Another day...another dollar...

....another tick.

Jake: 4

Hannah: 0

UPDATE: That's 4 ticks this season. Not just yesterday.

Aspirin? Check. Water? Check.

This afternoon/evening is my niece's 11th birthday party. Hangover anticipated.

I love me some royalty

Me: Prince Harry is in New York City this weekend.

Lincoln: So you'll be leaving for there soon?

Wow....already letting them down easy

Ever since kindergarten Hannah has had "boyfriends". In kindergarten she had 4 of them. I think in first grade she had five. She definitely is friends with lots of boys. She's the only girl on her little league team. Recently she was the only girl at a birthday party. At lunch she usually sits with the boys. When I volunteered for lunch duty when she was in kindergarten I had to laugh because all the girls sat at one end of the table and all the boys sat at the other end. Guess where Hannah was? At the boys end....as far away as she could be from the girls. And yet if you ask her, she can list at least 3 girls that are her "best friends".

Tonight she received a thank you note from the boy whose birthday party she recently attended (the one where she was the only girl). We'll call him Charlie Moore (not his real name).

Me: Hannah, did you get the mail today?

Hannah: No, why?

Me: I was wondering if you got your thank you note from Charlie yet. His mom told me the other day that your thank you card was the only one that he signed "love, Charlie".

(long pause)

Hannah (hesitating and trying to figure out what to say): Charlie.....he's a really good friend. I mean, he is really, really nice. He is always helps me out with things. He's very nice. Very fun to be around.

Ouch....the poor kid is only 8 years old and is already sentenced to the "friend" role by a girl who collects boyfriends like a dog collects fleas. His high school years are going to suck.

The sex talk

I picked up a booklet while we were at the doctor's office the other day about "Puberty in Girls".  It said that puberty can start between the ages of 8 and 13 years old and that by the time girls turn 8 they should know what to expect in regards to the upcoming changes in their body AND that they should know the basics of sex.

Hannah will be 8 in August.  I'm not ready for this.

A small glitch in our creative genius

On Monday we purchased a digital clock for Jake's room so that he knows what time it is when he wakes up in the morning.  He earns a quarter for everytime he lets us sleep until at least 7:00 a.m.  The first two days he did great.  This morning I heard him tiptoe into our room at 6:49 a.m.  I peeked at him under my eyelids and watched him walk in, look at us still sleeping, and then turn around and creep back into his bedroom.  I thought we were all set until I heard him climb back into bed and then cry out "Hannah!".

I'm sorry Daddy

I taught my mother how to access the Bachelorette message boards on ABC.com today.  They can be horribly addictive so I just want to let Dad know that before he files the missing persons report on Mom he should make sure to check the office first.

My new handbag (subtitled: I'm shameless)

Hannah's school principal is retiring this year so she decided that she was going to make her a bag as a farewell gift using her leftover poncho material.  She finished the bag in sewing class tonight and I fell so in love with it that I pestered her shamelessly until she agreed to give the bag to me instead.  I'm horrible, I know....but it's a really cute bag.

THE BOOKS ARE AWESOME!

The yearbooks look FANTASTIC.  I am so happy with the way they turned out and I can't wait until I get to distribute them to everyone.  The only problem appears to be that none of them have personalized covers.  Parents could opt to pay extra and have their child's name printed on the cover and none of them came that way.  Obviously that is just something I'll have to take up with the publisher and either have them reissued or refund their money.

If that is the biggest problem with this year's book I will be so happy and so grateful!  I'm very proud of my accomplishment.

Rove vs. Carville

Last night I attended an event at a local performing arts center.  It was part of the "2009 Speaker Series: Live and Uncensored" and last night's event had Karl Rove and James Carville debating each other with Charlie Rose moderating.  It was pretty interesting.

Karl Rove obviously has a lot more riding on things since he's fresh off of 8 years playing the role of political mastermind.  He was full of facts and figures and had statistics coming out of his ears until my eyes glazed over and I was about to start begging for charts and diagrams to help me keep them straight.  He is clearly still in the mindset of trying to defend George Bush's presidency while also trying to control what happens in the future to the Republican party.  He was defensive, over-bearing, and surprisingly convincing at times.  It was interesting to watch him in action and realize just how he controlled so much of the political scene over the last decade or so.  He can take any statistic or fact and turn it around to make it sound exactly the way he wants it to.  There were times last night where I thought to myself "Hmmm....good point....Hey!  Wait a second!"  He is a total master of the spin.

James Carville was very entertaining.  He, of course, was the guy that ran Bill Clinton's campaign and obviously is a bit more distanced from the process than Karl Rove.  He was entertaining and full of zippy one-lines but definitely had less overall substance last night.  And part of that comes from the fact that he was not trying to defend the least popular president in (recent) history. He just sort of let Karl ramble on and on and then he'd throw out something like "Keep talking Karl.  It won't change anything." and "Facts are facts.  They speak for themselves."  He didn't fight back much but he also didn't need to.  Karl was digging a big enough hole on his own.

The political make-up of the crowd was pretty surprising to me.  It seemed to be about 60/40 when it came to Democrats and Republicans.  Massachusetts is such a liberal state that I thought it would have leaned more left but it was fairly balanced (or as balanced as Massachusetts gets).  You could tell that Karl Rove hadn't spent a lot of time in Massachusetts or done much research on our political issues.  During an election it would be pretty much a waste of time and money for a Republican so why would he have?  He offered up "No Child Left Behind" as one of Bush's biggest successes while in office and that's a pretty hot topic here in Massachusetts on both sides of the aisle.  It was probably the only time that nearly the ENTIRE crowd loudly booed him.  Otherwise it was pretty evenly split.

All in all it was an entertaining show.  I have to say, my favorite part was when Karl Rove was complaining that Charlie Rose kept interrupting him (Karl does ramble....a LOT).

Karl Rove: Stop interrupting me.  You don't interrupt James!

Charlie Rose: He doesn't whine!

Classic!

I am such a dork

I am SO excited for the arrival of the yearbooks.  I'm excited and nervous and nauseous all at the same time.  The books arrived at the school today and I asked Lincoln to pick them up.  Here is our IM conversation following their safe transfer to our house.

Lincoln:  the merchandise is secure

 me:  YEAH!!!!

did you open 'em?

i'm not sure i want you to.

do i?

