7 Quick Takes, Vol. 66

Joining Jen for Friday fun (and my musings on the end of the school year).

1. Yesterday was Charles' last day of school. EVER. Not the end of training or the end of books or studying or the like, but the end of school. It is weird to reach a milestone that always seemed just beyond the horizon. So much excitement and joy!

2. However, graduation isn't for two more weeks. I keep teasing Charles about how he is still just a guy with a B.S. in biology. Looking forward to a couple of weeks of having him home, getting packed, and having some good family time.

3. It killed me all day yesterday not to share the results of my little mid-morning photo shoot. I printed these off for Charles' "big" last day of school present.

Yes, those are Charles' scrub top and white coat

Official caption: "we have awfully big shoes to fill."

4. And I made signs and set up a little celebration. It's a big deal around here -- and big deals need to be celebrated!! Even if that means being celebrated with crayons, since Clare is not to be trusted with markers!

Way to Go!

Woo hoo!

You're the best -- balloon style!

5. Speaking of the balloon, when we went to buy it at the grocery store, it was in a little cellophane package that you give the clerk to blow up. She then gives the package back, so that you can pay for the balloon when you check out. Clare latched onto it, though, convinced that it was a pack of stickers. No matter how many times I told her it wasn't, she was sure she knew better. Thankfully, when we got home, I was able to distract her and throw it away before the full realization that there were no new stickers in the package could result in a toddler-size meltdown.

6. I'm honestly not sure how I managed to do any of that, since yesterday saw me running on a teeny, tiny bit of sleep and a lot of caffeine. It was worth it, though, to do nice things for my guy. On the flip side, he got up with Clare, and let me sleep in until 7 something this morning. It felt so good!! Remember when you were 16 and the idea of getting up at 7 seemed like torture?!? My how the world changes.

7. Speaking of higher education, Peter has already selected his future Alma Mater. Mommy maybe only helped a little.

4th generation -- Bear Down!!

Have a lovely weekend! Enjoy Memorial Day, and stay safe!

3 Weeks

Unrelated--one kid in focus isn't bad, right?!?

3 weeks from today, we'll be on the road, somewhere between here and there.

Between Phoenix an Wichita.

Between med school and residency.

Between past and future.

Between what was and what will be.

To say it's bittersweet is too easy.

I'm feeling anxious and antsy about the moving process. I am juuuust starting to begin boxing and sorting books and clothes and odds and ends. Trying to purge and whittle and cut down. I don't know anyone who doesn't hate moving.

I'm sad to be saying good-bye. My whole life, really, has been spent in Arizona. My family is here. My memories are here. I will probably write at least a couple of pensive, reflective posts. Even when we make it back here, neither it, nor any of the people, nor I will be the same. You can never step in the same river twice.

And yet, I'm excited and eager to start our new chapter and our new adventure. After feeling like we were hanging in limbo for so long, it's freeing to finally know where we're headed and to know that we'll get to stay -- for a little while, at least. I'm excited to do it, not just talk about it. I'm excited to see how the experience changes me as a wife, as a mom, and as a person. I suspect they will be changes for the better. For the stronger.

3 weeks. And they'll be gone in the blink of an eye.

Currently . . . (Vol. 3)

Linking up with A Mama Collective and Home Away From Home.

Thinking about: Clare's surgery last week. It went well and she is recovering nicely. I've sat down several times to write a post about it -- for myself and my own memories as much as anything, but I'm not sure how much I want to share, about her (hopefully resolved) medical condition, or about my feelings about things. It's a pretty raw emotional state. I'm just glad that we've made it though, glad that she's doing well, that this will only be a story to her, that Charles was able to be with us the whole time, and that we live in a time and place to have access to the doctors and technology that were able to help my baby. I've gotten lots of great baby snuggles from both kidlets in the last few days -- so that is a silver lining.

Reading: Nothing in particular. Womp. Womp.

Listening to: Peter breathing as he sleeps on my lap. Listening for Clare to wake up from her nap. Enjoying not hearing Disney Jr. or The Lorax or whatever else poor Clare wanted to watch all weekend.

