Smith Family Weblog

This weekend has been filled with downtime, a sharp contrast to the weeks preceding it. Between a crazy work schedule and trips to Las Vegas and Madison, the last half of the month has been hectic at best. So, while we collectively catch up on sleep (and catch up with each other), we are looking forward to a relatively quiet week ahead.

One of the items on my very short task list this weekend (which really only included dinner with friends and a couple of naps) was updating the family calendar that hangs near the back door. As I wiped it clean, there was a moment in which it was completely, happily blank—deliciously devoid of deadlines and responsibility, much like this afternoon feels.

Of course, though, the new month looms. August has the potential to bring some very significant changes for us, and most certainly for one member of our family in particular:

In 17 short days, Ava will start first grade at the public school up the street. And suddenly, our lives will be dictated by a different calendar, one that includes surprisingly strict—and relatively early—start times (not to mention a rather hilarious amount of “planning days.”)

In my life, thanks in part to long ties to one campus or another, the start of the year is signaled by football schedules and cooling temperatures, not the blare of New Year’s Eve celebrations.

I’m looking forward to what this new year will bring.