Fall's return

Midway through September, Fall's cooler weather has yet to return.  Neither have we quite returned to the semblance of a regular routine. Schedules are still in flux. Houseguests are still coming and going. But the initial flurry of back to school parent meetings and fee deposits have slowed, and I predict that by the end of the month, we won't be doing the constant checking "What do you have tonight?"

This school year the kids are in even grades, and we again have a senior in high school, but no kids in elementary school. While I should be more prepared for the senior year stress, it still has the capacity to cause blood pressure to rise.  Why didn't he do more preparation over the summer?  Why didn't I have more conversations with this son about vocation and life purpose and the meaning of education before this moment? While he has made a stab at writing a personal statement, the current drafts aren't memorable essays. But now the craziness of a heavy load of school work has descended. This same son is still working at the candy store and half-heartedly participating on the cross country team.

And yesterday I cause more stress by killing his and his sister's guinea pigs by leaving them outside too long.  They were in the shade, but apparently it was warmer than I realized. When I brought them in, they both were panting.  There was a moment when I thought they would revive, and another moment when I considered taking them to the vet for IV fluids, and then the moment that I realized first one, and then the other, weren't going to make it. Woe! They were only pet store rodents, but they have cute faces, and suffering and death are always hard to witness.  I couldn't bring myself to do anything to hasten their death, even when I realized it was inevitable. Instead I spent a good part of the day trying to cool them and give them drops of water and gentle pats and fretting about taking any action beyond palliative care. The three year old was quite attentive, and she heard me talking to the vet and wanted to go. I almost thought it would be a fun field trip, but the cost of IV fluids would have been many times more what we paid for these pets, who were often ignored and who had no great chance of survival anyway.  I tried to channel my inner farmgirl attitude towards small animals, but still it is difficult to be the cause of death of a small cuddly creature that your child loves.

In better news, we spent the past two weeks hosting my husband's parents, who came out to California from Oklahoma with a loaded camper trailer, following the path of the Joads. They came for my husband's promotion to captain, which barring some unforeseen event, will likely be his terminal rank.  The ceremony does not have the pomp and circumstance of a change of command or a retirement, but it is traditional to host a party afterward. We just had pizza, cake, and beer and wine, and invited military and civilian friends, and in addition to my in-laws, hosted my cousins and my brother-in-law and his family. It wasn't a huge event planning wise, but all were in good spirits.

We took the grandparents to a few San Diego sites, the most unique being a new facility for special warfare communities which was a building project my husband has been working on. But they were mostly content to just hang out with us and to enjoy their camp spot on the bay. Which, as you can see in the photos, had a great view.  They stayed at an MWR facility, as my father-in-law is a retired 28 year Coast Guard veteran. These types of recreation sites are one of the oft overlooked perks of military life, and the quality of this particular location is outstanding. This trip was a major drive for them, but it came off without incident. They are still on the way home, taking their time stopping at the Grand Canyon and Santa Fe. We pray the return will be similarly rewarding so that they'll come again!

The grandparents' view with kids on paddle boards

Administering the oath of office

Circa 1996 commissioning as an ensign. Note 1 bar

Attaching the new shoulder boards

Cap'n Cook

Interior of the iconic I-bar, familiar to many from Top Gun

A change of command ceremony for my husband's outgoing/incoming bossses on the USS Midway. Note the proliferation of white uniforms. 

Our friend, a Navy doctor, paired up with another doc and had a much more elaborate promotion party, which is called a wetting down. We joked that they thought it was a wedding down. They rented a venue and had this lively live band.

Labor day weekend pool fun

Enjoying the warmth of a mid September sun.