Hey, Amanda,
On the off chance you check in before you head out, I just wanted to thank you for writing again and say that I hope you and J have a great trip.
I was up later than I wanted but only because the maintenance guy knocked on my door as my plumbing leaked into the neighbor's unit below. Oopsie! I guess when I ran the dishwasher it was coming through the ceiling downstairs. Since I had to let him into this place that looked like a tornado hit it, I cleaned a while longer and cleaned out the cabinet beneath my sink so he can get at it today when he comes to fix it while I'm at the beach.
Moral of the story? Well, I guess there's a moral and an upshot. Moral: don't ever let your place get out of hand. The upshot: I should definitely get some pool time in on Friday.
Have fun! Love you,
Barb
PS I soooo could have gotten a Spinal Tap trivia question, but alas I didn't get the text. I'll double check (my phone is charging this morning).
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
On Holiday! (say that with a British accent!)
Argh! I'm so sorry I didn't call today. Of course, nothing went as planned, although, in the end, everything got done. I had a great, productive day, but not in any anticipated order. Tomorrow morning we will hit the road around 9:00 (that's what a couple of Jack & 7's will do for my hubby's timeframe) and be on the road most of the day, save for a long lunch with C in Corvallis. I will call you then, since I will literally have nothing else to interrupt me.
We had a fabulous dinner with S, T, K, and TN, then R showed up when he got home from Florida. K and I drank a bit more than we probably should have, but hey. A) R was being a dick and 2) I'm on vacation.
We got home so J would have a little time to pack (I am so already out the door) and had a message from JJ on the phone --- Barb, what will I ever do when he leaves?? I miss him sooooooo much!! Please, God, don't let me become one of these moms who can't function as an empty nester. I'm sure some psychotherapist would surmise that my losing one son before the right time is causing me to feel uber-attached to my other son. Maybe. All I know is that I crave the sound of his little voice and can't wait to see him. And honestly, I know he's having a complete blast with his Grandad, he's not even thinking about us, really. And I am so grateful for that, it's just that....well, I needn't go on.
I will have access to my dad's computer while I'm gone but I'm not entirely sure I can access my email remotely. As it is, I will have my cell phone on me, so we can stay in touch. Thank you for being so patient with me in my absence; truly, I don't know what I would do without friends like you.
And speaking of mushy, I did try to drunk-text you tonight as we all sat around the table with a perplexing Spinal Tap trivia question. I shouted, "My friend Barb loves that movie! She will totally know this!! Let me text her!" (at midnight, of course.) God, you can make the girl 45 years old, but you can never take the 18 out of the girl.
I hope you do allow yourself a pool day before D arrives - you know, she's coming to see you, not your baseboards. Funny, but even not working, I still feel the same end-of-year exhaustion (ok, not nearly like you do). It's still summer, it's still free time, of sorts, even for me. And the fact that my kid is gone - wow, I could nap all day and no one would care!! Enjoy your time together (and alone)...
Love you & talk to you soon,
A
Still in Search of Sun
THANK YOU. I feel caught up now (but would still love to hear your voice should you call later). Sounds like a great vacation with your girlfriends and a nice visit with your parents. I'm happy for you on all counts--including your 5K success (go, you!) and the bit that JJ surprises you and you miss him already.
My first day of vacation has been less than relaxing, but productive. Sort of. I did laundry in the morning and ran errands most of the rest of the day since the weather is still rather gloomy. What happened to what started out as a sunny pool season?!? Finally, tomorrow it is supposed to turn to summer, and I am going to L's and taking S and C to the beach. C's birthday was Monday and I opted out of the family party that night and will spend some one-on-one (two, I guess) time tomorrow instead. Anyway, errands included shopping for a present for C (he's 4) and dropping off dry cleaning that I should have dropped off weeks ago. Maybe months. It doesn't seem like much, but it took all day. Maybe because I'm slow-going. And Costco is never a quick errand. Or a cheap one.
I really do feel beat up. Like I don't remember getting in a bar room brawl beat up. Between the weather that makes me feel a little arthritic and all the packing and running around the last few days of school, I am just wiped out. So much so that even though I didn't have to get up early today I went to bed at 8 last night. I did wake up and tossed and turned for an hour or so around midnight, but then slept soundly again until 7:30. But my body still hurts. I guess it will take a few days before I feel more physically rested.
I should probably ignore my mess--the green grocery bags strewn about and clean laundry that needs to make it upstairs (and I know it's not walking itself there) and magazine piles (each with a different destination) and make myself a nice dinner. I have white wine in the fridge and shrimp in the freezer and would enjoy a light and lemony pasta with shrimp...but I seriously don't know if I have the energy to cook. Or the right kind of energy to sit and enjoy a meal. Any bursts of energy I get I feel I should use to continue getting guest-ready. What I don't get done today I will have to do on Friday, and the weather for Friday looks good too, so if I could get a pool day to myself in before D arrives, I'm all for it. Maybe Bugles and this margarita will do for now, then later I can have some bread (I also have a baguette in the freezer) and cheese, maybe some caprese salad, with that white wine. Sounds like a good plan. It would be just perfect if you call while I'm sipping.
Welcome back. Love you,
Barb
My first day of vacation has been less than relaxing, but productive. Sort of. I did laundry in the morning and ran errands most of the rest of the day since the weather is still rather gloomy. What happened to what started out as a sunny pool season?!? Finally, tomorrow it is supposed to turn to summer, and I am going to L's and taking S and C to the beach. C's birthday was Monday and I opted out of the family party that night and will spend some one-on-one (two, I guess) time tomorrow instead. Anyway, errands included shopping for a present for C (he's 4) and dropping off dry cleaning that I should have dropped off weeks ago. Maybe months. It doesn't seem like much, but it took all day. Maybe because I'm slow-going. And Costco is never a quick errand. Or a cheap one.
I really do feel beat up. Like I don't remember getting in a bar room brawl beat up. Between the weather that makes me feel a little arthritic and all the packing and running around the last few days of school, I am just wiped out. So much so that even though I didn't have to get up early today I went to bed at 8 last night. I did wake up and tossed and turned for an hour or so around midnight, but then slept soundly again until 7:30. But my body still hurts. I guess it will take a few days before I feel more physically rested.
