How is it already August. Earlier in the week I texted my sister-in-law and told her my week was wide open. It slowly filled in with things either for us or the kids, but not before we scheduled Thursday and Friday to spend the day in St. Louis. We left around 8 yesterday morning and dropped the van off at the shop. They said there was nothing wrong with it but it’s been making a louder noise. My daughter and I both noticed it.

After that we drove down, it only takes us two hours now. The boys worked on moving things and putting things together. The girls painted the last room still needing it. We took an afternoon break and didn’t do as much but then rallied again in the early evening before supper to get the basement unpacked and the play area set up. We went to Sam’s for a living room rug and then to Target for panel to cover the shelves.

After supper we watched the Olympics. I didn’t really care that much but they had been watching the women’s gymnastics. I didn’t care about the swimming, I didn’t care about the track events that hadn’t even started yet, I just didn’t. They’re still waiting for a new mattress so they’ve been sleeping on the guest bed but gave us the bed for the night. There was also plenty of space between couches and futons and the upstairs room.

I’ll probably come back and write more later but one of the boys needs the computer for right now. They’re starting a new Minecraft world tonight with the camp server.// I didn’t feel happy when Simone Biles won. The announcer kept saying that she was the greatest gymnast of all time. Why? My mind automatically flashed to other gymnasts I’d paid more attention to. Shawn Johnson. Nastia Liukin. 2008 had been the last time.

I wanted Shawn Johnson to win the all-around gold then. Why? Because she was cuter? More popular? And for whatever reason I wasn’t happy either when Nastia won instead of Shawn, though she did at least get a gold in the balance beam. Simone Biles had already won once. Why not give somebody else a chance? But then I saw the silver medalist hold up her Brazilian flag and smile. And she looked proud to be holding it.

So then I thought, “Okay”. If she could get the silver Olympic all-around medal twice and still be happy, I wasn’t going to remain where I was. And her smile warmed my heart, and I had to go back and look up the names. As soon as I saw them I remembered. Tatiana Gutsu. Svetlana Boginskaya. Lilia Podkopayeva. It didn’t matter where they were from. The repetition of their names and the grace in their routines still won me over.