I’m back, I’m exhausted.
I’m exhausted about being back.
The house smells worse then ever. There’s been no one cooking or cleaning in it for a month. It smells like the dank, moldy, musty rental house we first walked in a year ago.
School is starting in 4 days. I want to spring clean this house within that time BUT my Grandparents are moving in to the area and I need to help them move tomorrow.
I have committed to watch some children this school year in trade for music lessons and swapping my two youngest so I can go volunteer at my sons school once a week.
I’m participating in a Mother Goose preschool, which involves 6 of us moms take a week teaching our 3 year old’s preschool curriculum.
Structure scares me stiff.
I don’t know how I’m going to hold to a schedule. I’m Mrs. Anti-SCHEDULE!
I need a make-over. How am I going to straighten out my life so that my house will be clean for these weekly visitors, for the kids I’m babysitting, for the preschoolers I’m teaching. How will I have enough energy for everything? How do you moms of multi-age children handle all the different schedules you have to accommodate? But I don’t want to know everything right away…I need to be broken in slowly…
AAAAAAAaaaaaahhhhh!
Yes I’m still here. My husband has made it back safely, and we are SO happy to be a family again.
I miss my blogging time and will resume normal posting after we wrap up this vacation with a little 3 day camping trip.
Pictures will be posted, anecdotes will be written. School will start. A schedule may resume be constructed. I don’t want a repeat of last years Kindergarten fiasco.
So class, what did you do this summer? What was your favorite story of the summer? I realize we all can’t get away. But tell me you at least neglected your housework and ate take-out for a four day span?
Oh, it’s REAL…and it happens to all of us that are wrapped up in the semi-real drama and magic that is reality TV.
It happened to me last night. Adrenaline was pumping as I settled down with some girlfriends to watch the series finale of So You Think You Can Dance!
It was all the magic my crowd hoped for…each of us had our favorite dances of the season, they were all numbers that were picked by various judges to be performed again on that final night.
One by one the final four contestants were cut during this 2 hour episode. With each cut I felt more nervous for my little champion. A girl named Sabra. She is lovely and humble and extremely talented. Everything I could want in a dance hero.
So after all the teasers and anticipation it came down to her, and another amazing talent named Danny. Danny is technical perfection. He is tall and gorgeous and possesses the ability to move in a way that is unearthly. I just couldn’t help rooting for Sabra. There were qualities about her that went beyond dance. I hoped but couldn’t quite imagine her winning over Danny.
My possee felt the same way.
When the host announced the winner at first I wasn’t sure I heard right. But then cheers erupted all around me, and I joined in. You would have thought she was a family member. Amidst the hugs and gasps and cheers my friend yelled out “I’m so bored now!”
It hit me at that moment and I realized what she was saying. What do we do now? We have invested our summer’s emotion on these people. They have been in our living rooms two nights a week for the past 4 months. And that was it? What…there’s no “follow up” show, no recap? NOTHING. I won’t see them again. I’ll have to wait till next season to even see if they let me in on what’s happened to any of my dancers.
I ‘ve come down off my little reality mania and now I’m depressed. I want more! I want to see what’s next for everyone! But there’s nothing there. This may be the new mental illness of our century.
I think I’m going to need therapy.
I am by nature nocturnal.
There is a certain peace and clarity I feel when the sun goes down and everyone else goes to bed. I lay here in the very room my husband grew up in…staring at the glow-in-the-dark stars on his popcorn ceiling. The window is open, the crickets are chirping. Their song is trying to compete with the hum of my baby-monitor. Ideas, concerns, memories, all flowing around in my head like an obscure independent film.
I enjoy this time of solitude and reflection.
8 more days…
I remember the first time I saw this room…I was 23, he was 22. He introduced me to his parents and asked if I wanted to come upstairs. It was all very odd to me. He WAS 22 and still living with his parents. He asked me to come upstairs to his room in front of them. That would never fly if I was living at home.
He played his Jackson 5 record for me…I sat on his fold out bed. His room was of course, a mess. I think there were Tarzan pillowcases on his bed.
That night we went on our first date…Loose Change premiered at a club down in Newport Beach. He had connections and got us in for free. I met Lisa Anderson while we were there. As if that wasn’t enough we went on to a local battle-of-the-bands where our friend was competing with his group “Tang.” Those were the days.
