Pictures of Summer

School Ends and Summer BeginsToday is the last full day of summer. I know – it doesn’t feel that way to me either.

The beginning of summer is heralded. Excitement, possibility, and joy. Yet, the end of summer passes and no one notices. I chalk it up to Labor Day. The unofficial end to summer feels like the true end. Once Labor Day passes, it might as well be fall.

As the thought of summer ending came upon me, I thought about what my family and I had done this season. While the summer included the FLASH! and a dash of dog reading sprinkled with pizza, there was much more.

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And It was the Summer Of…

The Summer of... The Flash: SJ riding a bike.Seasons and times are remembered by events. The summer I learned to drive. The winter I started playing basketball. Junior year when I had my first girlfriend. With Labor Day in the mirror, it’s time to think what happening will mark the summer of 2015.

A few years ago, I tried to teach BR how to ride a bike. It was a struggle from the beginning. He was uninterested. His constant refrain of, “Why do I need to do this” as I led him around the block was exasperating. BR was on the verge of riding, but he was never willing to fall. His fear held him back. While riding a bike is not a required skill for a happy childhood, I felt, somehow, that I failed him. Maybe I should have pushed harder. Maybe, I should have been more delicate. Maybe I should have been more understanding.  Whatever the issue, the moment passed. It’s been two years since I even tried to get BR on a bike.

SJ loves his scooter. He also loves his bike. He didn’t mind that it had training wheels. Ms. MMK and I tried telling him he was getting too old and big and that it was time to take the training wheels off.

SJ was reluctant. He doesn’t like change. Continue reading

Why You Should be Rooting for Serena Williams at the US Open

If you enjoy tennis, you should be a Serena Williams fan. If you don’t enjoy tennis, you should be a Serena Williams fan. What Serena Williams has recently accomplished is unprecedented. And no, I’m not talking about her alleged hook up with Drake. Hey, don’t judge me – I saw the headline on Yahoo. Anyway, Drake has nothing to do with why you should be a Serena Williams fan.

Serena and the tennis world are focused on the US Open. If Serena wins the US Open, she will have won tennis’ version of the Grand Slam which is comprised of The Australian Open, The French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open. She would be the first women to win the Grand Slam since 1988 when Steffi Graf won it. By the way, she has won the last four majors, but it was not done in one calendar year. That’s not unprecedented. Serena herself accomplished the Serena Slam (it was named after her) – 11 years ago.

Serena was 22 at the time she won her first Serena slam. I wasn’t a fan of hers then. Continue reading