*Insert Clever Title Here*

So much going on, so much to do, and so little time. Yet in the midst of all of this running around and doing I realize I actually enjoy this sort of season in our lives. Normally there are so many opportunities and choices - things we could or should be doing. Now though, they all just fall away - truly there is very little else that I can do in addition to the many and large tasks in front of me for the next 10 days. I like the simplicity and single-mindedness this allows - the freedom to say no and to skip feeling guilty. Not that I'd want to live like this forever - just enjoying it for the time being. I'm more present to the tasks at hand, and (surprisingly?) finding I have more time for tickle fights with Ben or good chats with Caitlin. Nice.

Among the tasks at hand lately, our last Girl Scout meeting of the year and an end-of-term party for Chris's class.
The Girl Scouts went geo-caching and we found our first cache at good ol' Stonewall's tomb. Dixie was whistled, lemons were counted, and 5 more girls are hooked on geo-caching. (For the curious - our troop is made up of all homeschooled girls, with every age group from Daisies to Cadettes represented. The mix works well for us, especially since our oldest girls seem to thrive in leadership roles. The little brothers and sisters dig it too - the boys have declared themselves "Lava Scouts" and Tuesday afternoons usually turn into a great big kid party.)

And then Caitlin made her first ever cake from scratch - a red velvet cake, no less. Ben tested the frosting, declared it delicious and turned into the Joker. Chris taught Buddhist Meditation this term so Caitlin got in the spirit and frosted an "Om" on the cake in honor of their efforts this spring.

And then to top it all off, we learned that today was Morgan's birthday so we added candles, sang, and, um, well, meditated.
Up next: picking up a new car and an Indian visa, another BIG party, and a whole lotta packing. Pond flowers and honey suckle are in bloom, and my roses are phenomenal, so I'd really like to get a couple more plant posts in before we leave town too!