Thankful Days 26/27: Nora & the Farm

I am thankful for my baby niece Nora, who lights up the world with her smile and makes the most hilarious noise when she eats, like she is some kind of engine revving up to take on the world.  She lets me pick her up and play with her and smiles at me even though we haven't met too many times, and she is the most adorable and beautiful little girl ever.  I am thankful for this farm where my sister lives with her little family, with the husband who loves her and who fits together with her so well, and who holds his daughter and carries her around while he works like they're two peas in a pod and it's just meant to be that way.  I'm thankful for this peaceful place away from the crazy world where my little niece will grow up, and the loving parents who will raise her, and the chances I will get to come here over the years and spend time with all of them.  Who'd ever have known that one day a little piece of my heart would live on on farm 30 minutes outside Colville?  But it does.

NaBloPoMo Day 25: A Small Miracle

Last Thanksgiving at the farm

Today we drove from Bellingham to Colville, and the trip went more smoothly than I could have imagined.  I got home from Seattle at 9:00 last night, and was SET on leaving at 10:00 this morning.  When I got home last night I hadn't even written a packing list for our 4 day/5 night stay at my sister's farm, let alone started packing anything.  I didn't do much last night other than clean up the living room and make a list.  Justin had done some housework, which was REALLY nice because there is nothing I hate more than coming home from a vacation with our mountain of stuff that needs unpacking to a dirty house.  There's a pile of clean laundry to deal with, but that's no big deal.

I really wanted to make it to the farm by dinner, and I knew if we left much later than 10, we wouldn't.  With two adults and maybe ONE bathroom stop, it would be a 7 hour and 15 minute drive.  With two adults and two kids, and SEVEN (yes, you heard me, we stopped seven times...) stops, it is more like a 9 hour drive.  I got up with my alarm clock today - his name is Danny - but he didn't wake me until about 7:15.  Pretty late for him, many days he is up between 6:15 and 6:45.  I sat with him for a few minutes, then started getting ready.  Justin was already up after not being able to go back to sleep at 5 something.

We managed to get everything packed for all four of us, get the kids breakfast and dressed, keep the house clean, clean out the entire car (including vacuuming and changing out the towel that covers the backseat under the carseats) and change out the entire stock of toys in the car to new ones for the journey, and left the house at 10:15.

WITHIN 15 MINUTES OF MY GOAL.

I don't even REMEMBER the last time this happened for a trip like this!  Usually if we plan to leave at 10 it is more likely we'll leave at 11 or sometimes even later.  I was so happy!  Not only did we leave on time, but the kids did incredibly well on the drive over.  They didn't even ask for phones to play games on until about 7 hours into the trip - unheard of.  They were just playing with their toys, and Danny took about an hour and a half nap.  Amazing.

We got here at 7:15 just as the first two pizzas were coming out of the oven, and had dinner, then I was surprised with a delicious triple chocolate mousse cake that my sisters made for me.  Now the Olsens and Justin are in the living room watching the Gonzaga game, I'm typing, my Dad is working on a big puzzle, and my two boys are coloring quietly at the dining room table.  I'm going to take about a million pictures this week.

It's so mellow and quiet here, and I feel relaxed just being here.  It's peaceful.  I'm really looking forward to the next few days on the farm.  Getting out of the car, hugging my sister Lianna and my Dad who I haven't seen in 2+ years, and then holding my little niece Nora for a while while Kira put away the stuff from making dinner, my heart already feels at home.  It's going to be really hard when this trip ends.

 

NaBloPoMo Day 17: A Night at the Theater

This year for his birthday, I got Justin season tickets for the Broadway at the Paramount series in Seattle. One huge reason I went for the season tickets was because season ticket holders had first dibs on tickets for The Book of Mormon, coming back to Seattle next summer!  It came in early 2013, and the tickets pretty much sold out to season ticket holders, so I thought it might be my only chance, and I know Justin and I both REALLY want to see it.

It was an expensive investment for us, but I just absolutely love going to the theater.  Musicals are my poison of choice, though I wouldn't turn down a play if someone wanted to go.  I bought the cheapest package possible - our seats are in the highest balcony, but not in the last row.  It's not too big a theater, so I don't think there are any bad seats, I can go and be in the last row and still be happy, though on those rare occasions when I'm down on the floor I have an extra special time.

