If Brandon ever makes it home from getting new brakes put on his car, we are hitting the road once again. Why oh why can't there be a flight from Indy to Nashville?! (Probably because from a practicality standpoint, it would take just as long to drive the airport, park, ride the shuttle, wrestle four people and two car seats through security, and board the plane than it would to just drive there already. )
We are headed back to Nashville so I can shoot my friend Stephanie's wedding. Steph is a good friend and a sorority sister, which means we're contractually bound to be lifelong friends. This joyful celebration has been a long time coming and I'm humbled and honored to document her day.
With any luck, I'll have beautiful pictures from my first wedding shoot to share early next week. What's more likely to happen? My batteries will die. I'll forget a lens on which I'm completely dependant. I'll be a sweaty mess instead of an elegant wedding guest...
Maybe I should read The Secret.
Friday, April 18, 2008
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
The creature in his closet
I can’t begin to tell you how much the kids enjoyed combing the beach for shells. Their daily bounty had to be sorted, (read “discarded”) otherwise we would have been forced to rent a U-Haul for the drive home. Towards the end of the week, I got lazy. I didn’t so much as take a look-see through Alex’s collection. It fit into a smallish sand castle mold, and that seemed reasonable. He even outfitted the top with a net, creating a breathable lid. When Brandon packed the van to leave, he put the shell collection near Alex’s feet. We weren’t two miles down the road before Alex announced the shells “smelled TERRIBLE,” and he couldn’t possibly be expected to ride near them. Fine. I moved them to our center console.
The night we got home, I was getting Alex ready for bed and noticed his dirty clothes were on the floor. I gave him some static for not putting them in his hamper, which is in his closet. He explained to me he couldn’t because his closet smelled like sea shells and then he gagged; seemingly for effect. I say seemingly, because when I opened his closet my reaction was the same. I explained it was just salt water and I would clean them for him. While I took the shells to the laundry room, Alex doused his closet with Lysol. I’m not sure which smell was worse.
I soaked the shells with a combination of bleach and laundry detergent. I told Alex we’d give them a day to soak. His response? “Let’s make it two.” I did, and this morning I decided to put the shells in a colander and rinse them. As I took them out to dry, I sorted through them once again. I tossed broken pieces that really didn’t resemble shells and prayed Alex and Meredith wouldn’t notice. I was nearly done when I came across the reason for the horrendous smell.
One of the shells was still occupied by some sort of sea creature. After two days of soaking in bleach, I wasn’t able to determine what type of animal made the trip home with us, but suffice it to say, it had a hygiene issue. I told Alex what I’d found and he asked what I did with it. I told him I tossed the shell and it’s tenant into the lot next door. He said, “O.K, but was it a good shell?!”
The night we got home, I was getting Alex ready for bed and noticed his dirty clothes were on the floor. I gave him some static for not putting them in his hamper, which is in his closet. He explained to me he couldn’t because his closet smelled like sea shells and then he gagged; seemingly for effect. I say seemingly, because when I opened his closet my reaction was the same. I explained it was just salt water and I would clean them for him. While I took the shells to the laundry room, Alex doused his closet with Lysol. I’m not sure which smell was worse.
I soaked the shells with a combination of bleach and laundry detergent. I told Alex we’d give them a day to soak. His response? “Let’s make it two.” I did, and this morning I decided to put the shells in a colander and rinse them. As I took them out to dry, I sorted through them once again. I tossed broken pieces that really didn’t resemble shells and prayed Alex and Meredith wouldn’t notice. I was nearly done when I came across the reason for the horrendous smell.
One of the shells was still occupied by some sort of sea creature. After two days of soaking in bleach, I wasn’t able to determine what type of animal made the trip home with us, but suffice it to say, it had a hygiene issue. I told Alex what I’d found and he asked what I did with it. I told him I tossed the shell and it’s tenant into the lot next door. He said, “O.K, but was it a good shell?!”
Monday, April 14, 2008
And I was worried about the sand!
