Friday, August 31, 2018

Ride-along with Riley

So for my next installment in the dramatic, deeply emotional series called...well, I guess to be completely accurate, it'd have to be a mashup of "If I Could Turn Back Time" (with apologies to Cher, for blatantly stealing her title, even though the song itself has nothing to do with my situation...but whatever...) and "Time for Me to Fly" (with condolences to whoever's reading this, for putting that tune in your head...or, you know, you're welcome...whichever works for you), we turn to Riley, who followed up his brother's departure for college by celebrating a birthday...and becoming eligible to apply for his Learner's Permit.

(And that, my friends, is a perfect example of a whackadoo run-on sentence...which when I think about it, kind of encapsulates my mindset right now, so I'm not gonna change it. But anyway, I beg forgiveness from any English teachers out there. Yes, I was definitely taught better than this. What can I say--I've suffered a great deal of...Motherly Distress...this month...so I appreciate everyone cutting me some slack. Now where were we?)

Oh, yeah: ay yi yi, with the younger son forging ahead and aging up a year...as he always does in August, to be fair...but in tumultuous 2018, it was just a wee bit more than I was prepared to handle. Nevertheless, it happened, and we were determined to celebrate...the 3 of us who remained in Casa WestEnders, that is. First there were presents--a book Riley had picked out himself from the Planetarium's gift shop when we visited a few weeks ago; some dumbbells and a sandbag to enhance his at-home workouts; and a comfy beanbag chair to lounge in while reading or using the PlayStation.

And speaking of exercise, on his actual cumpleanos, Riley chose to accompany me to the outdoor bootcamp I attend most weekends. (Because who wouldn't opt to get all hot, sweaty, and tired, first thing in the morning on their special day? I swear--KIDS, man...) Perhaps he was thinking about the fact that we tend to hit up Whole Foods afterwards, for breakfast and coffee--so I suppose that does sort of count as dining out for your bday, yeah? (Sure, we'll go with that...) To round out the food category, in our family the honoree always gets to decree what they'd like for their birthday dinner as well. Riley selected fish tacos, so we shopped for the ingredients after we'd finished our fitness romp and calorie-replenishment.

Aaannd, it's a good thing all of that was fun, y'all...because I'm telling ya, the next ritual associated with turning 15 left quite a bit to be desired, to say the least. You see, earlier in the Summer, Riley had participated in the Driver's Education program offered by our school system, which meant he could take the first shot at his practice license on or anytime after his birthday. However, the excitement of reaching such an important milestone in a young person's life was unfortunately overshadowed...by the 6-hour period of languishing at the DMV waiting his turn to be helped. (Yeeaahhh...Riley was quickly indoctrinated with a Life Lesson in how sometimes, Adulting absolutely SUCKS...and the DMV is a prime example of that phenomenon. Sorry, buddy...)

Husband and Riley endured about 4 hours of this (2 of which were spent standing with the overflow crowd outside the actual office, in 90+ degree heat), at which point I was able to come and take over the delightful task of...sitting and fuming. At long last, we were summoned to one of the stations, where Riley was able to present his paperwork, pay the required fee, sign some forms, get his picture taken, and FINALLY take (and pass) his written test.

The end result was that he earned his temporary permit, allowing him to drive with a supervising grown-up for the next 12 months and log his hours...with the reward being that at this time next year we get to return to the scene of the crime--um, "DMV"--to repeat the whole...gosh darn....process. (Maybe they'll have worked out the kinks in the system by then. Or an even happier thought: you get to make an actual appointment for an on-the-road test, so we might be able to avoid all the malarky. Fingers crossed...)

Whew! With that out of the way, there was no time to rest on one's laurels, though, because the very next day was the kickoff of the 2018/19 academic year. Yaaaayyy? I'm joking--even with the crazy busy season we had, Riley was ready for classes to begin, as he always is after several months of free time. As a Sophomore, he didn't have any of those "new school" jitters he experienced a year ago, either. He had his schedule downloaded, supplies organized, lunch and soccer gear packed...basically, it was all under control. He even had a plan for the first day, which involved avoiding the inevitable transportation snafus that seem to occur the first week of each new term, by skipping the bus altogether, and walking himself to school instead.

So there you have it: a pretty eventful week in the life of Riley. After all, how often do you have a birth-iversary, earn a new privilege, get to start working on mastering a skill that will serve you your whole life, and begin 10th grade. ..all in the space of 3 days? Right, that would be "once in a lifetime". (Oh, was that rhetorical? My bad...) And now, I believe that while things are settling down, it would be an excellent time to search for some of that leftover cake! Shhh!!!

