Holiday - (not so) Short and Sweet

I have been on holiday in the US for the past month, and I was lucky enough to spend a lot of time with Tristan, as well as Kelli's girls. Though you might want to see some pictures. Warning: this is not all we did or all I saw. The truth is, I'm terrible at taking pictures. So if you have some that I don't have, please pass them on.
Tristan and Papa being pals.

Tristan and Gramy. He says "She's the oldest person in the world, Mom." Gramy is 90, but she is just as sharp as a tack. I want to be old like her.

Gramy and the 18 week Baby bump. Oh, and me.

It was very difficult to get all three of these children in the same picture, and this was the best I could do. Katy, Tristan (in the red hat) and Angel (in the white hat) fishing and swimming in the river. The fishing lasted about 3 minutes, then into the water they went. Katy sat with me and watched.

Tristan loved all the dogs and cats that he saw on the trip. This is him with Dora. Angel is NOT happy that he is in the picture holding HER dog.

Tristan and Kiera after her surgery. She is still in the hospital, very groggy and out of it. She tolerated her picture with Boo...

...but didn't want to have anything more to do with pictures by the time I got to her. Luckily she tolerated this kiss on the cheek.

Kelli, Boo and I. I think we were all very tired by this point and faking smiles. Except for Tristan, whose expression pretty accurately sums up how we were all feeling at that point.

Having my family birthday dinner. This was Tristan's birthday red velvet cake. "This is too tiny to be a cake! Take a picture!" says Tristan.

Tristan, Katy and Angel were playing whilst at Dar's house. Angel was the mom, Katy was the daughter who had a tumour in her brain and had to go to the doctor (who was very far away) to have it out, the bear (beside Tristan) was the other daughter who stayed behind, and Tristan was the babysitter. This is Tristan teaching the bear he is babysitting how to play video games.

Tristan, Ms. Christi, Noah and Zach.

Tristan loves on Ms. Christi and Mr. Dan's dog, Cooper. Cooper loved to have his picture taken and sat there so still. He was the only animal I didn't come home with 20 blurry pictures of.

Boo and his favourite guy, Mr. Dan.

Tristan and Grandma Holen.

Tristan and Nicky's dog Kahlua.

Tristan and Grandma's one-eyed cat, Sidney. Sidney made Tristan feel a bit homesick, because he has a cat with one eye as well.

Tristan and his cousin Nicky. This is her 'normal' face. ;)

Tristan, Aunt Stephanie, and cousins Nicky, Kailey, Maddison and Emily.

Tristan and his cousin Kailey. They had so much fun making mud pies together. According to him, she is his favourite girl cousin.

Tristan and baby Kayden.

Boo and Grace.

Boo and Rachal.

Boo and Aunt Laura.

Laura and I. If the picture had gone down lower, you would find that the baby bump is a bit bigger than it was before.

Mamy and Katy. This was my last night in the US, and Tristan had gone home already.

Kiera and Mamy. Kiera was a lot happier to see me this time, called me Mamy for the first time ever and hugged and loved on me all evening. She was a chatterbox, too, which I was so pleased to see since the only way I could interact with her the month before was to read her a story. A totally different kiddo than the Kiera with a tumour.

Mamy and her girls.

It was nice, it was tiring, it was SO worth it. But I'm glad to be home.

More Photo Goodness

2009: Courtesy of Kelley

These photos were taken while out for a simple walk by the river. The day was warm and bright and sunny, and it had been hot enough that the banks of the river looked fairly dry and dead. In these, however, I think it looks really good.


There was a little old man sitting close by on a bench, feeding the ducks. This photo shoot took about an hour, and the man just kept staring at us. I suppose we were a bit more interesting than the ducks were, though if you had given Ashley the opportunity, she would have disagreed. She thinks there is nothing more interesting than ducks.

Personally, I think these photos came out as well, if not better than they would have if we had gone to a photographer. Thank you again, Kelley.

I think this is important enough to share.

A video that I think we should all watch and think on. Things like this affect more people than you might imagine. My son, for example. And my daughter, when she is old enough to choose the person that she wants to spend her life with.


"Fidelity": Don't Divorce... from Courage Campaign on Vimeo.

There is a petition, until February 14th. The link is HERE. Do something about this, please go and sign the petition, then call your governors office. The US is so far behind the UK in terms of equal rights for LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered, and Questioning) persons. The US is even further behind the vast majority of Europe. Every family deserves an opportunity to have the same rights, and when enough people stand up and defend the equality of ALL people, then change will come.

Rememberence

Nedra Grey
April 8, 1920 - November 24, 2008

I will always love you, Grandma.

In Review, kind of a bad few weeks.

