What's Up, Doc? Another Crazy, Lazy Summer Gone By

By Randall Freeman, PhD

The summer of 2014 has been a typical summer for the Freeman Family. Dad Randy is dealing with a shoulder injury suffered at work last November, when he was run over by a tricycle (insert giggle here). Sarah was installed as Honored Queen for the local Job’s Daughters Bethel, while Megan and Holly were installed as Senior and Junior Princesses, respectively.

Big sister Daniela turned 17 years old (going on 32), Mom Karen also celebrated her birthday (age not disclosed in order to live another year). For Father’s Day, I received the DVD player I requested. Now I’m watching Prime Amazon Stream Videos on my computer because the TV is taken.

For our 21st Wedding Anniversary, I attended a morning Riverside County School Board meeting, took Holly and Megan to the Lodge so they could serve the Masons as part of the Bethel fundraising efforts, and attended a water polo fundraising meeting. My lovely bride attended water polo games and took Daniela and Sarah to club water polo practice in Corona.

Happy Anniversary, Honey.

I was finally notified that I qualified for shoulder surgery. (It only took eight months for worker’s compensation to agree to what everyone else knew months ago. I understand that eight months is very quick for WC.) I was blessed to learn that surgery could go forward on Aug. 7. Nice early 59th birthday present (birthday was the 11th).

I was supposed to return to work on Aug. 8, but I didn’t quite make it. The idea of teaching kindergarten a month or more after substitute teachers trained them for me warms my soul.

Our Chinese and Spanish visitors arrived on July 17. We very much enjoy these opportunities to share our home with students from other countries. Last year, we hosted two boys and and one girl. This year it was easy -- only two girls.

Daniela was in the Junior Olympics for water polo in San Jose. Mom Karen escaped – er, went with her -- as parental support. Everybody else stayed home with Dad.

No getaway trip to Phoenix this year. I missed the 118-degree temperatures. I missed turning the AC in the suite down to 63 degrees to take a nap while Karen and the girls enjoyed the eight swimming pools. Maybe next year.

All in all, it was a typical Freeman Family summer – six teenage girls (including our visitors from China and Spain for three weeks), three dogs, a 16-year-old cat who believes she owns me (she does -- 15 years of training worked wonders), and a turtle.

The summer has included the occasional school board meeting, trying not to kill the lawn, and watching all five seasons of "Eureka" in one month. Now when do I get to go back to teaching kindergarten?

Randy Freeman and his family have lived in Menifee since 1993. Randy teaches kindergarten in Perris and his wife Karen teaches first grade here in Menifee at Freedom Crest Elementary School. They are the parents of four daughters: Daniela, 17, and 13-year-old triplets Sarah, Holly, and Megan. Randy earned his PhD in early childhood education in 2011 and has served on the Menifee Union School Board since 2008. As he explains it, this makes him Karen's boss for the first and only time in the marriage. His column will appear here every other Tuesday.