To celebrate the anniversary of our first year in our new house we met up with Tim’s sister and family and we went for an adventure. We had heard that there was a waterfall at the park we visited weeks ago. The one that used to be a golf course back in the day. Today we decided to find that waterfall. After a lot of walking (and eating lots of berries along the way) and some help from some friendly cyclists, we finally found it and it couldn’t have been more perfect. The waterfall was tucked away off the obvious path. It was just the right size to climb up on and we even sat in it and felt the freezing, rushing water fall past us. We all had such a lovely time and the cool water was a perfect compliment to the heat of the day.
The heat this week has been unbearable so I’m so thankful for the evening storms that have been coming through to cool us down. Tonight’s was pretty impressive with lightning displays that lasted hours. Thankfully the kids were already asleep, so Tim and I could sneak outside and watch it from a distance. As it rolled in, the wind picked up fiercely and the rain started. We made it back inside right before the deluge!
I cried the day I pulled away from the office parking lot and headed to my in-laws house for our final night before our move. I had just driven away from ten years of my life and I had no idea what the future would hold. (Perhaps if someone had told me, I would have turned around at that moment and begged for my job back, but the not knowing was a blessing. )
From the moment C had been put into my arms all those years ago, my dream had been to be a stay at home mom and now I have been one for a year. 365 days of being by kids’ sides as they grow, learn, and explore. I often get asked how I enjoyed my first year at home and of homeschooling, and to be honest I can’t process it away from the chaos and uncertainty we lived through during the fall and winter. In many ways, we stunted there… and yet in more ways we have thrived!
I’m so incredibly thankful for this past year. I have grown in so many ways and I can’t wait to experience what this next year holds!
One day they won’t seek refuge in my bedroom. They won’t ask to curl up in my bed until daddy gets home. They won’t want to rest on my lap or listen to me read. They won’t beg to play games or tell spooky stories.
This afternoon our local library offered a live animal presentation given by several marine biologists. The kids got to learn about different creatures in the ocean and they got to see a lot of marine animals. There were clams, snails, crabs, hermit crabs, and a frogfish. They even let a few kids come up touch some of the animals. C got to pet the stone crab.
Along with enjoying the animals, we learned some pretty interesting facts as well…
Stone crabs earned their name by how strong they are. Their left claw is used for cutting, while their right claw is used for crushing. They have the ability to break finger bones, so handle with care!
You aren’t allowed to kill stone crabs. You can harvest their legs and throw them back in the ocean. Apparently they grow back.
Speaking of growing back- the arms of a hermit crab can fall off if they need to and will grow back. They can also grow new eyes if they happen to lose those in an encounter.
Large snails bite down on clams in an attempt to open them. If successful they slurp out the clams.
Small snails have two different methods of flipping themselves over- one uses their foot, and the other is inward momentum.
The absolute highlight of the event was when they brought out a real live shark. It was a bamboo shark- not much longer than about eight inches. It was still young, and apparently that type of shark isn’t aggressive. They even let a few kids touch it. That was definitely the animal that got the kids the most excited!
The presentation was really well done and the kids had such a great time!
I have spent the past few days editing a project that came in last week. One of the things that I quickly realized is that editing during the day with children in the house is nearly impossible. I’ve kicked them outside for much of the time, but when they are in the house they interrupt me every several minutes for a drink, a snack, or to referee a sibling fight. It doesn’t help that my computer is set up in the classroom, so it’s easy access to mommy even when there are other adults around.
So this evening I started looking at Facebook Marketplace for another desk, and I found one that we could pick up this evening. Tim brought it home and carried it up to our room. Then we hooked up the computer and hauled up the chair and now I am set up in my own quiet corner of our room.
It’s not that I don’t think my kids won’t find me here- but at least it should cut down on the distractions!
I was twenty years old in that picture. I can tell by the scar on my leg- a surgery I had that year to remove a bone spur above my knee. There’s a scar on my wrist and my arm from the same operation that took spurs from those places as well. Amazingly it was the only operation I had for my bone condition. I still carry the scars, though they have faded some.
This was the summer before I moved to New York. I had already been editing for a few years at this point. Those days were still the infancy of non linear editing, when AVIDs were hardware and cost a pretty penny. The four drives stacked next to the computer tower held 9 GB of space each if I remember correctly. We used to edit at a low resolution and re-digitize everything to a higher one to online. The deck sitting on the table was a Beta deck- the tapes came in two sizes.
Editing setups like these were a beast to turn on. There were so many switches that had to be turned on in a certain order. Once everything was powered up to took about 15 minutes to get up and running- enough time to grab a cup of coffee and flip through your scripts.
It was on this machine I did my first edit. I spent many long days and many long nights in this edit room- meeting deadlines for a client or putting finishing touches on my own personal projects. And while I’m very thankful that editing has evolved so much since those early days, I’m so very glad my roots started at the beginning.
Historically, this is one of my favorite days of the year… The longest one. I love how late it stays light. When I worked full time I cherished these longer evenings as I would squeeze out more time with the kids. Now I am blessed to have them by my side everyday!
eatingwithsavages 