The MB

Sean and Julian and I just returned from a week+ trip to Myrtle Beach for a family reunion.  We had a grand time. Here are some of the highlights.

Road trips! Now that we have our fancy car, we thought, let's DRIVE there!  Since Julian insists on stopping every once in a while to look at the scenery and get some postcards, we knew it would be a longer trip than the 12 hours it said it would be, but man alive! So much driving. And so much crap in the car.   Wow.  

Here's a map of our route:

View Larger Map

I drove us out of here and let me say again, NYC driving is madness. And guess what? I love it. It kind of turns me into a crazy lady. I get a wild look in my eye. I might start muttering under my breath or even throw out a swear, but it's all in good fun. 

Highlight:

Our GPS lady.  She's a bit severe, a little admonishing, and we owe her our very lives.  The brand is Garmin so we often refer to it as that, but at one point Sean was talking about Judy Garland and somehow GPS lady was named Judy Garmin.   So many jokes arose from Judy.   I'll try to recall and document them here the best I can:

We joked about how she admonishes you for making a mistake. Just the tone in her voice. "RECALCULATING."    So of course we add on to it in a robot lady voice-- "Recalculating. You idiot. Where did you learn to drive."     

Since the trip was many hours long broken into 2 days, we thought she should be a tour guide as well.

"On your left you will see the battleship North Carolina. What are you doing. Eyes on the road. you idiot. Recalculating." 

Sometimes she'd direct us in a way that was a little roundabout, and we could see a more direct way and take it. Then we imagined her reply.

"I... see you've found an alternate route.  I will allow it. Carry on."

or...

"What. You think you know more than I do, do you. Fine. Shutting down. Good luck. Idiots."  

or...

"Think you're so smart. Drive to highlighted route.  Drive 1,740 miles on I-64. Do what I say.  We'll see where you end up. Ha. Ha. Ha."

or...

"Oh. Yes. That is a better way. I...cannot compute. Processor overload. Beeeooooooooo..."  (<-- shutting down)

And then there were general jokes, like how after driving a 100-mile stretch without hearing from her she'd suddenly pipe in, "In .7 miles, take exit 13, on right" and how we felt like she was always there, listening to our conversation, creeping us out.  We thought sometime she was going to jump in about what we were talking about, "I disagree with you Sean. Iceland IS a part of Europe. Would you like to go there? Recalculating. Drive to highlighted route."

I'm reminded of an episode of The Office when Michael and Dwight use the GPS and follow it so religiously, they drive into a pond.   I'm pretty sure I would do that too.  "But she said! Judy said!"

I feel like the Judy jokes were nonstop but that's all I can remember of them.
Now, time for a Sean quote.

On the return trip, I drove us back into the city. It's funny how normal the driving and roads are until you get closer to the city. As if the city gives off this actual palpable energy, it's also manifest in the driving and bridges too. I guess it's just so many people condensing so quickly but you totally notice a difference.  And i guess this makes perfect sense and everyone reading this is like, duh, Jen. It's the city.  But still! It's just kind of weird to move into it. Like you've been driving in nice weather and all of a sudden you've entered a storm. It's weird.  Anyway, so there are more people cutting off, cars getting closer, more random driving. Roads and signs making less sense.  It's annoying and unnerving until you just adapt to it (and throw out some swears). Then it's fine.  And exhilarating, i'll say it again.  

Jen thinking thoughts, driving on some bridge, hands gripping wheel. Somewhat out of the blue, and a little maniacally, blurts:

"Let's move to Manhattan!!"

Sean: What? Shuduuuuup...

Jen: I just feel like--this energy!  It's so crazytown! and I think, why am i not in in the heart of it?!?

Sean: Wherever you are is the heart of crazytown.

 And then we started singing BINGO to entertain the baby, until skipping letters and trying to sing it the real way & drive was making my brain explode. 

Number of states we drove in: 7.  New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina.

Number of  capitals we drove in or near, or at least saw signs for: 5, maybe 6.  And also the capital of our NATION! woot.  For some reason i loved this.

Number of tolls paid on the way there: 5
Total amount paid in tolls (one way): $25.75
Total: Probably around $40'ish.

We played some more nerdy geography games.  Taking turns giving a country in separate continents.  I won Europe by holding onto Iceland until the end, which Sean disputed as not being part of Europe. What??   Anyway, then we went to country capitals.  Good fun.  Throughout the drive i just wanted to visit everywhere. "Let's just take this road and see where it goes!"  "I've never been this far south before!"   "Let's go to Mississippi!"

