This will be quick! Darren and I are sitting outside a Starbuck's in SoCal that has a fountain that the kids love playing in. They love to take our coffee cups and straws and send them around in the circular motion of the fountain like sailboats.
Our vacation down here with D's parents have afforded us and the kids much of this type of activity. It started with an afternoon at Darren's sister Sarah's house where the kids romped in the backyard--in and out of the kid pool, a loop around the yard on the bike, playing house.
Then there's been a lot of time spent in the pool or jacuzzi at Dan and Judy's. I went for a pedicure with Sarah that first afternoon and it is not holding up well as my toes scratch along the bottom of the pool.
This truly has been a perfect visit for us and the kids as we've enjoyed seeing the kid's cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents, and fireworks at Disney. Last night, we had the pleasure of hanging out with some of our supporters. It was great to connect after a long time and to inform them a little bit more about our move to London. We also had some great home-made Mexican food. All these things will be few and far between in London though we actually may have a great deal of visitors being in such a prime location.
The other night as we rode in the car as a family, we were reflecting on how we will miss riding in the car as a family, since we won't have a car in London. At the moment we were listening to a worship song that says, "the earth is filled with His glory" and Jesse was sketching this on his etch-a-sketch in the back seat. The drawing is a series of strokes culminating with the whole etch-a-sketch being completely filled in. A whole lot of glory.
Monday, July 16, 2007
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Fun Times
Darren and I had a white trash/bookish people party last night. It simultaneously was an auction to get rid of our appliances, and therefore a fundraiser. Needless to say we had good results and it was great to kiss some of our stuff good bye. But it was also a whole lot of fun. The kids went for an overnite at their friend Bree's house so Darren and I got to socialize.
Throughout the night people said,"So are your kids sleeping?" The question was a nice reminder that they were gone--no inquisitive minds wanting to be part of a big kid's party or looking longingly at food. D and I mingled and mingled and reallized we hadn't even hung out with each other during the whole night.
There were classy looking people and trashy looking people. I reflected on Tim Lockie's horrible teeth, how much stuff Claire Howard has under her bed that can serve as fabulous outfits for at least a 1/2 dozen folks on a whim, how much we missed certain friends who couldn't come, and how the vote seemed to be that I should ditch my old look for my new one.
It all was a blast to behold. Thanks Lyndy, Darren, and Tim for helping set up and to Andrea, mom to my kids plus her own last night.
And thanks to San Francisco, my beloved city and home, who never casts a scoffing look at any reason to celebrate or go out in costume. It has taught us well!
Tuesday, July 03, 2007
Progression
Darren got our visa application done and in the mail today! It has been a long progress as he has consulted a Britiish immigration lawyer through the process and has followed his advice to include resumes, job descriptions etc. Whew! It was like a big school project and I'm glad it was Darren who did it since he always got A's and I got B's or C's as a standard.
Luci is using the toilet regularly with my constant assistance. She is nowhere near being potty-trained in my mind, since she needs to mature mentally and physically, but it saves on a few diapers and is good practice.
Some of you know that Jesse has been extremely tired for a couple weeks in such a way as to disturb us extremely. Is he sick? Does he have cancer? Is this all the effects of growth spurting? Not sure we really have an answer, but by putting him to bed a few times a week at 6 p.m. (per his teacher's suggestion) and limiting his activity, we are minimizing his emotional and physical meltdowns. However, I am discouraged to realize that his fun summer school times of riding the train, going to aquatic parks, and City Hall are almost above and beyond the energy level of my Jesse who likes the rythym of imaginitive play, snack time, walk time, circle time, and lunch--the normal school routine. It dawned on me today that it is a bit too much for him.
I am continuing with my running, though it is never as frequent and all-out as I would like. With Peanut in tow, I am inevitabley slowed down. Yet how can I reject her when the very necessity of walking my dog is often about the only impetus for getting my derriere out on the pavement, let alone Bernal Hill? I have to report that I think at times, not consistently, we are getting faster. Peanut has at least traded in some of her exhaustion on the way home into 3 blocks of sprinting for us. There she is, all out of breath, on the verge of collapse with me eaking out every block from her, and then 3 blocks from home she decides to play the leash game or get excited about the whiff of a kitty cat, and off she goes with my legs about to fly off. But I do appreciate this new challenge.
Tonight we ate the rice noodles which have been in our pantry for a year. It is countdown. With me having possibly not much more than a month here, it is time to whittle down what is edible in our pantry and fridge. So we had cabbage from the bottom of our crisper, tofu from the freezer, and the noodles together in a peanut sauced ensemble. It was pretty good for a no recipe meal.
Darren and I are packing boxes here and there and actually really enjoying our time together doing that. It feels really satisfying to be working on a project together and I'm glad that we are enjoying our marriage so much. You can't just expect THAT when you're moving.
Luci is using the toilet regularly with my constant assistance. She is nowhere near being potty-trained in my mind, since she needs to mature mentally and physically, but it saves on a few diapers and is good practice.
Some of you know that Jesse has been extremely tired for a couple weeks in such a way as to disturb us extremely. Is he sick? Does he have cancer? Is this all the effects of growth spurting? Not sure we really have an answer, but by putting him to bed a few times a week at 6 p.m. (per his teacher's suggestion) and limiting his activity, we are minimizing his emotional and physical meltdowns. However, I am discouraged to realize that his fun summer school times of riding the train, going to aquatic parks, and City Hall are almost above and beyond the energy level of my Jesse who likes the rythym of imaginitive play, snack time, walk time, circle time, and lunch--the normal school routine. It dawned on me today that it is a bit too much for him.
I am continuing with my running, though it is never as frequent and all-out as I would like. With Peanut in tow, I am inevitabley slowed down. Yet how can I reject her when the very necessity of walking my dog is often about the only impetus for getting my derriere out on the pavement, let alone Bernal Hill? I have to report that I think at times, not consistently, we are getting faster. Peanut has at least traded in some of her exhaustion on the way home into 3 blocks of sprinting for us. There she is, all out of breath, on the verge of collapse with me eaking out every block from her, and then 3 blocks from home she decides to play the leash game or get excited about the whiff of a kitty cat, and off she goes with my legs about to fly off. But I do appreciate this new challenge.
Tonight we ate the rice noodles which have been in our pantry for a year. It is countdown. With me having possibly not much more than a month here, it is time to whittle down what is edible in our pantry and fridge. So we had cabbage from the bottom of our crisper, tofu from the freezer, and the noodles together in a peanut sauced ensemble. It was pretty good for a no recipe meal.
Darren and I are packing boxes here and there and actually really enjoying our time together doing that. It feels really satisfying to be working on a project together and I'm glad that we are enjoying our marriage so much. You can't just expect THAT when you're moving.