Sunday, August 26, 2018

New horizons...

Well, despite my best efforts at avoidance, I suppose it had to happen eventually. The train I'd been hanging out on all Summer finally pulled out of the station where it had been parked...at the lovely little depot called Denial, and began the journey toward its ultimate destination...um...Kid in College...Town. Last Sunday, there was no more stalling--the car had to be loaded, the farewells said, and half of Team WestEnders had to hit the road, to deposit one of its members at the University of South Carolina.

That is, of course, after the inevitable 11th-hour maelstrom of packing, including such categories as "Don't forget!" (your shaver, new toothbrushes, lens wipes, etc.) and "Do you need?" (e.g. packs of tissues, curtains, a broom). But then Derek and I finally pulled out of the driveway and got underway, and the whole thing became just a little bit more...REAL. Derek admitted that it hadn't completely sunk in for him yet, even though the previous couple of days he'd been slowly realizing that he was actually leaving, and had gotten just a little bit nostalgic because of it. He said that the "lasts" suddenly seemed to start piling up..."last time hanging out with the guys for a while", "last time sleeping in my own bed until Thanksgiving"...all the little things he thought about missing while he was away.

Speaking of which, this would be the final time he and I would be driving somewhere together, plus spending one-on-one time, for at least several months, so there were definitely a whole lotta feels going on for me as well...which I firmly squashed down so I could continue to function as a helpful parent on this field trip, rather than disintegrating into a blubbering puddle. (I planned to postpone THAT gigantic mess until later, to be unleashed at a more convenient time....) So we chatted through rural North and South Carolina, and I soaked up all the Derek witticisms and sports commentary and entertaining anecdotes that I could, to tuck them away in my memory bank while he's off at school.

We made ourselves comfortable in our hotel room that evening, hoping to get a good night's rest before Monumental Move-In Monday (not its real name...but I like it, so I think this just became what I call it from now on). This being our first time, we weren't exactly sure, you know...what to do...where to go...or anything else, for that matter. Derek admitted that the uncertainty of the situation was making him anxious, but for once, I was able to remain the calm, unperturbed one. (Contain your skepticism--it does happen...every once in a while!) Eh, I just figured that the university has done this a time or two and knows how to handle it, and that they would provide plenty of assistance to shepherd newbies like us through the process.

And you know what? That's exactly what happened. We simply drove to the campus at our appointed time, pulled into an open parking spot as directed by a friendly, efficient coed, and transferred Derek's belongings from the Subaru to a shady spot on the lawn in front of the building, (which incidentally took all of about, oh, 90 seconds, given the remarkably compact amount of stuff he brought along with him to his new home). While we contemplated our next step, I took a moment to look around, and my eyes found a very familiar group of people standing a few feet away. It was a family that we used to live down the street from...in Maryland. Seriously, Derek and their new Freshman went to PRESCHOOL together--and now, not only were they attending the same college, but they'd be living a couple of floors away from each other in the dorm. Wild.

So, the guys went off together to stand in the key-retrieval line, and the parents (I'm gonna call them The Ms) and I caught up on life...and whatnot. Then Derek and I made our way over to the lengthy elevator queue, where for the next while we performed an intricate choreography of sliding our pile forward a few feet at a time, in sections, which was all we could handle with our 2-person crew. (Memo to me for next year: an extra body would have come in verrrry handy for this particular task...) However, it would have taken us even longer, had Mr. M and his older son not seen us struggling, and offered to take some of the load off our hands. And by that, I mean that they each grabbed several of the oversized Ziploc bags, and took them up to Derek's room...using the STAIRS. Oh, and did I forget to mention that Derek resides on the 13th floor? (These were my new heroes, y'all...and I totally owe them a tall, frosty drink-of-choice the next time I see them...)

Once we arrived at the right hallway, it was an easy matter to shift everything inside, where we immediately came face-to-face with the new roommate--and his clan--for the first time. Introductions were made, pleasantries were exchanged, and then the real business of getting set up began in earnest. It honestly took very little time to arrange Derek's possessions, given both the quantity of what he brought with him, and the limited options for stowing them in a small 2-person domicile. His roommate, however, easily had three times as much to deal with...having brought such items as wall hangings, small pieces of furniture, and a flat screen TV to go along with his clothes, bedding, and toiletries.

