It's late August...back to school time.  I'm waking up earlier to wake up daughter Ashley and to make her lunch.  The dreaded, "Do you have any homework?" has crept back into my conversations.  My morning drive to work is peppered by yellow buses and I find myself paying more and more attention to the fashion ads in the newspapers.

My inner soccer mom is awakening, stirred by the pull of orchestra committees and school registrations.  Yesterday I attended an all day church retreat. (I'm a member of my church's board *curtsey*)  On Wednesday I'll be sitting in on orchestra auditions and on Thursday Ashley has her first concert.  It's less relaxing to sit under the sun by the pool when one is followed by a cloud of duties and a storm of commitments.  I'm tempted to retire my bikinis for the season....just tempted.

But after yesterday's church meeting I was ready to move poolside permanently.  The morning session was scheduled to run from 8:30 until noon.  The final prayer and hymn were said and sung closer to one.  In between we were treated discussions on building use policy, tax exempt letters (make sure they're up to date),  team building, and whether the thermostat should be set at 76 or 78 degrees.  Here are selected quotes from my notes:  "Suggested agenda.....Checkin....get meeting over ASAP...check out."  "Interminable discussion of building use.  10:15...20 mins. into building usage....UGH!  Poster child for nightmare meeting.  People upset about the FORM!  Give me a gun!  GAK."  At about 12:30, as the meeting should have been winding down or over already for god sake, a board member started the thermostat discussion.   76 or 78....68 or 70....turn up or down during services....I don't even know how to work the thermostat.  That's when I got up, went to the bathroom, and failed to return.  Nature called....the nature that I couldn't take this anymore.  It's terribly bad form to swear at other church leaders in the sanctuary.

So I survived...even survived the afternoon session.  And this morning I'm going to services.  I am a glutton for committee work.  I am Soccer Mom
So if you see me in my Town and Country Van....please don't ask me where my thermostat is set.