Two weeks ago, I wrote about my marathon weekend in Kansas City for my friend Spenser's wedding. It was fast-paced and crazy, but a lot of fun. When I returned from Kansas City, life didn't slow down at all...not even for a day! I went back to work at the school right after the drive back from KC, and well....it was the last week of school. I suppose I couldn't expect anything other than crazy. Honestly the last week of school is always kind of hellish, because there are so many activities and the kids' schedules are totally thrown off. I think the highlight of the week for me was the last day of school when we had bouncy houses and blow up obstacle courses outside by the playground. I helped several students through, one of which rolled herself down a ramp (I was standing at the bottom of course), and sent me flying through the air. One of my friends watched the whole process, and laughed hysterically as I was launched from one side of the obstacle course to the other. I wish I'd had a camera, it was honestly hilarious. I think the other highlight for me was standing on the curb by the busses waving goodbye to the students as they left for summer break. The kids smiled and waved out the bus windows as the busses pulled away. Most were smiling, a few were crying, but I knew they were all excited to go home and start their vacations. I was excited, too!Last weekend was actually fairly relaxing. I had a lot to do, but made a conscious decision to procrastinate and NOT do anything. Charley and I did spend quite a bit of time in the suburbs, though, because I'd gotten word that Oscar (my 17-year old rescue dog who now lives at my dads') wasn't doing well. He's an old dog, and the fact that he's been around as long as he has is quite shocking. But the thought of saying goodbye to such a loyal dog was and still is a bit devastating to me. He's literally been through everything with me. He moved across the country with me, and he chose me as much as I chose to take him, in the divorce. I love that dog. He's still hanging in there, but I know he doesn't have much time left, so I've been silently trying to process that, while also trying to figure out how to help Charley deal with it. For now, what she does understand is that he will be going to live with his dog-mom very soon.
When Monday rolled around, I knew I had busy week ahead of me, although I'm not sure I could have predicted it would be as crazy as it really was. Monday was a teacher workday, so all of the teachers were at school, inputting grades, writing progress reports, planning for next year, or in my case- packing boxes. I'm not switching schools or anything, but I'm moving to a different classroom next year. I'm excited because my new classroom is a MUCH bigger space and I'll have a different type of caseload which will be a challenge for me (I love challenges), but I'm moving because the program has been restructured which means one of my colleagues is moving to a different school in the district. It is a good opportunity for her, but I know we will miss having her in the building. I work with a very strong group of teachers, and our strength is that we work well as a team. She is an awesome teammate and will definitely be missed.
After packing and moving my classroom, I went home Monday afternoon and started cleaning and packing my house. I've been talking about another move for awhile, and just prior to leaving for Kansas City, I found a townhouse I liked about 10 miles south of Hugo, where Charley and I have spent the last year. I'd arranged to sign my lease and start moving on Tuesday morning. So, that's exactly what I did. I dropped Charley off at school around 7:30a.m. on Tuesday, and immediately started loading up my car. I spent all day Tuesday packing, moving, and unpacking my things with the help of my mom. I don't even want to know how many flights of stairs I went up and down during the course of the day, carrying the little stuff...but I was definitely sore when I woke up on Wednesday! Wednesday morning, I took Charley to school, went to work at the gym for a few hours (I'd been MIA at the gym for awhile, and totally missing it), then went to pick up a U-Haul to move the big stuff that still filled my old house. My friend's husband and son came to help me load the truck, and although we moved quickly, it was a LOT of work. With the help of my friend's husband, I moved two beds, a couch, a dresser, a table, a TV stand...and a few other things...down the stairs at my old place and up the stairs at my new place. I was exhausted by the time I went to pick Charley up from school on Wednesday, but I was also relieved that everything was FINALLY at my new place. One of Charley's friends and her dad came by later that afternoon to help put a few things together, and by the time they left, I felt like I could've slept for days. I was grateful for the help, though! I've got bruises everywhere, and I couldn't tell you where any one of them came from, but my new place finally has everything in its place.
