A September (and October) to Remember

Well, our house is officially on the market, along with all the stress that entails. Within the first week of listing, there were 6 showings, which had to be juggled with a few additional touch-ups including painting and landscaping. Luckily, though, with the kids freshly in school and no piano classes started, I was able to get quite a bit done, including painting the kids' rooms, moving furniture around, re-tooling all the wall decorations to feature fewer family photos (my personal favorite mode of decoration), and boxing up anything that we don't absolutely need to have access to for the next couple of months. I won't deny that the simple act of packing things up made me mourn a bit. We've been so comfortable here, and have enjoyed so many happy times. The thought of moving on is still a big pill to swallow.

Once the house was safely on the market and getting positive feedback from the people who came to see it, I got things together for my KinderKeys classes. I let all my students know up-front that though I will be trying to make sure that classes continue as smoothly as possible after we leave, that this will be a different year for students. I also didn't do any additional publicity for this year's classes. Ultimately, I think I'm pretty happy with the results. Although there was an expected decline in enrollment, it's making life a bit easier. I was nearly able to make all the classes meet just one day/week, but some scheduling challenges landed me with two days of teaching, three classes one day, and two on the other. I was able to start the new homeschooling class that I've been itching to start for a while now, but all my other classes are made up of continuing students, which is a very comfortable way to teach. In the extra time, I'm working on putting together a set of curriculum materials that can be used by other teachers, and which I'd like to have available next year. I was also able to squeeze some good lunch dates--both with my kids, and with friends. I have been so fortunate to have good friends here in Fort Wayne. I love them as dearly as family, for the kindnesses they've shown me, for the wisdom they share so willingly, for the happy times and good laughs--they've taught me so much, and my whole family is stronger because of good friends. In addition to a couple of fun movie nights, watching Life of Pi and Pride and Prejudice, I've basically volunteered my house for all the book club meetings until we move, and I look forward to at least a few more wonderful evenings of chatter and fun with women who mean more to me than they will probably ever know.

Without Aaron around to distract me during the day (he provides excellent distraction, but it can be an impediment to getting things done), I have gotten quite a bit accomplished during the days. One of my favorites was finally spitting up the first draft of a book that has been on my mind since February--a third in the Spaghetti and the Meatballs series that I keep writing and not publishing. Along the way I corresponded some more with an agent who has shown interest in my work, but she ultimately ended up passing again, though she encouraged me to add more "character" to my characters and try again. I also started to put together an application to attend USC for graduate school next year. Though there are few things I've lacked here in Fort Wayne, a good option for a graduate degree in musicology is one of them. Since the most important and interesting part of getting a degree for me is having classes with really smart people and professors, I have been waiting for an opportunity to study somewhere that draws the best students and professors in the field. I think USC might finally be that place. I have enjoyed getting in the swing of academic writing again, though I'm not sure if I would be prepared to start a degree program next year or not--I guess I'll just have to see if I'm accepted.

As for family events, we began and ended the months with some memorable events, and sandwiched plenty of fun in between. Addy's birthday at the beginning of September occasioned a trip to Fazoli's for dinner and some love from her brothers and sister and dad (and me!). She was thrilled to get in early on the rainbow loom madness after Emerson and Sera pitched into buy her one, and she was also delighted with a long-awaited a sewing kit from Asher, a guitar from me, and the necklace Aaron sent her via post--she felt very loved! During the weeks that followed, the kids got to enjoy my yearly random shrieks about the beauty of the fall leaves quite regularly. I took the younger kids to the zoo one afternoon when the older kids were busy with friends, and we had a wonderful last visit. I got them each one of the overpriced stuffed animals that I've always secretly wanted for myself--Sera chose a kangaroo with a joey, and Emerson picked out a spider monkey. They enjoyed showing them around the zoo, and I took too many pictures, which I guess is my way of saying goodbye to an era. We enjoyed attending Asher's first band and orchestra concerts, both of which were wonderful to watch. Addy's birthday party--a much-anticipated sleepover didn't wind up happening until October, but she insisted that was exactly how she wanted it. She had an American Girl party, so all her friends brought dolls and they did activities to go with several of the American Girl books, from "sewing" (ha! tying together fleece, more like) blankets to making dough for pizzas to going on a hobo treasure hunt. After they had worn themselves out, they curled up in front of the TV in their sleeping bags and watched American Girls movies. I sure love Addy's friends--they are all just delightful to spend time with. Then came my birthday--I'm not so much the martyr type, so I made the kids go to Walgreens and choose presents for me, then took them to O'Charley's for my birthday dinner. They did a great job of making me feel special and loved, even if I sort of made them do it. They treated me to chocolate and Halloween decorations, and even a book I had been itching for (Life of Pi, which I'm dying to read after seeing the movie). We polished October off with Halloween. Asher was a tough sell--he insisted that he couldn't dress up for Halloween anymore, but I made him don the wolf-mask I'd gotten for him so that he would fit with the theme this year--Narnia! We had Queen Susan, High King Peter, and Queen Lucy, with Asher rounding us out as Fenris Ulf, the White Witch's deputy wolf. He ended up sucking it up and accompanying the other kids, along with our friends the Sprinkles. He has been babysitting the Sprinkles' little boy, Jake, on alternating Wednesday afternoons, and I have just loved seeing what a kind, thoughtful, caring kid he becomes when he has someone to take care of--it's enough to make me itch for a baby. Luckily it started to rain not too long into the night, bringing everyone home before they had entirely too much candy. After they paid their traditional taxes in chocolate (to me), they crawled into bed with costumes strewn across the floor. It's really the only way to end Halloween.