So, 3 cheers for the ocean. I just can't cheer enough. Every time I visit it I wonder why in the heavens do I not live closer to it? And then i remember I live on an island and I sit here and ponder on that. But still, this beach was great. So clean and sandy. The water was ridiculously warm. The waves beautiful, majestic. Smacked me in the back of the head so i face-planted several times.  Water up the nose. Ah yeah. That says it all.

Lazy River.  This resort had several pools and lazy rivers. Our suites were located adjacent to 2 lazy rivers so we visited these nightly and made up lame games which is what family reunions are all about, am I right. 

Julian loved and hated the beach.  He loved it in that he got to get dirty but hated it in that sand in the ol' eyes is the opposite of fun. Also, he had a cold this entire trip which SUCKS.  I think the beach is the last place i want to be when i have a cold. But he put up with it so well.   He enjoyed the pools and watching his cousins run circles around him.  In the end, he had probably the best tan of all of us.

South Carolina was a little different from other places of the country I've visited. I've seen mountainous areas, hot hot deserts with cacti,  lovely temperate climates with palm trees.  South Carolina had the palms but it was pretty green too.  Nice.  It had a bit of the southern feel but I'm not sure how much of it we got. I found it very odd that many people there had a southern accent. I'm not used to being in a place where the people all talk the same. How about that?   I was like, "what, you too?"

Mega-highlight:  All the Chik-fil-A's!!!!   (<--using that apostrophe at my own discretion) When I visit Utah, this is always on my list of must-dos.  In the old days when we'd visit Ohio, we'd sometimes have a layover in Cincinnati which also had a Chik-fil-a. Know how I know that? Because i love chick-fil-a and it was the one good thing about that Cincinnati airport.  Though it now makes perfect sense, never did I dream i'd come across so many Chick-fil-a's on our trip.  But we were heading south.  And from what i understand, the South loves the fried chicken.  As do i.     I think we stopped more than twice.

Jen: I can't do anything else until i get some nuggets. NUGGETS.

Judy Garmin:  What. Again. Why don't you just set the initial coordinates to every Chik-fil-A from here to Myrtle Beach. Forget it. I'm doing it for you. Recalculating.

We enjoyed our time with the family and seeing sights and swimming and choking on the salt water.  I'm arbitrarily putting up pictures of the trip on the other blog so that this post isn't quite as eternal.  Go check it out! 

Hey

So I'm currently in Myrtle Beach. I am not writing this now but in the past.  I feel like I've traveled through time.  Irregardless, it's a little thing called "schedule post date/time."  

This is our last huzzah before summer is over.  What will yours be? or, what was it?  

I always feel sort of sad at this time of year. Even though i've been out of school for eons, i still feel a pang when I see the "back to school" signs and a twinge in my gut at the school supplies aisle.  

What's your favorite school supply? Mine is pens, obviously.  And glue. 

What's the best thing you did this summer?  I got a car and a haircut.  Pretty sweet summer.

That's it for now. See you soon.

Dialogue in the Summatime

Jen: I think you should take the baby out in the rain. It's awesome.

a little later...

Jen: Is it bad to take a baby out in the rain?

Sean: Is it acid rain? will your baby dissolve?

Jen: No, it's clean rain.

Sean: I'm just trying to get the facts before I answer.

a little later...

Jen: What if your baby dissolved?

Sean: I thought you might lock onto that one. Right up the alley of your imagination.

a plea

How many more times in my life am I going to start untwisting the twist tie only to realize i'm twisting it the wrong way? Somebody tell me. I just want to know now. I'm tired of thinking this is totally the last time. 

Corticosteroids & Me

It seems to me that every 3rd person has to take anti-inflammatory medication for some kind of condition or another, for some certain or uncertain amount of time.   As one who's been, in my now opinion, wildly lucky in the health department, I have a greater understanding of things experienced by the less lucky, and a greater appreciation for my own luck.  

