Three months of life

So there goes three months without work. Long service leave, plus some of my accumulated leave, has given me a lovely break. I had expected to use these three months to relax, but also as a form of sabbatical. I did, in fact, barely code at all. I had expected to catch up with all my long-lost friends. I did, in fact, catch up with not one of them.

Here’s a rough list thoughts and memories from the longest break from work or study since I started school (and likely the longest until I retire):

Spending time with Carolyn

Going on a family holiday to Yanchep, where we spent time away from all the gadgets, and lots of time wandering around, playing board games, or just at the beach

Planning for and then enacting a surprise wedding (we finally did it!)

Carolyn and I going on a child-free honeymoon, and getting to pretend to be adults for a little while (Nice dinners! Fancy shows!)

Getting pregnant again (yes, really)

Helping Carolyn out around the house (due to her horrible, 24/7 “morning” sickness)

Helping Elysha work out her studies

Taking Elysha to her first day of TAFE (in Mandurah)

Picking up Elysha from her first day of TAFE, only to find that she’d already worked out how to get home on her own

Driving Elysha to and from the train on Fridays (such early mornings)

Dealing with a sick Romilly

Having Romilly spend full weeks with us (even if only for a little while)

Watching Romilly and Oliver playing together

Taking Oliver swimming in deep water for the first time

Taking Oliver to his first day of school

Taking Oliver to class every morning, and staying for puzzles and reading time

Picking Oliver up from class, and hearing excited (but exhausted) stories of his day

Helping out in Oliver’s class (twice)

Playing Skylanders with Oliver and teaching him how to use an XBox controller

Listening to Oliver talk about Skylanders every waking hour of the day

Planning how to fit another child into our crazy family

Looking at cars

Looking at houses

Looking at granny-flats

Panicking (just a little)

Realising that there is always room in a house full of love

Building a new PC

Late nights of computer games, either by myself or with friends and brothers

Going on photography walks with my brother

Cuddling my frail 19-year-old cat as he finds it hard to keep warm

Fixing things for people

Eating too much

Watching the soft, fluffy clouds wander across the blue, blue sky and realising how wonderful life can be when you just slow down

So many memories with my family, and so well timed to be able to look after Carolyn. I’m sorry to all the friends I didn’t see, to all the projects in my head left uninvestigated, and to all the lines of code I didn’t write, but I wouldn’t sacrifice any of my last three months. Not one bit.