Alaska, Part II

Days 3, 4, and 5

Boarding the ship, NCL's Pearl, was a fairly quick and painless process. (I won't mention that when taking my picture for my ID, the computers locked up. Yes, apparently, you can break a camera with this face :) Before long, they allowed us to go aboard. The cabins weren't ready yet so we spent some time hanging out in the atrium, people watching, making dinner reservations, and taking our deposit for the week to the purser. One cool (and slightly dangerous) thing about cruising these days is that most ships don't use cash for your spending. Whether your ordering a margarita or buying something in the gift shop, etc, you use your ID. It's connected to a credit card (or in our case, a cash deposit). It makes it very convenient because you don't need to carry cash but also a bit dangerous if you use a credit card because you can easily lose track of your spending if you're not careful.

I had done lots of internet research for this trip and one of the tips I had found was to eat lunch in the Summer Palace, one of the main dining rooms onboard. This seems like a no brainer but on embarkation day they really push for you to eat at the buffets. We went against the grain and Pat, Olivia, Jeremy, my dad, my stepmom and I got to enjoy a great, peaceful, low key, yummy lunch in a restaurant where only maybe a dozen tables were taken. After hearing complaints from people about how crowded and insane the buffets were I was really glad we had chosen to ignore the flock.

After lunch we spent some time exploring the ship and enjoying the views of downtown Seattle. The weather was fantastic. The sun was bright and hot and there was a great breeze coming from the Sound.

We didn't do much else that first day. We were all really tired from our long flights and early mornings. Blue Ridge Travel did throw a cocktail party for our group that first night. Yay! Free drinks! We hung out for awhile and then Jeremy took Olivia off to the cabin to get some sleep. I stayed for karaoke and more margaritas with Heather, Kristi, and Erika and only left when I was worried I wouldn't remember where our room was :)

Day 4

Our first full day on the ship was an "at sea" day. We headed up the coast of Canada on our way to Alaska. The ship had lots of activities planned and, while we did participate in some, it seemed we spent most of our day looking for whales. Everyone kept seeing them but I missed them at every turn. I was always just a little late or on the wrong side. Terrible luck! Eventually, as the sun was beginning to set I saw several humpback whales and an orca. It was pretty awesome having them swim so close to the ship. The scenery on the way up the coast was beautiful. Random islands popped up every few minutes and we saw our first glacier nestled between two larger mountains. Olivia had a few moments of seasickness but it quickly passed and we all started really enjoying being on the ship.

Day 5

We arrived in Juneau on Tuesday afternoon. It was interesting to see a state capital that seemed so small. I don't know if I realized before this trip that there are no roads leading into Juneau. You can only arrive by boat or plane. Crazy!

Jeremy, the kids, and I decided to take the Mt. Roberts Tram and then hike a little bit once we got fairly high on the mountain. My friend, Kris, who works for Holland America and had recently been to Alaska, recommended this to us and it turned out to be a great idea. The tram runs up the mountain on a cable to about 1800 feet. Once up there, we found an observation deck that allowed us to look down on our ship.

We decided to hike on up to see what else we could spot. The trail was easy and allowed us to see some mountain goats on the mountains facing us. We hiked up into sub-alpine level where the tree line ends and it becomes mostly grasses and moss and heather. Once out of the treeline, the wind became ferocious. At times it was hard to stand against it. Luckily, the day was fairly warm (mid-50s) so we laughed more than cringed at the gusts. We hiked up until we got to a sign that warned against us going any farther. We took a couple of pictures of our windblown joy and headed back down. We walked a little bit in town, shopped for souvenirs, and hunted down a case of soda (it costs a couple bucks per glass on the ships) and got back on the ship in time for dinner!

Alaska, Part I

After a year and a half of planning and dreaming and saving, we finally made our trek across the country to go on our Alaskan cruise. We were lucky enough to go with all of our parents, my grandmother, my great-grandmother, and several friends. The trip went by too fast, there wasn't enough time, and we're already talking about "when we go back to Alaska." It was a fantastic week and we're slowly recovering. The pets are all back home, the kids are back at school, and Jeremy is back to work. I'm drowning in laundry and slowing getting everything unpacked and reorganized. We still haven't caught up on our sleep...we had quickly adjusted to being 4 hours behind. It's definitely harder coming back the other way! I'm hoping this weekend allows us to completely get back to normal.

Our Alaskan adventure was full so I won't give you all the details at once. I'll divide it into bite-size pieces so I can add more pictures and keep each post at a decent length. I should warn you...the parts of Alaska we visited were in the rainforest (before researching this trip I had no idea that Alaska had anything remotely considered a rainforest). This means that most pictures were taken on rainy, cloudy, grey days. It seems most of them are studies in shades of blue and grey and I wish they better conveyed the beauty of our trip. Maybe next time I'll take a photographer with us :)

Day 1 and 2:

On Friday we were giddy with anticipation. I don't think any of us could wait to get on the road. Jeremy left work early to help me finish last minute details and we were packed and ready to go the minute the kids got home from school. We decided to head to Columbus to spend the night before our trip officially began. It was an hour and a half drive and so we decided it would be easier to spend the night at a hotel near the airport since we had to be there at 4am the next morning. Another benefit was there is a Target there...something we're sadly lacking in Athens. This allowed us to grab some last minute items before crashing early that night. (Even I went to bed by 9:30!!).

The luggage is packed and ready to go. I don't think we did too bad for a family of 4 leaving for 10 days...