It wasn't at all surprising that the organizing hubbub afforded us ample opportunity to identify items that we either hadn't thought about bringing, or had outright forgotten...making it abundantly clear that a trip to Target loomed in our  near future. However, I informed Derek that before we could address that chore, I would be needing sustenance, lest he find himself tending to a mother who'd passed out on the floor of his new bedroom due to low blood sugar. (Certainly NOT the ambiance he was looking for,...as if he were even familiar with the concept...but you know what I mean...) Fortunately, there's a small dining hall in his dorm, so we made our way downstairs for a quick lunch. (And Derek used his Carolina Card for the very first meal swipe of his college career....sniffle....)

Tangent alert: as we ate, I noticed another student and his father, who was giving me kind of an odd look, like he wanted to say something. I chalked it up to the Orioles shirt I'd chosen to wear that day, since several folks had already stopped me and commented on it. Sure enough, as I passed their table on the way to go refill my soda, the kid stopped me and asked if we were from Maryland. When I confirmed that we were, he followed up with "Where?" Now, normally I don't lead off with "Olney", because many people haven't heard of it, which means I just have to backpeddle and name another city. But this time I went for it, and the young man instantly exclaimed, "No s@#t!" Um...no? As it turns out, they live a couple of streets away from our old house. Apparently, Olney is well-represented in Gamecock Nation. Who knew?

Okay, back to the main plot...after we were fueled up and ready to plow ahead, we tackled the next agenda item: the bookstore. Happily, it proved to be fairly quick and painless to pick up his pre-ordered set of texts. About this time--since it was getting to be late afternoon at this point--he turned to me and apologized for how long everything was taking. "I'll understand if you need to go," he said ...but I assured him that as far as I was concerned, this was my only obligation for the day, and I wouldn't leave until we were both satisfied that he was all settled in.

Besides, as you can guess, I wasn't quite ready to let go just yet. (I know, right: shocker!) And apparently the thought had occurred to him as well, because in one of our conversations while strolling around campus, he mused, "I think it's all gonna hit me when you leave. Up to now, you've always been around, but when you go, I'll really be on my own for the first time, and it's gonna be weird." He admitted that the one thing he'd been feeling a little nervous about was starting over, meeting people, and making friends. "But then I realized," he added, "that I've already done that before, so it's no big deal!" (Yeah--about picking you up and relocating you to NC...you're welcome!)

From there, we decided to get the Target run out of the way...that is, us, along with half of the student body  population, evidently (which included running into the Ms again, amusingly, and also a guy that Derek had met and bonded with at Orientation, so it was a productive and social endeavor all-around). Having obtained a plethora of SNACKS (and by the way, how did we manage not to send those with him? Inconceivable...) and a few necessary staples for dorm living (toilet paper--didn't even occur to us that he'd need to supply that himself), we deemed our To Do List...completed.

Which meant that the moment I'd been dreading with all my heart had finally materialized...when I'd have to say goodbye to my oldest "baby", turn around and walk away...leaving him to fend for himself, and me to make the excruciating, heart-rending trek back to Chapel Hill without him. Being so busy all day, I'd made it that far without shedding a single tear (for which I was sooooo proud of myself, I'm not gonna lie). But now, hugging him one last time, hearing his parting "Thanks, Mom; I couldn't have done it without you"...the floodgates threatened to open. However, I swore I wasn't going to be THAT mom, who started sobbing in front of her kid, or caused a scene by crying all the way back to the parking garage. So I held it together...just until I was safely in the car, and then all bets were off. Let's just say the 4-hours home turned out to be just as awful as I'd anticipated.

And I know, I know--it's the next step in all of our lives, and it's a good thing, and we wouldn't want to stay stuck the same way forever, blah blah blah. Intellectually, I get all of that...it's just that it doesn't quite ease the emotional trauma of separation...not yet, anyway. Right now it feels like there's a suspiciously Derek-sized gap in our little tribe. But as he adapts to his new environment of higher education, we'll adjust on the homefront...and keep his spot open until he comes back to fill it for Turkey-Day-Weekend. Until then, we'll make do with texts (enough to keep in touch, not so many as to be a Parental Pill), weekly phone calls...and LOTS of chocolate...for therapeutic
purposes only, you understand!

Sunday, August 19, 2018

Celestial saga (or silliness...you be the judge...)

