Today is Columbus Day, which is a total non-holiday unless you're expecting mail or work for the government. Imagine our surprise when we realized Jeff was actually getting the day off (it's par for the course here that a "down day" doesn't usually include his office) and that both kids still had school. Can you say, "date morning"? We were kind of excited and planned to go for a little hike nearby. As so often happens, Life had other plans.
It turns out Natalie is sick in the toss-your-cookies way, the day is rainy, windy and about twenty-five degrees cooler than yesterday and now Orange Flipper - who was doing so well all weekend - just died. In an attempt to make the best of it, I'm making lunchbox napkins for the kids, Jeff has cut the grass so I won't have to and he's going to go eat lunch with Wyatt; Natalie is holding down the couch and catching up on Nick Jr.
I guess I just have to prepare myself to hold another fish funeral as soon as Wyatt gets home from school (sidenote: Natalie told Wyatt that Natalie Sarah Fish is in heaven but had to go through the toilet to get there. Hmmm….) Monday. You have a bad reputation for a reason.
Showing posts with label humdrum. Show all posts
Showing posts with label humdrum. Show all posts
Monday, October 08, 2012
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Shades of Things to Come
We managed to have a Saturday with nothing scheduled and it was great, but I can't remember the last time this happened; maybe sometime in February? Wyatt was so confused this morning that at 8:45 he asked if Jeff was taking him to school or if I was. We laughed and pointed out that it was Saturday and that's why we were all still in our pajamas. You should have seen that child cheer. I think we all needed this "down" weekend. I spent my day in the garage attempting to finish Natalie's dresser; Jeff spent his day in the basement sorting stuff for the move. He's really excited to be getting rid of a bunch of old paperwork and books and random stuff we've been moving across the northern hemisphere for the past thirteen years; I'm glad he's finally listening to the suggestions I gave him eighteen months ago when I suggested we get rid of all of it. Sometimes it just takes a while for us to be on the same page. That's okay, we're there now and the extra stuff is looking mighty organized.
Sadly, I think we should probably get used to these weekends just hanging out with each other because in a few short weeks (insert sad face here) we're going to be living in South Carolina and won't have any friends to hang out with even if we wanted to. Unless we keep ourselves busy with monster projects, we might actually get tired of each other. In an effort to prevent that, I think we've managed to book something for every remaining weekend through the new year. So, I think we'll enjoy the rest of this relaxing weekend and use it to gear up for the final push of activities with family and friends because we're certainly going to miss the chance to spend time with them whenever we feel like it.
Sadly, I think we should probably get used to these weekends just hanging out with each other because in a few short weeks (insert sad face here) we're going to be living in South Carolina and won't have any friends to hang out with even if we wanted to. Unless we keep ourselves busy with monster projects, we might actually get tired of each other. In an effort to prevent that, I think we've managed to book something for every remaining weekend through the new year. So, I think we'll enjoy the rest of this relaxing weekend and use it to gear up for the final push of activities with family and friends because we're certainly going to miss the chance to spend time with them whenever we feel like it.
Wednesday, November 09, 2011
Like Moldy Jack-o-Lanterns
This Halloween post is a little old, kind of like the carved pumpkins still residing on our front porch. But like those pumpkins, it's not quite so old that it should just be thrown out entirely so I'm going to go ahead and document Halloween 2011. We kicked off Halloween eve with pumpkin carving.
This turned out to be a little too much hurry-up-and-wait for our kids. I hope that next year I remember to prep the pumpkins before inviting them to join me because by the time we got to scooping out the innards of the melon, both kids were losing focus. The faces were carved largely by Jeff and me because the kids were just done. Maybe the fact that we'd spent the afternoon at the Kansas City Zoo had something to do with that, too, but I'm not sure. I was really advocating that maybe we just paint the pumpkins. I was outvoted. Anyway...
Eventually we got all four pumpkins cleaned out and carved. Sadly I have no pictures of the finished products. Wyatt and I carved faces, Natalie chose a kitty face and Jeff carved a Raptor. They all looked lovely on our porch the next night for the hoards of kids soliciting candy.
After first claiming that he'd like to be a basketball player, then a football player, Wyatt changed his mind last minute and decided that he'd wear one of my costumes from childhood. Let's just be upfront about this: I was a complete and total nerd, which does a lot to explain that this vintage costume is none other than a roly poly. Yep, my mom held onto it for thirtyish years just using it as a polyfil vault over the years. With one wash, a restuffing and a few reattached legs, that roly poly was good to go.
Natalie, on the other hand, couldn't possibly commit to a costume concept and really couldn't even grasp what we were talking about. Some of you are undoubtedly thinking that I should've just told her what she was going to be, but that just means you don't really know Natalie. She needs to feel like she's part of the decision or it's just not going to happen. Luckily we were able to sell her on the idea of being the cute, comfy, inexpensive bumblebee from Target. I have issues spending a lot of money on one night's costume, so I'm thrilled the kids were easy-going in the end. Considering we had somewhere between one and two hundred trick-or-treaters in the neighborhood, it's also safe to say they had a great time in our kid-friendly neighborhood collecting a haul of candy.
 |
| I love that Wyatt felt the need to strip his shirt |
After first claiming that he'd like to be a basketball player, then a football player, Wyatt changed his mind last minute and decided that he'd wear one of my costumes from childhood. Let's just be upfront about this: I was a complete and total nerd, which does a lot to explain that this vintage costume is none other than a roly poly. Yep, my mom held onto it for thirtyish years just using it as a polyfil vault over the years. With one wash, a restuffing and a few reattached legs, that roly poly was good to go.
Natalie, on the other hand, couldn't possibly commit to a costume concept and really couldn't even grasp what we were talking about. Some of you are undoubtedly thinking that I should've just told her what she was going to be, but that just means you don't really know Natalie. She needs to feel like she's part of the decision or it's just not going to happen. Luckily we were able to sell her on the idea of being the cute, comfy, inexpensive bumblebee from Target. I have issues spending a lot of money on one night's costume, so I'm thrilled the kids were easy-going in the end. Considering we had somewhere between one and two hundred trick-or-treaters in the neighborhood, it's also safe to say they had a great time in our kid-friendly neighborhood collecting a haul of candy.
So there you go, Halloween 2011 is in the books. Now maybe I should think about getting those pumpkins into tomorrow's trash.
Friday, March 06, 2009
Here We Are
Six days to go; I was able to keep my hair appointment; I called my mom in early because I was worn out and worried that this baby was coming sooner and yeah. No baby. Well, of course it's still here, but just not revealing itself yet.
This is a case of no news is just no news. You may now return to your regularly scheduled programming.
This is a case of no news is just no news. You may now return to your regularly scheduled programming.