I should probably ignore my mess--the green grocery bags strewn about and clean laundry that needs to make it upstairs (and I know it's not walking itself there) and magazine piles (each with a different destination) and make myself a nice dinner. I have white wine in the fridge and shrimp in the freezer and would enjoy a light and lemony pasta with shrimp...but I seriously don't know if I have the energy to cook. Or the right kind of energy to sit and enjoy a meal. Any bursts of energy I get I feel I should use to continue getting guest-ready. What I don't get done today I will have to do on Friday, and the weather for Friday looks good too, so if I could get a pool day to myself in before D arrives, I'm all for it. Maybe Bugles and this margarita will do for now, then later I can have some bread (I also have a baguette in the freezer) and cheese, maybe some caprese salad, with that white wine. Sounds like a good plan. It would be just perfect if you call while I'm sipping.
Welcome back. Love you,
Barb
Summer. Finally!
Wow.
You have continued to write to me nearly every day for the past two weeks with no response, whatsoever, and I notice you've also been dilligent writing in other places. I salute you. You are not only a dedicated writer, but a true friend.
And here I am...actually wanting to call and hear your voice instead but also feeling a need to get back to this page. My house is terribly (if temporarily) quiet this morning and it's early (for me) so as much as I have an overflowing to-do list in preparation for my trip, I feel like taking some time to sit here.
School's out, my parents have come and gone, JJ's on vacation, literally :-), the garden is mostly planted and now just pure eye candy, M's room is officially converted into a playroom for the kids and JJ's room is now a true big kid's room; there's not much left for me to do, right at this minute. Since I have spent the better part of the past six months reverse-nesting, as I call it, all of the closets are cleaned and organized, the Goodwill put me on their board of directors and I've got a whole new appreciation for simplicity. My garden/cleaning therapy was helpful in more ways than one - now everything is done and I can sit back and enjoy my summer, instead of waking up each morning to the same list of projects that were supposed to get done last summer. And the summer before that.
Arizona ~
What a great trip! (This is the waterfall on the back patio at night, when the temp only dropped to around 85 or so.) We didn't do much, but that was the plan. My parents' home is beautiful and is quite conducive to staying put, whether on the patio or in the front courtyard, or curled up on the couch, in the AC, watching a movie or cooking in the expansive kitchen. We did, however, make a day trip to Scottsdale which ended up being a slight disappointment. Of course, none of us knew the area, so we weren't well prepared for sight seeing; still, the town was less than memorable and the only thing worth the hour-long trip was the humongous Fashion Mall: a gazillion square miles of high-end retail and food. It was fun though, don't get me wrong. We had a great breakfast on the patio of a little bistro in old town, then wandered a bit until we gave in to the commercial tourist trap and Tiffany. We spent most of the day in there, with me winning the who-can-spend-the-most-money award. I did that without buying the rings at Tiffany, too. Which I wanted. A lot.
Somewhere around 5:30 we decided we were going to go get matching tattoos. We had talked about it all day - what a frighteningly stereotypical girl's weekend thing to do. But we didn't go through with it in the end, once we found out that we couldn't go in the water for two weeks and we still had a full pool day left! Forget being cool and hip at 45, I'd rather have my sun. Besides, what's a little gecko going to morph into as my body continues to sag into old age?
The rest of the weekend we sat around. Literally. The patio table, the living room, the kitchen...drank a ton but ate well. S is kind of a salad goddess, so we turned her loose after a trip to the local grocery store (which turned out to be upscale awesome). Nothing in the world beats a good salad, a fresh baguette, a chunk of brie and a good bottle of wine between girlfriends. Nothing. We read a lot of magazines, watched a couple of serious crybaby movies, slept late and/or napped every day, lounged by the pool and enjoyed, mostly, the cool and unusual wildlife and foliage with which we aren't familiar up here in the PNW. The back of the house is on the first tee of the golf course, so there is a huge expanse of dirt and grass to enjoy. Each day we discovered some new plant (fan cactus - too cool) or animal (roadrunner, no lie) and acted like kids in the zoo with our binoculars and camera. One night, we kept hearing this weird ch-ch-ch sound and K and I were speculating on whether it was a rattlesnake or a scorpion or the Loch Ness Monster, for all we knew. S had gone to bed, but we were still on the patio drinking (imagine that). Finally, she crawled up into the water fountain to see if she could find it, whatever it was (like it was going to pop its head out and say "hi!" to her). She got down and we resigned ourselves to possible death by unknown creature in the night (but, oh well, pass the wine, my glass is empty.) At some point we figured out that it was the sprinkler hitting the back of the fountain. Honestly. Ch-ch-ch. Never occurred to us how regularly we heard the sound.
And I shall let K tell you the golf cart story in person, as I'm sure it will be way funnier than if I try to recount it here. I can't wait to go back. I loved the weather (even though it was unseasonably cool while we were there) and I loved the house.
Mom & Dad's Visit ~
I guess we've learned that four days is the perfect visit length for my folks. We actually had a fabulous time; we dinked around shopping and eating and whatever. I ran my 5K on Saturday morning, to which they did not bother to show up, but no matter, J, K and C were there as JJ and I ran our first race. JJ ran it in 29 minutes and ran probably 7/10 of the way. I came in at 44 minutes (I was just shooting for under an hour!!) so he left me in the dust. He placed 6th in his age category, which I didn't think was too bad for a kid who hadn't trained at all. As for me, what an amazing experience. I ran about 2 of the 3 miles total (never thought that was possible) and crossing that finish line was a feeling I can't describe. What a sense of accomplishment!
All I wanted to do was do it; in the beginning I thought: I don't care if I win or place or even run the whole thing, I just want to start this 12-week program and see it through to the end. I just want to finish. And I did, which feels pretty f***in' cool. And the fact that my husband, daughter and good friend came out at 8:00 in the morning to cheer me on makes me feel unbelievably loved and blessed.
