Spring Break 2012 - A Staycation #Fail . . . or Was It?

I've done this for years, friends--this meaning the teacher vacations, the treasured ones that I work so hard to earn. The ones that make me feel like a student again, or somewhat more accurately, like a stay-at-home mom. And since we don't usually have "vacation money" per say, my daughter and I have gotten pretty comfortable with the so-called staycation. Austin is a super-cool city where there's always something going on somewhere, most of our family lives here, and we have our pets at home to keep things lively, too (especially since we're outnumbered 2:1, both in quantity & adorableness). 

We usually follow the loosely-formulated day of: 

• Wake up whenever, gear up for the day with some grub and at-home time. 
• Do at least one errand &/or chore and one just-for-fun outing (not necessarily in that order).
• Wrap up the day by just taking care of ourselves, the pets, and enjoying home (or a family member's home & hospitality;-). 
• And finally, go to sleep whenever. 

Typically, we both appreciate all of the extra hours in our day to run around and/or chill out. But, this year I can look back and say I largely failed! That is not to say it was all bad by any means, but generally speaking, not a lot of fun was had. Let's see why that may be...

This year there was an added twist of a science project to be completed (not purposely assigned over the break, but Ariana had an extended due date as a result of circumstances beyond her control). Maybe I can blame the fail on that. Nah, it caused only a couple of minor speed humps in the Spring Break road. Maybe we had gotten too behind on chores. This is a serious contender for what really went wrong; I feel like all I did at home was laundry and dishes--and I was home way too much! Perhaps I subconsciously sabotaged myself by imagining some actual Spring Cleaning might get done. (The added pressure sometimes bursts my bubble, and then not even the basics get done...but, no, that wasn't it.) Or, maybe it's the notably difficult age at which my daughter currently finds herself (a tween, indeed!). Well, that is definitely a player--especially with the aforementioned science project and chores to get done! Well, now that I think of it, I wasn't feeling terribly well most of the time, either. So, physically and emotionally, I was very challenged. That sounds most like the primary culprit. You know the saying: "When Momma ain't happy..."

So, looking back on it, this Spring Break felt largely like my own personal version of Groundhog Day (remember that movie?!?! Find fun facts about it contributed to BuzzFeed by Bill Murray himself, here: http://www.buzzfeed.com/billmurray/things-you-probably-didnt-know-about-the-movie-g). I guess the main tone of this post is venting, with a bit of a self-serving purpose: to help me recover from the ickies that permeated my break, and hopefully to determine, 'How do I stop re-living this day?' 

However, there were some definite highlights not to be underestimated betwixt the hum-drum moments. So, maybe venting here did work it all out! Now, images of several happy moments bring me a smile. Time for a change of tone, as I feel much better now. Writing really can be cathartic. And stay-at-home moms are miracle workers. :) So, with no further ado, your prize for having made it through my bitch-session: some photos of the good times we squeezed in! 

Just Us...

Visiting the school garden plot they just planted

There's some smiles...

With family...

Ariana introduces cousin Jude to the wonders of gymnastics!

And, he's ready to try it for himself! Whoa, did you see that?!

More active fun with Cousin 'Ana'

St. Patty's Day shot taken just before leaving,
so we are all pretty pooped

Ari & I toasted with green fruit smoothies at home

And, with friends...

(only one of whom is actually pictured)

Visiting the Dr. Seuss visit at Art on 5th

...not to mention some other happies not caught on film: 

• Dinner and a movie at my Granny's courtesy of Aunt Vicki. We watched Footloose, the remake, which we all enjoyed.
• My all-too-brief visit with my bestie, Cedar, which ended with a slightly un-fun, but highly appreciated co-errand to Home Depot. Necessary evils are always more enjoyable with a friend!
• Ariana's nicely-timed outing to one of her bestie's house on Wednesday. I don't think they kept up the semi-tradition of baking something while she was there, but highlights I gathered were the trampoline antics, and some innocent, detective-like reconnaissance performed on unsuspecting neighbors.
• Additionally, some enjoyable visits peppered-in here & there with my dear-ol' Ma. Her week was unusually busy & stressful week, so our time together was made that much sweeter in comparison.

P.S. For anyone with a geeky inclination to wonder what experiment my little scientist performed, it was soaking eggs in different types of vinegar to see which vinegar yielded the bounciest egg. It was the white vinegar. Although, she performed the version of the experiment with raw eggs rather than boiled. I do not recommend it. (I'll preserve some mystery and let you look it up or just imagine why...) But she rocked it out, and the final tri-fold display was one which made her rightly proud.

2011 in Review

This past year was truly a remarkable one, full of some exceptionally high highs, and only one core-rocking low. Overall, I can say that my family had more happy times than sad ones, and we continued to appreciate all of the times we spent together, whatever the occasion. I feel thankful every day for all of the blessings in my life, and am especially pleased to end my zero blogging streak of 2011 with a post in 2012 that I'm proud to share. I tried to post this earlier--on New Year's Day, in fact, but many technological glitches have delayed me. As my friend Kaia would say: "patience training." I'd like to give a special shout-out to my Android phone that I've owned for an entire year now (I named it Violet) for auto-uploading photos into my iPhoto on my laptop whenever I connected it, which made this post possible...And a more personal thanks to my friends Shaunna and Jenricci for being a 'blog beacon' these past years (however inconsistently ;) -- Also, I have a hopeful advance thanks to my sister, Julie, who is interested in joining me as a late-bloomer on this adventure the world knows as blogging! We are busy mommas, but hope to make time to share our lives on this virtual format.

