Hawaii, So Far

Excuse the lack of recent posts, but, we have been enjoying our vacation and I've been too busy to write.

What have we been up to, exactly?

Sun,

Sand,

Surf,

Yes, that is the Man-Cub, up on his first try!

And, that was just the first day!

We have also toured the Man-Cub's school, shopped in downtown Waikiki, driven across the entire island, stopping at two different beaches and a food truck recommended on Guy  Fieri's Diners, Drive-ins and Dives, and at the Dole pineapple plantation, where we satisfied my curiosity about the famous Dole Whip.

It's been a busy few days, and, we aren't near done. Today, we have a snorkeling excursion planned, tomorrow it's off to Pearl Harbor, and, then we are planning two days of total nothingness, save for laying on the beach, soaking in the sun, and drinking a few more of these...

...ah, vacation! I think I love you!

Summer 2017 Bucket List

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, I am currently lounging on a beach in Oahu. At least, I hope I am; that was the plan. This post, along with yesterday's, was written in advance and scheduled to post; assuming all went well, you are reading it now and I am wearing a bikini. It's summertime, y'all!

So, what's on the list for the next three months?

1. Focus on nutrition, exercise, and mental well-being. I visited my new doctor before we left for vacation and she has given me three months to try losing weight without screwing around with my medications. I am determined to feel (and look) better, so, here we go. Again.

2. Spend as much quality time with the Cub as I can before we deliver him to HPU in August.

3. Throw my boys a going away luau early in August; they are all jetting (or driving) off to parts unknown for school and/or careers in the military. I have several excited yet heartbroken moms on my hands, and, it would be nice to have one final event at which we can all celebrate (and, commiserate).

4. Re-create the black and white photo that I took of the kids with Jana's crew back when they were younger.

5. Lake time. I would like to spend time on the boat with the kids (and, Jana's crew if possible) at least a few times this summer.

6. Enjoy my 30th high school reunion. I don't have a part in planning it this time, so, it should be easier to enjoy, right?

7. Do a deep cleaning of my house, including closets and the attics. Have a yard sale if I find enough crap to warrant one. Get better organized and streamlined.

8. Decide what the hell I am going to do as an empty-nester. New hobbies? New volunteer opportunities? Train for a body-building competition (No. HELL no)? Write a book? I have no idea, but, I would like to try to figure it out.

9. Porch Night, retro-style. I want to go back to my roots, so to speak, with small gatherings featuring a relaxed menu (a loaf of French bread, grapes, cheese, and wine) and the people who started it all. Jana, Queen B, Kaley, I'm looking at you.

10. Cherries. Homemade mint chip ice cream. Fresh vegetables from the farmer's market (I opted not to plant a garden this year since we were planning to be here, on a beach, during the critical early growing time and there would be no one to tend to it. Also, not ready to grow tomatoes without my Rowdie Dog to eat them. Maybe next year). I want to enjoy all of my summer favorites.

11. Spend some time with The Girls. I really need to find a way to make this happen. I think some quality friend time would go a long way in improving my mental and emotional well being.

And, that's about as ambitious as I plan to get this go-round. I would very much like to enjoy the summer. I would like to feel relaxed and stress-free. I would like to be able to look at the future with a genuine curiosity about what it holds and without dread or fear.

So, on to the summer.

Spring Bucket List in Review

Can you believe it is almost June? Neither can I; the last three months went by in a blink, a really, really busy blink. I'm looking forward to a much slower pace throughout the summer (I know, who am I kidding, right?).

When I look back at my Spring Bucket List, it's easy to see why I was so busy. I can also say that I did better on this list than I have done on previous lists, so, there's that, I guess. Anyhoodle, on to the review.

1. Pull together an adult team for the annual ASTRA St. Patrick's Day Dodge Ball Tournament. Nailed it! We got our asses handed to us by the teenagers, but, we participated, and, we had fun doing it.

2. Complete the Man-Cub's applications for housing and scholarships, and register him for classes. Done (holy $$$, Batman!). Done (won a $1,000 American Legion Scholarship!). Done (full course load!).

