Whose Life Is It Anyway?

Or is it "Whose line is it, anyway?"  Oh well.  Close enough....onto the blog...

This weekend was fairly typical.  After work on Friday, I went grocery shopping.  My mom took both of the boys on Friday evening, so I had some time alone, which I spent cleaning (big surprise there, I know).  By 10 pm on Friday, I had cleaned the house from top to bottom, finished the laundry, ironed clothes for the upcoming week, and I had even made a blueberry pie!  On Saturday I got up around 6 and went for a run.  I came home, got a shower and picked up the boys.  We took a hike (see yesterday's blog for a candid recap of our thrilling adventure).  I spent the remainder of yesterday weeding, and organizing this and that (don't ask me what exactly I organized...I just know that's what I did, because that's what I do.  There's always something to organize!) before we went to my niece's birthday party in the evening.  This morning I balanced my check book, took Andrew to church, visited my aunt Carmen for a bit, made dinner, made hummus and no-refined-sugar peanut butter cookies (don't roll your eyes).  I watered the plants and laid out all of our stuff for tomorrow, including the ingredients I will need to make a slow cooker pot roast in the morning.  And that's when it hit me - this feeling of "is this really my life?"  Does anyone else get that feeling?  It's not the first time I've had it, and I'm certain it won't be the last.  It's not something that happens all the time, but every once in a while, something odd will pull me away from the moment I am in, and I will look at my life with a kind of dumbstruck awe. How on Earth did I get here? Am I actually preparing to sear a roast tomorrow before I leave for work?  Is this big house really mine?  Do I really have a 10 year old son?  When did dead-heading flowers become a priority?  Hell, when did I even learn what it means to dead-head a flower? And moreover, when did I learn to sear a pot roast?

It seems like just yesterday that I was a fresh college graduate, a newly-wed 22 year old who made a pumpkin pie with nothing except a Pillsbury ready-made pie crust and a can of pumpkin (yeah, that was super yummy).  Didn't I just learn how to add windshield wiper fluid to my car?  That was 20 years ago?  What?  20 years?  Are you sure?  Wow.  How did that happen?  I can remember being in my early 20's feeling like I couldn't wait to hit my 30's.  I have always felt a disconnect between my true self and my actual age, like my soul is older than my body.  I feel like I was born 20 years later than I was supposed to be.  I remember thinking that once I hit 30, some of the frustrations I felt would begin to dissipate.  No one takes a 20 year old seriously, but a 30 year old is a bona fide adult, a person with some life experience, someone who knows how to sear a pot roast.  To a large extent, I was right.  My 30's have been the best decade of my life so far by leaps and bounds.  I still feel older than my real age, but I make up for that by having old friends (wink, wink to all my "old" friends).  Seriously, I feel that I have finally hit my stride in a lot of ways.  People do take a 30 year old more seriously than a 20 year old.  Those ten years make a heck of a lot of difference when it comes to life experience.  It's in that decade that you learn the responsibilities of life - holding a real job, supporting a family, caring for living beings which are needier than fish (by the way, never clean a fish tank with Windex.  That's another lesson you learn in your 20's).

While 30 is a great decade, it also feels strange to know that I am now closer to 40 than I am to 30.  In my 20's, 30 sounded like the dream age.  40 never really crossed my mind, and to be honest, I'm not certain how I feel about 40 at this point.  I still feel like I am 18, until I look in the mirror and see this woman who looks very much like the 18 year old Koelle, but with some fine lines around the eyes, some sun damage on her big forehead, maybe the start of a receding gum line.  Looking at my reflection in the mirror is a bit surreal at times, and also more than a little bit frightening...especially first thing in the morning.  For the purposes of self-esteem preservation I don't recommend approaching a mirror within the first hour of waking.

I guess there really wasn't a good purpose to this blog entry other than to say that sometimes I am pretty surprised by my life.  Actually, all in all, with the exception of a few short-comings (OK, maybe more than a few), I've done pretty good.   I should be proud of myself.  I have a wonderful family - a loving and handsome (bonus!) husband, two beautiful boys, a nice home in a nice neighborhood, a good job, and great friends and family all around.  On top of all of that, I know how to dead-head flowers, can pickles, and make my own laundry detergent.  Life in the 30's may feel a little odd sometimes, but it's all good.  I'll take it.  (Except for those fine lines and sun spots - I'd like to leave those, please.  Where can I drop them off?)  While I'm waiting for my 40's to roll in, I may as well enjoy the decade I am in, surreal moments and all.  So for now, bring on the pot roasts, I've got a family to feed!