Benny, my very old Grandma's husband, and therefore my step-grandfather, went into the hospital on 6th of November. He had cancer, and the tumour had spread to his liver and he was bleeding internally. They did an endoscopic surgery in the 7th to stop the bleeding, and he died on the 8th of November.

Kelli called to tell me on the 9th of November that my mother had overdosed, either accidentally or purposefully, on prescription painkillers.

On the 10th of November the hospital said that it wasn't an overdose. On the 11th they said it was congestive heart failure. On the 13th she had an angiogram which,while showing normal blockage which was taken care of, was not enough to explain her symptoms. On the 14th she told me that they wouldn't come right out and say it, but that it was a stroke.

On the 16th Stephen's mum called to tell us that his abuela was back in the hospital. Daily updates left us still not sure what was going on, besides age. On the 20th Stephen received a 5 am text message from his mum saying that his abuela had died. He left last night to fly to Spain for an unknown period of time to spend time with his mum and go to the funeral.

I am sad for all the sadness in our families. While I am so glad, I am also just a tad jealous that Stephen is able to go and be with his family during this time. I didn't get to. I am a bit mopey because I do not do as well when he is gone. I don't sleep as well, I remember my disturbing dreams more, and I have a lot more nightmares. And I can't help but wonder if the old adage about death coming in threes will be true this time also. All this is added to by the fact that Stephen and I have no way of keeping in touch besides the telephone (he usually takes his laptop and we chat often, but there is no internet where he is) and we don't know when he will be home. I know he will come home, though.

So this weekend, while I do have a bit of work to do for school, Ashley and I are going to hang out. I stocked up on junk food yesterday, an almost unheard of treat coming from me. We ate pizza and cookies and talked. Tonight I am taking her out for dinner, and tomorrow, as sad as it makes me, I am taking her to get her hair cut. I hope that we get the whole house clean this weekend, a task that I haven't even touched in weeks since things have been so hectic with school and I have hardly been home. I'll feel better when it is all done, and we will benefit from having some intense time together.

These last few weeks I have really wanted to go home. Not to stay, but to visit. To mourn. To spend more time with my Grandma. To see my mother and Kelli and the girls and my daddy. To hold onto Tristan so tight and make him remember how much I love him. To make him feel it. And maybe so I can feel it too.

God said 'Let there be Drama!' and lo and behold...

So let's talk a bit about closets, shall we? Say, specifically, hall closets?

I have one, and after not having one in our last house, I am grateful for the joy that is hall closets. I appreciate a place to put my dry towels and my blankets. And the hall closet that is our current joy shares space with the hot water heater, which means that my linens not only stay nice and neat and dry, but also warm and fresh smelling.

That is, until there was a leak.

We discovered the leak about a month ago now, when we went to put a warmer duvet on the bed. Our very nice down duvet, safely stashed in the hall closet, came out smelling of mildew and mold-stained. The whole house smelled as we pulled out 4 blankets that had been wet for god-only-knows-how-long and set them to dry. Lucky for us there is a cleaner close enough to our house that 1. we could walk our duvet to, and 2. was able to get all of the smell out and most of the stain. And all things considered, they didn't charge us all THAT much.

We informed the landlord of said leak, which wasn't really that bad, put a pan under the drip and waited.

A plumber came, perhaps a week or so later, to 'look'. "Oh, that's easy!" says he. "It's the water softener that needs replacing. It only needs new parts. I can't do it today, but I'll get back to you." He hasn't been back since.

Soon, after 1 instance of forgetting to empty the pan under the leak, there was water covering the carpet on the floor. The next time, it was not having forgotten to empty the pan that led to water on the floor. It was due to the leak getting worse. And since then, it has gotten progressively worse. A week ago, we put a mop bucket under the pan. (Due to some pipes, it can't actually drip directly into the bucket. It has to drip into the pan and then fall into the bucket.) The first night it was fine. When we went to empty it the next day, it was overflowing. The day after that, it was overflowing by the evening. Yesterday, it was overflowing after 8 hours. Last night, it didn't make it 6.

The closet door is propped open and the house smells like wet carpet. I can't get the hall closet dry, and touching it you can feel the water in a layer over the carpet. I've taken to putting towels down under the bucket, and they come out drenched. Obviously, not all the drip is getting into the bucket, but there is nothing else I can do. The two fine small pipes that run a few inches above the floor ensure that nothing can sit on top of them and they are directly under the leak.

