(Not Very Good) Ode To My Weekend

Took Leah to the museum, she was quite naughty,

Went into the gift shop, a keychain's what I boughty.

Who knew it would take a fossil, just to make you docile?



Hung out with friends from college, food and drink I did dole,

lots of kids jumping off the coffee table; thank god for birth control.

Now it's back to business, school, cleaning, and running,

As you can guess, it's not very fun..ning?

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Friday Night Sights

Ah, it's that time of year again.  The time when the families of Sparta gather on the field on Friday nights to listen to music and frolic and dance the night away.

Or, more like the parents get to sit down and have a drink and allow their kids to run around like lunatics for a few hours with some music in the background.

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The Fairy Princess and The Wicked Witch

Lan and Baby Tai Yu came to visit over the weekend and, in addition to going to Costco and the parade and hanging in the back yard by the pool, we played a little dress up.

Leah and I got a kick out of this.  Baby Tai Yu--not so much.

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A Good Weekend

Despite not food shopping and having nothing more than three pickles and some barbecue sauce in my house, and despite not doing even one of the eighty loads of laundry awaiting me in the basement, we had a really good weekend.

I had some much needed girl time and got a lot off my chest.  And I got to spend an entire Sunday with only my husband and my daughter and not one single solitary committment other than being together.  We haven't had a Sunday with only each other in a very long time, and I really enjoyed it. 

Despite the raging hangover after drinking 24 points of wine (!!), I had a really good weekend.

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Eff the Recession

THE THIRD AND FINAL THIRD BIRTHDAY PARTY



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Easter Prep.

On Saturday we had breakfast with the Easter Bunny.

She is still on the fence about him.

She did enjoy the hopping contest, though.

And, everyone loves a good egg hunt.

A good time.  A very good time.



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Cruise in Review

We went on a cruise for nine days. 

 

You haven't lived until you've spent nine days with your husband and three year old in a teeny tiny room on a cruise ship.

Although we ultimately realized that we aren't disciplined enough to keep up with the schedule that cruises present, and Leah used our nine days together to find my last nerve and ride it precipitously the entire time, we had a very nice time.

We visited Puerto Rico.

And St. Thomas.

And Haiti.

And The Dominican Republic.  But I didn't bring my camera on that day.

It's hard enough to remember to bring my shoes; the camera was on the back burner.

We practiced being civilized, by getting dressed up for dinner and not screaming like a banshee when you're told that you can't have any more juice.

And also practiced bringing the TV to dinner, when we realized that three year olds are not civilized.

Meet BoBo, the newest member of our family.

(And for thirty bucks, you too can make a "Pets At Sea" animal and dress it in the polyester outfit of your choice!  Crock.)

And, of course, Leah made a friend.  Her boyfriend, as she refers to him.

(I didn't ask his mom if I could plaster his face on the Internet, as I tend to not mention my dead mother's blog when I meet people and not want them to think I'm a lunatic.  People eventually figure it out on their own--the lunacy, that is.)

All in all, it was so nice to get away with Greg and Leah.  It was such a crazy time in my life: I had left my old job on bad terms, and was so nervous that my new job would turn out to be a mistake.  I knew it was going to take a lot for me to clear my head and have a good time. 

And I did just that.

Until I saw the beverage bill at the end of the week.

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Fingers Crossed...Eyes Too

Today all of our good thoughts go out to our friend Lan, and her baby Tai Yu.

We can't wait until he comes to visit us again.

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Disney On Crack

We took Leah to see those damn Princesses dance on the damn ice on Saturday.

As you can probably guess, she was very excited that we let her out of the house attend a show.

We went with our friends The Kelly Family, and thankfully they informed us that it's customary for attendees of the show to dress like princesses.   So, we came prepared.  (We were pretty sure that the adults didn't dress us, so Greg and I left our princess costumes at home.  We were right.)

And, thankfully also, THE PRUDENTIAL CENTER SELLS BEER.

The show--well, the show--what can I say about the show?  The show was a gem of cinematic beauty and awe-inspiring feats inspiring pleasure and jubilation beyond one's imagination.

Leah was in her glory.  She had a wonderful time.

Thank goodness for the beer.  That's how Greg and I feel.