 Lincoln:  goodness no

 me:  i want your opinion

or not

or do i

i don't know!!!!

i want to come home

 Lincoln:  i bet you will

 me:  lol

open it

no wait

don't

don't

we'll open them together tonight.

right?

 Lincoln:  sure

 me:  deep breath

 me:  how do the boxes look?

any of them damaged?

are they big?

heavy?

radiating with the light of awesomeness?

 Lincoln:  boxes are fine

5 of them

one says "open first"

 me:  hmmmm

i wonder what is in there.

I AM SO EXCITED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(I'm a dork....aren't you glad you married me?)

Lincoln:  every day

They're (almost) here!

I just received an email that the yearbooks have shipped and will be at the school tomorrow!!!!  I'm so excited and so nervous at the same time.

I love the rain

I shouldn't be so excited that it's pouring rain right now.  Hannah's field trip is today and I'm sure it will make her (and everyone else on the trip) miserable but man, it was GREAT to wake up to the sound of rain.  You know why?  Because there were NO BIRDS!!!!!  I swear to God we have 1,000 birds right outside our bedroom window and they start chirping and singing and tweeting at about 4:00 a.m.  It is impossible to sleep.  I woke up this morning and all I could hear was the rain.  I did not want to get out of bed.

Hitched or Ditched....I choose hitched

Tonight was the first episode of Hitched or Ditched.  It's a new reality show where couples are given 7 days to decide whether or not they're getting married.  Basically someone shows up on their doorstep and gives them an invitation to their own wedding and they have to show up that day and either say "I do" or "I don't".

Tonight's couple had been together for 4 years.  Apparently they fought a lot and broke up a lot but always got back together.  There was the usual jealousy, "my parents hate you", "my friends think we're crazy" sort of shit but after 4 years, including living together, you have to wonder if they are truly right for each other.  Lincoln's brother and his wife fight like cats and dogs and yet after 20 years of marriage they still look madly in love with each other when they think others aren't watching.

But I digress....

Lincoln and I have decided (read: I have decided) that each week after this show we will renew our wedding vows. Thank God we never had this drama in our relationship.  Lincoln and I met in August 1999.   We officially moved in together in October 1999 (and we had barely spent a night apart before that).  We joined our bank accounts in January 2000, got engaged on our 6-month anniversary in February 2000, and married in October 2000.  We found out on Christmas Eve 2000 that we were pregnant with Hannah.  Never once did I have a single doubt about marrying him**.  I was only 23 years old but it never even crossed my mind that it was even a remotely questionable act.  I asked him tonight if he ever had any doubt and he said "no" too.  The only person who seemed to have doubts was my sister Denise who said to my parents, "They can't get married....they haven't even had a fight yet."  My mother responded with "Could you live with Diane and not have had a fight?".......I still don't know how I feel about that comment.  LOL.

Maybe I'm just a "non-conflict" sort of gal but I've never understood those relationships where people fight all the time.  I can sort of understand a relationship where people have broken up once and gotten back together but more than once seems like a deal breaker to me.  Lincoln and I don't fight.  I can count on one hand the number of times we've had a real "major" fight.  One was over gun control, one was over whether or not our children could move back after college into an apartment over our garage (which still hasn't been built yet) and the other was over the government's involvement in equal pay for women.  That's it.  Three "major" fights in 10 years.  I just can't imagine fighting all the time.

I'm a TV addict, as many of you know, and this new summer season doesn't look very promising so Hitched or Ditched may have to become my new favorite.  If nothing else, it definitely makes me appreciate how wonderful I have it with Lincoln.

**When Lincoln and I were engaged we went down to NYC to visit my friend Chad.  That night, at PJ Carney's, we got into a huge discussion about gun control.  I remember going to the bathroom that night, looking at my engagement ring, taking it off, and wondering to myself "Do I really want to marry a man that thinks that way about gun control?"  I obviously put the ring back on and never looked back again.....but I still don't agree with him on gun control.  For those of you that made it to our wedding, you'll remember that in his vows he promised "never to bring up the 2nd amendment when we've been drinking." 

On an entirely unrelated topic, that is also the night I bought a beer for the bodyguard that survived Princess Diana's fatal car crash, Trevor Rees-Jones.  I've often wondered over the years if it was appropriate to buy a beer for a man who survived a drunk driving accident but it was he, in fact, that was standing at the bar drinking when I did it so I suppose it was okay.  And he did come over to say "thank you".  

But once again, I digress.....

Co-parenting fell through the cracks tonight

Lincoln and I try not to disagree on parenting decisions in front of the kids no matter how minor the situation.  Tonight we told the kids to get ready for bed and Hannah, who was wearing yoga pants and a t-shirt today, asked if she could sleep in what she was wearing.  She does this a lot.  I don't know if she's just too lazy to get ready for bed or what.  Jake, who was wearing wind pants and a t-shirt decided to try the same thing.

Hannah: Can I wear this to bed?

Me: Sure, but you have to take your socks off.

Hannah: But they keep my feet warm.

Me: Yeah, there is just something icky about wearing dirty socks to bed.

Hannah: Okay.

Jake: Can I wear this to bed?

Lincoln: No.

Jake: Why?

Me: Yes, you can.  Just take your socks off.

Lincoln: And you have to change your underwear too.

Me: Sorry.  I totally just went against your parenting in front of the kids, didn't I?

Lincoln: Yeah, but I turned it around there at the end.  

Me: Nice job.

It is amazing what she can and cannot spell

Tonight Hannah had to interview me for her heritage/immigration project.  I'll spare you the entire details but I thought this exchange was pretty funny.  (A little background: when she was very young I started brainwashing her with the fact that I went to Gustavus and that I would love it if she went there someday.) I have since changed my mind about her going there but don't ever let anyone tell you that brainwashing doesn't work.

Hannah: Where were you born?

Me: Decorah, Iowa

Hannah: How do you spell Decorah?

Me: D-E-C-O-R-A-H

Hannah: How do you spell Iowa?

Me: I-O-W-A

Hannah: Where did you go to school?

Me: Gustavus.

(silence)

Me: Do you need me to spell Gustavus?

Hannah: No.

Me: Are you telling me you can spell Gustavus but you can't spell Iowa?

