Back to School!

Well, summer has come and gone, and I'm not entirely sure where it went. Don't get me wrong, I'm all about cozy sweaters, pumpkin flavored everything, and apple orchards...But I'm not ready for fall quite yet! Charley and I had a pretty great summer overall. We had a few ups and downs, particularly with losing Oscar, but other than that, I really can't complain. We took a last minute road trip to Kansas City to visit some friends, and when we got in the car to drive home, I realized I hadn't seen even half of the people I'd intended on visiting. Oh well, I'm sure we'll take another road trip in the near future!

As the summer came to an end, Charley and I missed out on some of our normal traditions. We didn't go to the MN State Fair this year, which is unusual for us. Fairs are not necessarily a big deal everywhere, but in Minnesota, everybody goes to the State Fair. In my family, it's been a tradition for as long as I can remember. When I was a kid, my dad, sisters and I would wake up early, and get to the fair before seven. By the time it got crowded, hot, and generally miserable, we were ready to go home! It was a pretty good system, and that's what I've done with Charley the last few years.  But this year, timing was off for us. Charley was just getting over an ear infection, I was getting started back at school, and the only days we could've gone the weather was bad. We'll make up for it next year, I'm sure, but I'll admit I feel a little bit less Minnesotan, having missed the Great Minnesota Get-Together!

My cute little wedding date!

We didn't make it to the State Fair, but we did, however, make time to go swimming and play at the park over Labor Day weekend. For some reason, when I think of Labor Day, I think swimming, so that's exactly what we did. Charley loved every minute of it! We went to a wedding, too, and it was wonderful. It was the first wedding I've taken Charley to, and she did great. She looked pretty cute, too. Ha!

The start of school snuck up on me this year, even though we started pretty late! I definitely could've used a few more days to plan and get myself organized. You see, the structure of my job changed a little bit this year. I think I'm really going to like the change... But it's different, and it takes me a little bit of time to get settled into a routine and figure out how I want things to run. I'm a creature of habit, and I love to have a routine. It's not perfect yet, but it's been a really great (albeit stressful) start to the school year. Fortunately, I adore the kids and I work with really great people, so that's helped me get into the swing of things.

Over the weekend, I got to see my high school girlfriends for a little belated birthday celebration. At 32, I don't expect much in terms of a birthday party, but my girlfriends never fail to throw a fun party. We played games, had a couple of drinks, ate unhealthy food, and laughed A LOT. It was perfect. Seriously, I appreciate how much we laugh when we're together. It was exactly what I needed, after a busy first week of school!

Today, I had to take the day off so I could take Charley to the ENT. She had tubes when she was 11 months old, and ever since they fell out a year ago, she's had issues with ear infections. So, I took her in with the expectation of her needing another set of tubes in her ears. After spending a few minutes with Charley, the doctor turned to me and said, "Well, we have a few things we need to talk about here." Uh-oh. That definitely didn't sound good. She went on to explain that Charley needs to have her adenoids and tonsils removed, and another set of ear tubes. "Crap!" I thought to myself. It was definitely more than I'd expected. But Charley has been sick for a week or more, at several times in the last year. As a result, she's spent a lot of time on antibiotics, and I really don't like that. "You can think about it, and call us," the doctor said, "Or go ahead and schedule the surgery now." With the amount Charley has been sick in the last year, it was really no question for me. I scheduled the surgery for next week, and I'm prepared for a LONG week with a crabby kiddo.  But I know it'll benefit her health in the long run. I'm hoping for lots of visitors to entertain me, as much as her! Ha!

Charley's dad and grandparents are coming to visit her this weekend, too, so I'm preparing for a busy weekend and a stressful week ahead. Wish me luck! Have a good week, everyone!