Watching: Tonight is the premier of The Bachelorette. Yes, I know it is terrible television and totally fake. No, I'm not surprised that the relationships never work. It's a train wreck and I can't stop watching. Totally guilty pleasure TV. *shoulder shrug*

Thankful for: This is Charles' last week of school. EVER!!!!!!!!! I cannot tell you how excited we are for this, and for everything that comes after. Life is a little bit like a runaway train right now, but I don't think I'd have it any other way. I'm so thankful that this part of the ride is over. I'm thankful to be married to such a hardworking, dedicated, Godly man. He's living a dream come true, and listening to God's call in the process. Our kids have a wonderful role model in him. We are so blessed.

Wishing: I like to think of my To Do list as more than a wish list, but alas . . . the Currently girls are probably more right than I'd like to believe. Especially with a baby who likes to sleep on me -- and there's only so much baby wearing this girl can handle!

     1. Set up a couple of before-we-leave doctor's appointments
     2. Start packing a few boxes a day.
     3. Clean out nursery closet.

Answer Me This, Vol. 5

Linking up with Haley in place of Kendra (who is in France -- color me jealous).

1. What's the scariest thing that's ever been in your yard? Fire. I've had two too-close-for comfort experiences with Arizona's fire season. First, my senior year of high school, Memorial Day weekend, I took a nap on the back couch while no one else was home. I woke up to the smell of burning wood (BBQ gone bad?) and a neighbor knocking at my door alerting me to the fact that a fire was had burned over the hill across the street into the flat area directly across the street. They were going to start hosing off the carport "just in case." Thankfully, some friends from the neighborhood came over to check out the situation and hung out with me until my family got home as we watched helicopters dump water on the fire. Thankfully, it was put out pretty quickly/easily and didn't get out of control.

Then, two years later, we were evacuated for a few days for a forest fire that made it to the subdivision just south of ours (with fire moving north!). That was the year of the Rodeo-Chediski fire. Then, there was the loss of the hotshot crew last summer.

Needless to say, wildfires scare the heck out of me. Patron of fire safety, pray for us.

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord.

2. Beards. Thumbs up or thumbs down? Thumbs down. I mean, I like them in theory, and on people I'm not married to. They're a great topic of conversation. But whenever Charles claims he's going to grow one (which never works, in large part because he's such a clean-cut guy), I balk. I don't like the scratchy growing out phase. I'm not a fan of how it looks. It's just not us. Sorry, babe. :)

3. If stuff breaks, can you fix it? Not really. I mean I wish I could. I like to pretend I can. But really, not so much. Thankfully, Charles is good at that kind of stuff.

4. What was your first car? Trace. A Mercury Tracer. Color -- tealy tourquoisey goodness. Lost in a car accident in college thanks to an uninsured driver who didn't know how to turn left.

Via

5. How often do you eat out? About once a week, in one way or another, be it breakfast after mass, eating with family, or picking up sandwiches after a particularly long day.

6. Why is your hair like that? Because it strikes the balance between easily dealt with on "Mommy" days -- pulled into a ponytail or scrunched with mousse and spot curled to pretend it's wavy -- or it can be straightened and styled and look nice when I want/need it to. Keeping it one length makes it easy to maintain. And my face needs bangs or something near the face to soften my features or make me look my age or something. I don't know. I don't like real bangs, because I am not on top of things enough to get them trimmed regularly, so I go with the swoopy bangs. When they get long enough to tuck behind my ears, I know I'm due for a haircut.

Happy Sunday!

Baptized!

Our weekend was, as promised, crazy, to say the least, but the absolute, definite, for sure highlight was welcoming sweet Peter into the Church.

He was baptized in a group baptism Saturday morning, along with four other new Christians. Like Clare, his Uncle Zak turned into Uncle Godfather Zak. He fussed through the first part of the Rite, but seemed to calm down with each passing stage: claimed for Christ, Oil of the Catechumen, and was asleep by the time we got to the water. He started with each pour of the water, and was sound asleep by the time he was topped with Chrism.

The priest asked that we not take pictures during the ceremony, but rather to just pray for the children instead. We did, however, manage to get pictures afterwards! (Photos from my camera, but taken by BG! Thanks, Rhonda!)