Hannah: Yeah.

It's amazing what they remember

Me: Look at all the flags in the graveyard.

Hannah: Why are there flags?

Me: Because it's Memorial Day.  Those people were probably all in the military.

Jake: Remember when you tripped in the graveyard?

Me: Um....no.  I've never been in that graveyard.

Jake: Yeah, it was when I was 2.

Me (looking at Lincoln): I did trip in the graveyard that one time in Decorah when I took flowers to Gretchen's grave.  Remember?  How old would he have been then?

Lincoln: Two.

Me: That's sort of freaky.

Our patriotic duty

Lincoln and I did our patriotic duty today and stimulated the economy. We went out shopping today for all our summer gear and spent a ton of money. We are now the proud owners of two new bikes, pool gear, 6 pairs of summer shoes, jumbo size bubbles, and 3D sidewalk chalk.

Hannah and Jake made out like bandits. Hannah got two new pairs of flip flops, a pair of tennis shoes, and a pair of dress shoes. Jake got a new pair of tennis shoes and a new pair of sandals (boys are SO much cheaper in the shoe department). They both got new bikes for the summer along with new helmets and knee/elbow pads. Jake got his first bike with training wheels and Hannah got her first bike without training wheels. We weren't very smart the first time around so all of Hannah's toys are pink and purple. Since I won't subject my son to riding around on a purple bike he got to purchase his own today at Target. But since we did finally learn our lesson, Hannah did NOT get a purple bike this time and instead got a boys bike with the name "Rip Claw" on it. While we didn't tell her she had to get a boy's bike, we did tell her it had to be unisex so that she can hand it down to Jake. Luckily she's pretty much past the pink, purple, girly-girl stage with most things. We also got those jumbo bottles of bubble refills for all of their bubble blowing toys and some new pool stuff. We opened up the pool today and once we get all the green nasty gunk out of there it will be fun to play with the new toys.

Last but not least we bought a clock for Jake's room. The two of them are dying to purchase a game called Sorry Sliders so he and Hannah have asked for chores and an allowance in order to save up for this game. They did their first set of chores yesterday and Jake earned $2 and Hannah earned $3. We told Jake that for every morning that he doesn't wake us up before 7 a.m. he can earn an additional 25 cents. Hence the new clock.

If you're wondering what their chores are, here is the list:

Hannah $3/week: Empty the dishwasher at least two times a week, hang up all her clean clothes after laundry day, clean her desk weekly, clean the kids room weekly, strip her bed on Saturdays, and start the load of sheets in the washer.

Jake $2/week: Clear the dinner dishes nightly, clean his desk weekly, clean the kids room weekly, and strip his bed on Saturdays and put them in the wash for Hannah to start the washing machine.

At least it's enjoyable right now

Me: Is Hannah up yet?

Lincoln: Yeah. When Jake and I went downstairs she was sitting on the couch watching TV.

Me: That's great. So grown-up and independent!

Lincoln: You won't think that when she's sneaking downstairs in the middle of the night to IM her boyfriend.

Me: You're right. Remind me of this day when that happens.

I really wish I knew how to mow the lawn

I never learned how to mow the lawn. I think it was because my dad was the only male in a household of females and therefore it was his only escape but I don't think he ever taught any of us to mow the lawn. I'm sure it's not all that hard but I have to say it does scare me a little bit. All those stories of rocks getting thrown by lawn mowers and people getting their limbs caught just freak me out even though I know that those things aren't likely to happen. But I've never wished that I knew how to mow the lawn more than I do right now. Lincoln, who was in bed with a temp of 101.7 yesterday afternoon, is outside mowing our lawn right now. And he's incredibly stubborn and insists on only using the push mower and not borrowing a riding mower from either his dad or his brother. Luckily it's not terribly hot today...it's actually a good day for mowing the lawn....but I still feel bad watching him push it up and down the hill. I have to leave shortly to take Hannah to Little League and I just hope that I don't come home to find him collapsed on the front lawn.

10 years goes by way too fast

Ten years ago Lincoln and I met and started dating. Those 10 years have gone by so fast. It occurred to me today that 10 years from this month Hannah will be graduating from high school. Life is going by way too fast.

And while we're talking about aging, Gustavus sent me a bookmark in the mail suggesting I remember Gustavus in my will.

Summertime fun (and a new haircut)

This morning Hannah decided that she wanted a new "summer" haircut. I may have led her to that decision because she won't ever let me pull her hair back and it's way to hot to wear it down all summer, but she had the final say on how it would be cut. She LOVES it and has been preening all day. It probably won't ever look like this again since she will never let me blow it out the way Maryanne did today but I think it will still be cute even when it air dries.

Here are some fun summer pics from our afternoon outside. Please don't notice the meadow length grass/weeds that constitute our yard. That is, in the few areas we actually have something green and not brown on the ground.

Hannah's new haircut:

Jake and his bubble blower:

Hannah with the bubbles.  Such a serious face:

Another serious face.  Who knew bubbles were such a serious business.

Showing off the hairdo:

Doesn't he look like he's plotting something and I caught him at it?  That's a big stick he's got there.

I love this picture.  Such a perfect summer picture (minus the dead grass and the high weeds):

My lilacs.  I have the blackest thumb ever but I've actually managed to keep these alive.  It took five years for them to bloom but ever since they did they've gotten better and better each year.

If you're wondering why our grass is as bad as it is, I will give you two reasons.  One, when we built the house we didn't have them truck in much top soil when we hydroseeded it and a lot of the soil is clay and sand so it doesn't grow well.  Two, we've never treated it with anything but we certainly should have.  Most of it is crab grass on the hill and the lower part is all moss.  And finally, all the dead grass and bare dirt at the top of the yard is courtesy of the wild turkeys that come traipsing through on a near-daily basis.  They peck at the ground digging up grubs, I believe.  I know they peck at the ground, I'm just not sure what they're looking for.  As for the high grass, that is a result of a lot of rain and no time to mow the lawn and then the one sunny weekend day Lincoln gets sick and I don't know how to run the mower.  As I told Lincoln, thank God we live at the end of a dead end road and no one ever sees out lawn.

