It's Over

Just like that, the World Cup is over....for me anyway.

I was chided by friends and family into supporting "The Beautiful Game" and I did. I learned the rules, watched the games, and even knew some of the players names....but like a cruel girlfriend, all of a sudden, it was over - Team USA lost to Ghana and dreams of a WC were shattered.

Admittedly, I find soccer a tough sport to watch however the momentum of the US team compelled me to always excitedly ask Jake, "When is the next game?" and adjust my schedule accordingly. Now that the USA is out, albeit with a respectable showing, thoughts turn toward the dog days of summer (named as such not for the stifling heat but rather the phrase describes the constellations canis major and canis minor that dominant the nighttime sky). Such days are filled are with baseball highlights, vacation to do lists, and putting up with the heat any way I can.

So far this summer has been uneventful - quiet. We plan to spend two weeks in Oceanside as always in late July/early August. We escape the heat to hit the beach and make some fun memories although since we've been going to Southern California each summer for 15+ years now, the trips all sort of blend together. Actually, that's not accurate; there is the young kids version, the teenage years, and thers grown up years.

The Young Kids Years were comical. I would lug so much gear out to the beach each morning that I would be cranky and sore all day long. Such trips included memorable events like day sojourns to Sea World and San Diego Zoo. Alec and Jeff's unforgettable "duck taping" back in Del Mar in '94 and countless other memorable days building sand castles, tossing the frisbee, boogie boarding and snoozing on the beach.

The Teenage Years were also quite funny - to me anyway. The boys slept alot, did the quiet teenager gig pretty well, and were moderately talkative. There were many friends who joined the trip during these years and our grocery bill was so high I demanded social security numbers from the boy's friends so I could claim them as dependants for tax purposes.

The Grownup Years were bittersweet. We havent' all been at the beach together in 5 years since the boys served back to back church missions in faraway lands. Alec was in Peru for 2006 and 2007 while Jake served in Ecuador during 2008-2009. We'll rendevous as a family again in 2010 but will miss Grammny for the 2nd straight year. In 2007 we added Tiffany to the family and in 2010 we'll welcome a granddaughter in the fall. Future years will only bring more people and more memories.

After the beach Alec begins medical school on August 9th - my father's birthday. We are attending his White Coat Ceremony on the 13th where he is bestowed the traditional garb of a doctor. I think he wraps a stethoscope around his neck for the rest of his life during the first week as well.

These are exciting times.

Countdown - 28 days.