...start the countdown...

This morning's arrival of the schoolbus signaled the start of our countdown, as there remain but 10 full days (not counting the half days designated for final exams) of school left to this freshman year.

Couldn't come soon enough!

Or to two more well-deserving people...in our humble opinion! 😏

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I remember those first early days of spring when Nature got one over on us...playing the part of summer with high temp. days and sunny skies.  We crawled out of our winter-doldrums and shed layers and laziness, and followed the sun.

But...school...

as undesirably dependable as taxes...

circled back round each Monday morning and broke the reverie.

Nonetheless, we persisted!

Ha!

We did, though.

Persist.

Pushing through homework and pushing past the whine of rusty muscles to get out and about as oft as possible.  Hitting the road each weekend for sights unseen (and revisiting old favourites) and roads less traveled.   Packing away the heavy layers and long sleeves and welcoming each increasing degree of warmth on our upturned faces.

"Two roads diverged in a yellow wood", so we took the one that led to the castle!

We raced the clock and chased the setting sun, heading home a moment or a minute or an hour later each day.  Borrowing against the morning and the inevitable ache of waking up at 4am.

And here we are, with summer almost in reach...

Both of us...

Completely burnt out on work and school and school and work and oh-so-ready to turn off the alarms and sleep through the sunrise and...
Just

Hit

Pause.

3 weeks to go.

(Counting those exams, that is.)

3 weeks of late nights and early mornings as we play both sides of the equation...

slipping in and out of summer as oft as possible...

returning to responsibility just in time to yawn through his first period and my first deadline.

3 weeks.

10 days.

5 half-days.

HOW ever will we make it???

10 - 9 - 8 - 7 - 6 - 5 - 4 - 3 - 2 - 1