Saturday, October 31, 2009
20th Century Swine Flu
Halloween Aftermath
Happy Halloween
Thursday, October 29, 2009
All the buildings and monuments in Washington, DC are tilted
When we got on the road we turned right at the end of our street instead of left towards Grandma and Grandpa's but the kids didn't say anything for about a half mile or so when Jake finally said "Why are you taking this road? Where are we going?"
I had the pictures from our bedroom - the ones that Jake always complain about excluding him - and so I handed those to the kids and told them that we were going back to those places to take pictures with Jake in them. Hannah knew it was Washington, DC right away and was very excited but Jake was initially very upset that he would be missing Dinosaur Train on PBS which he watches at Grandma and Grandpa's each morning. Once we explained to him that he was going to get to see real dinosaur bones at the Museum of Natural History he came around a little bit and then when I told them we were flying his favorite airline both kids perked up and cried out "JetBlue!" I swear, our family could be a living, breathing ad for JetBlue. It's ridiculous how much we love that airline.
We made excellent time to the airport and despite the pouring rain in Boston our flight took off on time. It was a pretty bumpy ride going down because of all the rain and unsettled air on the Eastern sea board but the flight is only about an hour and twenty minutes so it wasn't too bad. Unfortunately we didn't get enough food into Jake's stomach so he did throw up on the plane but we're so used to it now that we were fully prepared. I packed this special little hard plastic bucket that we refer to, in such a clever way, as the "puke bucket" and he just threw up into that and then I rinsed it out with a bottle of water in the airplane bathroom.
After arriving at the airport we headed over to pick up our rental car and then we were on our way. The weather report originally said it would be rainy on and off in the morning and then cloudy in the afternoon. That's not exactly how the day ended up going. When we arrived in DC the sun was starting to come through the clouds and the day ended up being much warmer than anticipated. After our first few stops we ended up buying the kids some cheap T-shirts from a street vendor because it was pretty hot out.
On our way into the city we called Grandma Dena to let her know where we were and she told us to say "hi" to President Obama if we ran into him. Well we didn't run into him in such a manner that we could talk to him but we did run into his motorcade so Hannah was able to wave to him. We parked our car at the parking garage and walked a few blocks to buy tickets for the Old Town Trolley before heading another couple of blocks down to visit the Museum of Natural History and see the dinosaur exhibit. While stopped at one street corner trying to orient myself with the map we missed a light cycle at the crosswalk so we happened to be standing there when a motorcade came by. It was led by a few motorcycle cops then the limos with the presidential crest, a few Secret Service cars, then what I can only assume is a press vehicle (there was a man standing up through the sun roof with a camera), and then an ambulance and a few other police cars. The video of it is below. It's a little hard to see because his motorcade books it through the streets of Washington DC. It went by really fast. Who knows where he was headed but he may or may not have been headed towards Andrews Air Force base. When we came out of the museum a huge plane flew pretty near the White House and I can't imagine any other plane allowed in the air space. We saw a lot of planes taking off over the city but that is the one that came the closest to the White House. Of course that is pure speculation and what do I know.
Our first stop was the Museum of Natural History's dinosaur exhibit. I really wish that I had the video camera out the second we walked into the exhibit because I have never seen Jake light up the way he did yesterday. He is absolutely obsessed with dinosaurs right now and knows all of them by name. Jake walked into the exhibit, stopped in his tracks and started pointing at all the dinosaur skeletons and rapidly calling out all their names. It was so precious. Unfortunately my son, unlike my daughter, freezes up once I whip out the video camera out so in the video below he's sort of shy and she's pointing things out but it is still a pretty cute video. It's nothing like how he was when he first walked in but I have to say that sometimes when I'm catching something on video I feel like I miss out on it in real life so even though I'm disappointed I didn't get the video I'm so happy I got to watch his excitement firsthand.
It was hard to get a picture of Jake in the exhibit because he was running around so much I couldn't get him to hold still long enough.
I absolutely love his pose and facial expression in this picture.
After we finished with the dinosaur exhibit at the Museum of Natural History we hopped on the Old Town Trolley. We bought passes before going to the museum and our plan was to use that as transportation around the city throughout the day. It was some of the best - and only - money we spent all day thanks to the fact that most museums and all the monuments in DC are free.
After our trip to the front of the White House we stopped at a street vendor to grab some hot dogs and another one to purchase shirts for the kids. Not to get too "anti-immigration" on you all - I realize my family came from overseas too - but the lady selling the t-shirts was incredibly annoying. I was the only tourist around stopping anywhere near her stall to buy her shirts and she kept giving me attitude in her heavy foreign accent about having to take out different shirts and different sizes for me to look at. "This just makes me have more work to do" is what she said to me multiple times. Oh I'm sorry. I can see how busy you are sitting on your ass doing nothing while no one shops at your crappy little stand but you're welcome for our open immigration policies and free enterprise which allows you to live out your dream of suckering tourists out of their hard earned money with your crappy product.