Olivia is chillin' on the way to Columbus. It'll be the last day of wearing tank tops and shorts for awhile!

I'm not a big fan of flying and so the thought of a cross country trip was a little nerve wracking. Luckily, the kids take after Jeremy and so the 5 hour flight was something they were looking forward to.

What else is Noah going to do in an airport at 5am? Why eat breakfast when you have a DS?

We flew to Atlanta where by coincidence we were joined by 30 other people in our group. We almost missed our flight because our first flight was delayed and then our gate was switched on us. Hurrying through the airport with 2 sleepy kids and several carry-ons in tow, we made it with less than 5 minutes to spare. The kids were thrilled to find out that their Granny, Poppie, Uncle Jeff, Grammy and Papa were all on our plane. We didn't buy our tickets knowing this in advance, it just all fell together perfectly that way.

I played the in flight trivia, competing against the other passengers to keep my mind off the fact that we were a gazillion feet in the air. It made a huge difference. It's no secret that I'm a trivia playing fanatic :) And, then, somewhere over Montana the skies cleared enough for me to see land and a crazy thing happened...when I saw the views I suddenly began to think that maybe flying wasn't terrible. And then when I glimpsed Mt. Rainier in the distance I couldn't look away.

We arrived in Seattle exhausted but elated. Now our trip had officially begun! We were on the west coast (a first for the kids and I)! We took a shuttle through downtown Seattle to our hotel. It was located on Lake Union and the views from our balcony were spectacular...on one side was a view of the lake, on the other side we could see the Space Needle.

We didn't do much that day in Seattle. We were tired and lots of people in our group were still trickling in. Our friend, Pat, who shared our cabin with us on the ship, arrived at the hotel at the same time we did. Our friends, Heather, Erika, and Kristi came in later that evening. And my Mom, Grandmother, and Great-Grandmother came in very late that night. We ran around greeting people, relaxing on our huge balcony and enjoying the sights and sounds of the city. We did hit the Space Needle for dinner which was wildly expensive (there's a $35 minimum charge per person no matter what you order. Of course, I didn't see anything on the menu except appetizers that cost less than that). The view was amazing, though. The restaurant turns so that you make a complete circle every 45 minutes. We could see downtown, Puget Sound, Mt. Baker, Mt. Rainier, Mt. Hood and others that I couldn't name from our table. After dinner we headed up another 60 feet to the observation deck. The sun was going down and the air was getting chilly but it was beautiful up there. We hit the gift shop before heading back to our hotel. We were 3 hours behind (so eating dinner at 10pm to our body clocks) and getting very, very sleepy. Noah found a LEGO Space Needle that he just couldn't resist. Back to the hotel, the kids got in bed, and we sat outside in the dark, chatting until we couldn't stay awake any longer. I think we all fell asleep with thoughts of Alaska and the ship in our head...

Peeping Tom

We have a deer family that visits our yard almost every evening. We're right on the edge of the woods and all the dogs on our little section of street are never let off leash so I guess it's an ideal dinnertime haunt. The doe and fawn always stay in the backyard. In fact, I don't think I've ever seen them come more than halfway to the house. I suppose they like to keep the sheltering woods close by. However, since the apples on the trees in our front/side yard have become ready to eat, the buck has been venturing closer and closer to the house. (Unfortunately, this means that Maggie is forced to bark and growl and threaten his life...usually at the most annoying times possible :). The other day I was in Olivia's room, checking out the excellent cleaning job she'd done when I saw the buck out front. I ran and grabbed my camera, knowing that I wouldn't be able to get a good shot through the screen on her window and the distance to the deer but unable to resist trying anyway. Imagine my surprise when I put my camera close to the glass and the deer came to greet me. He cocked his head, walked closer, and looked right into the window.

Love Thursday (on a Friday) - Praying Mantis

This guy was hanging out in the lavender...

A Long Break

I guess you could say I took a summer vacation, it's been so long since I've posted! But, now school has started again and I suppose it's time for me to start blogging again :) We had a great summer that went by way too fast. The kids got to spend lots of time with Jeremy's parents, Jeremy and I went on our first camping trip without kids in at least 10 years, we hung out at home, visited the zoo, had lots of playdates, and really just enjoyed ourselves.

We've had 2 weeks of school now and things seem to be going really well. Olivia has started 1st grade and absolutely loves it. She can't wait to get to school each day. Next week she'll start her gymnastics class and she'll resume ice skating at the beginning of October. It's good to get back into a steady routine again.

Noah is in 5th grade this year and in just 2 weeks has had an amazing amount of homework. He was a little worried when the teacher sent a letter telling him that he had an assignment due on the first day of school. So far, it hasn't been more than he can handle, though. Like Olivia, Noah is beginning some extra activities. He's taking band this year. Instead of piano lessons, he'll be learning the trumpet at school. I think he's really excited about learning a second instrument. He's also tried out for the school's chorus so we'll find out next week if he made it into the "Kids Next Door" singing group. He also has a big change in the gifted/talented program this year. 5th and 6th graders actually get bussed to another school once a week to take class with other G/T students in the city. It adds to his workload...he's gone from his regular classes once a week and has to make up all that work but I think it's a great opportunity. There are only 12 kids from 3 schools in this weekly class and they will delve a little deeper into certain subjects. He'll also get to go to Gettysburg for a 4 day trip in the spring once they've studied the Civil War. We're cutting back a little on after school activities for him to make sure the work isn't overwhelming...between the extra homework, band practice, and soccer I don't want him to miss out on just chilling out with a book, watching a mindless TV show, or playing with Legos with his best buddy. We'll see how it goes!

