It’s been a little while since I last posted on here. Since the kids started school back up it’s been a whirlwind of events! We had both schools (elementary and middle) open house/back to school night where I got to meet all the teachers. In the middle of all of that we had our good friends from NJ arrive on Friday, August 19th and stay for the weekend. They left that following Monday for St. Pete and then came back here the next Friday for one last “hoorah” before heading back to NJ that Saturday (this past Saturday actually).Had a blast yet again with them – as usual. Not liking the fact though that we don’t know when we’ll see them next. I do however know we will see them next year at some point!

In the middle of all of that we’ve had soccer! Four nights a week! I seriously had to write it all on the calendar because their training/practice schedules are so crazy this year! Caelie is now on 2 teams – her normal/regular U11 girls that she plays up on and is also playing up even more on the U12 girls (they don’t have enough players so some of the girls from our team will be playing up when they can to help). So she has 4 practices a week! Then there’s Kieran who is also playing up on U10 but only has 2 practices a week. And then there’s Tristan playing his age group on U13 with 2 team practices a week and 1 goal keeper practice a week. And the days aren’t easy ones like Tristan on Tuesday and Thursday (like it was last year). The days are all scattered all over the place – which is why I had to write it all down on a calendar to keep track!

Add in there birthday parties (which I finally booked Caelie’s birthday party – almost 2 months after the fact but better late then never right?), friends birthday lunches, a possible new business deal for me and a few other things and its just been hectic!

Today is a day for play dates for all 3 kids. Caelie actually had one yesterday where she ended up sleeping there – then came home around 11am only an hour later to go to yet another friends house for the day. Tristan is at a friends house and Kieran has a friend over here.

What’s funny is most of the kids they play with are from their soccer teams. Unless of course they are outside with the neighborhood kids. But for the most part – they always ask to play with kids from their teams. I wonder why that is. Maybe because they spend alot of time with the school mates? Although if you think about it – they spend alot of time with their soccer teammates too. Especially since it’s competitive and they practice twice a week, plus are up there when their siblings are practicing and then count in games and tournaments.

Maybe it’s because Sean’s and my friends tend to be people we’ve met through their soccer teams? I have very few friends that I haven’t met up at the fields. And the kids they play with most often happen to be the kids of the parents we hang out with too. Seems to be a pattern there. Plus, they are people I actually trust my kids with – being we hang out with them so much we know how they are with their kids – so that helps too. Granted there are some on their teams I’d never let my kid go to their house – just because we DO know what they are like. Sadly you do get those kinds of parents on your teams – unavoidable. But for the most part most are okay!

1. Only 3 more weeks until we’re with our extended family! Cannot wait!

2. USA winning last Wednesday and making it into the Round of 16 in the World Cup! USA USA USA! Hope they beat Ghana tomorrow to keep the dream alive!

3. Possible team sponsorship for Caelie’s team from a local bar! Fingers crossed!

4. Spending quality time with my older 2 kids yesterday at the beach. My brother was supposed to go with us but that didn’t happen. That’s a post in and of itself!

5. One of my good friends is finally done cleaning and decluttering her house and is rejoining the world of the living!!!

1. Had such an awesome week filled with friends (either in person, on the phone or online). Ending the week with lunch with a soccer friend I’ve known for a while but haven’t seen in too long a time!

2. Being able to hopefully help some friends out getting a job with the same company I work for!

3. Having 3 days off in a row from work! I really needed that break! Ready to get back into working tonight!

4. A weekend filled with weather in the upper 70’s and no plans except for Tristan’s end of season soccer party tomorrow night! Otherwise we are FREE!!!!!

5. Went into work Sunday night and had a BLAST! Going to do this once every 1-2 months and meet up with co-workers before for dinner and then go into call center to work. Gets you out of the house and meeting with others you work with! It was fun!

6. My family – needs no description!

I’m finally getting used to warm weather on Christmas and I’m loving it – I can’t imagine going back to cold weather and snow and being stuck inside! We are an outdoors family so I think that’s why I love it so much here! The A/C is off, the heat is off, the windows are open and kids are in shorts and short sleeve shirts and playing out back with neighbors right now. I almost feel like it’s spring – LOL. I’m done with all my Christmas preparations so I even started cleaning like I would for spring. The kids have 2 1/2 weeks off from school (1 1/2 from soccer) and we’ve got plans with like 3 different families to do things – I’m so psyched!

I’m also psyched because almost every room in this house is CLEAN! That decluttered, dusted, vacuumed, organized clean! It’s such an awesome feeling too. Tomorrow I just have to finish with the kitchen and both bathrooms and I’m done! I love this time of year!

I find myself feeling more and more indifferent this year. I don’t care, I don’t not care – I’m indifferent about many things in my life.

For example, my mom and I were on the phone the other day and she started talking about a person who used to be a good friend of mine (her parents and my parents are like best friends so news unfortunately about this person will travel to me whether I want to hear it or not – preferably not right now).