Our first show was the new Andrew Lloyd Webber production of The Wizard of Oz, which we saw last month.  I was excited because I have loved Andrew Lloyd Webber ever since I was introduced to him when I was about 14.  I had heard Jesus Christ Superstar before that, but this was my first live-show experience of an ALW show.  There's a performing arts school in Fargo, where my Dad used to live, and that year I did the summer program there for younger teens where we got to perform a couple of song/dance numbers before the show started one night.  The production that year was Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and I was HOOKED.

Well, I didn't love the new Wizard of Oz.  I felt much the same way about it as I did about the movie that came out earlier this year - the movie with Judy Garland is just so GOOD.  The show is was mostly based exactly on the movie with a few extra songs. There were a couple of parts I was impressed with/really liked (the Wicked Witch of the West's minions performance after she melted was pretty great), but for the most part I just kept comparing the performances to the movies. No one can really compare to Ray Bolger's scarecrow, and the cowardly lion inexplicably didn't sing "If I Was the King of the Forest."

I've had some really memorable experiences at the theater.  Seeing Les Miserables for the first time with Justin in Seattle, and being brought to tears by the sheer beauty of the performances during On My Own and Bring Him Home.  My first time seeing Rent.  Seeing Jesus Christ Superstar with Ted Neely and Carl Anderson, who played Jesus and Judas in the 1970s film, with my Dad when it toured.  My nights out with my girlfriends seeing Mamma Mia and Hair.  Seeing Starlight Express on stage in London when I was there since it's kind of the only place to see it because of the stage.

I love to sing, and I think if I could have any job, not considering any other aspects of life or talent, I'd be a broadway star.  I'm excited for the rest of this season, tonight we're seeing Priscilla Queen of the Desert, and the remaining shows in the series are The Lion King (which I've seen once before), Once, and Evita (which I am SUPER excited about because I have heard it a million times but never seen it on stage), then The Book of Mormon next summer.  I can't wait!

Here are the shows I've seen in the theater (that I can remember):

• Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (x2 - once at Trollwood School for the Performing Arts in Fargo, and once on stage in Vancouver, BC)
• Jesus Christ Superstar
• Rent (x4, one of my absolute favorites)
• The Phantom of the Opera (in London)
• Smokey Joe's Cafe (off Broadway, NY)
• Footloose (Trollwood School for the Performing Arts)
• Beauty and the Beast (Broadway in NYC starring Jamie Lynn Siegler as Belle)
• Cats
• Little Shop of Horrors
• Hair
• West Side Story
• Singin' in the Rain
• The Lion King (Broadway in NYC)
• Bring in 'da Noise, Bring in 'da Funk
• Les Miserables
• Mamma Mia
• The Wizard of Oz

Do you like going to shows?  What's your favorite?

Vacation & 1000 posts

Wow. I have been online less in the past week than... well, before I can remember really. I have been seeing my emails through my phone but have only sat in front of the laptop three times. My feedreader currently has 527 unread items. Oh well!

I'm having a great time on my vacation. I feel so lucky to have more than one place in this world that's home to me. Right now it's only 10:30 and somehow both of my children are asleep on the couch. I'm planning on heading to bed soon, but I have been missing blogland, so I though I'd come for a visit.

Danny has been in a MAJOR mommy phase since we got here. He pretty much wants me to hold him every. single. second. It's exhausting. At least here I don't feel as bad about how it affects Sam since he has other people to play with and talk to. He has been having a wonderful time with his grandparents and his aunt. He's even warming up to the dogs.

I've been enjoying myself, and it's been awesome to actually be able to read some while Danny's napping on me since Sam has been otherwise occupied some of the time. Now if only I could turn my back on the baby or go to the bathroom without him crying as if someone is swinging him by his feet.

It's really cold here, and dry. I've noticed that Sam's been drinking tons of milk, and I've been soooo thirsty the last few days. I've been drinking tons of water. We fly home on Monday evening, but before then I still have a visit with my favorite cousin, a dinner at my favorite pizza place, and a couple more days of hanging out to look forward to.

By the way, this is my 1010th post. I was totally trying to keep track and was going to post something cool for my 1000th post, but I totally blew it. Yay me!

I hope everyone's new year is going well so far. Once I get home, back to the real world, I'll be around more often.

Thursday Thirteen in New Jersey

I finally uploaded all of my photos from the trip Sam and I took to New Jersey this month, so this week for my Thursday Thirteen, I present our trip... in 13 photos! Hope you enjoy them!