But I digress....
Jake really wanted to be the one to lead us around with the map so we grabbed him one from the trolley. He carried that thing around with him all day and checked it every few minutes. Whenever we'd stop for a few minutes he'd whip it out and Hannah would help him figure out where we were. The map had drawings of the different monuments on it so he was pretty good about finding where we were - even without Hannah's help - and pointing it out on the map. I absolutely love these pictures because when I took a picture standing in front of them you can see the Washington Monument in the background and when I stood behind them you could see the Capitol. Too cute.
After we took our family photo we headed back towards the trolley stop but it had been awhile since we had taken a bathroom break and we needed to find one before getting back on the trolley for the ride over to the other end of the Mall and the Lincoln Memorial. The trolley only comes every 30 minutes so we had to get back in time to make sure we didn't miss the trolley but after our lunch and bottles of water we had to find a public restroom. The Botanical Gardens has free admission and so we zipped in there quickly to use the restroom. You had to walk to the far side of the garden to get to the restrooms so I have to say, it was the prettiest bathroom break we have ever taken.
While we were waiting for the trolley I grabbed a few more shots of the kids and this one I think looks like a postcard for Washington, DC in the autumn. Isn't she adorable?
The trip from the Capitol to the Lincoln Memorial was the longest period of time that we were on the trolley. Even though the kids probably didn't understand half of what the tour guide was talking about they were very attentive and enjoyed looking at the buildings. We passed by the Roosevelt and Jefferson Memorials and had a great view of the Washington Monument across the Tidal Basin before arriving at the Lincoln Memorial.As our day was wrapping up, and we were headed towards the Washington Monument, some dark clouds started to roll in over the city. To our left (towards the White House) it was getting pretty dark but to our right it was still incredibly sunny. Since I hadn't had much luck in getting a good picture of the kids in front of the White House I decided to try again for a shot with it in the background. It's an interesting picture because it's so dark over the White House but you can see how bright the sun still was on the kids' faces. And once again I managed to make an iconic building appear crooked. Seriously, what kind of cold medicine was I taking? And actually, at this point of the trip it was wearing off.
As we were pulling out of the airport at about 10:15 p.m. after a long day of traveling Lincoln and I were thanking the kids for the wonderful job they did and how they were such wonderful travelers and that we were so proud of them. In an absolutely classic moment characterizing our crazy family travels Hannah merely sighed as she fell asleep in the car and said:
Righting Wrongs (or what Jake thinks is wrong)
Mission accomplished:
June 2002:
October 2009:
Reason 2,543 why my son is a big wuss
Oy vey.
Whoever took it needs to give it back
Lincoln: She lost it.
Jake: She lost it??? Who took it?
Washington, DC
Making it that much easier of a trip to sell to my husband (which usually isn't very hard anyway) I justified it by using the photos that we have in our bedroom of a trip we took to DC when Hannah was 10 months old. There are three pictures in our bedroom of us in front of the White House and the Capitol and Jake gets very upset because 1) he thinks that is him in the picture and when we explain it is Hannah he doesn't believe us because "That's me! That's a baby! That's me!" and 2) once we finally convince him that Hannah was in fact a baby at one point he then asks "Where am I?" and gets very upset when we say he wasn't born yet. It's pretty comical but he does get very concerned. So I suggested we take the kids there and take pictures of us in front of the same places so that Jake could be included this time.
I'll save the rest of the details for later. There is a lot to tell since we crammed so much into our busy day but here is one photo to get you started.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Blah
Tomorrow is a big day...we have a big surprise for the kids that I think they'll really like. Just a little hint...it involves travel, my inability to stay home more than a few months, my belief that you don't have to get a hotel room when you travel if you're back within 24 hours, and a series of photos that make Jake very upset when he sees them.
Mull that over for awhile and I'll let you know tomorrow what the secret day is that we have planned for the kids.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Whoudda thunk it?
This March it will be 8 years since we build our house and moved into it. Eight years since we poured the foundation for our garage but never built anything. Eight years of hoping the kids don't impale themselves on a rusty bolt sticking out of the garage foundation when they can't resist walking along the little wall. It is rather tempting for a child after all - a low wall that is just their size.
But now....now that is all going to change. It looks like with a generous gift from Lincoln's parents we'll finally get a chance to build our garage. It has always been our intention to build a room above the garage but what that room would be has always been somewhat up for debate. Do you make it guest quarters? A playroom for the kids? A warehouse/workshop for Lincoln's business? What to do, what to do.