Central PA's Least Likely "Survivor" Candidates

This morning, I decided to take the boys for a little hike up Chimney Rocks.  (For those of you who aren't Hollidaysburg natives, it's a little park with some fairly worn trails that lead to an overlook of the town - aptly named because there are big-ass rocks at the top).  It's hardly a hike for hard-core hikers.  The trail we chose is only 1/4 of a mile one way, with two places to stop and sit along the way, and a nice fenced-in platform at the top on which to view the town.  I've hiked it countless times since I was a kid.  In fact, when I was a kid, it wasn't a nice little park and playground with groomed trails, but rather a bunch of woods and a mountain side.  Kids these days have it so easy!  Anyway, it was cool today, and I thought it would be a nice leisurely way to spend the morning with my boys.  I imagined it being something like this: 

A pretty flower here and there, a nice view of Hollidaysburg, a few squirrels and birds, and if we were really lucky, a snake might cross our path.  

The hike started out OK, except for the fact that I have one extremely lazy child, and another one who likes to imitate his older brother.  Two steps (and no, I'm not exaggerating) into the walk, Jake started huffing and puffing, saying he was tired.  Luckily, he brought along a large box of Gobstoppers in his pocket, so he was able to refuel himself as we walked.  (Geesh!)  Andrew also complained of fatigue, but somehow found the energy to sprint uphill to the bench so he could rest.  Call me crazy, but saying you are exhausted and sprinting uphill don't exactly coincide.  

We must have been the first people to walk the trail this morning, because there were tons, and I mean tons, of spider webs. Sometimes I have an inability to finish sentences.  I think it's a lingering side effect of some migraine meds that I took years ago...or maybe I had a mini stroke sometime in my past.  Either way, I frequently either stop my thoughts mid-sentence, or can't get the sentence out at all.  It's a rather frustrating habit - for me and for those around me.  On our way up the trail, I had one of these word-blanking episodes.  Jacob was about to walk smack dab into a spider web with a fairly large spider sitting right in the middle of it, and my mouth would just not form the words I needed to get him out of harm's way.  So I grabbed his shirt and started pulling him.  He didn't follow my lead, though.  Instead, he pulled away from me.  Not wanting to spend my day in the ER because of some freakish spider venom reaction, I pulled harder and yelled - no words, mind you, just "Ahhhh!"  Jacob very appropriately responded with his own, "Ahhh!"  And just for the hell of it, Andrew joined in too!  In a matter of 0.1 seconds, all three of us were screaming nonsense at the top of our lungs.  It was quite a sight.  I was able to move Jake before he hit the spider, and after we were all done screaming like ninnies, he said, "What the heck was that for?!"  I told him about the spider and, well, the rest of the hike just wasn't the same.  We were all utlra-paranoid about spiders, and just a little jumpy too!  

Sometimes it happens to three people at once! 

In addition to spiders, Andrew was certain that we would have a run-in with a bear.  He gathered as many sticks as he could to fend off a potential attack.  This is his best "don't screw with me, bear" stance.  Luckily, we didn't see any bears because, as Jake put it, "if we see a bear, we're pretty much screwed."  

We made it to the top and rested for a brief moment before heading back down the treacherous trail.  No matter how many times I look out at this view, I am always struck by its beauty.  Just a little town, nestled in a valley in central PA - it's nothing big to the rest of the world, but means the whole world to us.  

On the way down, Andrew said, "Wow, Mom.  This trail is really trippy."  That sentence has a whole different meaning to him now than it will in 15 years! 

We spent a little time relaxing at the super-ridiculous and pointless playground at the bottom.  (Seriously, who designed that thing?  It's so dumb.  I get artistic expression, but the kids really just want a slide and some swings.) 

Although Andrew made a full recovery, Jake remained traumatized by the spider incident.  

I don't know about you guys, but I'm thinking that if we can't make a 1/2 mile hike on a trail that sits practically in the middle of town without a terrorizing melt-down and feeling utterly exhausted, we should probably postpone our applications for the next season of Survivor.  I don't know when I turned into such a wuss, but boy was I glad to get home! 

A Little Bit O' Boating

We took the pontoon out today with our boys, my brother and sister-in-law and my nieces.  Today was the last chance we have to boat until August 10th, and we may not even be able to go then.  With Me back to work, and Greg's goofy schedule, our boating days may not yet be over, but they are rapidly dwindling - something we aren't too happy about.  But...today was a great day!  The weather was perfect.  The water was warm, and we all (except Monique) jumped off the back of the boat... 

...and of course I took lots of photos.  Now that's the way to spend a day! 

The boys practice floating.

Dad is the only one who seems to have difficulty getting his toes out of the water! 

"Uh...Dad, floating is the most important principle in swimming.  Let's try again, OK?" 

"That's it!  You got it!  Relax, feet up, arms out!  You're a natural now!" 

"Boy am I glad to be done with Dad.  Adults are really slow learners!" 