Monday, March 02, 2009
Gestating, Recuperating and Playing
Each member of this family is doing one of the above things and I'm guessing you can properly assign us each to our task. Currently baby Rock is cozy and staying put, though my doctor said, "good luck on that 40 week plan" which has left us flummoxed. You see, Wyatt made no move for the exit until he was requested to do so, after my due date. So the fact that this child is, perhaps, wanting to make an early arrival is downright confusing. Obviously the jury's still out on this and we could be waiting around for its arrival 10 days from now, but I'm taking it pretty easy in order to not instigate anything. I mean, I have a haircut scheduled for Friday and would really like to keep it.
Jeff is fighting to get over a cold that I'm pretty sure we gave him (or maybe completely sure, since we both still have it, too). Combined with the jetlag, it pretty much knocked him out for a couple days. He seems to be on the mend and has returned to work this week (a whole week with him home was a treat!). Wyatt was hesitant to allow Jeff to go back to work today but we promised that Daddy will be home for dinner every night, so that finally persuaded him that it was okay.
And Wyatt has been a busy boy lately. Or maybe he's just always this busy and it's more noticeable when one parent is attempting to do a lot of nothing while the other is sick. Oh, and the weather has been kind of cruddy with days of rainy, cold weather, keeping us cooped up even more. However, Mother Nature totally redeemed herself by providing us with about two inches of snow overnight. My island-born boy doesn't quite know what to do in all the white stuff, but we gave it a gallant effort this morning since this is a rare treat in these parts.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Slippery Slope
There are so many things I want to share/update Wyatt's online baby book with and yet every time I sit down to blog, my adult ADD kicks in and I'm off on another tangent. And it's been so long that I might not actually have any readers left. I hope someone's still out there or this is particularly pathetic. I'd like to note that I have still been reading your blogs and, though rarely commenting, still enjoy hearing about everyone else out there. Way to go, bloggers who post! Now, back to me.
First of all, I'd like to discuss my internet issues. Does anyone know anything about my laptop and why it's so stinking slow approximately 99% of the time? I've cleaned up the registry, we've moved all the photos onto an external hard drive, I've tried moving all over the house with the laptop but I can still max out at about a 36 Mb connection speed. It's kind of annoying. Though more annoying was the day that I was connecting at a whopping 1 - 11 Mbps. Whew! That makes me not want to be on the computer! I'm considering switching our provider but Jeff thinks he might have cut the line we need while constructing the fence this summer and we don't exactly want to have our fence torn up for it to be fixed. And yes, for those of you that remember, a cut line was repaired. But.....there might have been another one that no one fessed up to.
Secondly, Wyatt is a hoot. I know every child goes through this and mine is not unique, but man! He's all conversational with us! He's applying his newfound logic to various situations (sometimes correctly, sometimes not) and surprising both of his parents every day with something new. His imagination is gearing up and we have lots of pretend food cooked for us. His favorite dishes to whip up? Edamame and banana soup. Mmmmmmm. The other morning at breakfast he pretended he was having a conversation with Jeff. It was very thorough - he knocked on the table and said, "who is it?" before looking at me and saying, "yay! It's Daddy!" Then he turned toward Jeff's empty chair and said, "hi Daddy! How you? I good, thanks. I eating pancakes."
He's very Daddycentric right now. Like yesterday, when he completely wiped out in the driveway, I swooped him up to assess his injuries (skinned hands was it and let me tell you, from the sound and sight of it I thought I'd be picking up a bloody mess) and was attempting to calm him down when all I heard was, "I show Daddy!" through the sobs. So I handed him over to Jeff and they talked it through and then he was fine. I was slightly unnecessary. It's certainly not always that way - like Friday night, when I left after dinner and he was a trainwreck - but it's increasingly frequent that he wants Jeff. I'm not complaining...yet. I mean, it's kind of nice that while I'm fixing dinner, Wyatt likes to camp out by the front windows and watch for his dad.
He is obsessed obsessed, I tell you with drumming and rocking out. And yes, he uses that phrase. "Mommy, I rockin' out!" or "Daddy come samily room. Rock out with Wyatt!" He also knows almost all the words to Third Day's Call My Name and belts it out at the top of his lungs. It's hilarious, if I do say so myself. And if he's not setting up for his latest gig, he can usually be found playing some sort of sport. Baseball, basketball, tennis, hockey - your choice. He'll play them all and can weirdly incorporate them all together when you're not paying attention. The other night at dinner he told us he's going to teach the baby how to play tennis. Let's hope he's figured out by then that hitting a person with the rackets gets you in trouble every. single. time.
Speaking of the baby, it's either growing or I have to really cut back on the calorie intake. My doctor says everything looks good so I think the former is correct. Wyatt and Jeff both accompanied me to my appointment on Friday (not planned for Wyatt to tag along, though he was really good) so we all got to hear the heartbeat. Wyatt looked kind of awestruck, but maybe he just thought the baby already had a drum? At this point with Wyatt, we'd taken approximately 20 pictures of the belly, spent hours slogging through naming books and we both felt like we were having a boy. This time? Not so much. I think we've taken pics of the belly twice, we have each looked through precisely two naming books and are still without any real contenders and neither of us have a clue as to what we're having. So seriously, a little help on the naming front would be appreciated. Tell you what - if you suggest a name that we end up using, I'll send you some sort of prize.
What else.....oh. Leaves. I raked up four bags last week, Jeff raked 11 yesterday and four or five more today and the huge oak tree in our front yard is only half-naked. One of the trees in the side yard is fully green and a we have a couple smaller trees that have, thankfully, given up the fight. Don't get me wrong, the fall colors have been beautiful but wow. Just so many leaves that never stop falling! I really wanted to go to one of the local parks and walk back through the woods to collect some leaves for dipping in paraffin (my mother-in-law did that years ago and still has these beautiful leaves to decorate with every fall), but I was stymied by the rainy, windy weather we've been having and by the fact that my local hobby store doesn't carry paraffin. Maybe next year.
There. Now I've caught up and can quit feeling so guilty!
First of all, I'd like to discuss my internet issues. Does anyone know anything about my laptop and why it's so stinking slow approximately 99% of the time? I've cleaned up the registry, we've moved all the photos onto an external hard drive, I've tried moving all over the house with the laptop but I can still max out at about a 36 Mb connection speed. It's kind of annoying. Though more annoying was the day that I was connecting at a whopping 1 - 11 Mbps. Whew! That makes me not want to be on the computer! I'm considering switching our provider but Jeff thinks he might have cut the line we need while constructing the fence this summer and we don't exactly want to have our fence torn up for it to be fixed. And yes, for those of you that remember, a cut line was repaired. But.....there might have been another one that no one fessed up to.
