Vomit

that's sort of the word on my mind right now. ate too much, would like to....

ahem!

anyway!

This is going to be quick, because I have to haul the kids to bed and then maybe go to bed myself. Feeling very thirsty right now...

uh... Nothing much, just checking in. Let's see... hmm.. OH! Maggie had the last two of the shots she'll need, and tomorrow she is registered for Kindergarten! Can you believe that? How time flies.

Today we played 21 questions. I picked a person. Maggie worked her way through a series of questions until she was stuck. "So list out what you already know from the questions you asked..."

"okay... well... It's a person, with brown skin, who lives in a house...it has a vagina..."

"What are you if you have a vagina?" I asked.

"A girl!" she said. then, "Oh!!!! I know I know I know!!! Michelle Obama!"

"yep." I said. we laughed.

There is lots of talk about the graduation ceremony that takes place apparently... I've heard about Irish step dancing, I've witnessed painstaking sign language choreography, there is the Pledge of Allegiance, recited "Nice and proud" as Maggie says, clasping her hands behind her back. It sounds unbearably cute. She wants me to wear the dress I wore at The Vagina Monologues.

I think if you are within traveling distance of my us, you ought to consider coming along to see it in person. We'll video it and put it out on the internet of course, I'm just saying if you can be here in person, I think you'll be glad you were... Hit me up on my Facebook if you want me to let you know when the graduation is, it just might melt that stone cold heart of yours...

Stuff from Ann

My mom is all settled in at her new apartment! I am so happy for her! It sounds like the other ladies in the building were super welcoming, and she is off on a new adventure. You can read all about it here at her blog, Stuff from Ann.

My mom has been keeping a blog for a couple years now, right mom? it's good stuff, and she offers an interesting perspective on life. Check it out!

Yay Mom!

Memorial Blog Clouds

oh boy.

I spent some time yesterday going over my dad's blog, having wanted to re-read a poem I'd posted there some time ago. *gulp* got all choked up, but in a good way.

I heartily recommend a memorial blog when somebody great dies. It is a good way to put something out there in the world that is a little cloud of memory and photos and stories - like a time machine you can hop back and revisit... A very visceral experience if you happened to know the guy.

And if you didn't know him, well, my dad was pretty awesome. And we really loved him.


And we took good care of him. And it happens, losing people you care about. There's no way around it.

But, I'll tell you.

It's nice to be able to take a second between projects at work and spend a few minutes reading about that special time for our family when we helped Dad do his work.



Things that I am Thankful for (mom)
A Personal Heaven (dian)
Pool Halls in Heaven BEWARE! (steve)
Nurse Fritz (me)

In order to get Maggie registered for kindergarten, she needs to have a physical, with shots!

Her appointment is tomorrow. Jeff is going to take her. I called him up and confessed my anxiety about her getting a shot in the thigh, and how I'll never forget the look on Henry's face when it happened to him.

He'd been so brave and trusting, letting me and his dad talk in front of him about the possibility of a shot, but never speaking about it himself. And then when the nurse jabbed him in the thigh, it was like you could see a piece of his childhood being snatched from him! He aged!

I couldn't bear to live through that with Maggie, was getting stomach aches from the very idea! Me nervousing alongside her would not help matters!

"So you'd like to put that on me." He said.

"Yes."

"Okay."

phew!

Tuesday evening

OMG you guys, I'm finally going to see Dave Matthews!



With Willie Nelson!



At Fenway!

woot woot woot. Do you see me standing over there, next to me? That is because I am beside myself with anticipation! It's going to be me and Jeff and Lanie and Cassidy!!! My new girlfriend Sharon (VFF- vagina friends forever!) and a friend of hers bought the two seats next to us and we are going going gone!

Saturday, May 30. Jeff and Cassidy and Lanie will have just returned from a college sight seeing trip down to Washington D.C.. I need to find a situation for both kids to sleep overnight. There's plenty of time...plenty of time.

My coworker Donna hooked me up with the tickets, onaccounta she's a Red Sox season ticket holder type of person. Donna - I will never mock your devotion to the Red Sox again! You keep rocking the jersey and the hoodie and the jersey hoodie and the little baseball shaped earings and you fly that pennant - go get 'em girl!

Oh my goodness, I remember the first Dave Matthews song I ever heard. 'What Would You Say'. Whitefish, Montana. Jeff and I had arrived at a party and I heard it playing good and loud on the stereo. I was like, damn! Who is THAT?

But I didn't really get to know him until we started hanging out with a group of other young families and one of the guys loves him and would play him good and loud off their back deck. Pouring the 'ritas and rocking out to 'Dancing Nancies' or 'Tripping Billies', telling tales of top notch concerts and other related good times. That's when I knew I had to see this guy for myself.

And Jocelyn, you can correct me if I'm wrong, but I think I'm right when I say that it was ME who turned YOU on to Dave. And yet it was YOU and BROOKE who got to see him in concert first! And you lucky gals saw him at the Gorge in George:


And they called me during my favorite part of "When the World Ends" and sent me a sticker in the mail for my van (which I promptly lost -sorry gals!). So I was there in spirit.

Now it's my turn!

Cassidy sings with her oo-koo-lay-lay

Maggie and Nora and NightNight

Your Weekly Address

March 7, 2009

Shame!

(At not posting in so long.)

That's all I have to say about that.

So much has transpired since I last wrote! Our daughter is now 5 years old. (Five.) Jeff and the kids went and had a great week visiting Grammi and Papa in Arizona. During this time, I went to Seattle for five fun filled days. And last night was the first of two performances of a local production of "The Vagina Monologues" that I am in!

My trip to Seattle was so great, I can't begin to tell you. As soon as I landed, Dian and Jocelyn picked me up:



And we sped off to the casino. I lost, but had a great time. I was just happy to be tagging along, bringing up the rear:


At one point I was up about five dollars, but promptly lost it. Marcia and Dian stayed overnight at Jocelyn's, and Marcia made us a delicious breakfast:


And then there was a little bit of beautifying going on, sorry girls:



And then several of us went to the thrift store, where I found a great fleece for $5. Yay!

And I got to see my mom's new apartment!!!!! The pictures of her new place are on my other camera, and I need to find the cord for transferring the pics over. But trust me when I tell you that Mom's new place is such an immense improvement over her current location, I couldn't get over it. There's a park, a river nearby, a wonderfully warm and welcoming lobby and common area. I am very, very happy for her.

Her actual apartment is pretty small, but perfectly acceptable. I think of it like a cabin on a cruise ship, or a giant apartment in Tokyo. You know? If you were living in Manhattan, for example, her new place would be huge. Ship shape.

We all had a great time while I was there. Delicious food, Guitar Hero, laughing, reality magazines, shopping with Brooke, more laughing. And I even got to meet the latest member of the family, baby Layla:


Layla belongs to my nephew Scott and his wife Leanna. And I met my brother Steve's new gal pal, and got to get to know Leanna better - it was terrific! There was a big snow storm the day before I flew home, and the long term parking situation I used even dug my van out of the snow for me! I had a wonderful time. Just love my family to pieces!!!!

This week has been so busy. The kind of busy where you come home for lunch because that's the best chance to finally run the vacuum before family arrives for the weekend. And making Henry stay up late to finish his homework because I absolutely had to run out and try to find something suitable to wear for the performance this weekend. I'm not complaining, as I sit here enjoying a relaxing Saturday with my family (including the gals from Maine!) I am inclined to stop here, and go laugh with Lanie about whatever. Because I can either write about life, or live life.

AND I WANT TO LIVE!!!!!!