15 days until Summer Vacation. Until sinfully permissive mornings when the only thing getting me out of bed is my children's need to eat. When the most stressful moment of the day is deciding whether to go to the beach on the ocean or the beach on the river. When I go for days without taking a shower and could even skip brushing my hair. When I read books and watch movies at night instead of grading and planning. Rich, delicious, and sweet as buttercream icing. Summer Vacation is not the reason I went in to teaching, but there are moments when it feels like the reason I keep teaching. When my students were at their worst, when I was at my worst, I just kept my eyes on June 19th. And now we are almost there. I need only survive the onslaught of hormones and "fifthgradeitis" as my kids blossom in to full blown middle schoolers.
Memorial Day weekend is a vicious tease. If I have an ounce of focus left, or believe for a minute that there is anything left to accomplish with my students before sending them off to the next grade level, Memorial Day extinguishes it. The three days merely wet my appetite for what is to come, and when I return to school on Tuesday it's as if I have been woken too suddenly from a dream. It is a struggle to convince my class that summer vacation has not already started.
This Memorial Day was just such an appetizer. We drove down to Jersey for niece Sadie's first birthday party. The kids were real troopers en route, despite the fact that we took the car with no AC. It was pure delight to spend time with Andrew, Karen, Sadie, and ALL of Karen's family. Late night conversations on the back deck. Swinging on the front porch while the kids run through the sprinkler. Watermelon, barbeque, ice tea. We spent Saturday wandering Central Park and taking in the buskers. Sunday was a first birthday bash to rival an innaugural ball. It was just summerish enough to make me realize that I am oh so ready to relax... and have some cake.
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