Captivated by Technology: Sam & his Aunt Lianna (11 yrs old)



I see you!



Special bedtime stories.



Sam, Grandma & Zack from next door



Boys & Dogs



Sam & his Great Great Aunt Lena



Happy Jammy Time



At the Zoo



Sam & Lianna at the zoo



Dogs love crumbs. Boys love dogs.



Sam, Zach & neighbor Diana (honorary Grandma :-)



Not just an ottoman



Flying home




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Good Afternoon! Care for a bullet point?

I have about 3000 things floating around in my head right now, and I need to get some of them out! I am hoping to get back into the swing of things and should be posting more regularly from here on, we've had a busy couple weeks but things are calming down now and I see free time in my future (what??). So, here is some.... stuff...

• We met a dog! His name is Strider and he's a Rottweiler/Lab/Setter mix. He has Rotty coloring, lab size, and setter hair. He's really pretty. He is only 9 months old, which is a little younger than I was thinking of, but he's got some good obedience foundations already, and I think he'll make a really good family dog. He'll be coming to our house sometime this week to stay for a couple of days and see how he does. Hopefully, he'll do well and we'll be able to adopt. If not, the Alternative Humane Society has some other very nice dogs we can look into.
• Tomorrow I'm meeting a midwife! I'm so excited, her name is Winni and she has been practicing in Bellingham since 1980. I have heard good things about her and am very excited because I'm really looking forward to making this birth experience everything I know it can be. I am scared, but at the same time super excited about experiencing things I didn't last time.
• I also have an appointment tomorrow with my doctor for another ultrasound. If everything is as it should be, I will be about 6.5 weeks and we'll be able to see the little flicker of the baby in there. I'm hoping we'll also see that the fluid that was in there last week is gone, I think it's been working it's way out and it's tapered off, so fingers crossed!
• My Dad has been in town since Saturday night and today we're going to go walk around Bellingham and go out to dinner at La Fiamma for pizza. It's been really great, and Sam is having tons of fun with his Grandpa Bill! It's wonderful because they have not spent that much time together, but Sam thinks he is great anyhow. It's been so fun watching them interact.
• Sam has an appointment on October 2 for a screening for Mt. Baker Preschool. We'll see how that goes and then if they want to they'll schedule an assessment for Sam to see if he qualifies for their preschool program. If that doesn't work out, there is a really good preschool right around teh corner from my Mom's house that I'm hoping to get him into. Either way, some sort of preschool is in his very near future!
• This weekend is the Portland Pirate Festival, so we'll probably head down there to participate in the festivities as we do every year. We usually go to the zoo as well, and I'm hoping to squeeze in a short visit to see my friend Xotchil, who is extremely pregnant and may even have a baby by then!
• I got to do a little bit of writing last week. I was doing a fair amount of ghostwriting for a while there, but business has slowed down a lot. I'm hoping maybe towards the holidays things will pick up more and I'll be able to do more writing. I had a good time getting back into it and writing a couple articles last week, and it's nice to be able to earn some money doing something I really like!
• I can't believe fall TV shows are starting up, and I'm not even ready with my list of premiere dates - agh! Tomorrow Sam will be at the babysitter so I'll finally have time to read through one of my favorite EW issues of the year - FALL TV PREVIEW! I'll be sure to post about what I'm looking forward to most!
• I'm hoping to fly to New Jersey next month with Sam and my sister to visit our stepmom and little sister, but I have to wait until Justin gets paid again to buy the tickets. It will be really nice to see them, and I can't wait for them to hear how much Sam talks now!

Well, it sounds like Dad is out of the shower, so I'm gonna go get ready to go so we can explore the town a little bit. It's turned out to be a nice day for a walk, so we should have a good time!

I'm a little behind on my feed reader, but trying to catch up. How was your weekend?

Like Pink, I am also not dead

So, I've been a little absent the past few days. Luckily for me, I got posts pre-written for last week so it's only been a couple of days instead of a full week since I've posted anything! Things are a little crazy here, and even though I haven't been writing, I have been THINKING about writing a lot. Thoughts...