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Complain Away

I have a friend, and I won't post her name but she'll know who she is, who feels that she can't complain about her mom in front of me.  And that's just so silly.  Because I can assure you that if my mom was still alive, I would be complaining about her all the time.  And, I can also assure you that I am not thinking in my head, "Harumph! Here she is complaining about her mom and I don't even have one!"  Because, believe me, I am not!  In fact, I find an odd comfort in hearing about the crazy things your mom does.  I honestly loved hearing about all of the things she's doing for your new baby that you asked her not to do.  It makes me laugh, because I think my mom would have done that too!  And in this weird way, I'm living vicariously through you.  And I could tell that about halfway through your rant, you started thinking that what you were saying was hurting me somehow.  But, it wasn't.  Not at all.

So, please, keep complaining. 

I DID IT!

We all did it.

Thanks for all the support and encouragement. 

Without you, I would not have been able to do this.

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A Contribution From a Friend

A few month's ago my friend Rob sent me a poem.  I read it when I received it, and then it sat in my Inbox for a while.  Every so often, I'd open it up and read it.  It's a great poem and I thought I'd post it.

Now, this poem is quite well known, and so when I read the excerpt that Rob sent me, I knew that the last verse was left off.  The last verse is very religious, and while Rob is also very religious, I'm not.  And I'm not sure if Rob left off that last verse because he knows how I feel about religion or not, but I like to think that you get the jist of the poem just fine without that last verse.  And if you find yourself needing more god after you read this poem, then you should google it, and get your god fix.

If Tears Could Build a Stairway

If tears could build a stairway

and thoughts a memory lane

I’d walk right up to heaven

and bring you home again.

No Farewell words were spoken

No time to say good-bye

You were gone before I knew it

And only God knows why.

My heart’s still active in sadness

And secret tears still flow

What it meant to lose you

No one can ever know.

But now I know you want us

To mourn for you no more

To remember all the happy times

Life still has much in store.

Since you’ll never be forgotten

I pledge to you today

A hallowed place within my heart

Is where you’ll always stay.

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Some Good Advice

I have a friend from college whom I recently got back in touch with.  We have an email relationship and have become pen pals.  This friend has insight, and I cherish it, and when I spoke of the three year anniversary of my mom's death coming up, this is what my friend said:

Do something good with your own daughter.

Not necessarily that day, but soon.

Something that your mom would have either enjoyed

or at least strongly encouraged you to enjoy.

I like that advice.  And I'm going to try to take it.
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I Was Wrong...34 is Awesome!

I had a wonderful birthday.  Turning 34 was not that bad.  I've been told that NEXT year is the year that I should be afraid of. 

On Saturday afternoon, I got my hair cut and colored which, since I've had a child, is a real treat.

I only did three loads of laundry on that day, which is rare for a Saturday.

I drank many glasses of wine, which, er, is actually very normal for a Saturday. 

My girlfriends took me out to dinner.

I wasn't hungover the next day, which is a birthday miracle.

I had a great day and I no longer feel bad about turning 34. 

However, now I'm dreading next year.

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Vacation Update

We’ve been to Myrtle Beach twice now. Greg’s parents live there, and we stay at their home a few minutes from the beach, shopping, food, a pool. Everything really.

Each time we’ve gone, we done both the touristy thing and the local thing and try to keep everyone happy.

I, for one, think that outlet shopping is the bees knees. There is a Coach outlet near my in laws house that I will dream of for years to come. I’m sorry, but when you walk into a store where everything is 50% off, and then upon entering you are handed an additional 20% off coupon, well, you die. I died.

Both times I went.

Dana: boosting Myrtle Beach’s economy, one handbag at a time. (And a wallet. Maybe a couple of wristlets.)

We also went to a place called Broadway at the Beach, which, if you ask me, can best be described as A Boardwalk. Greg and I can’t figure out why it’s called what it’s called…it’s neither Broadway-themed nor at the Beach, but, there you have it. No worries, though, there is shopping (yay for me) and drinking (yay for Greg.) Win, win.

I guess the best part of this trip is that Leah was old enough to enjoy it. She loved the sand, the ocean, the pool, the restaurants. When we were getting ready to go somewhere, I would say to her, “Leah we are going to go to lunch now.” And she would say, “I come?” And when I would tell her yes, her excitement went through the roof! As if we normally go out and just leave her home. She was just so excited to be included.

So, we are slowly getting back into the swing of things. The weekend before we left was a whirlwind of weddings, friends, and some big life decisions. And now we are just trying to get back to normal, let things calm down, and see where the dust settles.



And do laundry, of course. There’s always laundry.

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