Holy smokes… pun intended… it is hot! Both literally and figuratively!
As far as the literal is concerned, we all look forward to the warmer temperatures our summer brings. However, there are definitely times, like the last few days, that us Hovey girls would prefer “spring”-like temperatures! Cailyn would prefer cooler temperatures because she doesn’t cope well with the heat, likely as an outcome of all the surgeries and years of chemotherapy. Lauryn would have preferred cooler weather for her beach volleyball tournament on Saturday, when the temperature rose to 31 or 32 degrees Celsius. It’s the old, “be careful what you wish for” phenomenon!
As for the figurative, it’s coming down to the short-strokes for school. Thankfully, Lauryn’s crazy weeks of projects are officially behind her. She still has a couple of things on her plate but nothing that likely has to come home. On the other hand, the pressure continues for Cailyn. She has two exams, one Friday and one Monday, and has to complete two outstanding projects. She has been unable to physically get to two of her courses for weeks and weeks and these absences have provided a significant amount of the fuel producing the heat of the fire she feels.
I appreciate that Grade 9 is a significant transition for everyone. So, when I consider what Cailyn’s inaugural year in High School has included, I am truly amazed at her resilient spirit. She’s noticeably overwhelmed with the hole she has to dig out of to finish her year and yet she looked at me today and said, “it’s actually been a really good year”! It’s truly spectacular that she can describe this year as a “really good year” when she was challenged by the last 7 months of 4 years of weekly chemo (with all the pain and fatigue that went along with it), and significant reconstructive surgery on her foot, that fundamentally changed the last 11 weeks of her school year.
As far as the literal heat is concerned, I’m thankful that there’s a slight cold front coming in tonight. It will make Cailyn’s last day of classes at school more tolerable tomorrow. The temperatures are forecasted to increase over the week, so while Cailyn’s dealing with the “heat” of her exams, Lauryn will be hydrating well for a beach volleyball tournament on Saturday.
My focus will be on cheerleading.