An Ode to St. John - Part 1

I wrote a rather lengthy trip report the last time I went to St. John in May of 2005. Orginially posted on the USVI forum where I am a frequent contributor. I wasn't a blogger at the time so it has not been immortialized ... that is, until now. It was a 13 day trip ... so it will take days to post it all.

Day 1: Getting There: Planes, Boat & 4WDs & Finally Maho Harmony Studios

First a warning - this is going to be long - I took notes! A first for me, but I figured a good trip report was the least I could do for all you guys who give so much free advice!
Let's actually start at T Minus 24 hours and definitely counting. Neat sheet & St. John Tunes packed. Ipod – check. Swimgear – check. 200 swim diapers – check. I decide to follow FlaGeorge’s lead and get a town car to come to the house to pick us up as we are departing in the morning at 4:30 am for our 6:10 am flight out of Dulles to Atlanta & then on to STT!!!
If you are from the DC area I highly recommend limos4less – you can find them with a quick google search. $66 includes tip and gets up to 3 adults to Dulles from Springfield. A cab would have been at least $55 & it was much nicer to go in style. The driver was very professional.

Gramma calls as promised at 3:30 am to make sure we are up and at ‘em. Finally pry myself out of bed at 3:45 am. We are fully packed so all we need to do is shower, dress & scoop the kid up and run. Her mother wisely put her to bed in her travel clothes. Driver calls at 4:15 to confirm our location & I realize he’s about 5 minutes from our house. Kick into high gear. Driver arrives. We load up. Run upstairs scoop up mini flip-flop & head for the car. By 4:35 am we are on our way.

The girl sleeps all the way to Dulles. Wakes up as we arrive to say – “there’s my plane” (it wasn't but she's 3 what does she know) & “thank you” to the driver and we are off to curbside check the mountain of luggage. It takes a village to raise a child and it takes a mountain of luggage to take one to paradise. The swim diapers alone take up a full suitcase ;)

5:10 am and the bags are checked and we are hauling it to our gate for departure. We had done online checkin the day prior so boarding passes in hand we head for security with a glance at the poor suckers who are waiting in a long line to check-in.

6am we are on board waiting for takeoff. We wait & wait. Finally captain comes on to say there is a computer malfunction – I want to cry. They are waiting on maintenance to come & all I can think is we’re gonna end up getting put on a different plane. Visions of missed connections dance in my head. But NO Wait. It's the captain again. We're fixed and ready to go. All systems go, by 6:30 we are wheels up on our way for Atlanta.

Tip #1 – If you happen to be traveling with a 3 year old like we were – pack a goodie bag. Our little one had her very own bags of goodies to keep her busy. My favs include the sticker book with 1000 seek and stick stickers & the markers that magically will only mark on special paper!

9ish we are landing in Atlanta. Hello 2.5 hour layover. Hey that’s what you get when you pay $10 per ticket via frequent flier miles. We decide to hit Chili’s for a bite of breakfast.
Tip #2 – just say no to the Chili’s in the Atlanta airport. VERY slow & not really very good service or food.

Off to our gate area and YAY a kids play zone. Mr. Flip-Flop is fully occupied with his PSP (that’s playstation portable for those who don’t know), Mini F-F is occupado with the other kiddies & I throw on the ipod earphones and chill. We wait.

12:00 we are loaded up and ready to head to STT. The little one crashes before we even leave the ground and we are happily & quietly on our way. What a great traveler.

3:40 pm I SEE ISLAND! No rain!!!! A bit hazy but touchdown is smooth & officially we are now on that sweet island time. Pick up the rum punch on the way to baggage claim, get the bags and a porter.

Tip #3 – porter is so worth it when the bags far outnumber the people with free hands. I swear I lost my mind at some point in childbirth & haven’t regained it since. But hey if we needed it we had it for the most part.

We load up in the first taxi van we see and we are off to Charlotte Amalie to catch the 5:30 ferry. We get there at about 4:15 and have a bit of time to kill. The ferry men are extremely kind & take pity us by relieving us of our bags & we are off to do a little shopping – aka recon for jewelry purchases. I see a great ring at my favorite store – Magnum Jewelers – but we decide we have time to contemplate. A good excuse for a return trip to STT later in the trip. Grab a drink and we’re headed back to the ferry for our final leg to St. John.

The ferry is almost completely empty. It is just the three of us and 4 other folks. The boat men outnumbered the passengers. It is clearly NOT Saturday! I think to myself it’s kind of nice to travel on a weekday. 1/2 an hour later at we pull into Cruz Bay. Ahhhhh…Home again. We scurry off the boat, take a deep breath & smile.

I leave the hubby at the dock with the bags & the little one & I head off to Conrad Sutton’s to pick up our Jeep Liberty.

Tip #4 – Strollers & Cruz Bay do not mix well.

About 2 minutes into the walk I fold up the stroller (luckily its a lightweight umbrella stroller) and instruct the little one to hold on to my hand. She happily complies and we make our way to the Sutton’s lot. About a 4 minute walk from the ferry.

I had attempted to call to let them know we would be a bit late (they officially close at 6pm) and though I think Carmen could hear me I couldn’t hear her at all. I am relieved to see her there waiting for me. Now these ladies at Conrad Sutton sometimes get a bad rap, but I have to say that I couldn't have had a better nicer experience. A kind word, a smile and a grateful thank you go a loooong way. The car was in great shape – 1400 miles on it. We fill out a couple of forms, grab the keys and we’re on our way. Back to the dock to get the man & we’re off to Maho.

Our first two nights are going to be at Maho in a harmony studio. Maho is quite the hike (though we laughed later in the week when we realized its truly only maybe 6 miles from Cruz bay). We follow the north shore road all the way out to the split and turn left where you see the sign for Francis. Quite a road getting up there! We find registration, register & decide to hit the restaurant before we miss dinner completely. Our intention was to stop at Uncle Joe’s in town and get take out but we got distracted. Hey we’d been on the go for a long time. Dinner at the Maho Pavilion was ok – a bit expensive but nourishing enough. The view was great, but I don’t think I’d dine there again. Very summer camp like experience. Hubby definitely was less than pleased. I was just glad to have some food!

Ok, so tummies full and we are off to find our studio in the dark.

Tip #5 – uh, if they tell you to bring a flashlight, bring a flashlight.

We kind of neglected to do so and finding/feeling our way to Studio 5A was an adventure. But 100 stairs later we find the door, manage to get the key in and find a light.
The Studio is very nice. Extremely spacious. Nice and clean. No A/C but 2 ceiling fans and a big floor fan. Kitchenette & bathroom are up to my discriminating standards. There are 2 HUGE sliding doors and a nice size deck facing the water which we can barely make out as it is now DARK! 5A has a king size bed, a fold out sofa and two more twin sized beds that you could roll out of the closet if you needed to. The real shower and potty were the clencher for me. It’s a bit (ok a lot) more expensive, but it was worth it to me. Later in the week when I realize the studio cost us exactly what our split of the house was per night, I decide I’ll probably not be back to Maho. Though I am happy for the experience and that we gave it a shot, its just really not our speed. A bit too granola. NOT that there is ANYTHING wrong with that. Its just not for us.

Quick showers all around & we are all ready to crash. It is all of 9 pm … we decide it feels like midnight! The little one is very concerned about “what’s that noise?” I must get the question, “what’s that mama?” a dozen times --- the wildlife - frogs and bugs are quite noisy but she quickly settles in to her “bed” and we are all snoozing happily before 9:30 pm.