3. Attend and enjoy all of the Cub's baseball games. Duh. Have we met? Of course I nailed this one.

4. Help make the Cub's sober grad party the best ever. With the help of my fellow high-achiever moms, we not only nailed this one, we double-nailed it.

5. Make it a point to enjoy every single one of the "lasts" that the end of the school year throws my way. I did this. I may have gotten teary-eyed at several events, but, I enjoyed the hell out of every one of them.

6. Throw the best senior sports banquet the school has ever seen. Oh, man, did BCPE and I ever achieve this one! The balloon arches! The slideshow! The food! It was all amazing and memorable and I would ho back and relive it a hundred times. Ok, maybe not a hundred, but, yeah, nailed it!

7. Continue my quest to have the best beach body I can by vacation time. Oh, Lord, let's not even talk about this one. Epic fail! In my defense, I had a lot of other things going on, as evidenced by the rest of this list. Still, yikes, total bust.

8. Make it through the Cub's graduation with out having a mental breakdown and throw him the best graduation party that I can. All of the energy that didn't go into my bikini body went into this goal. Nailed it! Didn't need medication or hospitalization in the mental ward, so, success!!

9. Make it a point to do some fun events outside of the events surrounding the Cub's senior year. I did manage to spend some fun time at a barn sale with Kortni, and, I got to see Phoebe briefly, so, I at least attempted this. I know I can do better, thought, so, expect to see something related to this on the Summer Bucket List.

Speaking of the Summer Bucket List, look for that tomorrow. I will have already started on it by the time the post loads as I am writing it early and scheduling it to post while I am lounging on a beach on Oahu.

Summer 2017 is going to be my bitch, y'all.

I think I deserve it after making it through this list.

What the Hell is the Matter With Me?

Last night, I tossed and turned for hours, waiting for sleep to still my racing thoughts. I finally had to get up, find my iPod, and tune into some soothing music in order to lull myself to sleep.

I've been planning for this vacation for months, now. I need this vacation. So, why, the day before we leave, am I plagued with anxious thoughts? Why do I worry about the hardware store while I am gone? Why do I stress over Day Job and my clients, who, I know, I have left in good hands? Why am I verklempt at the thought of leaving my cat for ten days? He's also in good hands, and, I mean, he's a cat; they fend for themselves pretty well. Why do I envision plane delays, lost luggage, lost time, or...worse?

What the hell, Chelle?

I...guess I need a vacation even worse than I thought?

Sigh.

I think I recall feeling some anxiety prior to my Paris trip a few years ago, and, that turned out just fine. Better than fine; it was a trip of a lifetime.

Actually, I think I've had pre-vacation anxiety before almost every vacation we have taken since Hugh and I were married.

Orlando? Yep. Twice.

Barbados? Yep.

The Florida Keys? You got it.

I think I'm just wired to stress. Maybe that's an indication that I need more vacations? You know, immersion therapy to help eliminate the phobia? Isn't that how that works?

Huh. I wouldn't mind testing that theory. Guess I'll have plenty of time on my hands, what with being an empty nester and all.

New hobby?

Time will tell.

How To Stuff 10 Pounds of Shit into a 5 Pound Bag

I'm just about done packing for our trip to Hawaii. In an effort to save money, the six of us are all sharing suitcases, which, means that Hugh and I are attempting to cram ten days worth of clothing, shoes, and toiletries into one large suitcase. The effort is akin to that of a clown car but not nearly as funny.

I have managed to fit, on my side of the suitcase, the following items:

- 5 bikinis
- 3 tankinis
- 5 swimsuit covers
- 5 pairs of shorts
- 3 sundresses
- 4 tank tops
- 1 pair of capris
- 1 pair of palazzo pants
- 1 one-shoulder blouse
- 1 off-the-shoulder blouse
- 1 sleeveless blouse
- 3 bras
- 10 pairs of underwear
- 1 large cosmetics bag
- 3 pairs of sandals
- 1 sweater
- 2 nighties
- 1 robe
- 1 small purse
- 1 large beach hat

And, yes, I think Hugh still has room for his stuff. At least, I think he does. Hell, I don't know, it's hard to tell. Although, since there is still plenty of room for stowaways, I would say he's in the clear.

