I went to a Halloween party with my friends this weekend. We had an absolute blast!
He said
Two weekends ago we knew the time was coming where we would be hitching up Wolfie III and pulling her out for winter storage sooner than we wanted to. And that time was this weekend. Being much smarter than I, and better at planning, Danielle got us (and mostly her) started at the work, two weekends ago when we were last at the trailer. And while a lot of that work is a harsh reminder that the camping season has come to an end, it is inevitable and I am happy that Danielle is much more wise and pragmatic than I. It sure makes days like today—when we went to pick up the trailer—that much easier. And while yesterday took a little longer than Danielle estimated, it was as smooth and easy as I could have wanted.
The day started with a bike ride on the Thames Valley Parkway (of course) before getting underway to Auburn to work at getting the trailer back to storage. We had a perfect forecast for the day which certainly helped. The first thing we noticed when arriving at Auburn was that we were among the very last to pulling the trailer out. It was so weird seeing our section completely empty of all the trailers—it was the harsh realization if there was any doubt that the season was over. Thankfully, because of all the hard and smart work Danielle did in advance, the process while not over in the time estimated, was effectively smooth and painless. By the time dinner rolled around we were back at the house ready to relax for the night.
The other major “fun” this week was the gift of turning 50 from well over a year ago that I “earned” myself which was a colonoscopy. I had to reschedule it a couple of times because of life and work but had finally hit the spot this week where I could push it off no more. Obviously the test and results it can uncover can be quite a bit scary for most. Plus, the process itself doesn’t really seem like much “fun”. But here we were at the week it was to happen and with no more excuses. What I can tell you is it was way less worse than I imagined. If you follow the prep by the letter of the law, and opt for being sedated, it is pretty easy and straightforward. The only hard part really is fasting for over 24 hours in advance.
Literally what felt like seconds after talking to the Anesthesiologist about going under it felt like I was waking up and they were calling Danielle to come pick me up. The initial report was everything went well and there were no alarm bells as of yet. Three polyps were removed and my colon was deemed normal. In fact there was a lot of normal in my report. And over and above all of that it was recommended that I have my next colonoscopy in 3 years. But the best part (I am joking) was finding out I scored perfect on my Boston Bowel Prep Score of 9! All of this to say is that what a colonoscopy is a smart thing to do and no matter what worry it may being something far better to do rather than avoid.
With the crappy exam out of the way and the trailer back to its winter storage place, it felt there was a lot of doing things this week that we didn’t necessarily want to do but for sure needed to do. It feels really good to both of those things in the rearview this week and behind us. Not begins the countdown count. I hope you’ll understand if I am more excited about the countdown to the next camping season over the next colonoscopy.
She said
This week was another busy one—every night something was going on. Between practices for Emelia, parties/plans with friends for Emelia as well as prepping for the camping pack up something was going on every night. The big thing for Emelia earlier this week was a big training milestone for her and cheer. Emelia a few years ago had her back tuck on the gymnastics floor, but after an injury and the pandemic she had lost confidence in the skill.
Sports especially gymnasitcs/cheer is a huge mental game. After loosing the skill it was really in her head she couldn’t do it without a coaches spot. After countless training sessions/clinics and private lessons she got the skill without her coach touching her but still wanted Hailey right there. Well this past Wendesday she finally got the skill on the floor without her coach anywhere near her. She was so proud. We are grateful for her coaches patience and guidance. And we are so proud of Emelia for never giving up.
The week was so busy that before we knew it the weekend was here and I was getting Emelia ready to take her to her friends place for a party for Halloween. Emelia has a great group of friends at school and she was so happy to get to hang out with all dressed up for Halloween. The girls had an absolute blast. Emelia came home and crashed hard for the night.
Saturday we got up and after John got home from his ride he and I took off to the trailer park to do our final pack up of the trailer. I had 99% of the inside done so all we needed to do was hook up, take down the outdoor lights, tarp the shed and secure the deck. It took a bit longer than we wanted but in about 2 hours we had the site cleaned and raked up, trailer hooked up and off to winter storage. It was a sad day to pull into an empty park, grateful for another year and the countdown is on for next year.
And finally on to tonight. After practice tonight Emelia helped me get things all festive for Halloween, she and John carved their pumpkins. Meanwhile, I got to head out for the night with one of my best friends for a belated birthday. Komal and I met each other when our girls were newborns and have been the best of friends since. Our girls have stayed connected through sports over the years and now in high school. Komal has been a rock for me over the years and we love spending time together being each others sounding board as we navigate life and parenting. Thank you Komal for being an amazing friend, love you girl!