• They posted that BlogHer 2010 is going to be in NY City! I am SO going. This year, we just couldn't afford it, but I already have enough saved up from frelancing to pay most of the conference fee, then I just have to save up for the hotel. I definitely need at least one roommate though, I have no idea how you go about that. Since my little sis and Stepmom live in New Jersey, I'll probably combine airfare and leave Sam with them for 3 days if they're up for it, then visit them before/after the conference. That would work perfectly. There are so many laides I want to meet, and I hope that most of them will go too. It's early to start talking about it, but I actually think it might be feasible for me to go next year for the first time!
  
• Um... moving with a 3 year old is HARD. I guess I have managed to get a significant amount unpacked, but it's so hard to do it in these really short little spurts. I'm hoping maybe my Mom will take Sam some over Friday and the weekend so I can finally finish getting our clothes put away and hopefully clear out more stuff from the downstairs. Part of the problem has been that Sam hasn't been falling asleep very early and he needs one of us to be there if he wakes up. It's all just part of the transition.
• We went camping last weekend, it was Sam's first time and he had a lot of fun running around with his friends and wading in the river. It was a much needed break from a house full of boxes, that's for sure!
• My husband finally got the network up here at home, which I THINK means I now have wireless so I can use the laptop. Which means hopefully I'll be back to posting regularly in the next few days. I have TONS of posts 1/2 written in my head.
• I'm going to start a new feature. I don't have a name for it yet, and suggestions are DEFINITELY welcome. Once a week, I'm going to start posting something from one of my old journals (anywhere from 6th grade up through a couple years ago) or from a box of notes I found that my friends and I wrote in high school. Should be interesting!
• Cramps suck.
• I have been a bad bloggy friend - I've been reading but I haven't had the time to comment on many things. I'm still thinking about you all!

That's about it for now. I'll be back soon. Promise.

A Summer Memory

This week's theme for Heads or Tails Tuesday is "Summertime Memory". I originally posted this in September of last year, and it brings up really great memories for me, so I'm re-posting it today to share with you!

***

Summer in a Small Town

You see amazing things every day. In small town America I sit in the backyard listening to the music of cicadas in the trees. The first night, their song is surprising, forgotten during the time away from this home, and unexpected. Later, the sound is comfort, lulling me into peaceful, quiet meditation in the backyard twilight as I wait to walk the one block into town.

We walk down Main Street, peering in shop windows of stores as versatile as snowflakes. A coffee shop, a comic book store, the local newsstand, The Shaker Cafe, where they make delicious nachos every Friday with weekly Mexican meals. A bagel shop has just opened up in town, and I had a fresh bagel for breakfast this morning. As we walk past the old Union Hotel restaurant, we begin to hear the music.

Every other Thursday night in this small town in New Jersey, they have Music on Main. A block or two of the street is barricaded off and a stage is set up. The blacktop is spotted with tables dressed in flowing white tablecloths surrounded by folding chairs. The music has already started and the tables are full with people talking, laughing and sharing wine and food.

I'm not from here, but I feel welcome. As I sit at the table with one of the other town moms, her hug welcomes me as if I've been here forever. I don't talk much. Instead, I sit and listen to the cover band play, I watch the local kids and less shy women and men dance on the cleared out area in front of the stage. I have a hard time keeping my eyes off of her in her red sparkling halter top. She has already been pointed out to me as the heavy drinker at these events. Her shirt reminds me of an Olympic gymnastics leotard. Her eyes are partially shut as she weaves back and forth, and she claps and hollers at the end of every song.

She is joined by a woman from a few doors down. She too is drunk, perhaps forgetting the worries of how her husband left her with her children, how she doesn't have a job. Not caring where her children are - I saw her 9 year old daughter riding her scooter around town earlier by herself. Tonight she has no idea that in a few days, CPS will be called on her for leaving her daughter home alone overnight. She is dancing, oblivious. I've been here for only a week, but I've already heard these stories. Later, as the two women dance together, the one in the red shirt stumbles drunkenly and bowls over a group of pre-teen girls.

Halfway through the night it begins to rain, but it's a warm rain, something I rarely experience at home in Washington. I expect people to leave, but most of us just sit at our tables as the drops gently fall from the sky and cascade down our bare arms and legs. In minutes, it is over and the warmth of the night dries our skin. The show goes on.

