Back to School for Senior Year

Back to school time means things are really busy here at the Referee's house.  My baby is starting his senior year of high school.  Hard to believe he can be 17 going on 18 already!  He says he hates school, but he gets straight A's so I can't complain.  I think the problem is that it doesn't challenge him.  This year he's taking a web design class, which I hope will keep him interested and maybe end up being a career opportunity, since computers seem to be what he is interested in.  Well, computers as they relate to Xbox and YouTube!

The first game of the soccer season is tomorrow, and we average 3-5 games a week through September. We're all going to be exhausted by October.  I'm not wishing the time away, though, since this is his last season.  

Daughter raced a week ago today, and hopes to have one more race mid-September before parking the racecar for the season.  She learned a lot this year, and finished 9th in points at her regular track.  I'm proud of her for chasing her dreams.  

I'm planning to visit my parents sometime this week, in between soccer games or maybe on the weekend. My brother called yesterday to tell me he had a bunch of fluid drained from his knee and is off work (again) for at least two weeks.  I'm sure my parents are feeling the pressure from that, and they shouldn't have to.

We visited my father-in-law today at the nursing home.  He was completely out, and it took hubby 45 minutes to wake him.  He had missed lunch so they brought that to him once we had him awake, but then we spent the next hour watching him eat.  I was happy to see he had an appetite, but it wasn't one of our better visits. Then we went to my mother-in-law's and helped her with a couple things.  We were there longer than I had hoped, and I was feeling resentful on the drive home.  I know I shouldn't.  I'm just stressed with so many other things that I wanted to be home doing things I want or need to do.  

Work has been really stressful, worrying about what my department may or may not do to replace my officemate, who is retiring September 30th.  This week, there were several meetings with discussions of the situation.  At first, the word was that they would temporarily reassign faculty.  As of Friday, the word was that they will bring in a temporary worker, which I hope means they will be eventually hiring a permanent replacement.  But so far nobody has actually said that.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed.  

Tonight, with thoughts of some good friends, I offer up prayers of hope and healing.