Living in Munchkinland

I'm producing the fifth grade musical at Davis's elementary school. I was in the fifth grade musical back in my elementary school and it changed my life. I was cast as Mary Poppins and it set me on a path that led to my university choice, professional choice and life choice. I wanted to be able to create that opportunity for another child. It's a labor of love. And I do love it. I love it so much. We had auditions and call backs last week and yesterday we all sat around and did our first read through of the script. I couldn't keep the grin off of my face. It felt so good to be back in rehearsal. I had forgotten how much I love theater. I love the process. I love music and energy. I also really like fifth graders. They don't drive me all that crazy. I think they are smart and interesting. I'm surprised by how much I have to give. I really know so much. I'm an expert at this, ya'll. There was this big hole in my life that has been fill...

It finally feels just a tiny bit like fall. It's still mid to upper nineties during the day, but the mornings feel cooler. The pool is too cold to swim laps. Hunters are shooting things and my friends are abandoning me to sports so it must be fall. The kids are busy in the fall routine. I am busy working and travel planning (I'm going to visit Cheris!!!!) and solo parenting while Michael travels. We are not doing too much extra curricular fun as we are broke from booking a ton of travel for the next few months. Last weekend we worked around the house and on Saturday evening we went over to my parents to swim, grill and play bocce ball. Our friends Tom and Odille joined us and we all had a merry time. Sunday we went out to the Duchman winery. I love that place. We met up with some of our Tyler Place friends and had a wonderful afternoon. This week Davis ran for student government and lost. It was good for him. He should try and fail and learn from that too. Progre...

Michael was in Idaho all last week and is in California all this week. And I'm exhausted. We decided to have an "At Home" weekend, though we did make it out a bit. Saturday morning we marched in the SMTX Pride parade with our San Marcos Unitarian Universalist Fellowship. We wore rainbow and waved our flags and gave the kids a lesson in social justice and freedom of love for everyone. It was a fun walk with our friends and I was happy to be a part of it. We ended up at the park where they had a big festival. The weather was actually cool as we had a small preview of fall. I was too tired to stay long at the festival and was, in fact, too tired to make it back to the car. Davis lent me his scooter and then Michael and the kids went and got the car and came back to pick me up. Sigh. We got home and I rested a bit and then we started our weekend project of culling through all of our books. We packed four huge crates of books. One was full of children's boo...

I'm so tired. I've been tired for several weeks. For the last three weeks I've been going to bed every night at 8:30pm and still waking up exhausted at 6AM. I went to the doctor last Wednesday. He said my labs showed anemia and that I had a chronic sinus infection. He prescribed me 15 days of super strong antibiotics. I'm taking them. But I'm still so tired. I feel a huge weight pressing down on me all the time. Lifting my arms is tiring. If I think about how tired I am during the day I want to break down in tears. So tired. I'm taking b12 and iron and adding more fish into my diet. I'm resting. I have high hopes for feeling more perky soon. In the meantime, don't try to get in touch with me after 8:30pm because I will be sleeping. XO, Amber

Davis has lost three teeth this week. This tangible evidence of aging has caused my secretly sensitive boy to have some sadness and anxiety. We have had extra cuddling. I climb into his bed with him and hold him tight while he tells me that it is all going too fast. He feels rushed. He loves being a kid and wants to stay a kid. I reassure him that he is doing a great job and we talk about living in the moment and appreciating each day. He tells me that he loves me and I tell him that I love him and then we tell silly stories until he giggles and tears dry. I love him more than words can say.

We spent Labor Day weekend at the beach. We invited seven other families to join us down in Port Aransas for the long weekend to help us celebrate Michael's birthday. The weather was fantastic and the beach was in great condition. There was almost no seaweed and no jelly fish. The waves were great. The kids boogie boarded their brains out and Chris rented a surfboard on the second day and the kids got to practice surfing. I often swam out between the two breaks to the gentle swells and would lie on my back and float up and down. It was so fun! The water on the coast is like bath water it is so warm. We spent each day of the weekend on the sand at the beach. In the evenings we put on movies and closed the curtains and let our clean, sunburned children crash on the couch, while we mixed cocktails and made dinner. I was exhausted, as I've been exhausted for weeks. I'm seeing a doctor tomorrow as I suspect a sinus infection, but I pushed through. There was so m...