Can summer really be over?

It's been a while... this blog has joined ranks with many other things I neglected over the summer in the name of fun, family, and just plain life. Although I never intended this blog to be anything other than a professional/academic outlet, I'm going to break my rule and do some personal musing.

For anyone who knows me you already know this summer has been a busy one. Here are the high points:

A week ago I picked up my oldest boy, 15, from two weeks away at camp. Fifteen year old boys are strange, I know that, but he came back to me a stranger. It's amazing what pulling a young teenager out of his normal existence and putting him in a group of 119 other kids will do. He came back with a foul mouth (not that he hasn't heard/said everything already, it just seems dirtier now), a sarcastic nature, hair on his legs (okay, he left with that too, but again, it seems dirtier now), what seems like a few inches in height, and just a general feeling of not being mine anymore. I know the experience was good for him, and it was good for me to have a bit of a break with one less child in the house, but it is taking us a while to get back to the status quo.

My other two kids had a good time with their brother out of the house, their bond grew deeper which was nice to watch. The oldest and youngest now share something that the middle child wasn't a part of - not something that usually happens.

Work was extraordinarily busy this summer. Lots of new tech stuff going on, and I'll get to that in my next post. In the midst of enjoying the summer reading program, hot summer reads and overall elevated levels of circulation, the entire staff was saddened by the loss of fellow colleague, friend, and mentor Judy Sime. Judy was a lovely person, full of grace and dignity while she fought her battle with cancer. In so many ways she has been an inspiration to me, as well, I am sure, to many. She will be greatly missed.

My little family has added two new kittens to the mix, putting me dangerously close to becoming the crazy cat lady I have nightmares about. I think I'm just one pair of sensible shoes away from the abyss! But if Franks and Beans (gotta love it when kids name pets, right?) are my downfall then so be it, I've never seen two more adorable kittens. Unfortunately Franks is suffering from either a very bad cold or a fatal kitty virus, one that there is no test, and no cure for. We are doing everything we can to keep her going - sitting for hours with her in a steamy bathroom, lots of meds, and of course lots of love. She's a fighter and we're hoping for the best. If you're interested, pictures can be seen here.

My girlfriends and I have instituted First Fridays as a way to stay connected. Everyone seems to be going in so many different directions it's been hard to get together, but now we have a plan to meet the first Friday of each month for food, wine and great conversation.

And I think one of the best things that happened this summer is, through Facebook, I've reconnected with one of my best friends from high school. She's living in California now but comes back to the East Coast a few times a year. We have plans to get together in October to celebrate our 45th birthdays in Manhattan. Rest assured, there will not be a post about that!

That just about does it. What's next? Possibly another class, although I'm still trying to figure that out. There are a lot of exciting things on the horizon at work. My kids start school on Tuesday, which doesn't seem possible, but I guess then things will get back to what we call normal.