I've been sick in my life, sure.  I've never been hospitalized though. I went to the ER once to get some antibiotics for Strep because it was a Saturday and i thought i was going to die before Monday came, because I am a mega-wuss.    I've never wounded myself to necessitate stitches. I've never broken a bone.  I've never had some medical mystery which is probably the worst thing ever because whatever we contract/develop in this life, we want it to have a name, right?   On the other side of recovery, when the ailment has taken a turn and we're on the mend, I feel like we all have a moment of quiet reverence for our bodies. I do. We get so used to feeling fine that we forget those things that keep us that way, and we take them for granted. As Sean once said, "there's nothing like not being in pain."    

So when we're stricken, we enter a bit of a state of shock, i think.  "What..is...THIS?!? Body.. what are you DOING? Why are you not working?!?"    I can't understand it, because I have taken it for granted, and I've lived a life of good health, with working organs, strong muscles and bones, and a sound mind. Sound'ish.    So i hurt, I ache, and then I heal, and I am humbled.  In a whisper, I vow to my self, "i will never let that happen again. I will take such good care of you."   And then I slip into my life of mediocre activity and relative good-eating. (but that's just because my body & brain double team me, my body telling me it is unhappy when i eat too much crap, and my brain telling me I'll be unhappy when I gain 40 lbs)  I actually listen sometimes. But still, i'm pretty lackadaisical. 

Because it's chronic and thus a constant reminder, the first ailment i've endured that had even a remote effect of good health self-awareness was when I developed this bizarre rash on my hands several years ago.  It was itchy and red, and then got bigger and grosser, and my skin was a disaster, and I had to keep my hands clenched in a fist so as not to scare the children.  I got some medicines and topical steroids which helped to heal but not prevent and the terrible cycle continued many many times, for many months into a year or more before I found a doc who gave me the best tip of my life, which was this.    Exzema on the palms is a pittance compared to what others have to deal with, but it was my awakening to my mortality, that even I, I could break down a little.  And I developed a relationship with my hands, and i made another vow to never take them for granted, to take good care of them. Fortunately, because i consciously use them so often, I have remained true to this vow for the most part.   It lets me know when I'm getting lazy in keeping my end of the deal, and I apologize and do my best to right myself. 

I didn't get pregnant on purpose. It wasn't planned.  But i had gotten to the point where it seemed unnecessary to use birth control because my body had apparently decided on its own that babies were for suckers and who needs 'em (my body is wiser beyond its years).  I never got some hard evidence as to why it would come to this conclusion, but the fact that something didn't happen on my command was another wake up call for me, and provided me with something else to not take for granted.  Humility is a lesson often (always?) learned against our will or at least not of our own doing.  It's dichotomous for the word itself is so tranquil to me yet the means by which it greets us renders an image in my head of it shaking me vigorously by the shoulders saying, "helloooo! *smack, smack smack!* you thought what? well guess what? yeah! that's right."   Some of us get smacked around. Some of us get run over by the humility truck, which backs up and gets us again just because.  Some of us were casually walking along, minding our own business, when humility jumped out from the shadows, stole all our money, bludgeoned us to near-death, and left us in the gutter.    I'm grateful for these lessons. I think we all are, in the end.  Even to the point that they are precious.  But they're rough. 

Back to corticosteroids.  When I contracted a fetus, my body was a superhero and I had what i believe to be a comparatively easy pregnancy.  No sickness, a bit of discomfort here and there. I swelled to outstanding lengths but i didn't even get any stretch marks.  You may have read about my delivery or non-delivery as some might call it.  Getting some meds, taking a nap, pushing for a few minutes.  I had the tiniest bit of pain post-delivery and that was about it.   Due to my previous stay at Humility Boot Camp, I took nothing for granted, not one more successful doctor's visit, not one solitary heartbeat.  Every day i woke up feeling like i'd just witnessed a miracle and i was left grappling with attempts to understand how it could even be, how this happened to every other person, that i and so many others, had grown from a cell to a body that functioned and worked with hardly a scratch.   Oh how I cherish that bit of understanding. 

But let's back up.  Into the 3rd trimester I developed a spot. A small red spot. On my tummy. It itched.  It was weird.  Was it a bite? Oh well.  *scratch*  It kind of itched a lot.  I got a few more.  What the what? Seemed to be some kind of rash. I googled it and learned there are several pregnancy rashes and it's a somewhat common thing. I thought, well, something had to happen. This is annoying but oh well.  It moved to my legs and, you know... i feel like i know itchiness.  There are varying levels. Maybe i don't know the worst kind but this was pretty bad itchiness.   My hands kept me up at night, and this "pregnancy pox" as i called it, did too.  I slept nary a wink 2 nights before i birthed.  So many links i read on Dr. Online pointed to this rash being possibly  directed by the placenta.. as pregnancy is an immunosuppressant, my body was allergic to the fetus and wanted to react, but the placenta was like, oh no you don't.. go show yourself elsewhere.  So i got a rash. And they said it would probably clear up when i had the baby because there would be no reason to attack.   I expected this rash to simmer down and go away after i had the baby.  And none too late, for it had gotten pretty unbearable.