When we found out we'd be able to build the garage next spring Lincoln and I were very excited and immediately started making plans. I would love to do it as guest quarters so that my family can come and stay with us for longer periods of time but it also didn't seem terribly practical since it would stand empty a lot of the time. And by "guest quarters" I meant a huge room with a bed in it and a bathroom in the corner since you'd have to go outside to get into the main house. That's all I was hoping for. I talked with Mom and she seemed excited about the idea but she and Dad also thought maybe it would be more practical for us to plan something for that space that would be used on a more consistent basis. It made sense to me, and even Lincoln admitted the idea had some merit, but Lincoln really wants to put an apartment up there. An apartment....not guest quarters....but an apartment with a kitchen and a living room and everything. Who am I to argue with that when it means Mom and Dad can come out here and spend more and more time with the kids?
Oh wait...that would be me. Yep, it's all coming back to me now. The second big fight Lincoln and I ever had with each other. Click the link to read the back story on this but I just want to put it out there that I AM WILLINGLY CONCEDING THE ARGUMENT TO LINCOLN.
Of course when the children want to move back home after college I reserve the right to change my mind again.
Saturday, October 24, 2009
It's not lazy if it's educational for the kids
Friday, October 23, 2009
Making an impression
What cracks me up though is that parents who I know only through brief interactions at PTO meetings or school drop-offs come up to me and tell me how much they like Hannah's hair - even when she isn't with me! Today I dropped Hannah off at school and as I was walking out I ran into a mother that I haven't talked to since Hannah and her son were in kindergarten together and she stopped me to say "I really love Hannah's haircut."
On one hand I feel like such a fraud because it wasn't like I was smart enough - or fashionable enough - to come up with that style on my own and on the other hand I'm just so incredibly proud of how adorable Hannah is with that haircut.
Hannah's Vest
Thursday, October 22, 2009
The party grows bigger
Good for him for calling Cheney on his bullshit
(CNN) - White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs fired back Thursday at the latest criticisms from Dick Cheney, and suggested the Bush administration did not send U.S. troops into foreign conflicts responsibly.
"What Vice President Cheney calls 'dithering,' President Obama calls his solemn responsibility to the men and women in uniform and to the American public," Gibbs said. "I think we've all seen what happens when someone doesn't take that responsibility seriously."
Gibbs' comments come a day after the former vice president issued a blistering a wide-ranging critique of the Obama administration's foreign policy, saying Obama appears "afraid to make a decision" when it comes to troop levels in Afghanistan, and the president's indecision is "hurt[ing] our allies and emboldening our adversaries."
In his comments Thursday, Gibbs said the delay over a troop decision in Afghanistan is largely due to the fact the Bush administration did not adequately assess the conditions in the country ahead of sending troops there.
"I think it is a curious comment," Gibbs also said, "I think it is pretty safe to say that the vice president was for seven years not focused on Afghanistan. Even more curious given the fact that an increase in troops sat on desks in this White House including the vice president's for more than eight months - a resource request filled by President Obama in March."
"I find it interesting that he's blaming us for something that he didn't see fit to do over, best I can tell, seven years of a war in Afghanistan," he added.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
It's like they made it just for him
Me: Why did you kick your sister in the head?
Jake: Because I wanted to walk in a straight line and she wouldn't move.
If you can read this you are in my way. (Seriously, I'm gonna to need you to move over a little.)
Invasion of the pumpkin bugs
Starting to gather:
Hannah's Note
Just like Grandpa Dan
Hannah: You look just like Grandpa Dan.
Jake: (slapping his hand to the top of his head) But with more hair!
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
The entire insurance industry is certifiably insane. Is that considered a pre-existing condition?
Insurance Company Rep: In the past 5 years have you ever been admitted to the hospital overnight?
Me: Yes, when I had my son.
ICR: And what symptoms prompted you to go to the hospital?
Me: Um, I was in labor? (Not technically true since I was induced but my other choice was to say "Well, he wasn't going to stay in there forever" but I thought that might be too smart-ass of a comment.)
ICR: And how was the situation remedied?
Me: I gave birth.
ICR: And what was the result of your treatment?
Me: A baby boy.
(Later I just couldn't hold back the wise-cracking. Luckily the guy taking the survey had a pretty good sense of humor.)
ICR: Have you ever been on short or long term disability?
Me: Yes, I was on short-term disability when I had my son. That's how my company does maternity leave.
ICR: And how were you disabled?
Me: Apparently by having a child.
ICR: And are you still disabled?
Me: Technically? No.
ICR: How was your disability remedied?
Me: Well, I still have the kid. I'm just not getting paid for it anymore.