Highlights of our life and times: 2011

Hands-down the best thing about 2011 happened right off the bat: 
Jude Alexander was born! My lovely sister, who is also my dear friend, has gloried in her role as New Mommy! Through the steep learning curve every new parent experiences in their own way, she maintained her cool and looked to all of her loved ones for advice, support, and hugs. Her amazing husband shared as equal a role as a father can in the early months, given his natural lack of breastmilk. Seriously, though, he is a terrific and loving father; he was born for this. All of our extended families are tickled pink with the most darling addition to come along since...well, since my l'il darling came along 11 & 1/2 years ago! These cousins are peas in a pod, and 2012 finds them already enjoying actual games of chase.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

And, to continue with the highest of highlights: 
In 2011, she said goodbye to a long-lasting commitment to practicing martial arts as a strong, confident blue belt. She practiced Pyon Moo Do (a mixed martial arts curriculum) at the Traditional Martial Arts Academy since 2nd grade! However, she busied herself with Girl Scouts, choir, piano, & gymnastics--and even took up the cello in her school orchestra in September. (No wonder we hardly ever got our chores done...!)
Ariana wrapped up 5th grade in June with many well-deserved honors. She returned to her old school for big 6th grade business, and was thrilled to share an incredible growing experience at Camp Champions in October with her original school pals! In her 3 days and 2 night stay, she grew inches in spirit. She'll always be my "big baby girl," but she is growing into an Awesomely Awesome young lady! She is the guiding light of my life, the anchor to my every day, and I could not be prouder of her as she grows more every day.

5th grade graduation, June******Return from Camp, October

We shared some of our most enjoyable times this past year on our two vacation road trips:
In June, a social retreat full of swimming and socializing with the Traditional Martial Arts Academy's families brought some of my most peaceful moments in recent years. The drive out past Kerville led to a natural spring next to an expansive main house on acres and acres of secluded land. I'm so thankful for the community that we shared at TMAA for so long, and this was an especially relaxing time to get to know folks even better.
The 2011 summer fun wrapped up with our annual trip to the beach which we took in August this year. (This is Ariana's preference for a birthday celebration: a late hurrah at the beach for her April birthday instead of a big party.) We met Julie and her circle of friends with their families there, and were even lucky enough to snag Ariana's bro' Meno (visiting from Ohio) to complete the family fun! One day and one night at the beach made for a whirlwind experience bunking with Cassie & Jason at the Pepto-pink place, but I wouldn't trade it for more time with fewer friends.

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It's all the little things that made 2011 a good year:
When we weren't traipsing around town or out on the open road, we mostly enjoyed a ton of time at home with our favorite furries: Scruffy the Gruff, Joey the Licker, Mona Lisa the Watch-Cat, & Jellybean the Cuddle-Lump. We followed their easy-going examples and did a bit of lazing around, too! We watched Friends on DVD, and fell in love with Netflix viewing via our Wii.

                                   Joey and Scruffy snuggled up...             Jellybean & Mona

                                         Ari and 'JJ'                       Me 'n Scruffy, JJ, and Joey

In other news, 2011 saw me saying goodbye to my X-Terra:
After almost exactly 6 happy years (and too much money dumped into repairs there at the end). I encountered a bit of rough luck getting into some new-to-me wheels, but thankfully, it didn't take too terribly long for things to turn around, and I landed securely in my dad's old Accord. Full of responsible maintenance and good dad-vibes, it offered the answer to my prayers, and saved me another 5 year car note. I love the Accord, but still miss my X-Terra! Out with the old, in with the new takes some adjustment...Well, here's to building a new bond--I'd better start planning our first road trip for 2012!!!

                  Me then, driving my X-Terra   .  .  .   Me now, driving my Accord

Our only true sadness this year...:


...was losing Mikey. Ariana felt a strong and special bond with her daddy ever since she was an infant. It was all smiles and fun between them, as he often took her swimming, to the movies at the mall, and shared tons of fun just romping around the living room. She was accustomed to his company at her birthdays, July 4th celebrations, Halloween trick-or-treat walks, and Christmas Eve sleep-overs by the tree. He'd also make an appearance on any rare Texas occasion of snow!
The sudden shock of this unexpected loss has yet to settle completely, and we feel it in so many corners of our daily life. Our family has had little experience with cancer, but the few times has reared its ugly head among us, there have been no happy endings. In years past, he & I each lost a grandfather to cancer. But now, his own previously undetected brain tumor is very difficult to cope with as reality. He was not one to go to the doctor for anything short of a nail through his hand (yes, that really happened!), so it's not too surprising that he was never diagnosed. We cannot know what he suffered in silence, but surely if we could have known what he was going through, we would have done anything possible to relieve it. Leaving us at the young age of 37 makes it impossible to believe that he rests forever in peace.
Anyone who knew him well, knew he had a good heart and a ready smile. VW bugs, guitars, and beers with friends never failed to get him excited. His fun-loving ways and endless energy kept him the life of the party. He shared his love and laughter with many, but his mother said it best when she pointed out: he always had a special light when he was with his daughter. I believe that he saw the best of himself reflected in Ariana's eyes. He is truly missed, and the special place he holds in our hearts has only grown with his absence. I'm endlessly sad that he is gone from our lives, but he lives on in our hearts, and in the many memories that we relive often. Best of all, he left a jewel of a daughter to carry on the very best of his loyal and light-hearted spirit.

  

Typical fun at this year's 11th birthday family party at the park

5th grade graduation