An Update to Assure You That I Haven't Disappeared

Time, it would seem, has been getting away from me.  I'm amazed that we're nearly two full weeks into August.  In another two weeks the lazy rhythm of summer will cease.  School will start for not only for Reese, our oldest daughter, but also for Brooke, who's entering kindergarten.  (Observe a moment of silence to commemorate this milestone.  Kindergarten!) 

Kerrington, our youngest, will attend pre-school two mornings a week.  The rest of the time she'll either (a) revel in the calmness of being the only child in the house, or (b) drive me slightly mad with incessant requests to play dolls or My Little Ponies with her in lieu of having sisters as playmates.

As for me, I'm preparing -- mentally, emotionally, and literally -- for the four classes that I'll be teaching this fall semester in the mornings.  Over the next week I'll finish tweaking assignments, selecting readings, and revising my course syllabi.

It's been a good summer.  I've spent time with the girls and Joel, read for pleasure, completed a ridiculous amount of projects around the house, and took some breaks from the computer.  I've had several moments when I've thought, I should blog about this, but lo and behold, no blog post ever materialized.  So, while I've experienced a few weeks that have been sparse on the blog (my apologies to you, loyal readers), the weeks have been quite full in real life.

For example, earlier this month Joel and I celebrated our twelfth anniversary.  He surprised me by planning an impromptu get-away at his friend's cabin on Keuka Lake, one of the Finger Lakes in New York.  Let me tell you, he had me at, "I've asked my parents to watch the girls for two days."

Our drive provided an enjoyable three hours of uninterrupted conversation and moments of pleasant silence.  Before reaching the cabin, we stopped at the Garret Chapel and toured its beautiful grounds.




I've never been to the Finger Lakes before, and I appreciated their simplicity and lack of commercialism.  Plus, if anyone harbors any stereotypes that New Yorkers aren't friendly, please let me direct you to exhibit number two below.  (Clearly, anyone who gives away summer squash and zucchini is a friend in my book.)


Joel then took me to this waterfall, which, he admitted, was the only nearby landmark he knew besides the chapel.  (He wins bonus points for this one.)


The interior of the cabin was a step back in time and, apparently, a celebration of strawberries.  We could walk directly from the back porch to the lake.



While calm in this picture, the lake grew rougher throughout the day as the wind increased, and the temperature was unexpectedly cool.  Instead of canoeing, which I had been looking forward to, we opted to spend the afternoon sitting on the dock with me bundled in one of Joel's sweatshirts that he found in the trunk of the car.  (Rule of thumb: as much as I love adventure, I refuse to become the subject of a Reader's Digest "Drama in Real Life" feature article during the one weekend that we manage to get away from the kids.)



By the time we drove home, I felt that I had been gone longer than thirty-six hours, in a good way.  I'm thankful for my in-laws who babysat the girls, and so grateful for Joel for planning the two-day retreat.

What can I say?  Twelve years of marriage.  Better by the dozen.

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6 comments

  1. Happy anniversary! We celebrated our twelfth this summer as well, though we stayed home, with Dudette. I love the chapel and waterfall photos. Old buildings and waterfalls are two of my favorite things to visit while on road trips.

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  2. If you love old buildings and waterfalls, then this road trip would have been perfect for you. :)
    Happy anniversary to you, too! Congrats!

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  3. Aww! Happy Anniversary and that sounds like a great trip! Admittedly, I've missed you here in the bologsphere, but I am glad that you had such a wonderful sumer and were able to get so much accomplished!

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  4. Looks like such a relaxing trip. Happy Anniversary!

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