Channeling Carrie Bradshaw

I'm in New York sitting next to a window typing on a laptop drinking an Ubu Ale in the dark. The particulars are different, but it's the best impression I can muster. So let's see.....I'm on vacation with my family at Lake Placid, NY. We've rented a house that fits all 11 of us. It's right at the lake shore with a dock and pontoon boat to boot. We're here for a week. I have a feeling that time will fly by....especially if I take a 3-hour nap every day! My kid was the only one to have a (colossal) melt down today. As long as we can keep it that way, it will be a good week.

It's been a long time since I've posted to this blog and my two biggest fans happen to be my mom and her friend, who has known my mom since before my parents were married, so you can imagine the grief I'm getting over my Facebook activity and subsequent lack of blogging. See comments on my last post for reference.

Right.

Life has taken an interesting turn since my last post. I stopped working at the end of June and have spent time since then getting to know my life in a new way. It's my summer of fun: play dates, lunch dates, and vacation dominate the calendar. But there is still work. Sure, there's the potty and manners training, the Weeding Project of 2009, and the cooking and cleaning. What is perhaps the most surprising, though, is the work on me, myself, and I. It's nice to have some time to think about who I am, how I treat myself and those I love, and if I'm happy with me. So it's been an interesting summer.

I am looking for another job but have chosen to be deliberate about it. I spend most of my time in my search networking and interviewing people and organizations. I'm trying to find the best fit. My last job wasn't a good fit in the last year I was there, and it sucked the life out of me. I suppose this is my summer of recovery too.

Not to mention milestones: my last day of work was my 10th wedding anniversary and I turn 35 this week.

I think I'm having Facebook withdrawal....and I need another beer. Later....

Thanksgiving 2008 Days 4-8

Things got a little nuts at the rent's house when everyone else showed up! Gus is a beautiful dog. He's enormous and fluffy and playful. And if you chant "I wuuuv youuuu" enough times he'll howl it back! Gus and Cooper were totally insane together. They played outside a lot. FiG got to be pretty comfortable with them individually, but together there was just too much movement for her to tolerate. Actually, by the end of the trip, she was letting Cooper chase her around the kitchen island and she was approaching him on her own to the point that she needed to be watched for tail pulling and fur grabbing. She's been saying Gus and Cooper's names since we got home. I consider it a successful introduction.

The three kids got to pick eggs from the hen house and feed the horses at a friend's farm. G & O found the barn cat and got to play 52-persimmon pick up after the tree got a good shaking. FiG gave Tiny a carrot, held a fresh egg, tossed food into the chicken coop, and walked through a barn on her own two feet!

Thanksgiving dinner was a FEAST. Turkey, glazed ham, stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, pearl onions, peas, brussel sprouts with chestnuts, cole slaw, cranberries, and the all important gravy. Then there was apple pie and pumpkin pie and ice cream. It was a nice mix of ol' standby and new recipes. And the leftovers were excellent - I think all that was left by Sunday morning was some ham and the bones.

Since we're all going our separate ways for Christmas this year, we had our family's traditional Christmas Eve meal on Friday: pizza. The planets aligned just so and the dough turned out very well. It's always fun making pizza and everyone gets to have fun with the palette of toppings.

G & O and Aunt B decorated a cake for an early birthday party for FiG. Her face when we sang "Happy Birthday" was priceless - like we were singing at her funeral. But she blew out her own candle and happily ate the cake. She got some great gifts too: a tea set, a cupcake matching game, a birthday cake set, and an alphabet book hand drawn by G. Every letter has two examples of words that start with it. It's totally awesome.

I designed a scavenger hunt for G & O. They had 6 clues each for the outdoors and indoors. After they decorated their bags we hunted outside and their mom planted the inside clues. We all had a good time and their prizes were a big hit. Target, you make 6 year olds easy.