Thursday morning I went to work at the gym for a few hours. When I left the gym, I got a message from one of my teacher-friends, asking if I needed any help unpacking or anything. I laughed, and replied, "Everything is already unpacked! You know me, I can't relax until everything's in its place!" She responded, "Ha! I forgot who I was dealing with." It's funny, because that really is just who I am. I can't have a house full of boxes waiting to be unpacked. My garage is completely full of boxes...but they're all unpacked. I need the clutter out of my line of vision, otherwise I can't relax! Ha! Speaking of clutter, Charley's room is PACKED with her things. At our old place, she had a bedroom, playroom, and we had a huge living room storage area that was essentially full of her things. In our new place, we have a large storage area in the garage, but no playroom, so ALL of the toys she plays with regularly are pretty much out in the open in her bedroom. While the sight of so many things makes me cringe, she absolutely loves her new room and being able to see all of her stuff. Ha! Thursday evening, Charley and I went to the rehearsal dinner for my friend Lindsay's wedding, had a great time catching up with old friends and kicked off the upcoming wedding festivities!
Saturday morning, I got up and moving around 8. Charley and I ran to the store, and I came back to start getting ready for the wedding. I was really excited for this wedding, because Lindsay has been one of my closest friends since we were five years old. There is something really special about having friends that you've known your whole life. There are a few girlfriends in my life that literally know me better than anyone, even if we haven't talked in 6 months. Lindsay is one of those friends. Lindsay and I have always been very similar in nature. We're both people pleasers, and have a habit of putting other people before ourselves. I remember a conversation we had when I first moved back from Las Vegas that probably best describes our relationship. It was the first time we'd been single at the same time in the better part of a decade, and we were chatting about relationships in general. "Linds," Lindsay said to me,"I want all of my friends to find happiness. Of course I want all of my girlfriends to be in love, and find great men. You're different, though. I want you to find a guy who wakes up every morning and thinks, Holy shit... I get to be with Lindsey Kaplan. She wants to be with me.... I'm SO lucky." I remember tearing up at the time, because of course, I want that too! Who doesn't? But I also got a little bit emotional because I've felt EXACTLY the same way about her. Lindsay dated a few duds along the way (we've all been there) and much like me, she tolerated a lot of crap. But she's one of the most selfless people on the face of the earth and really deserves someone special. She's always deserved to meet a man who feels SO lucky to be with her and really is worthy of her love. When she met Ryan, there was no question she'd found that man. Ryan isn't just a nice guy. He treats Lindsay SO well. The two of them complement each other perfectly and they're genuinely fun to be with. They are legitimately one of the happiest, most well-balanced couples I've ever seen. Yesterday, as I thought about all of those things, I was just so happy to be part of of their day.
At dinner, I sat with my friend Beth and Lindsay's two half-siblings and their families. It was so funny to be sitting with that side of Lindsay's family, because I didn't know them very well. I knew her brother Jesse, but her half siblings didn't grow up with her. I distinctly remember helping Lindsay babysit her nieces that were sitting with me, who I didn't even recognize...That's probably because they're now in high school and college, but I don't even want to get into how old that makes me feel. Ha! It was kind of fun chatting with the girls and their parents. Both girls attended Edina schools, which is always fun, because naturally we know some of the same people. It's Edina... A small world...I shouldn't expect any different! There were several speeches during the reception, and I'm surprised I held myself together. Throughout the night there was a distinct theme...Lindsay and Ryan are incredibly loved by their family and friends, and everybody there was just thrilled that they'd found each other. Individually, they are incredible, generous, kind, good-hearted people. But oddly enough, they're even better...even stronger...as a couple. That kind of love is a beautiful thing and last night was a wonderful night.
With that said, I'm planning to relax a little bit today. Charley did me a favor and slept until 9...yes, that's right...9...It's like she decided to give me a present! This next week marks a REAL start of a vacation for me, so I'm planning to enjoy it. Have a great day, everybody!
