Introspective Summer Vacation
Inspired by Mary Dunn, I am starting a blog. Don't know how, but here it is. Many of you know that my kids and husband are away for the summer. Many of you have asked me if I'm lonely, and if I miss them. No, I am not lonely, and I just started to miss them yesterday. For those of you who don't know, I have a very demanding Brazilian husband, and three beautiful daughters, two of which are teenagers, one 'tween (almost a teenager). My life is usually spent between driving them to volleyball or enriching their social lives by driving them to their friends houses and/or activities.
We decided to send them to Brazil so they can all spend time with their paternal grandmother, who had heart surgery last year, and cannot travel anymore. The benefits also are that they get to bond with their father (He had no idea what he was getting into!!!!!), and they will be able to have many more activities there than they would have here. (The oldest (15) refuses to go to camp anymore.) What's a business owner to do? Agree that it is important for the girls to have an opportunity to learn about their father's culture and country, also the birthplace of their mother. They left on June 12th. Paulina was unhappy about leaving her friends for so long, for as she put it "Everything happens in the summer. When I come back, I won't understand the inside jokes, and my life will be ruined!" Daniela (13) agreed with her sister, but she was willing to go for one month, not two. Julia, on the other hand, had already saved up her money from birthdays, Christmas, etc... to buy a surfboard. (They are only $300 in Brazil as opposed to double that here. Turns out many of the greatest surfboards are made in Brazil...)
They have been surfing, playing volleyball on the beach (Ipanema and now Cabo Frio.) Paulina even went Hang Gliding!!!!! (I don't know how I didn't instill my fear of heights onto her.) She can't wait to do it again, and I hear she has a video of it. They are all hanging out with their cousin, Layla, and enjoying their grandmothers soups and homecooked meals.
Meanwhile back in Florida, I have been cleaning everything out of my fridge, as I don't see the need to cook for one. I have gone out to lunch with friends, and I have been working more than usual, but it feels like less of a load. I guess the word got out, and many of my students (and some new ones) have been booking private sessions. I, in the meantime, have been enjoying my house, and the delicious silence around me. No TV's, no loud teen music, no one arguing, No one screaming about who stole who's shirt. Just birds singing in the background, occasional barking of dogs, and the sound of the barracuda cleaning the pool. I can actually think, hear my thoughts, and enjoy moments of nothingness. I revel in quiet mornings, and a newspaper just to myself to enjoy. No messy house to pick up, no dishes left in the sink. Now I understand my mother. She used to love staying home while my father took us to the circus, the movies, or just out to the park. I always worried that she would feel sad because we were leaving, but now I can picture her cranking her Bee Gees records and dancing around the living room....
We decided to send them to Brazil so they can all spend time with their paternal grandmother, who had heart surgery last year, and cannot travel anymore. The benefits also are that they get to bond with their father (He had no idea what he was getting into!!!!!), and they will be able to have many more activities there than they would have here. (The oldest (15) refuses to go to camp anymore.) What's a business owner to do? Agree that it is important for the girls to have an opportunity to learn about their father's culture and country, also the birthplace of their mother. They left on June 12th. Paulina was unhappy about leaving her friends for so long, for as she put it "Everything happens in the summer. When I come back, I won't understand the inside jokes, and my life will be ruined!" Daniela (13) agreed with her sister, but she was willing to go for one month, not two. Julia, on the other hand, had already saved up her money from birthdays, Christmas, etc... to buy a surfboard. (They are only $300 in Brazil as opposed to double that here. Turns out many of the greatest surfboards are made in Brazil...)
They have been surfing, playing volleyball on the beach (Ipanema and now Cabo Frio.) Paulina even went Hang Gliding!!!!! (I don't know how I didn't instill my fear of heights onto her.) She can't wait to do it again, and I hear she has a video of it. They are all hanging out with their cousin, Layla, and enjoying their grandmothers soups and homecooked meals.
Meanwhile back in Florida, I have been cleaning everything out of my fridge, as I don't see the need to cook for one. I have gone out to lunch with friends, and I have been working more than usual, but it feels like less of a load. I guess the word got out, and many of my students (and some new ones) have been booking private sessions. I, in the meantime, have been enjoying my house, and the delicious silence around me. No TV's, no loud teen music, no one arguing, No one screaming about who stole who's shirt. Just birds singing in the background, occasional barking of dogs, and the sound of the barracuda cleaning the pool. I can actually think, hear my thoughts, and enjoy moments of nothingness. I revel in quiet mornings, and a newspaper just to myself to enjoy. No messy house to pick up, no dishes left in the sink. Now I understand my mother. She used to love staying home while my father took us to the circus, the movies, or just out to the park. I always worried that she would feel sad because we were leaving, but now I can picture her cranking her Bee Gees records and dancing around the living room....
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