The Journey We Call Life: Time.

It doesn't slow down. At least while you are raising kids. My daughter is the very reason I haven't blogged much lately. I love to blog, for myself. It's my way of remembering. It was the most valuable tool for me after my divorce. So many people I knew through work hurt and worried for me, they wanted to ask questions, but couldn't, and if they had I couldn't answer. The blog allows me to express what is going on, without having to retell it over and over. During that time it was therapeutic, now it serves as a record of our lives. In the day and age of digital photography we take lots of pictures and print little. I like most have great intentions of one day sitting around with my external hard drive and making photo books of the years..... One day right!?

Right now my daughter keeps me busy. I have a lot of teacher friends, that sigh a huge relief when it's summer and they finally have time. It's a little different for us working moms. Summer means less time and more detailed planning, as to not lose any more valuable time. There's are very real struggle of balance in the summer. As my daughter has gotten older the guilt is less and it's easier to not feel as bad about being at work while she is home. However, it doesn't mean I want her sitting around doing nothing all day everyday. So we have decided three of the weekdays after I get off we head outside. She gets a couple off days and those are the days I can run before work and swim at noon. We've agreed to one long hike a week, one paddle board (which we're finding we venture out several evenings a week now we love it so much), and one bike ride. The ride has only happened once with a lot of enticing of lunch midway. She keeps "opting" for shorter hikes to Lake Clara or Saddlerock instead. That's ok with me as long as we're out. Consequently I'm exhausted! It's ok, because I'm well aware our time is limited. I've lost friends to cancer that were parents, and currently another friend whose daughter is Lo's age is in the final stages of a brain tumor. I remind myself this when I'm feeling tired. When I got divorced not only was I hurt by my Ex, but I was so angry that I now lost time with my kids. Everyother weekend and one night a week didn't seem like a big deal to most, but it crushed me. That first summer we set out hiking, spending hours away from everyone else and technology, just us and the wilderness. I was desperate for this removal from society and all I couldn't control. With my ex we had done the "standard" Wenatchee hikes, and ventured to Colchuck once when the kids were little, but this wasn't a part of our lives. I was excited to make it part of the kids and mine. I studied up on our local wildlife (black bears, Bobcats, coyotes, snakes and Cougars), and their behavior as to what to expect if they encounter humans (needless to say I don't want to see a cougar). I wrote down trail instructions (because I didn't have a smart phone until very recently), and we set out to mark off all the hikes in the Enchantments and Cascades. We've done an excellent job of it. Now I'm not nervous and find myself heading to these places of sanctuary any chance we get, for breakfast, lunch or just a little reading at the lake.

My poor dog can't make the treks anymore and it breaks my heart. However I want him around a little longer so he gets little walks and dips in the canal instead. After volunteering with the Humane Society the last two years, they trust us enough and essentially let Lo and I borrow a dog for these adventures. It's been awesome. So in snap shots this is how summer is going.

On our way to Lake Valhalla early June