Recap Via Pictures as I Try to Atone for Sucking at Blogging

I have had terrible writer's block for months.  I don't know why, but it appears to be gone now (woohoo :-)!!!!).  Anyway, so much has gone on that writing about it seems overwhelming, so I figured that I'd do a little annotated photo catch-up post (in reverse chronological order).

Today I went mini-golfing with Henry and Belle.  It was so much fun :-)  I somehow won, which was a first.  Belle wanted an ice cream desperately when we were done, but once we got to the counter, she changed her mind to a blue raspberry slush thing.  She still looks like she ate a smurf (but she won't let me take a picture of it).

 My golden retriever is petrified of thunderstorms.  She cries and shakes and her heart beats so fast that I worry about her survival.  The only thing that makes her feel better is barricading herself into a small space, and the most recent thunderstorm found her between the recliner that Belle was sleeping in and the couch that I was sleeping on.  Poor puppy :-(

This is my current Facebook profile picture.  No makeup, I was seriously sleep-deprived, and I'd been sick to my stomach early that night, plus I don't think I've needed to have my eyebrows done so desperately since I was fourteen or so.  Still, I kind of like the picture, and I really like that I've gotten to a point where I don't feel the need to look "good" in every picture.  It's kind of freeing :-)  

 Since the death of my bed (it was a "Ward and June Cleaver" original from the fifties, I think), I've been stuck with the couch.  I have a nice Sealy full-size in my storage unit but haven't had the time to get there.  In the meantime, Sonja has decided that sleeping on the couch with me is a good idea.  Um ... no.

 Belle and I joined Pythagorus on a cruise to the Isles of Shoals.  Well, we tried to, but the boat turned around about an hour in due to seven-foot waves.  Most memorable was the fact that Miss Belle, despite my attempts to convince her otherwise, wore a summer dress and flip flops (and begrudgingly brought a sweatshirt with her).  Fortunately, I never clean my car out, so I found her spring jacket and a blanket, which was a good thing because it was FREEZING.  It was a fun morning, though, and I'm glad for it because as always, things with Pythagorus go up and down like a roller coaster, so whenever Belle can enjoy her visits with him is a good thing.

 I hate awards ceremonies because it always seems like the same kids always get the lion's share of awards.  As a result, I have for years done "class awards" for every single student on the last day of class.  They are sometimes silly (one year, one of my students and I always had to pee at the same time each day, so she got the "Best Bathroom Conversation Award") and sometimes serious (the "Untapped Potential Award"), but I think it really means a lot to the kids that I take the time to honor them all individually.  One of my students gave me this the next day...just before he took his final exam, I might add :-)

 Addie graduated from high school.  I will be doing a whole post on this when I am able to.  There are not words to describe the incredible pride and the deep trauma of watching your oldest child become a high school graduate.  I'm tearing up, so time to move on ...

 We had an awesome party at the beach house where everyone came--both of my siblings and sibs-in-law as well as my two precious nephews, plus the usual suspects.  Belle was, of course, in her glory at the opportunity to boss a couple of adoring little boys around (although in this picture, they were pushing her around in a chair ;-)).

 Belle and I went to a play at my school, and it started raining so hard it was ridiculous.  We were staying at Henry's that night, but he wasn't home yet, and I was soaking wet from my run to the car from the school (I'd picked Belle up at the door, so she was okay), so I rummaged through Henry's drawers to find a dry shirt.  I took this picture to text him and tease about going through his stuff, but I could only get it to work as a mirror pic, and then it turned into "things to notice and laugh at", such as his unmade bed and his cats' eyes and the fact that one piece of my hair looks completely blonde, and so on.  One of the things I love best about Henry is that we laugh a lot.

 As Senior Class Co-Advisor, I guess there was no way I'd get out of being part of the senior prank.  However, the kids that just graduated (my secondary babies or "school babies", as I call them) are such a good group that their senior prank was shockingly ... well, kind.

 I still have the sense of humor of a thirteen-year-old.  To wit, I took a picture of my recent order of "pot fries" (which of course fell under the "Open food" category) as well as the double entendre present on a Burger King Kid Meal.

 I had the privilege of being one of the chaperones on the senior class trip, where we went whitewater rafting and had a total blast.  The only downside was that it was on Mothers Day weekend, which ended up being okay because the seniors got us (the "mothers" who were spending their day with them instead of their own kids) cards--mine was by far the most far-out ;-).  We also got my co-advisor a lobster since she was bummed that her family was eating lobster without her.  In typical fashion, things got very silly, and the lobster's remains ended up being a mascot.  Oh, and there was a bachelor party in the cabin next door; the first night, the guys were just completely wasted, but the second night, they had a stripper.  Yeah, it was pretty damn memorable :-)  (and yes, I am in fact on that raft)

 My brother and I took Belle and my nephew Pete to Odiorne Point, which has great hiking trails and allows some really cool ocean views as well as lots of opportunities for throwing rocks into the water (one of Pete's favorite past times) and walking way out on the breakwall (which quickly became one of Belle's).  We had such an amazing time :-)

It's been a really busy few months, with a lot of good things and a couple of truly horrible things happening.  All in all, I'm just very relieved that school is out for the summer, that my writer's block appears to be gone, and that I can resume writing, blogging, and rejoining society ;-)