Week in Review: August Already, Living Uncomfortably, Bye Braceface and Dexter

 Happy August 1st!  

I'm just gonna get out of the way that August is my least favorite month, followed closely by March, but it always flies by in the blink of an eye and we're back to a school-year routine before we know it.

This week had Declan attending a soccer camp in town, and Brendan going to the YMCA camp near my work.  They typically go to camp together, but Declan loves soccer and Brendan definitely does not.  He's our little swimmer, and enjoys the two pool sessions a day at the Y.  This week has been HOT HOT HOT with temps in the 90s and humidity up there too.  They come home from camp, take cool showers, have dinner, prepare for the next day, and then watch some tv before bed.  Bonus points when we squeeze in a family rosary or a visit with Gammy and Grandpa.  Their summer assignments have not been finished, and with one more week of camp next week, we are really cutting it close.  Honestly, if I were home with them, they would have had it done weeks ago, but some moms gotta work, ya know?

Andrew and Eamon have still been golfing almost daily with their Youth on Course memberships, and get to enjoy beautiful courses and sunsets that kinda make me want to take up golf:

Eamon

Andrew

On Monday, I was supposed to have Jury Duty but they didn't need me!  Alleluia!  So I went to work because I have a lot going on, and was finally able to close out Fiscal Year 25 on Wednesday.  Thank you Baby, Toddler, Child, Teen, and Adult Jesus!  What a relief that big job is done, and now I can get back to regular work before my big annual report is due on September 30.  

Speaking of work, I found this list of how much income a family of four should make to "live comfortably" in these states and realized I can never retire OR we need to move out of Massachusetts.  We certainly don't make near that income #livinguncomfortably and can you imagine what the salary should be for a family of nine?  

Xander had an orthodontist appointment on Wednesday at 2:30, and when I arrived home from work around 4, Phil and Xander still had not returned.  I had an inkling something was up but Phil had texted that his phone was about to die, so I couldn't check in.  When they came home, Xander flashed me a big smile of brace-less teeth!  

I guess the orthodontist said they were ready to come off, and started to make an appointment for next month, when the office staff realized they actually had enough time to take them off right then, and Xander was so psyched!  A belated 14th birthday present for him and he's so happy to be able to start high school without them!  Now we have had four kids (JP, Andrew, Eamon and Xander) go through braces.  Maggie used Byte aligners and Declan might get away with a palate expander only, while Brendan definitely will need braces.  Have kids, they said!

Maggie played in a beach volleyball tournament, on a two-person team with her travel coach, and loved it.  She said the sand makes it so much harder, but it's a sport she hopes to keep playing as she gets older.  

She also helped to run the volleyball camp at her high school with some other temmates:

Of course Maggie is holding a little kid...her happy place.

In sad news, JP's fish that he received as a joke Christmas gift from his brothers and was named Sir Dexter, has passed away to the heavenly fishbowl in the sky.  Maggie, Declan and Brendan held a funeral before the flushing.  JP sent out a family text, with a little help from ChatGPT, to commemorate Sir Dexter's short life:

Ladies and gentlemen, friends, and fellow lovers of aquatic life, 

Today, we gather here beside this modest bowl—not just to say goodbye to a fish, but to honor a life. A life that, while small in size, made a meaningful ripple in the still waters of our hearts. We called him Sir Dexter, but he was so much more than a name. He was a silent companion, a shimmering poet of the tank, a swimmer of dreams. In the quiet hours, he floated with a grace we could only aspire to. 

His days were spent gliding between the glass walls, navigating his tiny world with dignity and mystery. Though he never spoke, he listened. When life was loud and overwhelming, there he was—calm, serene, unbothered by the chaos of the world above the surface. He reminded us to slow down. To breathe. To float, not flail. To find joy in small circles and beauty in silence. We fed him flakes, and in return, he fed our souls. 

Some might say, “It’s just a fish.” But those of us gathered here know better. We know that love does not measure itself in the length of a leash or the number of walks per day. It’s not about fur or feathers or whether you can teach it to fetch. Love is found in presence. And Sir Dexter was present.

 And so, as we return him now to the earth—or the water, or whatever mysterious place fish go—we do not mourn his size, but celebrate his impact. Let us not remember how he floated at the end—but how he danced when he lived. Let us not dwell on the silence of his last moments, but the peace he gave us in ours. 

Farewell, noble swimmer. You may be gone from the tank, but you will never be gone from the tidepool of our memories. Rest easy, little friend. You were the best fish.

Phil and I are hanging out with friends tonight, and I'm going to make this Mexican Street Corn Dip, bring Frito Scoops, and some ice cream.  Did I tell you guys what happened the last time I made this dip?  Well, impatience is my middle name, and when it came out of the oven, I couldn't wait to try it.  I scooped up a big chip full of the delicious dip, popped it in my mouth, and then spit it back into my hands because it was so stinking hot and it burned the roof of my mouth!  I sucked on an ice cube, but a blister formed immediately that covered half the roof of my mouth.  That popped when I carefully tried to eat dinner, and then I had a mouth sore for two whole weeks until it finally healed up.  It was awful and one would think that I would never make the dip again, but one would be wrong because it's just that good.  I will wait for it to cool this time!

Have a wonderful weekend in August :)