Halloween - NOT my favorite holiday
- I bore easily. I keep a magazine on the front seat of my car for long stoplights. Walking from house to house to hear the same "Trick or Treat", "Thank you" over and over and over again just doesn't do it for me. And it's hard for me to read in the dark much less while walking so that's not an option.
- I'm lazy and walking from house to house doesn't do it for me. Driving from driveway to driveway makes you look like an idiot and, going back to the laziness portion of this complaint, it's just as big of a pain in the ass to get in the car, get out of the car, get in the car, get out of the car, get in the car, get out of the car.
- I prefer heat over cold. While we've occasionally lucked out with warm Halloweens here in New England I don't particularly like walking around on a cold, damp night. And it drives me absolutely bonkers when you spend a fortune on a costume for the kids and they either have to layer it over sweats or cover it with their jacket.
- I know a lot of kids go trick-or-treating through malls or in apartment complexes but really, that's just cheating. I know that it would wipe out some of my previous complaints but I really want my kids to have the true Halloween experience so the fake trick-or-treating through malls or on days other than October 31st just seems stupid to me. Halloween is Halloween and should be celebrated on Halloween in the universally accepted manner that as an adult I detest but as a child I loved. Yes, I can bitch about it both ways because it's my blog and I can bitch however I want to.
- As for the cost of Halloween costumes....the costume Jake originally wanted for Halloween this year cost $69.99 BEFORE you bought the cool accessories that actually made the outfit what it was supposed to be. Absolutely not. I finally talked him into something else that cost half as much but that's still insane. They're only going to wear the damn thing once.
- I also have absolutely no creativity on these things so I'm not going to make a costume for the kids and don't even get me started on grown-up Halloween parties. I have NO imagination in that department.
- I hate pumpkins. While I enjoy eating baked pumpkin seeds I hate digging out pumpkins and I hate carving them. They're messy, slimy, tough to cut through, and usually they don't turn out the way I want them to look.
- And last but not least, I don't look forward to spending two hours bartering with Jake to get him into the costume that HE picked out. Last year he cried and carried on and created quite the stink because he was scared of his Darth Vader costume. He had picked it out and was very excited about being Darth Vader but when it came down to it the thought of being in that costume freaked him out. He said he was scared of the person in the costume to which I replied "YOU are the person in the costume!!!"
So, my question to all of you is, what is the Halloween version of "Bah Humbug"?
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Lincoln's birthday dinner
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Breakfast in Bed
Yes, it's true.
The kids wanted to make Daddy breakfast in bed this morning. They were very excited about it and wanted to go downstairs and do it right away. Lincoln said that really isn't his thing so I made the ultimate sacrifice and said that I would remain in bed until breakfast could be cooked.
I mean, the kids had their hearts set on serving someone breakfast in bed so who am I to destroy their dreams.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow
Note the fact that the leaves haven't even finished changing colors yet much less fallen off the trees. Also note the big tall trees I was talking about in yesterday's post.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Are they trying to tell me something?
Lincoln called to inform me this morning that Di had called him and asked if we could move his birthday dinner up the street to their house because she is dog-sitting for a friend and doesn't want to leave the dogs at her house alone all evening.
Now the only thing I'm responsible for is a couple of bottles of wine and some beer. This is the easiest birthday dinner that I've ever thrown for my husband.
Company promo
Things that go bump in the night
At 3 a.m. this morning there was a huge crash which caused both Lincoln and I to sit straight up in bed. There was a loud bang, the rustle of leaves, and what sounded like breaking glass. I immediately thought a tree had fallen on the house. Luckily it was just the hanging plant in our bedroom crashing onto the dresser below it and knocking everything off. The hook, which obviously wasn't strong enough to hold such a heavy plant, had come out of the ceiling. The only thing that broke was a clay figurine clock that we got in Athens, Greece last year. That clock has now been broken three times, once from falling off the dresser when we shut it and twice from things falling on it. It is the unluckiest souvenir we've ever owned and every time we glue it back together and move it somewhere else the thing above it falls off the wall (or ceiling). Obviously we need to just throw it away. On the other hand, the hand-blown glass flowers from Venezuela that were also on the dresser survived and the last time something fell and broke the clock it missed the beautiful statue that we purchased in Corinth, Greece.
So I guess the question is do we get rid of the clock and hope things stop falling off the walls or keep the clock so that it continues to protect the more expensive and more sentimental pieces from being destroyed?
Or do we just need to get better at securing things to our walls and ceiling?