Sick day

Lincoln is in bed sick today. This is big news because Lincoln is NEVER sick. And even when he is sick, he's usually not in bed. The last time he was sick was when we were in Greece. He powered through the first few days and then collapsed in bed and then powered through the last few days. This morning we took the kids to their hair cut and I could tell by looking at him that he felt horrible. Afterwards he came home and climbed right into bed. After sleeping a few hours (another thing he NEVER does during the day) he woke up with a fever of 101.7 degrees. He's definitely down for the count.

Little League Photo Time Again

Here is Hannah's official Little League photo for this year. Two consecutive years of good pictures. I love it.

We were trying for patriotic

We were going for patriotic attire today because she is in a Memorial Day program at school. They asked us to dress her in red, white, and blue. Personally I think she looks more like Alice in Wonderland. Either way, she is so darn adorable.

A proud day

I don't usually talk too specifically about my job here on the blog but there is a great article in today's Boston Globe that I think sums up my boss pretty well. He's a great guy. Very intelligent, very family-oriented, and his business savvy is beyond anything I've ever seen. There are a few factual errors in the article but over all I think it represents him pretty well. I am proud to work for him.

http://www.boston.com/ae/music/articles/2009/05/22/live_music_czar_law_returns_to_roots_of_his_success/?page=1

Like Father, Like Son

Lincoln taught Jake how to make pancakes this morning. Lincoln made the batter but Jake got

to pour his on the griddle and flipped it himself. You would have thought he had been told he had just inherited a candy store. He was SO excited and SO proud of himself. I love seeing my kids get that excited. I grabbed a picture with my Blackberry so it's not the best but it does show off his pancake. His was the small pancake. Lincoln made the big one.

And yes Mom, we're taking Jake for a haircut tomorrow morning.

Hannah's fashion statement

Me: Wow.  That's quite an outfit.

Hannah: Thanks.

Me: Nice...um.... pairing of patterns.

Hannah (preening proudly): Thank you.

Some days you just have to pick your battles.   It's my own fault for making the deal that I made on the first day of school.  I am, however, going to hold onto this picture FOREVER and use it to embarrass the heck out of her when she's older.

Cooking lessons

Hannah has always been a very picky eater. Up until she turned 5 we made her special meals at dinner time if she didn't like what we were having. After her 5th birthday the rule became that she had to eat what we were eating or she went to bed hungry. That lasted until she was 7 when she learned how to cook a few things by herself. Now if she doesn't like what we're having for dinner she can either go to bed hungry or fend for herself.

This morning Lincoln had to leave for work while both kids woke up which lead to the following conversation:

Jake: Where is Daddy?

Me: Daddy had to leave for work early this morning. He's already gone.

Jake (starting to cry): But now I won't get my cooking lessons!

(We call Daddy to say "good-bye" over the phone. Hannah wakes up and comes downstairs while we're talking so Lincoln talks with both kids before they hand the phone over to me.)

Me: What is this about cooking lessons?

Lincoln: Jake wants me to give him cooking lessons so that he can make his own dinners like Hannah does.

Me: Ah.

Lincoln: By the way, good luck with Weepy and Sleepy this morning.

I think he just called me lazy

Yesterday morning:

Me (trying to get out of bed earlier than usual): I hate getting out of bed.

Lincoln: Isn't that pretty much your life's philosophy?

Me: What does that mean?

Lincoln: Just that you're a relaxation connoisseur.

Me: Nice save.

This morning:

Me (again getting up earlier than usual): I just have to get through today and then I have a four day weekend. I took tomorrow off because of Hannah's school thing in the afternoon.

Lincoln: What will you do with yourself all morning?

Me: I scheduled a pedicure for 11 a.m.

Okay, point taken. He might be right.

Self censoring

Hannah has always been a really good kid and tries to follow the rules at all times. Tonight she was reading a Judy Blume book and wanted to read me a funny passage. I was looking over her shoulder as she read it and I absolutely had to start laughing.

Hannah: "Be quiet you little twig..."

Me: That's not what it says. It's okay. If you're quoting the book you can say it.

Hannah: Really? Okay. "Shut up you little twig."

No more babies for me

Which is more indicative of the fact that we don't desire having any more children? The fact that Lincoln had a vasectomy after Jake was born or the fact that I super glued my "mom's necklace" shut so that you can't add any more charms?

Kathryn, my co-worker, brought her 6-month old baby in today and damn is she cute, but I am so glad we're done with all of that.

And this guy wants to get back into a power position?

Jon Stewart: You're using socialism as an adjective?

Newt Gringrich: No, I'm using it as a descriptor.

I don't have the greatest grasp of grammar but isn't that pretty much what an adjective is?

It is time to move away from Massachusetts

Not only do they not sell beer and wine in the grocery stores but now they want to tax it! What is this world coming to? On top of everything else you also can't have alcohol shipped to you from out of state. I guess that's what I get for moving to a state founded by Puritans.

How to lose a job before you even start

I recently interviewed a kid for the Runner position and I really liked him.  I offered him the job and he came in to do his paperwork two weeks ago today.  I asked him to send me his availability for training as soon as possible since I needed him trained before May 14th and he said he would send it to me the next day (May 6th).  I finally heard back from him today (!!!) with the excuse of "sorry, I've been busy" and "perhaps we can work something out to get the whole thing moving." 

My response will be something along the lines of "thanks but are you fucking kidding me?"  

I'll just say it a little more professionally than that. 

A blast from the past

When I first moved to Massachusetts 10 years ago I worked for a company called Chase Thermographers. It was a sister company to Carlson Craft where I had worked during college typing wedding invitations and other social stationary. They hired me as a supervisor but I didn't know what department I would be working in until I arrived in June 1999. It turns out I was going to be a Production Supervisor and would be in charge of the Shipping and Cutting departments. I was 21 years old and a week before I started they fired the previous supervisor who had been there for 27 years. My Group Lead had been then longer than I had been alive. About a month after I started they brought back the previous shipping supervisor to work the press line as a regular employee. I had to see him every day. Awkward!

Working there was probably one of the most miserable years of my life but without it I would never have met Lincoln since one of my employees was the one who set us up. And I learned a lot about the "adult" world and how to supervise employees. I made a lot of mistakes but I also like to think that I learned from them and that they made me a better boss today.

