girlonahalfshill

Highly abused, often confused buzzword that it is – this summer, which has been the culmination of five years of planning and dreaming, is fueled by purpose. Reconnecting to my father’s memory and his family, exploring our soon-to-be home, introducing my sons to history, science, geography and literature through activities and travel and spending time with my sons.

A dear friend told me that success is “constancy of purpose.” If so, then the scope of what I have set us against this summer would argue against our success. I had planned so much more… LSAT prep, books, heaps of books that are weighing down the back of my car, but which I have yet to crack open. It seems that I may have to content myself with the fact that our travels are running on schedule and we are all happy and healthy. My academic goals will be the primary focus soon enough and the boys have the bulk of my attention for now.

But, today we reached Pennsylvania and set foot on Bryn Mawr’s campus for the first time. It’s beautiful, but it didn’t feel intimidating or cold. It reminded me of Cambridge with its masonry and chimneys. Tomorrow I’ll meet my dean and get an official tour of the campus, but I have seen enough to feel confident about the fit. My eldest son called my mom to tell her about our visit and he described the college as a well-designed castle. My youngest kept looking at the buildings while confirming that we were in the right place, “They’re giving you money to go to school here? Here? Good job, mom!”

I haven’t posted in a while. I’ve had ideas for posts, but we took a day off from productivity in Nashville on the 4th of July and then there were a few intense days of driving, followed by visits with my relatives in North Carolina, which were wonderful days that gave my sons treasured time on the beach and the opportunity to remember their grandpa, while getting to know their great aunt and great uncles for the first time. (They have met their Great Uncle Dan before, but briefly at my father’s memorial service, so this was a much different experience for them.)

And now we are almost ready to point out car westward again. And there is more relief in that thought than I imagined when I embarked on this journey. In late breaking news, my boyfriend just notified me that he’s gotten approval for his request for time off, so he’ll be helping me drive the U-Haul from California to Pennsylvania in August! I don’t know if I’m more relieved to learn that I won’t have to learn how to drive a 17′ U-Haul truck on my own or to find out that we’ll have a week of travel together and although I know that moving may seem like a less than idyllic vacation, this is the same man who has stood by my side through my father’s passing, the passing of my friend and employer, my worries about my children and my parents. He’s been my comfort through it all and when he’s by my side, adversity doesn’t feel overwhelming. It all feels more hopeful, so I’m beyond happy to know that we’ll have this time together.

On that note, I am going to sign off for the night. I will try to write again sooner next time. There have been ideas shooting through my head for days, but I haven’t found the time to set them to type. Good night.