I am worried about the flooring under the carpet, not to mention the carpet itself, being ruined, and being blamed and charged for the damage. Being on the third floor, I worry about the water getting into the ceiling of the lower floor and being charged for that damage too. I worry because Stephen's entire family is coming to our very tiny, wet carpet smelling house for his birthday (it was on Tuesday) dinner on Saturday. There will be 10 people in the house, including 3 children. I have to make a good impression. And I can't close the hall closet door. I worry that this all reflects poorly on me somehow. That my fancy-schmancy roast venison dinner with sweet potatoes and butternut squash won't mean anything at all next to our rinky-dink house that smells and leaks.

I really thought we were doing the right thing by leaving the last house, as it was so much bigger than we ever really needed unless there were people staying over. But now that there are people staying over, and we don't even have room to put the table out, or enough chairs to seat everyone...

I think that the facade of my being the perfect hostess in the perfect house with the perfect stuff and the perfect timing is going out the window this weekend. I kind of hope that no one notices, but I know for a fact that they all will.

Computer Adventures, Among Other Things

So, yesterday was a busy/good day.

I went to lunch with Chris and Marianna at a Thai place in El Paso. I had green prawn curry (though they didn't know what prawns were, and I forgot to just say shrimp.) It was HOT. Way hot. So hot I wasn't able to finish it and I'm not sure that I want to touch it today. Yum... but ow! We went to their favourite bakery afterwards for empanadas, and I had their 4 year old Ciara in the car. And wouldn't you know that I left my phone behind.

Since I had Ciara and didn't know where we were going, I couldn't turn around when I figured it out (almost immediately.) So I drove all the way to the bakery before turning around to go and get it. The people in the restaurant had it... but there is a funny story that I didn't know about until later. While my phone was AWOL, the people who found my phone called my sister Anna to ask if she knew who my phone belonged to. She said that she did (thank goodness this was not one of those times that she disowned me!) and asked them to leave it with the Thai restaurant people. She then sent my nephew Pat to go and fetch it. I beat him to the phone.

We still can't figure out how they called Anna's number. It was not the top number, nor was it in my called list. Strange.

So, back to the bakery for pumpkin empanadas, which are my favourite. I think I will have to make some at Samhain this year. I'm guessing that Stephen and Ash both will enjoy them. I brought home apple ones too, but not pineapple, because Anna is "allergic" (meaning she hates them.) Mom was upset at the lack of pineapple. They are her favourite. I can't win for losing with the empanadas. ;)

In the afternoon Anna and I went to Best Buy (to deal with broken laptop stuff before my warranty expires on the 25th of August) and Barnes and Noble. (They are right next door, and Anna goes gaga over books. Not me, of course. Never me.) The lines were long at Best Buy but to make a long story short, they took my laptop to repair it. It is not due back until the 24th... BUT since I fly back to the UK on the 7th, if it is not back by the 5th then they will give me a brand new one, free. I will be able to buy an extended warranty on it also. It may not be the best that they have, but they agreed that none of the specs will be less than what I had on the old laptop. They can, and most likely will, be better. I also found out that, if need be, they can make repairs overseas.

The downside is this: I couldn't lose my documents folder, and had no way to back it up at home, being that it was about 27 Gigabytes large. The least expensive external hard drive they had was more expensive than it would have cost for me to have Best Buy back up the folder, and the offer they extended to me was not going to happen if I didn't leave my computer then, so I felt that I had to pay them to back up my documents. It is money I didn't count on spending, nor is the money that I will spend for the extended warranty on a new computer (if it works out that way,) but I think both were/will be vital.

Barnes and Noble afterwards was nice because it was the first time I have gotten time to spend /with/ Anna. We browsed; she bought a whole lot of books. I ended up with two. This trip has been heavy on the reading, and I am really enjoying being able to read for pleasure rather than reading to learn. Perhaps another post I'll give you the lowdown on what I have read and what I think of them.

Tristan and I are really enjoying our time together. I am starting to dream of packing him into my suitcase and taking him home with me. I have dreamed things along those lines every night for the past 4 nights. I don't need a dream interpreter to know what that means. I am really going to hate leaving him.

Enough for now.
*kisses*

The Long Silence... an Explanation.

Yo ho ho friends and family. It has obviously been quite awhile since I have last spoken to you all. Last you heard I had many papers left to go. As of right now, I have one left for the year.

So, the quick update and explanation of my distance. Lots of papers to write, and a new job to boot. I am working at a 'nursery' (aka daycare) here. It is a daily experience. There are many things that I would change, but it is a lesson instead in keeping my opinions to myself. It makes me often miss Christi. I daydream about an early childhood center with her...

Anyway, on top of that, I have been really really sick. I am still not entirely over it. It started with the flu (or so I'm told) and happily moved into my chest and made a home there. I still hack and cough things up, and I still feel like there is a tight band around my chest. I make it through the night without coughing, which is an improvement. For a while, I thought I was fighting off pneumonia.