Tomorrow ... Flip-Flop Faces the Scuba Fear & Mr. F-F & Mini F-F explore Maho

Let the Insanity Begin

We are a T minus 3 weeks and counting to my annual meeting. Let the crazies start coming out of the woodwork. I love this one --- Person: "I can't access the resumes online" Me: "What's your ID Number?" Person: "I don't have an ID number" Me: "Did you register?" Person: "No, did I have to?" UMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM yeah. Interchanges like this are one of the primary reasons I am happy to have staff!

At least I get a trip to Seattle out of it. I could think of worse places to spend a summer week. I just can't believe it is just three weeks away again. Time truly flies. Seems like just yesterday I was coming home from Minneapolis.

And with one headline a broken heart....

Juan Pablo Montoya leaving Formula 1 for NASCAR

Somebody tell me this is a joke! I have to go jump out of a window now.

One Hot Columbian...

So our trek to indy for the annual F1 race and visiting with Uncle Joe has come and gone. The drive there took 10 hours and the drive back 9. On the way back I drove from 9pm - 3:30 am. Coincidence we got back quicker ... I think not ;)

Formula 1 is the world's premier autoracing event. This is NOT Nascar, there are left & right hand turns people. From wikipedia... "Formula One, abbreviated to F1, and also known as Grand Prix racing, (that's Gran Preeee) is the highest class of single-seat open-wheel formula auto racing in the world. The "formula" in the name is a set of rules which all participants and cars must meet. The F1 season consists of a series of races, known as Grands Prix, held in most cases on purpose-built circuits, and in a few cases on closed city streets." Monaco is quite exciting ... they literally race through the streets of the tiny principality ... but a little out of my price range. My yacht is not quite ready for its debut.

Regardless, F1 drivers are renowned to be the best in the world. There are 22 of them. Very select group routinely doing 200+ mph around the track. Remember ... left and right turns. Since F1 came back to the US in 2000 we have been season ticket holders. Hubby has attended all 6 races since. I've been to 3. It is always a good time. Piece of trivia: Flavio Briatore, principle/CEO of the F1 Renault team, is the father of Heidi Klum's first child.

Anyway, I digress. I won't say I am surprised with the race results. For those who don't know I am a HUGE Juan Pablo Montoya fan. Yes, orginally I picked him because he is hot (evolution works in mysterious ways) but I stick with him because he is a firey, take no bullshit, hot, take no prisoners, don't f with me, did I mention hot, Columbian. So what he 5'6. Well, JPM and 7 other drivers went out in glorious fashion on LAP 1, Turn 1. JPM was in the middle of the pack, starting in 11th position. Not quite a place he's used to being. Both McLaren Mercedes were taken out with the carnage so there went my plan & my back-up plan.

Next year Kimi (the other McLaren Mercedes driver) is off my list of loves as he moves to Renault. I know its the in thing to be a fan of Renault as proven by the SEA of light blue & yellow that was evident this year that was not so noticable last. Funny how a dominant driver attracts fans. STILL...No matter what I stick with JPM. Even if they send him back to Cart. I stick by him. Besides, he'd dominate AGAIN in Cart.

Of course the blame game has begun. Many pointing the finger at JPM. I say sometimes with Big cojones comes BIG mistakes. Not that I am entirely convinced it was his mistake. You have 6 cars abreast on a tight turn and no one giving an inch, trouble is bound to ensue. Juan says Kimi broke a bit harder than expected. Kimi was having brake problems, with his lines bled and re-filled with minutes to race time. There is no telling. Regardless, it was sad!!! Especially after the tire fiasco last year. 2 years running and less than a lap of JPM! I am suffering withdrawl.

On the positive side we had our same great seats. Northwest Vista all the way to the top -you get to see the straight and turns 1-6 or so. In most sports top row is not ideal, in auto racing it is primo. 1 - There was shade and 2 - You can see so much more and 3 - You can lean back stand up and yell SOB as much as you need to when said wreck occurs. I will say at least we had a great vantage point for the crash. It was quite spectacular with Heidfeld going airborn for about 6 flips. It was UGLY. It was just one of those things. Hey at least there was a race. But I HATE Ferrari. So the end result didn't make me happy. Though I am not sure it would have turned out any differently with 22 running instead of 15 from the start. Ferrari was just on fire.

So here's my theory and I know its pretty brutal. Make those F1 cars a little less safe. They are so safe now that you can have an 8 car pile-up and the worst thing that happens is I cry. Maybe a little sore, but everyone (including mister 6 rotations) walks away. No no no I don't want people to die. I am just saying if there was a bit more at risk maybe they'd not be so balls-out.

Incompetence & off the the F1 Race...

So, it is true. Labcorp is even MORE incompetent that I first reported. So yesterday they call me and leave a message on my cell phone, "please call us immediately at xxx-xxx-xxxx". I get the message and am, of course, totally freaked out. Do I have TB, HIV, is it EBOLA? Then I think why are they calling me ... wouldn't my doc be calling if there was an issue with the test results? Regardless, I am pregnant and thus not rational. I proceed to call the return number not once, not twice, that's right at least 35 times over the course of the day. NEVER able to get an answer. So finally I call and get a recording. I start hitting 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 until I get a human.

ME: I got a message that I needed to call you asap.
HER: Oh, your doctor requested a urinalysis and you didn't leave a specimen"
ME: Um, yeah I did.
HER: Oh, it must have gotten put in the wrong container.
ME: Um, well I peed in the cup labeled with my NAME.
HER: Well there must have been a mix up. You'll need to come back in.

Now mind you, recapping from Monday, I spent OVER AN HOUR waiting for an imcompetent lab tech to draw my blood. Then I was complaining that they do TWO things...have you pee in a cup and take blood. On Monday, they were 1 for 2. Today ... that's right 0 for 2. I mean COME ON. This is ALL they do.

I can't help but think there is one estatic drug test taker out there who is stoked that his urine was clean, but a bit confused that he is pregnant!

On another note, we are all packed up and ready to head to Indy & Uncle Joe's for the annual Formula 1 Race. We are just waiting on dad to get back from the vet with Butter dog and for Gramma to roll in so we can finish loading up the car and head out. We are experimenting with driving through the night. We plan to leave around 8pm and should arrive in Carmel, In around 6-8 am depending on stops. I figure with 3 drivers we should be ok. Wish me luck & I'll post a report upon our safe return.

Seriously, make it stop...

Is it EVER going to stop raining? I am afraid my house is gonna slide down the hill into the creek. The girl and the dog have seen so much lightening and heard so much thunder they aren't even afraid anymore. They just look at me like "what is going on here mom?"

I hate rain. Under the best of circumstances it makes me cranky. Days on end of it make me homicidal (note I did not say suicidal).

This morning was excellent. Yeah, you all know by now....they closed the beltway. CLOSED it. SHUT. Of course, at morning rush hour. The best part is because I thought it was closed I took a detour out to RT 1. From my house about 3 miles tops. Well it took me 30 minutes. I gave up on North 1 and just headed South. Of course at this point I hear that the beltway is now open. Now, if I had just gone my normal way ... I'd have been at work in under an hour. Maybe 15 -20 minutes longer than my normal commute. BUT NO. I tried to be proactive and joined the throngs of idiots losing their minds. It is RAIN people. They have CLOSED the roads that are flooded. For god's sake just DRIVE. So anyway...I end up taking RT1 S to lorton. Get on 95 N there and crawl to the 495 flyover. Which mercifully is clear. I am at work only 30 minutes late. So much for that 35 minute commute I'd been bragging about. Yes, Washington ... this is all my fault ;)

Oh ... in other news. Today was my 8 week check-up. Baby to be is doing fine. Mama to be is not so good ... constantly nauseated. Yesterday I spent the morning tossing my cookies. NO fun. And then sleeping. It was like a horrendous hangover without the benefit of actually having the fun binge. Total bummer.

