The Second Cup
Let’s go.
Monday morning.
Coffee is already on its second cup.
The weekend… was the weekend.
Not everything got done.
But a lot did.
The chicken run is just about ready.
Weather and life slowed us down, but it’s close.
Baseball training setup is halfway there, the rest comes in this week.
The house is clean.
Church was had.
Shopping is done.
Chicks are ordered.
Feed, grit, everything ready.
It’s funny.
Weekends are supposed to recharge you.
Around here?
They just shift the kind of work you’re doing.
Kids went to bed early last night.
Testing week.
They needed it.
Everyone was out early.
There were highs.
There were lows.
But now…
Vacation is over.
The weekend is over.
And we’re back in it.
Being out of work for three days means one thing.
Catch up.
Emails.
Lots of them.
The other side of vacation that nobody really talks about.
Or at least, nobody enjoys.
I try to stay ahead of it.
Fifteen minutes a day while I’m out.
Clearing the noise.
So when I get back, what’s left actually matters.
Things to respond to.
Follow up on.
Maybe escalate.
And even then…
At the speed things move, half of it might already be solved.
This week is testing week.
Zoey and David are taking the Stanford 10 for the first time.
Today and tomorrow.
Zoey’s nervous.
David is focused on baseball.
That tracks.
I worry a bit about Zoey.
Tests are hard for her.
Even when they don’t count, they still feel like they do.
David?
We’ll see if his patience holds.
Jacob is testing too.
At home.
Tuesday and Wednesday.
If all goes well, he’ll be transitioning into the same school as the older two.
Which means…
Asher and I get some time together.
Him in my office.
Me trying to work.
Him… doing whatever Asher does.
And he has his own assessment today.
All of this?
It falls hardest on my wife.
It always does during weeks like this.
And even if everything goes well…
The year doesn’t stop.
If the younger two do well, we shift into our summer rhythm.
Which, for us, still means work.
School doesn’t really stop here.
It just changes shape.
If they don’t?
We retest.
At the planned end of the year.
Which is already… a lot.
Because the last week of school?
Is also the last week of baseball.
For both David and Jacob.
And the weekend before that?
We start traveling.
Three straight Saturdays.
7 AM drives to Richmond.
Swim lessons.
Back the same day.
This is in the middle of six weeks of the same drive.
Violin recital demands a rehearsal and an extra practice.
Then the recital itself, of course.
All while…
New school session starts.
Today.
Last one ended Saturday.
Still sitting at a 4.0.
Still loving it.
Still learning.
New term.
New classes.
Research Literacy in Social Sciences.
Sociology of the Family.
This is either going to be a lot of fun…
Or a lot of reflection.
Probably both.
Tonight?
Baseball.
David.
Away game.
Over an hour out.
Late start.
Later night.
Tomorrow?
Same thing.
Jacob.
Same field.
His only away game this season.
We talked about it yesterday.
Only the three of us going.
The boys made that call.
Making sure Zoey and Asher get what they need this week.
Sleep.
Focus.
They’ll sleep on the way home.
It’s a lot.
For all of us.
But it’s also something else.
By midweek…
Testing mostly done.
Work caught up.
School underway.
Chicks arriving.
And maybe…
We start something new.
Workouts.
Better habits.
Getting stronger.
Together.
Because why not add one more thing.
It’s easy to look at a week like this and feel overwhelmed before it even starts. Too many moving parts. Too many schedules stacked on top of each other. But there’s another way to look at it. Every piece of it matters. Every practice, every test, every early morning and late night. It’s not random. It’s not noise. It’s a life being built, one piece at a time. Not quiet. Not simple. But meaningful.
This is a grounded moment where a full life doesn’t slow down, it just asks you to keep showing up.
Much love. Stay safe. Wash your damn hands. I’ll see you Wednesday.