And while all of this has been going on, Kelley came for a visit. We had grand plans to post blogs while she was here; you can see how well that worked out. I am hoping that she still will help me post at least 1 blog. Until then, enjoy the few pics.


I don't want to post too many on the off chance that she will still post a blog with me here about her trip. She and Stephen spent most of their time together, as I still had school and I still had to work while she was here. (Insert sappy face sucking here...)


She and Stephen spent lots of time exploring London: she now has seen more of it than I have. Lucky for me she took lots of pictures, so I could see things too. She saw awesome changing of the guard stuff... I hope she tells all of you about it.

Mother's Day came and went, and it was a hard day for me. I feel it on a daily basis not being closer to Tristan. It doesn't get any easier the longer it has been. It just aches in my chest all the time. (And no, it ISN'T the cough!) I'm sure some of you will say that I brought it on myself. I'm not looking for sympathy, just commenting on the falsity of the 'it gets better with time' statement.

Related to this, it is definite that I am coming home for a visit this summer. My plane flies into El Paso at 10:45 pm on the 17th of July, and I leave to come back at 10:45 on the morning of the 7th. I'm grateful for the chance to spend time with Boo. And I will spend my entire 34th birthday on a plane. I won't even get home until the day after my birthday. Lucky Stephen... he can forget the day and it won't be a big deal at all.

While I am in the States, Tristan and I will be staying at Mom Holen's house. The plan is to go crazy with seeing everyone. I am not going anywhere or doing anything that doesn't involve spending time with the people I love. And Tristan's 7th birthday. I'll have my old cell phone number while I am there, at least until the beginning of August. I would love to see everyone. I am really looking forward to seeing people. But most of all, I can't wait to hug my little boy (who is not so little and graduated from 1st grade yesterday.)

Hope this fills everyone in on what is going on in my world. I hope to get back into the swing of posting, especially as there is so much I could be telling to you. One more paper to go, and then it is just the day to day things. Hopefully there will be a post from Kelley soon, and I intend to force Ashley onto the computer to fill you all in on what is going on in her world too. She has been a busy little beaver lately too.

kisses, and missing every one of you...

Another ni(e)ce video, and the requested come-to-visit-bring-stuff list.

Hmm... where to start today. How about this:

Angel sings to Mamie... in Spanish!

Now, I am not entirely sure that I am comfortable with this, but Christie did ask for me to please post my list-of-things-I-can't-get-here-and-really-wish-that-I-could. And since she asked me so nicely, I suppose I will. Just note, thais is in no way a solisitation. I am not begging you to send me things. This is my shopping list for when I visit home in the summer. So Christie and Dan, you DO NOT have to bring anything with you at all. Except you. Because if you came and forgot yourself... well, that would just be wierd.

Amy's US Shopping List

• Paper stick Q-tips (I dont care what kind, so long as they have a paper stick. The ones here are all plastic and they bend and my ears are SO itchy!)
• Green Chile and anything containing green chile, all heat levels, including superfireeatitanddie
• Campbells Golden Mushroom Condensed Soup
• Hot Cheetos (for Ashley)
• Malt-o-Meal or Cream of Wheat (I no longer care which)
• Hatch green enchilada sauce, medium
• masa harina preparada (for corn tortillas)
  
• Bear Creek Minestrone soup mix (again, for Ashley)
• Lucas Mexican tamarind candies (Oh, I miss those!)
• Kraft Spirals macaroni and cheese
• light corn syrup
• wax paper
• Hidden Valley Ranch powder packets (easier to transport, etc... I can mix it up myself.)
  

That is all that I can think of that might be reasonable to bring in. But again, this is not a solisitation.

On a completely different note, I have begun adding a list of my family and friends blogs on the sidebar. If you want your blog added, let me know. If you have a blog I dont know about, and dont want me to add it, let me know that too. (That way I can read it myself.) If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands.

Now... time for lesson planning. Nighty-night!

The Grand Ol' Potty...

Kelli sent me the most wonderful gift... video. And they are just so cute that I want to share them with you. Kelli, THANK YOU for the videos. Each one feels a little more like I'm involved in their lives. I can't wait to spend time with them in the summer.

Kiera talks to Mamie... (that's me!)

Katy reads "Goodnight Moon" to Mamie...

On a completely different note, This Sunday last was Mother's Day here in the UK. No, don't worry, you didn't miss it in the US. That day comes in May. So I officially get 2 days in 1 year to commemorate being a mother... and let me just say that I worked hard enough for it, thank you!

