busy stuff

March through mid May are notoriously busy for us. Notoriously, obnoxiously busy for us. Notoriously, obnoxiously, but crap-we-brought-this-on-ourselves busy for us.

But this year is busy with final moments and new beginnings and all kinds of emotion.

1) Kooka and I are busy judging and working at dance competitions nearly every weekend. This weekend was Iowa. Not just Iowa, like 90 minutes from our house Iowa. Nope. This was like 5 and a half hours, we-could-have-been-in-Chicago-by-now, not-that-it matters-because-we're-really-in-the-middle-of-Amish-Country-and-I'm-not-even-kidding-hey-can-I-get-a-gas-station-or-maybe-even-a-street-light-here? Iowa. Ten hours. Ten hours in the car. I didn't even know Amish people liked to hip-hop.

2) Punk just returned from his first (and last) high school trip - a week-long trip to Disney World to perform with the choir. Which means we had to wait a whole week before we could . . . .

3) Take the whole family to see the new Beauty and the Beast movie together. We'd vowed not to see it with anyone else, since we first heard about it's release. It has been Punk's favorite movie since he was four years old, and also the first TWO plays where he got to really act. (and Kooka got to really perform as well, when her 7 year old brother became violently ill, and she surprised us all by knowing every line and every song and every cue at only 4 years old). Needless to say this movie was a big deal. Punk and I teared up during the opening credits and sobbed audibly for several minutes near near the end.

4) All of us are preparing for spring showcase in May, where Punk will MC and dance once, Yoda will dance twice and help the little kids, and Kooka will dance, sing, play the ukelele, breathe fire, stick her head in a lion's mouth, swallow swords or whatever it is she needs to do for two hours straight.

5) I just ordered Punk's graduation announcements. Graduation announcements. How? How are we here? How is this real? He's requested White Castle sliders and gas station donuts - which we cannot bring ourselves to provide.

6) We are all holding our breath for Rico's next scan. Each new scan is like pouring water from a boiling tea kettle. The pressure is off for the moment, things are cool, but then it's back to the burner, where things slowly heat up until until a new 90 days has passed. All good mojo and prayers will be appreciated.

7) Rico has been obsessing about his new purchase - a mobility scooter. He fought the decision quite handily, because you know - he didn't want to be this guy:

But then we pointed out the stuff he'd be missing without one: walking the six blocks from school with Tiny on sunny spring days, traipsing through the zoo without relying on somebody to push the wheelchair, walks to the park  - where he will undoubtedly get his head stuck in the monkey bars while attempting an Olympic-style dismount, or break his arm challenging the captain of the varsity basketball team to a quick game of HORSE. If he manages to survive those, he'll most certainly roll it attempting to baha across the neighbor's lawn at 17 miles per hour (because god-forbid he order the slower model). Usain Bolt runs 24 miles per hour and that's at a dead sprint. Those Ethopian runners are only making tracks at 16 miles per hour. I don't know who he thinks he's going walking through the zoo with - but it's nobody in this family. P.S. Do yourself a favor - don't mention the "scooter" - but you can ask about his new "convertable".

8) Punk's final concert and Kooka's first high school vocal solo will be this weekend. The seniors present their parents with roses and we stand with our kids. I will however will not be there for this reallllly tearjerking moment (see #1 and Wikipedia's Amish folk-dancing for more info). Rico, however, will attend, he should be able to make it from his seat to the stage in about .00078 seconds.

Comments

Lisa McDermott said…
Oh, my gosh. You crack me up. Perfect for 3 a.m. :-)
Lisa McDermott said…
P.S. Maybe Rico could load Yoda into the backseat of that shiny new convertible and kick out the two states she HASN'T been to - and I don't mean Alaska and Hawaii, before he gets any crazy(er) ideas.
j said…
Ooooh - oooh - that's good. I'm going to suggest it. I mean - it's only South Dakota and Wyoming.