I guess the biggest news on the horizon is that in 1 week we will be heading to Alaska. Next Friday night Jeremy, the kids, and I are heading to Columbus to spend the night. Saturday morning we'll fly to Seattle where we'll spend a day before boarding our ship to Alaska. I've been reading and googling and asking questions like crazy. I think we're ready to go exploring. (And, if I'm completely honest, I'll admit that I packed one of our two suitcases a week ago. I'm so excited!!!) I'm hoping to have lots of pictures and stories to share when we return. We're going hiking in Juneau, to a Totem Pole park in Skagway, renting a car and driving into the Yukon Territory (crossing into Canada) in Ketchikan, and checking out the city by horse drawn carriage in Victoria. We'll end the trip with another day in Seattle where we'll see the Mariners take on the Yankees. I can't wait for everything we have planned and all the spontaneous stuff that happens in between. I don't want to over schedule. I want Alaska to unfold for us. I want to see what adventures we can find, what wildlife we can spot, what trails we happen upon, and what memories we take home. I have a feeling that the next week is going to be the longest week ever :)

4th of July

A sparkler drawn heart for me :)

When I was a teenager the 4th of July was my favorite holiday, hands down. Every year my mom and stepdad would travel to Pennsylvania to buy the crazy big dangerous fireworks that were illegal in Virginia. Our house was in a big field and it was a perfect place to put on a show. We'd invite everyone...relatives would travel from far off places, we could invite any friends we wanted, strangers would even park across the street to see what we would do next. This was an all-day event that would begin with my stepdad blasting Sousa marches through the house to wake us up (annoying but endearing). We'd go outside to clean up the deck and the area around the pool. My mom would get started on the food and before long the house would be packed with people. Kids in the pool, burgers on the grill, and Jimmy Buffett and Bob Marley echoing around outside. The weather was always magically sunny and everyone always seemed so happy. It was one of those traditions that I thought would never end.

But it did.

My mom and stepdad split up, my siblings and I have all started families of our own and I've moved away. And so my favorite holiday fell by the wayside. Sure there are still great family get togethers with all the cousins running around together and everyone laughing and talking but I still get wistful when I think about those July 4th parties.

Maybe it's time Independence Day is my favorite again? After all, I love talking to the kids about our country and its history. I love fireworks and food on the grill and spending the day outside. This weekend was a good start to me falling in love with this holiday all over again. The city of Athens had their fireworks show on Friday night. We found a great spot to watch near the river and the fireworks were way better than I anticipated. The kids oohed and ahhed over every single explosion. We marveled over the ones that looked like Saturn and the ones that were perfect squares. The weather was cool and the humidity was nonexistent. It was perfect. The 10 minute trip home only took 30 with all the traffic and road work...amazing.

I thought it was strange that the show was a day early but it was our plan to do our own fireworks on the 4th. Steaks on the grill, ice cold watermelon, ice cream. It was going to be a good day. We didn't make it to the parade but we headed to town for the afternoon. We Wii'd a lot, we played hand after hand of Monopoly Deal (a great family card game if you haven't tried it yet...monopoly in 15 minutes or less), all in all it was great. And then it started raining. So, we still managed to grill our steaks and potatoes but fireworks were out. Good thing the city show was a day early after all!

Today we slept in, Livvie had a playdate with her friend who recently inherited 6 American Girl dolls. Jeremy, Noah and I played games while she was gone doing girly stuff :) Tonight more fantastic food on the grill including sweet, crisp corn on the cob, and leftover unbirthday cake for dessert. And, finally!, it was time for our little fireworks. We got to buy flying stuff this year because we're in Ohio but we still kept it low key because our neighbors are so close. As it is...um...they have 4 parachute men on their roof. Oops!! It was a good time and a great way to wrap up our weekend. Tomorrow we go back to reality...Jeremy at work, swim lessons for the kids in the mornings and the rush of errands and playdates and getting ready for Liv's party next weekend. But this weekend? It was pretty darn good :)

Love Thursday - Cake and Jeremy and Happy Thursdays

Recently I've had a hankering for cake. Not just any cake. Birthday cake. With thick icing and ugly roses in gaudy colors. I want bakery birthday cake. I want it to be so rich that I feel sick when I'm finished eating even the tiniest piece. This happens a few times a year and it's usually appeased by the next birthday on our calendar. However, Noah doesn't like cake so his birthday requires that I make brownies. Olivia's birthday is in a couple weeks but we're having a "cooking" party and will be making cupcakes instead of cake. It's just not the same. And, so, I resigned myself to waiting until my own birthday at the end of August. Sigh. Poor me.

Except...

I have an amazing husband. And tonight I received this in all it's perfect, sugary glory:

I really, really love that man :)

One of my favorite things about this is that it reminds me of my teenage years. My stepdad used to randomly show up with gifts for us for no reason. Flowers for my mom and I. Baseball cards for my brothers. Little things he'd find in quirky stores that he thought we'd like. But one of my very favorite memories is the night he showed up with one of those giant cookies. It simply said "Happy Thursday." It was silly and unexpected and summed him up perfectly. The cake tonight was my Happy Thursday and it was perfect.