It was such a fun, relaxing date…until we said good night at the door. I was so nervous that’d he’d ruin the night by trying to kiss me. So I gave him a “long hug.” He interpreted my “long hug” as “she wants a kiss.” So he tried.
He was denied. Of course. What kind of girl do you think I am.
All turned out right because 7 years later here I am staring at the stars he put on his ceiling so many years ago.
8 more days!
The first week down here was a little rough, to say the least. We were sunburned, missing Daddy, Grandpa went to the hospital and Grandma, of course, went with him. My best friends were on vacation. It was just mom and kidlets. Not so much fun.
To illustrate…here are my children
If you are wondering what they are up to sitting in this sad little gutter by the road…
That’s right folks. We are having a SNAIL RACE! Very exciting.
Things have become progressively better as the weeks wear on. Friends came back from vacation. Grandpa and Grandma are home from the hospital and Grandpa’s in good health now.
This is how we’re rolling now…
YEAH BABY!
Oh my little man…
What am I going to do with you?
Since you were born you’ve known just how to get to my heart…and you know just how to break it…
you are the child that makes me question my ability to parent.
Today you did it again…I believe you were trying to give your poor mother a heart attack. Again and again you would walk into the pool. Refusing to hold my hand. Wanting to play “ring around the roses” by yourself and when you came to the “all fall down” part…you would dunk yourself under with no knowledge of how to get back up.
You did this FOUR TIMES. Each time I would yank you back to the surface. Each time you would cough up water and cling to me. Each time you would insist on getting back down, out of my arms, back into in harms way.
I love you so much my little man. I hope we both survive this trip.
SoCal culture is very unique…but the biggest difference I’ve noticed since being back is the driving. So to help any future visitors that choose to brave the freeways, here are a few tips you need to know…
1.) Drive AT LEAST 10 mph over the speed limit. This is normal. This is what is considered polite and correct in this part of the
coutry. ESPECIALLY on the freeways. Do Not go under 75 mph. If I sound redundant it is because I believe this rule to be very
important.
2.) Do not use your blinker on the freeway. If you do you will never get to change lanes. When other drivers see your turn signal
they must assume that you want them to speed up and pass you by. Instead of your turn signal, all you need do is step on the
gas and cut in front of the least suspecting vehicle in your sights. I’m sure you will find this effective. I have.
3.) When traveling on residential streets if you find yourself coming upon a yellow light, in SoCal this does not mean “proceed with
caution” instead it signals a need to speed up and make it through the light before it turns red. There may be at least three cars
behind you that will be trying to rush through and if you stop you could be seriously rear-ended. If you happen to catch the first
part of the red…not to worry. SoCal drivers are conditioned to wait a few seconds after they get a green light.
4.) If you get lost and find yourself in the neighborhoods of WATTS or COMPTON please find a safe place to turn around and FLEE.
Find the freeway again and friendlier neighborhoods such as Brentwood of Beverly Hills. When in doubt head west…or any town
with the word Hills is usually a safe bet.
5.) Good luck, you’re going to need it.
DISCLAIMER: if anyone uses said suggestions, and any bad befalls them in the form of accidents, tickets, or road rage, the author of this blog cannot be held liable. These are merely tips and suggestions the heretofor author has found helpful in her manuvering about the California Countryside.
15 days left…
Heather kindly reminded me that I am not a military wife, and also that I need to wear deodorant. As for the first suggestion…thank you for sobering reminder. I don’t think I have the stamina of the brave men and women with spouses that go through those extended periods of leave. I think that takes a special kind of person. I’ve openly admitted I’m a wimp. Therefore I am not one of them.
As for the deodorant…believe me, I’m trying. The last thing I need right now is to get sick of myself. I’m all I’ve got! In fact, I need to start treating me better! I’ve discovered what a great date I am for myself. Tuesday night I dropped by the local video store and rented myself 5 movies! I didn’t even complain that they were all chick flicks. When I wanted to stay up a little later than usual and watch all the extras on the DVD, and then play the movie back with commentary, I even stayed awake to keep myself company!
I’ve decided this is the perfect time to rent those movies that Mr.Good would appreciate me watching WITHOUT him. You women know what I’m saying. So here’s what I’m watching..