Shades of October

Addy's American Girl birthday party--making blankets for their dolls

Love these sweet girls!

Making "pioneer pizzas"

How much cooler could it get?

Christmas card outtakes

These kids do clean up nice

Love to see these two growing up together

Hoping these two never follow suit

This is what they wanted to do the whole time!

Jack-o-lanterns!

Fenris Ulf (that's as Narnia as I could talk Asher into)

Queen Susan

High King Peter

Queen Lucy

Love these two buddies!

Halloween 2013

On Sabbatical

I have to admit that by the time Aaron packed his bags and headed out to San Diego mid-month, we were both pretty ready. There's no doubt that this summer has been a heavy one for both of us, and I think we were each in need of a little space--what I've started calling our "marriage sabbatical."

After attending to some household projects at home, we agreed to meet with a realtor--though I won't deny dragging my feet rather a lot. The plan is to list the house at a price that we feel would make selling now worth it, but if things don't work out that way, to consider renting it out for a while instead. Though I'm not at all enthusiastic about selling this house--which we're reasonably close to paying off, and which I feel like could be a worthwhile long-term investment if we decided to become more mobile as a family in the future--if that's the way the cards fall, I've made my peace with trying to work out a different situation.

While he looks for a place for us to live out in California (he is currently starting his jobs out there and renting a one-bedroom apartment from a family in Rancho Bernardo), I will work on tying up loose ends here and trying to make this move as smooth as possible for the kids.  I've also decided to continue teaching KinderKeys classes for 10 weeks, and will be looking for a way for them to continue after I've left with another teacher if possible. Aaron thinks my concern about KinderKeys may be misplaced, but after building this from the ground up, I feel committed to seeing my work carry on if I can.

After he left, I spent the first weeks enjoying the satisfaction of being entirely in charge, as well as having a neatly made bed every single time I go into my bedroom (Aaron has always had a penchant for midday snoozes, and he's never been particularly adept at remaking the bed afterward). He's had the harder end of the deal, having to set up house in a new place concurrently with acclimating to four new jobs, replete with new responsibilities and coworkers. But despite the perks of living apart, I think we're both also starting to feel a bit of the sadness that creeps in with distance. We spent our fifteenth anniversary apart, and while pinging youtube videos to each other was fun, it really just isn't the same as celebrating a beautiful marriage with the one you love. At the end of the day, there's nothing better than spending time together, and I think we will appreciate it anew when that time comes again.

The kids started school shortly after Aaron left, and so far, so good. Asher is enjoying Jazz Band this year, though he's still bristling a bit about being in orchestra as well--an agreement he made with Aaron last year. He seems to like his classes, although he says they're hard.  Addy finally made it into a class with many of her best friends, and is loving it so far. Emerson is happy to be at Whispering Meadows again, and even though Sera didn't manage to score more than two of her kindergarten classmates in her class, she loves her classroom's "camping" theme.

So much in our future is up in the air, and as much as that worries me, it also makes me excited. If life didn't have adventures, it would be entirely too boring. Hopefully between now and when we get everything hammered out, we'll be able to come up with solutions that make us all happy--or at least that we can all live with. Even though I drag my feet and complain my fair share, I am thankful for the strength and growth that only occur when we do hard things.

Back to School 2013

Addy starts fifth grade!

Emerson starts third grade!

Sera starts first grade!

Love my elementary school bunch!

No Asher because he starts school an hour and a half (!) earlier than the others and bristled at the very thought of me taking a picture. Silly boy.