Saturday night we had the big Summer Tapas party, which was really a variation on the theme of Tapas, as in, not really Tapas at all. Still, it was a blast. We'll have to tell you all about our cooking adventures when you get here. My folks loved it and kept telling us how much fun they had, so all was well.
Monday I got them off to the airport, with JJ in tow, around 10am. He couldn't have been more excited than if he was going to the moon, sporting his backwards baseball cap and sunglasses, his little Nike backpack and his gecko necklace - God, when did he become a person? He's all Mr. Cool these days, Mr. All Grown Up. I already miss him, terribly. But I've talked to him on the phone, and he and Grandad are having the time of their lives on their roadtrip to Arizona. God bless my father, for all his quirks and issues: the gifts he is leaving for my boys are priceless.
Today I am babysitting my niece and nephew (because I'm nice, not because I wanted to) and we're going to see Up! I have a few packing things to finish and then a mani-pedi at 2:00, after which I plan to sit on the deck and drink iced coffee and finish my book. (The Time Traveler's Wife - love it!) At 6:00 we're headed over to T&S's for barbecued fajitas and a little good-bye cheer with K (R's out of town), then we're out of here at 8:00 tomorrow morning.
I'll be around today, like I said, although G and AJ are due here any minute now. I will try to call you after I get home from the salon if all goes as planned.
Congratulations on yet another year down, Ms. K. I don't know how you do it, but millions of parents and kids out there are so grateful that you do.
See you in a month!!
Love you,
A
You have continued to write to me nearly every day for the past two weeks with no response, whatsoever, and I notice you've also been dilligent writing in other places. I salute you. You are not only a dedicated writer, but a true friend.
And here I am...actually wanting to call and hear your voice instead but also feeling a need to get back to this page. My house is terribly (if temporarily) quiet this morning and it's early (for me) so as much as I have an overflowing to-do list in preparation for my trip, I feel like taking some time to sit here.
School's out, my parents have come and gone, JJ's on vacation, literally :-), the garden is mostly planted and now just pure eye candy, M's room is officially converted into a playroom for the kids and JJ's room is now a true big kid's room; there's not much left for me to do, right at this minute. Since I have spent the better part of the past six months reverse-nesting, as I call it, all of the closets are cleaned and organized, the Goodwill put me on their board of directors and I've got a whole new appreciation for simplicity. My garden/cleaning therapy was helpful in more ways than one - now everything is done and I can sit back and enjoy my summer, instead of waking up each morning to the same list of projects that were supposed to get done last summer. And the summer before that.
Arizona ~
What a great trip! (This is the waterfall on the back patio at night, when the temp only dropped to around 85 or so.) We didn't do much, but that was the plan. My parents' home is beautiful and is quite conducive to staying put, whether on the patio or in the front courtyard, or curled up on the couch, in the AC, watching a movie or cooking in the expansive kitchen. We did, however, make a day trip to Scottsdale which ended up being a slight disappointment. Of course, none of us knew the area, so we weren't well prepared for sight seeing; still, the town was less than memorable and the only thing worth the hour-long trip was the humongous Fashion Mall: a gazillion square miles of high-end retail and food. It was fun though, don't get me wrong. We had a great breakfast on the patio of a little bistro in old town, then wandered a bit until we gave in to the commercial tourist trap and Tiffany. We spent most of the day in there, with me winning the who-can-spend-the-most-money award. I did that without buying the rings at Tiffany, too. Which I wanted. A lot.
Somewhere around 5:30 we decided we were going to go get matching tattoos. We had talked about it all day - what a frighteningly stereotypical girl's weekend thing to do. But we didn't go through with it in the end, once we found out that we couldn't go in the water for two weeks and we still had a full pool day left! Forget being cool and hip at 45, I'd rather have my sun. Besides, what's a little gecko going to morph into as my body continues to sag into old age?
The rest of the weekend we sat around. Literally. The patio table, the living room, the kitchen...drank a ton but ate well. S is kind of a salad goddess, so we turned her loose after a trip to the local grocery store (which turned out to be upscale awesome). Nothing in the world beats a good salad, a fresh baguette, a chunk of brie and a good bottle of wine between girlfriends. Nothing. We read a lot of magazines, watched a couple of serious crybaby movies, slept late and/or napped every day, lounged by the pool and enjoyed, mostly, the cool and unusual wildlife and foliage with which we aren't familiar up here in the PNW. The back of the house is on the first tee of the golf course, so there is a huge expanse of dirt and grass to enjoy. Each day we discovered some new plant (fan cactus - too cool) or animal (roadrunner, no lie) and acted like kids in the zoo with our binoculars and camera. One night, we kept hearing this weird ch-ch-ch sound and K and I were speculating on whether it was a rattlesnake or a scorpion or the Loch Ness Monster, for all we knew. S had gone to bed, but we were still on the patio drinking (imagine that). Finally, she crawled up into the water fountain to see if she could find it, whatever it was (like it was going to pop its head out and say "hi!" to her). She got down and we resigned ourselves to possible death by unknown creature in the night (but, oh well, pass the wine, my glass is empty.) At some point we figured out that it was the sprinkler hitting the back of the fountain. Honestly. Ch-ch-ch. Never occurred to us how regularly we heard the sound.
And I shall let K tell you the golf cart story in person, as I'm sure it will be way funnier than if I try to recount it here. I can't wait to go back. I loved the weather (even though it was unseasonably cool while we were there) and I loved the house.
Mom & Dad's Visit ~
I guess we've learned that four days is the perfect visit length for my folks. We actually had a fabulous time; we dinked around shopping and eating and whatever. I ran my 5K on Saturday morning, to which they did not bother to show up, but no matter, J, K and C were there as JJ and I ran our first race. JJ ran it in 29 minutes and ran probably 7/10 of the way. I came in at 44 minutes (I was just shooting for under an hour!!) so he left me in the dust. He placed 6th in his age category, which I didn't think was too bad for a kid who hadn't trained at all. As for me, what an amazing experience. I ran about 2 of the 3 miles total (never thought that was possible) and crossing that finish line was a feeling I can't describe. What a sense of accomplishment!
