Vacation Round Up

Here's what I got done during vacation:

• Got all of the appliqué done on the baby quilt I'm making
• Got the windows tinted in the car
• Got the oil changed in the car
• Had the roof patched on the house and roof re-established on the dog house
• Go the dog poop cleaned up
• Made initial inquiries into a chicken coop
• Visited Jack, my bestest buddy in all of Strasbourg, France et famille
• Spent quality time with the Little Guy
• Ate meatballs and spaghetti with the Big Guy and the Little Guy
• Walked 25 miles y compris two walks with Max
• Did yoga four times
• Found a hawk's nest in my parents' backyard
• Called "dibs" on the electric smoker my dad was going to yard sale

What I didn't get done:

• Get Clark's nails clipped
• Get any canine a bath
• Finish the baby quilt
• Grade any kind of anything
• Go to Costco with the Big Guy and the Little Guy

There was too much to do this vacation.  On Tuesday I called my dad and I said, "Dad!  I'm so stressed!  How am I going to get everything done?"  He said, "There's always next week."  And I yelled, "But there's not DAD.  I'm not retired like you.  I can't just 'do it next week.'"  He didn't understand what I was talking about, so much like the bounce house, we didn't have much else to say to each other.

Tuesday I took Max for a walk.  It was the first time he'd been in the stroller since he'd been to the beach and so he was convinced he was going to see a "choo-choo" and "agua."  I said, "Buddy, I'm just not sure either of those is possible."  He's eternally optimistic (and has a short attention span), so he tried chanting "choo-choo" and "agua" for the entire hour and twenty minutes we were walking hoping that that would cause a train to magically appear.  I tried to explain to him that we lived in the desert and by definition the desert meant we were not going to find a pool of "agua" as we were walking.  No matter.  He was convinced.  I'm sure it was disappointing, but luckily once we got back home he was over it.

The other thing I've done is pretty much commit to signing up for the Rock n Run San Diego 1/2 marathon in June.  I think this is a fabulous idea, but I'm coming into my training a few weeks late.  There's a time limit (four hours) and so I will have to step up my walking game if I plan on making all 13 miles in under four hours.  I've got a new training schedule.  Sara's going to do it too.  I'm hoping it will keep me motivated from eating everything in the refrigerator at 7:00 at night.  I've also taken the radical step of stocking my refrigerator with only vegetables.    

The Latest

I haven't posted anything in a long, long time.  Yesterday I thought I was going to post, but then I spent on my free time on a Justin Timberlake binge on hulu.  Having been too old to be part of the NSync craze, I've never really been all that into JT, so I can't really explain what happened yesterday.  I started watching SNL, which led to Jimmy Fallon and the next thing I knew it was time to leave for my walk and all I'd done was just watch Justin Timberlake clips.  I went ahead and made yesterday and all JT all day long day which turned out for the better because I'm now over JT and can resume spending my free time looking shit up on Pinterest.

I think I've given up on my photo project.  I say I think because I'm not quite ready to admit I'm throwing in the towel despite the fact that I haven't taken a picture in weeks.

It's been quite the few weeks over here.  The Geriatrics continue to get up at least five times a night to go outside sometimes forgetting that they were just out moments after they come back in.  (Clark)  I swear I get up more times with them than if I had a newborn.  Why don't I get a doggie door?  Excellent and logical question, but I don't want Randi and Earl to have access to the house when I'm not here and I'm pretty sure if I got a doggie door that was only big enough for the Geriatrics then I would come home to find Randi (or Earl) stuck half way through the door.  Clark has remembered how to get on the bed, which means he is once again sleeping with me and Randi and Earl.  

On Saturday I went to Walmart and bought what I thought was a Buzz Lightyear kite thinking that Max would enjoy trying to fly the kite, but it turned out to be a Buzz Lightyear glider which turned out to suck ass.  My dad had to put it together because I couldn't understand the directions in English or French.  Then it didn't want to glide in any kind of fashion.  Luckily my mom had a kite (of course she did) and me and Max (me) flew the kite in my parents backyard.  It was the best part of the whole week.

After dinner on Saturday we tried to decide what we would do for the Little Guy's birthday.  I think Max needs a bounce house.  My mom said she's not getting a bounce house.  I suggested that maybe I could get a bounce house.  And my dad said that was dumb.  We are at a bounce house stalemate.  I maintain that the bounce house is necessary to continue Max's advancement in jumping ability.  My parents maintain that children have learned to jump since the beginning of time and only recently have had the help of a bounce house.  I argue that all the other kids have bounce houses for their birthdays and so Max should have a bounce house.  My parents counter argue that that is not a valid reason for anything.  I contend that the Little Guy already has so many issues to overcome that he deserves a bounce house.  My parents say that he's just as happy to play in his cardboard house.  I'm afraid I'm going to have to filibuster in order to get a bounce house.  We also don't know what we're going to do for our birthdays.  In what has become a tradition of late, my parents aren't going to be around for my birthday.  I want to go wine tasting, but that's not something Max can participate in.  We think he might want to go to the zoo, but that takes planning.  Probably we will just end up having a quiet birthday evening for the two of us sans bounce house.

Princess and the Pea

She has to sleep like this to muffle the sounds of her own snoring.

I'm sorry, why don't you want to live in the desert?