Love Thursday - Lavender

The lavender surrounding the front yard is in full bloom. It brushes your legs as you walk past and the bees and butterflies are contently humming and flitting from sunrise until sunset. It's delicate and fragrant, lush but somehow subtle all at the same time. If you want some dried lavender let me know...we will have plenty to go around.

I Almost Forgot!!

A correction:

Those baby squirrels? Not baby squirrels at all. We have a pair of flying squirrels in the birdhouse on the back deck. We were eating a late dinner outside recently when they snuck out to eat from the finch feeder. When I crept closer for a better look they glided away and barked at us from afar. Olivia declared "Oh no! Now I don't know if I'd rather have a bunny or a flying squirrel for a pet!" Decisions, decisions :0) (I'll admit, they are pretty darn cute!!)

I'm A Slacking Slacker

Things have been busy around here and my posting has fallen by the wayside. It's not that I don't want to let you know what's going on; it's just that when I have to choose between hanging out with guests or the kids or Jeremy...well, blogging gets forgotten ;)

That said, summer is officially here! The kids are done with school. Noah had his 10th birthday and we've been entertaining guests for several weeks in a row. It's been a great month so far! My mom and grandmother and great-grandmother came to visit on Memorial Day weekend and it was great to see them. We kept things pretty simple and really just hung out, showed them the town, went antiquing, and chatted. A lot. Our friend Dave came up to visit around that time, too. The kids were thrilled he brought some Wii games we hadn't tried and Jeremy and I had fun just having him around.

Next our friend P came to visit. He drove up on a Tuesday and planned on staying til Friday. We had such a great time that he ended up extending his visit so that he was here an entire week. It was pretty much the best week we've had since moving here. Amazing what an old friend can do for your spirits!

This past weekend my Dad and stepmom came up to spend some time with us. I think they enjoyed seeing us as much as we enjoyed having them here :)

School has been out for a couple weeks now, Noah earned his green belt in Taekwondo and we had a sleepover for his birthday. Luckily P was here to help us wrangle up boys who played video games and ate and talked the entire night. The adults lasted until about 4 am or so but the kids made it the entire night. If only I could bottle up their energy!!

This week the kids are with Jeremy's parents. They are busy catching up with old friends and spending some time with the grandparents. From all the reports we've gotten so far they are having a fantastic time. As for Jeremy and I, we're counting down the days until the weekend. We're heading to Atlantic City for a free trip made possible by pooling resources with a friend. I'm not interested in gambling (it's no secret how badly I play poker, after all) but I'm dying to see the ocean. Perhaps we'll fit in a day trip to Cape May.

The weather has been beautiful here. The rain has started slowing down and everything is lush and green. The house is quiet (almost too much) and clean. The Wii and the tv are mine during the day and I've been reading up a storm sitting on our deck in a comfy chair. It's a good way to start the summer. I'm missing the kids but we've got lots planned for when they get back. There's plenty of time to fit everything in. For now, we just need to figure out when we're getting visitors again. I'm ready!!

Circling

I never did tell you about our robins. As you know, they nested in one of our bedroom windows above our bed. As strange as it was to wake up to find Mama Robin staring at me, I loved knowing that I'd get such a close up view of the babies. I think I included a picture before of the 4 bright blue eggs she laid? Anyway, 3 weeks ago (or so) 3 of the four eggs hatched. For two wonderful weeks I had the chance to watch the babies grow. They changed from hairless, helpless babies with closed eyes and bobbing heads to miniature versions of their parents. I was able to watch the adults bring long, slimy worms and fat, wriggling grubs up to them. I watched them nap and shuffle around while the parents were away. I never took any photos of them after the eggs hatched. The window was splattered with mud from when the nest was built (such a perfect basket of grass and mud) and I didn't want to scare the nestlings by opening the window just so I could satisfy my urge for a photograph. The kids and Jeremy weren't interested in the babies...after all, it took a little climbing and a lot of balancing to get up to the window where they were. I didn't mind scaling the bookshelf, grabbing the top with my fingertips while positioning myself between the bed and the shelves. I couldn't stop watching them! Birds grow so quickly that it was almost like watching a film fast forwarded. I could tell a difference in them every single day. I don't know I have a fascination with birds. I love listening to them. I love their bright colors and funny walk. I love how controlled their flight is and how silly they can be when playing in water or snow. They calm me down somehow and make me take time to appreciate something that doesn't belong to me, something simple, something that could so easily be taken for granted.

Last weekend the fledglings left the nest. I climbed up on my perch to peek at them and saw that they were gone. With a little bit of sadness I asked Jeremy to get out a ladder so we could knock down the nest. (While I love birds the thought of left behind bird mites invading my house and skin does not appeal to me one bit!) Summer is quickly approaching and all my bird babies were on their own.

