But, alas, the end is near. We will spend the first half of the week indulging in a few more bike rides, one more beach day, and then begin packing our million point five items (we thought we would have so much space going home, as we brought so many items to give to Lucy, but it appears we might be heading back with MORE) into, on top of, and behind the van. We’ll head out on Friday night, make a stop in St. Louis so the girls can go in the Arch for the first time (we didn’t have time over the past weekend), and drive all night while they sleep. Then we will have just ten days to rest and recover, to rediscover our friends and our home, before reality hits. Reality being, school starts! This may seem overwhelming for most families, but for a teacher it’s double duty. Every year I feel like I’m beginning a new job all over again, and this year I kind of am. I am working with different teams and doubling up on my ESL class and teaching a computer class for the first time! It’s going to be a stressful but exciting new school year, especially since it is Riona’s first (and only) year of preschool and Mythili is entering kindergarten! Oh how the time flies… Seems like we were just pulling up, and now we will be heading out… but life is cyclical, so I’m sure we’ll be back before we know it, on two wheels or four. For now, here are my poems for the girls this July.

In addition to hiking, Isabella and I have been super busy with various Girl Scout activities. In addition to our usual biweekly meetings, we hosted our first bridging ceremony at Isabella’s school. This ceremony celebrates the girls moving from one level of Girl Scouts (Daisies) to the next (Brownies). Our troop learned a bridging song sung to the tune of “Frere Jacque” and they each received a certificate, a patch, and got to put on their new Brownie vests after they crossed our homemade bridge. It was a great ceremony, and we celebrated with homemade brownies, of course! We also went to a recruitment celebration where Isabella learned all about different types of animals such as service dogs, Great Danes, and even a horse. Last week, I took all three girls to another GS event–a mother/daughter event. They had different tables set up where the girls could make a potpourri gift for their moms while we made bracelets for them, they got to wear high heels, and then we took quizzes about each other. Now, we are in the midst of planning for our troop camp at the end of August, which, as with everything else with GS, requires a lot of paperwork and training. We’re also going to be doing early bird registration for our troop (another pile of paperwork), so needless to say, I have been very busy!

Besides the Girl Scout activities, Isabella has attended a couple of birthday parties, participated in a dance night at her school, and is getting ready for an end-of-the-year field trip to the zoo. Mythili has been busy practicing her songs and dances for her preschool graduation, took a field trip herself to the Plains Conservation Center, and just got picked by her teachers as Best Kinder Kid!

We celebrated my 32nd birthday with a prime rib dinner at my parents’ house followed by a hike. Bruce got me one of the best gifts ever–a homemade quilt, made by our good friend Heather. It’s a “sister’s choice” pattern in various shades of green to match our bedroom. The work that went into it is incredible, and I will always remember this as one of my most cherished gifts.

Meanwhile, I have been “training” for my half marathon, coming up this Sunday, via the bike. I’ve had a problem with tendonitis and have been unable to run, so I’ve been riding the bike like mad to keep up some form of cardio regime. I know it’s not the same, but at least I will be able to walk/jog the marathon on Sunday morning.

I have also started “teaching” another University of Phoenix course which will carry over into the summer a bit. And we’ve been super busy getting our house all prepped because we found renters–two doctors and their three-year-old-twins–to rent it for the summer while we’re in KY! Just goes to show–if you do good deeds, good things happen. Seems like that’s been happening a lot lately. I mean, I still have a job next year at my school despite the horrid economy, the massive budget cuts in our school district, and having so few students. Hmmm… it must be the weekly brownies and cakes I bake for everyone! (I know it’s not a direct correlation, but those good deeds bounce back, I swear!)

And yes, we are still spending the summer in KY. Baby Lucy is awaiting our arrival, and we’re almost all set to go. We leave the night of May 28, returning July 31. Exciting! If I don’t keep up with this blog, you can check out my other blog–my resolution for 2010 is to write every day: Step Write Up.

Isabella riding her bike with no training wheels.

Isabella has started to learn to ride her bicycle without training wheels. For a while now her bike has only had one training wheel on it. Her bike was run over by one of our cars when it was left sitting behind the cars in the garage. Luckily the only damage done was one of the training wheels was bent beyond use. Isabella had lost interest in riding her bike since she could only lean to one side without falling over. Well yesterday she decided she wanted to get her bike out and try riding it again. She was so excited to let us know she could balance on two wheels without using the one remaining training wheel. We went out to watch her ride around a bit and noticed she would still lean on the training wheel sometimes. I asked her if she would like to have the training wheel off and she agreed. It only took her a few times to realize she couldn’t lean that way anymore without falling over. The hardest part for her was getting started. We adjusted the seat, to make up for the growth spurt since she last rode it, which seemed to help her a little bit more on the take offs. With a little more practice she will be a biking champ like her mom.

If you would like to see a few more pictures of Isabella on her bike, check out the Fun Times gallery on our SmugMug photo page.

Victory

I have made it to the top
I know you didn’t think I could
but I always knew
with open arms I waited for this moment
and now with a tickle
of cloud-licked wind
I have arrived

to put it all behind me would
be to forget why I came
to abandon the snow that
stung my toes as I kicked in steps
to let loose the hazardous
boulders that I had to scramble over

no, that would be betrayal
to my soul
who has waited for this moment
longer than the rest of me

so I will remember the cramped stomach,
the aching calves,
the harsh, alpine wind
that not for one moment would allow me sleep
and the longing that
carried my heels up this mountain
because without the pain

of memory,
I would never truly be able to live,
to breathe,
and from within to thrive
in this glorious moment of victory.

Bikes and Apples
or, First Loves

It is a cold ride
but an exhilarating one
while the book plays in my ear
I stop momentarily
to listen to my three-year-old
who calls to me from
the trailer
where she is tightly wrapped,
double-hooded,
and playing with her new Barbie

She never complains
and is the only one who still
basks in the glory of the ride

We pedal across town
over wooden bridges
down curvy hills
splashing in puddles
and zipping past the slow pokes

because, as Bruce says,
I ride my bike just like I drive

I try to argue that
it’s the only way to burn enough calories
that I have to beat my last time
but really, it’s the thrill
of speeding past Mr. Spandex
and hearing Riona
squeal, “Wheeeee”
all the way down the hill

And then we are surrounded by
my old neighborhood
filled with brick ranches
and tiny yards
and trees as gigantic as back east

I stop the bike and
the others meet us there
carrying fresh-baked scones
that the girls crumble and munch
as we meander amongst the white-tented stalls

and even though I am still shivering,
the sun is coming out,
I can no longer feel the wind,
and they have the
pungently sweet Swiss gourmet apples
that traveled from the western slope
and whose crisp taste
has lingered in my mouth all morning.

I buy a bag from the vender
who tells me she rode her bike here too,
knowing that soon
there will be warm pie in my oven
and three girls fighting
over who gets the last piece,
and I think, my legs
aching and hot now,
it doesn’t get any better than this.