Instructions
The wife and I are going on another trip, this one to Napa Valley, for the wedding of her good friend, Stacy. My sister and her family were coming to Utah for a family reunion, so they're going to stay at our house and watch the kids while we're gone.
Tonight I sat down and started writing a list of instructions. We aren't going to have much of an overlap before we have to leave, that's why I'm writing them. Normally you just say what you've got to say, but I tend to be a worrier. I worry about every little aspect, everything that could happen. Not from a safety standpoint though, no, my worries are more practical, like 'will they be able to figure out the three-pronged approach to using the tv remote'? My parents have been visiting us for years, and they still don't get the remote. I've been using it for years and I don't fully understand the ins and outs myself. My wife is the only one that knows its mysteries. She programmed the damned mysteries into that hunk of plastic...it responds to her like the One Ring responds to Sauron. Luckily my sister has two teenage girls, so I have no doubt they will have that shit figured out in the first 10 minutes.
I also wrote a little bio for each of the neighbors. One of our friendlies is one of those guys that will corner you and talk for an hour, like he did today, when we got home from grocery shopping. While my milk curdled and my eggs hatched in the trunk of the car, he went from global warming to the Roman Empire to the diaspora and everything in between. It was 100 degrees out today as he told me all this. All I wanted to do was tell him my sister would be staying here. I finally just had to start walking slowly into the house to get away. I didn't mention the old biddy across the way with the wig that watches the cul de sac through her curtains. She took down the license plate number of the moving truck on the day we moved in. I don't know what she thought she might do with it, run it through the TSA's secret moving truck license plate database? Sometimes if I get up early enough in the morning, I can catch her pulling weeds in front of my house. True story, that. Now I make a big show of it each time I pull weeds in the garden, so she can see that I really am trying.
I guess I should leave the address for the liquor store, that's probably number one.
Tonight I sat down and started writing a list of instructions. We aren't going to have much of an overlap before we have to leave, that's why I'm writing them. Normally you just say what you've got to say, but I tend to be a worrier. I worry about every little aspect, everything that could happen. Not from a safety standpoint though, no, my worries are more practical, like 'will they be able to figure out the three-pronged approach to using the tv remote'? My parents have been visiting us for years, and they still don't get the remote. I've been using it for years and I don't fully understand the ins and outs myself. My wife is the only one that knows its mysteries. She programmed the damned mysteries into that hunk of plastic...it responds to her like the One Ring responds to Sauron. Luckily my sister has two teenage girls, so I have no doubt they will have that shit figured out in the first 10 minutes.
I also wrote a little bio for each of the neighbors. One of our friendlies is one of those guys that will corner you and talk for an hour, like he did today, when we got home from grocery shopping. While my milk curdled and my eggs hatched in the trunk of the car, he went from global warming to the Roman Empire to the diaspora and everything in between. It was 100 degrees out today as he told me all this. All I wanted to do was tell him my sister would be staying here. I finally just had to start walking slowly into the house to get away. I didn't mention the old biddy across the way with the wig that watches the cul de sac through her curtains. She took down the license plate number of the moving truck on the day we moved in. I don't know what she thought she might do with it, run it through the TSA's secret moving truck license plate database? Sometimes if I get up early enough in the morning, I can catch her pulling weeds in front of my house. True story, that. Now I make a big show of it each time I pull weeds in the garden, so she can see that I really am trying.
I guess I should leave the address for the liquor store, that's probably number one.
Life's a Zoo
We had a good weekend. I don't think the wife wanted to be dragged to the zoo on a hot summer's day, but we ended up having a good time. We had to park about 5 blocks away, it was so crowded. As we got out of the car, the kids pointed to a couple deer in the front yard of a house near the street. We told them they were just ceramic deer in the garden, but as we got out of the car we realized they were real. I wanted to tell the zoo that they lost some animals, but the my lovely hausfrau was having none of that. I told the kids that was the zoo, the two deer, but they didn't believe me either. I'm losing my edge.
On Saturday, Noah took his test for his first belt promotion in karate, from white belt to dragon belt. It's not an official belt, the dragon belt, but they do it at his school. He was so good during his test, and in his enthusiasm, he ended up kicking his instructor, Mr. K., in the nuts a couple of times. I do hope they wear cups, those sensei. He was so excited to get it, and it was a proud moment, watching him perform the techniques he's been learning the past few months, not to mention watching his progress socially at the same time. He used to be extremely shy around new kids, but in karate he does a great job of jumping in and interacting with the other boys. I don't know if he'll keep at it for a long time or not, but for now he seems to enjoy it immensely.