Only a few songs left, I am lost in my own world, my own thoughts. The music eliminates the need to talk and I sit, observing, enjoying, breathing it all in. I notice a man on the sidewalk in a t-shirt and white backpack. He plays a harmonica along with the band, and the way he dances is childlike. Something is off, and I wonder what his story is. Does he think like a child, or an adult? Who takes care of him? As I watch, a young looking twenty-something breaks from the dancefloor to approach him with her male friend. They talk to him and invite him to dance. He declines, and they persist. After he says no again, they fade back into the dance, but my eyes tickle with tears at this act of kindness. It is a beautiful night.

***

To read more Heads or Tails Summer Memories, click here.

St. Louis: Part 1 - The Story

This week's theme for Heads or Tails Tuesday is 'Starts with A'. How fitting - here's the story of my Dad's recent accident. It will be the first in a 3 part series, the backbone of the story. Later I'll post about how crazy it was, and about the silver linings that came out of my emergency trip to St. Louis.

It all started with a text message on a Friday night. 'Can you call me?' from my Stepmom. At first I thought maybe it was news about the impending divorce between her father and I. I called, and she explained she'd gotten a call from St. Louis. At that point, all I knew was that my father had been hit by a car and that he was injured.

Calling the hospital was like a game of hide and seek. I was transferred, put on hold, and called back as I desperately sought any information about the state of my father. I didn't get upset, not yet. The night went on, full of text messages, e-mails, phone calls. I felt so removed, so far away from the situation and wished I was there. At the movies, I switched my phone to vibrate then held it in my hand throughout the entire movie. And I waited.

I finally got the call at about 2:30 AM, which is 5:30 AM in St. Louis. After hours and hours of little to no information, the floodgates opened. Dad had been hit by a car as he crossed the street on his way to a concert that evening. He had two broken wrists, one badly, a possible concussion, and road rash. I heard words like shattered. Badly bruised nerve. Compound fracture (that means his bone was sticking out through his skin). Road rash. Cast. Physical therapy. Best case scenario. I finally fell asleep after that conversation, but I was a mess the next day.

Anxiety came and went. I didn't know what to do. I knew in my heart that I wanted to be there with Dad, but wasn't sure how it would even be possible. If you've been around here for any length of time, you know that I have zero monies. I went to see my sister, we talked. I probably talked on the phone with her more times that day than ever! Around 1 AM that night we finally had plane tickets to go to St. Louis the next day. I can't thank our friend enough for paying for the tickets, we'll pay her back, but without her help I don't think we would have been able to go.

We arrived in St. Louis on Sunday evening and rented a car overnight. We drove to the hospital to get Dad's house keys. At that point, he was still in bad shape. He had quite back road rash on his nose and upper lip and on one leg. His right arm was in a cast from just below the elbow up over his hand, limiting his use of fingers. His left hand was in a splint, plaster under elastic. His fingers were swollen to twice their normal size, and were purple. There were iodine stains on a few of his nails and his skin from the surgery.

Despite his appearance, it was a relief to see him. To talk to him. To know we were there. The next day, we headed back to the hospital. Dad was still in pain, but being managed by oral pain meds instead of the morphine drip. He was eager to get out of the hospital room, and to get a new pair of glasses. Since he'd been at the hospital (2.5 days) he hadn't been able to even watch TV because his glasses were lost somewhere between the accident and the ER.

That day we went to get him new glasses. When we got back to the hospital we spoke to the doctor and we found out that we needn't have worried about one of the decisions we thought we'd have to make. The doctor told us that Dad would not be discharged from the hospital unless he had 24 hour care. That meant a live-in nurse at home (expensive and most likely not covered by insurance) or moving to an extended care facility. There was a facility connected with the hospital. It was basically a nursing home with a separate floor for people who are recovering from injuries, surgeries etc. I could tell that Dad was a little disappointed, but it made sense.

Dad's mood improved immediately once he had his glasses and could see again! We stopped at his apartment on the way home so he could get more clothes and some things. We arrived at the extended care facility and Dad got his own room. We unpacked his things and hung out there. The next several days were a mix of spending a lot of time just hanging out with Dad, watching him learn how to do more and more with only one hand and watching his physical therapy. He called himself 'half-handed' instead of one handed since the positioning of the cast limited the movement of his fingers on the right hand.