They sent me to get bloodwork today. One hour, two arms, 3 sticks, 1 needle feeling like it hit bone, and 5 vials of blood later I escaped. I think they must be testing me for everything from TB to Ebola because they took enough blood to transfuse a baby. I am not kidding. Here's my question of the day. WHY do the people who work at Labcorp not know how to draw blood? The way I see it they do two things ... 1) tell you to pee in a cup (which I had to do twice today) and 2) stick people. WHY WHY WHY should it take 3 sticks and 2 arms to get some blood? Shouldn't they have mastered these simple two skills? Well, I will say she was pretty good at handing me the specimen cup.

The Countdowns...

2 days till Dave Matthews
7 days till Juan Pablo & a visit to Indy to see my favorite uncle, Joey
42 days till the annual meeting & Seattle Trip
64 days till the girls getaway to St. Michaels
93 days till Va. Beach & the Neptune Festival
141 days till St. John
211 days till Baby

Today I said no to over $20000

I have not written about this because I have kept it pretty much very closely held. Still, not many people read my blog ... so I should not worry, but still you know how rumors are.

I officially declined an offer for employment from a different organization today. I was not/am not seeking a new job. Many get sick of hearing how much I love my boss, how good my benefits are, etc. However, an opportunity presented itself and I was curious.

Having not interviewed or even sent a resume or EVEN updated my resume in over 6 years, I felt it was worth some exploration. So I inquired about the position. Received the description and decided, Nah. So, they followed up with me, having heard from a mutual colleague how great I am :) asking me to please consider applying. So, I updated the old resume and sent it off. It is a more pure marketing position and I really didn't think I'd meet their requirements. Well, they call. Interview? Yes. 2nd interview with executive director? Yes. AHHHHHHH..... So I am in self-inflicted torture. I feel guilty for looking as if I am cheating on my boss, guilty for leading them on because I know it would take a LOT for me to leave my current position.

But really is it so bad to check out alternatives. Then comes the kicker. THEY OFFER ME THE JOB. AHHHHHHHH. A significant chunk of change more than I am making and better pension benefits. When all is said and done, we are talking over 20k+ a year difference. Sure part of that is in pension and I won't see it for years and years but still. And I expected benefits to be my deciding factor. They are not making this easy!

So why did I say no?

1 - I love, truly love, my boss.
2 - I trust him to have my back 100% of the time. (Those of you who know me know this is a huge factor)
3 - I'd lose 12-16 days of leave depending on how you figure it. The leave is a big deal w/ baby on the way. I rarely, if ever, take sick days for me. . . its always for maternity leave or for days when the girl is sick.
4 - Commute. I just don't want to go from 35 minutes each way to 1 hour + each way via train or car. VRE card is $160/month. Parking is $130/month. No thanks.
5 - 2 days of telecommuting! I don't know if I'll ever be able to give that up!
6 - THE KICKER...my pregnancy. I know they can't discriminate and blah blah blah but in my heart I don't feel its right to walk into a position which will require a huge commitment from me knowing 8 months in I'll be taking a 6-8 week hiatus.

Ultimately my relationship with my boss and general stability and happiness in the near term is more important to me than the big bucks. Long story short ... it came down to purely $$ vs. overall lifestyle & happiness. And honestly I can't even say how much money it would take for me to give up what I have here. SO, all in all, it was a good test! If I were really under compensated or unhappy things would be very different. I mean its is not an offer to just dismiss out of hand. I did impress myself though - 1 resume, 2 interviews, & an offer. I mean that says everything I need to know. Sure it could have been a total fluke, but I don't think so.

3 Days to Dave

3 days until the Dave Matthews concert. Hopefully it won't be 1000 degrees at Nissan. I went 2 years ago and was on the lawn. Last year, I skipped & ultimately regretted it. So this summer I got tickets in the Pavillion. Please let there be a breeze. No cold beer to cool me off this year with the little pea in utero.

So, I am not sure what's up but I have never been so tired and intermittently nauseated in my life. With the girl I was the usual slightly nauseated in the am, ate some crackers & it went away. In general my appetite was low until around 14-15 weeks. This time, I am randomly throughout the day on the verge of hurling, tired as hell, and RAVENOUSLY hungry. Nauseated and Hungry. Yeah, I know ... makes no sense.

Of course, no one who I tell this hesitates to say either: 1) This means it is a boy - damn boys are always TROUBLE or 2) Its going to be the bad child. Everyone says ... look at the girl, she's so good, you are in for it!

Oh ... and also I am not sleeping well. I wake up every night at about 2 am ... get back to sleep about an hour later after tossing and turning.

Brit Brit Commentary

Ok, I have linked up to my friend Barbolicious' blog & it is so good. Anyway, I had to share a direct link to her commentary on the whole Britney Interview. She's killing me! I haven't seen it yet, but it looks to be the trainwreck we all anticipated. Thank goodness for TIVO!

Britney Commentary here.

Graduation

My oldest nephew - the first of 13 nephews and nieces - graduated from High School last night. Unreal. This is one of the 10 by marriage -- hubby has 5 brothers. Still, when I met my hubby in 1991 he was only 4! Time truly does fly.

The plan was to leave our house by 6 sharp to make it to graduation by 7:30. First, hubby decides he needs to go downtown (that's to DC from Bethesda) before coming home. WHY he chose this particular day I am not sure. Regardless, I rush home, get the girl ready & the doggie fed, walked and set. We are ready. Waiting. Waiting. 230 "Where's Daddy?"'s later, Daddy pulls up. We load up & are good to go.

Then He says, "we have to go get my mom" - which prompts my hormonal (I'm sure) response "I am not going" I get out and go back in the house. He follows, "Ok ok ... we won't go get my mom, she's not even home yet. Let's just go."

Ok so normally I am not this much of a beeeotch. I really truly don't mind my mother in law so much. What I mind is waiting, and waiting, and waiting for her. There is NO way we'd make it to the graduation on time, because 1) she's not home and 2) when she does get home she has to get "ready". "Getting Ready" includes outfit selection, make-up, hair, camera locating, shoe selection, finding various random things to bring, etc.

I am tired .. I am cranky .. I am IN NO MOOD. In fact, all I want is to lay on the couch and sleep. But I rally. Things are back on track. Straight to the Patriot Center, do not pass go, do not stop in Fairfax Station, do not go to jail.

On the way, his mom calls and though the conversation is mostly in Vietnamese I know he is getting (& giving) an earfull. I hear Vietnamese Vietnamese Vietnamese words "navigation system" surrounded by more Vietnamese words & I know he is saying "THIS IS WHY I BOUGHT YOU THAT NAVIGATION SYSTEM." This simultaneous to his OWN navigation system (why is it on? cause its a new toy) YELLING (because the volume is turned all the way up) "TURN LEFT, TURN RIGHT" AND the girl in the back "Mama, why are leaves green?" "Mama, why do leaves turn brown?" "Mama, why do they fall down?" "Mama, what is autumn?" Mama, MAMA, MAMMMMMAAA!" She did also add "I am not graduating today. I will graduate tomorrow. I am all done with High School" ;)

He finally hangs up ... my head is about to explode. He takes over answering of questions and I try to pretend I am asleep or dead. Anything to stop the barrage of questions

We make it to the graduation. Gramma arrives around 30 minutes late.

