Well, slap me with a wet noodle! It's been six months since I put something up!
Even though we're in Pennsylvania, we're definitely experiencing the dog days of summer here--lots of heat, lots of humidity, lots of air conditioning.
Also, the boys have been out of camp for two weeks, and there's only so much tv/video games/computer/picking on your brother you can do.
It's been a bit of a crappy spring and summer for us, mostly because of income lost when both my jobs' hours got cut for the summer, but also because of car problems. Long story short, a traffic stop led to finding out our registration had been suspended, which led to the car being towed, two citations, being unable to drive for two months, to a letter from the Department of Transportation attempting to suspend my license for three months, to an appeal of said suspension, to a court date on Thursday to plead our case. (I know what you're thinking: "Really, Donna? That was the short story?" As short as I could make it, folks!)
A lot of money was lost/spent because of these two incidents, and the third and final straw was when lovely Miss Jolie, our four-year-old Irish Setter mix, was diagnosed with severe hip dysplasia three weeks ago. Temporary solution: Rimadyl. Permanent solution: a $1,700 surgery. Needless to say, she'll be on the Rimadyl for a while.
We came to the painful decision of not taking the vacation at Myrtle Beach we had planned. Even though we were doing it as cheaply as we could, we still would not have been able to afford it. We hated having to tell the kids, but after some tears (mainly mine and the Lego Kid's), Teenager and LK actually took it pretty well.
So now, we're trying to plan day trips. The one trip that is a certainty is the Franklin Institute, a cool science museum in Philadelphia. Husband won four free tickets at Employee Appreciation Day. Thank you, Husband's employer!!!!!
I've also been looking at a PA mid-week trip, but we'll have to see if our budget will allow it. If not, I'm sure we can come up with some other fun ideas.
As much as this situation sucks, here's the wonderful thing that came out of it: I realized that my boys are resilient, amazing human beings. Despite everything, they're pretty happy and well adjusted. They know they have a roof over their heads (such as it is) and food on the table. They know they have the love, comfort and protection of their parents. Husband and I are a tight unit, and this situation is not going to knock us down.
So, here's hoping that all of you make it through your dog days, and that happier times are ahead for all of us in the fall.
