All wet

{a week off from softball to volunteer at Camp Sunshine in Casco Maine with friends.
Elle is the third one in from left}

I must be mad. Really mad in the head. I leave work to run home. Dash in the house and grab the girls, jump in the car and head out for Ellie's practice in the pouring rain. Once again, it is pouring in Central Mass. The summer is a wash altogether, unless August has power packed weekends full of sunshine, this summer was officially bad as far as the weather goes. How many rainy, freezing practices and games do you think a parent/child can take? Tonight we made the best of it. Soleil (2 almost) and I went puddle stomping, eating blueberry bagels with cream cheese. I could have used a stiff martini in the rain looking like a drowned rat, wishing for it to come to a glorious end. Two hours of this.

Ellie and her team are preparing for the Eastern National Softball Tournament in Salisbury, MD. They have been working so hard, practicing and driving from over an hour away to get to practice in some cases. (Thank you Amy for coming tonight and revving the girls up.) Kids and parents giving up their summer (ha) for softball. I am so proud of my daughter for her dedication. At times it's a lot for a 16 year old to muster it up to go to practice instead of visiting with say two friends who just spent 3 weeks in Europe while she sucked up dust off a field in the middle of some town she slept all the way to at 5 in the morning. How many girls can do this? She is on 3 teams. High school, local league and ASA.

This was a tough ASA year, transitional and hard to refocus on a new team, wanting to spend time with friends and getting her license. All understandable. She is facing struggles of balance here and working hard towards a goal...one that she can't really see as yet. The 16 year old blinders are long and narrowed. Yes, college is right around the corner. This teenage parenting is hard as hell. Give me the two year old biting me or ripping my hair out. Really. Elle works so hard, I just want to sleep for her. I am looking forward to a few days on the Cape to regroup before heading south on Monday. So proud, this mama is so proud.

Did I say it was raining? It's funny I think, to imagine the lives of some people outside of work. You never know what someone does when they leave the office. Tonight a colleague went full tilt on how I spend my time. She came out to help the girls focus on warm ups as a technique to gain mental strength and determination before a game. Maybe I should do this before heading to work? I wonder if neighbor Dave would mind me screaming out counts of 20 in my driveway?? I hope it helps, she was pruney when she left to head back to Brighton from Whitinsville. See the dedication is in the blood.

MMM, Sauza Hornitos and Ginger...make my damp bottom jeans bearable. Too lazy to change just yet. Off to bed, thinking of warm sunshine on my face, dreams of bliss, and walking with the one you love.....without an umbrella.