"Mom, on the other hand, floats like a pro!" 

Bundled up! 

Brooke, Kiersten & Jake

We made a quick stop at the resort for ice cream and carp feeding, then headed back to the boat.  

That ought to teach Jake not to get mouthy!  

"Jumpin' off the back, don't act like you don't want to!" 

Everybody, now!  

Yes, Andrew, you too...

"Party in slow motion.  Mmmm...motor boating."  

"I wonder when they're coming back?  I feel like widower to the boat in the summer."  

Poor Sammy.  

Beach Vacation 2013 (As told in music videos...well, kind of)

We've been back from vacation for nearly a week and I haven't written or posted any vacation pictures!  That's unlike me, isn't it?  Well, yes and no.  I post a lot of pictures on Facebook, and since 90% of my readers come from Facebook, sometimes I feel like posting the photos on the blog is boring and redundant.  But...I have a few friends who have not yet joined the Facebook bandwagon (Norma!), and I decided to post for them.  If you've already seen these pics, well, sorry.  I'll try to come up with new and amusing captions to keep you entertained!  I'm nothing if not witty, right? Don't answer that.

There are some pictures on here that are not on Facebook, because I had strict orders from family not to post photos of them on Facebook.  Nobody said a word about the blog, though, so it's fair game as far as I'm concerned.  My sister posted pictures of my mother despite those same strict orders.  If she can break the rules, so can I.  Of course, she's the favored daughter, so she won't get yelled at, but I probably will.  (Whine, whine, whine) Oh well.  Here goes :
(oh, and I have included a link to a music video with a great majority of the pictures, because I'm goofy like that! Just click the colored words)

Andrew checks out the boardwalk.  He didn't go under it on a blanket with his baby, but I sure bet he wished his feet were fireproof!  (click here for the music video)  I'm not off to a great start, am I?  Again, don't answer that.  

"Mom, I think this is that Freebird I keep hearing about!" 

Father and Son - one of my favorite songs, for two of my favorite people! 

So glad he is a child of mine. 

Andrew's castle on the cloud, err...I mean sand.

Bitter-sand face

(OK, it's not a song, but click here anyway to see the video of the old Keystone Light bitter-beer face  commercial.  I bet you laugh just as much as you did in 1995!)

"Hey, Dad!  I think I see a sharp nosed shark!  We could eat it!" 

Off he goes, into the wild blue chlorine! 

My little high-flying bird 

One of the minions from Despicable Me invaded our pool while we were on vacation.  He was cute, so we kept him.  

Terry's token appearance at the pool.  

Kriss Cross'll make ya'... 

(A reference only a select generation will get.)

"Jacob, my brother.  You are older than me..."  

Digging a ditch 

A little DMB to take me back to my just-graduated-from-college-days (Even though the peak of my DMB fandom was during my college years, this song wasn't released until after I was out of school.)

My aunts Betsy and Annie, and my adorable little sister.  

Uncle Larry and Aunt Kathy 

(I suppose we could insert Kathy's Song here, although there certainly wasn't any rain!) 

Jacob's gone surfin'

Dad's little fisherguys

Nightswimming (Wow.  That one was little too easy)

Jacob wears his sungoggles at night so he can see what everyone is up to under the water! 

Andrew certainly knows how to strike a pose.  

"Be safe, Jacob!  And know that however far you go, I will wait for you!" 

Andrew's theme song during vacation week was Jump! 

Star struck

Soul Sisters

(Sorry, with all the other music references, I couldn't resist.)

I don't have to want crazy, I have it right here.  I'm crazy in love with this wonderful man! 

Jake won the last game of Tonk.  My oldest apparently knows when to hold 'em!

Megan and Ella

"I'm good enough.  I'm smart enough, and doggone it, people like me!" 

Waiting for donuts on the bay. 

Even though we are minus quite a few, we are still family! 

Aunt Kathy tries to figure out the iPhone keypad.  Sorry, can't think of a song to go with this picture, but it was too funny not to post!  She types like she's using a typewriter!  

So that's that.  We had nice weather and a great time together.  Now it's back to the drawing board - back to work for me and back to Harbor House every day for Andrew.  Jake's reprieve will go another month before he has to hit the books.  In the meantime, we are trying not to let that unavoidable work thing get in the way of our fun too much.  We have plans for the pool tomorrow and plans for boating this weekend.  There's still plenty of time to soak up the sun and enjoy each day.  Even in this incredibly stifling heat wave, I'm happy.  I'll take the melting asphalt over snow any day!  We have A/C, a fridge full of beer, and a hose in the back yard.  Hell, that's two more things than I had growing up, and I was just as happy with summer then!  Now, if you'll excuse me, there are two boys waiting for me to turn on the sprinkler.