Secondly, Wyatt is a hoot. I know every child goes through this and mine is not unique, but man! He's all conversational with us! He's applying his newfound logic to various situations (sometimes correctly, sometimes not) and surprising both of his parents every day with something new. His imagination is gearing up and we have lots of pretend food cooked for us. His favorite dishes to whip up? Edamame and banana soup. Mmmmmmm. The other morning at breakfast he pretended he was having a conversation with Jeff. It was very thorough - he knocked on the table and said, "who is it?" before looking at me and saying, "yay! It's Daddy!" Then he turned toward Jeff's empty chair and said, "hi Daddy! How you? I good, thanks. I eating pancakes."
He's very Daddycentric right now. Like yesterday, when he completely wiped out in the driveway, I swooped him up to assess his injuries (skinned hands was it and let me tell you, from the sound and sight of it I thought I'd be picking up a bloody mess) and was attempting to calm him down when all I heard was, "I show Daddy!" through the sobs. So I handed him over to Jeff and they talked it through and then he was fine. I was slightly unnecessary. It's certainly not always that way - like Friday night, when I left after dinner and he was a trainwreck - but it's increasingly frequent that he wants Jeff. I'm not complaining...yet. I mean, it's kind of nice that while I'm fixing dinner, Wyatt likes to camp out by the front windows and watch for his dad.
He is obsessed obsessed, I tell you with drumming and rocking out. And yes, he uses that phrase. "Mommy, I rockin' out!" or "Daddy come samily room. Rock out with Wyatt!" He also knows almost all the words to Third Day's Call My Name and belts it out at the top of his lungs. It's hilarious, if I do say so myself. And if he's not setting up for his latest gig, he can usually be found playing some sort of sport. Baseball, basketball, tennis, hockey - your choice. He'll play them all and can weirdly incorporate them all together when you're not paying attention. The other night at dinner he told us he's going to teach the baby how to play tennis. Let's hope he's figured out by then that hitting a person with the rackets gets you in trouble every. single. time.
Speaking of the baby, it's either growing or I have to really cut back on the calorie intake. My doctor says everything looks good so I think the former is correct. Wyatt and Jeff both accompanied me to my appointment on Friday (not planned for Wyatt to tag along, though he was really good) so we all got to hear the heartbeat. Wyatt looked kind of awestruck, but maybe he just thought the baby already had a drum? At this point with Wyatt, we'd taken approximately 20 pictures of the belly, spent hours slogging through naming books and we both felt like we were having a boy. This time? Not so much. I think we've taken pics of the belly twice, we have each looked through precisely two naming books and are still without any real contenders and neither of us have a clue as to what we're having. So seriously, a little help on the naming front would be appreciated. Tell you what - if you suggest a name that we end up using, I'll send you some sort of prize.
What else.....oh. Leaves. I raked up four bags last week, Jeff raked 11 yesterday and four or five more today and the huge oak tree in our front yard is only half-naked. One of the trees in the side yard is fully green and a we have a couple smaller trees that have, thankfully, given up the fight. Don't get me wrong, the fall colors have been beautiful but wow. Just so many leaves that never stop falling! I really wanted to go to one of the local parks and walk back through the woods to collect some leaves for dipping in paraffin (my mother-in-law did that years ago and still has these beautiful leaves to decorate with every fall), but I was stymied by the rainy, windy weather we've been having and by the fact that my local hobby store doesn't carry paraffin. Maybe next year.
There. Now I've caught up and can quit feeling so guilty!
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Miracles Never Cease
Wyatt awakened from his nap a while ago and when I went to get him, he didn't want me. Gasp! He has been all about me, all day, every day for a while now. There are days he asks for Daddy all day and then won't go to Jeff when he gets home. Needless to say, it's a little wearing.
But today, he asked for Daddy. When I tried to pick him up, he wouldn't stand up and just repeated his request. So I went outside and told Jeff that he was being requested. Jeff had just started washing my car, so he suggested putting Wyatt in swim trunks and sending him out. Wyatt agreed to the plan and while I was changing him, I asked him if he had any dreams during his nap. I ask him that every day, twice a day. 99% of the time he tells me he had dreams of Isaac and that they were playing. Today he told me he dreamt of Daddy. I love it!
So I delivered Wyatt outside, he promptly grabbed a sponge from a bucket and started 'helping' wash the car. I've seen the two of them come around the side of the house a couple of times in the past hour or so, but I'm currently not needed. This is a little bit of bliss, I tell ya! I'm surfing for new recipes, watching the Thomas Crown Affair (an all-time fav, I have to say) and enjoying the quiet. Woo hoo! Now this is what I call a relaxing long weekend. Hope you're enjoying yours!
But today, he asked for Daddy. When I tried to pick him up, he wouldn't stand up and just repeated his request. So I went outside and told Jeff that he was being requested. Jeff had just started washing my car, so he suggested putting Wyatt in swim trunks and sending him out. Wyatt agreed to the plan and while I was changing him, I asked him if he had any dreams during his nap. I ask him that every day, twice a day. 99% of the time he tells me he had dreams of Isaac and that they were playing. Today he told me he dreamt of Daddy. I love it!
So I delivered Wyatt outside, he promptly grabbed a sponge from a bucket and started 'helping' wash the car. I've seen the two of them come around the side of the house a couple of times in the past hour or so, but I'm currently not needed. This is a little bit of bliss, I tell ya! I'm surfing for new recipes, watching the Thomas Crown Affair (an all-time fav, I have to say) and enjoying the quiet. Woo hoo! Now this is what I call a relaxing long weekend. Hope you're enjoying yours!
Friday, August 29, 2008
The Catch-Up Post
We've been home for a week and I've not mentioned a thing about the rest of our trip. Suffice it to say, the vacation was fantastic. And while I am utterly at a loss for words/motivation to tell you all about it, my sister is awesome and has detailed the whole thing over here. You really should read it - she's a great writer. And thanks, Suse!
In my little world, I've had a hard time recovering from such devoted family time. I think part of it has to do with Wyatt waking up - literally - every 45 minutes the last two nights we were there, or maybe it was because our flights were delayed (I detest you, O'Hare airport!) and we didn't get home until midnight last Friday or maybe it's because my husband turned around and left for a week the next day, but whatever. I didn't bounce back well at all and I took it out on the blog by avoiding it. But look! I'm back! Lucky you.
Jeff got home today which is a welcome relief. I mean, it's always nice to have him around but Wyatt didn't recover well either. He's been very two this week! I think that going from Mom, Dad, Grandpa, Grandma, Aunt, Uncle and two cousins with unlimited outdoor fun to just being with me and having a cold didn't help. But now Daddy's home and all is right with the world. We got to meet Jeff at the jet today when he returned and Wyatt loved it. He couldn't wait for Daddy to get out of that airplane so he could run over to him - too cute!