I suddenly realized last week, with a jolt of alarm, that we were down to ONE last opportunity for a Friday Field Trip before Derek went off to college. However, when I told the boys that I wanted to do something with them, they stared at me blankly. "What did you have in mind?" Derek finally asked, tentatively, while Riley sighed slightly and added, "Does it have to be a battlefield?" I assured them that our excursion could be whatever they wanted...at which point Derek firmly declared, "Wet and Wild, then!" Riley readily agreed, but as it turned out, no one really had the whole day to devote to a water park an hour away, so it fell upon me to come up with an alternative, less-time-consuming-but-still-entertaining activity.

I don't honestly remember how it came to me, but while wracking my brain for ideas, the thought popped up that we STILL hadn't visited the Morehead Planetarium, which is right on UNC's campus, a mere 3 miles away. It's something I've wanted to do since we moved to Chapel Hill 4 years ago, but somehow we'd never gotten around to it yet. Well, now seemed the perfect excuse to do so.

Oh, yeah...except for the teensy tiny fact that it happened to be Move-In Day for the university. Therefore, both the grounds and the town itself were...how shall I put this...a freakin' zoo. Full of pedestrians wandering aimlessly and cars being piloted by people who clearly had no idea where they were going...and us, attempting to negotiate the madhouse.

Fortunately, WE knew where we were headed, and had left plenty of extra time to account for buying tickets, so it was all good. We even had a few minutes to browse the gift shop while we waited, amusing ourselves with the freeze-dried ice cream, Albert Einstein t-shirts, miniature solar system models, assorted stuffed dinosaur toys, and my absolute favorite souvenir...perhaps of all time...the mug pictured here. I mean--c'mon, folks, how could you possibly resist drinking your morning java out of a cup that demonstrates the effects of climate change when filled with the hot liquid? It's like the most inspired combination of informative...kitschy...and pedantic! (I did not purchase one...this time. I may very well own one in the near future, though--Christmas is coming, after all!)

And then there was the moment when, while glancing through the small selection of books, I noticed one written about physics, for kids. Now, I should mention here that Riley has recently become fascinated by this topic (for reasons completely unknown to the rest of us, but we just go with it because, you know...it keeps him off the streets...or whatever...) and has spent a good deal of time this Summer reading about it on his own...for funsies. (Me, I just pick up a magazine--but to each his own, yeah?) So when I pointed out the text, I jokingly enthused, "And look, it even has a section on String Theory!" I assumed this would elicit either a patronizing chuckle or an eye roll from one or both of the guys...but what actually happened was that Riley gave a casual shrug and remarked, "I'm not a big believer in String Theory."

I'm sorry, WHAT? I'm telling you, it was like a cartoon, y'all. Derek's and my heads whipped around, our eyes met, and our mouths dropped open at the same time, as we stood, flabbergasted by this unexpected and outrageous pronouncement. Derek seemed struck speechless, but I just had to ask, "Um...sure. Whhhyyy?" Riley went on to explain that no one has been able to prove it definitively, and furthermore, it's meant to--in his words--"unify two principles that work just fine by themselves, so it's really unnecessary to create some artificial way to bring them together." Huh. Two thoughts: 1) Imma take your word for it, buddy and 2) Memo to me: get this kid started on reruns of The Big Bang Theory, because I think he'd find it a hoot. (And on a side note, I took it a step further and inquired as to how he felt about the mysteriously named "dark matter". He matter-of-factly replied, "Oh, yeah, that's okay; they've been able to see evidence of it." Of course. I'm so relieved. Moving on, then...)

Phew...with that little snippet of pre-show amusement out of the way, we were ready to enter the auditorium for the actual presentation. We settled into our seats and leaned back, scanning the night sky as our guide dimmed the lights to simulate sunset, then continued darkening the dome to reveal stars and planets that are visible to us right now in the NC heavens. I was immediately rapt and lost in wonder...'cuz I  just LOVE this kind of stuff.

Over the course of the lecture, the instructor showed us things like how to locate directional north using the stars in the Big Dipper (Seriously, how did I  never learn that before? It's so cool!), the shapes of many constellations in our southeastern Summer sky (which incidentally I've maintained for my entire life were "drawn" by verrrrry drunk "scientists", because I've got news for you, they're Just. A Bunch. Of Dots. You're not fooling anyone, astronomy-dudes...), and some features of the other planets that we've learned with telescopes, and through photos sent back to Earth from robotic space missions. Oh, and lest I forget to mention it, we also discovered that certain dignitaries--namely astronauts Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong--had trained in this very facility, before their journey to the moon on Apollo 11. (Ooh, talk about...starstruck! Ha! Sorry...but not really...)