Dan the Man, in case any of you are wondering, will be in London in a little under 3 weeks. He will be the first person that I will see from home. I keep wondering if I should ask him to smuggle things in for me... a big pack of paper-stick Q-tips, perhaps, or a box of malt-o-meal. Or corn masa preparada. Or green chile. Or anything. But it is rude to just ask randomly. I'll be sending treats home with him. I am already hording things to send back with him . (teateateateatea) The goal is to convince him that he and Christie need NEED NEED to move here. And soon too.

What else, what else... I haven't done laundry in 2 weeks, but my lesson plans and all my grading are caught up. Complements on my behaviour management at school today (I was so disappointed; they were terrible. But apparantly terrible is better than they behave with their EVERYDAY teacher. Yay, me!) but those don't make me stop wishing that I were done. I don't like this school. I have been thinking a lot about that, actually... as much as I disagree with the concept of a private school, I am not sure that I am going to be able (or want to) teach the way the schools want. It is all to the tests. So maybe I need to keep an open mind about teaching in a private school. I have hooked myself up with some addresses. Perhaps I'll fill you in on /that/ story another time.

Stephen is happy at his job. He is SO busy all the time. People to help, model airplanes to test drive. Last week I went to his work with the intention of less distractions to get more done. What actually occured was lots of watching British TV commercials, and led directly into the last blog. Did Amy get stuff done? I don't think so.

Ash is doing much better in school. Her science GCSE classes are going fabulously. She has been getting A's and B's in her mock tests, and today she came home with an A* (absolutely highest score) in her mock exam. Wednesday is the next set of REAL tests, and I think she is ready. Every good mark boosts her confidence. Good prep for her A levels. She has tentatively decided to take an A level in Biology (and Stephen-the-Biologist is so proud.) and possibly another A level in Geography or something else. She just needed time to adjust.

In Which Amy Talks about Traveling for the Holiday... (Part 2) (Myspace Blog)

02 Jan 2007 00:19

In Which Amy Talks about Traveling for the Holiday... (Part 2) (Myspace Blog)

This is the continuation of a previous post... so if you haven't read (Part 1) you should do so... Christmas morning. My mother wakes Beth and I up screeching at 7 am... (that is 5 am my time, just in case you were wondering!...) "Girls!!!" (screech) "Get up girls!" (screech) "We have to hurry and eat breakfast and go so hurry up!" (screech). Not that I mind... ok. I'm lying. I minded. The kids could wait an extra hour to open presents... /I/ was tired. So breakfast, shower, lots of Earl Grey (Thank God for emergency shopping trips, even if they /are/ to Walmart, which I hate and refuse to shop at based on their lack of affordable benefits for their employees and their aggressive anti-union stance...) and an hour later, we are on our way. And the entirety of the Holen family estrogen squad meets at Marianne's house. Chaos. Beautiful, loving chaos. Kids running, screaming in delight over stocking and in anticipation of presents... Bustle in the kitchen baking crescent rolls and breakfast dishes... Cameras flashing, rustles of paper, sharp cries of 'Don't you open that yet!' Chaos. Pat and Nick are excited to not have to play Santa, and the job is delegated to the next generation of nephews... James and Nathan get a turn. Of course, they lose interest quickly, and, not knowing any of us, give me Bethy's gift and have no idea who Lizzie is, and Pat and Nick end up taking over again. It was wonderful. Lovely. Perfect. And passed far too quickly. The next day is Monday, traveling day. But first, family pictures. It is a rare thing for all the girls to be home for the holidays together, so pictures it is. (You can see some of them on my pictures' page...) Then a quick pack trip, a quick email to every family member with a nah-ne nah-ne to the boys that missed out, and into the car we go. I am the first to drive, being daylight and all. I experience my first round-about (apparantly these are very big in New England and Great Britain...) and lots of back roads to get onto I-20. I drive until dusk, when we stop for dinner at a Cracker Barrel somewhere in Mississippi or Louisiana, I think. This is important, so I'll say it again... Cracker Barrel. Thus beigns the nightmare portion of the trip. Dark, cant sleep, toss and turn. Anna and I try Serenity again... and if I cup my hands around my eyes just right, then I can't see the movement of the lights outside. This time, I actually manage to finish the movie with only a headache. But I toss and turn... and Beth is driving. I hope I talked about Beth driving in (Part 1)... I get a headache and my stomach rolls just thinking about talking about Beth driving... AND I got sent to the very back of the car beause it was dark and I hadn't taken my turn. Needless to say, the feeling good thing was out the window. 2 am we arrive in Dallas to drop Beth off, and noone listens when I say that Jim and Erin were expecting us to stop by... and I don't care enough to say it again. I half sleep my way through the night, and finally it is morning and I am tired and grumpy and achey and we are in Abilene... and /everyone/ is tired and grumpy and achey and Mom says "I want Cracker Barrel for breakfast." The groans and sighs abound. Pat makes a comment and the flag is thrown, it is official - the battle begins. We don't find a Cracker Barrel, and ended up eating at McDonalds (yet another place that I refuse to frequent based upon their treatment of employees and militant anti-union stance...). Funny how my morals go out the window... I don't say a word against their choice of meal at all. The rest of the trip is Pat making comments at Mom and Mom making comments at Pat and everyone else and I am texting Stephen saying "Only 300 more miles...." and trying to sleep and it is all a blur. BUT - The clear spot in the blur is Mom saying "Amy, when we get home you are going to sleep before you drive the rest of the way to your house, right?" and me saying "No, I'm going right home" and thinking "I cannot be around these people for another minute without exploding into little tiny bits hell no I'm not staying another night!" Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my family.... just consider the circumstances. So home to Mom's... pack my car, then home to my house. Bed. I want bed. I feel like I haven't slept in a week (sleeping on the floor and not sleeping in a car will do that, I guess...) and I just want my bed. It takes me some time to recover... but I do. So, a wonderful, well worth it trip, and only 28 hours in the car this time. Would I do it again? Absolutely. And that jumps me to New Years. On which I did nothing. I love the fact that I am allowed to avoid acknowledging the holidays in my own house.