And, then, on Friday I heard Maggie barking. I walked into the kitchen and looked out the glass doors to see a bird lying on the deck. Apparently one of my fledglings had flown into the door. It was lying on its back, eyes shut tight. It was still small...maybe 2/3 of the size of an adult robin and its grown-up feathers were still coming in. The colors were a mix of babyhood grays and browns along with the adult reddish breast that makes the bird so easily recognizable. I didn't want to scoop one of my babies off of the wood but we had a realtor coming by so I certainly couldn't leave it there. I stood there in the kitchen, hemming and hawing, wondering what to do. Suddenly its wings began to slowly flutter. Its eyes opened and looked around. Maggie barked harder. What was this strange creature on her deck?? The wings moved faster and I began to hope that maybe it was just stunned. I waited and kept coming back to check on it but it wouldn't get up. It wouldn't even turn over. I ran and got some gloves and went outside. I picked her up and noticed that her neck was at an odd angle. Maybe it was broken? She could still move her wings and legs just fine but her neck turned back over her body like she was going to drift off to sleep. I cradled her in my hands and stroked her breast and head until she calmed down. She let me check her wings and legs without complaint and I knew that wasn't a good sign. I sat there with her nestled in my hands for about 15 minutes watching her breathe, watching her sleep, watching her open an eye every now and then to see if I was still there staring. I was pretty sure she would die soon. After all, she was small and hurt and obviously exhausted from the effort of trying to get up and fly away. I put her in the flower box with my newly sprouted pumpkin plants. The wind was chilly and I wanted her to be in a protected spot that she would easily be able to escape from if she shook off her injuries. I tucked my gloves around her and went back inside. All evening I checked on her. I gave her berries which she adamantly refused. She seemed to be getting stronger by dusk - she was determined to fight me when I got too close and she would squawk in fear. I decided to let her be and hope that she'd feel better in the morning. After all, I had no idea how long it took for birds to get over the shock of hitting something so hard.

The next morning she was still alive but still hadn't eaten anything. Her neck was still twisted and she still could not sit up straight. Knowing that she was going to slowly starve to death (my google research showed that robins this age still rely on their parents for food and since she wouldn't let me near her any more...) and knowing that her neck most likely was broken (or something was) Jeremy did a kindness by quickly killing her. It broke my heart but I knew it was the best thing to do. I realize that the chances of this being one of "my" robins was slim but I still felt a closeness to this baby that lived such a short life. She was so light and soft in my hands. I wish there was more that we could have done.

We chose not to tell the kids about the bird knowing that they would be really upset. Instead we went about the rest of our day as normal. And that would have been the end of the story except last night while eating dinner on the deck I happened to look over at the bluebird house. I knew that no birds had nested in it this year (probably due to its proximity to our 3 feeders) so I hadn't thought much about it. As I looked up though I thought I saw something staring at me. We were all quiet and watching when 2 little baby squirrels poked their heads out of the hole to peek at us. Their eyes were huge and their ears were teeny tiny. As much as the squirrels here drive me nuts I suddenly was excited. More spring babies close to the house! I may have lost my robin but I now have the squirrels to watch. It was just what I needed :)

Love Thursday - The Deck

As promised, my favorite part of the house...the back deck. We're up on a hill so when you're outside you're right in the branches of the trees. It's shady and quiet and big enough for us to hang out comfortably. I love it out there. The only thing missing is the sound of the bullfrogs and the spring peepers.

"Some Will Win, Some Will Lose, Some Were Born To Sing The Blues"

Last night the elementary school held their last school dance of this school year. Noah and Olivia decided they had to go because they always have such a great time at these dances. The DJ is pretty great and the kids get to mingle with all their friends in a way that they normally don't get to during regular school hours. Jeremy was out of town for work so I figured it was a way for me to get an hour and a half to myself. Admission was 50 cents for each kid? Sold!

I walked them into the school, handed them some money for snacks and photos and admission and turned around to leave, planning on grabbing some dinner and maybe reading a bit before picking them up at 8:00. I got to my car, pulled on the handle and realized that when Olivia had gotten out of the driver's side door she had locked all four doors! No, no, no, no!! There were my keys and cellphone staring at me. I don't know anyone's phone number in Athens off the top of my head and Jeremy was in the middle of West Virginia. I ran back inside and begged a phone from a complete stranger and called my mother-in-law asking her to call AAA for me (thankfully, my membership was a gift to me from her so I knew she'd have all my info). It was hot and humid outside but it wasn't raining. The ground was wet from earlier storms so there was no place to sit. I alternated between strolling the sidewalks and ducking into the dance to watch the kids. I fended off scary guys asking if I wanted to "sit in [their] van?"...uh...no thanks. I answered questions from old ladies and I waited. After about an hour the tow truck driver showed up and 30 seconds later my door was unlocked. I only had a half hour left until the dance ended and with a 15 minute drive ahead of me, there was no point in going home. I shrugged it off and decided to head back inside.

Girls were crowded around my boy while he danced and laughed and chatted. Olivia was dancing and jumping up and down and I was really enjoying watching them. Three moms that I've met this school year were there and we tried to shout at each other over the music making conversation difficult but amusing. "What?!?!, What?!?!" The kids on the gym floor ranged from preschool to sixth grade and it was interesting to see how excited they got about certain songs. No one slow danced...not one kid. Everyone participated in the air guitar contest and tried to figure out Miley Cyrus' "Hoedown Throwdown." There was shouting and running and twisting and twirling, whispering in corners and new relationships made (yes, N, I'm talking about you...). But my very favorite part of the evening came with the last song. The DJ asked all the sixth graders to raise their hands and had everyone applaud them. This was their last elementary school dance. The music started playing and I was shocked to hear the opening of Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'." But I was surprised even more when the 50 or so sixth graders formed a huge circle, arms around each other, starting swaying and singing along to every word. Was this 2009? How do these 11 and 12 year olds all know the words to this song? It was the coolest thing...like some cheesy, unbelievable musical. They sang loudly, they smiled at each other and suddenly I was taken back to elementary school...thinking I was so grown up, thinking that everyone would always be friends, thinking that life couldn't get any sweeter. In that last moment I was right...I was on the line between innocence and adulthood. I'd never had my heart broken, I'd never had a sleepless night, I'd never worried about money or the future. Everything was the way it should be. I realized I was grinning like a fool watching these kids and I wanted to sing along with them. But it was their moment not mine and so I stood quietly by the wall, just watching. I'm just happy my bad luck night allowed me to catch a glimpse of them, shining and perfect for a time.