Tonight I stopped down at the gas station in Upton. It's a full-serve gas station (there are no self-serve stations in Upton) and so I gave the attendant my credit card after he filled my tank. When he gave me back my card he asked me if "Snow" was my maiden name. I get this a lot in Upton since Lincoln and his brothers grew up here and I figured that is what it was about. I said "No" and he asked me what my maiden name was. When I told him "Lentz" he asked if I had ever worked at Chase.

It was a kid who had worked for me when he was like 14 or 15 years old!!! His mother was another one of the long term employees in the shipping department and he worked for me briefly when he was in high school. I couldn't believe that he remembered me! I certainly wouldn't have remembered him although I did know that his mother lived here in Upton. I mean not only am I 10 years older but also substantially heavier than I was in 1999.

We had a nice little chat and he told me about some of the people that had worked there during the same time period I had been there. The company closed down last year so I guess his mom is out of a job. It's sad because she was probably there for 25-30 years and now she is looking for a job and has absolutely no computer experience. For 25+ years she packed shipping boxes on an assembly line that probably was never updated with modern technology. It was certainly behind the times when I was there 10 years ago.

I was telling Lincoln the story of seeing this kid and was marveling at how he ever recognized me.

Lincoln: You never forget someone who used to boss you around. I'm sure he could tell it was you by your imperious tone when you told him to fill up your tank.

Me: Hardy har har.

This weekend is booking up fast

This morning Lincoln and I were talking about how nice it was that we had no real plans for this weekend.  We plan on getting the pool open and doing some yard work but nothing much else other than Little League.  Hannah has games both days.  And then of course I just filled up the rest of Saturday with hair appointments for myself, Hannah, and Jake.  Add in karate and our Saturday is pretty much gone.  Thank God it is a long weekend because Saturday just disappeared.

A fairly quiet weekend

Despite my worries going into this weekend that it would be a little crazy, it has turned out to be a fairly nice one. Hannah had a 1/2 day of school on Friday and a birthday party in the afternoon. Saturday she had another birthday party and a little league game plus we went to the town carnival. Today was supposed to be another little league game and more time at the carnival (hard to avoid when the carnival is set up at the little league fields). Luckily Hannah's game was cancelled due to rain today and therefore we've spent the entire day at home. It has been months since we've had nothing to do on a weekend so it felt great.

Since it was such a quiet day I got the pleasure of taking a nap with Jake. When Hannah was little we often took naps together, especially when I was pregnant with Jake and wanted to sleep all the time. She always wanted me to curl up with her but Jake never does. He's not a snuggler. It's a rare, rare treat for me to get to watch him sleep and I enjoyed doing it today. I didn't actually fall asleep today. I just read my book with many long breaks to look over and marvel at what a big boy he has become. He is growing up way too fast.

Here is a classic picture from years ago (four to be exact). This just goes to show how much Hannah loved to nap with me and how much Lincoln spoils the two of us. It was a nice day out and we decided we wanted to nap outside so Lincoln blew up the air mattress for us on the deck.

FINALLY! Pictures from our trip to see Mom and Dad in Feb/Mar

It only took 2 1/2 months but here are some pictures from our trip out to see Mom and Dad back at the end of February. We flew in and out of Las Vegas and stayed at Mom and Dad's rental place in Needles, CA for a few nights. The last two days we spent in Las Vegas staying in "old Vegas" at the Golden Nugget hotel. Since Mom and Mark take so many pictures I didn't take any on my own camera. When I was out in Seattle a few weeks ago I had Mark load up all of his pictures onto a flash drive for me. Below are a few of my favorites.  The green tags that Hannah and Jake are wearing, if you're wondering, are ID tags that I made up for them that they have to wear when we travel.  On them it lists our home and cell phone numbers as well as phone numbers for Mom and Dad and Lincoln's parents.  It also includes any medical conditions or allergies for each kid.  I make them wear them whenever we're out in large, public areas in case we get separated from each other.

Feeding the donkeys in Oatman, AZ:

Hannah and Jake with Grandpa and Grandma Lentz in Oatman, AZ:

Lincoln, Hannah, and Jake feeding the donkeys in Oatman, AZ:

The shark tank in the middle of the pool at the Golden Nugget hotel.  Note the tube going through the middle of the tank.  That's the waterslide.

Hannah having fun with Uncle Mark's underwater camera:

More fun with Uncle Mark's underwater camera:

I could resist including this picture.  The look on Dad's face is priceless.  I'm guessing Jake must have just been splashing him the face while he motored his little floaty around.

The scuba divers in the fish tank.  They really freaked Jake out even more than the sharks.  He didn't mind the sharks at all.

Jake giving "two thumbs up" for his McDonald's lunch.  McDonald's is a pretty big treat around here since we don't take them out for fast food very often.

Hannah and Mommy out on Fremont Street for the light show:

And last but not least, a little video of the kids feeding the donkeys in Oatman, AZ.  Jake's  telling them "No, you can't have anymore!" is the best.

Now THIS is what I'm talking about

Almost a year ago I wrote a blog posting about season finales.  I am a TV addict and I can take things very personally when things don't happen the way I want them to.  Tonight a show restored my faith in (televised) humanity.  I just watched the Grey's Anatomy season finale and it rocked!  It had EVERYTHING a season finale should have.  It had great writing and a fantastic ending that left me begging for another episode.  Talk about a cliffhanger.  

It is very rare in this day and age that anything can be kept a secret when it comes to anything.  Between the internet and spoilers and random speculation you can pretty much know what is going to happen on your favorite show unless you live in a bubble.  For all of those reasons I really thought I knew what was going to happen on tonight's episode but it totally took me by surprise.  It was even a show I had to go back and watch again because it was so well written, so dramatic, and so heart-wrenching that it blew me out of the water.  

Because of those same internet spoilers and speculation over the actors' contracts the results come September probably won't surprise me all that much but it doesn't take away one little bit from the fantastic writing (and acting) on behalf of the Grey's Anatomy team.  Way to go!

I know I take these things overly seriously but this is an under appreciated art form and tonight it really moved me.  This more than made up for a lousy finale season last year.

Laffy Taffy needs to update their jokes

Hannah (reading from the back of her Laffy Taffy): Hey Mommy, what do rabbits and televisions have in common?

Me: They both have ears.

Hannah: I don't get it.

I'm learning to say no

Tonight was the last general PTO meeting of the year.  I just got home from the meeting and had the following conversation with Lincoln.