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Descendants of a Mayflower passenger
Hannah Snow and the Mayflower
Peter Brown and his wife Mary had a daughter named Rebeckah Brown who married William Snow II and had a son named Joseph Snow who married Hopestill Alden and had a son named Jonathan Snow who married Sarah Soule and had a son named Samuel Snow I who married Deborah Tinkham and had a son named Samuel Snow II who married Elizabeth "Betty" Perkins and had a son named Martin Snow who married Lydia Hayes and had a son named Alden Snow who married Pamilia Rolph and had a son named John Snow who married Ella Pease and had a son named Frank Snow who married Evie Fuller and had a son named Phillip Snow who married Emily HANNAH Johnson and had a son named Robert Snow who is otherwise known as Grandpa. He married Gail Wright (otherwise known as Grandma) and they had a son named Lincoln Snow who Hannah calls Daddy. He married Diane Lentz (commonly referred to as Mommy and they had a daughter named....
Hannah Grace Snow
Peter Brown, one of the 41 signers of the Mayflower Compact in 1620 and a passenger on the Mayflower, is Hannah's Great Great Great Great Great Great Great Great Great Great Great Grandpa.
What a day!
This morning on my way into the office I had an entire mental list of what I was going to get done and in what order. And then, shortly after my arrival, I get an email that says: Can you come up and meet with me at 11 a.m.?
So, how many of those things on my mental list got done today?
Zero. Zip. Nada. Nothing. Not one.
And yet I had such a busy day I had to throw myself on the mercy of my runner to bring me lunch because I couldn't leave my desk. I even had to forward my calls to my cell phone every time I walked to the copier so that I wouldn't miss all the calls coming in to my desk.
It was just one of those days. Here's hoping tomorrow is better.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
California Protection of Marriage Act
Horrible wife? Or 1950's husband?
Link: So my mom is cooking lasagna to bring over Saturday night.
Me: Oh, okay. So we're doing dinner?
Link: Yep.
Me: Cool.
On my drive to the office I figured I'd call his brother and sister-in-law that afternoon to invite them down for dinner. Before that could happen Lincoln and I had lunch together since he was working in Cambridge for the day.
Link: So Di is bringing the cake on Saturday.
Me: Huh? You called and invited them already?
Link: Yep, I just figured I'd do it.
Me: Oh. Okay. I was going to you know.
Link: And my Mom said she's bring a salad too.
Me: Oh, okay. I guess I'll make br...
Link: And she said while she's at the store she'll just get the garlic bread too.
Me: So, what am I providing for your birthday dinner?
Link: We'll be providing a clean house.
Seriously? Am I the worst wife or what? Notice he said "we'll" be providing the clean house. The funny thing is I'm glad that I don't have to cook or anything but still, I could have at least called his brother and sister-in-law or thrown a few loaves of garlic bread in the oven. Sometimes I feel like a 1950's husband. I just show up after work in the evening, kiss the kids and the hubby hello, and sit down to eat the wonderful dinner that my loving husband has prepared. Maybe for his birthday I'll buy him a nice set of pearls to wear while he's vacuuming.
Oh wait, vacuuming is one of the few household things I do! I guess I do have a purpose.
Who says TV is bad?
Jake: I have a hypothesis!!!
Me: Where the heck did he get that from?
Link: Dinosaur Train on PBS.
Me: Cool.
(Later)
Me: So, I never heard what Jake's hypothesis was.
Link: Oh, he said he thought the light was what would cook the bread. So he was wrong but at least he knew the word hypothesis.
Good enough for me.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Teenagers and the digital age
The thing about Facebook is that you get a false sense of community. When I post something I think I know who is going to see it because those are the people that show up on my News Feed. I know that Tracy, Erica, Holly, Sheri, Ricky, Kelley, etc will be seeing my comments because I always see the ones that they post. Then there are people like my husband who is what they call a lurker. He signs into his Facebook account to see what his friends are up to but he never posts anything about himself on the page. It's easy to forget that you've "friended" someone who is a lurker. Then there are people you "friend" but hide their updates from your news feed because they're on there 600 times a day and you really don't care that they just went to the bathroom or that they're having a peanut butter sandwich for lunch.
What I'm trying to say is even though you think 15 or 20 people are going to see your comment it could really be 200 people seeing your comment that you forget exist in your Facebook world.
I try to keep that in mind and I don't usually publish anything too crazy. I never bitch about work. My last post was about going out to dinner with Lincoln for our anniversary. The one before that was about something funny that Jake had said the other night. Nothing that I would be embarrassed about if it made the headline news.
Why am I getting into all this? Because of what happened this weekend with a 17-year old in my group of family and friends. Apparently he posted a comment on his girlfriend's Facebook page that was not something he needed to share with the world. Yes he crossed a line by making the comment in such a public forum but nothing was said that isn't joked about by every teenager through the ages. The difference is we just said it on paper notes when we were kids that you would then tear up and throw away. Unfortunately you can't do that when you've just posted it where her 650+ friends will see it. His argument was that they posted it (yes, they posted it together) as a joke for their close friends to see. Unfortunately, buried in those 650+ friends was the mother of another student who brought it to the attention of the girlfriend's parents who brought to the attention of the boy's parents.
