Home Again.......................

I am home again after a very wonderful weekend in Columbus, Ohio.  I want to thank Columbus for snow on the ground when I arrived and bitterly cold temps, also for the icy rain that fell from the skies and covered my car with a good layer of thick ice that I had to chip off.  I also am thankful it all melted and I did not fall on my tush, although I almost went down a few times.  By Sunday the grey skies looked like snow but the temperature was warm, almost 50! I experienced such a variety of northern weather so thank you.

I got to spend a lot of time with this gorgeous guy.  A few dinners, grabbing lunch for him and driving him home, and just watching him swim was such a treat.  When my boys were growing up both of them swam and that involved countless hours of traveling, practices and meets.   My teenager gave up swimming his freshman year of high school, but Mr. 21 has been swimming year round since he was 11.  That was, and is a lot of work for him, and for us.  And the thing I miss is just watching him swim.  I am a nervous wreck at these meets, really I almost make myself ill, but I miss just seeing him glide through the water even when he is just warming up for an event or cooling down.  

He spends no less then five hours a day at this pool, six days a week training, and training, and that does not include weights and dryland training.  I am in awe of his perseverance.  Swimming has not been easy for him with a nasty abusive coach when he was a teenager,  training hard for years to only drop a fraction of a second or not drop time at all.  It is really amazing to me that this young man of mine is still in the pool.  But he is, no matter the setbacks he gets back in and swims.  I could learn a lot from him.  

Not the best picture of him as he had just taken a deep breath and was blowing it out trying to pump oxygen into his lungs before he got on the blocks.  I think all of your well wishes helped.  He did really well for this time in the season.  The meet was with four teams, Ohio State, Wisconsin, Purdue and Kenyon State.  He fianled in all his events, getting two fifths, a tie for sixth and a ninth.  So that is great, but it is really how he did within his own team that counts.  I am keeping my fingers crossed that he makes it onto the traveling team, which would be very exciting for him.  All these kids train hard, not just my son, but I don't know their stories, I just know his.  And I know he deserves to succeed, to finally feel he is where he needs to be and that all his years of hard work are finally paying off.  He is growing into a really nice young man.  Every time I get to see him I see that he is changing, maybe I can even say the word maturing, it is slow but it is steady.  And the best part of all is that I think after he gets this college business out of his system he is going to be a good man, and really that is all I can ask.  Oh and I got to meet his new, "girlfriend."  She is just lovely, and they make a darling couple.  See maturing...............I like it.

 Oh yes there was yarn shopping.  I actually went to the store directly from the airport, I wasn't sure how much time I would have over the weekend.  This is what being on a yarn diet does to you, it makes you weak in the knees when you smell yarn fumes drifting from the store.  And since I have recently been making gifts with my stash of Malabrigo Rios, I had to buy some more.  The yarn above is for gifts, so do they really count towards my stash if I am using them right away? 

This one is for me.   Cascade Eco Duo which I have used over, and over again as it is so soft and wonderful.  The Yarn Shop is packed full of gorgeous yarn, and frankly since my yarn store closed this past summer I have not been in a store like this.  I was saving my yarn purchases for this weekend and I had so much fun.  You could get lost with all the loveliness surrounding you in this store, but I had a plan because I had specific gifts in mind.  More about that all later.  Yes I am still on the gift making kick, I feel like I am on a spinning gift making wheel and I can't get off!  After you see my latest projects you might just jump on with me.

I only had my iPad with me on this trip and frankly can't stand to read blogs on it.  I know many of you use it but I really think it is so slow.  So I crocheted and binge watched Scandal on Netflix starting with the very first episode. I have never seen this show before, well it is surprising all they pack into an episode.  I crocheted at the pool, and while watching a little Ohio State football in the coziness of my hotel room.  I crocheted on the plane while listening to an audiobook, as you can see I got a lot done.  When I get some buttons you will see my finished projects.

And during the meet the girlfriend dinner, my son informed me he lost the Ohio State scarf I made for him last Christmas.  Why does this not surprise me?  I said he was maturing slowly, not mature yet.  So I hopped in my car and went back to the store (it is only five miles away which is pretty convenient and dangerous) for more team colored yarn.  Look at this fun Cascade Superwash...... yes he will get another scarf for Christmas, how can I resist?

I am painfully behind on blog reading, I hope you will excuse me.  This crammed in, shortened work week is not going to help.  If you have something you need me to know shoot me a comment or an email, I hope to catch up with you all soon.

How was your weekend?  Did you get a lot done?