Well, after a Spring Break week spent with Drew's baseball team in glorious sunshine and the cloudless, blue skies of Florida, we have returned to Northern Virginia where apparently Spring goes to die a sad, lonely death.
Just kidding. Truly, I am. I mean, it is grey and cold and raining today, but I am bound and determined to hold on to the hope and positive vibes that a restful vacation brings me. It is remarkable what the sun, sand and ocean waves can do for my spirit. Add the miracle of Easter to the end of the week and I am completely renewed.
So I am going to recap a few highlights from the week which included driving thousands of miles and stopping at numerous gas stations, listening to hours of podcasts and reading two whole books, gazing at sunsets and giggling at my boys, cheering baseball players and chatting with their mamas and also a blue drink called a Jet Ski from the beach side bar that was joy in a plastic cup.
To start though, I will share with you, dear readers - especially, you moms - the most important event of the entire week - a moment brought to you by the voice of a severely sunburned teenager, the day after he was told no less than 7,000 times by his mom to put on more sunscreen as he lay on the Florida beach.
"MAAAAAAA! Why don't you smack me upside the head when I don't listen to you?"
(Note: There is no paraphrasing here. No artistic license. This is exactly what was uttered into the universe for my very own ears to hear by my seventeen year old knucklehead.)
And I don't mind telling you that before I went on to offer compassion and aloe vera lotion, I stood in awe and wonder at what I had just heard and my insides pretty much did this:
In honor of this momentous occasion when a child I birthed into the world saw fit to acknowledge that I was right about something, I would like to thank the Academy and my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Just in case you think I'm taking too much pleasure in that turn of events, calm down. It was fine. A day out of the sun, some aloe, ibuprofen, icy towels and a whole lot of peeling skin and he survived to live another day of ignoring most of what I have to say.
After spending many days on the beach, we had a great time watching Drew's spring baseball team play their first game of the season at Eckerd College in Tampa. They won big.
Joe flew in from State College, PA for a few days so I was so happy to have the whole family together. The boys had a blast and I got a little misty eyed realizing that it appears that more often than not they really are the best of friends. It is one of a mama's greatest hopes and I pray it will continue.
I will say that our hotel left a little to be desired, but I was so happy to be in the warm weather that I tried really hard to get over it. The silver lining was that I became very adept at being sure that my feet never actually touched the floor. I am so skilled that one night when one of my socks fell off while I was sleeping, I had to hop on one foot to the bathroom and I did so with great success. Please hold your applause. Here's a peek at my girls and me getting a glamour shot at what we labeled the hotel's "Grand Staircase". Please notice the lovely hues of purple, red and turquoise on the walls and carpet.
Of course, the Skinner family can't let vacation get in the way of multiple sporting events and since the NCAA Women's and Men's Basketball tournaments were going on, there was no doubt that we would find ourselves a tv a time or two to watch some hoops.
Warning to all the college basketball players: If you make a last second winning shot there is a 100% chance I will re-watch it 700 times and cry my ever-lovin' eyes out as if I gave birth to you. It doesn't matter if I have never heard of you or even of your school. The number of children I have "birthed" during this NCAA tournament is too many to count. Yes, I might have named my boys boring, run-of-the mill names like Joe, Kyle and Drew, but do not doubt that I have been officially behaving as if I also have a daughter named Arike Ogunbowale. While we're at it, let's just say I have a sister named Muffet McGraw. Give me all the buzzer beaters. I heart sports so darn much.
On the way back home we stopped in Columbia, South Carolina to check out the University of South Carolina. It was a lovely campus. My favorite part was the enormous Strom Thurmond Wellness Center which basically looks like the country club that Troy and Gabriella worked at in High School Musical 2.
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After spending six nights at a beach hotel, when we spent the night in the Courtyard Marriott in Columbia, I felt like a princess in a castle.
The drive home the next day was really long, but we were able to live stream the Big Ten Network so that we could listen to Joe make his debut as a baseball broadcaster when he called the Penn State vs. Purdue baseball game. We were just as proud as we could be and it helped make the trip a little more bearable.
I was so happy to make it back to our church for Easter and after the service I literally felt like it was a new year. I suppose there are challenges in all seasons of life, of course. And for me, the literal season of winter is particularly difficult. There have been times during these last months that I think I have closed myself off from facing the change that comes with reality of my children becoming grown-ups. With one gone to college and one with a foot out the door and one who is a full fledged teenager, I have spent many days - not all, but many - confused and frankly fearful as to what this future means for them, for me, for us. I have spent time wanting to turn back, to slow time, to pull up the covers and pretend that life can stay the same when in fact it can't. It shouldn't.
But that Easter Sunday, surrounded by familiar hymns and the reminder of the defining moment of my faith, I felt the stirring reminder that our Lord remains the same and that He has always and will always have good things in store for us and for those we love. We are able then to look past the dark of winter and remember the victorious words, "He is not here. He has risen. Just as he said." I have celebrated Easter for almost 50 years and just this year, I have seen a quote numerous times this week that I had never once seen before. No matter what we have gone through in our past and no matter what we will go through in the uncertain future we will always know this:
We are an Easter people and Alleluia is our song.
-Pope Saint John Paul II
Amen, Amen and Amen.
Happy Springtime to you, friends. (even if it doesn't feel like Spring quite yet!)
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