In Which Amy Wants to Remember... (Myspace Blog)

Here are some things that I really want to remember about this holiday:

* Erin and her tiny baby belly. I think its a girl... I'm pretty sure.

*Outside of Marianne's house, Nikki walks up to me and leans against me and says... "Aunt Amy... you have a smell." Is it a nasty old lady smell? no. It is a good smell then? yes. Is it distinctive? yes. Will she smell it forever and identify it as my smell? yes. She says it is not the patchouly of my hair, or the lavender of my clothes... but ME. My smell. I have a smell.

*Wrapping presents with Marianne and Matt and talking. I miss talking with her... and she called me her best friend. I miss talking with her... I spilled my guts about current situations and it was nice... she was supportive... and I miss talking to her...

*Meeting Nathan and Ian for the first time... and the rest of the trip wherever we walk, Nathan reaches to hold my hand. I like Heathers' boys.

*The old rusty lawn chair hidden in the woods... and the hour I sat in it listening to the quiet and having alone time. Nice.

*Fuzzy vines mean poison ivy... and they really are fuzzy!

*Hide and Seek in the dark, but it is way too scary to play. I hide under the car and I am the first person Pat finds. That means I'm it... but I know everyone will hide in the darkest parts of the yard, so Matt offers to hunt with me. He actually does all the work, but I can pretend that I was it.

*Heart to heart with Mom... and I don't really like what she has to say, but it is valuable anyway. I'm so grateful that she cares enough to tell me things that are not so fun to hear.

*Lizzie comes to Matt and Marianne's house... and it is the first time I have seen her since she went into the military. She is not a little girl anymore.

*Sleeping on the floor... I really really miss my kids... and I'm homesick. Georgia is pretty, but I don't think it is a place that I want to live.

In Which Amy Talks about Traveling for the Holiday... (Part 1) (Myspace Blog)

So, this is part 1 of my holiday extravaganza! No... there is no part 2 yet... because part 2 hasn't happened yet. It will, starting tomorrow morning, when kids scream and throw themselves on presents... yeah.. you know how xmas morning looks.

So, the original plan was for me to leave on Yule... AFTER a circle with my coven. I was going to take laundry and other things, drop mi hija with her father, and pack at my moms' house. Circle at 7... plenty of time. Right? Right...

I don't actually make it to the circle. I don't actually make it to mi hijas fathers' house until 10... and my moms' until 11. Then laundry... 2 loads that won't dry. We are supposed to leave at 5 am... at 4 am I am dozing on the couch trying desperately to finish the laundry so I can pack, eyes red rimmed and tired... and 6 shots of Baileys Irish Cream in me. (Mom did it...I walk in and she says 'Have some!' and how the hell am I supposed to say no to that? Just because she went to bed and left me to drink them alone means nothing, I swear...) My lips were nice and numb.

Eventually laundry gets done and I shower and there is only time to rush rush rush and weren't we supposed to leave at 5? Maybe... but we ACTUALLY leave at 6:30... after I am told that 2 suitcases is too many and am forced to shove all my stuff into 1. Tight squeeze, but my nephew sits on it and we manage.

The plan is to make it to Dallas to pick up sister 3, see brother 2 and sister in law on day 1 (9 hours), then drive overnight into Georgia on day 2 (12 hours). Somehow, it doesn't seem to work that way.