Our Fine President...

Watch the video and wait for the smirk...

Taken from the Dlisted blog:

"George Bush gave a press conference this morning and tried to be funny about a reporter wearing shades. He asked Peter Wallstein if he was going to ask his question with sunglasses on. Dumbass didn't realize that Peter is legally blind! Doh! Dumb bitch needs to stop trying to be funny, because that's another thing he's not good at."

See the video.

I am tired!

Boy do I miss the days where I could just pass out on the floor whenever I wanted to without a care in the world for what is going on around me!

Is it wrong that I just sent my hubby and daughter away? 1) Because I wanted them to go away for a little while & 2) Because I wanted a strawberry milkshake. Is that so wrong? I didn't think so...

The Zoo & a Baby Panda

We decided to take a little trip to the zoo 2 Saturdays ago. I am a little behind (or just out of order) on the blogging. Dad took the girl to the zoo back in the fall when the cheetahs were just fuzzy babies. So we got to see them a bit more grown up. We enjoyed popcorn, nachos (which required a 30 minute wait in line while all the other lines just moved smoothly), and ice cream (twice). We managed to see the baby panda. Oh so cute. The baby is up in that tree sleeping while mama sprawls out below him across a rock. Quite a cute sight.



The girl LOVES the zoo. Even though the DC Zoo isn't all that great, its fun for her. I can't wait to someday introduce her to the likes of the San Diego Zoo!

Goggles anyone?

So the girl has decided she is all about the showering now. YAY. Much easier on mama's back. The deciding factor. Goggles.

Tire-es-ly

No not tirelessly, tire-es-ly. I only caught part of the speech taking credit for the elimination of Al Zarqawi but I swear he said "the troops have worked tireesly." Probably using strategery to find him.

He also slipped and referred to the "United Naaa (as in Nations) United States" ohhhh big slip.

Sorry I don't care who they capture or kill, I find no joy while this guy is in office. It is so dismaying to know that the president, the commander in chief, has such a loose grasp of the english language. It is clear that this is not a case of knowing the issues and useing the teleprompter to stay on message, he's literally a trick monkey reading cue cards!

And baby makes 4...

4 years and 1 month ago this little one came into the world. Well, in 8 months or so, a baby will make 4! Yes, just found out we are expecting a new little one. I figure its pretty safe to post here since NO one reads my blog anyway :)

Seriously, if you are reading this ... it is still way early, so mum is the word! For now.

Priorities

Seriously, gay marriage ban. Come on. Really? This is the new top priority. Is there not enough OTHER stuff that should be taking precedence right now? Maybe gettting out of Iraq. Maybe gas prices. Maybe you know ANYTHING else! Gay marriage. Yes, this is the downfall of civilization.

ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy Memorial Day & The Move is ON

We had a great memorial day weekend doing a whole lot of NOTHING. My mama came to town to hang out with us. Saturday the husband and nephew went off to paintball. Came home 7 hours later, splattered and tired. Saturday evening we had a cook out - mmmmmmmm....steaks on the grill.

Sunday, Mama and I were off to shopping in the morning and then home to cook up some corn and go to a pool party. The pool party was fun. Our friends with the pool even treated us by HEATING it! That's right! VERY nice.

Monday - the actual holiday and all - was spent at our own community pool, being useless. It wasn't as crowded as I expected it to be, I guess most people were out of town.

TUESDAY & TODAY have been spent working on the ole office move. Busy physical labor stuff. :) I am tired, but mostly set up. Though we can't officially work on official business in the new office yet. Some city code thing. Hopefully (or maybe hopefully not) soon!

Mama took my cookie!

Ok, so I have relayed this story to friends about 100 times, but I wanted to get it down before I forget about it. The older I get the less I remember.

So about November of 2004, we plan a weekend at Gram's cottage. To attend the number something annual Urbanna Oyster Festival. I grew up in this tiny town, so the annual pilgrimage to loads of fried foods, mediocre art, lots of boats, some ok music and loads of drunken people is close to my heart. I won't lie, I actually love it. I believe the girl has been to every one since her birth.

The Oyster Fest is always the first weekend of November. So we pack up and are set to go. Now, knowing our darling is going to be going first by Gram's work and meeting Gram's boss etc, we (I) dress her ever so cutely. I remember vividly. A lovely little off-white cable knit cardigan with a silk tie in the front.

Being silly, I left my husband in charge of getting the girl into the car while I got a few more things from upstairs (because really it takes a ton of stuff to travel with a little one).

I return downstairs to the garage to see him loading her in the car. Me: "What is that in her hand?" Him: "A cookie." Me: "Why does she have a cookie?" Him: "Because she wanted one." Me: (knowing that she at this point in life did not like chocolate chips and these were the cookies we'd baked the night before that she continually somehow ate around the chocolate chip and then spewed the melted, slobbery chip out of her mouth saw a problem).

So, I contemplate...then I decide I MUST wrentch the cookie from her hand. She's just holding it at this point not actually eating it. So I say "Give mama the cookie" Her: (Having few words but one in particular she knew well) "NO."
Me: "Please give mama the cookie." Her: "NO, my cookie!" So I (being the kind of benevolent dictator I am) take the cookie. SHE WAILS. From the garage all the way to the top of the driveway.

Here's an aside parenting lesson for you all: If you are consistent and don't cave your children will not wail for long. If you are inconsistent and cave often, they will scream bloody murder until you give in because they know EVENTUALLY you will give in. Hubby and I are a united front on this - no means no, yes means yes, maybe means maybe. We do not CAVE.

SO ... she wails. From the garage to the top of our driveway. Pulls herself together and happily watches her movie all the way to gram's work. Along the way she chats with me, tells me she loves me, tells me about her movie and so on.

We arrive, climb out of the car, and make our way to gram's office. After 3 hours in the car we all need a good stretch. The girl is still chatting with me. Happy as a lark. Then. She spots Gram. She turns and looks at me with a "now you are gonna pay look" and looks at her gramma, makes her way over to gram, climbs on her lap and says, "MAMA TOOK MY COOOOOOKIE" with a frown.

Gram: "What? Mama took your cookie?"
Her: "MAMA TOOK MY COOKIE!" with a look on her face as if she's saying Mama beat me with a stick and sent me to bed with out dinner.
Gram: "Oh honey, Gramma will get you another cookie"

It amazes me that for 3 HOURS a 2 year old held that kind of a grudge! The photo is of her around July 4th of her first year - just after she started walking, or about 4 months before the cookie incident.

Happy Birthdays!!!

That's right, Birthdays! As in more than one. It still freaks me out just a little that 2 (almost 3) of my favorite people in the universe were born today. My husband and my friend, Mari. One's a little bit older than the other, but I digress. . .

Our girl was originally due on the 24th as well, on her daddy's birthday, but he being selfish and all ... oh no, not really ... with her having some prenatal issues needed to come early. They were trying for the 8th but that's our anniversary so we decided on the 5th. Of course, she came on the 6th. May is a busy month.

ANYHOO...back to my point. I just wanted to give a little shout out to one of my favorite women in the world, Mari. Who is also one of the funniest people in the world. And, of course, my hubby. Who puts up with me day in and day out :) What more could a girl ask for!

The photo above was from our trip to STJ with Mari & her sister back in May of 2002. Time does indeed fly!