I'll just lump everything else together instead of day by day. The physical therapy went extremely well. He got more and more motion and the swelling went down every day. His fingers went from swollen to knuckles swollen. My sister and I flew home early Thursday morning. On Monday, the physical therapists decided that Dad had recovered enough to go home, only a week and a couple days after the accident! He had a doctor appointment on Wednesday, 1.5 weeks after, and they took off his cast and sling and gave him light thermoplastic casts on both arms which he can remove for bathing if needed.

I can't stress enough how much I want to THANK everyone out there who sent positive thoughts and prayers our way. The situation has turned out really well compared to how it could have been. I am not glad that Dad got hurt, but in a way I'm thankful for that trip. You can read more about that in parts 2 & 3, coming soon!

To read more Heads or Tails Tuesday posts, click here.

Long Days

The days here are long. I've been here less than 48 hours, but it feels like a week. Last night by 10:00 I was so exhausted I felt like it was 2 AM. Things are okay, but there are feelings catapulting around inside me like kids in a bounce house. I still have a ticket to go home on Thursday morning, but I feel like I'm moving through Jello or something, time is different right now, and Thursday feels so far away, but I know it will come quicker than I'd like. I have a billion thoughts that I want to write down, but I don't have time right now because we're headed over to see Dad. He's been in better spirits since he got new glasses so he can actually see, and got out of the hospital and was able to stop at home on the way to the skilled nursing facility. I'll tell you all about it later. For now, thanks to anyone who has been thinking of us or praying for us. I know you're out there, and I love you for it.

Very Quick Update

Thank you so much to everyone who left me comments here and on Facebook. It really helps to know that there are people out there who care and can pray with me.

Just a quick update before I pack. That's right, pack. My sister and I are heading to St. Louis today to be with Dad, we'll be flying home on Thursday morning so we'll only really be there for 3 full days. We went back and forth and finally were able to make arrangements. We haven't told him we're coming yet, so I need to make that call. It was hard to figure out, with the money (which we don't have) and trying to decide how important it was. In the end, our hearts pulled us to go - we both just WANT so badly to be there with Dad. So, we're going. Thanks to the generosity of a very good friend (more on that later).

And update on Dad, he shattered his left wrist and it was a compound fracture, so he's been on IV antibiotics in the hospital because they worry about infection. His ligaments were torn so his radius and ulna dislocated. He currently has a metal plate and some pins in his wrist. He also had a badly bruised nerve. It didn't get crushed/broken, but only time will tell if it will fully recover. Dad's right wrist is also broken, but it's a much "better" break, it fractured in the right spot and the surgeon said that it will most likely heal completely, but he'll have to wear a cast for at least 4 weeks.

I'm last minute packing and leaving soon, thank you for your prayers, I'll post again tomorrow.

Thursday Thirteen: Things I said to my 10 year old sister last week

I haven't been participating in the Thursday Thirteen every week, but I was definitely inspired during my trip to St. Louis last week!

I'm a natural list maker as well, so given the opportunity, why not?! If you want to join in the Thursday Thirteen, see the information below my thirteen!

Thirteen Things I Said to My 10 Year Old Sister in St. Louis Last Week

1. You can't just turn left on red because there are no other cars visible. We went to a movie, and on the way home she got on my case for getting too close to a car because she couldn't see their back tires, then two minutes later, she wanted me to turn left on a red arrow. At an intersection of two four lane roads.
   
2. You do realize that hobos are hungry, cold, don't have bathrooms, and are treated like less than nothing, right? For some reason, my 10 year old sister is obsessed with hobos. First, she kept talking about there being hobos in the town she lives in, and I explained that hobos ride trains, and that they're not just homeless people. Now she keeps saying she is going to be a hobo when she grows up.
   
3. If you keep saying that until we get to the car, I will punch you in the face. Said in the most teasing of sisterly manners of course. She kept repeating "shotgun" over and over, and I didn't even care that much if she sat in the front. Although she obviously did care. A lot.
   
4. He only hurt people he knew, his family. We saw a giant "Wanted" billboard with the person's picture on it. The charges were domestic violence and criminal assault. She was asking questions, and asking where he was, saying she was scared by it. We were explaining that the charges meant that he'd only hurt his family, that we didn't know why. That sometimes people had problems and needed help.
   
5. They still smell like farts! We played some trivia at a restaurant we were at. Lianna named our team "The Beastinators". We tied for first against a team called "Smells like Farts", but then they got re-scored and they beat us by one point. So I comforted my sister by reassuring her they still lived up to their name.
   