All I wanted to do was do it; in the beginning I thought: I don't care if I win or place or even run the whole thing, I just want to start this 12-week program and see it through to the end. I just want to finish. And I did, which feels pretty f***in' cool. And the fact that my husband, daughter and good friend came out at 8:00 in the morning to cheer me on makes me feel unbelievably loved and blessed.
Saturday night we had the big Summer Tapas party, which was really a variation on the theme of Tapas, as in, not really Tapas at all. Still, it was a blast. We'll have to tell you all about our cooking adventures when you get here. My folks loved it and kept telling us how much fun they had, so all was well.
Monday I got them off to the airport, with JJ in tow, around 10am. He couldn't have been more excited than if he was going to the moon, sporting his backwards baseball cap and sunglasses, his little Nike backpack and his gecko necklace - God, when did he become a person? He's all Mr. Cool these days, Mr. All Grown Up. I already miss him, terribly. But I've talked to him on the phone, and he and Grandad are having the time of their lives on their roadtrip to Arizona. God bless my father, for all his quirks and issues: the gifts he is leaving for my boys are priceless.
Today I am babysitting my niece and nephew (because I'm nice, not because I wanted to) and we're going to see Up! I have a few packing things to finish and then a mani-pedi at 2:00, after which I plan to sit on the deck and drink iced coffee and finish my book. (The Time Traveler's Wife - love it!) At 6:00 we're headed over to T&S's for barbecued fajitas and a little good-bye cheer with K (R's out of town), then we're out of here at 8:00 tomorrow morning.
I'll be around today, like I said, although G and AJ are due here any minute now. I will try to call you after I get home from the salon if all goes as planned.
Congratulations on yet another year down, Ms. K. I don't know how you do it, but millions of parents and kids out there are so grateful that you do.
See you in a month!!
Love you,
A
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Monday, June 22, 2009
One More Day
Good morning, Amanda.
I don't have my notes with me so I don't know what's on your calendar today, but I think JJ leaves with your parents today. I hope you've had a good visit; based on your email yesterday it sounds like you had quite a dinner party the other night. What's a visit with big E and P without at least one good hangover?...
One more day with an alarm clock for me. Have I mentioned I can't wait?!?!?!? These last few weeks have been grueling. After I could let go of my focus on NHS, which took so much energy (most of it nervous and frenetic) I couldn't regain any focus for my classes. It was easier to start counting days, and I've been at it for longer than I should.
Anyway, I'll try to write something intelligent over the next few days. I would love to make writing here a daily habit again....
Hope all is well with you.
xo,
Barb
I don't have my notes with me so I don't know what's on your calendar today, but I think JJ leaves with your parents today. I hope you've had a good visit; based on your email yesterday it sounds like you had quite a dinner party the other night. What's a visit with big E and P without at least one good hangover?...
One more day with an alarm clock for me. Have I mentioned I can't wait?!?!?!? These last few weeks have been grueling. After I could let go of my focus on NHS, which took so much energy (most of it nervous and frenetic) I couldn't regain any focus for my classes. It was easier to start counting days, and I've been at it for longer than I should.
Anyway, I'll try to write something intelligent over the next few days. I would love to make writing here a daily habit again....
Hope all is well with you.
xo,
Barb
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Sun-less Sunday
Good morning.
It's another gloomy day here. At least yesterday when I woke up it looked like the sun was debating whether or not it should come out, and I was hopeful that after some errands I might get to relax in the sun. Today, it looks like the clouds don't care about the sun's intentions. I'll have to wait and see.
It is Father's Day, but I don't have any plans until 5 (I declined an invitation to M and V's for 10am breakfast) so I may take advantage of the crummy weather and allow myself to do nothing at all--other than have one of those breakfasts that I love but haven't had in a while. I feel like since the seasons changed and the the pool opened I've been so busy.
I believe I mentioned an my email yesterday that I feel like I was exhausted the moment I woke up. I'm at that wall where I won't get rested until the school year is over. I made it over some hurdles last week--the induction ceremony and the end of classes, but it's not enough. I need to be on summer vacation to get back to normal.
Despite being exhausted yesterday I finally got some things done that have been having hanging over my head or sitting on the flooor (and I've been continually walking by them!). D comes to town next Saturday for a five day visit so it is my impetus to get the goodwill pile out to the dumpster and my full length mirror hanging on the wall instead of propped up against it. We'll see what I can accomplish today. As far as I'm concerned, breakfast and mimosas will suffice before my Father's Day visit.
Happy Father's Day to J and your dad!
Have a good day.
xo, B
It's another gloomy day here. At least yesterday when I woke up it looked like the sun was debating whether or not it should come out, and I was hopeful that after some errands I might get to relax in the sun. Today, it looks like the clouds don't care about the sun's intentions. I'll have to wait and see.
It is Father's Day, but I don't have any plans until 5 (I declined an invitation to M and V's for 10am breakfast) so I may take advantage of the crummy weather and allow myself to do nothing at all--other than have one of those breakfasts that I love but haven't had in a while. I feel like since the seasons changed and the the pool opened I've been so busy.
I believe I mentioned an my email yesterday that I feel like I was exhausted the moment I woke up. I'm at that wall where I won't get rested until the school year is over. I made it over some hurdles last week--the induction ceremony and the end of classes, but it's not enough. I need to be on summer vacation to get back to normal.
Despite being exhausted yesterday I finally got some things done that have been having hanging over my head or sitting on the flooor (and I've been continually walking by them!). D comes to town next Saturday for a five day visit so it is my impetus to get the goodwill pile out to the dumpster and my full length mirror hanging on the wall instead of propped up against it. We'll see what I can accomplish today. As far as I'm concerned, breakfast and mimosas will suffice before my Father's Day visit.
Happy Father's Day to J and your dad!
Have a good day.
xo, B
Thursday, June 18, 2009
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!
I hope your day is perfect and the year to follow the best ever. I'll call later to sing to you. ;)
Love you,
Barb
Love you,
Barb
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
A Year Later...
