly the entire day on the couch, surrounded by cats, watching America's Sweethearts, a show about trying out for the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. It was exactly what I needed after running myself empty working out for two days in a row. I finally got off the couch to visit Jack at work and run to the store. Then I made cupcakes for Wyatt's party, cut strawberries for strawberry shortcake and cut watermelon up. 

Hosting... a birthday party for Wyatt now that the pool is open and the weather is actually hot! Josh worked some absolute *magic* and got the pool all fixed up and ready to party. We had chips, watermelon, cupcakes & ice cream and lots of pool time. I think they had fun, and Wyatt was quite spoiled by his friends. It was really sweet.

Cheering... and feeling quite official when my diploma for my Master's degree from GCU showed up in the mail. I can't believe I'm a teacher. And while I'm sad I won't be hired on this year, I am really happy to have a plan for my future as my kids grow up and begin chasing their futures. 

Celebrating... that Logan's car is fixed and home!!! Josh bought him a five speed 2005 Honda CR-V, and it is so cute! Unfortunately, the motor was bad in it. Luckily we had some money I had set aside for my future classroom (which won't be happening this year...) that we used to buy a new engine, and Josh, his brother Samuel, and Logan got to work swapping the bad one for the good one. Once they got it up and running Logan was able to bring it home. Then it just needed tires and then finally (!) Logan could practice driving it. I'm so happy for him! Hopefully this motivates him to finish his summer school classes so he can get his license!

Staying... up late Saturday night to see the stars with Carly. We were reading on the porch together when she told me her dream was to stay awake to see the first star in the sky. So we climbed in the back of Jack's pickup and looked at the stars together. I love the simplicity of this girls dreams and the way she slows me down. 

***

***