A Glimpse of Summer

Okay, so this would be a great time for our midwestern family and friends to start up those enticing emails again; you know the ones, filled with long lists of great things we'll do together. Hit me with the road trips you'll take to visit us, the apple picking in the fall, and the summers in the backyards with the cousins. Remind me of sledding and hot cocoa and less expensive babysitters. Because if I don't get a fresh shot of invigoration here, I may consider tying myself to - and here I pause longer than I care to admit, trying to figure out what I would actually tie myself to that you've heard of and that I wouldn't mind being tied to if the Big One were to hit, and I'm at a loss, so let's just say I'd tie myself to something Large and Permanent in order not to have to leave San Francisco.

We are at the awkward juncture right now where we are certainly not saying good-bye to anyone - we're not moving for 2 months, for goodness sake - but with everyone's busy schedules and how fast these weeks are flying, we leave each play date and adult gathering with an exchange of concerned looks and rushed talk about the critical things we must do before the move (a certain restaurant we must go to together, a new house we want to see, close friends we just have to see as many times as we can before we leave). Our Saturday night dates are now fraught with meaning - where do we need to be sure we go one more time? What have we missed? Each lunch date with friends now ends with an expressed need to see each other again before the move - and yet, when? Can we actually see everyone that one more time in the next two months? At some point we are going to have to say good-bye, it's just that it's not that time yet, so everything has a bittersweet quality to it. For this reason we are starting to plan good-bye parties - a party with my family, parties with our colleagues, a party for our friends with kids, and a party with our own adult friends. This seems to be the only way to manage all of these good-byes and give them some finality.

At the same time, I had a glimpse of the future today that I really appreciated. It was a gorgeous, sunny morning and although Matt is out of town, the kids and I were ready for the day early. First they colored together at the dining room table, sharing markers and crayons. When they caught sight of the carrots I was packing for a later snack, they decided they wanted steamed carrots. So they moved into the kitchen, where they sat eating carrot sticks and apple slices at 7:30 AM, driving each other just slightly nuts by pushing the table into each other and Lyle daring to touch Baxter's plate, setting him off every time.

It was sunny and warm and the kitchen window was open, letting in a fresh morning air. I was suddenly transplanted to our future apartment in Chicago, where the boys and I will be spending every early morning all summer together like this. I could imagine having the whole hot summer day stretching ahead with the two of them, and not having to bug Baxter to get dressed for school right away, like I did today. We could even wear shorts: in the summer! No fear of the fog rolling in there. Like today, I wouldn't be working, except that I'd be even more relaxed because I'd be away from work for weeks and weeks. We'd be preparing to explore the new city, investigating new playgrounds and museums, or we'd be heading out in the car to play with the kids' cousins for the morning. Maybe we'd be throwing swimsuits in a bag to play in Oma and Pops' backyard wading pool.

Later, when I was at the Discovery Museum with Lyle, I watched all the Marin kids showing up in their shorts and t-shirts, and realized they are already enjoying those warm summery days. It suddenly became a real problem that my kids didn't have sandals. What were we doing with no sandals for the kids?! We're going to have a real summer! Needless to say, they are now fully outfitted with comfy new sandals. And I made sure that they are waterproof so that they can be worn at the beaches of Lake Michigan and in Oma and Pops' backyard pool.

So, okay, maybe I won't tie myself to San Francisco, at least not literally. But if you live in the midwest, I could still use those enticements!