The weekend

We went to the beach to meet up with my sister and her children. It was my niece's birthday weekend. I brought no gifts. I shouldn't say that exactly. Just being there with my children was my gift. My niece had a friend from school with her. Trevor and Riley were the entertainment for the weekend. Trevor gave the girl piggy back rides all up and down the prom with her waving her hand at everyone like a rodeo queen. It was quite entertaining to watch the happy teens.

I took the boys shopping while we had waited for my sister to arrive at the beach. Trev wanted to try jeans and there was a great sale going on at the mall. Riley was totally disinterested and wanted nothing to do with the excursion. I wish I could have left him at the hotel, but our room wasn't ready and they woulodn't let us check in, which is how we ended up at the mall to kill time. Trev found a couple of pants to buy and a belt big enough. I wasn't allowed enough time to find anything really good thanks to Riley. Even bribery didn't work. He gave the money back to me that I gave him, saying he was done shopping.

Once the others arrived there was plenty of entertaining. The kids ran off and explored. Trevor returned with a yard of colored sugar in a fat straw and a wonderful hat. Riley didn't have any spending money, no job, and canky mom. He just had to tag along, but he didn't mind as the girls he was now with were entertainment enough for him.

Saturday night we all went out for dinner, then the kids went back to my sister's hotel to watch movies. I went to bed at my hotel. I received a call around 11:30 pm to come get my boys. They couldn't spend the night in the hotel as it wouldn't be proper with my nieces friend. I threw on my clothes and headed out the few blocks to their hotel. We had not been able to get into their hotel as it was a under construction and a three day weekend, All available rooms were full. I had reserved us rooms elsewhere.

When I arrived at the hotel I found that a new movie had started and no one was ready to leave. Exhausted from a day of driving and spending the whole day with over energized teen agers, I fell asleep on the floor waiting. In hind sight, I should have just told them to shut off the movie, the boys had to leave. I didn't. I sat and waited.

The movie finally ended and we did the dark walk back to our hotel at 1:30 am, vigilant for drunks and hostiles at that hour of the night. The boys thought I was being paranoid, but I found the walk stressful as we made our way down the prom, giving wide birth to anyone we saw and diverting our eyes and walking quickly. I was grateful when we were back at our hotel. Usually when we do a late night walk like that, Tom is with us, but he had other plans for the weekend. Not that he doesn't like his in-law family, but a teen party just isn't quite how he wants to spend his weekend.

The weather was incredibly beautiful, with blue sky in October. Cold and clear. We couldn't have asked for better weather for the weekend. Once at the beach, Riley realized that he had homework he hadn't done. He hadn't brought it with him either. It put him a little on edge, with the need to get back home just when we had arrived. We checked out of our hotel on Sunday and headed home as a result, rather than hanging in that lovely weather, which is what Trevor and I wanted to do. But school comes first, and Riley is still making up work from the week he missed.

Riley woke up Monday with a deep chesty barking cough. The school sent him him home at first period saying he was being disruptive and needed to get his cough under control. I gave him NyQuil and sent him to bed where he slept all day.

Tom was home working on the last of the wood floors. He wanted to rip the last boards and get them installed, finishing the room. He had also tweaked his back over the weekend and was making sure it was rested. That meant I didn't have to stay home with Riley, as I had plans to meet my step mom for lunch and hang with her all day in the city. She wanted to wander the downtown streets and just absorb the sounds and sights.

We had lunch at her house and headed out. I drove downtown and parked. We walked everywhere, from the thrift store to the high end retail stores to the book store. It was a lovely sunny day. Chilly, but we had our coats on. We ended the day eating dinner at a lovely restaurant she likes. I ordered the salmon which was cooked to perfection. Afterward I delivered her safely home and headed home myself.

Driving into my neighborhood I called to see if Trevor needed a ride, if he had called yet. Tom was just delivering him home himself. It was close to 7:30 pm. Trevor had had an out of town game. He told me when I got home he had played most of the game. Several players had been benched or kicked off the team for grades. Coach said that since this was the second half of the season and they wouldn't be able to play at all for the rest of the season, why bother coming to practice at all. He was really mad at those kids that didn't make grade.

Made me feel grateful that Trev had been benched at the beginning and not the end of the season. Coach had been lecturing everyone about the importance of making the minimum grade requirement and when the exclusion date was approaching. Trev had been on top of his grades having been burned once, he wont let his grades slip. He is even missing practices to make sure weak classes are covered. His typing has gone from 5 words per minute to 20. He is getting a B in typing. The teacher complimented him on his progress and told him she had been afraid she would have to fail him, but he has made such a dedicated effort, he earned his grade. He continues to work hard in her class and make progress. He may even reach the 60 words a minute goal by the end of the year. That is one class he will learn skills that he will use his whole life.

He made the mistake of going to his lunch job and not finishing a science test, a week ago. He said the teacher said he could finish it the next day, but the teacher didn't remember saying it. Trev lost points off the unfinished test. Another hard learned lesson that cost him grade points. He will not leave class early for work unless the class work is done. Teachers don't remember conversations with so many students to teach. Get it in writing or else. School work is the priority right now, not the job. Later as an adult he can make that determination.

Trev has one more game this season. It is an away game, over an hour drive. I am debating going. It is a long way, but he is finally getting a lot of playing time. His coach noticed him. With all the empty bench seats, it has given Trev a chance to show his stuff. Being benched for half the season put him at a disadvantage, the starters were all chosen, plays planned and learned. He was subbing mostly, on the line. Now I am thinking I want to do the drive to see him really play. Game day is Thursday.

His date to the Tolo is making their costumes. She asked for Trev's size and measurements. She bought some t-shirts she is tie dieing in neon for their outfits. You coordinate with your partner for costumes. I asked Trev if he had money. He said he had it covered.

Meanwhile, I can hear Riley coughing. I am waiting for a call back from the advice nurse, but I think I will just take him to the local doctor and get him looked at today. Its Tuesday. He can ill afford to miss another week of school.