Sunburn, bugbites, and a weekend at gramma's

It is amazing to me that we have returned, tired...sunburned (me & hubby)....covered with bites (the girl - despite our best efforts at bugspray)....stuffy with allergies (me) and yet we feel like we had the most wonderful weekend.

We took the girl to gram's cottage on the creek for a weekend of relaxation and fishing. Her dad insisted she have a fishing pole for her birthday and we decided it was time to break it in. We could not have asked for better weather. High 70s, breezy. On her first excursion she hooks a Ray. I didn't believe them at first until a couple of innocent bystanders confirmed.

I am too tired to write much more. But I just had to post a picture!

Amazing Grace

I just discovered Kate Havnevik. I can't figure out how to BUY the song. It was in the Der/Mer scene from the season finale of Grey's Anatomy.

You have to go to her myspace page and listen to Grace. It is amazing. Her voice is so beautiful.

Lyrics:

GRACE
Im on my knees
only memories are left for me to hold
Dont know how but Ill get by
Slowly pull myself together
Theres no escape
So keep me safe
This feels so unreal
Nothing comes easily
Fill this empty space
Nothing is like it seems
Turn my grief to grace
I feel the cold
Loneliness unfold
Like from another world
Come what may
I wont fade away
But I know I might change
Nothing comes easily
Fill this empty space
Nothing is like it was
Turn my grief to grace
Nothing comes easily
Where do I begin?
Nothing can bring me peace
Ive lost everything
I just want to feel your embrace

Clive Owen

Are words really necessary here?

My Mama

With all this talk about my little girl, I thought I might turn some focus on my mama. Here she is when she was about the same age that my daughter now is. Its so strange to see your mother as a child. It is even stranger when I realize looking at this picture of my mother, is like looking at a photo of my daughter some how made to look "old timey".

I know mother's day has come and gone, but I have to give it to my mom. I am the mother I am (good and bad) because of her. She raised my brother and I alone and I might say did quite a good job. She taught me what I know about hard work, tenacity, love, understanding, patience, and the futility of crying over split milk.

Not a day goes by with my daughter that a situation doesn't arise that I have to think "what would my mom have done when I was little?" That is the highest compliment I think to her parenting. Sure, everyone makes mistakes, but when you want to parent as your parent did, that is saying something. I hear so many people who say all they are doing is trying to make their child's childhood better than their own. All I am trying to do is make sure my daughter grows up with the sense that she is loved, valued and treasured. Just as I felt (usually) as a kid!

I know all bets are off once we enter adolescence, but I am basking in this current "best mama ever" phase!

We Really Are Moving!

My office that is. Today about 10,000 orange and black crates arrived. It looks like a bad halloween movie. Ok, so its only about 600 crates but still. That works out to about 17 crates per employee. I am thinking I need 3. :)

So the official move is still over a week away but I have to say I am looking forward to ALL new stuff. By June 1 I will be settled nicely into my new office.

No more hand-me-down desk, file cabinets, mis-matched this and that. Uniformity. It appeals to me. Cleanliness. Also, very appealing. Being on a floor with mostly sane people. YAY. It will be good. What can go wrong?

Medivac

So yesterday, while working from home, around 5 or so, I hear lots and lots of fire trucks. I think nothing of it. Until my hubby comes home and says "What's going on outside". Well the first trucks had come and stopped about 1/2 a mile from our house. They had turned off their sirens. So 4-5 fire trucks, several ambulances, lots of police vehicles are outside.

I walk up our drive and see that our road has been totally blocked off in either direction. Then I see the firemen walking around our furthest neighbors house. So I am thinking "its gonna blow!" Of course, they would have evacuated us right?

Then I hear what I thought was a traffic/news chopper getting CLOSER and CLOSER. Until, that's right, it lands right on the street in front of our house. Disheartening but very cool. It was a medical evacuation helicopter. Apparently there was an accident on a cross street and this was the closest flat spot to be had. Still, there are powerlines quite tight to the road. Apparently, the pilot circled 4 or 5 times before he actually touched down.

Swim Class

Swim class has come to an end. Here are some photos of her last class. She is going to be just like her mama was in school - - - "great student, but talks to much in class!" Can't tell you how many times that was on my report card. The swimming instructor was a saint. The girl must have said "um, excuse me (insert question/statement here) _________" a thousand times!



Here are the bathing beauties practicing their kicks



Oh, and more talking....

The Girl is 4!

I know that I am biased, but its official - she is the cutest kid I know! Well, another year has come and gone. I can't believe just 4 years ago our lives were dramatically altered by the addition of one little girl, but tis true. May is such a busy month for us. Hubby's mom birthday. The girls birthday. Our anniversary. Mother's Day. Hubby's birthday. I need to take deep breaths just thinking about it. I guess that is what Yoga class is for (though that is a whole other story).



The Birthday Cake




The flowers from me to her are a tradition now.



The new helmet to go with the new roller skates from Gram! Dr. G. says he's gonna get a brand new car this year :)



Ella & her Gramma Mezo. Thick as thieves. Peas in a Pod. Partners in Crime.



I have to say the very best part of the entire birthday celebration came on the day we took in the cupcakes we had made and decorated together to Miss. Jeannie's for her school friends. As we were loading up to go to school, she says to me "mama, you are my best mama EVER!" So what I am her only mom, she meant it as the highest of compliments.

New word of the week - Deflated. Learned in reference to the balloons dying a slow death around the house!

Photographic Evidence

There is surprisingly little photographic evidence that I actually went to Mexico. Oh well.

Meet our poolside Iguana. She looked bigger to me when I was next to her.



This would be the view of the beach from the pool, yep, that pool. The one I never moved more than 10 feet away from except while dark or for one afternoon of shopping.



The Condo - Kitchenette & Dining Area. (ignore the flash off of the bathroom mirror)



One bedroom with a King bed, the other had two doubles.



There is this lovely photo of a bimbo....truck. This is in Playa.



the end.

Back from Mexico

Unfortunately, my Mexican adventure is over for now. Having been to quite a few warm, tropical locations this one was right up there. It was no St. John :) but definitely very good.

I left Sunday morning from Washington, DC and the flight going was great. First, I scored a great exit row seat with plenty of leg room. We departed at 9:00 am and arrived at 11:45 am Cancun time. I was off the plane, on the shuttle and at the resort pool by 1 pm. Ahhhh.. relaxation.

The first thing I did poolside was lather up & order some lunch and a cocktail. Did I mention there were not one but 2 bars IN the pool? Another 2 on the pool deck. The pool was definitely my favorite feature of the resort. It was gigantic and overlooked the maya riviera. Poolside there were tons of thatched little huts with comfy chairs, then in addition there were about 30 or so actual queen sized beds with cool white sheets and pillows. We were lucky enough to score one of those a couple of the days. I was generally up at 6ish and by the pool 10 minutes later!

Monday I was up at the crack of dawn & by the pool. After a couple hours of relaxation and sun. And hitting happy hour at the pool bar, of course. We decide to trek into Playa del Carmen to do some shopping and have lunch. This was the one time I left the resort. Apparently about 10 years ago Playa del Carmen was a tiny town - 3 streets x 3 streets, quaint local shops and a gorgeous beach. Also apparently, Playa del Carmen is the fastest growing city in the world now. Mucho construction. Resorts/condos going up everywhere. Sort of sad to see, but still a good time. The local people were SO nice. Santos, our cab driver, dropped us off and asked when we'd like to be picked up & SHOWED up! He was very sweet. The entire feel was completely opposite of Cancun, though it is quickly being developed. Gifts in hand & a new ring to boot, I headed back to meet up with Santos and the resort. I was back in the pool by 3.

