changes

We've had a major alteration... no competitive soccer for Taia this summer!  She and Kira will still get to go to soccer (day) camp in June though.

Taia's team, which I was the newbie manager of, just didn't have enough players on the roster.  We had seven girls training over the winter, two backed out, one didn't really qualify, three more showed up for tryouts, more backed out... we scrambled for days up to the deadline and could not make it work.  Too bad, because the five who were signed up are really good at soccer.  It feels like failure on my part as manager, but - I'm not going to beat myself up over it.

Having that huge time commitment go away, and the big wad of cash back too, is sort of a relief, actually.  Taia decided to take ballet through the summer.  That means less driving to Anchorage, but probably more driving around the valley shuttling Kira and Remy to soccer.  Kira's such a great player, I can't wait to watch her games.  I think Littledude may be ready for once-a-week turf time.  Well, as I'm writing I'm wondering if that will work out - he's got such emotional highs and lows that I can easily picture him freaking out on the field because somebody stepped on his toe or pushed him out of the way... eh.

Another major change around here: we're not suffering from Computer Stress Syndrome anymore.  I bought a Mac desktop.  I couldn't stand the old PC anymore.  Every day I'd daydream of setting it down on the driveway and hearing the satisfying CRUNCH of it dying under the wheels of the van, CRUNCH CRUNCH mwa ha haaaaaa!!!!  It was bad.  Macs are just a whole new ballgame.  Stress-free.

Last change:  I've got bangs again and I look like a dork.

My friend's friend told her that they thought people who drive minivans looked like their souls had been ripped out... which, if you think about it, is probably a pretty accurate statement.  Lots of minivanners are trying to tune out the piercing screams and stupid sibling-fights happening three feet behind them, thinking about the next form to turn in or the second fundraiser that week they've got to throw at their friends and relatives, wondering how to make the car funk go away, mentally timing dinner prep and the next ten loads of laundry, remembering to return library books and dvds (late of course) and once in a while catching a glimpse of their stupid haircut in the visor mirror.  They exist in the practical world of sliding doors and maximum capacity, with memories of having kept up with everyone else and their sporty cars free of unidentifiable food-like objects in the seat cushions or fingerprints all over the windows.  I accept the stereotype as long as I can continue laughing at guys in their 4-foot-lifted hemi-powered trucks with tinted windows full of stickers, proving how awesome they are by gunning past dork moms in minivans.

Springbusy

Pardon my absence... all my free time lately is spent on genealogy... or on Facebook.  I noticed that I stay away from blogging when I've got a black cloud over my head for days, or weeks.  There's negative stuff I can't shake, and not blogging about it is the best way to avoid what comes naturally: me sticking my foot in my mouth.

In February, Kevin built an ice rink in the front yard.  He was totally dedicated to the rink, going out two times a day to spray it with more water...It was in perfect shape for about a week until we had a few warm days.  The kids loved it!  Taia was one of the last 5 spellers on stage in the spelling bee;. Kira did great kneel jumps during the Junior NYO competition in Anchorage; I put in a lot of work towards our Girl Scout troop's booth at the World Thinking Day event in Palmer -  I admit to retaining my micro-managing Hover Parent skills...but they're not as strong as they used to be.  Really.

The short version of March:  I started managing Taia's soccer team (biiiiiig learning curve); we watched the Iditarod Re-Start at Willow; spent Spring Break at Red Shirt Lake just like last year; I went back to part-time babysitting; the kids had dental appointments; Kevin had 5am flights all month and also flew to Anadyr, Russia; we sold Girl Scout cookies; and... the SUN came back to our part of the world.

My health is stable.  If I have lupus symptoms I don't notice them much, and I very rarely get that hint of head-pounding blood pressure inside my ears, a feeling I had every day in Laramie.  The only issue I've had recently is a fluctuating INR, the measurement of how quickly my blood clots.  I've got the home-tester so I don't have to make an appointment at the clinic anymore, but I struggle with it sometimes, not getting a big enough drop of blood from my finger before the machine times out.  Once I stuck 7 fingers and wasted 4 test strips and still didn't get a result.

Now we're prepping for the big Fifth Grade Homer Field Trip.  Every year the 5th-grade teachers and parents manage to get two groups of 10- and 11-year-olds down to Homer for a 4-day science field trip.  Kevin's schedule worked out so that he'll stay here with Kira and Remy while I chaperone.  That means I cram the mamavan full of kid gear, drive for 7 hours, and get up at 6:30 every day after sleeping on a middle school floor...!  The kids get to do tide-pool observations, take two different boat trips around the area, have cookouts and do lots of marine biology-related activities.  I actually can't wait, I know it's going to be a very memorable experience.

After that, the countdown begins to the Last Day of School and the ballet recital in Anchorage.