Where did Summer go? June recap.

 With Sadie's first week of Kindergarten under our belts (that post is coming), I really can't hide from the fact that summer has ended.  I did manage to post about our trip to Maine, but I skipped June entirely.

Here are some photos and a few words about what we did for those 30 days.

 

We went downtown to our favorite spots a lot:

The "fish store":

 the "Buddha store":

 the Frozen Yogurt Shop:

 

The library:

 and the train station:

We hung out at home quite a bit as well:

 We went to Pescadero one day when Daddy was working at a bike race:

 

Our friend Caitlin had her birthday party at the beach in Rio Del Mar:

 Our friend Anders had his at a park with a face painter:

Grandma and Grandpa's pool was the #1 destination, of course:

We went to the movies to see BRAVE with our cousins:

We had one last play date in Felton with our friends Sammie and Josie who moved away to Southern California:

We went to the Music in the Park in our cousins' town:

 

 

  June was pretty great, actually!

reset button

aaaand...exhale.

Phew.  We are just back from our annual trek East to my in-laws' indescribably delightful shared family retreat in East Boothbay, Maine.  The Perch sits on the rocks facing southwest into the Atlantic;

the gulls cry, the water laps below and the flag snaps in the near constant ocean breeze.  It is an ideal getaway in so many ways and much anticipated each year, (except the travel part.)

The girls loved all of it.  Climbing on the rocks by the water, playing at the beach and playground, going into town for story hour at the library - they even met some friends this year: Sydney and Isla from San Diego - whose mom seems super cool (dare I hope for a new mom friend?!)  Nana had the house stocked with toys, art supplies, puzzles, games and books to keep them occupied and entertained.

I read 3 plays and a novel, and even went on a walk/run almost every day (but I'm keeping that a secret because I don't want any pressure or expectation with regard to getting fit and/or losing weight-ha!)  I've been saying for years that if any place could inspire me to get out and run, Ocean Point would be it.  Hard to beat that curvy stretch of Shore Road for inspiration.  If I get bothered by the thudding of my feet on the pavement or the sound of my breathing, I look up and oh, what's that?  A lighthouse and sailboats!  Blue sky, a few puffy clouds and a divine breeze!

 So, here I am, less than 48 hours after such a lovely time, and why do I feel harried and burdened and chaotic?  That trip is a total "reset button" - I'm completely spoiled by incredible in-laws who are beyond generous with their time and care of us. 

I guess landing back home in my cluttered, dusty house with a giant pile of mail and a small mountain of laundry is pretty jarring after the tranquility of Ocean Point.  And I'm not complaining.  Not exactly.  I just...

Motherhood is proving pretty darn taxing lately, even though my girls are my sun, moon and earth.  Maybe because they are my world is why it's so mentally and emotionally exhausting to be with them from morning until night.  I am realizing that I hold some nebulous ideal of The Perfect Mom and am striving to be or become this elusive creature.  I'm chasing a phantom. 

I'm anxious (read: totally freaking out) about Sadie starting Kindergarten.  That's a big one, I'll be honest.  I know she will be completely fine and will likely blossom and we will get to watch her unique personality continue to emerge.  But Oh.  Em.  Gee.  I am worried for her little feelings, her little brain and her little psyche.  School every day with twice as many classmates and half as many teachers as she's grown accustomed to is a big deal!  It's a barrage of information and stimulation and and and...  I just want to protect her which sounds beyond trite (not to mention totally bizarre, since I truly didn't see this coming in my own emotional landscape).  I've actually choked up three times now to different friends while trying to describe how I'm feeling about it.

It's a new chapter for us and I guess I equate that with a fresh start for everything.  I want our closets cleaned out, our office tidied and organized, and I want the girls to start sharing a room.  I want to have a better handle on the contents of my pantry & refrigerator so that I can start cooking meals (that we'll all sit down together for, naturally) and preparing perfectly fun and nutritious sack lunches for my schoolgirl.  Sound like a lot?  Maybe.  But I know there are tons of women out there doing this in their sleep, while vacuuming no less than twice a week, having conference calls with clients in Tokyo and running marathons.
Why do I care?  Oh, that's because I have a nasty competitive/envious streak that runs pretty darn deep.  It's a bear.  I was telling one of my best friends on the phone this afternoon that I know for a fact that if she could tune in and hear the nonstop inner monologue in my head, she'd like to slap me sideways about 3 times a day at least.