Day 1 -So we leave, and it is fun, and exciting, and I am looking out the window... and by mile 250 I am wishing that I had brought my charcoals and a sketch pad (note to self: never go on a trip without your charcoals and a sketch pad!) and by mile 350 I am bored. We watch 1/2 of the movie Serenity before Amy gets sick. Like turning green sick. Pull over and puke sick. Ihatecars sick. We stop for lunch. Amy does not get to finish the movie, which upsets her, because she really really wants to. We finally get into Dallas 12 hours later. I wont detail the rest of that day, as it involved lots of laughing at Amy for being sick, and lots of Amy trying /not/ to be sick. Seeing brother and sister in law was so fun and perfect... and makes me miss them even more.

Day 2 - I drive in the early hours of the morning for a bit. Fun.. but it is dark and the road feels like it is coming out of nowhere, there is fog that falls from the sky, and the trees are dark and creepy at the side of the road. I can't think about it too hard without scaring myself. BUT - I go through 3 new states... Louisiana, and Mississippi, and Alabama. I seem to have an ongoing love affair with a restuarant called 'The Waffle House'. I see them every 2 miles or so.... the are following me in the dark. Really. Then breakfast time (not at Waffle House... they are stalking me...) and I'm done with my stint of driving.

Next Sister 3 drives.... and I get so so sick. She drives like she has to in Dallas... aggressive, quick movements that jerk us across lanes. No that this is bad... but I spend the rest of the trip asleep in a desperate attempt to avoid having to pull over to puke. I wake, she changes lanes, I turn green and promptly fall back asleep. My music is pounding in my ears to try to cover sounds of conversation that might keep me concious. Everytime I wake I groan and ask where we are... the car turns a corner, I groan again and turn green and fall back asleep. My nephew thinks this is the most amusing thing ever.

After getting lost, we make it to Georgia and the hotel by 1... (17 hours). They have a treadmill! yay! And I run a mile to make up for the fact that I have sat on my tush for the last 31 hours. A mile is all I can do... I am dragging so. I meet 1 nephew that I hadn't before, saw one that I hadn't seen since he was two, and hugged sisters that I haven't seen since mi hijo was an infant. Dinner at family's house and I am beat beat beat by 8. We get back to the hotel and I am asleep before my mom stops talking.

Wake next morning for breakfast, and go for a run with said nephew, who is 15 and thinks that all people should have the energy and stamina to run like him. I am dragging... so tired that I can't think. Plus I'm old. Which means he teases me about being slow and not keeping up. I think we managed a mile before I was stick-a-fork-in-me done. Everyone else went to go shopping... all I want is a nap. So I go to sleep... and my sisters have to go to the front desk to get a key because I do not wake up to answer the door. or the phone. or the hollering outside the window. I dont actually wake until my nephew is tickling my feet. (which I hate)

Then the afternoon with family and kids is spent playing and cooking and making candy and my baby sister gets there! and /all/ of the girls are in the same place so lets take pictures! and wrap presents and talktalktalk and hide and seek in the dark, but I am too scared to play long because it is so DARK! And there are monsters... BUT I now know what poison ivy looks like.

So, tonight Santa comes to Georgia. Amy wakes early... and part two begins.

Happy Holidays!

I miss my babies!

In Which Amy Reveals her Secret Holiday Plans... (shh...) (Myspace Blog)

So, what is Amy doing for the holidays?

Well...

NO rainbow vomit. (otherwise known as Xmas lights)
NO fake trees
NO real trees
NO ornaments
NO presents
NO Santa
NO Xmas cards
NO cookies
Well.. ok... some cookies. But NO sparkles on them
NO silly hats with bells and fur
NO candy canes
NO presents

NO kids.

Kinda sad, you'd think.... but mi hija and I decided that we were both ok with the long list of no's... and there are trees and lights and yaddayadda elsewhere. Nice to have an xmas not based on the materialism of the season. Nice to be free to relax rather than getting caught in the hubub of the holiday.

The part that makes me a bit sad is the no kids part... My youngling to his other moms and my oldling to her dads. They will have fun... it will be good for them. Me, on the other hand... but there are other holidays.

Actually, I am doing something for the holiday. I am packing me and my stuff into a van with my mom, 2 of my sisters, and my nephew and we are driving. First to Dallas, to pick up a third sister and see my brother and his almost-so-close-to-time wife and kiss 3 year olds and rub slightly bulging baby bellies. Then to Georgia, to spend a wonderful few days with yet another sister, her husband, and their family. I really am excited, even though the trip will be grueling. I have never been to Georgia. I hope it snows. Not that I would know what it was if it did... (This is snow?! WOW! It is so wet... and cold! My fingers are numb! I can't feel my toes! This sucks! Lets go inside and drink hot cocoa!)