6. You smell like onions and slime! During a wonderful back and forth text messaging insult conversation as we sat right next to each other in the living room.
   
7. Sometimes when someone doesn't want to be your friend anymore, it is really hard. My Dad had a friend who he liked a lot, and she wasn't interested the same way. Now they don't talk much anymore, and he mentions her in conversation. I was trying to explain to her that it can be really hard when you want to be friends with someone and they don't want to be your friend, and you don't really know why they just don't like you anymore.
   
8. Scrubs are the blue clothes doctors wear. She asked if I watched Scrubs, then wanted to know why it was called that.
   
9. Stop whining! Really? She's 10. Do you need an explanation?
   
10. You can't call shotgun until you can see the car. After the incessant "shotgun" shouting.
    
11. I don't CARE! Trying to get the point across about my relationship with the backseat.
    
12. Don't tell Dad! I hit a curb while turning right, and laughed then blurted this out. She immediately texted him and told him.
    
13. See you in a couple weeks! This is my favorite one! She is coming with my stepmom on the 30th and will be here for Sam's birthday! Yay!
    

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Wordless Wednesday: St. Louis

Click to enlarge & view full size. That last one is my favorite picture of me and my Dad since I was a kid.

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Normal is relative

My whirlwind tour of
St. Louis is half over
I wish it wasn't!

Sitting next to my
sister - 10 years old and lives
across the country

Dad sits on the couch
sharing bits and pieces of
todays New York Times

Sun is out today
birds chirp outside the window
It feels so normal

But I know that in
two days, it's back to life as
it normally is

I know I will miss
them. Sometimes, I cry at the
airport after byes.

So for now, I sign
off - there are gardens and zoos,
butterflies to see

For more Haiku Friday, click here!

Meet me in St. Louis, Louis!

Today's theme for Heads or Tails Tuesday is "Reason". Perhaps we should start with the reason I'm blogging before 8 am today. It's 7:37 in the morning, which is way too early for me to be up and showered, as evidenced by my semi-upset stomach. Urgh. I figured out long ago that I'm a night owl. No matter how many years I worked at jobs that got me up at 6, it will never be okay for my body to get up before 8.

Today I'm flying to St. Louis to visit my Dad and sister. I am very excited, but have also been feeling more apprehensive than I usually do about traveling. For some reason, I'm having a harder time leaving Sam than I usually do, even though he's been sort of a pain (tantrum city) the last few days.

This morning I realized a possible reason for the way I'm feeling. I'm traveling, which is not anything new. However, today I'm traveling ALONE. I started thinking, and I can't remember the last time I flew anywhere alone. I know when I was 18 I flew to England by myself for my study abroad. There may have been at least once since then that I flew to visit family by myself. But for my entire life, I've always traveled WITH someone. Either my sister, my husband, a friend, or my son. This may only be the 3rd or 4th time I've flown by myself, and I don't even remember the last time.

Why that would freak me out I have no idea. But it could be one subconscious reason that I'm feeling really antsy today! So, keep me in your thoughts today! I'm taking my laptop and since I'm going solo - no Sam - I will be able to post a little bit, plus I have some awesome guest posts lined up!

To read more Heads or Tails Tuesday posts, click here.

Close Your Eyes, and Think of England

This week's theme for Heads or Tails Tuesday is to share a springtime memory. For whatever reason, the memory that came to mind first for me is an old one - it happened almost 10 years ago.

When I was 19 years old, I got to go to London for a study-abroad program through the community college I attended. I'd guess there were around 30 of us on the trip, although I'm not positive. We were all friendly, but we all made our little groups. The person I connected with the most was a girl named Heather. She was the same age as me, I think, and it was one of those things where we started talking, and something just clicked. I felt comfortable with her and we became friends, passing notes in class and hanging out.

One day, our group took one of our day trips up to Oxford. We had several hours to wander around and look at stuff, and Heather and I took off. At one point we got lost. I don't think we were REALLY seriously lost, we weren't scared about missing our bus back or anything, but we didn't really know where we were. It was a pretty day outside, and we were walking around in the sun laughing, and just having a carefree good time. We were young, happy, away from home and having an amazing experience. At one point, I decided I needed a photo of us, being lost. So I propped the camera on the edge of a trash bin and we ran in front of it and smiled. I remember Heather heckling me because I insisted on doing it ourselves even though we probably could have asked a passerby to take our picture.