While on vacation, I made a few discoveries. 1.) I want a 1,200 square foot condo with tile throughout. (On the beach wouldn’t hurt.) It took me less than 45 minutes to clean the place top to bottom. Of course we’d have to eliminate 90% of what we currently own, and that sounds even more appealing. 2.) No matter how much laundry you do on vacation, you still wind up doing eight loads when you get home.
I spent all day yesterday unpacking and doing load after load of laundry. I’m notoriously slow at unpacking. Brandon is always unpacked within an hour of coming home. I’ve been known to fish socks out of the suitcase two weeks after a vacation. So, I made a vow to Brandon and myself that I would unpack three suitcases and put everything in its place before the day was over. I did, and while I was occupied, the kids reacquainted themselves with their toys by getting them all out at once. Another day, another pile.
Alex had a dentist appointment today, where they reaffirmed the horror that he will likely have two sets of teeth for awhile. Apparently, his mouth is really crowded, and for whatever reason this prevents his baby teeth from falling out to make room for his permanent teeth. The big teeth and the little teeth will coexist one behind the other until the baby teeth fall out. Great. I suppose this is what we get for giving him “The Gator” as a nickname.
I spent all day yesterday unpacking and doing load after load of laundry. I’m notoriously slow at unpacking. Brandon is always unpacked within an hour of coming home. I’ve been known to fish socks out of the suitcase two weeks after a vacation. So, I made a vow to Brandon and myself that I would unpack three suitcases and put everything in its place before the day was over. I did, and while I was occupied, the kids reacquainted themselves with their toys by getting them all out at once. Another day, another pile.
Alex had a dentist appointment today, where they reaffirmed the horror that he will likely have two sets of teeth for awhile. Apparently, his mouth is really crowded, and for whatever reason this prevents his baby teeth from falling out to make room for his permanent teeth. The big teeth and the little teeth will coexist one behind the other until the baby teeth fall out. Great. I suppose this is what we get for giving him “The Gator” as a nickname.
By the way, the above photo seems to be immensly popular with everyone who has thumbed through our vacation album. I'm including it for those of you whom haven't seen it. I hope I don't wind up under federal investigation.
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Come Monday
As we left the coast of Alabama Friday afternoon, I mentioned to anyone listening how green everything was. The trees were in full bloom, the azaleas rivaled Augusta, and it just felt like early summer. When we crossed the state line into Indiana, I was quick to point out how bland everything was. Flat land, barren trees, and silver and white silos. Not exactly eye candy. Brandon loves when I complain about living in the Midwest, so you can imagine his enthusiasm.
We were all ready to sleep in our own beds and if we stayed another week, my capris could no longer have accommodated my thighs, but still, it was hard to leave the beach behind. I’m shocked how much we enjoyed our time in the sand. Literally.
As I’ve shared we aren’t really beach people. The thought of trying to keep sand outside the condo kept me up at night prior to leaving for the trip. I just knew we would drive home with sand embedded in the carpeting of our van. This may come as a surprise, but my fears were somewhat irrational.
The sands of the Gulf coast are fine and sugary and the temperature didn’t cause every grain to stick to me. We were able to sit on the beach without sweating. Some may have wished for warmer weather, but for our heat-stroke-prone family, it was ideal. I was happy as a clam under my huge umbrella while the kids dug holes like they were preparing for life underground.
Aside from GramPam nearly losing a toe to Alex’s machine like digging; the kids had so much fun playing with my parents and scaring my grandma with their daring ventures into the ocean. Our friends the Staperts were in Orange Beach too and our kids played together in the surf. I know it sounds corny, but I just kept thinking how great it was to share a day at the beach with good friends. It made the time that much sweeter.
God bless my parents and Grandma, who bravely volunteered to keep all four kids while Brandon and I went to dinner with Curt and Dawn. We had a great dinner out and went for a drink afterwards. We thought this place would increase our street cred, but it turned out to be a bunch of guys in khakis and Lacoste® shirts, save a few characters.
