The end of summer but not the heat

After returning home from our once-in-a-life-time trip, Preston and I had to get busy to get ready for school which started yesterday. Since he had to start running for cross country the first morning we got back at 5:15 am, he did take a day off one day to play games with his friends and get over the jet lag.
Then we had four days to get all the jobs done we had planned or started at the beginning of the summer but hadn't finished. So we shopped for food (the house was empty), cleaned the barbecue grill, cleaned out cupboards, vacuumed and dusted baseboards, filed old papers, cleaned bedrooms and
Preston had to finish painting the trim on the house. He had crashed a friend's rhino last spring and did $700 worth of damage. As a result, Preston painted all the trim and anything else Garth could find for him to do. There is nothing like painting when it is 108 degrees with humidity!
We also had to get the truck (our 15 year old Nissan one) ready for him to drive; we don't want to be driving him to school at 5:15 am like we did last year and since we made all the other kids drive old vehicles why would we get a new one for him? The shop had it all week and were baffled as to why it won't start after it has been running for awhile. So we told Preston, "you'll be OK because you just drive it to and from school so just don't stall it."

The other important thing we had to do was get his driver's license, which we did last Saturday. Of course, no driver's license photos are ones you want to hang on your wall but Preston's looks like a mug shot. He is thrilled with the freedom he now has and it is easy to say Garth and I aren't nearly as thrilled. Driving a stick in Phoenix traffic is difficult for experienced drivers, but for inexperienced ones - it makes a mother nervous!Then Sunday, Garth ordained him to the office of a priest during priesthood. As Garth and I walked out of the Bishop's office we commented how weird and sad it was to being doing all these things for Preston. He was always the baby but he definitely isn't anymore. And I'm quite certain I'm not ready to have all our kids gone in a couple of years.

Yesterday, he took off in our old, salvage value truck for his first day of 11th grade. I was so thrilled to see him arrive home safely after school and his drive to his piano lesson and back. I don't have to be a chauffeur more, what will I do with all my free time?