Looking Forward

It's Spring (as I've mentioned about 4,000 times now!) and once again our thoughts turn to wondering what's next. Back when Norfolk Southern merged with Conrail part of the agreement allowed certain retirement benefits to those Conrail employees that stayed with NS for 10 years. This summer marks that 10 year anniversary and means that we need to assume that more people will be retiring than normal. Maybe this means we'll be moving somewhere new this summer and once again this means we'll have no idea where until we get the call. Jeremy's current territory is the perfect place for new supervisors to start out and he feels ready to move on up in the system (and I think his bosses agree). The latest trainees will be ready to be placed soon so it all may just work out. Of course, with the current economy it's hard to say what will happen. Lots of people are choosing to hold off on retiring for a little while longer so we may be here another year. I'm just hoping that if they do choose to relocate us that they do it while school is out...I hate to have the kids switch schools in the middle of the year again. It's not as big of a deal for Olivia but Noah is getting to the age where, while still friendly with everyone, he is narrowing down his group of really close friends and that makes it harder to come into a class after school has started. I have to keep reminding him that he now has great friends in 3 cities that he can visit...not many kids can say they've made friends at 5 schools by the ripe old age of 10, right?

Anyway, my point is once again we don't know what's next. In some ways I've grown used to Athens and wouldn't mind staying here for another year. The kids love their activities and friends here. Jeremy and I are finally starting to find other couples to hang out with. We're settled and the town is cute (though so, so small). On the other hand, I'm always ready for the next adventure, the next house search, the next new town, the next opportunity. It's just the not knowing and the waiting that kills me :)

Love Thursday - Peonies

I never really paid any attention to peonies before until we moved into a house that has a driveway lined with them. They smell amazing and I love that they are huge and extravagent and almost gaudy.

Piano Recital

Today Noah had his first piano recital. He was a trooper...he wasn't thrilled about playing to a recital hall of people but he knew I'd been wanting to see him on stage playing a grand piano for awhile. So, he picked a song he enjoys playing (Cossack Ride) and he went for it. He knows this short piece forward and backward, inside, outside, upside down but when we arrived at the hall for the performances he told me he felt really nervous and that he couldn't remember the notes (he memorized the piece and brought no sheet music with him). I promised him that he only had to try his best and his fingers would remember what to do. He nervously walked onto the stage, hastily bowed, and played very, very fast but those little fingers remembered their notes and he finished with a Noah-esque flourish. I was a proud mom :) He's taking the summer off from piano and is talking about picking up trumpet in the fall so I don't know what will happen with the piano. At least I got this recital :)




When Olivia saw I'd posted the (bad quality) video of Noah she insisted I record her singing a song. Noah made sure to "pop up" to support her. So, here's some Miley Cyrus interpreted by my 5 year old :)

Love Thursday - A Classic

All right, I'll admit it...I didn't take any photos today. Things have been busier than normal the past few days. Jeremy got a call Tuesday evening that said he needed to be in West Virginia for awhile starting Wednesday morning and so, at least temporarily, I'm back to playing single mom. Things are hectic but good. In the last two days I've had the pleasure of hearing my son complimented for his great manners. Isn't it funny that you try to teach your children to become polite, observant, well spoken, nice people and once they get it you sometimes forget how amazing it is? After all, there are plenty of kids out there that wouldn't open a door for others without being asked. They wouldn't say excuse me before moving up to the glass at the zoo. They wouldn't tell their teammates, "Good game." or "Great try" without being reminded. I'm always grateful when someone reminds me how well behaved my kids are). And then Olivia had a boy from her class call tonight to ask if she'll be his girlfriend. She was so excited to tell me all the details. I only hope that her excitement to let me into her life and thoughts continues as she gets older. There is not much I enjoy more than snuggling up with her at bedtime after reading stories and singing songs to just chat for a minute.

So, Noah and Olivia have been keeping me happy but I haven't taken any photos. I'm behind on posts. I haven't even told you about the baby birds. I'll get to it. I promise! But for now, for Love Thursday, an instant You Tube classic and one of my favorite things...something else that always makes me smile.

Love Thursday - Home

It doesn't matter what kind of house we're living in. It doesn't matter the state or city or neighborhood. All that matters is who is with me. Home is my very favorite place to be.*

Welcome to Funkytown :) So, if we owned this house we'd totally be painting it (though the grey skies don't really allow the lime-greenness of the house to shine in the photo) but the fact that the shutters and beams and posts are made from trees that used to be in the backyard is very cool. The lavender lining the sidewalk is lovely in summer and fall. When you walk up to the house the smell of that mixed with the peonies is magic. The rhododendron to the right of the porch is where are cardinals hatched. I should mention that this house has a ton of windows. I love the light pouring into every room. Of course, this limits any privacy you might want to have. I don't like living in dark rooms and you can see, from this picture that even in the middle of the day, you can see right into the living room. Good thing the bathrooms are all on the back of the house :)

*It has been brought to my attention that I never post pics of the house. Partly that is because we don't own this house and I don't feel like we'll be here very long and partly because it's usually messy on the inside :) There will be more photos coming, though. Next week...my favorite part of this house...

