The patio is almost completely finished. I finished putting down the last pavers this morning. All I have left is edging and sealing, which I should be able to do in a day. I am so unbelievably exhausted, though. Tamping the extra gravel was hard on my body. I managed to get Robin to an escape room with her friend from school. We managed to escape! We needed 13 hints, which feels like a lot, but our helper said it really wasn’t much. He had to give us the answer for one of the puzzles. We just couldn’t figure it out. We had a lot of fun. Then out to dinner and back to bed! The exhaustion is palpable. I can’t seem to get on top of it.
Tag: caitlin
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August 28
Robin had a tough day at school after the news about Jackson. I’m not sure if I’m in denial, but he seems better. Maybe this is premature. Took the kids to Chili’s for dinner – Billy had a football game.
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August 13
Carline is ruining my life. There were a LOT of tears today, from both me and Robin, at drop-off and at pickup. The stress of all that traffic, two hours a day, every day, is just more than I’ve been able to handle. There was yelling and swearing and generalized fury. All I can say is that tomorrow has to be better. Please?
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August 4
I went out for dinner with Molly and Cindy. We went to Salento, which is usually awesome, but for some reason, the service was terrible tonight. We were there for two hours, which was about an hour too long for me. It was still nice to catch up with them. They seem to be doing well, especially Cindy, who was moving around like she’d never been sick, almost. It’s the best I’ve seen her since then. Glad they are both doing well.
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July 20
Busy day with cleaners coming, AC maintenance, and work. We played Mount Cleverest after dinner, which was fun. Even Robin played without any pleading necessary. We haven’t had a game night in a while. The kids need something to do. They are so bored.
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July 6
I love this picture with Jackson parked behind me, not knowing whether we’re going to bed or going back to the living room. He’s just checking things out. Otherwise, the girls started volleyball camp this week and seemed to like it. I’m glad they have something to do, and also that they got out of the house. Bonus points that they enjoy it too.
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June 29
Christina started surf camp today. She didn’t want to go when I dropped her off. I think she was feeling insecure and self conscious, which is understandable when you’re trying something new. But a very sweet girl noticed she looked uncertain and came up to her and invited Christina to sit with her until the class started. I swear some kids really are some kind of wonderful, and this one absolutely is. Of course by the time Christina came home, she was excited and now she wants to do it for another week. I’m a little jealous, to be honest. I’d love to learn how to surf. Maybe someday I will. For now I’ll settle for enjoying Christina’s happiness.
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June 18
We fit almost the entire Tetons into our day today. We started with sunrise at Oxbow Bend, then Schwabacher Landing, Mormon Row, Craig Thomas Visitor Center, an ill-advised stop at Jenny Lake, a drive up Signal Mountain, horseback riding at the hotel, and a sunset drive in search of wildlife. Teton is a gorgeous place.
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May 30
We went to an escape room today and we missed it by about THREE MINUTES. We had even figured out the clue but just kept typing in the answer wrong. We are so bummed! We did a lot better than the last time, and honestly that made it more fun. It also helped that we didn’t have to share the game with people we didn’t know. I so want to go and do another one and manage to escape. We were just so close! It was a good time and nice to go out and do something together. We’ll have to go again.
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May 26
Billy accidentally bought me such a thoughtful gift. He had suggested that I bring my DSLR with me to Savannah and I told him that I wasn’t going to bring it because it’s bulky and also because I can’t really see the image or the light meter through the viewfinder since I am mostly blind in my right eye. So he found a manual camera with a view screen on it – it’s not an SLR per se, but it does all the things an SLR can do and then some. The purists may scoff, but in my opinion all cameras have their value, and frankly it’s nice that I can take full control of my shots AND see what I’m shooting at the same time. The camera has a Bluetooth setting that connects to a remote on my phone, so I can frame and shoot self portraits without mystery. There is so much to play with and get used to before our trip to Yellowstone. I can’t even express how nice it is to select an aperture and shutter speed without guessing because I can actually see the light meter. It’s like a whole new universe has opened to me. Thank you, Billy.
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May 25
I wanted to wimp out of this morning’s race because it was so hot, but Monica pushed me to go anyway and I’m glad I did. It was already 77 degrees by the time we started at 8am, with 92% humidity. Very soupy run. But I ran it without walking for the second time since coming back to running a year and a half ago and finished in 39:52. Not my best time, but when you factor in the weather, it’s pretty close. Did a lot of other stuff today too. Went to REI to pick up a new tent for our trip to Yellowstone, hemmed Christina’s pants for dance, went food shopping, did the dishes. I’m ready for bed!
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May 22
We went to Carmine’s Pie House to celebrate Robin’s 8th grade graduation. We got off to a little bit of a rocky start, but it ended up being a pretty good night. I had a win (or at least the start of a win) at work today, too. I configured a GPT to help build a searchable database of questions and answers for our training site. This is something the team has been asking for for years and we haven’t been able to figure out a good way to do it. I set up a more or less automated system in a couple of hours. I feel like a million dollars. It needs some refinement, but I’m proud of it. I can’t wait to share it with the team. Not a bad day.
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May 19
I missed my first day in this project since starting it in 2023. I’m so upset! Nothing to do about it now except keep going. Robin graduated 8th grade today. The ceremony was really nice. I cried during the reverse rose ceremony. I stopped myself from being audible, but it was hard. I’m proud of her for taking part and not being to anxious. I know that wasn’t easy for her. She looked beautiful and I’m so proud of her. I love watching her grow up!
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May 13
I did a 777-second run this morning because why not? Tonight I also had a NAMI class. It went a little better than last week, but still ran right up to the last minute. Billy brought home Huey Magoo’s for dinner and I ate every bite. Wednesdays are so much work right now! I’m exhausted.
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May 7
My run this morning was disappointing, thanks to tech failure. It was my first speed run since the winter and the intervals got messed up on my app and none of them were the right length. OH WELL. It was still a run, so not a total loss, and now I’ll just have to do it again next week. A new lawn company came to mow our lawn today but did not do the backyard because they said the gate was blocked. There is literally just a small bucket half filled with gravel that’s there to keep Pinot from digging under the gate. It’s maybe five pounds. How do you just not move it? They did not get paid. Today at work I finally learned what makes preapproved credit offers different from prescreened credit offers and why we apply two totally separate sets of laws to them. I’ve literally worked at this company for 20 years and never knew the difference. I feel enlightened. Took Christina to dance and it was SO HOT in the parking lot. I think it was 94 out and the sun was beating on me, plus wildfire smoke in the air. It was an unpleasant hour, but I refuse to sit in a running car for an hour just for air conditioning. Robin and I worked on her Ferrari Lego set after dinner. It’s starting to look like a car… we have a front end now. I am completely exhausted. I was up late last night and then up early this morning. I got maybe six hours of sleep, which I realize is probably not far from average, but I can’t handle it. It’s early, but I think I’m going to bed.