Anyway, It. Was. AWESOME. After we'd gotten our full nerd fix, we grabbed lunch at Chipotle on Franklin Street, for one final Chapel Hill hurrah before heading home. Then the festivities continued into the evening, as the kids had been allowed to choose what they wanted for Derek's Last Family Dinner Until Thanksgiving (since he would be attending a Carolina Courage women's soccer game the next night with a friend). This meant that Husband grilled shrimp and cooked rice for them, and we sat around the table together, recognizing that this scenario probably wouldn't happen again for almost 3 months. (Not. Crying. Yet...) Then I convinced Derek to hang out and watch Guardians of the Galaxy 2 with me (because it seemed an appropriate ending to our exploring-the-universe day...and also, nothing makes you feel better than adorable Baby Groot, amirite?)

So I'd have to call our chock-full Friday a WIN for Team WestEnders. A little bit of learning, some tasty meals, abundant family bonding. And as an extra special bonus, nobody has to figure out what String Theory is all about...whoo hoo!

Thursday, August 16, 2018

And the prepping continues...

'Twas the week before college, and all through the house, not a teenager was stirring...but their mother was running around like a lunatic, attempting to check off the final items on her "Help Child Prepare for Independent Living" list. Not terribly poetic...probably overly dramatic...definitely an avoidance tactic to keep busy and delay thinking too deeply about the fact that his time left at home is dwindling...oh yeah, and quite possibly a terrible example of, you know, actually readying the kid for taking care of himself once he flies the proverbial nest. But whatever--I'll just stick to my organizational frenzy, which is working quite well for now, thankyouverymuch.

Anyway, as I was saying, there was still much to do, such as one of our favorite yearly rituals: the super-fun field trip to Staples, to stock up on essential educational...stuff. Unlike in the days of yore (better known as "Elementary School") we weren't fulfilling a tidy checklist of required and/or suggested materials, provided by the teacher. Nope, this particular excursion involved Derek and me wandering up and down the aisles, chatting about  what might be a good idea to have on hand, to start your university career...at least to get you through until you figure out what you really need. By the time we headed to the checkout line, we'd acquired quite an assortment of random things that we deemed worthy--including stacks of looseleaf paper...a couple of binders and notebooks...correction fluid...tape, scissors, paper clips, and a stapler...and a portable pencil box to corral one's writing instruments in the backpack.

Okay, that felt successful--now let's move on to the considerably less entertaining (and more expensive) task of...placing a textbook order! First, let me warn you that we're about to enter a brave new world here, folks: a million years ago, when I was in college, all the students had to steel ourselves every semester to participate in the dreaded ritual of standing in a mile-long line to purchase our books at the (one) actual store on campus. This took hours, and was both boring and annoying, so needless to say, I do NOT have fond memories of the process.

But these days, it's a whole other experience. You simply log into your school email account, pull up your class schedule, which shows you exactly what you need for each course, choose your option (buy new or used, or rent for a few months), add them to the cart, and click Send. Heck, they'll even price-match for you, if you find something online that costs less. Because the stupid things are so...goshdarn...pricey, we did due diligence, and searched for all of Derek's textbooks on other sites. We only found one of them, but it was a rental, for at least $100 less than the university's offering. (Yay--we'll take it!)

Presumably this special electronic communication is then transmitted to the bookstore itself, where it will be shared with employees, who will use it to gather your pile o'materials and have it waiting for you when you show up on Move In Day. I'm telling ya, it sounds...downright magical. (Wait, I take that back! We haven't actually seen the books yet, so I don't want to jinx it by speaking too soon! Fingers crossed that it transpires as smoothly and painlessly as it appears on paper. Except the bill, of course, but nothing can help with that...siiighhhh...)

Phew! Now that we'd assembled a motley array of the odds and ends Derek would be taking with him into his next Life Adventure, it seemed like a wise idea to do what I decided to call a "practice pack". (I've been told by numerous people that I made that up, and it's not "a thing". Well, it is now...you're welcome...) The goal was to arrange everything into the containers we'd bought (to find out if they worked the way we'd envisioned them), see how it all fit together, and determine how compact we could make it, to stash neatly into the Subaru for the jaunt to South Carolina.

So we kicked off this little fiesta by hashing out the nitty gritty details of how many pairs, exactly, of socks and shorts and underwear, one might require, in order to fulfill the dual--and equally important--goals of 1) staying clean and non-stinky and 2) not having to do laundry more than once a week or so. And don't even get me started on how many t-shirts the boy had to pick out, from his crammed drawer full of a staggering number of garments. (None of which he will consent to weed out, by the way. Perhaps that will mysteriously occur while he's gone...mwah hah hah!) Then there were the toiletries and linens and cleaning supplies (wishful thinking, I know, but it can't hurt to send them, right?) and room essentials (desk lamp and shower caddy and alarm clock and...whatnot).

