Summer Arrives

With the boys out of school for a couple of weeks and all of the end of year festivities at MBA in the books (Honors Night, Graduation), summer has officially arrived for out family.  It's always an adjustment to suddenly go from the hyper-scheduled school year to the unscheduled chaos of summer.  I know it's important for the boys, though, to have down time and I am glad they enjoy it.

For JP so far, it's been an early summer of working the MBA Sports' Camp, golf, working out in the MBA fitness center, and taking it easy.  This morning, he had his first summer workout with the MBA cross country team.  In a couple of weeks, he will fly to Boulder, CO, to train at altitude with Samuel Trumble and some of his college teammates.  That will be big - really big - for JP, I think.

Joe finished up basketball and soccer a couple of weeks ago.  We made the final decision to pull the plug for Joe on Armada club soccer for next season, given the time demands that he will face at MBA beginning with the fall semester.  It was a tough call but Joe was on board with it.  I hope it was the right call.  

Joe finished up basketball for the spring season with the Stars, too.  What an amazing experience for him to play for Jered Street, the Page High School basketball coach.  In two to three months, he learned and improved more than he had in all of his years of playing basketball.  It was a good group of boys, I thought, as we left a final team outing at Buffalo Wild Wings in Cool Springs.

Joe is off to Woodberry Forest later this week for Sports Camp.  Three weeks away from us, on his own, at Woodberry Forest.  He's excited to go and we're excited for him.  Going to the same Sports Camp four or five years ago was a transformative experience in JP's life.  I hope it's the same way for Joe.  

Because he will be gone for the next three weekends, Joe will miss the rest of the summer baseball season for Harris Baseball Club.  I hate it for him because he's struggled mightily in baseball this spring and summer.  The adjustment to the big field has been a difficult one for him.  There's a lot of work to be done.

Jude started a garden in the very back part of the back yard, near where Chad White and I used a chain saw to cut up a small tree that had fallen.  Yes, I used a chain saw!  That's it own story entirely, as I broke out the chain saw Troy and I bought 20 + years ago at Home Depot and, with Chad's guidance and instruction, cut up the tree in question while Jude and the boys watched with alarm from the back deck.  

After Chad and I stacked up the woods, Jude bought a fire pit (at Chad's suggestion) and put it in the back corner of the back yard.  Over the weekend, she started clearing out a space along the fence line to put in a garden.  I was reminded of how much she loved to work int he garden in the front yard of our old house, on Elliott Avenue.  It's therapy for her, I think.  

As for me, no Bonnaroo fir the second year in a row.  It's this weekend and although I had lined up Paul Jennings' cabin, again, I had to beg out because I wanted to be able to drive Joe to Woodberry Forest and drop him off at Sports Camp.  JP and I made the same trip together and I want Joe and I to have a similar experience.  As Yogi Berra would say, it will be "deja vu all over again."  I may spend an extra night in Charlottesville, though, just to unwind.

Work is a grind right now and I must admit that as my law partners played in a golf tournament Thursday and Friday, and I was burning the candle at both ends at work until late, I had a hard time seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.  I have got to get some help at work.

Coffee over.  Text message from Rachel and Julie are flying in.  Time to get after it.  Again.

(Herban Market)