Love Thursday - Soccer

Spring soccer is back!! Noah loves playing and I'm so glad he's getting a chance to get back on the field. We missed out on Fall soccer because of all the moving around we did so he was excited to be joining a new team. Noah scored the first goal of the season for his team on Tuesday in the pouring rain. It wasn't as dramatic tonight (just mud and clouds) but it was still fun. Go Bobcats!!

Spring Strikes Again

In the midst of allergy season, with my watery eyes and stuffy head, I've been loving the infinite shades of green that Ohio has given us. Maybe it's because the sky is so often gray here but the greens seem so much more intense than I remember. Or maybe it's because I was missing that color for so long this winter? Either way, it's beautiful. It seems like all the trees finally leafed out this week...even the oak in the front yard has tiny leaves covering it. The dogwoods are in bloom, the lilacs were a surprise I hadn't expected and we have peonies in white and yellow starting to show their giant flowers. The grass is high (again) and the dandelions are everywhere. The baby cardinals take up too much of my time. I just can't look away when their parents are feeding those hungry mouths. I'd take more pictures of them but the adults are very skittish and I worry about scaring them away for good. I need to get our garden planted this week and soccer is in full swing. It's been a lovely week so far and it's only Wednesday! I love Spring...the pollen filled, rainy day, erratic temperatures, chlorophylled joy of it all. I don't need to breathe freely anyway. I've always thought an unclogged head was highly overrated.

Bonus: Our bedroom has a lot of windows...french doors on one wall, 3 huge windows on another, and 3 small windows high on the wall over our bed. It's wonderful...lots of sunlight during the day and I can see the stars when I'm lying in bed at night. It's probably my favorite room in the house. It's just beautifully built and off in a corner of the house all by itself. Another thing I love about it? The Spring-y thing I love about it? A robin has built a nest in the corner of one of the windows over our bed. I watched her build the nest one rainy morning, slinging mud against the window, bringing grass up and turning it with her beak and body. It's a little weird to have her staring at you when you wake up in the morning but I'm excited to see her 4 eggs hatch within the next 2 weeks. And I love hearing her sing outside my window, sitting in the poplar tree close to the house.

Babies!

We came home from our weekend trip to Virginia to find these little cardinal hatchlings waiting for us. The kids instantly fell in love. Sure the birds are strange looking with closed up eyes and pink, featherless bodies but it didn't matter. The awe of having 3 baby birds pop their heads up and open their beaks after I started whistling made Noah and Olivia practically swoon. (And it made me look like "The Bird Whisperer" ;o)

Maybe I Should Call It Love Friday?

Because I can't seem to get with the program and get the pics up on Thursdays.

Anyway...the hairy beast needs a haircut (and a shave). I love that she looks like some sort of Yeti...a fuzzy ball of fur with polar bear feet...a shaggy, Beatles-esque version of a pup.

Here she's howling at me as I walk up the deck stairs. I'm not sure if it's because steep stairs still concern her and she wants to leave the deck (I'm dreading the day when she figures them out) or if it's because her fur is so long she can't see who is walking toward her...heehee :)

Love Thursday - Better Late Than Never

The problem with trying to start a new habit or project when your weeks are crazy busy is that you...um...tend to forget that you had wanted to start the habit or project in the first place. Oops!! So, without further excuses here's this week's overdue photo...

Pete is our oldest pet. I think we had been married only 6 or 7 months when we got him. We weren't really looking for a companion for our first cat (Moe...the cat that thought she was a dog. Smartest animal ever, I swear.) but we saw Petey in a pet store. A local owner had brought a litter in and the store was helping them get adopted out. My boss at the time had already claimed one of the kitties and when we saw Pete all alone in this huge cage we had to take him home. We named him Pete after Pete's Wicked Ale and because it's a joke that in my family all the men are named Pete (Seriously...my grandfather? His name is Eugene. Everyone calls him Pete. My Great Uncle on my mom's side? His name is John. Everyone calls him Pete. And there are several more examples. Big Pete, Little Pete, etc., etc).

Our Pete is getting older. He'll be 12 next month and he's very set in his ways. He doesn't like new situations or people (usually) or puppies (!) But, he's very sweet. Yes, he will lick your hand until you pet him in the middle of the night. Yes, he meows like crazy until you talk to him when you're in the bathroom. And yes, sometimes he eats too fast and throws it all right back up. But he's my baby and in some ways a reminder of who Jeremy and I were before kids (young and so, so naive!)



I love this picture of Pete looking as skeptical and as hopeful as I feel about this Ohio sunshine. Is it real? Is the sun really shining? Can I really come out on the deck? (Ok, that's his question, not mine but I do know how nice that late afternoon sun feels on your face...)

Another Reason Not To Mow The Grass

These grape hyacinths (?) have randomly started blooming in the yard without any seeming rhyme or reason...

Bird Watching

One of the things I thought I'd miss about our house in Ruckersville is the amount of wildlife we had the opportunity to watch right outside our back door. While the animals we see here are not very exotic they are closer up than I expected. The bird feeders I keep on the back deck keep me happily birdwatching during the day. However, the biggest joy has been watching the nesting season come in. While the birds feed in the backyard they seem to love nesting in the front yard. I'm guessing we'll have a bunch of little baby birds (fingers crossed) here in 2 weeks or so.

The pictures are terrible because I had to take them through the window and the days have been endlessly rainy but you'll get the idea.

