Now that another year of school has started, I’m already nostalgic for the hazy days of summer. (Yes, I REALIZE that it’s still August, but just go along with me here . . .)

And because I am an overachieving 21st-century woman (and currently reside on the short list for the coveted Mother of the Year Award—oh, you too? Welcome aboard!), I have carefully documented all of the excitement of Summer 2008 using the finest technology available to consumers: my crappy cell phone camera. So, as I take a trip down memory lane (aka, “clean out my pix because my cell’s memory is full”), I hereby present my photo essay, entitled “COUNTDOWN TO AUGUST 20, 2008″:

The summer started as most vacations with teenagers do—with a trip to the emergency room.

I call this one Still Life with Broken Arm. (It turns out that taekwondo self-defense moves actually WORK. Even when one is just pretending to be the victim during class. *sigh*)

The excitement continued the next day, with a 3-hour stay in the waiting room at the orthopedist’s office, waiting for the cast. Luckily, there was plenty of great reading material available:

Title: Boredom Today

Flash-forward 7 long weeks to the grand unveiling of the healed limb:

Title: When Inappropriate Tan Lines Attack

But there are lots of things that a family can do in the summer, even when one of them is sidelined with an injury. For example, it’s imperative that we attend a White Sox game every summer (and to get the full experience, apparently we have to be one of the first 17 people to take our seats):

Title: Early Bird Special

We also went to an outdoor music festival, where my son really got into the whole spirit of the Back to Nature theme by lounging in the grass . . . while texting someone on his cell phone:

Title: Sunday Afternoon, NOT on the Grand Jatte (and if you don’t recognize that title, get yourself to the Art Institute RIGHT AWAY!)

A festive trip downtown to see Cirque du Soleil turned into a free-for-all at the gift shop before the show. Of course, when I say “a free-for-all” I really mean “messing around with $480 masks.” What, me worry?

Title: The Price is Wrong

I should add at this point that I don’t just train my expert photographic eye on my own babies. I am NOT that self-involved. In fact, on our annual trip to the Lake County Fair, I saw someone else’s babies that caught my eye, so I snapped a picture. (Note: I did not obtain the mother’s permission, so I am only showing them from behind):

Are you ready for the cutest babies in the world?

Can you handle the sweet pink skin?

Wait for it . . .

Okay, don’t say I didn’t warn you . . .

Title: Honey, I Have Soooo Been There!

So that was my summer in a nutshell. I hope that yours was just as exciting, and that you have permanent photographic evidence. Because if you didn’t take a picture and share it with someone . . . did it actually really happen? (Discuss.)

Here’s to the first week of school!

Title: Whew! I Made It!

This entry was posted on Friday, August 22nd, 2008 at 11:02 am and is filed under parent. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.