Not so. 

My rash was a different kind of rash, we later found out. Apparently 1 in 50,000 get it. High five!  I won't go into the details of the horrific days following the delivery of Julian man, but my body unleashed a Fury that made Hell whimper and scamper into the corner.  "Pregnancy Pox" was re-christened  "Satan's Footprint"  and he stomped the crap out of me.  The rash exploded its vengeance all over my body except for my face and palms (<-- exzema said, "oh no you don't, this is our territory!")  It was so freakish, i'd never have dreamt it could happen to a human had it not happened to me.  I'd just been a participant in the miracle of life, had experienced that utopia immediately proceeding the expulsion of a baby, where for one flashing moment God, the universe, science, and all reason for everything become the clearest of clear, accord in perfect harmony,  and I look down and see the opposite of that, stamped all over me, and growing before my eyes.   Evil is evil, and scary and gross. But evil that's alive and growing is worse.   To see it on your skin isn't something anyone would ever want, i don't think. 

I have pictures. To me, they are repulsive and humbling, a reminder of a very confusing time of my life, where my body was the grounds of a great battle of Good vs. Evil, much like getting sick and then recovery.  I have scars, physical and psychological.  Typing this is even a bit cathartic for me.  I was given corticosteroids and had to wait out the fight.  While learning how to care for an infant.  As i look back to that time I am conflicted. It was a happy time, a surreal time, and a horrific time, something I'd never want to remember, and never want to forget.  What do you do when two Great Events of an opposite nature take place at the same time? How does the good one not get associated with the bad and become permanently tarnished?  I don't know if it's possible, and as i type this, I'm wondering if i would even want it that way.  There have been a handful of times in my life where i've been given the gift of Opposition, two things juxtaposed right up together.  I believe-- I have to believe-- that the good can win, that a purpose of the bad is to make the good even better.   On the medication, my body slowly simmered down. But while my confused skin calmed, I experienced an array of extremely unpleasant side effects, particularly in my mental faculties.  I was medication crazy and also hormonal crazy.  I didn't know which was which, what was due to what. But at the same time i watched my body heal. Slowly I approached the other side of recovery, dragging myself out of the trenches and, crawling on my elbows in the mud, made it to the other side.  And as i look back, having these things happen at a time when I had a new baby, my first baby, when your heart breaks because it's never before experienced anything so good, made it so much sweeter. Right?  This has to happen, in the great battles of Good vs. Evil. 

Corticosteroids, i have learned, are their own conflict.  They're wonderful, and terrible, and hard, and almost miraculous in their healing powers.   I hate them, but i revere & appreciate them, the same as I do my rash.  It's still there, in my skin, and even typing about it brings back some itch.  But it's ok, because that, along with the visible scars, are my reminder of things to be thankful for, to not take my good health for granted.  And when I see the cause of it looking up at me and laughing and singing and dimpling its cheeks, I say, you are so good... you are so good.  You are better than just plain old good.  Julian will always be a miracle to me. I will always see him that way.  

As I approach the first anniversary of an important life moment, the season and smells are stirring up those memories and feelings afresh, the miraculous and the traumatic, simultaneously.  The summer is hot and humid and my skin remembers, but I remember too, the other side. The side of the miracle of a newborn babe. I'll take those awful feelings along with the tender ones that break my heart because those feelings win. They will always win.   And they'll win every summer when memories of that original battle are reenacted, and I will experience victory after victory after victory.  And that has to be a glorious thing. 

Happy birthday, Julian babe.

Pinata Pinata!

We've been working on a project for the past few weeks. 

What could this be??

A totally awesome TRICERATOPS PINATA! is what it is.  We missed an integral photo here but Sean constructed the horns and plate out of.. i don't know what.  It looks pretty great though. 

Now for the crepe paper.  I don't know how many bits of crepe paper i've cut in my life. I've never kept track, but if there was a contest, I am sure I would win.  You could say this was tedious, and you could also say i blazed through it in 2 days, and also that I'm awesome. 

