No sooner did I get done appreciating our chance to slow down and smell the roses just a little bit, than things got wilder and crazier than ever. That’s probably a good thing, since we were all starting to get just a little bit lazy.

The biggest news here is that E decided to go on a big adventure all by herself. I could not possibly be prouder of her than I am after she made the decision to attend a week-long swim camp at Penn State.

E has never been away from home for more than a night. She’s stayed over at friends’ houses for birthday party sleepovers, at my brother’s house, and of course, with her grandparents, but within 24 hours she was right back at home.

When we originally brought up the idea of her going to a camp, mostly because I worry she is getting hindered by only having me as a coach, and because I thought a change of scenery might be a good thing for her, she quickly shot down shorter, weekend camps and instead insisted on going to Penn State. It was a big step for her, and I wanted to make sure that my own trepidation didn’t hold her back. I know she likes to push herself, and a whole week of swim camp was no joke.

We’ve attended a good many swim meets out at Main Campus, so the pool wasn’t exactly unfamiliar territory. But, once we got on campus and started walking around, I quickly realized that she was also looking for another connection: Steve was a Penn State alum. “Do you know which building Dad lived in,” she asked. (I didn’t.) Do you think Dad ever ate at this restaurant? (Since it was a relatively new restaurant, I doubted he did.)

The questions kept coming. I knew the answers to about half of them, made educated guesses about another quarter of them, and sadly, some of them will forever remain a mystery.

One thing I did know for sure was that Steve loved his ice cream, and every single trip we’d ever taken out there had at least one stop at the Creamery. I left E with plenty of pocket money for ice cream every night. After a full day of swimming and dry-land exercises, I knew she would need it for physical, as well as moral, support.

I was also fully aware that the chances I was going to get a teary-eyed phone call to come pick her up were high, but I was determined to stand strong and be supportive, but also to make her see this through. There certainly were some hiccups, and she was definitely more than a little homesick, but she made it and says she will probably go back again next year, so we’ll take that as a win.

G has also been up to some new and exciting tricks. He has been lucky enough to land on a group of friends that appreciates his outdoor hobbies and are willing to go on adventures with him.

So far, they’ve had one backyard camp out, and one nighttime fishing excursion. While the activities don’t surprise me that much, G’s sudden investment in cleaning up the backyard, and planning and prepping for meals over the campfire for his friends and making sure his fishing equipment is packed up and ready to go is nothing short of shocking.

The downstairs bathroom that is most convenient for the campers has been in the process of getting repaired since before Steve died. We’ve been piece-mealing it, and finally were able to get the plumber out to finish fixing the shower. All we had left to do was put a few fixtures in place and install a new shower head.

These are simple tasks, but I would have had to do some searching on YouTube and such before I was able to finish them. So, I employed a little bribery. No more backyard camp outs until the bathroom was functional.

Within a few hours, not only was everything installed, he actually cleaned it as well! I have to say, he might even have done a better job than I would have. So, the camp out was back on. The pack of boys headed out for a few hours of fishing, came back and cooked themselves dinner over a campfire, and then set out for a night of catfishing.

Part of me thinks that I’m crazy for allowing them to do this. Another part of me is so proud of G for taking the initiative and creating this kind of experience for himself and his friends. Of course, with the window in my bedroom open, I can eavesdrop on most of what is going on out there, and sure it’s a lot of teenage boy humor, but mostly, it’s just good friends having the time of their lives. G reminds me so much of Steve with his penchant for hospitality and his crazy ideas for adventures.

Most importantly, whether they realize it or not, they are keeping their connection with their Dad going strong. It’s taken them a little bit to figure these things out but they’ve gotten there. Like most things, it’s bittersweet. I wish they hadn’t had to figure this out, but I think they’re doing it in the best way possible.

Liz Pinkey is a contributing columnist who appears weekly in the Times News.