You know, once we heartlessly evict the squatters.

Friday Favorites: Almost Vacation Time Edition

Graduation is in the books!

The final end-of-school-year slip'n'slide is in the rear-view!

It's time to delve into summer!

We leave for our Hawaiian vay-cay in three days. To say that I am ready for a vacation would be a vast understatement; in fact, I don't think that I have ever been more physically, mentally, or emotionally in need of a vacation in my entire life.

It's been a long couple of months, folks.

Anyhoodle, in preparation for our trip, I have been pulling together a wardrobe that includes cute swimming suits, because, duh, Hawaii.

What makes these suits my favorites? Well, they somehow manage to not make me look like a baby hippo. 'Nuf said.

I am taking these adorable cosmetics bags; they say "Hawaii" to me.

Today, mom and I each got pedicures so that our feet would be sandal-worthy for Waikiki Beach. I couldn't decide between these two polishes..

but ultimately ended up choosing the blue, which is This Color's Making Waves, by OPI.  The coral is called Go With the Lava Flow, and both are from the Hawaii collection that came out in the Spring/Summer of 2015. Can you believe I've had them for all this time and now my son is going to school in Hawaii? It's like, kismet or something.

A favorite new discovery is this sparkling Smart Water, it's bubbly and refreshing and just may be the magic bullet that helps me kick the soda habit to the curb permanently (hey, a girl can dream!).

I also recently discovered the latest flavor in the M&M arsenal, and, can I just say; if they don't make this a permanent flavor, I will write many strongly worded letters to the company. They. Are. Amazing.

So amazing, I purchased four of the "sharing size" packages for the plane ride to Oahu.

Although, let's get real; there will be no sharing.

Get your own bag!

No Ragrets*

Someone at work asked me today if I was relieved to be done with all of the "crap" that I have had to do while raising my children. He didn't mean it in a derogatory way, he was genuinely curious about my level of participation in stuff for my kids (he also said that, if his clients had a mother like me, he would be out of a job, "No one mothers better than you mother", he said. Flatterer! Give that man a cookie!).

Our conversation got me to thinking about just how many things I participated in over the years, and, just for kicks, I tried to make a list. It was...long. In the twenty-one years that I have been a parent, I have:

-Planned and thrown 26 birthday parties, complete with themes, homemade cakes, and some form of entertainment.
-Been in charge of 24 holiday parties at the elementary school.
-Chaperoned 7 field trips, 2 of which were overnighters.
-Volunteered a year of Wednesday afternoons as a lap counter for the elementary school's lunchtime walking program.
-Hosted four Prom/Homecoming dinners.
-Cooked nine team dinners/breakfasts.
-Planned 2 continuation parties, 2 sober grad parties, 2 pre-grad parties, and 7 end-of-school-year slip'n'slide parties.
-Attended more award assemblies, concerts, games, parent/teacher conferences, science fairs, back-to-school nights, fall sports meetings, winter sports meetings, TCAP conferences, and ILP meetings than I can count.
-Had the privilege of photographing parties, proms, homecoming parades, sporting events, car washes, dodgeball tournaments, Jump-Rope-for-Heart jumpathons, Cub Scout awards assemblies, downhill derby races, Pinecar Derbies, and powderpuff football games.

And, those are just the school events.

It seems like a lot, but, it all went by so fast, it's almost a blur. One thing I know for certain: I would not have missed a second of any of it. Being an involved parent was something I aspired to from the moment the little plus sign popped up in the window of that first home pregnancy test; I am fortunate to have had the flexibility in my jobs to be able to reach that aspiration and I will always be grateful for the opportunities that I was given. That's the biggest reason that I have taken so many pictures of other people's kids over the years; I know that not all of their parents were fortunate enough to be present for their activities and I wanted to help them feel included. I've had several people thank me for that effort this week.

So, to my co-worker I have to say, no, I don't feel relieved to be done; I'll miss it like crazy.

I also have not a single regret; I was there for my kids. I was present. I wasn't doing "crap" for them, I was parenting. Thank you, Lord, for the blessing in that.

*Bonus points if you can name the movie featuring a character who had a tattoo of  the mispelled motto in the title of this post.