The trip back to MN on Sunday was fairly low key. We sailed through security at PHL (no jinx, no jinx) and our plane was a smaller jet from a partner airline. With leather seats, adjustable head rests, more leg room, and other kids in the back of the plane we had a pretty darned good flight home. FiG has been sleeping better since we've been home. She crawls into bed on her own and we leave her while she's still awake and she falls asleep all on her own - and quietly! I just heard something hit the floor upstairs....there's no screaming....huh.

Thanksgiving 2008 Day 3

FiG slept well last night. I did not. She got a nap today. I did not. FiG did not go back to the yarn store today. I did. Just for one more hank of what I bought yesterday. But Gran-E bought a gorgeous chenille-like yarn to make a scarf for a friend. Can't wait to see what it looks like all knit up. We had a small world moment at the yarn store too - the daughter of the woman working at the yarn store bagged our groceries yesterday. You just never know when those moments will happen...when you can make someone's day just by paying attention and saying hello.

FiG and Cooper had a good day, for the most part. She still can't be down on the ground with him in the room. It's just not a good match up in size. Maybe when Gus gets here tomorrow there won't be so much focus on what's on the baby's face to lick off.

It was a busy day with a visit from the plumber, a couple of errands, walkies in the stroller, setting the table for The Big Meal, an apple pie, a pumpkin pie, three meals, leaves blown out of the front gardens, tennis, a double batch of walnut bread, play time, a bath, and three rounds of stories. I hope to sleep tonight! The rest of the fam arrives tomorrow starting at noon. Whew!

Thanksgiving 2008 Day 2

FiG and Cooper began a courtship today. By dinnertime FiG let Cooper lick her hands and face and stand right next to her without screaming. So we made progress. She really enjoyed watching through the windows of the sun room while Cooper ran about outside. He settled down quite a bit so it's easy to see how well he does listen to commands. Maybe by the end of tomorrow he'll listen when FiG tells him to "git dowen."

While FiG napped, Gran-E and I went to lunch with her book club. Half the group ordered the steak wedge salad, and for good reason: flank steak marinated in bloody mary mix, bleu cheese dressing, and grilled red onions. For some reason I ordered the chicken quesadilla. It was good, but that red meat looked sooooo tasty.

Later us girls went to the yarn store up the street and I bought two hanks of a delicious hand dyed, hand spun wool. I can't wait to make something to go with my new brown coat. I may have to go back and get more tomorrow so I can make a hat-mitten-scarf set. Though I'm afraid I might blow my next month's allowance if I set foot back in there! They had some great felted bags - with all the work done I'd pay that price....you know I thought about it too. :) The store is small and their website begs for attention, but they had a cozy corner set up with comfy chairs and coffee waiting for you. Gran-E says they know their stuff when you ask for help there too. So I officially recommend it as a place to check out if one is ever in this corner of PA.

Thanksgiving 2008 Day 1

FiG and I took a mid-day flight from MSP to PHL. The nice man at sky cap didn't charge me for the extra half pound my luggage weighed. He also didn't charge me for my second piece of luggage, a stroller. The security line was one-lane only with a short line so it was a breeze and I had all the time I needed to get me and FiG put back together again. The nice lady at the gate counter saved the last open seat in the plane for FiG so she could sit in her carseat instead of on my lap. We were in the last row, which as you know is the worst row on the plane, but....ahhhh. I sat next to one of the Golden Gophers' newest football players. He didn't want to talk much. He snores.

We met Cooper, my parent's golden doodle, for the first time when we arrived at the house. FiG was not amused. Cooper was all over us. He's cute and very fluffy and hyper. And we had all kinds of smells on us.

Halloween, Vegas, and some other stuff

So much has been going on in the last month....it's time to take a break and catch up on it all. Let's start with Halloween.

Gran-E came to stay with FiG for a few days so A-Mo and I could go to Vegas for the weekend. FiG was in bed by the time the first trick or treaters arrived and she didn't feel like putting on a costume. FiG and Gran-E has a good time together. Dropping Gran-E off at the airport was a sad thing to do. Dropping FiG off at school after flying home on the red eye was a mean thing to do. Resiliency is strong in the young, right?






















