We had a busier summer than usual for us. It started at the end of June. We rented a cottage/home in Point Judith RI, along with Dave's sister and brother-in-law. Caitlin was with us for just the 1st 2 days, as she had a job at a camp. We brought a friend of Abbie's and enjoyed having Tori with us. We affectionately refer to her as one of our 'other daughters'. (We do the same with Caitlin's best friend.) We were blessed with sunny weather for 6 of the 7 days. It had been raining in MA prior to our vacation, during it and after it. We've had a very wet, and relatively cool summer, so it was nice to enjoy some outside time that week.
Dave had taken 3 weeks off - some vacation time, some unpaid leave. He was and still is trying to resolve some medical issues. A major part of this is significantly interrupted sleep - over the last 6-9 months. The poor sleep leads to pain in his muscles and joints (and overall fatigue) during the daytime. The 3 weeks allowed him to nap whenever he needed. The week in RI was the 2nd of those weeks.
The week immediately after our vacation (1st week in July) began a big adventure for Abbie and I. She attended the Boston Architectural College (BAC) - Summer Academy for high school students. She and I traveled in and out of Boston every weekday all 4 weeks of July. The trip in was during rush hour. I drove on the major highways to the subway station 45 minutes away. Then we took the subway ('the T') which was 30+ min to her stop on Newbury St. in the BackBay area of Boston. So an avg. of 1 1/2 hours going in, and a little less coming home at 12:30 each day. Because of Dave's 3rd week off from work he came with us 4 of the days that 1st week of July. This was a huge help, as this kind of travel is way out of my comfort zone. We also enjoyed exploring the BackBay together, so I was more comfortable with the area when I was on my own the other 3 weeks (while Abbie was at the BAC).
The program was a quick intro to the fields of architecture, landscape architecture, and interior design (this was a smaller focus than we had hoped) and general design related to our surroundings. It was tiring to do this everyday. The students (78 in all) did multiple projects, sketches, and a few field trips within Boston. Abbie enjoyed and appreciated the experience as a whole. We're hoping it will give her some direction in the upcoming year(s).
I enjoyed my time in Boston. Going into a city and being on my own like that was not something I ever expected or even desired to do (esp so much of it on my own). The travel, the exploring a piece of the city, the time just to sit and watch people, reflect, pray, read... it was all very good for me. Simply put: God enabled me, and I'm proud of myself 
Caitlin's job at a nearby Christian camp was a good experience for her as well. She was there from Sunday evenings to Saturday mornings, for 6 weeks. So we enjoyed seeing her for the brief time she was home. We'd hear about her week, and she'd hear about ours (much of it the Boston time). She supervised the junior workers, whose jobs were to do the bathroom and kitchen chores. These were young teens from Worcester who in the past were campers, but now too old to be campers and too young to be 'counselors'. The final week was 'teen week - so these kids were campers along with other teens and Caitlin was 'counselor' and enjoyed that week the most... less time enforcing chores, and more of being a Christian mentor... which she's good at doing.
Among other things, an exciting piece of her summer is how God worked out details for her desire to study abroad. At the end of the spring semester, the courses she needed/desired for this fall were 'full'. As the summer progressed openings came up that allowed her to get spots in those courses. Without them in place she could not do study abroad (at least not in the spring). She is now all set - at least application process is underway - for her to go to Florence Italy for the Spring semester! Two exciting pieces on top of the open door - her best friend, Camille ("our other daughter") also plans to be in Florence Italy at that time through her college. And a friend of mom and dad's lives near there, so there is a Christian adult woman contact in place, ready to help out if needed.
God is so Good!! Abbie and I had safe travels to/from Boston all of July and good experiences. Caitlin had a growing experience at her camp job and can do study abroad with 'friends' nearby.
Our summer ends - Abbie started school last week (earlier than most around here) and is starting a job TODAY... at a hardware store, in the paint dept. The business is owned and operated by Christians. The setting is quite a pleasant contrast to her school environment. She'll be working there during school hours as a co-op every other week - instead of being in her shop. She may work after-school hours on the opposite weeks, if she can manage the time and energy. She goes for her driving license on her 17th birthday!Caitlin goes back to UConn this Saturday... just 2 more days. She is looking forward to getting back. It'll be a challenging semester, course-wise, but it'll make it possible for Italy to be a lighter load She also hopes to be home a few more weekends since she wont' be home at all for the spring semester.
I will volunteer again at a Christian pre-school, helping with 3 and 4 year olds. It's fun and has been a rewarding use of my time. This will be my 4th year there. They start after labor day, however I am scheduled for a biopsy and may not be able to start with them. At this time, the surgeon and I think it is related to my NF, but he is playing it safe because of where it is.
Dave continues to seek answers for the medical issues. He had a
sleep study in June. It was normal. He had another test (of the
Autonomic nervous system) - he was suppose to get results today, but
the appointment was changed to early Sept. During the test, he was told
it looked 'essentially normal' - so we have little expectations there.
He is taking a medication that has helped a little (for a month now),
but also has had unpleasant side affects. So he's weighing whether or
not to continue with that medication. Prayers for him/us would be
appreciated. One can not continue to function with this much sleep
depravation, fatigue and no end in sight. And living gracefully under
these circumstances (for both of us) is difficult on any given day.
Fortunately, Dave's job is going well. Over the months, they have been tolerant of his missed hours of work due the unknown medical status and multiple doctor appointments. We're not sure what the long term looks like for him and his ability to do the job. Right now we go week by week, and day by day.
That's it in a nutshell. How is everyone else doing as we go into the Fall??
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