We gathered and categorized and tucked things into their niches, and when it was all said and done...it was so much less stuff than I'd anticipated. I mean, look at this small mound...that's all of it! My first thought was "He's such a...GUY! Where the heck is the rest of it?". But this was followed closely by relief, as in "This won't even be difficult to cram into my car. Whoo hoo!" It turned out to be both an amusing and a useful exercise, so all in all, I'd have to call it time well spent.

And speaking of time...I'd been reading in one of the handy dandy guides the university had given us, all about things you can do during the Summer to help your adolescent get ready to be on their own. Many of them I was checking off in my head, because he already does them. (Laundry, yep. Manage his own debit card, sure. Learn how to wake up to an alarm clock...wait, are you kidding me? He's been doing that since about the 6th grade, so we're good.) But one suggestion struck a chord with me: allow them some freedom to make decisions about their own time...such as curfew, for example. Gulp. Oh...kay, I guess we can try that.

And wouldn't you know it, an opportunity to test this out came up the night Derek, Riley and I attended a Bulls baseball game. Derek had already asked if he could hang out with his friend group after we got home, even though it would probably be late, because as he pointed out, they had limited chances left to do so before they all scattered to their respective colleges in a matter of days. Once I agreed to that, he tacked on, "And can I stay out later than usual, so I have more time to spend with them?" Also approved. So when we were pulling up to where I'd be dropping him off, he finally asked, "How late can I stay?" Thinking, "Here we go...let's see how this turns out", I responded with "What do you think is a reasonable time to come home?" He immediately remarked, "Well, (someone whose name shall be omitted to protect his dignity) will have to leave at 12:00 anyway, so is it okay if I do, too?"

I assured him that actually, it sounded 100%, totally acceptable. (Especially since I was expecting much worse! That last part was obviously only stated IN MY HEAD, of course.) Not a half-second later, Riley piped up with a sarcasm-laden entry into the conversation, "Jeez, looks like the whole 'curfew' thing goes right out the window when you're about to go to college, huh?" Derek laughed, and I sputtered, as he followed it up immediately with a more serious, "Suppose I was going somewhere with my buddies--what time would I have to come home?" (Oh, good grief. I reminded him that he is, after all, 3 years younger, so could we maybe start out with the basics, and leave the heavy negotiation for somewhere down the road? Baby steps, my son...)

Finally, one last funny moment from our Practice Pack (patent pending). When he'd finished stowing all the class supplies in his backpack, he gave a satisfied nod and commented, "I don't know if you've noticed, but during the school year, my backpack lives on the floor at the foot of my bed at all times. Then during the Summer, it moves to my closet. It's only when I'm feeling ready for the new term to start, sometime in late August, that I move it back out." I don't think I'd ever consciously noticed the trend before, but it made sense, so I motioned for him to continue, since he clearly had more to say. He concluded with a contented sigh, "Well...it's staying right there. I'm ready to go."

Wowwww....that makes one of us, kiddo. Don't get me wrong, I'm super-excited for him, and soooo glad that he's feeling happy and confident about this next step. But...nah, I guess there's really no "but"...this is happening, and it's time for Mom to practice letting go, yeah? Uh-huh...I'm gonna get to work on that right now...if you'll excuse me, I'm thinking maybe some chocolate would improve the process...

Saturday, August 11, 2018

Running with the Bulls (sort of...)

It's no secret that everyone on Team WestEnders likes to run--for fitness, for stress relief, for the sheer physical satisfaction...and sometimes for the double whammy of a charitable cause, combined with family solidarity, as is the case with 5Ks we participate in together. Every year we try to pick at least one race that all four of us can commit to, taking into account our disparate schedules, sports obligations, and time constraints.

This Summer, it turned out that we got to revisit one we'd signed up for before, in 2015 (and which had conflicted with vacation plans in subsequent years, preventing us from repeating until now). However, only Derek, Riley and I had ended up taking part, since Husband had to bow out at the last minute due to a work-related travel issue. So in 2018, the whole gang was ready to rock the Bull Moon Habitat (Ride and) Run (obviously joining the foot parade, rather than the wheeled portion), benefiting the Durham chapter of Habitat for Humanity.