Me: So next year I'm doing the website, chairing Family Fun Night, the yearbook, and co-chairing the school float for Upton's 275th Anniversary Parade.  See!  I'm learning how to say no.

Lincoln: What exactly did you say no to?

Me: I'm not on the board next year!

A travel tour of our newly finished bedroom

Back during my holiday break Lincoln and I started re-decorating our bedroom. I had a lot of stuff from our travels over the years and I wanted to use all of it to decorate our room. Most of it had been sitting in storage for years because I never got around to finding a home for all the pieces. This still isn't everything but we've made tremendous progress. We got the furniture moved around back in December but I knew the decorating would have to wait until Mom came. Mom and Dad have now come and gone and here are the results.

This is my favorite corner so I'll start here. The round pillow on the bench was bought at the Grand Bazaar in Turkey. The bookends and the King/Queen/Eternity plaques were bought at an adorable little shop in Boston. The blue pitcher is from Greece. The wooden figurine with three heads was brought back from Mozambique by a colleague of mine. On the other shelf is a little country western style mail holder from Moab, Utah and the wire flowers in the vase are from our first date. Lincoln, my beloved "phone guy", brought me flowers made out of telephone wire. Obviously a better choice than real flowers since I still have them 10 years later. The glass flowers in the little bowl and the orange palm tree, both on top of the dresser, are from a glass blower in Venezuela where we went on our honeymoon. The little green box is something I won in a raffle drawing in Decorah when I was in elementary school. The lamp has no significance other than it matches our decor. 

This corner is my "reading" corner with my old hand me down lazy chair from Mom and Dad.  The pillow in the chair is a Quillow that my sister Debbie made us for Christmas.  The thing hanging in the corner has no real significance other than it matches our decor. The figurine on the corner shelf was purchased in Corinth, Greece. The green candle on the other shelf was purchased in Decorah. The parent/child figurine was a gift when I was pregnant with Hannah. The fabric hanging under the shelf is Irish lace that we purchased on our trip to Ireland in January 2004.

These are all pictures that I took in Greece on our trip in March 2008.

The plate on the left is from our trip to Greece and was purchased in Athens. The stuff above the TV is from my friend Nikki who lived in Australia for 5 months. The red fabric below the TV is a table cloth from Singapore that I purchased when I was over there on business while pregnant with Hannah. The small framed photo beneath the plate is from Lincoln's first Father's Day when Hannah and I took him to Washington DC.

As you can see, there are a bunch of little things tucked along the floor and leaning against the walls that still need to be put away. Like I said, we haven't found homes for everything yet but we may end up having to move out into the hallway outside of our room eventually.

The bathroom should be finished soon too. We've been working on that for so long I don't even know what to think anymore. Lincoln was working on prepping the tiles for mounting last night and that is really the last piece for the bathroom. I'll hopefully be posting pictures of that soon as well.

What happens when Daddy dresses Hannah

Way to go Hannah!

Hannah had her first little league game tonight. She was up to bat three times. The first time she got tagged out at first base and the other two times she got a base hit with bases loaded. She got two RBIs and eventually making it to 2nd base each time before the end of the inning. Considering she was the only girl on either team she definitely proved that she can hang with the boys.

A Presidential place to rest my head

This morning I've been emailing back and forth with the hotel where we're staying when we're back in Decorah this summer.  I had called them about my confirmation and realized that they had us down for a different room then I had originally requested.  After getting everything straightened out we're now in the room I thought I had reserved back in February.  When the GM wrote me back she told me they now call that the "Obama Suite" since that is the room he stayed at when he was in Decorah.  

I wonder if he ate at Mabe's too?  Georgie would probably know the answer to that one.  Rachel, you'll have to look into that and let me know.

DVD Extras

Last night Jake and Hannah put on a little dance show for Mom, Lincoln, and I while Dad was out running an errand.  It is not unusual for the kids to tell us when show time is and we have to be in our seats ready for it to begin.  This time we got a special treat afterwards.  After they finished their dance we were shown the "behind the scenes" thought process on how they developed their dance.  It was just like a live version of DVD extras.  Very entertaining.

The girls' day in NYC

On Saturday morning Mom, Hannah, and I got up at 5 a.m. to catch a 7:00 a.m. flight down to NYC. Mom and Dad (and my sister and her husband too) have the tendency to prefer getting to the airport a good two hours before a flight. I like to time it so that once I get through security I can walk up to the gate just as it is boarding. For this trip we flew "Diane style" and since we just had one backpack and checked in the night before we just breezed through security and right to the gate as our flight was boarding.

The flight going down was a little bumpy but even though we departed Boston a little late we still got into NYC on time. We decided to fly down because JetBlue had a great fare and it was faster than the train and didn't involve me driving in Manhattan. I actually don't mind driving in Manhattan but it would have caused Mom to have a heart attack so flying was definitely the way to go.

Once we arrived at JFK Airport we took the AirTrain and then subway into the city. Just a little side note about the new JetBlue terminal at JFK: greatest gate area ever!!! This is an airport where I would actually start showing up early for my flights. There are little rows of computers everywhere and they're not what you'd think they are. They obviously have Internet access because a lot of people had their laptops set up in front of the computer screens but the computers themselves were for ordering food and drinks. You could sit at the table by your gate and using the touch screen you could order food (paninis, sandwiches, etc.) and drinks (including alcohol). The order is submitted electronically and then someone delivers your meal and beverages to you at your gate. Is that not ingenious? I love it. Too bad we were flying "Diane style" and never had time to try it out.

Back to our day in the city....

We took the subway into Manhattan and got off at Central Park.  Mom had never been to NYC before so she and Hannah both decided to participate in a photo scavenger hunt that I had put together for Hannah. I did this a previous time with Hannah and it was a lot of fun. She received a new camera for Christmas last year so I gave her (and Mom) a list of 10 things to find in NYC. They had to take a picture of each item and if they managed to get one of us in the picture as well they got bonus points. It was hilarious to watch each of them chasing after pigeons in Central Park in order to cross that off their lists. Talk about looking like country bumpkin tourists!

Hannah and her scavenger hunt list:

Mom and Hannah in the hansom cab:

After a hansom cab right through Central Park we headed over to FAO Schwartz and Hannah danced on the big floor piano that was made famous in the movie Big.