Step Up…yes I know this came out ages ago, but I could NOT bring myself to waste a date night on this one…I watched it through once, ready to hate it, ready to spot the stunt doubles dancing for the actors. The acting wasn’t award winning, but it was pleasant to watch, and when I watched all the extras on the DVD and how they choreographed it and that the dancers were really dancing, I was much more impressed. To be honest. I think I’m going to buy this movie. There are certain parts that I could watch a hundred times. I’m kind of a sucker for dancing movies. Loved it. I think I’ll watch it again before returning it.
The Perfect Man…this is a Hillary Duff movie. You can guess that this is sorely admitted by me. I’m a sucker for Hillary Duff! She’s a cute and seemingly sweet enough young lady, and I did not regret renting this movie. It was simple, predictable, and everyone is happy in the end. Sometimes that’s just what I need. I wouldn’t buy this one though. It’s only good for a one time viewing.
I’m seriously thinking of viewing a movie a night until Mr.Good flies back to rescue me…anymore suggestions? I have three more that I’m going to watch before I return to the video store.
17 days…17 days and counting…
WHAT THE FLUFFY PUPPY IN A CHILD’S LUVIN ARMS WAS I THINKING?!!!
Last night as we lay in bed Mr.Good and I realized what a terrible idea it was to seperate our family for this long. 17 days. We haven’t been apart for that amount of time since my first born was 7 months old.
I know what I was thinking at the time, that it would be fine because we would be immersed in summertime activities, surrounded by friends and family, the kidlets wouldn’t even noticed Daddy’s absense. I certainly wouldn’t notice his absense…And it would be so nice for him? Right? He could get SO much accomplished. He wouldn’t have to be home from his self-owned and opperated business. He’s been mentioning lately that there never seems enough time in the day for family AND work. This was going to be such a WIN/WIN situation.
And then last night we didn’t want it to happen.
“Let’s just forget this whole thing and drive home together tomorrow?” I asked.
He just laughed.
“Let’s just NOT ever do this again.” he said.
So he left. He’s gone. I think he may even have landed by now. Funny how a 20 hour drive turns into a 2 1/2 plane trip.
And here I sit, in an empty house, not really wanting to return to my in-laws. I feel more lonely there without him.
I’m sure it will turn out right, I’m sure that we will have a great time…but I’m needy. I’ll admit it. I love having a husband that comes home at a decent hour everyday.
But I digress. As a sit here I notice that I forgot to use deodorant and that is not admissable in the balmy weather.
Continue Reading »
I am broadcasting to you live at an undisclosed location in Huntington Beach.
We’ve made it here safely…I forgot the peanut butter and honey sandwiches I so painstakingly made at 11:30 last night but I hope that’s the only item I’ve forgotten?
I will not, I repeat, NOT be blogging from my in-laws home. I am lucky to be able to hide out at a dear friend’s to preform this task.
I love my in-laws, don’t get me wrong…but we lived with them for 3 years, 6 months, 8 days and 5 hours…they’ve learned things about me no in-laws ever should, and I like keeping some parts of my life private from them. For this reason, and the fact that they’re computer is an eyesore…I blog from this secret location.
So while my friend is out of town and graciously letting me use her home and office…here is the note I found taped to her computer, which I will document for legal purposes…
Eve,
Enjoy, borrow, or abuse what-ever you choose: boogie boards, surfboards, bikes, food - make yourselves at home 
-Just water my garden every otherday & the grape vine too!
Love ya!
Red
PS eat the grapes in the fridge
It was almost exactly a year ago that I took the last walk away from my friend Red’s house. Her children were jumping on the trampoline screaming their good-bye’s and trying to catch a last glimpse of my family and I, as we crossed the bridge and loaded up the moving van to drive away. I get a little weepy remembering that day.
I was thinking how lucky we were to meet a family like her’s and that we would never again form such bonds…
They are special and there is no other family like them, but I have also realized that there are kindred spirits hidden all over this world if you are willing to look for them. I’ve found some gems hidden in my new little neck of the woods.
Don’t worry Red,
we’ll eat the grapes, we’ve found the hidden stash of m&m’s and we’ll take those off your hands too. My husband is currently in the garage checking out Pablo’s quiver of surfboards and might I say, he is well endowed in that area. Spoiled even. We miss your family and can’t wait till you get back. In the meantime, I’ll water the garden (though I can’t gaurantee stellar results, I tend to hurt plants) and as far as making ourselves at home? Well…the kids have taken care of that.
Don’t you worry, I’ll make sure and clean up before you get back!
Love Eve
Good Enough
