Scratching that itch

The bright spot of our summer that got snuffed out earlier this month was the only bright spot I had planned. I put all my eggs in that basket and then that basket got thrown against a wall, so while friends have gone camping or spent weekends on the river, we’ve done nothing but stay home.

Until this week.

On Wednesday we went to Safari West in the north bay and spent three hours seeing giraffes and zebras up close and personal, without even a fence between us.

We got dinner outside at a restaurant in Calistoga before setting up camp in a yurt in Bothe-Napa State Park. We made a fire and roasted marshmallows and ate s’mores. We slept (well, most of us did), woke up, packed up the yurt, ate breakfast, and went on a three mile hike.

We got In-n-Out for lunch, then went to a Steelhead Beach on the Russian River for a little swim. We were home by dinner time on Thursday.

They were some big, busy days, filled with a lot of fun, and also a fair amount of grumbling and frustration. I didn’t sleep great and I was entirely over my kids griping before I tucked them into their sleeping bags.

I’m glad we did it because my kids had a great time, and made some amazing memories. I’m glad I did it because it scratched an itch I’ve had all summer to just do something already. So we did something and now that itch has been scratched and I can move on to getting ready for the new school year.

Today my son has his last day of rec and park camp and next week both kids will be at camps and I will start preparing for the new school year for real. I’ve spent the last two weeks trying to get work done but spending more time dealing with my daughter and her friends (and other shit) than I wanted. Next week starts three weeks of serious work time. If I use it wisely the start of the school year will be a lot easier.

I’m glad I scratched that itch. Hopefully now I can get focused.