I understood exactly what she was feeling. At this time of year, I want to cling to the relaxed summer schedule. At the same time, I'm eager for the new school year, the freshness of the changing seasons and the excitement that upcoming holidays bring to our house. It was with this bittersweet mindset that we began the new school year. Here's a recap of our first day.
I was up and in action early, packing the delectable lunches that we'd made the day before - spring rolls for Lacey and Greek salad for Cassie and me. I went upstairs to wake the girls. They no longer use a night light so I ran into 3 half-empty laundry baskets in the dark hallway. I paused in surprise because I didn't even remember owning that many baskets. I thought back to a time when I used to stand contentedly on the same spot, simply listening to them breathe.
My day at school went well with many new and returning students. The day flew by and before I knew it I was leaving for home, prepared to carry out the detailed plan that Les and I had put in place. The AC in my car had gone out over the weekend and it was about 98 degrees out. Step 1 of my plan had entailed packing the battery-operated fan/water bottle that we had used while visiting Universal Studios. I pulled out of the parking garage and hit the road, one hand on the steering wheel and the other spraying water directly into my sweaty face.
Cassie had to be at the allergist by 4:20 and at a violin lesson by 5:00. Les was supposed to pick her up from Taekwondo at 3:05 and go home to meet Lacey's bus. At 3:45, he called to let me know the bus had not arrived and he was going home. I got to the Taekwondo studio at 4:00 and still had to wait. I plopped down in a chair, grateful for the air conditioning. Cassie's bus finally arrived and, although we missed the allergy shots, we made it to the violin lesson.
Back at home, I settled down with the stacks of forms the girls had brought home and listened to them chat. Lacey was thrilled by her first day because her teacher had given her a new pencil bag and she now owns two pencil bags. Cassie was happy with her classes but annoyed that she has to sit with her homeroom for lunch.
Then, Cassie announced that she needed to print some pictures to decorate an algebra notebook. She began searching through her phone for pictures. Exclaiming that she didn't have enough, she turned on her computer and began searching. After Les and I ran in circles for awhile looking for photo paper, Cassie tried to print a few. But, the printer was low on ink. While Les grumbled about how unrealistic it was for a teacher to expect everyone in the class to have a working printer and Cassie declared that she was going to fail the assignment, I suggested that she draw some pictures. Well, that wasn't a good idea. I next suggested that she put some pictures on a thumb drive and we go to the drugstore to print. Off we went.
We waited our turn for the machine and, after we scrolled through all 86 pictures on the thumb drive, Cassie explained that she only needed 4. Of course, it was going to take 30 minutes to print 4 photos. Cassie and I agreed that if she had to get up even earlier to shower in the morning, she would get black smudges under her eyes. So, I took her home to shower and thought about how lucky I was that my glasses cover the smudges under my eyes!
I used the 10 minutes that I had at home to continue working on the school-related forms that were still waiting for me on the kitchen table. Then, I retrieved Cassie's photos from the drugstore and grabbed a few more essential school supplies. Back at home, Cassie and I flipped through the photos.
"What's this picture of the cats drinking out of the toilet?!" I asked.
"Oh," Cassie explained, "I thought that would be a good picture to represent family."
At least I got to end the day with a good laugh. And, since I don't know when I'll have time to get my car repaired, I can now embrace fall without regrets.
First Day Photos