On one side of the porch we have robins nesting. They built on top of last year's nest and it's a great big messy heap of grass and twigs. It's not pretty at all. I haven't been able to catch the parents on the nest because it's so high up. I can say that the Papa robin keeps a very close eye on his mate never going farther than the yard across the street.

On the other porch post a mourning dove has set up her nest. She also built on top of last year's nest. She coos throughout the day and although I have no particular love for doves I do love the sound of them especially on a rainy day.

We have a rhododendron in front of one of our windows by the front porch and a cardinal has built a nest there. She has 3 eggs and is constantly on her nest only leaving a couple times a day to grab some food. She seems to enjoy the blossoms on the apple trees which are less than 20 feet from her nest. The shrub is so close to our window that when looking through she's maybe 18 inches away. The kids and I can't wait until those eggs hatch!

Wish us luck that we'll have some bird babies at the end of the month :)

And Then There Were Two

Olivia finally wiggled that second loose tooth free at school...Yay!

Easter Weekend

I'm not sure where to begin. This weekend was just so chock full of perfect that it's hard to sort it into bite-size pieces. The kids invited Granny and Poppie to come up for a couple of days because their school was holding its annual "Grandparents Day." They drove the kids to school and spent 4 hours there with them. I was a little bummed to miss Noah's play ("Blame It on the Wolf" - Noah played Iggie the Piggie) and Olivia's grandparent-y songs but when I heard over 600 grandparents showed up and knowing how small the school is...wow...I'm not sure I could have sanely handled a crowd like that. The kids spent Friday night at a hotel with Granny and Poppie while Jeremy and I had a tiny date (shopping and coffee).

Saturday morning we got up bright and early to take a trip on the Hocking Valley Scenic Railway. This entirely volunteer run railroad has a depot in Logan County and hosts various trips throughout the year...including Fall foliage tours, Summer runs to Robin's Crossing (18th century reenactment village), a Polar Express ride at Christmas, and the Spring Easter trip. The train itself is really great...the engines are mostly old Army engines from World War II and the cars are restored passenger cars from the 20's. They refurbish them with comfortable seats and fresh paint for the passengers. There are even some open air cars which would be fantastic in summer and maybe even for the Fall tours. However, this April morning it was in the 40's and a little damp out from all the dew/melting frost so we chose a regular car with seats that faced each other where we could lean back, be warm, and chat while the scenery unfolded from outside our windows. On the way back the train stopped at a house which used to be an old schoolhouse for an Easter Egg Hunt. It was chaos and lasted about 2 minutes but the kids found plenty of eggs and even snagged a stuffed animal each (for finding "special" eggs).

Waiting for departure with basket in hand.

The sun rising over one of the refurbished cars.

Noah getting a train lesson (about coupled cars, I think).

Enjoying the scenery.

Noah thinking maybe no one will notice if he ducks under the "starting line"

Another egg!

After the ride, we spent the rest of the day in Logan - eating and shopping. We found some dusty treasures at an antique shop (including an old Dodgers pin for Jeremy and a wooden tulip for me that the kids are going to paint). We combed the corners of a craft mall filled with some pretty cool stuff made by local crafters (if you ever, ever, ever want anything that has anything to do with the Steelers, the Reds, or OSU this is your place. Sheesh!) There's also a glass outlet there where we searched for new glassware but found nada.

It was time for Granny and Poppie to head back to Virginia but we swung by to check out two guys that do custom carving with chainsaws on the side of the road. The carvings are actually really cool (they were working on a bear and a squirrel when we were there) and waaaaay cheaper than we expected. Hmm...surely I need a giant tree trunk carved into something, right? :)

This morning we woke up at the crack of dawn. The kids couldn't sleep any longer because they were excited to see if the Easter Bunny had visited. All I can say is that bunny is making finding eggs harder and harder as they get older. All four of us were wandering around trying to find the last few.


Jeremy had to leave this afternoon to head to Bluefield (I tried to convince him to just leave at 2 tomorrow morning to get there by 6am but somehow he didn't like this idea. Crazy!!). We decided to spend the day entirely on family things (except, of course, when he got called out to work for a few hours. Teenagers vandalizing train tracks hoping to derail trains. Nice.) We headed out to see the new Hannah Montana movie with my purse crammed with popcorn and Easter candy (what's more surprising...the fact that I snuck food in or that I carried a purse? :) The movie was cute and the music was surprisingly tolerable. I'm even gonna admit something...I teared up several times. The scene where Miley sings "Butterfly Fly Away" to her dad got me. It was one of those moments that every parent can relate to. The kids were snuggled up to us at a G movie and wanted nothing more than to spend the day with us. These moments aren't going to last forever and that makes me sad. I'm proud they're growing up and becoming independent but knowing that I don't have much longer to enjoy them sitting on my lap or wanting me to read bedtime stories or grabbing my hand in public just because they want to feel close to me makes me wish time could slow down for just a little while.

We got home and made our version of Easter dinner (which means we grilled :). Steak with fresh rosemary and garlic, grilled new potatoes and onions, asparagus sprayed with lemon juice, and buttery rolls. It wasn't ham or lamb but it was fresh and Spring like and lovely.

Jeremy headed out the door and the kids and I headed into the regular routine...straightening the kitchen, showers, laundry (made better by listening to Noah practice Scarborough Fair on the piano...I love that song), and making plans for the week. Sunday is over but, oh, it was such a good weekend.