In miscellaneous Wyatt news, his new favorite phrase is "dat way!" This is usually spoken in the whiniest voice you've ever heard and accompanied by vigorous pointing. It's quite possibly the most annoying phrase I've heard. If it really meant something, I'd be fine with it. But it doesn't. It just means, "I don't like my current situation and I think if you take me somewhere else it will be better. And now that we're somewhere else I'm still miserable, so keep walking lady!"
Wyatt is extremely into his basketball hoop all of a sudden. He can spend a large amount of time shooting hoops in his bedroom, which is okay from the self-entertainment standpoint but not so much from the "no throwing in the house" stance. His other favorite 'sport' is baseball, played outside with his new t-ball set and inside with his mini-bat and ball. "Hit ball and bat" can be heard a hundred times a day.
The spitting is still an issue. And for those of you who think I'm making a big deal about nothing, my sister witnessed it last week and remarked, "oh, that's like real spitting! that's not just a fine mist." It's a complete attention-getting device and I've started asking him if he just did it to get my attention. He's so honest he says, "yes." So now I'm trying to teach him that's not the kind of attention he wants from me. I also made a list of house rules and posted them on the wall for all to see. Just so you know, if you come to see us there is No Hitting, No Throwing Toys and No Spitting. I've told Wyatt he can have a sticker at lunch time and again before bed if he goes through the previous block of time without breaking any rules. I have not stocked up on stickers because I have my doubts.
I might have been driving a little fast today on our way to the base because I felt like we were running late. I decided I should ease up a little after Wyatt started saying, "Hurry hurry! Cars coming!" Where does he get this stuff?
In my little world, I've had a hard time recovering from such devoted family time. I think part of it has to do with Wyatt waking up - literally - every 45 minutes the last two nights we were there, or maybe it was because our flights were delayed (I detest you, O'Hare airport!) and we didn't get home until midnight last Friday or maybe it's because my husband turned around and left for a week the next day, but whatever. I didn't bounce back well at all and I took it out on the blog by avoiding it. But look! I'm back! Lucky you.
Jeff got home today which is a welcome relief. I mean, it's always nice to have him around but Wyatt didn't recover well either. He's been very two this week! I think that going from Mom, Dad, Grandpa, Grandma, Aunt, Uncle and two cousins with unlimited outdoor fun to just being with me and having a cold didn't help. But now Daddy's home and all is right with the world. We got to meet Jeff at the jet today when he returned and Wyatt loved it. He couldn't wait for Daddy to get out of that airplane so he could run over to him - too cute!
In miscellaneous Wyatt news, his new favorite phrase is "dat way!" This is usually spoken in the whiniest voice you've ever heard and accompanied by vigorous pointing. It's quite possibly the most annoying phrase I've heard. If it really meant something, I'd be fine with it. But it doesn't. It just means, "I don't like my current situation and I think if you take me somewhere else it will be better. And now that we're somewhere else I'm still miserable, so keep walking lady!"
Wyatt is extremely into his basketball hoop all of a sudden. He can spend a large amount of time shooting hoops in his bedroom, which is okay from the self-entertainment standpoint but not so much from the "no throwing in the house" stance. His other favorite 'sport' is baseball, played outside with his new t-ball set and inside with his mini-bat and ball. "Hit ball and bat" can be heard a hundred times a day.
The spitting is still an issue. And for those of you who think I'm making a big deal about nothing, my sister witnessed it last week and remarked, "oh, that's like real spitting! that's not just a fine mist." It's a complete attention-getting device and I've started asking him if he just did it to get my attention. He's so honest he says, "yes." So now I'm trying to teach him that's not the kind of attention he wants from me. I also made a list of house rules and posted them on the wall for all to see. Just so you know, if you come to see us there is No Hitting, No Throwing Toys and No Spitting. I've told Wyatt he can have a sticker at lunch time and again before bed if he goes through the previous block of time without breaking any rules. I have not stocked up on stickers because I have my doubts.
I might have been driving a little fast today on our way to the base because I felt like we were running late. I decided I should ease up a little after Wyatt started saying, "Hurry hurry! Cars coming!" Where does he get this stuff?
Sunday, July 20, 2008
We're Still Alive
The blog has been suffering - again - due to too much going on in real life. You know, same story, different day. Jeff and his dad have been building our fence for the last week but I'm feeling a little lazy about downloading the pictures; also, the fence still isn't quite finished. So I'm waiting until it's Really Truly Completely finished and then you'll get that whole story. In the meantime, here:
That's my attempt at distracting you. Did it work?
Tuesday, July 08, 2008
Things That Alarm the Kansan in Me
Storms that kick up out of nowhere, thunder that you hear at the exact time you see lightning, trees that abruptly switch from blowing sideways to standing stock still. Think I should check the weather? Me too.
And also? I think I should've gotten the mail before I caught up on my blogging.
And also? I think I should've gotten the mail before I caught up on my blogging.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Happenings:
1. Down with arachnids. We are overrun with spiders and their nasty webs all over the outside of our house. My devoted readers (read: family) might recall that I don't care for spiders but am trying not to pass along said fear to my kid. It's been a challenge. The fight is over, though, and I win because I used my non-arachnid opposable thumbs to dial United Pest Control and the nice man arrived less than 24 hours later with a high pressure hose connected to a 50 gallon drum of chemicals. Organic? I doubt it. Spiders dead in their webs all over my house? Hallelujah, sister, you betcha. Next appointment? 9 September because we'll be addressing this little issue quarterly.
2. "Moon comin'" gets old after a while, especially when it's the only sentence in the stable. But it's amazing how often it can be used!
3. I asked Wyatt if he wanted a haircut and he told me, "two". So he got sheared again because it turns out I like it shorter, too. However, this time I mentioned the crazy cowlick so it actually lays down a little. See? I'm learning!
4. Wyatt disappeared with three hairbrushes and a comb two days ago. I finally recovered two brushes last night (found in our closet, behind a rack of shoes) and one more this morning (in the pantry, next to the cooking spray of course) but the comb is MIA. If you visit and you find it, I think you'll win a prize.
5. We had a babysitter on Tuesday night. I guess she's pretty much perfect because (1) Wyatt sent me off with zero fanfare, almost like he was kicking me out, (2) he asked for her upon waking yesterday and was not too pleased when I told her she'd gone home, (3) she drives.
2. "Moon comin'" gets old after a while, especially when it's the only sentence in the stable. But it's amazing how often it can be used!
3. I asked Wyatt if he wanted a haircut and he told me, "two". So he got sheared again because it turns out I like it shorter, too. However, this time I mentioned the crazy cowlick so it actually lays down a little. See? I'm learning!