Then back home to vegetate and recover from a horrid semester. But only 2 more before blocks... I am almost done... I think I am starting to taste it.

Or is that sand? It has been really windy....

In Which Amy is Sick... (Myspace Blog)

Being sick sucks.

Lying in bed feeling miserable (or in this case, in the bathroom feeling miserable), nothing to do but remember how awful you feel...thinking about all the things that you should be doing but instead you are stuck too sick to manage to move.

Being sick sucks.

Luckily, this semester has been mild as far as my encounters with being sick. A cold earlier in the semester, this stomach bug (though NASTY) only lasting 2 days. That's not at all bad compared to the semester that I spent the whole time sick, never actually getting any better until January.

But that doesn't make being sick any less sucky.

Mi hija was kind enough to pass this one on to me... and now she has it again. But I've decided that I have done my time, I won't end up with it for another round... I had it so bad that I've built up immunities, baby! Yeah!

Besides, it is a holiday week. I can't get sick... I want to go home and spend time with my family... Anna is cooking. :) Jimmy and Erin are coming home. Maybe Bethy too.

Being sick would suck.

In Which Amy Talks of Mother... (Myspace Blog)

My mother means well.

She and her husband (my stepfather) have a washer and dryer for me. They have had it for a while. It is sitting in their back yard, I suppose, since they are not using them anymore.

She has said they will bring them up for a month now. In the beginning, I was excited. I have lived in Las Cruces since 1995, and the only time my mother has ever come over was once when she picked up my sick sister, then came to pick up mi hija for a trip to her father's. She has never come to visit me.

Please do not misunderstand, I am not upset that I have to wait for the washer and dryer. When the time comes, it will happen. But I find it interesting that I am told that the road travels two ways... I may not travel it often, but I do travel it.

The truth is that I do not understand my mother. I am not here to bitch about her, and I'm not full of anger or angst. I just don't understand her. She is a Martian. She speaks a different language. Or, to be fair, maybe I'm the alien...

Yeah! I'M an alien! From the Pluto formerly known as a planet. And I have come to earth to take over the world. But don't worry, I am not a tyrant, or even a dictator. I am a benevolent ruler. Yeah. With a big crown. And jewels... shiny jewels that grab the light and throw it back at you.

That's Martian Amy to you...

In Which Amy Corrupts Technology... (Myspace Blog)

I am a Corrupter of Technology. Or at least that is what Jimmy says.

I was sitting at home, minding my own business, being morose and thinking about crying, when he called. To 'talk'.

'Talk'ing, in this case, involved me opening my mouth and spilling all my miseries out onto him... and him nodding and hmmming and occasionally inserting listening noises any place he could get a word in edgewise.

According to my brother, in the end, the problem is that I am an egocentric decision maker. Along with most of the other people in the world. I am also not good at using technology appropriately (i.e. using it the way he would like me too...) and am therefore (with exasperated sigh included) a CORRUPTER of TECHNOLOGY. Believe it or not, this actually made me feel better, to have him tell me this. There is the reason I cannot bear to be a slave to my stupid cell phone! I am a corrupter. It is not because I have a bad memory and forget to take it off vibrate after class, or just plain forget to take it with me. Nope, I am a corrupter. That is my problem.

Lucky for me, he had a solution for it too... "Little sis, you just need to TAKE CONTROL."

Take control... this makes me laugh. Me, who cannot ever decide what restaurant she wants to eat at, needs to take control. I AM taking control - of feeling morose and teary eyed.

This is, of course, not as deep as our conversation went... and my telling him of my decision not to post all the personal stuff lead him to reiterate that I was a corrupter... what is the point of having a blog if I am not going to post personal things? And while I see his point, I still don't think I wanna.

So, in the end, he tells me that he is glad we could have this chat, and how happy he is that I am now laughing and joking with him. He says, "And hey, I win!" which in Jim-speak means "I am so glad that you are feeling better and that I could help and I love you even if you do corrupt technology every chance you get."

I love my brother... who else knew to call me?

In Which Amy Has a Baby... (Myspace Blog)

I'm going to have a baby! That's right, I'm going to be an aunt! Again! Technically, Jim (brother) and Erin (almost sister) are going to have the baby but I am so bloody excited that I just have to take all the credit! I love babies. They smell good. So, this baby is going to be (a girl - don't ask me how I know...) either James Jacob or Devin Paige. And beautiful. Not to mention well loved. Personally, I will stand in line to babysit. This will be my 6th niece. A nice even balance for my 6 nephews. Yet one more reason that I am so happy to be alive right here and now. Congratulations, Jim and Erin. Love you both and Thanks for being a part of my family.