We like this one for several reasons (besides the obvious "money to a worthy charity"), including the fact that it's one of the few that takes place in the evening, with the bikers pedaling off at 7:30, followed by the runners at 7:45. The organizers hand out glowsticks to anyone who wants to drape them somewhere on their body; on top of that, many folks show up in their own bedazzled, illuminated, or reflective apparel, all of which adds to the festive atmosphere. And then there's the point that the event itself starts and ends at the DBAP--the Durham Bulls' Athletic Park--which happens to be not only an iconic landmark, but also one of our favorite spots on the planet.

As usual during any activity at the field, they close off the street in front of the entrance, for pedestrians to wander freely--and in this case, for the swath of vendors that line either edge of the sidewalk with their food and drink offerings. The mascot, Wool E. Bull, prances among the crowd, spreading enthusiasm and inciting squeals of glee from the small children in attendance. A DJ cranks high-energy tunes, loud enough for you to have to raise your voice to talk to one another, while encouraging people to dance... you know, just as an appropriate pre-race warm-up.

Yep, it's a big old fiesta, y'all...oh yeah, and then eventually it's time for some exercise...or whatever. Even though we'd only experienced it once, the boys and I recalled the course as being a hilly and tiring one...and memory did not fail us. To add to the...let's go with "challenge"...consider this: even at dusk, it was still hovering around 85 degrees, with 90-something percent humidity, making the Heat Index...a balmy ONE HUNDRED AND FIVE. (Or if you'd prefer it in non-meteorological terms, "Slightly Hellish". Also, in belated 20/20 hindsight, I reeeaaally didn't need to know that before pounding the pavement. Oh well...) Yeeeaahhh, it was not what you'd call "comfortable". Or "pleasant". But definitely "super-sweaty" and "Oh, good grief, are we DONE yet?"

But we've got a few of these under our belts by now, so we know how to get the job done. We plugged along, pacing ourselves, each doing our own thing (although Husband and Derek hung together on this one, for once). Not surprisingly, my per-mile time came in on the upper end of my normal range, but I wasn't fussed--3rd in my age group, 149th out of 466 finishers....I'll take it. Husband and older son cruised across the line slightly less than a minute--and 30 people--ahead of me, for a respectable showing as well.

But after the 3 of us had grabbed water, we went looking for our youngest family member. He was already chilling (metaphorically, since that wouldn't actually be possible in those wet-blanket conditions...), stretching, and hydrating, as a good athlete does after working out. When asked about his run, he shrugged nonchalantly and said that it had gone pretty well. It was only after I prodded him to accompany me to the results table that I found out the kid had been the FIRST FINISHER...out of EVERYONE. No wonder he appeared so relaxed when I found him, since he'd crossed the line a full ten minutes before me. Holy Bat out of Hell, where did this child get his speed? (In case I haven't been clear: NOT FROM ME!)

So of course we had to wait around for the awards presentation, to see what kind of prize he'd won (a $40 gift certificate to Omega Sports--very useful...and fun!). The extra time wasn't a hardship, however, since another thing that sets this race apart is that the entertainment continues, post-run...with the addition of adult beverages (although we opted to stick with H2O. Okay, okay...I did get all wild and crazy for a minute and toss back a frosty, refreshing....Coke Zero. I know, I know: we are Party. Animals. What can I say?), sandwiches and cookies provided by Sheetz, fresh barbeque (because of course, "the South"), soft pretzels with hummus dip, samples of yummy new Kind bar  flavors, and apparently, cheese--which absolutely cracked me up, because every time you'd walk by, someone would wave a toothpick at you and call out hopefully, "Cheese? Want some cheese?"

It was quite the shindig, I tell ya. But once we'd had our fill of tasty snacks, and Riley had been given his swag, we were ready to call it a night...and most importantly, hit the SHOWERS. So we put this one in the books--our probably one-and-only full-squad run of 2018--and made our way back to Chapel Hill. Time to start looking for the next one...but maybe I'll wait a month or two, and use that interval to pray to the Weather Gods for cooler temps by the Fall! (It couldn't hurt, right? Wish me luck...and a nice breeze...)

Sunday, August 5, 2018

Summertime Antics

Well, folks, Team WestEnders was back at the proverbial grindstone, once the festive vacationing portion of our Summer concluded. (Sigh...I miss it already...) After all, there were still plenty of tasks left to keep us occupied. (You know, lest we become bored, or something equally dreadful).