And now it's finished! Hold it up!

We decided it was kind of a combo of a dinosaur and a warthog. Warthogasaurus? Hogceratops? Trihogatops? ha ha. good one.    This Trihogatops was for the birthday party for me Julian.  I he looooves pinatas.  Who doesn't?    However, where we decided to have the opening to fill with candy was a little odd.  I felt a little... uncomfortable filling it.

 

And here it is in action. 

It took a while to get it busted open so at the end, i was allowed to go at it without the blindfold.  I will say this: Taking a stick to a pinata is a fine way to celebrate the first year of having a baby. 

Here I am trying to be all delicate and whatever about hitting a pinata. 

 Then I got into it a bit more. I think you can see pieces flying.  Spraying candy over the crowd was the grand finale.

I will probably put more pics up about the party on the other blog, but I wanted to show you the greatness that is Sean, the Pinata-Maker.  

SMRT

You know you're tired when you can't remember the words to the alphabet song.  

Here's me while doing the dishes:

"...Q, R, X..."

and then I rolled right on through-- pretty sure i said: 

"...P, U, V... W, X... wait. Didn't I just say...?  Q, R, X... wait. Q, R, X..."    

and then I had to back up further because it felt wrong and I didn't know why. 

"H, I, J, K, LMNOP...Q, R, S...ah, there it is..."  

So sad.

a little bit about me

I want to live in a turret. It doesn't need to be part of a castle. I just want a turret.

another gourmet recipe

Need something fancy to bring to the party?

Wrap up chunks of chocolate in Pillsbury dough and make mini chocolate croissants, or "petits pains au chocolat"    (It's almost the same)

I heart the 80's

It strikes me how the decades reappear after some time.  I am speaking in terms of fashion and styles.  I guess we've either a) hit the peak of awesomeness or b) we can't think of anything else, so we have to recycle.

If you've done any clothing shopping this year, you've learned that the 80's are back in FULL FORCE.  Obviously I am ecstatic about this. (I am not being facetious)  I looove the 80's, and some things never went out of fashion for me.   For example:

Denim. I love denim. I always have. I particularly love denim overalls. I've continued to buy them despite ridicule and jeers from others and GUESS WHAT? They're back, and i couldn't be happier.   It's funny too because last year i was totally ahead of the game. I searched high and low for denim shoes and could find hardly a scrap of anything.  This year? Oh yeah, they're everywhere.   I totally had denim sneaks in elementary school, for the record, and they were so cool. 

Know what else is back? Harem pants, i've come to learn is their name. Aka "MC Hammer Pants" as a friend mockingly said. Well guess what, in your face! Because they're all over, and super cool.

I just bought pants similar to these.   Love 'em.

Also something that's back? Jumpsuits! Rompers!  I loooooved these as a kid! I had the cutest--UMMM,  i'm pretty sure it was denim(!)-- romper and i wore it to smithereens. It had a belt too.  Ohhh it's all coming back.  Closing eyes...*bask, bask, bask*

Ok, so obviously when I saw this at Uniqlo i had to get it: 

I was totally that kid, that wore a favorite outfit to death until it's just gross and "stood up by itself" as my brothers used to tease (bite me!)  Well, i'm still that kid, and proud of her. I told a friend that this romper thing is the kind of thing I would wear every single day. And now, I have to make sure not to, and i'm so careful that i hardly even wear it. Because seriously, it would be worn out before the week's summer's over.

What else is back? Tying your shirt in a knot if it's too flowy. Oh yeah. Totally did it the other day, not even thinking about it. I feel like it was just an instinct, an instinct that's come back with the style. It's just there. Too bad I didn't have any of these, because then the look would have been complete.

I'm also loving those oversized shirts.  And the leggings.  Especially leggings that look like denim, which i'm not sure existed back in the day, and is a genius concoction.

Tie dye? Yes.  Have a tie-dyed shirt.

One thing i can't get behind, and never could, is the stone wash jeans.  No, no no.  Few things in this world are uglier.   Sorry, A.C.  (as in Slater)

 I don't know, though. If anyone could bring back a style trend, it would be AC.   

Tell me what you love about the 80's, and if you don't, a curse be upon you and your family.

thought

Maybe it's time to buy some baby toys when you start wiping down the empty pasta box you've given to your baby to play with.

I said maybe.