So, A, I decided to look back on our posts and found that we started this cyber-journey almost a year ago. More than five hundred posts later, and our blog is everything I thought it could and should be--most importantly a vehicle for us to reconnect in a way we haven't connected in a few years. I'm glad that I'll be headed out to visit soon, taking a hiatus from writing with you, all the while gathering fodder for entries when I get home.
Now that all that flowery, albeit sincere, sentiment is out of the way...I will say that my sister M is out of her mind, creating more tension conventions with every passing day; I feel a little bad for taking another vacation without W; and I'm so done with this school year, these last five days may in fact be the worst....
Therefore, I am looking forward to the diversion of reading about you vacation in Arizona, and already planning what to pack at the end of next month when I visit BLU.
Love you!
Barb
Now that all that flowery, albeit sincere, sentiment is out of the way...I will say that my sister M is out of her mind, creating more tension conventions with every passing day; I feel a little bad for taking another vacation without W; and I'm so done with this school year, these last five days may in fact be the worst....
Therefore, I am looking forward to the diversion of reading about you vacation in Arizona, and already planning what to pack at the end of next month when I visit BLU.
Love you!
Barb
Monday, June 15, 2009
Welcome Back
Hey, Amanda,
Welcome back! I hope your girls' getaway to Arizona was everything you needed it to be. I can't wait to see pictures. Up close and personal.
I had a good weekend in Boston with W (a fantastic weekend, in fact), and my NHS event went off without a hitch tonight, so I'm doing okay. A big sigh of relief and six more days--that should mostly be a breeze--and counting.
Too tired to say any more tonight (I had my third-in-a-row Monday migraines today) but I wanted to welcome you home. I'll write more tomorrow.
Love,
Barb
Welcome back! I hope your girls' getaway to Arizona was everything you needed it to be. I can't wait to see pictures. Up close and personal.
I had a good weekend in Boston with W (a fantastic weekend, in fact), and my NHS event went off without a hitch tonight, so I'm doing okay. A big sigh of relief and six more days--that should mostly be a breeze--and counting.
Too tired to say any more tonight (I had my third-in-a-row Monday migraines today) but I wanted to welcome you home. I'll write more tomorrow.
Love,
Barb
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Ciao!
Hey,Just wanted to say I'm leavin' on a jet plane...first class, bloody Marys for breakfast...wow, doesn't get much better than this! JJ's team lost their second round tonight but it was a good fight. Everyone came - K&R, T&S and the boys, plus another neighbor kid - I felt so blessed. The kids took it ok, right up until we got home and I gave JJ the Championship t-shirt J and I bought him, win or lose. He broke into a big smile when he saw it, then burst into tears. :) / :(
Must finish packing and get some sleep as we're leaving the house at 5:30am. I will definitely take pictures and gladly share them with you as we lounge side by side in the sun...next month!!
Love you and have a great weekend yourself,
A
Safe Travels!
Hey, A,
I'm not sure you'll check in here again before you fly out for your girls' weekend, but in case you do I wanted to wish you a fantastic time. Take pictures...you can show them to me in person when I visit next month!
Love you,
Barb
I'm not sure you'll check in here again before you fly out for your girls' weekend, but in case you do I wanted to wish you a fantastic time. Take pictures...you can show them to me in person when I visit next month!
Love you,
Barb
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Retail Therapy
Hey, A,
I'm trying to get a hold of you, but I keep going right into voice mail. I'll keep trying but will also jot a note here.
I'm totally stressed despite the fact that the end is near and I have fun things to look forward to. I'm going to Boston this weekend, NHS induction is Monday, D comes to visit for a week when school is out, and I (still hope to) visit Seattle in August, so I have four occasions crying for a new outfit. Just one outfit. Not even four....So I thought it was totally appropriate to go shopping today after my department meeting to buy myself a new summer outfit. Given that Lord & Taylor has great sales going on, I really scored!
Tomorrow L et. al. come for a visit and you have JJ's game, and then you leave Thursday morning, so this is our last chance to talk about my ticket to Seattle. I'll keep my fingers crossed that we can chat if only for a minute. I'll write more regardless...
Love you!
Barb
I'm trying to get a hold of you, but I keep going right into voice mail. I'll keep trying but will also jot a note here.
I'm totally stressed despite the fact that the end is near and I have fun things to look forward to. I'm going to Boston this weekend, NHS induction is Monday, D comes to visit for a week when school is out, and I (still hope to) visit Seattle in August, so I have four occasions crying for a new outfit. Just one outfit. Not even four....So I thought it was totally appropriate to go shopping today after my department meeting to buy myself a new summer outfit. Given that Lord & Taylor has great sales going on, I really scored!
Tomorrow L et. al. come for a visit and you have JJ's game, and then you leave Thursday morning, so this is our last chance to talk about my ticket to Seattle. I'll keep my fingers crossed that we can chat if only for a minute. I'll write more regardless...
Love you!
Barb
Monday, June 8, 2009
Quick Catch up
Hi, Barb.
A quick note before I turn in tonight. How are you? I hope whatever was going on at the pool has resolved itself for you - talk about bad timing! I was glad to hear you had a good day and sorry I missed your phone call later in the evening.
JJ did, indeed, win the game last night. 13-1, actually!! They go on to play the second round on Wednesday, and if they win that, they play the Championship game on Thursday, when I will be in Phoenix. :-( He's pretty charged up about the whole thing but keeps being slammed back into reality by the fact that he's seriously behind in some school work and is spending all of his non-baseball moments working on that.
I had a good weekend...didn't accomplish much but wasn't bothered. Today, K and I went up to the city for a wax appointment then had lunch at a little Italian cafe recommended by our wax girl. We sat outside at a sidewalk table and drank wine with our brie pizza (hello!) - fabulous lunch date. I spent the rest of the day working on my PTA newsletter, then worked on putting JJ's "new" room together.
Now that's done and I'm ready to crash. I'm supposed to run in the morning, then I have more housework to do...yawn...before I leave on Thursday. I'm in the middle of another allergy attack (from cleaning out rooms, I'm sure) and could fall asleep sitting here, if only I could breathe.
