Life in June

What do you get when you mix a camping trip, a birthday, father's day and another visit from the tooth fairy all together?  Just another week of life in June for our family.

I chaperoned a school camping trip last week and it was awesome.  I used to chaperone this trip all the time before my girls came along.  The last time I rolled out my sleeping bag at Camp Whitney was eight years ago.  I'll just say it was nice to be back.  I went on this camping trip when I was in junior high.  I have some good memories from that time, even though they are a little fuzzy now. Going back the first time as an adult gave me an all new perspective. And this time, as I left my girls at home with their dad, I had another completely different experience.  I found myself thinking how much Callie would love it here.  I was excited for my girls to get to do this trip too someday.  I imagined what they will be like when they're finishing their grade eight year getting ready for the summer before high school.  I had lots of time to think as I hiked for two hours up King's Trail to the rock crevices and back down, three times!

When I got home from camp my monkeys were waiting for me.  Callie had stories to tell about riding her bike to school and her third visit from the tooth fairy.  Lexi told me about her graduation picnic at preschool. And they both reminded me that it was my birthday on Saturday.   

It was a beautiful day for a birthday.   It was a perfect way to start my last year in my thirties, a quiet supper in the backyard followed by a little cake and some sweet gifts.  Hmmm,  I wonder if I'll make more noise next year? This was the first time in a long while that I didn't get a bouquet of lilacs for my birthday. Spring was a little late showing up this year so I guess I will just have to take a rain-check on the lilacs.    

It just so happens that 39 years ago, I was born on the Saturday before Father's Day, just like this year.  I don't know how I got so lucky to have gotten the cream of the crop in the dad department.  But not a day goes by that I don't think about my good fortune.  

There was some talk amongst my teacher friends about Father's Day being a difficult topic in schools these days.  It's more challenging that Mother's Day.  The discussion was not a flippant one but a deep concern for respecting their students emotions and what effect it has on them when the dads of the classroom are compared and contrasted amongst classmates.  I don't know what the right answer is but I'm glad that my girls' teachers didn't throw out the baby with that bath water.  That just because some dads are difficult to talk about they didn't do away with Father's Day altogether. There are a lot of really great dads out there doing a lot of really awesome stuff for their kids and their families and they deserve their day.

We have one of those really great dads living right here in our house!

Happy Father's Day to all the dads doing the best they can with what they got.