Vacationing at Home

I recently took some time away from my work, but not to venture out into the world of surf and sun or even the intriguing world of museum discovery. This type A personality took some time off to enter the gates of a rite of passage: first child to graduate from eight years at parochial school. Lest you think this is hardly a rite of passage, I have to say that in today's world everything is ramped up 200% from when we were kids.

Even the high school recruiting process reminded me of the days when colleges sent me all kinds of literature and enticements to apply to their hallowed halls. Cameron received countless phone calls, letters and gifts from several area private high schools. Students, administrators and even former alums called the house to persuade him to choose their school. He has t-shirts and note pads proclaiming him part of said school's Class of 2012. One of his 8th grade classmates, who will join him at St. Xavier, took the bright gold Moeller t-shirt they received and used a permanent marker to answer the question that was on the front of the shirt: "What can Gold do for you?" His classmate wrote: "Nothing! Go X." For the record, I found Moeller to be a fine school and loved their house system and lap top program. I just feel that the Jesuit education that St. X provides is a better fit (and much further to drive!!!!!!!!!).

So, the first weeks of June were spent on all the final things that befit graduating 8th graders: final exams, class picnic, graduation mass, class dance, incoming relatives, party with his buddies at our home. This was followed by the first week of summer vacation which was a misnomer for all in our household. I don't think I could have even hired a college kid to take on the Herculean task that was the 2nd week of June. I put about 120 to 140 miles on my car each day. I visited my local gasoline pumps three times that week!!!!!! My schedule went something like this:

• 8:00 am- take Cameron to St. X Bowling Camp at Brentwood Bowl (45 min drive)
• 8:45 am- hike back to east side of town to take the swimmer to her team practice
• 45 min break to run like a maniac back home to accomplish a few tasks
• 10:45 am- pick up said swimmer and hike back to Brentwood Bowl to pick up Cameron at 11:40

The first two afternoons were spent on the road doing some important errands while Wednesday launched us into St. X Golf Camp in the afternoons, so I repeated the above schedule and added driving on to Golf instead of errands. We have to add in the evening functions like the 8:00 p.m. Wednesday night basketball game for the swimmer and the Thursday night swim meet that goes on forever. Needless to say, it was an exhausting two weeks but time that I will treasure forever. (Although I won't treasure those horrible cicadas that kept kamikaziing into my newly washed windshield.)

Time to get back to my desk and the work at hand weaving routine back into my daily existence. Life has been great and I look forward to the next turn the path of life takes me on. Until then, you can find me helping families in crisis through Beech Acres Parenting Center, networking in the community or writing with my wonderful group, Women Writing for a) Change.

Michelle