And that is what sparked my "Thank GOD I didn't grow up with the internet" moment this morning. I can now only fear for what we will have to deal with in the future as Hannah and Jake get older.
Friday, October 9, 2009
Perfect? Or crazy?
Me: I wish I had my electric blanket.
Link: Well it's a good thing my birthday is coming up.
Me: How will that help me? You don't even like electric blankets.
Link: Yes, but knowing you're happy is the best present I could get.
Gag.
Just kidding, honey. I love you and I suspect that you were actually serious when you said that. Have no fear though, you're getting your very own birthday present.
Speaking of which, I better get online and start shopping.
What the heck were they thinking?
We moved to Arkansas when I turned 15 and was entering the 10th grade. The first class that I went to was Yearbook which was taught by Mrs. Walker. Some of my closest friends that I made in high school were in that class or the class period immediately before it which was Newspaper. At the end of the year my friends Sheri and Andrea and I went over to Mrs. Walker's house to work on the end-of-year slideshow. Sheri and Andrea were the co-editors of the yearbook and Andrea and I were putting together the slideshow. That was the night I first met Shani and Kristen who would have been 2 and 1 years old, respectively, at the time.
Following my sophomore year of high school Deb and the girls moved to Massachusetts where her husband Michael had already moved for his job. In October of my junior year of high school Andrea, who was a senior, found a "buy one, get one free" airfare deal and we decided that we would fly up to Boston to visit Mrs. Walker. We called her and found out they'd be around that weekend and, with the permission of our parents, bought the tickets and flew up to Boston for a 4-day weekend.
Here's where it gets a little crazy. It seemed normal to me at the time but as a parent now I think my parents must have been smoking crack.
I was 16 years....barely! I was flying with a girl who was only a year older than me to visit a huge East Coast city that they had never been to and didn't know anything about much less anyone who lived there. And we were visiting a teacher that I'm thinking they had probably only met at Open House and her husband who they had never met. What the hell? I am so, so, so glad they allowed me to go on that trip because it was one of the best experiences of my life and a huge reason why I moved to Boston after college but seriously, what were they thinking?
I lost touch with Mrs. Walker not long after that but I remembered that the last time I had talked to her she told me they had moved out of their apartment in Marlborough and to a town that was equal distance between Boston's Logan Airport and Providence's T.F. Green Airport....a distinctly important thing since flying out of Logan back then meant dealing with the Big Dig and was to be avoided whenever possible. Unfortunately I forgot the name of the town.
When I was a senior in college I didn't know what I was going to do after graduation. My parents had moved to Milwaukee between my sophomore and junior years of college. My sisters lived in Seattle. At the time I had no desire to move to Minneapolis but Milwaukee wasn't really home and Seattle never really did it for me as a city. I decided I would move to Boston and give it a try for a few years.
So what did I do? I got on the Internet and looked up all the Michael and/or Deb Walkers to be found in Massachusetts, got out a map, and used pins to mark all the cities where they lived. I then found the one that was equal distance between Boston and Providence and called them up out of the blue. The conversation went something like this:
Deb: Hello.
Me: Hi. Is this Mrs. Walker?
Deb: Yes.
Me: Deborah Walker?
Deb: Yes.
Me: The Deborah Walker that taught at Jacksonville High School?
Deb: Yes. (At this point she was starting to draw out the "yes" and I could tell she was wondering who the crazy person was on the phone.)
Me: Hi! It's Diane Lentz.
Deb: Oh my...hi!!!! How are you doing?
And so it began. I flew out for Spring Break that year to look for a place to live and ended up moving into their basement for two months while waiting to move into a condo that I had found in the same town.
And that is how their daughters became my little sisters and they became my other parents and the reason I met Lincoln and got married and had Jake and Hannah.
But seriously, what the hell were my parents thinking?
Speaking of...
Along similar lines, when my cousin Greg and his wife and friends were out here we went for lunch at 11:30 a.m. When he told the hostess we were there for dinner I think that really through her for a loop. She laughed and said "I think you're here a little early for dinner." Actually, as opposed to supper, we were there right on time.
This morning's conversation with Lincoln got me thinking about the different lingo that I've picked up (or been bugged by) throughout my life living in Iowa, Washington, Arkansas, Minnesota, and Massachusetts. Here are a few of my favorites and my biggest pet peeves.