Mom wanted to do a little shopping but I moved them right along since I knew that anything we bought we'd have to carry with us all day long. 

Hannah dancing on the FAO Schwartz piano:

When we left FAO Schwartz we headed up 5th Avenue and stopped inside Trump Tower to use the restrooms. If you're ever in that area of NYC there are very nice public bathrooms on the lower level.

We kept walking up 5th Avenue until we arrived at Rockefeller Center and quickly took in the area and NBC studios. We kept walking towards Times Square and ate at John's Pizzeria for lunch. This is a great restaurant that my friend Chad introduced me to and it's a very popular place. It's a large restaurant and when we arrived, 15 minutes before it opened, there was already a line of people waiting for a table. By the time we had finished eating the entire restaurant was full.

Hannah in front of the flowers at  Rockefeller Center:

After lunch we headed into Times Square and Hannah wanted to show Grandma the Ferris wheel inside the Toys R Us. We took a ride on the Ferris Wheel and unfortunately got a birds eye view of every floor. That of course drew us in to do some serious shopping and we did a "build your own robot" activity. Hannah made a robot for herself and then we made one for Jake. This of course broke our "don't buy anything because whatever we buy we have to carry" rule and Mom spent the rest of the day having to carry around a large, awkward Toys R Us bag. I had the backpack all day which was way heavier than we had anticipated since we were afraid it would rain and we all had jackets packed into one bag along with everything else.

Mom and Hannah on the Ferris wheel inside the Times Square Toys R Us:

Hannah assembling her robot:

When we left Toys R Us we headed over to the M&M store in Times Square which is multiple floors of every single kind of M&M imaginable and the M&M logo branded on merchandise of every sort ranging from pajamas and underwear to sports equipment and drumsticks.  They also have a little machine that tells you what your M&M color is.  As you can see in the video, Hannah is "Cream" which means she has "a creative streak which can be useful in solving problems." That's about right for her.  Who knew M&Ms were so intuitive?  

After we left the M&M store we hopped in a taxi and went to the Empire State Building.  We bought a package which included something called the NY Skyline.  It's a 20 minute presentation where you're strapped into a seat and during the movie it bounces around and shakes you up so that you feel like you're on a helicopter tour of NYC.  After that we headed for the 86th Floor Observation Deck.  It had been cloudy all day long but most of the cloud cover was now above the buildings (it hadn't been that way earlier in the day) so we still got a nice view of NYC.  We could even see all the way down to the Statue of Liberty although  it was too cloudy to get a good picture of her.  It was still a spectacular view.

Mom and Hannah at the top of the Empire State Building:

Once we went around the entire observatory level we headed back down and hopped on the subway to head down to Ground Zero. After Ground Zero we hopped back on the subway and headed to the airport.

Ground Zero:

It was a LONG day with a lot of walking but Hannah was a trooper. She kept up with both adults and never once complained about all the walking that we were doing. We landed in Boston at about 8:30 p.m. and headed home. Luckily the rain in NYC had held off all day but unfortunately we ended up driving home from Logan Airport in a torrential downpour. Jake had taken a nap with Grandpa earlier in the day so he was allowed to stay up until we got home. We presented him with the robot we had made for him so he was really excited. Hannah had zonked out in the car on the way home so Lincoln carried her upstairs and put her to bed.

And so ended our day in NYC.

NYC Trip

I promise to post the details of our NYC trip last Saturday as soon as the blisters on my feet heel and my shoulders have recovered from carrying our backpack all day.

What a trip!

Home Decor and the Three Stooges

Yesterday Lincoln and Dad installed a new ceiling fan in our bedroom. Today Mom, Dad, Lincoln, and I worked on hanging all of our new shelves and pictures in the bedroom to reflect all of our many travels. Four people agreeing on where to hang put everything is quite the experience.

Lincoln: Yesterday we were short one Stooge and today we have one Stooge too many.

Where everybody knows your name

This afternoon I called down to the local bar to see if the upstairs restaurant was open this evening.  The restaurant is only open on Thursday and Friday nights but is subject to close at the owner's whim so I just wanted to call down and double check before we headed down with the entire family.

Me: Hey there.  Is the restaurant upstairs open tonight?

Bartender: Yep.  Is this Diane?

Jury Duty

On Tuesday I received a Jury Summons.  I actually don't mind getting those.  I've only been called once before but I didn't sit on a trial.  I was kind of bummed.  I thought it might be fun. Unfortunately this latest one came for the day before we leave for Iowa in July.  We have a one day/one trial system here in Massachusetts so the trial could obviously last longer than that one day.  Luckily I was able to postpone it until August.  Nothing like spending a hot summer day sitting in the Jury pool waiting to be called or sent home.

Our big day in the Big Apple

Tomorrow morning Mom, Hannah, and I are flying down to NYC for the day.  Hannah absolutely loves New York City (as do I) and my Mom has never been.  We're very excited to show her the city.  We have no definite plans yet but we'll probably check out Battery Park (and look out at the Statue of Liberty), Ground Zero, Times Square, Central Park, and the Empire State Building.  The basics.  The boys (Lincoln, Jake, and Dad) will be left to their own devices tomorrow.  

Isn't it nice of us to leave them all alone for the entire day right before Mother's Day?  Think of all the planning and preparing they can do for our surprises.

Right?

This explains a lot

Grandma Dena: I hit my crazy bone last night.

Me (to Hannah): Grandma has a crazy bone!  I hope it's not hereditary.

Grandma Dena: It is.  And it doesn't skip a generation.

This sounds a little invasive

I just received a letter from our elevator maintenance company which stated the following: The State of Massachusetts Department of Pubic Safety does inspect hoistways as part of their annual inspections, so we recommend that you do it beforehand.

What an unfortunate typo.

Who says TV is bad for kids?

Jake: If you leave water out of the fridge for a long, long time it turns into gas.

Me: You're right. It's called evaporation.

Jake: And if you take out an ice cube it becomes water.

Me: You're right. Did you learn that from Sid the Science Kid?

Jake: Yep, it's called a reversible change.

Sid the Science Kid is a show on PBS that Jake is obsessed with these days. I have to say, I like what it teachs him. Lately he has been spewing all sorts of scientific facts. For someone who wasn't a big science fan growing up that makes me very happy.