For Riley, this began with a 2-week camp volunteering position that he'd applied for back in the Spring. He'd never done anything like this before, so he wasn't sure what to expect, but he reported that he basically supervised little kids (3rd graders in Week 1, 1st and 2nd graders in Week 2) in lots of indoor and outdoor activities, designed to keep them busy and entertained all day. He really enjoyed the whole gig, and seemed especially amused by the munchkins. For example, he relayed that one day, early on in the experience, some of them asked him "if he could even fit into a car...because he was so HUGE!" And they also marveled at his ability to move logs--that to them appeared gigantic--telling him how strong he was...all of which must have been very ego-boosting to a young High Schooler put in charge of  a group of children for the first time!

No sooner had he finished his service to the Youth of America, than he had to report to his own camp, a pre-season soccer extravaganza designed to get potential players ready for the school tryouts. Two half-days and one full morning-to-night session of running, dribbling, shooting, defending...and whatnot...with lots of his mates from both the school and club teams, added up to a whole bunch of sports tune-up...and fun, according to Riley. (Sounds utterly exhausting to me, but fortunately, all I had to do was take care of chauffeuring him back and forth...)

And then, the very next day, the rigorous High School auditions kicked off (Ha! Sorry...) at the gruesome hour of 7:30 a.m. (I mean, I GET it--it's as humid as I can only imagine Hades would be, so the coaches are trying to hold workouts before the temperature climbs, and makes it even more uncomfortable later in the day...but it's still awfully early to be so...vigorous...in my opinion...) After a week of this, competing against dozens of other candidates, Riley survived the two rounds of cuts, to be selected for the JV team. (Hold please for proud mom moment...well done, buddy! Okay, I'm good, carry on...) Now, of course, that means the grind of daily practices--punctuated by twice-or even-thrice-weekly games--commences, and lasts for the next several months. (Um....yay? Just kidding--I'm not really complaining, since I love to watch him play...)

Sooo what has Derek been up to, during all this soccer-palooza? Well, his focus has been on the old "countdown to college" agenda. Oh, wait...what I meant to say was "His mother has been plowing full-speed ahead with preparations...and dragging his sluggish teenage butt along for the ride". (Yeah, that's definitely the one...) Such as, the critically important "choosing and signing up for a meal plan" step...which honestly required approximately 5 minutes of our attention, as it involved identifying the absolute most generous one...and clicking on it. With that out of the way, we were...or rather I was... free to complete the terrifying procedure known as "paying the semester bill". With the exception of buying a house, I'm pretty sure I've never transferred that amount of money before, and it caused me no small amount of anxiety to do so (but I'd better get over that, right? Since presumably I'll be repeating it every 6 months or so, for the next 7 years...ay yi yi...deep breaths...)

Finally, after all the stressful financial business was taken care of, we arrived at the more pleasant part of the proceedings: SHOPPING! (Which naturally required even more outpouring of money, but SHHH, we're not going to think about that, 'kay? Thanks...) Utilizing the university's helpful recommendations, as well as my own expertise as a...household manager...I compiled a list of items Derek would need, in order to equip his new dorm room. Some things we already had at home, so I simply added them to a pile; others we tossed in a cart as we wandered around Target. Toiletries, bedding, laundry supplies, towels, ETC.--there were so many choices to make that I worried I was overloading the poor boy, but when I inquired as to how he was doing, he claimed to be fine.

That is, until we abruptly reached the straw that broke the camel's back, if you will--and it came in the form of an innocuous device known as...nail clippers. Yep, there we stood in the manicure aisle (which was probably a dangerous enough feat to attempt with an adolescent male, in hindsight), comparing options to help one accomplish the seemingly uncomplicated task of grooming one's digits. I guess that was the problem, really: that there were even multiple features to consider before committing to a purchase. I'm not kidding--he actually rejected a couple of them because...he didn't understand the design and therefore didn't feel confident he would know how to use them. That should have been my first clue that my beloved son was D-O-N-E with this particular outing, yeah? After eventually settling on a pair of tools (covering both fingers and toes), a relieved Derek blew out a gusty sigh and commented, "We took longer on that, than anything else we've done so far today. And NOW, I'm tired!"

Fortunately, we were also finished, so we were able to check out, and then escape the retail madness. All in all, it was quite a productive couple of weeks, and our previously daunting To Do List has been considerably shortened, thank heavens. And now we've earned ourselves a brief breather, before we have to regroup and tackle the rest of our chores. Bed Bath & Beyond...and Home Depot...and Staples, here we come! Whoo hoo! (Groan...)