Hope all is well with you...let's talk after school Tuesday if you can.
Love, A
A quick note before I turn in tonight. How are you? I hope whatever was going on at the pool has resolved itself for you - talk about bad timing! I was glad to hear you had a good day and sorry I missed your phone call later in the evening.
JJ did, indeed, win the game last night. 13-1, actually!! They go on to play the second round on Wednesday, and if they win that, they play the Championship game on Thursday, when I will be in Phoenix. :-( He's pretty charged up about the whole thing but keeps being slammed back into reality by the fact that he's seriously behind in some school work and is spending all of his non-baseball moments working on that.
I had a good weekend...didn't accomplish much but wasn't bothered. Today, K and I went up to the city for a wax appointment then had lunch at a little Italian cafe recommended by our wax girl. We sat outside at a sidewalk table and drank wine with our brie pizza (hello!) - fabulous lunch date. I spent the rest of the day working on my PTA newsletter, then worked on putting JJ's "new" room together.
Now that's done and I'm ready to crash. I'm supposed to run in the morning, then I have more housework to do...yawn...before I leave on Thursday. I'm in the middle of another allergy attack (from cleaning out rooms, I'm sure) and could fall asleep sitting here, if only I could breathe.
Hope all is well with you...let's talk after school Tuesday if you can.
Love, A
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Pool Company
Good morning, Amanda.
Thought I'd write a quick hello before I put my laptop away so that I can set the table for my late lunch/early dinner with D, who is coming over at noon for a day by the pool. She's bringing chipotle dressing and mango salsa; I made guacamole, cucumber salad and a dill-cilantro dressing. Obviously, we're going with a Mexican theme for our meal, the main course being fish tacos. Yum. need I mention we'll be having margaritas by the pool?
I hope you are having a good weekend. Maybe we can catch up this week before you leave?...
Love,
Barb
Thought I'd write a quick hello before I put my laptop away so that I can set the table for my late lunch/early dinner with D, who is coming over at noon for a day by the pool. She's bringing chipotle dressing and mango salsa; I made guacamole, cucumber salad and a dill-cilantro dressing. Obviously, we're going with a Mexican theme for our meal, the main course being fish tacos. Yum. need I mention we'll be having margaritas by the pool?
I hope you are having a good weekend. Maybe we can catch up this week before you leave?...
Love,
Barb
Friday, June 5, 2009
Tee-Hee
Hey, A.
I am so done with school...in my head. But of course, as you point out, I only have 12 days left. YAY, me!
I'm glad you had a good night last night. I did too. I had a great meal and a nice evening out with C. Seems like lately we've been doing the 3 o'clock thing, when we're in bad moods from school and get bad service in those in-between hours. It was nice for a change to go home, relax, shower, and get gussied up, then sit down to a dinner reservation.
It's about to rain, and has been all day, so my plans for this afternoon are to do some shopping. I've been wanting to join Costco again and decided to wait until my balloon check, when I could actually pay for my membership and buy some things if I see anything I want. I figure, despite still being full from lunch, I will probably end up at Outback tonight. Shoot. They'd probably worry if I didn't come in. ;-)
I'll try to call later or tomorrow in between your events.
Talk to you soon! Love you,
Barb
I am so done with school...in my head. But of course, as you point out, I only have 12 days left. YAY, me!
I'm glad you had a good night last night. I did too. I had a great meal and a nice evening out with C. Seems like lately we've been doing the 3 o'clock thing, when we're in bad moods from school and get bad service in those in-between hours. It was nice for a change to go home, relax, shower, and get gussied up, then sit down to a dinner reservation.
It's about to rain, and has been all day, so my plans for this afternoon are to do some shopping. I've been wanting to join Costco again and decided to wait until my balloon check, when I could actually pay for my membership and buy some things if I see anything I want. I figure, despite still being full from lunch, I will probably end up at Outback tonight. Shoot. They'd probably worry if I didn't come in. ;-)
I'll try to call later or tomorrow in between your events.
Talk to you soon! Love you,
Barb
Heat Break
Good morning, Ms.-K-for-Only-12-More-Days,
I hope this week is winding down well for you. I just remembered that you had asked about booking your ticket out here and when I'd be around. I will be home most of the weekend, except for the school "carnival" Saturday from 1-3 (woo hoo!) and JJ's playoff game Sunday @ 3. We're going to work out in the yard, get some stuff finished and put the boys' rooms back together so I'll keep the phone at hand.
I was so happy to wake up this morning to a drop in temperature by about 15 degrees from last night. We had this freaky windstorm that lasted about 20 minutes and felt like the Wizard of Oz was happening in my back yard. Then it stopped as quickly as it started and that was the end of that. Now it's nice and cool (75!) and overcast, but no rain in sight. Perfect day for planting, although I have a feeling my allergies are going to kick up something fierce if I'm not careful. To answer your questions about that, yes, I take Zyrtec and Nasonex daily, as well as wear a mask if I'm doing housework. I've been too vain up until this point to wear my dorky mask outside, but I'm thinking I'll be in the back yard today where no one can see me....besides, I'm usually decked out in some stellar outfit for gardening that includes a unique hair accessory to keep the sweat out of my eyes, so I'm not sure how a mask is going to be any more embarrassing.
At any rate, I've got a couple dozen plants sitting around that really need to go in the ground sooner, rather than later, so I'm on a mission. First, though, is Friday Treats and a couple quick errands around town, inlcuding the bank. I've managed to overdraw my account by only $11, but incurred $68 in fees for it. How absurd is that?? I just wasn't paying attention, as well as playing a little check roulette...