4. Wyatt disappeared with three hairbrushes and a comb two days ago. I finally recovered two brushes last night (found in our closet, behind a rack of shoes) and one more this morning (in the pantry, next to the cooking spray of course) but the comb is MIA. If you visit and you find it, I think you'll win a prize.
5. We had a babysitter on Tuesday night. I guess she's pretty much perfect because (1) Wyatt sent me off with zero fanfare, almost like he was kicking me out, (2) he asked for her upon waking yesterday and was not too pleased when I told her she'd gone home, (3) she drives.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Happiness Is...
1. The first words of the day from a little boy. Yesterday: ah-ah-noss (astronauts). Today: book! book!
2. Finding a cabinet guy who can do exactly what you want without overhauling what doesn't need fixing.
3. Figuring out a shortcut from point A to point B.
4. Discovering that in the midst of the city, there are rolling fields of horses, beautiful tall trees and surprise lakes.
5. Long nap afternoons.
6. Friends up the street.
7. Family coming to visit.
8. Checking things off a to-do list.
9. Finding a spare three minutes to blog, read others' blogs and check email. How are my days so full?
10. Whittling down the laundry piles.
11. Finding sales on things you need.
12. Dark chocolate and a Diet Coke.
What makes you happy?
2. Finding a cabinet guy who can do exactly what you want without overhauling what doesn't need fixing.
3. Figuring out a shortcut from point A to point B.
4. Discovering that in the midst of the city, there are rolling fields of horses, beautiful tall trees and surprise lakes.
5. Long nap afternoons.
6. Friends up the street.
7. Family coming to visit.
8. Checking things off a to-do list.
9. Finding a spare three minutes to blog, read others' blogs and check email. How are my days so full?
10. Whittling down the laundry piles.
11. Finding sales on things you need.
12. Dark chocolate and a Diet Coke.
What makes you happy?
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Going Up
Well, we're in Virginia now, attempting to close on a house. I might have mentioned this. Let's just say it's been....interesting. The walk-through went fairly well, just a few things the sellers neglected to do but all minor and the floors look good (whew!). And then there were all the things I didn't notice when we wrote the offer on this place - just how very ugly the light fixtures are, how the living room and family room have no overhead lighting, how tackytackytacky the fan is in Wyatt's room. You know, those kinds of things. Those things are a little overwhelming to me only because they are about to be my responsibility. So if you come see us in the next few years, please know that we're aware of these issues (and many more) and they are not indicative of our taste.
The painter also met us there and I walked him through exactly what I want done. Then his price and the time needed went up. So that was fun, but still probably the route we'll take. We've continued looking at refrigerators and discovered that, in fact, we might have to take a hammer to the small, useless cabinets above the fridge opening if one is to actually be installed in our kitchen. It turns out I'm kind of in the mood to destroy something, so that ought to work out.
Why so grumpy, you ask? Well, I give you exhibit A: the gas company. Specifically, we will receive service through Virginia Gas (makes sense, right?) so that's who I called to set up our service. Please imagine my surprise when I found myself talking to Ganesh who is conveniently located at a call center in India. Yes, you read right, a man in India is working to hook up my utilities in Virginia. The ways of the world confound me sometimes. Please also imagine my surprise when Ganesh reported to me that my credit score indicates I need to pay a deposit. My poor parents, they witnessed the whole thing. I told Ganesh he must be mistaken, that I know my credit score and they, quite frankly, don't get a whole lot better and so no, Ganesh, I will not be paying your three hundred and sixty dollar deposit! He basically says, "yes you will". So I do what any self-respecting, good-credit-earning girl would do and ask for a supervisor. He tells me he'll complete my order and then "send my call to the escalation desk". That's right everyone, I've been escalated.
So then I got to have the same conversation with Sharon. Sharon does not work in India, but she does work in Atlanta. That's right! Virginia Gas is located in both India and Atlanta, but not in Virginia - mind-boggling, don't you think? Sharon gives me the same load o'bull about my credit and how I need to pay $360, so I ask her what someone with bad credit would have to pay - a thousand? She didn't really understand my humor so much, but I think Mom & Dad were amused. There's seemingly no way around this, so I guess they're going to go ahead and rake us over the coals for the first few bills. If we pay everything on time for a year, they'll be kind enough to return our stolen funds.
Exhibit B: Tonight while we were at Home Depot pricing refrigerators, our realtor called (I have failed to tell you how great we think she is - Mary is a fantastic realtor!) and had to deliver the unfortunate news that the sellers are, from all appearances, crazy and possibly broke. As in, they've informed the listing agent - 16 hours prior to closing - that they're short by $4000. Something about the mom being distraught because the daughter ran away today and the dad is in France. I feel for her personal drama (and if you know them, please wish them my best) but now their drama is my drama and lo! I don't need the drama, just the house please!
Needless to say, the painter will not be starting until some things are resolved, no major appliances have been purchased and we went to Walgreens for a refill on my migraine medicine. Having fun yet? No pictures, either. Now I just need everyone to please pray, cross your fingers, bow east, chant or whatever else you do, that this sale goes through tomorrow so I can begin ridding that house of all its brass. Thank you for your support.
P.S. If anyone has a newer model refrigerator that they love, could you please leave me a note about it in the comments? Thanks!
The painter also met us there and I walked him through exactly what I want done. Then his price and the time needed went up. So that was fun, but still probably the route we'll take. We've continued looking at refrigerators and discovered that, in fact, we might have to take a hammer to the small, useless cabinets above the fridge opening if one is to actually be installed in our kitchen. It turns out I'm kind of in the mood to destroy something, so that ought to work out.
Why so grumpy, you ask? Well, I give you exhibit A: the gas company. Specifically, we will receive service through Virginia Gas (makes sense, right?) so that's who I called to set up our service. Please imagine my surprise when I found myself talking to Ganesh who is conveniently located at a call center in India. Yes, you read right, a man in India is working to hook up my utilities in Virginia. The ways of the world confound me sometimes. Please also imagine my surprise when Ganesh reported to me that my credit score indicates I need to pay a deposit. My poor parents, they witnessed the whole thing. I told Ganesh he must be mistaken, that I know my credit score and they, quite frankly, don't get a whole lot better and so no, Ganesh, I will not be paying your three hundred and sixty dollar deposit! He basically says, "yes you will". So I do what any self-respecting, good-credit-earning girl would do and ask for a supervisor. He tells me he'll complete my order and then "send my call to the escalation desk". That's right everyone, I've been escalated.
So then I got to have the same conversation with Sharon. Sharon does not work in India, but she does work in Atlanta. That's right! Virginia Gas is located in both India and Atlanta, but not in Virginia - mind-boggling, don't you think? Sharon gives me the same load o'bull about my credit and how I need to pay $360, so I ask her what someone with bad credit would have to pay - a thousand? She didn't really understand my humor so much, but I think Mom & Dad were amused. There's seemingly no way around this, so I guess they're going to go ahead and rake us over the coals for the first few bills. If we pay everything on time for a year, they'll be kind enough to return our stolen funds.