While shopping at our favorite store, Al’s 5 & 10, we noticed the Blue Angels practice schedule posted on the door. On a whim, Brandon, the kids and I hurried out the door to the National Aviation Museum, to catch the 8:00 a.m. practice. It was incredible! I can’t begin to put into words the feeling I got watching those gorgeous planes fly feet from each other in complete precision. The museum was worth the trip in and of itself.
Some other highlights aside from the beach: The kids went miniature golfing with GramPam and Trophy, and on a wild go-kart ride. We did our fair share of shopping at the outlets. (Brandon was really excited to find a Tommy Bahama outlet.) We ate at some really fun places. LuLu’s was by far my favorite. It’s owned by Jimmy Buffet’s sister, and at one point during our meal I was 100% convinced Jimmy pulled in on his boat. I swear I’d had nothing stronger than iced tea.
Oh, and I read two books! One Jill C. HAS to read right way. Full of Grace, by Dorthea Benton Frank. The other, Dawn lent me after she finished it. Into the Wild. That just convinced me I could never cut the mustard living in the wilderness even if I could hack a week in the sand.
With any luck, I'll post a slideshow at some point because it was too hard to narrow down the pictures I wanted to share.
We were all ready to sleep in our own beds and if we stayed another week, my capris could no longer have accommodated my thighs, but still, it was hard to leave the beach behind. I’m shocked how much we enjoyed our time in the sand. Literally.
As I’ve shared we aren’t really beach people. The thought of trying to keep sand outside the condo kept me up at night prior to leaving for the trip. I just knew we would drive home with sand embedded in the carpeting of our van. This may come as a surprise, but my fears were somewhat irrational.
The sands of the Gulf coast are fine and sugary and the temperature didn’t cause every grain to stick to me. We were able to sit on the beach without sweating. Some may have wished for warmer weather, but for our heat-stroke-prone family, it was ideal. I was happy as a clam under my huge umbrella while the kids dug holes like they were preparing for life underground.
Aside from GramPam nearly losing a toe to Alex’s machine like digging; the kids had so much fun playing with my parents and scaring my grandma with their daring ventures into the ocean. Our friends the Staperts were in Orange Beach too and our kids played together in the surf. I know it sounds corny, but I just kept thinking how great it was to share a day at the beach with good friends. It made the time that much sweeter.
God bless my parents and Grandma, who bravely volunteered to keep all four kids while Brandon and I went to dinner with Curt and Dawn. We had a great dinner out and went for a drink afterwards. We thought this place would increase our street cred, but it turned out to be a bunch of guys in khakis and Lacoste® shirts, save a few characters.
While shopping at our favorite store, Al’s 5 & 10, we noticed the Blue Angels practice schedule posted on the door. On a whim, Brandon, the kids and I hurried out the door to the National Aviation Museum, to catch the 8:00 a.m. practice. It was incredible! I can’t begin to put into words the feeling I got watching those gorgeous planes fly feet from each other in complete precision. The museum was worth the trip in and of itself.
Some other highlights aside from the beach: The kids went miniature golfing with GramPam and Trophy, and on a wild go-kart ride. We did our fair share of shopping at the outlets. (Brandon was really excited to find a Tommy Bahama outlet.) We ate at some really fun places. LuLu’s was by far my favorite. It’s owned by Jimmy Buffet’s sister, and at one point during our meal I was 100% convinced Jimmy pulled in on his boat. I swear I’d had nothing stronger than iced tea.
Oh, and I read two books! One Jill C. HAS to read right way. Full of Grace, by Dorthea Benton Frank. The other, Dawn lent me after she finished it. Into the Wild. That just convinced me I could never cut the mustard living in the wilderness even if I could hack a week in the sand.
With any luck, I'll post a slideshow at some point because it was too hard to narrow down the pictures I wanted to share.
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Next update 4/14
Not that this is required reading for anyone in particular, but I wanted to save you the trouble of checking the blog for the next week or so. We're on vacation and I'll have lots of pictures to share, so check back on the 14th. Happy Spring Break!