I had a great evening with G and AJ, my niece and nephew, last night. J and JJ were at practice so the three of us had dinner together, then went to the park. It was too hot to stay in the house, even to sit on the deck with popsicles. We wandered around the neighborhood, visiting people here and there, then ended up over at the playtoy for awhile. I sat on the swings and enjoyed the heck out myself for an hour or so, then we headed back here in time for their folks to get home. CC stayed for awhile and had a glass of wine with me, which was nice. After I got JJ in bed, I picked up The Time Traveler's Wife again and got totally hooked until midnight. I was falling asleep but couldn't stop reading. Have you read it? Audrey Niffenegger? I know I've had it on my shelf for a couple of years at least, and the pricetag indicates that I bought it used, so who knows when I picked it up? Anyway, it's really interesting, if still weird. I really like her writing style. Good vocab.
I better hop in the shower if I'm going to get my day started. Wishing you a Happy Friday - any plans for the weekend? Talk to you soon,
Love you! A
I hope this week is winding down well for you. I just remembered that you had asked about booking your ticket out here and when I'd be around. I will be home most of the weekend, except for the school "carnival" Saturday from 1-3 (woo hoo!) and JJ's playoff game Sunday @ 3. We're going to work out in the yard, get some stuff finished and put the boys' rooms back together so I'll keep the phone at hand.
I was so happy to wake up this morning to a drop in temperature by about 15 degrees from last night. We had this freaky windstorm that lasted about 20 minutes and felt like the Wizard of Oz was happening in my back yard. Then it stopped as quickly as it started and that was the end of that. Now it's nice and cool (75!) and overcast, but no rain in sight. Perfect day for planting, although I have a feeling my allergies are going to kick up something fierce if I'm not careful. To answer your questions about that, yes, I take Zyrtec and Nasonex daily, as well as wear a mask if I'm doing housework. I've been too vain up until this point to wear my dorky mask outside, but I'm thinking I'll be in the back yard today where no one can see me....besides, I'm usually decked out in some stellar outfit for gardening that includes a unique hair accessory to keep the sweat out of my eyes, so I'm not sure how a mask is going to be any more embarrassing.
At any rate, I've got a couple dozen plants sitting around that really need to go in the ground sooner, rather than later, so I'm on a mission. First, though, is Friday Treats and a couple quick errands around town, inlcuding the bank. I've managed to overdraw my account by only $11, but incurred $68 in fees for it. How absurd is that?? I just wasn't paying attention, as well as playing a little check roulette...
I had a great evening with G and AJ, my niece and nephew, last night. J and JJ were at practice so the three of us had dinner together, then went to the park. It was too hot to stay in the house, even to sit on the deck with popsicles. We wandered around the neighborhood, visiting people here and there, then ended up over at the playtoy for awhile. I sat on the swings and enjoyed the heck out myself for an hour or so, then we headed back here in time for their folks to get home. CC stayed for awhile and had a glass of wine with me, which was nice. After I got JJ in bed, I picked up The Time Traveler's Wife again and got totally hooked until midnight. I was falling asleep but couldn't stop reading. Have you read it? Audrey Niffenegger? I know I've had it on my shelf for a couple of years at least, and the pricetag indicates that I bought it used, so who knows when I picked it up? Anyway, it's really interesting, if still weird. I really like her writing style. Good vocab.
I better hop in the shower if I'm going to get my day started. Wishing you a Happy Friday - any plans for the weekend? Talk to you soon,
Love you! A
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Nothing Much
Hey there.
Thought I'd try to check in now, instead of waiting until 10:00 at night when I'm pooped. Anyway, it's ridiculously hot and humid here and there's no point in being outside. Breathing makes me sweat.
So I made an iced coffee and am relaxing after what feels like the longest day ever. This morning, K and I left at 6:10 to go hike a local trail near my old school. It's a very popular hike and I always hear people talking about it, but had never been. Turns out, it's absolutely beautiful (even if there is no view when you get to the top) and it's a killer workout. It took us about 45 minutes to get up (going pretty slowly and stopping a lot) and about 20 to get down; great cardio if you keep moving and super leg work from the intense incline. Hopefully we'll go again this week. Much more enjoyable than the treadmill or the hill in the neighborhood.
By the time we got home and I stopped by Jack's school for a minute, I felt like I'd spent half the day and it was only 9:00! K and I spent the rest of the morning at Costco and I've been dinking around the house ever since. My niece and nephew are coming over for a few hours this afternoon so I think I'll take them to the store and look at deck chairs - it's air conditioned in there.
I finished reading Lost and Found today. Good book - that's the one I think you were thinking about when you asked me if 19 Minutes had the lesbian sub-plot. I bought three others for my AZ trip - Belong To Me, The Middle Place and The Third Angel. I started The Time Traveler's Wife this afternoon. So far, it's weird.
Looks like the kids are here - off I go to be the good Aunt, which means finding the neighbor kids with whom they can play until JJ finishes his homework. Hope you had a great day!
Love, A
Thought I'd try to check in now, instead of waiting until 10:00 at night when I'm pooped. Anyway, it's ridiculously hot and humid here and there's no point in being outside. Breathing makes me sweat.
So I made an iced coffee and am relaxing after what feels like the longest day ever. This morning, K and I left at 6:10 to go hike a local trail near my old school. It's a very popular hike and I always hear people talking about it, but had never been. Turns out, it's absolutely beautiful (even if there is no view when you get to the top) and it's a killer workout. It took us about 45 minutes to get up (going pretty slowly and stopping a lot) and about 20 to get down; great cardio if you keep moving and super leg work from the intense incline. Hopefully we'll go again this week. Much more enjoyable than the treadmill or the hill in the neighborhood.
By the time we got home and I stopped by Jack's school for a minute, I felt like I'd spent half the day and it was only 9:00! K and I spent the rest of the morning at Costco and I've been dinking around the house ever since. My niece and nephew are coming over for a few hours this afternoon so I think I'll take them to the store and look at deck chairs - it's air conditioned in there.
I finished reading Lost and Found today. Good book - that's the one I think you were thinking about when you asked me if 19 Minutes had the lesbian sub-plot. I bought three others for my AZ trip - Belong To Me, The Middle Place and The Third Angel. I started The Time Traveler's Wife this afternoon. So far, it's weird.
Looks like the kids are here - off I go to be the good Aunt, which means finding the neighbor kids with whom they can play until JJ finishes his homework. Hope you had a great day!