Exhibit B: Tonight while we were at Home Depot pricing refrigerators, our realtor called (I have failed to tell you how great we think she is - Mary is a fantastic realtor!) and had to deliver the unfortunate news that the sellers are, from all appearances, crazy and possibly broke. As in, they've informed the listing agent - 16 hours prior to closing - that they're short by $4000. Something about the mom being distraught because the daughter ran away today and the dad is in France. I feel for her personal drama (and if you know them, please wish them my best) but now their drama is my drama and lo! I don't need the drama, just the house please!
Needless to say, the painter will not be starting until some things are resolved, no major appliances have been purchased and we went to Walgreens for a refill on my migraine medicine. Having fun yet? No pictures, either. Now I just need everyone to please pray, cross your fingers, bow east, chant or whatever else you do, that this sale goes through tomorrow so I can begin ridding that house of all its brass. Thank you for your support.
P.S. If anyone has a newer model refrigerator that they love, could you please leave me a note about it in the comments? Thanks!
Sunday, February 03, 2008
The Way I See It
If fate gives you green wall-to-wall carpet, you should host a Superbowl party and make the best of it!
P.S. I think it was more fun than it appears in this picture, what with all the food, drinks and Wyatt acting like a crazy man.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
I Found My People!
We have just returned from our first MOPS meeting and there is some bad news to report: it's every other week, not every week. Looks like I'll have to be a seven morning mom after all (but only every other week). There were lots of nice people; it seems to be largely military but from all branches (one of my tablemates is a Coast Guard wife. I believe that is my first official Coast Guard encounter and I, of course, had to mention that we recently watched The Guardian and she said her former neighbor has a small speaking role in it. I almost know famous people!) Wyatt did his standard monkey impersoniation when I dropped him off - you know, the one where he clings and climbs me so that I don't even have to keep my hands on him yet he's still, somehow, in my arms - and cried, but then they told me he was fine the whole time. I don't know, I thought he looked as though he'd been crying fairly recently but it was hard to judge since he started bawling at the sight of me. That, by the way, is a lovely greeting. Waaaahhhhh! No mama, no smile, nothing pleasant. Just wailing and more clinging. But he was all smiles and chatter on the way home, so I'm confident he's not traumatized.
This session is about the home and it's been broken down room by room, I guess with creative and helpful ways to make your home more pleasant. And since MOPS is a Christian organization, there is an attempt to bring it back to God. It's a nice attempt, but I'm not really sure it's working for them. Although today's lesson talked about using the creativity given by God to make our homes a welcoming place for others, just like God wants us to always feel welcome and it immediately made me think of my friend, Kari. Her house was always so serene and comfortable. Maybe she's figured out the whole God/house connection (knowing her, this is no surprise) and if that's the deal, she should be in one of these MOPS dvd's. The lady today was making the effort, but we were all so distracted by her use of BOLD FLORAL WALLPAPER in the kitchen and her BOLD FLORAL CURTAINS in the living room and her UGLY, BIG SHELVES in the master bedroom and her the-basement-drywall-was-damaged-so-we-mixed-straw-from-a-bale-of-hay-with-some-drywall-compound-and-spackled-it-on-there-so-now-it's-ALL-bumpy-and-strawy technique that I think the message got a little sidetracked. And she had two big Jayhawks in her house - one on the refrigerator and one in her son's room - so then I was distracted looking for some indication of where they live. (sidenote: I saw a woman in the parking lot with a K-State license plate and had to wonder if she noticed the Jayhawks, too.) I was so relieved that no one else thought the dvd was particularly helpful, either. We were all equally appalled at the suggestion of wallpaper, so I think these might be my new best friends.
The food was good and the conversation was fun and we played Pictionary, too. Plus (yes, it gets even better!) there's a MOPS special day thingy coming up at a local spa and I snagged a spot from someone who can no longer go. Sorry, Summer, that you have another more altruistic commitment, but thanks for the massage and mani appointment! In short, I had a very academic morning and am starting to feel like the next few months will be better than anticipated.
This session is about the home and it's been broken down room by room, I guess with creative and helpful ways to make your home more pleasant. And since MOPS is a Christian organization, there is an attempt to bring it back to God. It's a nice attempt, but I'm not really sure it's working for them. Although today's lesson talked about using the creativity given by God to make our homes a welcoming place for others, just like God wants us to always feel welcome and it immediately made me think of my friend, Kari. Her house was always so serene and comfortable. Maybe she's figured out the whole God/house connection (knowing her, this is no surprise) and if that's the deal, she should be in one of these MOPS dvd's. The lady today was making the effort, but we were all so distracted by her use of BOLD FLORAL WALLPAPER in the kitchen and her BOLD FLORAL CURTAINS in the living room and her UGLY, BIG SHELVES in the master bedroom and her the-basement-drywall-was-damaged-so-we-mixed-straw-from-a-bale-of-hay-with-some-drywall-compound-and-spackled-it-on-there-so-now-it's-ALL-bumpy-and-strawy technique that I think the message got a little sidetracked. And she had two big Jayhawks in her house - one on the refrigerator and one in her son's room - so then I was distracted looking for some indication of where they live. (sidenote: I saw a woman in the parking lot with a K-State license plate and had to wonder if she noticed the Jayhawks, too.) I was so relieved that no one else thought the dvd was particularly helpful, either. We were all equally appalled at the suggestion of wallpaper, so I think these might be my new best friends.
The food was good and the conversation was fun and we played Pictionary, too. Plus (yes, it gets even better!) there's a MOPS special day thingy coming up at a local spa and I snagged a spot from someone who can no longer go. Sorry, Summer, that you have another more altruistic commitment, but thanks for the massage and mani appointment! In short, I had a very academic morning and am starting to feel like the next few months will be better than anticipated.
Friday, December 14, 2007
Delights of the Redneck Riviera
I'm not sure what it says about us that we're feeling settled now that we're going to be somewhere for a few months. Perspective, I suppose, that's unique to military families. And as I'm feeling settled, I find myself thinking about our friends who are just starting to transition; especially those who are leaving Okinawa, completing a whirlwind trip through America and then heading for overseas adventure 2.0 in Scotland. I'm envious and not envious, all at the same time.