That's only one of the great memories I have from that trip. I stayed friends with Heather for several years after we came back and then we lost touch. A couple of weeks ago, I found Heather and her husband on Facebook, and reconnected, and I was so excited! So, that's my good memory for today.

What is one of your favorite Springtime memories?

To read more Heads or Tails memories, click here.

Vacation

Sorry I haven't posted in almost a week, I've been on vacation in New Jersey visiting my Stepmom and little Sister, and will be here until Friday, so I'm not updating as much. I'll get back to posting regularly when I'm back in Washington, at home, with time to write!

Went shopping at Kohl's with my Stepmom today. Found a fleece shirt and a sweater that were WAY on sale, and was treated to some FLEECE SHEETS by my Stepmom, which I absolutely can't wait to put on my bed when I get home. Unfortunately, I also found two other totally cute sweaters, which in size 2X were still too small. :0( Sigh...

I need to call on Tuesday and make an appointment with the endocrinologist.

Vacation brain - I has it

• The Crayola Factory is not in fact a factory. It is a giant arts & crafts funzone. Which is really fun for 10 year olds, but not so much for 2 year olds, 30 year olds, or 50 year olds. Especially the later two, who really wanted to see ACTUAL crayons being made ala that Mister Rogers episode they never forgot from years earlier.
• Being in a different house with no childproofing and too much excitement = daily tantrums.
• I want a dog.
• I think I discovered the definition of "tween". My 10 year old sister has an I-Pod that contains tracks from the following: Elmo, Sesame Street, Kidz Bop, Hannah Montana, The Jonas Brothers, Rihanna, Britney Spears (Womanizer), and TI. GAH?!

Asta La Vista, Washington!

Today I'm not around. Today I am braving one layover, two airplanes, and three airports with a 2 1/2 year old. If you're reading this, please pray for me. Or whatever you do. Cross your fingers. Knock on wood. Send me some positive energy. Because I REALLY hope this all goes well.

I'm off to New Jersey for 10 days to see my stepmom, super-cool 10 year old sister, my dad, and various other family members who can be squeezed in. I can't wait for them to see Sam, the haven't seen him since August and he has grown SO MUCH since then. I can't wait for them to get hugs and kisses, and to hear how much he talks now!

While I'm there, I'll be able to attend my little sister's band concert, which I am quite looking forward to. I will also be there for Obama's inauguration, which will be an amazing day. I'll be trying to keep up with my reader, but I have learned the hard way in the past that thinking I will be able to keep up with blogging while on vacation has another name. FOOLING YOURSELF! So, I have lined up a few posts that I've already written as well as having some REALLY special guest bloggers who I am super excited about!

If the flight goes awesome, I might post a one liner or a twitter. If it's awful, there will proably be a full post in the next day or two so you can laugh at my pain.

My Brain is Total Mush

I am back at home
after a weeks vacation
oh so tired now!

A vacation from
vacation is needed now
Oh, so ironic

My brain is mushy
I can't compose a normal
or smart post right now!

So, sorry for the
copout, but a bullet list
is all that I could

manage... that and a
heartfelt request - an update
to my prayer list

If you are the type
to pray for those in need, please
join me in mine now.

I've updated my Prayer List, located here.  I got some wonderful news this week, and some sombering, and found some people who definitely need positive energy right now.

I'll close for the week by emptying my head of the following random thoughts:

• You know what I forgot before this vacation?  How it feels to go days on end without taking tiny toddler steps!
• Airplanes are much more comfortable, and flights much shorter, without a 2 year old in tow.
• I really hate Sarah Palin.  I have been drafting a post about it for a week, and it gets me all riled up whenever I see her.  Sigh...
• My husband is growing a beard.  I told him to do it because I wanted to see what it would look like.  It's been a couple of weeks and I really like it!  I think it looks good on him.
• I watch too much TV and after being gone for a week there are a billion shows on our computer to watch!  AGH!  Overload.
• My house is a complete mess and it's driving me insane, but I've been too tired to do anything about it!
• I applied for 5 jobs today.  Hopefully I'll get an interview SOMEWHERE!
• Still trying to stay positive, applied for unemployment for the time being and am confused about how it works, so it makes me nervous.

That's all I can manage for tonight... I hope that after this weekend I'll have some intelligent thoughts to share with you all!  Read more Friday Haikus HERE.