Iowa/Minnesota: Supper and Pop. After 21 years away from Iowa I use these less and less but they still come up in conversation every now and then. The funniest story I have about this is when we took Lincoln's brother, sister-in-law, nephew, and niece back to Iowa with us for summer vacation a few years ago. When we got to my parents house in Wisconsin they offered them pop and cheese curds. Wha??? I think they were so stunned and confused by the word pop they didn't even hear the part about cheese curds at first.
Washington: Honestly, I can't think of a single thing that I picked up in Washington State other than soda (vs. pop).
Arkansas: Ahh....Arkansas. The land of y'all and fixin'. Y'all was an easy one to pick up but I swore I would never use fixin' until it just slipped out one day and then it was all over but the crying. I love that one. I don't use it as much as I used to but I still enjoy a good "I'm fixin' to go to the store. Do you need anything?" every now and then. One I never did like....and will never embrace....is the use of the word buggy for a shopping cart. A buggy should be something you push your baby in, not your groceries. The other one that made me laugh is coke as a word to cover all soda (Washington), pop (Midwest), or tonic (Massachusetts). As in, "I'd like a coke please." "What kind of kind of coke?" "A Sprite, thanks."
Massachusetts: As previously stated, pocketbook and cellar drive me nuts. So does bureau for a thing you put your clothes in (that's called a dresser in my opinion). I actually don't mind packie so much, it just doesn't come naturally to me. I have, however, fully embraced the word wicked. You can really use it in just about any situation. For example, "This post is wicked random, what the hell is she rambling about?"
Yes, these are the thoughts I have when stuck on my long commute. Similar to my "Ode to Massachusetts Weather" the other day. I really need to find a job closer to home.
Speaking New England-ese
Link: Oh, yeah. They're over here.
Me: Okay, I never would have looked there.
Link: Well, it's where I keep my cellar shoes.
Me: First of all, they're not my cellar shoes because I never go down there. Second of all, we don't have a cellar, we have a basement.
Link: What's the difference?
Me: I don't know. I just don't like the word cellar. It's too "New England".... like pocketbook and packie*. I hate the word pocketbook.
Link: No, if it was a cellah, it would be too New England.
Me: Good point.
*A pocketbook is pretty easy to figure out...it's what the rest of the country would call a purse. A packie is a package store. Still don't know what that means? A package store is a liquor store. So if you need alcohol you have to head to the packie. These New Englanders are kind of crazy that way.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Celebrating the little things.....the really, really little things
Why do I remember this? Because it was on our wedding anniversary. Lincoln and I were supposed to be going out to dinner for our anniversary and after lunch that day I started having terrible back pain. I was 7 months pregnant at the time and was absolutely positive that I was in labor. They always say that a kidney stone is the closest a man will coming to feeling what labor is like and I totally agree with that statement. It was like one long contraction without the relief in between.
When I thought I was in labor my friend Melissa had her assistant, Magen, drive me all the way out to the hospital by my house. Lincoln was working on a job site out in Western Mass and it would take him a while to get to the hospital so Magen came in with me. I think it cured her of ever wanting children.
When we got to the ER they whisked me up to the maternity ward right away and started strapping on the bands that measure contractions and the baby's heartbeat. They were having a terrible time trying to get them on because Jake was all over the place. He could obviously tell that Mommy was stressed and in pain and he was movin' and groovin' in there like there was no tomorrow. My stomach looked like an alien was trying to pop through. Probably not something a young, twenty-something, childless co-worker wanted to see but she was a real trouper....even as all the blood left her face.
The contraction monitor wasn't picking anything up so they figured that it was likely a kidney stone. I got them to take off the contraction monitoring band but they wanted to keep the heartbeat one on to make sure that Jake wasn't in distress. Let me tell you, the person in distress was ME! Imagine having the worst possible pain in your back, a bowling ball moving around in your stomach, and a tight velcro band around your middle. I kept clawing at the heartbeat monitor and begging them to take it off. The nurse kept saying "we need to make sure the baby is fine" so I finally snapped "The baby is FINE! I can FEEL the baby! Take this damn thing off me." We finally compromised and she took the band off and gave me a button to push every time I felt the baby move. I was pushing that button like a drug addict hooked up to one of those "control it yourself" morphine lines the doctors sometimes put in for seriously ill patients. Jake was all over the place and didn't sit still in my stomach the entire time I was in the hospital.
They said that my outburst when I was clawing at my belly was probably the point when the kidney stone actually passed through wherever it was blocked because after that things got better rapidly. They sent me home that evening with a plastic cup and a filter. The next day out came my little kidney stone. I'm more proud of delivering that little sucker than Jake because with Jake I got an epidural, slept through the transitioning stage, and woke up to push for about 13 minutes before Jake popped out. It was FAR more painful passing that damn, itty bitty kidney stone. But I still have it. Yes I do. In a sealed cup. That I look at from time to time.