Leslie
Leslie
Thursday, April 3, 2008
This little piggy
One of the conveniences of Alex being nearly six, is he's old enough to shower somewhat independently. I bathe Meredith while he showers. It doesn't take him long to shower, so he's always done first and often serves as Meredith's entertainment while I rinse her hair. A few weeks ago, he disappeared for a minute after his shower. When Alex returned we were treated to this...I have no idea where the snout came from.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
My name is Meredith, and I'm a chocaholic.
As most of you know, Brandon travels for his job. He’s normally gone Monday through Thursday. There was a period of three years when Brandon was staffed locally. Not coincidently, that period coincides with the birth of both of our children.
What you may not know, is it’s really not all that bad. In fact, there are some perks. Sometimes the kids and I eat things for dinner Brandon would never approve of, like waffles. We also have the opportunity to travel to great places because of all those airline miles and hotel points. There is one perk that stands out among the rest for Meredith; hotel chocolate.
I sometimes question in my head what kind of damage we’re doing to our kids by not having their father present four evenings out of seven. I’ve often told Brandon, “I wish you could be home more, and somehow still earn travel points.” If you thought I was shallow before, welcome to the deep end. Not long ago, we were putting Meredith to bed and she said, “I wish Daddy could stay home forever, except still bring home chocolate!” The apple doesn’t fall from the tree.
Each week Brandon comes home with a box or two of chocolate truffles the hotel fairies leave him. Truly, it isn’t great chocolate. Sometimes, it’s even emblazoned with the Marriott logo, which seldom makes for great taste. Meredith doesn’t care. Second only to her love for princesses, is her love for chocolate.
Brandon tucks the chocolate into a drawer in his closet. Meredith is known to scarf down an entire box in the course of two days. On occasion, we’ve discovered she’s eaten two boxes and we gasp in horror-- while laughing at the same time. Well, this weekend we hit rock bottom. Brandon was reorganizing his closet, it’s an epidemic, and pulled out a dresser. Behind the dresser, he found the little secret Meredith has been keeping from us.
Yep. Those are truffle wrappers. These in no way equal the wrappers we find in the trash on a weekly basis. So, all this time Meredith has been eating three times what we thought in the first place!!! That was an obscene amount, and it’s much worse than we thought. I’ll be spending our vacation researching chocolate rehabs for M. The damage is done.
What you may not know, is it’s really not all that bad. In fact, there are some perks. Sometimes the kids and I eat things for dinner Brandon would never approve of, like waffles. We also have the opportunity to travel to great places because of all those airline miles and hotel points. There is one perk that stands out among the rest for Meredith; hotel chocolate.
I sometimes question in my head what kind of damage we’re doing to our kids by not having their father present four evenings out of seven. I’ve often told Brandon, “I wish you could be home more, and somehow still earn travel points.” If you thought I was shallow before, welcome to the deep end. Not long ago, we were putting Meredith to bed and she said, “I wish Daddy could stay home forever, except still bring home chocolate!” The apple doesn’t fall from the tree.
Each week Brandon comes home with a box or two of chocolate truffles the hotel fairies leave him. Truly, it isn’t great chocolate. Sometimes, it’s even emblazoned with the Marriott logo, which seldom makes for great taste. Meredith doesn’t care. Second only to her love for princesses, is her love for chocolate.
Brandon tucks the chocolate into a drawer in his closet. Meredith is known to scarf down an entire box in the course of two days. On occasion, we’ve discovered she’s eaten two boxes and we gasp in horror-- while laughing at the same time. Well, this weekend we hit rock bottom. Brandon was reorganizing his closet, it’s an epidemic, and pulled out a dresser. Behind the dresser, he found the little secret Meredith has been keeping from us.
Yep. Those are truffle wrappers. These in no way equal the wrappers we find in the trash on a weekly basis. So, all this time Meredith has been eating three times what we thought in the first place!!! That was an obscene amount, and it’s much worse than we thought. I’ll be spending our vacation researching chocolate rehabs for M. The damage is done.
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