Jul
2019

Back to the grind…

I started Level 6 Gymnastics this week! We’re focused on conditioning. It’s hard work!

He said

It was tough to go from a week of restorative bliss in the woods and lakes of the Muskokas, to be immediately dropped back into the regular, everyday in a hot minute come Monday morning. We definitely had one of the best weeks ever camping when it came to weather, time with family and being in one of quickly-climbing favourite parks in Ontario. But, alas there’s still more camping to do and some of it, even in a few short weeks! Our next trip will be not this weekend, but the one after it. And then a couple weeks after that, we have another week-long trip out with our friends the Jornitz’s who we met camping.

This week Emelia began her year of Level 6 Gymnastics. The summer months are always focused on conditioning and strength-building with 3 afternoons at the gym during the week on Monday through Friday. Monday, she came home telling us about some of the new approaches—they were being measured for flexibility, height and basically anything where they can use a base point to assess their development and growth through the season. And she said she was tired because they worked them hard.

One of my favourite things about the schedule is the return of days where I am the one that gets to drop her off at practice. It’s funny how much she opens up to me in those twenty minute trips to the gym and how much of her personality I get to experience. I truly relish the moments where I’m her Gym Über, but cool enough to talk to. Some times I am even privy to stories and things Danielle hasn’t even heard. It’s not often, but it does happen.

With me coming off a nine day stretch off for camping, invariably I ended up with a 7-day stretch at work that ended today. So a lot of this week was mostly focused on work and then the moments before or after for getting the regular things done. Fortunately my schedule afforded me the luxury of being able to drive Emelia to Gymnastics two of the three days, and Dad helped getting her to the third day. By the end of the day today I was ready for a day off tomorrow. We’ve been busy at work this week and that makes the days fly by, but it also makes me tired come the end of a stretch.

Next week will be more of the same but, we will be one week closer to another trek out in Wolfie III! One thing I really want to commit to over the next few weeks is getting through the backlog of editing from the camping trips from last and into the ones from this year too, to post on our Bonne Fires YouTube channel. Hopefully, this week and next I can make a serious dent in that with my days off and a daughter doing gymnastics all afternoon. Wish me luck!

She said

This is our first week into the new reality with Emelia’s return to training and balancing her being home in the summer. The first week went off without any real hitches. We have worked out a schedule for the month of July to get her to practice and when John is working I do all the pick ups. They have been working the girls hard and Ildi the gym owner has built a whole revamped training conditioning schedule this season to kick things into high gear. Emelia is adjusting well but is coming home pretty sore from working her muscles so hard. But she loves everything and is taking on the new season with great intensity.

The big change this season is moving to Level 6 means she gets to build with her coach a choreographed routine. So while her coach is away on a much deserved vacation the girls are to find 3 to 4 songs they love so they cans start working on their floor routines soon. Emelia is so excited for this. Each practice she comes home excited and motivated we could not be prouder of her.

The other project Emelia has been focused on this summer is how to make her own money because she is determined to save enough money to redo her room to a teen room which this time means a bigger bed. Emelia’s room is an odd shape that is basically long and narrow. With her toys when she was younger there was little choice but to keep her bed a twin. As she gets older she has outgrown her twin bed and now we are saving and working on a new layout to get her a double bed. But this is going to obviously coming at a cost. As her parents we want her to value the cost of things and hard work to get what you want. And we want her to respect the hard work it takes to get things of value so she respects it even more. So she is saving all her money, selling things she doesn’t use, trying to babysit when she can, helping around her grandparents house, helping me with the daycare all to make some money. She has already saved enough to get herself some bedding so she is doing well.

The other focus going forward is prepping that in just over 2 weeks Emelia is going to be at her first sleep-away camp so we need to start looking at the check list sent by the camp this past week to get her ready. She is nervous and excited and so are her parents. I know she is going to make the most amazing memories and some amazing friends. I know once she gets through that first day and night she will be amazing. Her best friends will be there with her and they are going to be attached at the hip the entire week. 

The summer is off to a great start and it has just begun. In two weekends we will be camping again to spend time as a family before Emelia is off for a week. The countdown is really on.

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