Tuesday was another banner day. I was again by the pool by a little after 6. Scored a great poolside bed! Relaxed, read. Summer showed up around 8 I think. I wandered off to have breakfast. Came back, read. Sunned. Slept. Tuesday was the best day for me. Slept a bit, read a bit. Sunned a lot. Ordered lunch from the pool waitress. Read, relaxed, sunned.

And soon discovered my #2 favorite spot. The spa. Smack on the beach, next to favorite spot #1 - yes, the pool remember? I scheduled an 80 minute massage at 2:30 so I wandered in around 2. Took advantage of the Steam room, steam shower, sauna, Swedish shower, outdoor Jacuzzis and plunge pool. Very tranquil. I will be honest I didn't expect much, and they way overdelivered. Peaceful. 2 hours later I emerged from the Spa. I had a pedicure scheduled for 5, but an hour to go back to my poolside bed. Rested, sunned, read. Ate an ice cream from the ice cream man who came by. Back to the spa for my pedicure. Then, you guessed it, back to poolside until almost 6:30. All in all I was poolside on in the spa for 12 hours on that day!!!

Coming back to reality was a bit of a challenge. The airport adventure involved crashed computers, double booked seats galore, a virtual strip search for me (yes, I again was picked out for more aggressive screening - along with the 7 year old girl in line behind me), 3 seat changes for me ONCE I WAS ON THE PLANE, an hour delay getting of the ground, and Customs & Border Protection agents boarding the plane at Dulles to remove a guy. The only saving grace was that I scored another EXIT seat coming home. And I got to watch Cheaper by the Dozen 2 - Eugene Levy is so funny!

Anyway, I got in at about 9:30 Wednesday night. Hubby was waiting for me with beautiful white Tulips! The girl was passed out on the airport chair. Opened her eyes enough to say "mama, you're back. I missed you. I love you. Zzzzzz"

Its funny that no matter where I go, its always good to be home. I promise to post my own pictures soon!

Mayan Palace...The POOL is even better than I anticipated

Ok, So I am totally stealing this picture from Summer's blog, but it wasn't until I went to the Mayan Palace homepage that I realized it is the actual pool. YES! That rocks. I'll be in the POOL! Or should I say Pools! I don't believe I even need a room!

Are we there yet?

48 hours from NOW I will be getting ready to board the plane to Mexico. It's funny, now that I am a mom, I always worry when I travel alone. I don't worry when we are all together. I'm like if we go down we go down together. But when I go alone, I think awwwwww what a tragedy that would be. Though I know between her daddy and her gramma all would be taken care of still I worry.

Regardless of that deep and heavy thought, I mostly enjoy the FREE time. The ability to read, sleep, listen to my ipod, do nothing, people watch. All the things I can't do when I am in constant "entertain a 3 year old" mode. Not that she's a bad traveler, she's actually a great traveler. Its just .. she is 3! Well, almost 4 ;)
So .. 48 hours. 72 hours on the ground of relaxing, sunning, swimming. Then back to the grind. Then a minor pause until the rest of the year's whirlwind travels. Mostly long weekends here and there but a couple longer trips.

Where am I?

April 23-26 - Playa Del Carmen, Mexico
June 29-July 5 - Indy for the Formula 1 race
(the closest I'll be to Juan Pablo for the year :( Maybe I'll make the pit crew finally - talk about world travel, those guys go all over!)
August 3-10 - Seattle, Washington for business & a bit of fun on the side
September 24-October 1 - Virginia Beach for Neptune's Festival
November 3-5 - Gram's house for the annual Oyster Festival
November 11-18 - ST JOHN homecoming with Gram for her birthday

Yes, its true. We don't sit still often.

On a totally other note, I have to just give my props to my hubby. Who apparently rocks. He decided about two weeks ago that he really wanted to change it up career wise. Stay in computers but move out of government contracting and into private, corporate work. We had his resume tweaked by the middle of last week. He had his first interview on Wednesday. And his first offer yesterday. Considering he hadn't interviewed in about 6 years, I thought that was pretty impressive.

Did they not get my list?

From CNN..."White House press secretary Scott McClellan today announced his resignation, continuing a shakeup in President Bush's administration that already has yielded a new chief of staff."

Ok, its pretty clear they didn't get my list. And yes, it was in the order of preferred departure. McClellan, mildly annoying, because well...he works for GWB. However, he is no where near as offensive as the list!

1.Rumsfeld
2.Rove
3.Condi

There that would be a nice start. Stop giving me peons...I want heads to roll.

Brooke Shields & Tom Cruise have a daughter

No not together, but still am I the only one who finds the fact that both of their daughters arrived on the same day odd? I bet Brooke is highly annoyed.

Beach Girlness Runs in the Family

I just love this photo of the girl. Its her post-sunscreen and ready to rock and roll. She loves the beach. Just like her mama. This was taken in late August at my godmother's beach house in Nags Head. We had a great long weekend just relaxing!

We are all looking forward to not 1 but 2 weeks at the beach this year. The first will be in late September to Virginia Beach. The second will be a trip back to St. John to celebrate my mama's 57th birthday. To say we can't wait would be the understatement of the century!

6 Days and counting

In a mere 6 days I (and a gaggle of girlfriends) will be on the way to Playa Del Carmen, Mexico ... just in case anyone is counting. I am really hoping our pool looks something like that ;)

Is it really Sunday Already?

I can't believe its already Sunday. Afternoon, to be exact. Where do the weekends go? Yesterday was spent on a bit of a shopping spree. I was given a bonus at work for getting our membership over 18000 for the first time since the late 90's. So, I was determined to update my wardrobe a bit for the spring. It was actually a lot of fun. I am usually a buy this piece and that piece, ON SALE, kind of girl. Buying entire outfits was a bit of a departure for me.

So that shot most of Saturday. Last night we tried Ray's The Steaks in Arlington for the first time. Us and another couple. YUMMMMMY. Really the best cut of meat I've ever had in a restaurant. Very basic menu. Steaks, a few sides, a few appetizers. Hubby got the blackened scallops which were the best scallops I've ever tasted in my life. Blackened, prepared perfectly, with a little bit of sauteed garlic on top. I wanted to lick his plate. I started with a buffalo mozzerella salad with mixed greens, basil, olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Everything was very simply prepared, but fresh and delicious. The restaurant itself is a total dive, no decor to speak of, dozens of people waiting to be seated at any given time. No reservations. Totally worth the wait. We arrived at about 6:40 and were seated by 7:05. Our timing was pretty good because the wait soon went to about 1 hour.

The meal was done and we headed back to our place to hang out on the deck having a few more cocktails. More Cosmos! Yum. I am not sure if my hubby has the proper recipe but his taste like sweettarts. I could drink them all night like they were coolaide.

Of course, the Easter bunny had to come last night. Which involved negotiating easter basket stuffing and egg hiding on 3 huge glasses of wine and a couple of cosmos. Miraculously all were discovered today! The girl was so excited that the easter bunny brought her eggs with "chocolate chips" in them. Chocolate Chips = hershey kisses :)

So now I am going to prep a few appetizers and head over to a friends for a nice Easter lunch.

Happy Easter!!

1 WEEK until Mexico!!!

Good Times at Busch Gardens

The Girl & I enjoy a carousel ride...


