I did not mean to look so serious when I took this picture…but it also would have been weird if I smiled here.

(Sunday Paper, Year VI, Issue 21)

Back in September I took a picture of the dog when we started to go back and forth to dance class.

After a solid six months of being home for everything, it was the first time we were regularly going out.

She was a bit confused.

I feel like the culmination of that going out again happened this week.

May has always been busy, this time in May in particular.

Except, of course, for last year.

Now we’re back to softball a few nights a week and dance recital rehearsals all week and this week reminded us that it’s one of the busiest weeks of the year for us.

It was non-stop and it was hectic…but compared to last year, it was certainly better.

The thing about this week, historically, is it’s the last hump to get over as far as out-of-school events.

There are lots of wrap-up school things in June (probably not as many this year, which is fine), but that’s all less intrusive for some reason - probably because all of these other activities have wrapped up.

This week is the outlier because instead of the regular, routine dance classes the girls have had all year, there’s recital rehearsals, which means they’re going more than usual and at different times.

And there’s hair to be done and makeup to be done (not that those things involve me….just that they add to the time it takes for everyone to be ready to go) and there’s more than one occasion where we’re rushing from school.

There’s a lot of driving and a lot of sitting in the car and waiting in parking lots. (Pictured above.)

I know other people might have more activities and this might be more commonplace for you. (If so, more power to you. One crazy week is enough for me.)

But as I drove to and fro and to again this week, I thought more than once that compared to the situation everyone was in last year, this was better.

And I hope next May is closer to this May than last May.

Notes

*Here’s your running update for the week: This week I started an 18-week Peloton Marathon training program. It comes in three 6-week sets. I like it so far, but if I’m not digging it I like that I can change gears after just six weeks. It seems to follow the recommended marathon training everyone suggests, with short runs during the week, long runs on the weekend, and cross-training mixed in. The benefit for me is that I need structure for the cross-training, and Peloton tells me exactly what to do. I just need to make sure I’m setting aside the time for it.

*In order to set aside that time I made myself a planner and I’m being real teacher-y about how I plan out my workouts. It’s good - my brain responds well to the routine of planning out on Sunday what I’ll do for the week. (And I’m sure I’ll write and tell you more about this as time goes on.)

*I think registration for the marathon happens by the end of the month so things will come along quick - I’m excited to tell you about some of the marathon goings-on. I met with the charity I’m running for this week and I’m excited about that. We’ll make a big-deal announcement about that. Lots of exciting stuff coming up.

*Also, if you’re doing the math, there’s about 20 weeks until the marathon. So clearly the Peloton program won’t take me all the way until the end, but I figure in between six-week sessions I can mess around and customize things. I have Team Framingham group runs to mix in as well.

*I’ll be writing all about it on the Facebook page, which you can Like here, and on Twitter, where you can follow me here. Thanks for coming along on this journey with me. It’ll be a fun few months coming up.

*I also made a decision about the ‘Stay At Home Dad’ part of these titles. Kathy got her second shot this week, so I think we’re well on our way to not being ‘stay at home’ all the time. So I’ll stay with it through the end of the month (which is just next Sunday), and then I’ll have my yearly guest writers in June and we’ll use that break to transition out of it. When I come back in July (or late June - there’s so much to update you on I might have to interrupt the girls’ posts - maybe they won’t be consecutive this year) it’ll just be the regular ol’ Sunday Paper again.