summer slips by

i blinked and the sun set on Labor Day. summer is slipping away, just when i thought i had some breathing room. it is not to be. 9 months and 44 units completed. my study habits are relentless but voluntary. if i keep momentum going, this marks the halfway point for school.
summer: friends, family, camps, camping, service projects, beaches, caching, music, shows, gigs, over-nighters, museums, driving - lots of it. summer love. i'm not ready for it to end. i have not seen all my loved ones.

 b*y scout camp

 shaver lake

 geocaching from one camp to the next

 day tripping with youth group peeps

 sending britton off to college with prayer

 

 acoustic praise on new brig*ton beach

 typical golden fields early in the drought

 her tap bebut <3 br="">

  pin-tucking exhibit and tour

 surprise visitor from tulsa

 memorial day and independence day events with grampa

 piano guys live (woohoo!)

 his baptism

 church camp

 time with my little people

 

 donner lake (rain?!)

 dodging rain at the best art gallery, complete with mad chess matches and complimentary wine

 fishing trek

labor day camp trip lake s*n*ma

 

seabright (a.k.a.: annual natural br*dges trip.)

 

photo credit: nico falabella

 photo credit: nico falabella

 

photo credit: drew falabella

blues dancing with her son. now that will make a mama happy. :)

may, june, july...

tick tock, tick tock...the wheel of time turns swiftly, despite my plans. the hydrangeas are in full bloom thanks to the recycled grey water, the school year has officially closed, the yearbook finalized, boy scout and church camps looming but no formal summer travel plans await us this year. the budget prevents it, so day trips and local venues it is! my own school term ended last month....30.3 units down, 57 to go...my head oscillates between full and numb. last two weeks: don quixote, shakespeare, woolfe, orwell, freud, erikson, piaget, oates, brown vs. board of education, fair trade, ethics of manufacturing....i complain not. rather, i am on fire with academia.tick tock, tick tock...

but first, my beautiful friend donna, rebuilding, renewing, and entering back into her lovely colorful literary world.

  lavonne's 80th surprise party

 fundraising during off-hours for special olympics at fry's

 the 501st at the church's annual senior picnic

 opening ceremonies u c davis

 love this guy...

 father's day

 fruit picking with friends. being in the orchard gathering those delicious stone fruits gave me the feeling of being 8 years old. utter delight.

 accompanying his dad fishing :)

 20 years!? how did that happen?!

catching up on the good

it's been so long since i've blogged i nearly forgot how to access my account. it's been simply exhausting and good and overwhelming and inspiring and full and empty all at once. life is a crazy mixture of so many components, the best of which is time with family and friends. i'll try to be better about regular posts. being a full time student has altered my so-called free time to that which barely exists. to have a goal means to stay on track, and it's very hard to do so, but i'm trying! 

life in pictures of late...

new year, new directions...

 one of many bro nights, where sleeping boys are strewn about

 encounters with my sweetest god daughter - who just participated in a flash mob for prince. seriously, who can say that?

 keeping my sanity with fresh air, open spaces nearby, and this guy

 prom, on the bay...i love being the planner and a chaperone

 simply  beautiful vantage points

 my boy, doing what he does best. this:

 

and this too...

 taylor got herself elected class president the day before. we love her. (just friends.)

  
a closeup of the corsage i made taylor. i made six others, one for each of the chaperones. 

& must include one of my other boys :)(photo by steve f.)

 home improvement progress in the kitchen:

and bath too:

once upon a time i had a dining room table. these days it is generally filled with this:

 a terrible loss...

and precious hours spent together

working for the cause

and working at playing because i *can*. where did 10 weeks of group lessons go??

reasons to celebrate...

and lovely places to retreat to for hours of study

time is swift, fleeting. there is little of it to spend on laundry and home duties, or to document the classes i teach each week in spanish, biology lab, and literature analysis. every weekend is a different gig for my boy, so we drive a lot, and until very early in the morning. there are always extra boys involved. they stay the night, or the whole weekend. another week begins. another week ends. it is all part of this process of life as my young adults grow into who they are becoming, and i wouldn't change a thing. but i truly do not have much "me" time right now. 

for now, it all kind of comes down to this...

 dont' get me wrong. i'm a volunteer on this path, and i am grateful for every minute. there is good in all of it.

professor davis: this is where i talk to you every other monday. :)