So my mom was telling me news about her and her daughters and other stuff going on and I found myself tuning her out. To a point where she could tell I wasn’t listening anymore because she said “you don’t want to hear all of this do you?” And sadly, I didn’t. It’s not that I don’t care about this person anymore, it’s not that I do care about this person anymore – I’m somewhere in the middle. So then my mom said “how is it now that you no longer have her on your FB account or talk to her” and I replied “Mom, it’s no different then when she was in my life – how seriously sad is that? Only thing different is I’m no longer trying so I’m no longer frustrated.” And technically she still kind of is in my life being like I said above, our lives are connected in that our parents are close friends and she’s still on some of my friends FB accounts and even though she is blocked from me, I can still sense she’s there in comments. It sucks and I have to admit sometimes it does hurt. But how can something hurt that really wasn’t there in the first place? And I think that’s where the indifference comes in.

Last weekend was my weekend to spend with a good friend and this weekend it’s the kids turn.

We went to the fields this morning around 11 and watched Kieran’s flag football game. They played the undefeated team in their league and lost something like 32 to 7. Hey, at least they scored on them.

After that we went to watch a friends sons’ team play soccer and then came home. That’s when Tristan started playing with his friend down the street. First it started out with them playing outside, then they went to his friend’s grandfathers who lives down the street as well to swim in the pool. And now he’s there eating dinner and sleeping over. I had a feeling it would somehow turn into a sleepover.

It’s good he’s go this tonight – all of his other friends that he really wants to hang out with (from his soccer team last year) are at a soccer tournament this weekend so they’re busy. Plus, tomorrow it’s Caelie and Kieran’s turn to play. We’re doing a “switcharoo” with good friends of ours from soccer. They have a daughter who is on Caelie’s soccer team and a son who is on Kieran’s soccer and flag football team so Caelie’s going there tomorrow and Noah will come here. It’s cool how it works out that way. They’re a great family too which is lucky because we spend 4 days a week with them up at the fields.

Sean keeps asking when it’s his turn to play.

I’m not so sure about that.

Tonight Sean and the younger two are up at the fields for their Junior Flames soccer training.

Tomorrow is the day I’m not so sure about. And not the whole day but some of it. We’ll start out by all going to Tristan’s 1st Futsal game (indoor soccer) with his team. That I’m looking forward to. It’s the after that game that I’m not looking forward to and that would be Caelie’s end of soccer season party. The parents from her team are a tad (alot) bit annoying and I just want to get there, make our appearance and leave. There area few parents that we like and are hoping to get together with after the season finally ends. But those are very few in numbers. I’m just SO happy Sean will not be coaching next year so I can enjoy her soccer games more. Some parents are just TOO much!

Tomorrow night we might be going to a friends house for a BBQ. Not so sure just yet. But I hope so. These are people whose son was on Tristan’s soccer team last year, moved away for a year and then just recently came back. And the two times that I’ve seen the mom since they’ve moved back we’ve had such a blast that I really hope things pan out for tomorrow night. They are good people!

Sunday Sean and I are hoping to start cleaning out the garage so that one of these weekends we can actually organize it and possibly sell a few things on Ebay/Craig’s List. Then Sunday night is the last session of the Junior Flames for Caelie, Kieran and Sean.

TGIF!!! After some crap that’s gone on this past week I’m in NEED of a BEER! (But there’s none in the house)

where we first started our trip. We had a great time again last night partying it up. Sitting in the hot tub, laughing alot, and playing pool. We had so many laughs this week and the kids had such a fun time. Goodbyes pretty much sucked this morning. But, I have to say, because we see them so many times throughout the year..the goodbyes are getting easier. It’s just a given that our friendships are ones that will last! We’ve almost reached that 5 year mark since we moved and there has been no lack in communication! There’s no other family out there like them! We love you guys and miss you already but are also already looking forward to when we see you again this July!!!!!!

We left there this morning around 8am and for the first 20 minutes or so all you could hear from the kids were sniffles. Then they were OK. Until lunchtime when Tristan got all teary eyed talking about Taylor. We got here to my parents house in Jacksonville about 7:45pm. And I was so ready to be out of the car. Traffic was fine and so were the kids….but being it’s the last day of vacation I’m ready to be home.

Early bedtime tonight for everyone!

We knew this day would arrive at some point. It sucks. BUT, at least we had this week to hang with our friends and enjoy the beautiful Outer Banks. It was a great week. We had great weather and actually saw the area alot more then we did last year. I think it has to do with the weather being 100% better this time around. We’ve seen some great sites as well as some beautiful sunsets on the Sound.

Today we split up and we did some last minute shopping. Then went over by the Currituck Lighthouse and walked around by the Sound. After that we grabbed a quick lunch back at the house (to eat up some of the food) and then met our friends at the beach. And it was COLD there! Poor Kim was wrapped up in about 3 towels to keep warm. Meanwhile our kids were running around in their bathing suits going in and out of the 56 degree water. CRAZY!!!!!! After about an hour of the cold we decided to head back to the house and let the kids swim in the nice heated pool!

Tonight we plan on partying it up one last time!