I'm weird, I know.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Why we are such a good team (subtitled: How to economize your marriage and how Lincoln always gets the short end of the stick)
Me: Happy anniversary to you too. I got you a card but I didn't get you a present.
Lincoln: That's okay, I got you a present but I didn't get you a card.
Me: See! This is why we work so well together.
Happy Anniversary to Us!
Monday, October 5, 2009
Four Seasons
Autumn: There is nothing like autumn in New England. Ten years after moving here I still have my breath taken away every October. It is so unbelievable gorgeous. G-O-R-G-E-O-U-S. I still find it hard to believe that this is a yearly occurrence and not just a fluke of nature that happens every few decades.
Winter: Winter in Massachusetts is just about perfect. There is a good amount of snow and you're guaranteed to get some every winter so you've got sledding and skiing every year. There aren't so many snow storms that you never get out of the house but enough that you get a few snow days off from work and school every now and then and a day or two that you get to curl up in your house and watch the fluffy stuff come down and turn everything into a winter wonderland. Yes we get the occasional blizzard and a strong Nor'easter is nothing to joke about but they're not terrible. To get snow you have to have a few snowstorms. That's a given. Unlike living in the Mid-West though, you don't really have the icy cold winds blowing across the plains and weather reports that start in the negative numbers before wind chill is factored into the equation. Celebrating that it is finally warm enough to start snowing again signifies a general winter weather pattern that I can live without and Minnesota and the Dakotas are welcome to it.
Spring: I would happily take Spring off the table no matter where I live. I hate Spring. It's rainy, it's muddy, and it's miserable. If you go out in the morning without a jacket it is guaranteed to be freezing. If you wear a sweater you can bet on the fact that the thermometer will hit 70 degrees that day. It's also the time of year that we start sleeping with our windows open again and the birds come out and NEVER SHUT UP and wake us up at 4:30 a.m. I hate Spring.
Summer: It's hot. It's humid. It's perfect. With the exception of this year when it rained almost every day in June, summer here is pretty awesome. It's hot enough to get into the 90's which I like, and just humid enough to feel summery, without the oppressive humidity of the South. I don't want it to be 95 degrees at two o'clock in the morning but I love it to be 95 degrees at two o'clock in the afternoon. I would be willing to trade the humidity and 95 degree weather for the dry heat and 110 degree weather of the Southwest but then I'd have to give up the other seasons so hot and humid (but not too hot or too humid) is just about perfect for me.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
The new favorite room
Was there any doubt what I would grow up to be?
Diane: I didn't have to but I figured I would while I was waiting for you to finish going through the paperwork. The old list wasn't re-formatting the way I wanted it to so I just decided to re-type them. Besides, it keeps my typing up to speed.
Lincoln: So just for fun?
Diane: Pretty much.
Lincoln: You're a strange duck.
Diane: When I was younger I used to have my mom give me lists of numbers to practice on 10-key.
The world's scariest things
What are the scariest sounds you ask?
Jake: You can listen to all sorts of scary sounds! Like cats. And Mommies. And bears.
Whoa....back up a sec. Mommies? Not mummies. Mommies.
Too funny.
Melissa's annual Leinie's gift
Saturday, October 3, 2009
I am never leaving my bedroom again
It. Is. Heaven.
Friday, October 2, 2009
Like mother, like son (and vice versa)
But this post isn't about how much Jake is like me but about how much I am like him. Jake loves to rub people's ears. I know that sounds weird but it seems to be very relaxing for him. He rubs them when he's tired or sad or hurt or scared. He loves Grandpa Snow's and Daddy's the best but he'll climb up into my lap and ask for mine if he's really feeling blue.
Yesterday Lincoln and I had our latest meeting with Casey, our financial planner. This was the meeting where he came back to us after crunching all of the numbers and figuring out our net worth, our monthly budget (and shortfall), and how much we have in the way of college planning and retirement. Overall the news was pretty good. We obviously have a ways to go but it definitely wasn't as bad as I feared it would be.
As we were sitting in the meeting - and he kept revealing information to us on this large screen - I found myself sitting there rubbing my ear exactly the way Jake does when he's worried.
I have to admit, it was very relaxing.
Like son, like mother apparently.
Someone needs to learn how to park
Thursday, October 1, 2009
The difference two years makes
Hopefully in another two years we'll be far enough along to have them professionally labeled, stamped, and mailed too.
Full contact snuggling
For about 30 seconds.
Then Jake turns it into wrestle mania and it ends with Hannah holding a pillow over her head to protect herself, Lincoln covering his groan, and me waving a white flag.
Throwing my words back at me (sort of)
Jake: A shower. What part of shower did you not get a hold of?