Now, I know everyone has their own version of "It's a Crazy Life"....but for me, this week is one of those that threatens to just possibly push me over the edge (of, you know, a pitcher of margaritas...or something similar...) So, I freely admit that my motivation for sharing the following list is partially illustrative...but also to attempt to prevent me from spacing on my overlapping responsibilities, and thereby either forgetting to retrieve someone, or showing up at the wrong place...or time...or day...or what have you. Here's the scoop:
Monday: I accepted an extra interpreting assignment this week, which necessitated me figuring out the location of yet another campus near Raleigh, 40 minutes away from home. As I've said before, it's not a difficult commute traffic-wise, since I arrange my hours to avoid morning and evening crush time...but it's still a LOT of miles each way. When I arrived home, I had a few moments to eat a late lunch before packing up the snacks and water I had volunteered to provide, and hauling them over to Riley's Middle School, for them to be loaded onto the bus and taken with the cross-country team to their Away Meet. Then, at some as-yet-undetermined time in the evening, the runners will return and need to be picked up. (I should be grateful, really, as it could be even more complicated...if Riley actually had time to attend his regularly-scheduled soccer practice this evening...which thankfully he does NOT...)
Meanwhile, Derek will be proceeding with his own travel plans--the High School soccer squad has a match in a town about 20 minutes away. Afterwards, they tend to stop for food--the demands of a bus-ful of ravenous teenagers NOT to be denied--so we don't actually know when he'll be back, either. This is the Greater Purpose of texting technology, am I right, folks? Oh, and speaking of electronic communication, I heard from my beloved eldest son a little while ago...he wanted to know when dinner would be ready. It seems that he failed to bring the $10 bill I dug out of my wallet (which represented every last bit of the cash I had on hand, by the way--willingly sacrificed for my child...she says with a martyred sigh...) and handed him LAST NIGHT so he could purchase junky sustenance at whatever fast food joint they decided to patronize on the way back to school. (Ah, the adolescent boy brain strikes again...)
Okay, then...Tuesday: (Wait, we're only up to Tuesday? Sheesh, I'm getting tired already...) I have my normal workday, beginning with one class in the morning at the Health Sciences Campus, then driving a half-hour to Main Campus for an afternoon class. Then the requirements are pretty light--just picking up each boy after their respective practices, cross-country for Riley and soccer for Derek. (I should also note, here, that the Middle School is pretty much across the street from our neighborhood...and the High School is a 5-minute drive. So at least the "time spent in a vehicle" is happily minimized. Thank goodness for small favors, yeah?)
Wednesday: (aka "Harried Hump Day") Let's see, where shall I begin? Riley has cross-country practice right after school, until 4:45. Then he'll be whisked home to change into a dry shirt, (even if only briefly) eat a banana, gather his soccer gear, and head back out to the soccer field for his second training of the day. Derek will remain at school, as his team will host another soccer game. Unfortunately I won't be able to watch this one, since my dance class meets from 6:15 to 7:15. Oh, and I certainly hope that either Husband or a teammate will be available (and remember) to transport Derek at 6:45-ish...and Riley at 7. ('Cuz I'll be busy gettin' my groove on...and nothing is gonna interrupt that, let me tell ya!)
Thursday: (Yay, we're getting there!) I'll be at work again--longer day, same commuting arrangements. Riley will board an activity bus to compete in another cross-country meet, 20 minutes away. Derek will be done at the usual 5:45 with his team training. And Riley will presumably give us a jingle when they're close to pulling in to the parking lot, so someone can hustle over and chauffeur him back to Casa WestEnders.
Friday: (WE MADE IT...ALMOST...) Hmm, today's agenda is actually pretty simple. (I know, I know, "don't jinx it"!). Sometime during the appointed hours I need to pop over to UNC to pick up my race packet. That's right, I'm doing a 5K all by myself, because no one else was interested this time, what with all of their sports commitments and whatnot. (Hey, I usually run these things without my family anyway, since I'm the slowest among us. I probably won't even notice the difference!) Then we're all trooping over to East Chapel Hill High School to support our Chapel Hill Tigers in the fiercely anticipated, heated- rivalry-rematch soccer game. Things are always a bit...tense...when these 2 squads face off, so it should be a good show.
But wait, the fun and excitement continues on...Saturday: Well, Derek pretty much gets to lounge about and recover from his week. However, Riley has a soccer game in the early afternoon (about 20 minutes away, which is No Big Deal, considering how distant some of the fields they have us using are). And Husband has his own match in the early evening as well. (Very local...lucky duck...but are you noticing the development of the "20 minutes away" theme? No idea why all of the venues are located on an imaginary circle with that radius...or why my brain just went all Math Geek on me, for that matter. Questions to ponder while cruising back and forth--in our abundance of Automobile Downtime--perhaps!)
Finally, (at long last, hallelujah!) Sunday comes along. Oh, wait...that's when I'll be running 3.1 miles at 9 a.m. (Eh, the way I look at it, I'm done with my exercise requirements for the day...before breakfast. Plus, I get a t-shirt! And hopefully, yummy nibbles afterwards....) Then Riley has A-N-O-T-H-E-R soccer game. (Is this sounding like the proverbial broken record yet? And could we possibly update that ancient metaphor, already? Jeez, today's youth don't even recognize what that means! But I digress...) This one happens to be all the way in Raleigh, so Husband graciously offered to take the escort duties and give me a pass. (Besides, I went to this particular sports complex just last weekend--technically, it must be his turn, right? To sweeten the deal: last time we were there, I got valuable intel from a fellow team parent about the most a--ma--zing Sheetz, right around the corner, providing a heavenly array of post-workout energy bars and icy cold drinks for the long drive home. So really, he's all set...)
Ta da! Finished! But wait just a minute...now Monday is looming...and it's time to get back on the hamster wheel and do it all again. AAARRGGHHH! Even worse, I just realized I somehow neglected to pencil in the all-important Margarita Break! That's it, I'm writing it in permanent marker for the coming week...now, has anyone seen my planner?
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