On Saturday, Noah took his test for his first belt promotion in karate, from white belt to dragon belt. It's not an official belt, the dragon belt, but they do it at his school. He was so good during his test, and in his enthusiasm, he ended up kicking his instructor, Mr. K., in the nuts a couple of times. I do hope they wear cups, those sensei. He was so excited to get it, and it was a proud moment, watching him perform the techniques he's been learning the past few months, not to mention watching his progress socially at the same time. He used to be extremely shy around new kids, but in karate he does a great job of jumping in and interacting with the other boys. I don't know if he'll keep at it for a long time or not, but for now he seems to enjoy it immensely.
Weekend Photos
Range Life
Some days feel like a dream. Not a good dream, either.
This morning the kids woke up just after 7. My wife left early for work, and as the garage door went down, they both woke up. I don't know why every house we live in has the kids' bedrooms right above the garage door. I knew we should have rented the house with the whisper quiet garage door. That was a thing of beauty.
Lexi learned how to tell time this past year, and Noah has the basics down. So why can't either of them figure out that Daddy doesn't like to be awakened before 8:30? Every morning is like the movie "Groundhog's Day", in that I tell them to leave me alone and let me sleep, but the next day starts off exactly the same as the day before.
What have we done today?
-Woke up
-Breakfast
-Noah: played Batman 2
-Lexi: watched shows about Barbie on the computer
-Me: emptied dishwasher
-Went to park
-Got Slurpees
-Made lunch
It looks more impressive when you give each task its own separate line.
This morning the kids woke up just after 7. My wife left early for work, and as the garage door went down, they both woke up. I don't know why every house we live in has the kids' bedrooms right above the garage door. I knew we should have rented the house with the whisper quiet garage door. That was a thing of beauty.
Lexi learned how to tell time this past year, and Noah has the basics down. So why can't either of them figure out that Daddy doesn't like to be awakened before 8:30? Every morning is like the movie "Groundhog's Day", in that I tell them to leave me alone and let me sleep, but the next day starts off exactly the same as the day before.
What have we done today?
-Woke up
-Breakfast
-Noah: played Batman 2
-Lexi: watched shows about Barbie on the computer
-Me: emptied dishwasher
-Went to park
-Got Slurpees
-Made lunch
It looks more impressive when you give each task its own separate line.
A bunch of pics from vacation. I have many more.
We're baaaacccckkkk!
We are home from our 10 day vacation to Michigan. I didn't get much of a chance to write while I was there, and I'm trying to sort out all the pictures that we took and get some thoughts together. I'll try and get some posted soon.
Needless to say, we had a wonderful time on our trip. Even though I've been staying home for close to a year now, it never feels like I'm exactly free in the same way that you do when you're in another state, enjoying the hospitality of friends and family. The weather was excellent, the company was pleasant by all accounts, and the food was sometimes hit-or-miss, but overall I have no complaints. The best was the traveling with the kids, they were almost perfect, especially for being cooped up in a car for a couple hours, then 4 hours in the plane and the airports and more. I even managed to get through it all with a minimum of hair-pulling (my own hair, not anybody else's).
Next up, my sister and her family visiting in a couple weeks, another wedding, this time in Napa Valley, and a family reunion at the end of the month. We're also pondering a quick trip with the kids and I to see my parents in Washington, but that one is still up in the air.
P.S. Sorry if you couldn't see this one your phone. On mine, I can only see new posts if they have a title. This one now has a title.
Needless to say, we had a wonderful time on our trip. Even though I've been staying home for close to a year now, it never feels like I'm exactly free in the same way that you do when you're in another state, enjoying the hospitality of friends and family. The weather was excellent, the company was pleasant by all accounts, and the food was sometimes hit-or-miss, but overall I have no complaints. The best was the traveling with the kids, they were almost perfect, especially for being cooped up in a car for a couple hours, then 4 hours in the plane and the airports and more. I even managed to get through it all with a minimum of hair-pulling (my own hair, not anybody else's).
Next up, my sister and her family visiting in a couple weeks, another wedding, this time in Napa Valley, and a family reunion at the end of the month. We're also pondering a quick trip with the kids and I to see my parents in Washington, but that one is still up in the air.
P.S. Sorry if you couldn't see this one your phone. On mine, I can only see new posts if they have a title. This one now has a title.