Bunny, Summer Fun, and New Friends

Bunny is busily chewing parts of our house as I write this. As it happens, it's actually a part he's allowed to destroy. We have pieces of wood and cardboard strategically placed about the house to give him something to chew.

He also likes chewing sound system cords. Kris is ready to make rabbit stew.

Kal and Kara are out of school for the year. Kal promptly burned all his school papers before I could even look at anything. Just a guess, but I think he was ready to be done with school.

Update just now on Bunny: he is locked up for the night after chewing up Kara's new shoes. He provides so much entertainment.

Routine is already out the window with school being over. Mommy words such as bedtime and alarm clock and wear deodorant are feeling like relics of the distant past.

I'm slightly panicking as I watch the house descend into even more disarray than is normal. Have to get this ship in shape.

Two cars are great to have, except when two cars are in the shop at the same time. Actually, one is in the shop right now, and the other has to be towed in. The engine flops around trying to start, then it sputters to a stop. No problem leading up to it that we could detect. It just started throwing a fit one day.

Many thanks to my mom for lending her car to me!

I finished out 10 days of continuing education for real estate this week. After spending ten days with wonderful new friends, I was sad for the class to come to an end. But it is nice not to be driving to Indy every day when I live an hour away. I suppose that's a piece of cake for some people, but I prefer the 5-minute commute to our little town.

Meeting all those other new agents almost feels like finding a new world. So many different people, so many backgrounds.

Agents who came to our country from a non-English-speaking country, learned the real estate class, and passed a difficult test... all within 9 months. Agents who have owned, or still own, small businesses. Agents who used to drive for UPS. Agents in the National Guard. Volunteer fireman agents. Agents who wear the coolest rhinestone heels I've ever seen. Bartender agents and restaurant worker agents. Agents straight out of high school and college. Former teacher agents. Stay-at-home mom agents. Dance instructor agents. Corporate drop-out agents. Church youth leader agents. Pastor agents. Agents who follow Dave Ramsey. Agents newly relocated from Chicago and Denver. Agents who have been actors in multiple musicals. (Oh, I so wanted to break out into some ABBA songs with the agent who played Sam Carmichael from Mama Mia!)

I have the Disney song running through my head, A Whole New World!

Okay, enough about that.

On Sunday, I decided I had looked at our horrid deck railing for the last time, so the kids and I tore into it. Several good chunks came out with the handy-dandy drill. Kal, my big, strong 12-year-old boy, is very capable with the drill. He showed off his skills while Kara collected the screws.

The section requiring creativity was the built-in bench. I know those used to be the thing to add to decks. I don't like them, though. They're uncomfortable, and we have 8 comfortable deck chairs, so out with the ugly bench.

For that, we needed pry bars, and more pry bars, and a hammer. Kal used a hatchet on part of it. Finally, I just pulled out the power saw and ripped away into that unsightly thing.

I didn't know I could use a power saw until I just did it. Fun.

Now the deck is a blank slate, ready for a good scrubbing and new stain, then different railing and a new set of steps in a better location--heading straight out to the firepit. Much more convenient there.

I'm signing off for now, and I will resume normal daily writing now that my class is over. I know life doesn't really slow down; the wallpaper just changes.

For the first summer in a long time, the first not buried in alterations, I want to have real fun, spontaneous and planned, with my children: beaches, pools, hikes, camping, sticky s'mores, campfires, 4-H, friends, tennis, bike rides, pic-a-nics, quick road trips, dental cleanings.

How did that sneak in there? Oh, well. It's on a 6-month rotation.