Pros and Cons of having children

Jake: Does everyone have kids?

Me: No. Not everyone.

Jake: Who doesn't have kids?

Me: Aunt Debbie and Uncle Mark don't have any kids.

Jake: Why?

Me: Because they like having money.

Cut to Hannah whistling and dramatically avoiding eye contact

Jake: Why do you have kids?

Me: So that you'll take care of me in my old age.

The cone of silence can now be lifted

Since January my sister Debbie and I have been working on a project that I haven't been able to blog about.  I can now finally talk about all the details since it was a surprise for our parent's 40th wedding anniversary.

Debbie and I decided that instead of taking Mom and Dad on a trip for their anniversary or throwing a big party for them, we would do a Life on Record for them instead.  All of Mom and Dad's friends and family were given a dial-in number where they could call in and leave a message for Mom and Dad wishing them a happy 40th anniversary.  They could also tell stories, do a toast, talk about favorite memories, etc.  After all the recordings were collected they were burned onto a CD for them to listen to.  (Side note: a great big THANK YOU goes out to everyone who participated in the CD.)

Over the years Mom and Dad have lived in Minnesota, Iowa, Washington, Arkansas, and Wisconsin.  Combined they also have a large family that is spread from coast to coast.  Add in all the military contacts of Dad's that have also moved on to different states and you end up with a lot of loved ones that wouldn't be able to wish Mom and Dad a happy anniversary in person.  A gift like this was a perfect idea for them.

The end result was a two-disc set with 76 tracks on it.  I believe it was approximately an hour and a half total and included people from 15 different states.  Mom and Dad LOVED it.  We didn't give them the track listings until after they listened to it so they had no idea who was on the CD and every new track was sort of like "name that tune" to figure out who was talking.  It was great fun to listen to the CD.  There were also a number of "blasts from the past" on there that really surprised them.

But the surprises didn't stop there.  Debbie had also arranged to take Mom, Dad, and Grandma B out to a fancy brunch on their anniversary as a joint anniversary/mother's day event since Mom and Dad will actually be out here in Boston for Mother's Day.   What Mom and Dad didn't know was that I flew in from Boston to join them and we also rented a limo.  Despite a little snafu where the limo driver went to pick up Mom, Dad, and Grandma before picking up Deb, Mark, and I, it all worked out well.  Mom and Dad were VERY surprised when the limo showed up at their door and were also very surprised when I walked out of Debbie's house to go to brunch with them.  It really threw them off because the day before I had been posting about the Derby party at the Walker's as though I was there.  I really did talk to Jake about the horses in the morning.  It was just over the phone instead of in person.  Lincoln sent me the picture from his cell phone so I just posted it on the blog as though I had taken the picture.  If you go back and read all of my posts about the Derby I never actually said that I was attending the party.  Just that I've gone every year and that I was betting on certain horses.  I never actually lied about anything....just implied certain things.  I'm pretty tricky that way.  

Anyway...back to Mom and Dad's anniversary.

Mom and Dad were very excited about the limo.  I didn't realize that Mom and Dad had never ridden in a limo before (not even at their wedding) so that was a great treat.  Deb, Mark, and I had gone to the store the day before and gotten champagne and orange juice so we had mimosas in the limo as we drove to West Seattle for brunch.  It was a nice sunny day and the drive takes about 30-40 minutes so it was great to visit and have some champagne.  After a very nice brunch at Salty's (more food than any person should ever have the opportunity to gorge themselves on in one sitting) we headed back to the house.  Debbie and Mark had to go home and let Cooper out but I went to Mom and Dad's house to listen to the CD with them.  Deb, Mark, and Cooper came over a little while later.  I had heard every recording as they had come in but it was great listening to it with Mom and Dad and watching them light up with every new voice that played.  As soon as they identified a person they could often guess what story would be told.  You could tell just by watching them that they were loving every moment.  Of course Dad rolled his eyes every time someone commented on how wonderful his daughters are but that's just Dad's way of saying "I love you".

In the end it was a GREAT anniversary celebration for Mom and Dad who really hadn't had any plans other than the brunch.  I think it meant a lot to them that we turned it into such a big deal.

As for me, I was a little exhausted yesterday but I'm feeling much better today.  I flew out to Seattle on a 9 p.m. flight Friday evening and took the red-eye back on Sunday night.  I arrived in Boston at 7:40 a.m. yesterday morning and went straight to the office.  I actually made it until 5:30 p.m. before heading home so I only cut out 30 minutes early (with my boss's permission).  

I did, however, give away my secret over brunch about how you can tell when I'm working on something secretive by watching when my blog postings drop (or become utterly mundane).  It happened with Tracy's surprise for her 40th birthday and again with Mom and Dad's 40th anniversary.  When my life becomes consumed with secretive things I can't write about I start to struggle for "material". Debbie's 40th birthday is next March so if the blog goes on hiatus you'll know I'm up to something.

Terrible flashback

Today when I went into the oral surgeon's office to have my stitches taken out I was taken into a different exam room than the one where I had my preliminary visit and my surgery.  Sitting in the corner of the room was a large TV with a DVD/VCR.  This immediately triggered a terrible flashback for me.

In January 2001, when I was eight weeks pregnant with Hannah, I had to have my appendix removed.  While in Singapore on business I had appendicitis and checked into the hospital. When I woke up from surgery there were four color photos and a VHS tape on the bedside table. Apparently they were little mementos from my surgery, courtesy of my doctor (who had a minor God complex which I later discovered).  The four pictures were of my insides during the laparoscopic surgery.

I checked out of the hospital on Friday morning and had to go to the doctor's office on Saturday to have my incisions checked before I flew home on Sunday.  I actually don't think they were stitches.....I'm pretty sure they were "glued" shut.  Anyway, I don't remember because all I can remember from that appointment was the fact that the doctor made Lincoln and me (Lincoln flew over to Singapore when he found out I was going to have surgery) sit down and watch the video with him.  Yes, we were forced to watch the video of him cutting out my appendix while listening to him talk about what a brilliant man he was and how had he slipped even a little bit he would have punctured my slowly growing uterus.  He even made sure to point out my uterus and how close the scope passed by.

Needless to say, seeing that TV and VCR today gave me the chills.