Empty

Our house is empty this week, in more ways than one. The first reason our house is empty is because Amelia and John are away at camp this week.

Amelia and John are attending Sky Ranch this week, a popular camp located about 80 miles east of Dallas. The kids were so excited to decorate Scott's car for the drive out last Sunday (see above) and once we arrived at camp we joined the long line of decorated SUVs for the warm welcome to Sky Ranch.

I know the kids are having a blast enjoying tons of fun activities, from swimming and zip-lining, to archery and scavenger hunts with their cabin mates and more. Sky Ranch posts photos of the kids a few times a day and yesterday I found myself checking the photos for a glimpse of Amelia or John way too often. Today I am going to try to let go more. I miss them tons but know this week away at camp will be a great experience for them.

The other reason our house feels empty is because it literally is empty.

Nope, we aren't moving (though it certainly looks like it!). We are having our hardwood floors sanded and re-stained this week. The front of our house was built in the 1940s and the back addition dates to the 1990s. I don't know the last time the floors were redone, but we have been in the house for 7 1/2 years so it has been at least that long. The floors looked really worn and scuffed, so we are hoping this makes for a much-needed improvement to the condition of the interior.

We spent dozens of hours prepping the house, since both kids' bedrooms, the two living rooms, the dining room, and kitchen had to be cleared for the repairs. I sure hope this is all worth it! Already the floors look so different after the men spent eight hours yesterday sanding the old stain off. They also put plastic sheeting up everywhere, so the whooshing sound from the sheeting combined with the crispness of freshly sanded floors is a bit eerie. In the meantime, Scott and I are hiding out (with Leo, Amelia's cat) upstairs in the master bedroom in the evenings after work.

Whew, what a week! When friends asked how Scott and I were going to "enjoy our time without kids" while both were gone to camp the same week, it would have been nice to have said something along the lines of relaxing on a beach in Mexico, or something like that. Maybe next year!