We got our stuff yesterday - you know, our favorite thousand pounds (which turned out to be more like 890 lbs., so I should've sent more stuff) that was packed up in about 40 minutes by five efficient Japanese men a little over a month ago. It was delivered by two kind and slow Americans, just as we expected. It was like Christmas for Wyatt; his little eyes almost popped out of his head when he saw his parking garage, his wagon of megablocks, all his books and his very favorite four-square ball. (I don't think I ever told you about the ball - Lisa gave it to him because he always loved playing with Nathan's, and he loved it so much that he took a nap with it the day he got it. He loves that ball!)
So he played with all his "new" toys while we finished unpacking and sorting and cleaning. I'm already looking forward with trepidation to all the unpacking, sorting and cleaning that awaits our next move, since we'll be getting our 890 lbs. from here, our remaining shipment from Okinawa and all of the other random stuff we left behind three years ago. I'm guessing that'll take more than a day. In the meantime, we're trying to figure out a routine here and get settled into our new normal.
And as much as I thought America would disappoint me in the funny-stuff-you-see-while-you're-out-and-about category, I'm delighted to say I've seen two things in the past week that made me wish I had a camera with me (so I'll start carrying that again). The first was a sign that said John's Outboard Motor "Repair". The quotes are his, not mine, and made me envision a big ol' toughguy making airquotes. Someone should tell him that putting quotes there don't really instill confidence in his work. The second thing I saw was at the BX today (and maybe it's totally common but I've been away for three years so cut me some slack) - a convertible with antlers! It was a tan, cloth top convertible and had an antler held up by each window, same system as is used by the sports flags. Anyway, I walked out and saw a reincar and it made me laugh. Just like old times in Okinawa.
We got our stuff yesterday - you know, our favorite thousand pounds (which turned out to be more like 890 lbs., so I should've sent more stuff) that was packed up in about 40 minutes by five efficient Japanese men a little over a month ago. It was delivered by two kind and slow Americans, just as we expected. It was like Christmas for Wyatt; his little eyes almost popped out of his head when he saw his parking garage, his wagon of megablocks, all his books and his very favorite four-square ball. (I don't think I ever told you about the ball - Lisa gave it to him because he always loved playing with Nathan's, and he loved it so much that he took a nap with it the day he got it. He loves that ball!)
So he played with all his "new" toys while we finished unpacking and sorting and cleaning. I'm already looking forward with trepidation to all the unpacking, sorting and cleaning that awaits our next move, since we'll be getting our 890 lbs. from here, our remaining shipment from Okinawa and all of the other random stuff we left behind three years ago. I'm guessing that'll take more than a day. In the meantime, we're trying to figure out a routine here and get settled into our new normal.
And as much as I thought America would disappoint me in the funny-stuff-you-see-while-you're-out-and-about category, I'm delighted to say I've seen two things in the past week that made me wish I had a camera with me (so I'll start carrying that again). The first was a sign that said John's Outboard Motor "Repair". The quotes are his, not mine, and made me envision a big ol' toughguy making airquotes. Someone should tell him that putting quotes there don't really instill confidence in his work. The second thing I saw was at the BX today (and maybe it's totally common but I've been away for three years so cut me some slack) - a convertible with antlers! It was a tan, cloth top convertible and had an antler held up by each window, same system as is used by the sports flags. Anyway, I walked out and saw a reincar and it made me laugh. Just like old times in Okinawa.
Sunday, December 09, 2007
It Takes a Village
...or at least a very patient realtor, two sets of parents, two siblings and a best-friend-who-happens-to-be-a-realtor to raise us into home ownership. Thanks to those combined efforts, we seem to have been successful. We had no idea it would be so challenging! This house or that one? Which neighborhood's best? We're awaiting the home inspections to make sure it's all a go, but it looks as though we'll have a house to move into come March. I love it when a plan comes together.
In other news, Wyatt seems glad to have us back, although perhaps not as overjoyed as I'd hoped. This just reaffirms my belief that the passage of time is irrelevant to him. Oh, and it proves that grandparents are pretty great.
I also realized - as we made that 15 hour drive each way - that we have some awesome friends. I could have just mapped the trip by who we could see in each city and as we passed through without saying hello (sorry, Leslie!), I thought of each person. And then when we got to Virginia and were able to hang out with our friends who we'd last seen in Japan, I realized that this military life is really starting to pay off. While I hate saying goodbye, it's that much better to get to say hello again.
In other news, Wyatt seems glad to have us back, although perhaps not as overjoyed as I'd hoped. This just reaffirms my belief that the passage of time is irrelevant to him. Oh, and it proves that grandparents are pretty great.
I also realized - as we made that 15 hour drive each way - that we have some awesome friends. I could have just mapped the trip by who we could see in each city and as we passed through without saying hello (sorry, Leslie!), I thought of each person. And then when we got to Virginia and were able to hang out with our friends who we'd last seen in Japan, I realized that this military life is really starting to pay off. While I hate saying goodbye, it's that much better to get to say hello again.
Wednesday, December 05, 2007
This is Not HGTV
I've always enjoyed that show, "Househunters", where they get to go look at cool houses, all with different pros and cons and then pick one, buy it and you get to see the follow-up of how it looks four months later after the new owners have put their mark on it. I can now see that it's a load of crap.
We looked at seven houses today, all of which were on my "list" because they looked nice online and had good descriptions, etc. Ahh, well, pictures might be worth a thousand words but sometimes the words those pictures are replacing are the kind you wouldn't say in front of grandma. For the builders of the Virginia peninsula: why would you build a 1900 sq. ft. house with only one garage? Why would you put funky texture on every surface of the interior? Why would you think that a one-inch thick layer of plaster in a swirl pattern on the ceiling of a dining room would be a selling feature? To the homeowners of the Virginia peninsula: Why do you think I want to pay 40% more than you did for the same house that's now six years older when you did nothing to improve it? Why do you think you can ask so much for a house when you didn't even bother to dust the ceiling fans before you left? And why would you decide to paint all the walls white in hopes of selling the house quicker, yet fail to mask anything or keep the overspray off the floors, windows and cabinets?
Suffice it to say this homebuying business is a little less like television than I'd hoped. Life's just one big lesson in compromise, I think.
We looked at seven houses today, all of which were on my "list" because they looked nice online and had good descriptions, etc. Ahh, well, pictures might be worth a thousand words but sometimes the words those pictures are replacing are the kind you wouldn't say in front of grandma. For the builders of the Virginia peninsula: why would you build a 1900 sq. ft. house with only one garage? Why would you put funky texture on every surface of the interior? Why would you think that a one-inch thick layer of plaster in a swirl pattern on the ceiling of a dining room would be a selling feature? To the homeowners of the Virginia peninsula: Why do you think I want to pay 40% more than you did for the same house that's now six years older when you did nothing to improve it? Why do you think you can ask so much for a house when you didn't even bother to dust the ceiling fans before you left? And why would you decide to paint all the walls white in hopes of selling the house quicker, yet fail to mask anything or keep the overspray off the floors, windows and cabinets?