What is that about?  The crazy talk in my head, not the best friend who would be all up in my face with some serious tough love if she didn't live 2000 miles away - that I understand and am so grateful to have.  I need to keep myself/be kept in check when it comes to The Big Picture because my tendency is to go straight to Overwhelmedville, and that does no good at all.

So, I need to dial it back a bit.  Ease my grip.  Lighten up.  Right?
Sure.

It's a tall order.  I look down at my two children and wonder how we got here so fast?   How is my first baby about to turn 5 and start going to school every day?  Can't I turn back the clock and rock her to sleep in my arms and hold her fingers while she learns to walk?  Have I done enough to prepare her for this next step in her little life?

Where is that reset button?

a small precursor of bigger changes to come...

 Thursday 5/24/12

the night before "I have a loose tooth!"

Tuesday 6/5/12

moments after "My tooth fell out!"

The Black and White Ball

 Thank you KDFC, for the free party passes to the San Francisco Symphony's Black and White Ball!  Happy 100 years to them and long live music education in public schools!



What a PARTY it was!

We were starving when we arrived but that was taken care of immediately, as there was copious amounts of food everywhere.  There were booths overflowing with prawns, chow mein, veggies, steak, sausages, pork, sushi, taquitos, dim sum dumplings, you name it.  There was never a wait for drinks, either.

There was a giant mirror ball spinning and lighting up City Hall, the War Memorial Veterans Building and Davies Symphony Hall.

The fashion was fantastic - people were seriously decked out and almost everyone was in black and white.

My favorites were the fabulous identically dressed drag queens
(terribly dark and blurry photos from my phone camera)

this dapper couple

 she made this hat, folks.  The cables of the bridge are beaded.  Unreal.

 There was a man in full kilt,

 there were top hats & gloves, furs & sequins, and an endless parade of impossibly chic cocktail dresses, quirky/fun dressy outfits, and truly remarkable, gorgeous gowns.

 I didn't get nearly enough photos, so I'm going to hunt for some online and try to share them.

The staff were all totally friendly, professional and fun.  These guys hammed it up (pun intended) for this shot:


This Peachy's Puffs gal (who must have been positively freezing!)

casually began explaining the Tragedy of the Commons to me by way of an apology/explanation for not having any more LED flashing jelly rings left.  She said people had begun grabbing fistfuls out of her tray.  Boo hoo.  Sadie and Lilah would have loved those.

Here was a lady I just had to get a photo of:

Check her out in her sparkly top, flashing jelly ring, perusing her smart phone!  Love it.
The mixed demographic of the crowd was one of my favorite aspects of the entire night.  Andrew commented later that he had forgotten what a people-watcher I am.  I seriously could have just wandered around all night telling people how fabulous they looked.  I love doing that.

Maybe I'll do it again someday...

I haven't even mentioned the entertainment.  Excellent!  We wandered around to try to get a sampling of each but didn't hear it all, I don't think.
Here was the line up:

The Wallflowers sounded great, the Bobby Rodriguez Latin Jazz band had people tearing it up,
Janelle Monae & her band were excellent;

 she covered Prince's "Take Me With You" and Charlie Chaplin's iconic "Smile" which was really lovely...

We had to leave before the "Midnight Surprise" (fireworks? confetti cannon?) while the one and only Cyndi Lauper was still performing in order to get home to our sweet 17 year old babysitter (on loan on crazy short notice from my friend Melissa) by 12:30 as promised.  Her father was picking her up - I was not about to be late!

Here are my parting shots.

 If someone had told me when I was 12 that I'd be at a ball in San Francisco near the stroke of midnight wearing a floor length strapless satin dress with my husband listening to her, I would have never believed it...

*sigh*

What a night.