Super Crazy Summer

Last week was the first time in years that I missed posting for the Insecure Writer's Support Group. By the time I remembered it, it was already too late to post. However, I do have some very good reasons for not fitting it in.

For starters, we've been busy with long-overdue home renovations this summer. We replaced our decrepit deck with a patio, but the biggest change was removing all the carpet and replacing it with wood laminate. We split the project into two stages for the first and second floors. It would have been impossible to do it otherwise, since we had to move things from floor to floor. Although the second floor was finished nearly three weeks ago, I still haven't finished setting my office back to rights. Some of that is due to searching for a replacement desk, but my time's been limited for other reasons described below.

My son's school (a private one that he's attended since kindergarten), closed permanently this year due to declining enrollment. We've known about this since last November. It was a big shock at first, but the students on the whole have shown resiliency and made the most of their final year together. In the meantime, we found him a new school for his senior year. Since he's interested in the military, he'll be attending a boarding school that's also a military academy. This way, he'll be able to see if the military really is a good fit for him. This will be a big change for the entire family, and there's been a lot of work involved in preparing for his new school. I think it will be a good experience for him. Alex's old school offered a special summer session for juniors, so he was attending summer school until the end of July.

The day after summer school ended, we took a short trip to Washington D.C. We were there for about three and a half days, but we still managed to pack in a lot of sightseeing. We saw some of the memorials, two parts of the Smithsonian (American History and Natural History), the National Archives, the Capitol, and the Library of Congress. We also met with friends and took a ghost tour. (The photo was taken at the end of the tour.) I think I set a personal record for daily steps!

Anyway, my son leaves home next Friday, and the following Monday marks the beginning of our unannounced recertification audit window at work. The craziness never ends; it just shifts about to different aspects of my life. It's a miracle I got any writing done this summer! 

Despite everything, I expect to be back to my regular blogging schedule next month. Maybe if I'm lucky, I'll even be able to blog from our patio.

Continuing Education

 In a few weeks, my son will both turn fourteen and graduate from middle school. We met (virtually) with the assistant head of his high school last week to discuss his classes for next year. I have to admit I would have liked going to this school, since they offer a lot of advanced classes. However, the class that I was most interested in (even though I don't think my son would be) was a music appreciation course offered as part of the Fine Arts section. Even though the last thing I need is another project, I was inspired to sign for a Coursera course on Classical Music. Now all I need to do is find the time for it.

I believe learning should be a lifelong goal. Reading has always been my preferred way to learn, but sometimes it's also important to engage other senses or practice a skill. 

Are there any new skills you'd like to learn or old ones that you want to improve? Feel free to share in the comments.