Suffice it to say this homebuying business is a little less like television than I'd hoped. Life's just one big lesson in compromise, I think.
Friday, November 30, 2007
Okinawa...It has Changed Me!
We bought cell phones today. Two of them. With what seems like a lot of minutes. Which is precisely what we did not think we would do. But then, well, we did.
And also? We might have seemed like the two cheapest people to ever enter a cell phone store. EVER. Them: this is a nice phone. Us: Is it free? Them: Well, this one might be a good option for you. Us: but is it free? Them: here are our plans... Us: Can we get a military discount on that? And does it get us a free phone?
And then? The nice saleslady (who had heard our "we've lived overseas for three years and haven't had cell phones that whole time and have done quite nicely without them thankyouverymuch but now feel like we must have them because America seems mighty unsafe, unfriendly and like you might lose all your friends if you don't have a cell phone" plight) mentions that her husband's cousin is stationed in Okinawa. And it turns out we know him! Freaking small world, people.
The straw the broke the camel's back? We went to McDonald's for a Coke (because, incidentally, my four-day migraine is making me certifiably crazy) and I was so mad at myself for not having a camera. Why? So that perhaps I could do a side-by-side comparison of Japanese McD's employees vs. the stereotypical American McD's employee right here on this blog. Let's just say it would be a 30/70 split for page space.
And also? We might have seemed like the two cheapest people to ever enter a cell phone store. EVER. Them: this is a nice phone. Us: Is it free? Them: Well, this one might be a good option for you. Us: but is it free? Them: here are our plans... Us: Can we get a military discount on that? And does it get us a free phone?
And then? The nice saleslady (who had heard our "we've lived overseas for three years and haven't had cell phones that whole time and have done quite nicely without them thankyouverymuch but now feel like we must have them because America seems mighty unsafe, unfriendly and like you might lose all your friends if you don't have a cell phone" plight) mentions that her husband's cousin is stationed in Okinawa. And it turns out we know him! Freaking small world, people.
The straw the broke the camel's back? We went to McDonald's for a Coke (because, incidentally, my four-day migraine is making me certifiably crazy) and I was so mad at myself for not having a camera. Why? So that perhaps I could do a side-by-side comparison of Japanese McD's employees vs. the stereotypical American McD's employee right here on this blog. Let's just say it would be a 30/70 split for page space.
Monday, November 26, 2007
Full Circle
It's great to be home. Have I mentioned that already? We're catching up with family and friends that we haven't seen for ages. Yesterday we hung out with our great friends from college and last night we went to dinner with a couple of my best friends from high school. It's funny to think about how our lives have changed in the time we've known each other and then to think about where they might go.
The college group included eight adults and six kids. We sat around and ate pizza like we did ten years ago, but then it usually either preceded or followed an evening of drinking. This time we were dealing with nap schedules, filling sippy cups, chasing kids, issuing timeouts, teaching about sharing, discussing growth trends, sharing advice on the best childproofing stuff, when to take baby positioners out of cribs and which digital cameras have the least lag time. Not exactly the same conversations we were having way back when but it's fun because I think somehow, we all knew these days would come and that we'd all still be the same people, just with mini-me's running wild.
Wyatt was not his most charming self. Our decision that his in-car nap would suffice was a horrible one and everyone else at the party suffered for our misstep. Specifically, 3-year old Jack took the brunt of Wyatt's frustration when my dear, sweet boy decided to hit him in the head with a toy motorcycle. Wyatt also was kind of hungry, but apparently not enough to actually sit down and eat. There was a lot of wrestling, as I recall, in an attempt to get him to take a bite and actually both chew & swallow it before careening through the house again. As we were all multi-tasking to the best of our abilities, someone suggested that perhaps these get-togethers will be more fun in a few more years.
Because we are not completely stupid, we left Wyatt home with his grandparents while we enjoyed dinner at our favorite local brewery with my high school friends. The meal was great, and the beers were divine (oh, how I have missed beer that isn't mass-produced!) but the conversation was really the best part. One friend still lives here, so he and his wife filled us in on random high-school-classmate run-ins, while the other friend and I just laughed. It was a verbal tour through our senior yearbook and many of the people haven't crossed my mind in the years between (not that I've crossed theirs, either). But mostly our conversation involved our kids, our parents and our future plans. It's strange to think that we've been friends for literally half our lives.
And I kind of just have to sit back and think about how full life is, that we have these friends who knew us with zits and teenage angst, and friends who stood by us through heartwrenching breakups and the drama of the college social scene, and our great friends with whom we've parted ways at every step of our military journey. Somehow we always come back together, no matter the time or the distance, and we just pick up where we left off. And for that, I'm really thankful.
The college group included eight adults and six kids. We sat around and ate pizza like we did ten years ago, but then it usually either preceded or followed an evening of drinking. This time we were dealing with nap schedules, filling sippy cups, chasing kids, issuing timeouts, teaching about sharing, discussing growth trends, sharing advice on the best childproofing stuff, when to take baby positioners out of cribs and which digital cameras have the least lag time. Not exactly the same conversations we were having way back when but it's fun because I think somehow, we all knew these days would come and that we'd all still be the same people, just with mini-me's running wild.
Wyatt was not his most charming self. Our decision that his in-car nap would suffice was a horrible one and everyone else at the party suffered for our misstep. Specifically, 3-year old Jack took the brunt of Wyatt's frustration when my dear, sweet boy decided to hit him in the head with a toy motorcycle. Wyatt also was kind of hungry, but apparently not enough to actually sit down and eat. There was a lot of wrestling, as I recall, in an attempt to get him to take a bite and actually both chew & swallow it before careening through the house again. As we were all multi-tasking to the best of our abilities, someone suggested that perhaps these get-togethers will be more fun in a few more years.
Because we are not completely stupid, we left Wyatt home with his grandparents while we enjoyed dinner at our favorite local brewery with my high school friends. The meal was great, and the beers were divine (oh, how I have missed beer that isn't mass-produced!) but the conversation was really the best part. One friend still lives here, so he and his wife filled us in on random high-school-classmate run-ins, while the other friend and I just laughed. It was a verbal tour through our senior yearbook and many of the people haven't crossed my mind in the years between (not that I've crossed theirs, either). But mostly our conversation involved our kids, our parents and our future plans. It's strange to think that we've been friends for literally half our lives.
And I kind of just have to sit back and think about how full life is, that we have these friends who knew us with zits and teenage angst, and friends who stood by us through heartwrenching breakups and the drama of the college social scene, and our great friends with whom we've parted ways at every step of our military journey. Somehow we always come back together, no matter the time or the distance, and we just pick up where we left off. And for that, I'm really thankful.
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