Not much is better than a cotton candy mustache!! The girls at Busch Gardens...

My Great Grandparents

Here are my great grandparents on the paternal side. My don't they look happy.

Traffic Woes

So after work yesterday we had a lovely little happy hour. My former assistant was in town from Texas (or Tejas) to visit so all of the worker bees gathered at Stella's in old town. It was so nice to sit outside and enjoy the weather! Good times. Lots of laughs. Until...

We all leave to head home around 7:30. Thinking surely traffic will be all clear. Well, not so much. Apparently there was a chain reaction accident on 95S blocking and closing all lanes. Something like 15 cars??? I know there was at least 1 car under a tractor trailer and a fatality. So, it could have been worse for me. But shutting 95S for several hours around 6pm on the Thursday before Easter spells NIGHTMARE. I can't even imagine if we had to evacuate the DC region.

It took me 1.5 hours to go 17 miles. What would usually at that time of night take maybe 20 minutes.

My all time favorite song (at the moment)

Crush
Dave Matthews Band

Crazy, how it, feels tonight.
Crazy, how you, make it all alright love.
You crush me, with the, things you do,
I do, for you, anything too oh.
Sitting, smoking, feeling high.
And in this, moment, ah, it feels so right.
Lovely lady, I am at your feet, oh, God I want you so badly.
And I wonder this could tomorrow be so wondrous as you there sleeping.
Let’s go, drive ’til, the morning comes.
And watch the, sunrise, and fill our souls up.
We’ll drink some, wine ‘til, we get drunk,
yes...It’s crazy, I’m thinking, just knowing that the world is round.
I’m here I’m dancing on the ground.
Am I right side up or upside down,
and is this real, or am I dreaming?
Lovely lady, let me drink you, please, I won’t spill a, drop
no, I promise you.
Lying under this spell you cast on me.
Each moment the more, i, love, you.
crush me, come on. oh, yes.
It’s crazy I’m thinking, just knowing that the world is round.
I’m here I’m dancing on the ground.
Am I right side up or upside down?
Is this real, oh lord, or am I dreaming?
Lovely lady, I will treat you sweetly, adore you,
I mean, you crush me.
Oh it’s times like these when my faith I feel.
I know, how, i, love, you. come on, come on, baby.
It’s crazy, I’m thinking just as long as you’re around.
I’m here I’ll be dancing on the ground.
Am I right side up or upside down?
To each other, we’ll be facing.
My love, my love, we’ll beat back the pain we’ve found.
You know, I mean to tell you all the things I’ve been thinking,
deep inside my Friend.
With each moment the more I love you.
crush me, come on, baby.
So much you have, given love,
that I would give you back again and again.
Oh, the love, many now hold you but please,
please, just let me, always

Is the pool open yet?

The girl is ready to inspect the pool anytime! (Actual Pool is from trip to St. John, May 2005)

My recovery...

No not from drugs (unless sudafed counts)...from the long long weekend. The family and I trekked off to Williamsburg last week for a getaway with another family (also the parents of a 3 year old girl). The weekend was grrrreat as my girl would say, as if she's Tony the Tiger.

Let's see --- we caravaned down on Wednesday night via HOV. Tres nice. The 3rd family member often comes in handy. We stopped off of 295 around Richmond to chow at Nacho Mama! What a great name for a restaurant. Yummy eats too. One margarita later we were back on the road. Hit W'burg around 8 pm. Settled in.

Our place was awesome. 3 bedrooms, huge living/dining room. Full kitchen. We definitely felt we could spread out a bit. Indoor and outdoor pools (both heated). It was so nice Thursday we were in the outdoor pool!! In April. So you know I was a happy camper. There was a starbucks in the reception area. So really happy camper! Internet room. Billiards. It was much better than I anticipated for $200/per couple for the week. Timesharing definitely works out from time to time! The girl liked it so much she wanted to stay at her Williamsburg house because "I love it here MOM!" We got seasons passes to Busch Gardens and spent two days there. I hadn't been since my old college days at William and Mary. It is still such a great park! Friday was GORGEOUS!!! 75 and sunny.

Friday night we went to my friend Adam's restaurant, the Blue Talon. Yummy & it was so nice and warm we ate on the patio. That's not Adam below by the way, its the chef.



The highlight of the weekend had to be learning to play Texas Hold'em. Saturday night we ordered in and played cards until 2 am!!! I am now addicted. My mom, who had stopped by to say hi, even joined in and CLEANED the table up. The first night we played (Thursday) my hubby took the table. On Saturday, my mom who'd never played a day in her life kicked everyone's bootie. She is a great cardplayer. Runs in her family, I think I missed most of that gene!

Hung's main duty was playing bartender all weekend. We went through almost two bottles of grey goose & 1.5 bottles of cointreau. It was COSMO heaven!

Anyway, Sunday we got up, loaded the cars and went back to BG from 10-5 or so. We didn't get home until 8ish lon Sunday evening. That is when the itchy throat and sneezing started. I wasn't sure if it was a cold or allergies or sleep deprivation or a hangover ;) I am voting for allergies. Today I am feeling human again.

Pictures of the trip to come!

Things I love about my girl

There are a million reasons why people love their kids. Here are a few of my favorite things about my girl.

I love that bubbles in the bath can COMPLETELY make her day.

I love that her favorite 4 toys are these little stuffed animals from the Target $1 spot :)

I love that she's named them - Simba (a cat), Max (a dog), SimbaD (another cat), Reginald (a dog) and Baby Monkey (a monkey).

I love that her favorite foods and mashed potatoes, carrots, apples, and chocolate and she makes no distinction of one being way better than the other.

I love that she has an opinion about just about everything.

I love that she is totally interested in a baby brother puppy or a baby sister puppy but has absolutely no interest in one of the human variety.

I love that even though she's about to turn 4 she tells me that "3 will always be her favorite number!"

I love that she, like me, loves the water in any shape or form.

I love that she is triffling to her father and makes him work for the hugs and kisses!

I love that she is sweet and compassionate. Ex. She allowed me to win the race to the front door of Jeannie's house because she wanted me to know I was a fast girl. Of course she informed Jeannie that "mama won, but I let her."

I love that her laugh comes from way down in her tummy and is so genuine and totally joyful.

James"P.J." Ransone - my new favorite actor

I will admit it I am not digging this guy because of his acting, but only because I've never seen him in anything. Currently he is in the new Spike Lee "Inside Man" - with Denzel, Jodie Foster and Clive Owen. Ohhh...Clive Owen and Denzel Washington in the same movie. Does one need any more reason to go??

I digress. So, why my newfound love for PJ Ransone, you might ask. Check out the story in the NYPOST's Page Six. I've highlighted my favorite parts!

ACTOR James "P.J." Ransone became a real-life action hero Monday night when he saved a woman from a brutal rapist.

Ransone, currently on-screen in Spike Lee's "Inside Man," was in his Lower East Side apartment e-mailing a friend and studying for an audition when he heard muffled cries for help.

"There was something in her voice," he relates. So he grabbed a broomstick which he later dropped for a metal bar, called 911 and ran downstairs "in my pajama bottoms - no shoes, no socks and no shirt," Ransone says.
He got to the vestibule in the nick of time. "There was this Hispanic guy in a blue sweatshirt choking my neighbor and pulling his [sex organ] out," he told Page Six's Lisa Marsh. "I pictured my mom, my girlfriend and every girl I've ever loved and thought, 'Vengeance is mine.' "

The would-be rapist took off on Eldridge Street with Ransone - who at a slim 5-foot-9 is not exactly physically threatening - chasing after him. "I looked north and south and saw him running," Ransone recalls. As he ran after the attacker, he passed a friend walking his dog and called for him to join in the chase. "I screamed, 'Follow me! This girl almost got raped!' " Ransone caught up with the assailant as he entered a building on Allen Street. He broke a glass door to get at the perp and then cracked him on the back with the metal bar.