Love, A
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Amen to that!
Bring on the sun! ...especially since it's raining out today and is supposed to rain through tomorrow afternoon. I guess the good news is the weekend forecast calls for nice and sunny weather (read: pool weather), and, as you reminded me, that is what sits at the end of the tunnel--sunny summertime.
I am so sorry that your allergies are so awful. Do you take a daily Zyrtec or Claritin year round? I feel like it makes all the difference to me. Occasionally my allergies flare anyway, but not at all like you describe yours or as often. And maybe, as dorky as it may look, you should wear a surgical mask while gardening (as I do when I'm having my nails done). Maybe you've thought of all this on your own already.
I had a pedicure after school (I think that helped my mood, too) and came home and made an excellent soup (with sliced portabello mushrooms, gyoza, and baby spinach, seasoned with toasted sesame oil and ginger), which also made me smile. Now I am enjoying this Muscadet (a TJs bargain). Tomorrow night I have dinner plans with C (a steakhouse I've never been) and then Friday I get my balloon check and get to book my trip to Seattle. I looked earlier, and it appears the 11 through the 17 shows the best airfares (400). I'll take another look now and will try to call and see if those dates work for you.
Life is looking good.
Love you,
Barb
PS I love your deck too, and I haven't even sat there yet!
I am so sorry that your allergies are so awful. Do you take a daily Zyrtec or Claritin year round? I feel like it makes all the difference to me. Occasionally my allergies flare anyway, but not at all like you describe yours or as often. And maybe, as dorky as it may look, you should wear a surgical mask while gardening (as I do when I'm having my nails done). Maybe you've thought of all this on your own already.
I had a pedicure after school (I think that helped my mood, too) and came home and made an excellent soup (with sliced portabello mushrooms, gyoza, and baby spinach, seasoned with toasted sesame oil and ginger), which also made me smile. Now I am enjoying this Muscadet (a TJs bargain). Tomorrow night I have dinner plans with C (a steakhouse I've never been) and then Friday I get my balloon check and get to book my trip to Seattle. I looked earlier, and it appears the 11 through the 17 shows the best airfares (400). I'll take another look now and will try to call and see if those dates work for you.
Life is looking good.
Love you,
Barb
PS I love your deck too, and I haven't even sat there yet!
The Sun is Calling You
Good morning, Barb.
Sorry about not responding last night, particularly since it sounded as if you were having a rough day. I know what you mean about the last couple of weeks being the busiest, most stressful time of the year. Hang in there...that light at the end of the tunnel is SUN!!!
Not much going on around here. Just bought another round of plants (because evidently it's my new addiction) and got some of them in the ground yesterday. Managed to get through JJ's hip-hop class performance and dinner with S&T before I launched into yet another horrible allergy attack. I got to sleep somehow but woke up in the middle of the night and had to take meds, put on my mask and bring the swelling down in my eye. Lovely. This morning I am fine, but I'm sure all it will take is finishing up the planting and I'll be a mess again. Why? Why is that I finally find a healthy habit, and I'm allergic to it??? Not fair.
At least I'll hold it off for a couple of hours while I get the ironing done. Best I do that before the temp gets too high and my house turns into a sauna. Not complaining, though. Nope, not at all. I'll take this over rain any day. Have I mentioned how much I love my deck?
More later,
Love, A
Sorry about not responding last night, particularly since it sounded as if you were having a rough day. I know what you mean about the last couple of weeks being the busiest, most stressful time of the year. Hang in there...that light at the end of the tunnel is SUN!!!
Not much going on around here. Just bought another round of plants (because evidently it's my new addiction) and got some of them in the ground yesterday. Managed to get through JJ's hip-hop class performance and dinner with S&T before I launched into yet another horrible allergy attack. I got to sleep somehow but woke up in the middle of the night and had to take meds, put on my mask and bring the swelling down in my eye. Lovely. This morning I am fine, but I'm sure all it will take is finishing up the planting and I'll be a mess again. Why? Why is that I finally find a healthy habit, and I'm allergic to it??? Not fair.
At least I'll hold it off for a couple of hours while I get the ironing done. Best I do that before the temp gets too high and my house turns into a sauna. Not complaining, though. Nope, not at all. I'll take this over rain any day. Have I mentioned how much I love my deck?
More later,
Love, A
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Counting the Days
15 left...
These are the days when the end is in sight, but the work load is not light. In fact, there seems to be more work and stress these days, and for the next couple of weeks before--almost magically--it is all done.
I didn't write yesterday because I was wiped out after 2 migraines. Although today I'm feeling better I am caught up with catching up-- mainly with myself. I'm not sure what tomorrow will bring, but hope you'll hang in there with me as I get through these last few weeks of school. Soon enough I'll be writing every day before I head out to the pool.
Congrats to JJ! Hope all is well.
Love,
Barb
These are the days when the end is in sight, but the work load is not light. In fact, there seems to be more work and stress these days, and for the next couple of weeks before--almost magically--it is all done.
I didn't write yesterday because I was wiped out after 2 migraines. Although today I'm feeling better I am caught up with catching up-- mainly with myself. I'm not sure what tomorrow will bring, but hope you'll hang in there with me as I get through these last few weeks of school. Soon enough I'll be writing every day before I head out to the pool.
Congrats to JJ! Hope all is well.
Love,
Barb
Monday, June 1, 2009
Nothing's Impossible!
You probably got my text tonight so you already know WE WON!! I know, it's just the Little League Championship, but still. We faced the best team in the league and kicked their asses!! Actually, it was a good, stressful, close game, but what a great win. JJ had a game changing moment with a spectacular tag on 3rd base and I'm surprised I didn't lose my voice screaming. J treated the whole team to ice cream afterwards, then we met up with two other families for a pizza and wine dinner, which was very, very fun. We just got home and I'm zonked - I had horrible allergies today and didn't sleep well last night - so I'm off to bed. Just wanted to brag a little. Ok, a lot. We go to the Tournament of Champions this Sunday... I can't stop smiling.... :-)
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