Vegas...we met our good friends who live in NM in the city of lights and sin. It was great to see them again. The weekend was a lot of fun and we've already decided that we will meet there again in a year! I'm glad I finally saw Vegas for myself. I had a specific image of it in my head from all the stories and advertisements I see and hear. But in personal observation it's not as gross and enormous as I thought it would be. Some people have said that's because we didn't spend any time off the strip. But we did - we had one fun night at the Golden Nugget and we drove around the city during the day looking for potato pancakes and swap meets. And yes, it's big. The buildings, statues, malls, hotels....they're immense and stimulating and opulent. I was just expecting something that I couldn't see the end of. I was pleasantly surprised to see the mountains around the city. We saw several casinos, had some great meals, did a little shopping, and laughed out loud with our friends - we're looking forward to our next trip.

After parting ways with our southwestern friends, A-Mo and I rented a car and visited the Hoover Dam. I found myself having to, again, adjust to what I was seeing with my eyes and what I had imagined it would be like. Damn you Hollywood for giving me warped expectations. The dam is truly more impressive in person. We did not do the dam tour but we did go through the Visitor and History Center - I highly recommend that you at least do this if you visit.

















































The new highway being built over the canyon is a feat of engineering in itself!

Since we've been home the main thing in our lives is FiG's, and our, sleeping problems. We've spent November working on getting her to sleep through the night without waking, to go back to sleep quickly if she does wake, and to stop fighting bed time. We've made progress but it's taken until now to see it. It's really awful what becomes of you when you're so deprived of sleep. Just last week I was scared I was going to get in a car accident I was so tired. I had to stop what I was doing at work and tell myself that I wasn't capable of making decisions. I was snippy with A-Mo and FiG. A few nights of good rest this week have made a huge difference. I have patience back. I feel human again. My blood sugars are better. I can make a decision....if you know me you know that I can't stand it when people can't make a decision so this is an important one for me! We've gotten lots of great advice and heard many stories from other parents who've been through sleep issues. To all of you: THANK YOU!

This weekend FiG and I head to PA for a family Thanksgiving with my family. A-Mo will join us next week. It will be a full house with 8 adults (plus 2 more for the feast), 3 kids, and 2 dogs. It will be a full week with lunches with my mom's girlfriends, trips to Peddler's Village, visits to the horse paddocks, a scavenger hunt, meals to prepare, dogs to play with, and an early birthday party for FiG, who turns 2 on December 18th.

Happy Thanksgiving dear readers.

Labor Day 2008

Vacation Pictures

Click here to see our pictures from Club Med Punta Cana.

If you don't have a Snapfish account, it's free and easy to create one.

That was some vacation!

In a word, it was Grrrreat! Photos are downloading and must be sorted, filed, captioned, and cataloged. Stay tuned for those.

Club Med Punta Cana - the place is made for families. It was the perfect choice for 8 adults, 2 five year olds, and a one year old. Between the pool, beach, two bars, kids club, baby club, wiffle ball, archery, bocce, tennis, sailing, snorkling, swimming, ATV tours, massages, facials, and pedicures there was something for all of us. And short of exercise classes, we did it all. If there are kids in your family and you're looking for a vacation spot, go to this resort.

Beyond the sun, surf, and other fun it was a valuable experience for FiG. It was a week full of new textures, smells, tastes, sights, and sounds. She had her first French pastry, drank long-life milk, spent time with adults of color, heard French, English, and Spanish every day, explored the new world of a swimming pool, and made peace with the sand. I enjoyed watching her play with her cousins and begin to recognize her family beyond A-Mo and me.

For me, it was relaxing. Sure, there were moments of anxiety and stress - we were on vacation, not on another planet! But there's something about palm trees that makes my stress melt away. It started when I first saw the palms from the airplane window. I have said that I could live in a place with palm trees. Maybe it's best to keep them for retreats instead of having them everyday though. I like knowing that there are places I can go where the mere sight of them makes me feel calmer.

My parents and older brother and his family made this vacation possible for all of us. Thank you. We loved it. Can we go again next February?