"I said, 'You rapist piece of [bleep]' and heard a crack when I hit his shoulder blade," Ransone says. "He mimed taking out a gun and said, 'Do you want to go to jail?' - and made a bee-line for the door.

"I cried, 'I'm not done with you yet' and kept swinging," Ransone says. Then the cops arrived and the attacker disappeared into the building. An arrest is expected soon.

"All of my friends would have done the same thing, but nobody else in my building came out," the actor says, adding, "I did what anybody would have done."

The police were so impressed with Ransone, they tried to recruit him: "They told me I could still go on auditions during the day and work nights."
Although he doesn't think he nailed the audition for which he was studying, Ransone - who has appeared on "The Wire," "Love Monkey" and "CSI" - is optimistic for the future. "I don't want any casting directors telling me I'm not tough enough," he says.

Montoya Gets No Respect

Ok, I am coming out with it - I am a closet Formula 1 racing fan. I have no time for Nascar or Cart or any of that crap. But there is just something about F1. Particularly a fan of Juan Pablo Montoya and the Maclaren Mercedes team. Even if Kimi's voice does sound like a little boy.

Let's face it these guys have cojones of steel.

So my driver, JPM. Yeah, I love him. Yeah, it might have something to do with the fact that he's columbian and foxy. So what he's 5.6 or something! He's dark and handsome and is that type of gutsy that borders directly on insane. I love that he's firey and has been known to punch a camera guy. Anyway, I digress.

He's arguably one of the best drivers in the world. Everyone knows that F1 drivers are the cream of the proverbial crop. But my man either is on the podium or he's out of the race. Random stuff, unlikely, unlucky stuff never ceases to happen to him.

Sato (arguably the worst F1 driver - ok, maybe just I think so) takes him out when he is BEING LAPPED!

Last race, Montoya comes into the pit to see what ... Kimi his teammate sitting in the pit. Now I am not sure if the Kimi pit took longer than they thought or if they miscommunicated to Montoya when they told him to pit. But who else have you ever seen pit to find their teammate in the way. With a pit stop averaging about 6-8 seconds its not like he's gonna sit there and apply some lip gloss while he waits!

AHHHHHHH!

The life of a dog

Another great thing about telecommuting is the lunchtime break/doggie walk. it makes Butter dog's day and also is good for me. Here is the puppy, being particularly useless!

Gibney Beach, St. John, USVI

Another view of St. John. I guess I reiminesce a bit too much, but about this time last year we were preparing for our trip there. This is gibney beach.

Oh ... only 220 days until we go again.

If not in St. John...

Then please let me go to London. Just a year old picture from our trip to Europe last Spring. Ah, london...

The Girl's comment of the day

On the way to daycare drop off this morning its raining for the first time since February I think! So my girl in the back seat starts to sing.

"It's raining, it's pouring, the old Man is snoring" pause pause. Then, "Mama, who's that?" Me: "Who?" Her: "The old man?" Me: "I am not sure honey." Her: "Mama, I think the old man is daddy!"

I laugh everytime I think of how astute my little almost 4 year old is ;)

I love April!

I just looked over my calendar and decided, I LOVE APRIL! I just realized I've planned myself a three day week & a 2 day week this month! This definitely makes up for the fact that I haven't had a vacation day since the beginning of the year.

I hate winter and tend to hoard my extremely generous vacation/flex/comp days for the Spring & Summer. I get 15 vacation days, 2 Flex days, and 4 comp days a year (this doesn't include the 12 sick days I also get). Most of my days are used between April and September. Though we do have a winter trip planned (November 11-18) to STJ for the first time ever. BUT I digress...

This week is a three day week. In the office today, working from home tomorrow, in the office Wednesday. Wednesday afternoon at breakneck pace, fly home, get everyone loaded up & hit HOV whilest it is still HOV so we can be at least 1/2 way to Williamsburg by dinner time! Feed the girls and then continue on and hit the 'Burg by bedtime. Then 4 days of shopping, adventure parking, eating, playing, resting....

Back to the grind for 2 weeks.

Then on April 23 I board a direct flight to 5 days in beautiful Playa Del Carmen with 4 lovely ladies! I can't wait. Sun, relaxation, eating, drinking, swimming. After lots of laughs and maybe with a little tan I will come home and it will almost be MAY!

Ah, I love April!

Busch Gardens here we come!

I am so excited to report that this will be a 3 day week for me! Yay. We are heading down to Williamsburg after work on Wednesday! Spending Wednesday-Sunday enjoying Spring. We will be going to Busch Gardens, the outlets & just generally relaxing and having a good time.

Another couple and their 3 year old daughter will be joining us. It should be a blast! I can't wait!!!

Yoga is SUPPOSED to be relaxing!

Yoga is supposed to be relaxing. And, in theory, can be a wonderful thing. Fairfax Co. Parks & Recs however have managed to turn what should be a joyful, peaceful thing into a STRESSFUL situation.

Last session I was signed up for and found my "yogi" the one I would follow to the end of the earth. Vicki is the BEST ever. Great instructor, knows her stuff, and also is so mellow and careful with her students. A wonderful thing for me, who happens to have a wonky back and a lack of a sense of my own limits. Can we say pilates???

So last session was great. Sunday nights at 7pm every week I went, I stretched, I toned, I sweat a little, I relaxed in corpse pose, and pulled myself up off the floor and I went home a happy woman. Refreshed and ready to start the new week right. To say I loved Vicki & my yoga class would be a bit of an understatement.

Of course, sessions end. But being me, a planner, months ago I signed up for the NEW session after confirming with Vicki she was teaching the same class at the same time. 3 days before class is to start, they CANCEL it. Ok, breathe, be calm. It's yoga. Surely I can find another session with her and switch.

I start calling on Friday...nothing. No one can tell me who's teaching what or when. Call back Saturday they say. Now, note that the first classes of the session start Saturday at 9am. So I call back Saturday at 7:30 as they have told me to do. They say, we still don't know, the person who knows is in class until 8:15, call back then. I call back at 8:20. Voicemail. 8:22 Voicemail. Finally 8:25 - I get a human. Ask to speak to the one who is supposed to know. She's no where to be found. SO I vent. "You mean to tell me the first session starts in 30 minutes and you can't tell me who is teaching that class?" Yes, maam that's what they mean. Had no idea who was teaching any of the sessions. AHHHHHHHHHH.

Fine, I know there is a class Sunday am at 10. I decide instructor unknown to switch to that class. Show up, sign up, sit and wait. I wait until two other students who show up with mats. The same guy who signed me up and checked me in 5 minutes prior tells them "oh your class has been cancelled." As if I am NOT sitting there waiting for the same class!!!

I did manage to find and dig Vicki's email address out of the back of my car. I am hoping she will be teaching somewhere sometime. I feel like such a stalker. I will email her and find out! She also teaches at Sun & Moon - a real yoga studio. Not as convenient (county location is 5 minutes from my house) but worth it to be in her class.

I swear I just need a yoga class to calm myself down. Luckily, just today's class was being cancelled - instructor illness - not the entire session! Hopefully, this time next week I will be post-class calm.