One of those mornings…..

I rolled out of bed this morning cursing the infant teething process and wishing that we could have another time change so I could gain another hour of sleep.  After I stretched and got my bearings, I went to wake Amelia up for school.  It’s becoming increasingly difficult to wake her up in the morning, so when I walked into her room, I was on a mission.  I stepped up onto the bottom rung of the ladder to her loft bed and started saying her name.  I shook her shoulder and was thinking about finding a song on my phone to play her when she popped up into a sitting position.

Amelia: “What??”

Me: (slightly annoyed) “You need to get up”

Amelia: (looking at me) “Why?”

Me: “You need to get ready for school”

Amelia: “No I don’t”

**It’s at this point that I remember that today is election day… and there’s no school on election day.**

Me: “…oh shit”  (stepping down from the ladder and walking toward her door) “see you in half an hour”

Amelia:   “Well, I’m awake NOW.”

And then my 6 year old daughter spent the next 30 minutes sitting in my bed watching TV and periodically looking over at me trying to sleep and chuckling.

I also managed to spill my coffee on a jumbo pack of toilet paper left in the middle of the kitchen and get a monster paper cut while reaching into my purse for my sunglasses.

 

My Hero (a story featuring kids in mustaches)

The craziest thing happened to me last night….

I was on way home, walking through the forest, when I heard the leaves rustle from above. Just then,  woodland nymph appeared before me.

She looked friendly enough. Sure, she had a villain’s mustache, but she was smiling and singing and she had a heart on her shirt. What villain wears a heart T-shirt?The nymph looked like she wanted to show me something, so I took a step toward her.

“What is it? What do you want to show me?”

She smiled, turned and flitted away. I followed. After a short while, the nymph came to a clearing. She looked around, smiled and stopped.

“What’s here? Did you want to show me something here?”

She turned and locked eyes with me. Just then, I felt a tug on my sleeve. I looked down to see the funniest little elf.

He had a villain’s mustache too….but his eyes were so big that I decided that he MUST be kind and honorable.

“Oh, who are you little buddy? Do you want to play?”

The elf’s eyes sparkled as he stared at me. Then I heard the nymph giggle. I turned to look at her, and as I did, the elf snatched my bag and ran away.

“Oh no! You’re not a nice elf at all!”

I chased the elf deeper into the forest. I was about to catch up to him when the elf turned and threw my bag off the trail. I crouched to collect my belongings, but as I did, I felt a sharp crack to the back of my head. I felt my body being pulled across the ground….for being so small, these folks were strong. It was then that I realized what was happening.

They were taking me to their leader.

I’d heard the horror stories. “Little Z” was ruthless. What would happen???

My heart was racing as they blindfolded me. What were they going to do? Nobody knew where I was. By the time anyone realized I was missing, it would probably be too late.

Just then, I heard a crash and glass breaking. Somebody shouted “Oh no, it’s HIM!!”
There was a scuffle and howls. And then there was silence.
Still blindfolded, I felt myself being carried. What was happening now???

Finally, I was set down on the ground. I took off my blindfold and found myself on the original path, where I’d first seen the woodland nymph. Then I looked down and saw my savior.

He bowed to me.

“My Lady..“

And then he was gone…..

I really need to move closer to work. My commute is getting weird……..

 

A 3 Year Old, A Love Triangle & a Little Bit of Incest

Over the weekend, I walked into the bathroom to find Zaven looking at the pipe under the sink. When I asked him what he was doing, this conversation happened:

 

Me: What are you doing
Zaven: I lost my wedding ring down the drain.
Me: Ummm…huh?
Z: My wedding ring went down the sink…I have to to take the sink apart.
Me: Wait…wedding ring? Who are you married to?
Z: (pause) Aunt Phae
Me: Aunt Phae? And what does Uncle Paul think about this.
Z: (turns to look at me…completely calm and straight faced) I don’t really care what he thinks.

 

Whoa.

I, for one, cannot WAIT until he starts pursuing real, non-incest, relationships. I’m sure there will be NO drama at all. Nope….no drama AT ALL.

 

To Vermont….and Back

I like to think of myself as spontaneous and adventurous….but in reality, my life isn’t nearly as wild as I wish it was. Three kids, a full-time job, a husband that only has one weekend day off…it happens. So, when Jason suggested I take an impromptu road-trip to from Georgia to Vermont, I initially blew it off. There was no way that I could just pick up and drive 1200 miles with a 3 year old and a 7 month old, alone, in a week.

…Is there?

Jason’s mind has no limits. It would have been just as likely for him to suggest I go to the moon for a week (and then stare at me incredulously while I explained why that wasn’t possible). I’m a little more practical. Sometimes TOO practical, I suppose.

…so I went.

I drove up there, stopping at my sister’s house in New Jersey for the night, with no plans beyond the Grace Potter “Good Night Irene” benefit concert that I’d procured tickets to a couple days earlier. I didn’t want to fill the week with obligations and plans and hours driving around the state. I just wanted to go. And be. And let things happen.

And things did happen. I had several chance meetings with old friends on the street and in restaurants. I took the kids to a local high school soccer game. I wandered around a farmer’s market with my baby in a sling, with absolutely no other responsibility or schedule. We even caught a Bread & Puppet performance with some old family friends (another family that we’d traveled to Glover with to see B&P’s annual Pageant and & Circus when we were kids…this time we were there with OUR kids).

It was wonderful to be home. Wonderful to be surrounded by so many people who care about community and their neighbors and the state of the world. It’s something I miss so much living in GA. Sure, there are people like that…but they’re few and far between…sigh, that’s a whole other post.

It was wonderful to be able to stop and relax and smile. For some reason, it’s different here. My life is different here.

So, here I am, back in Georgia. I spent yesterday angry at the world because I have to be here and because I have to go to work and because I don’t get to lie around reading books in my everyday life. Tomorrow I’m going to start fresh (Today’s just a transitional day during which I write a blog post about what I’m doing).

I’ve said this before, but I’m going to try and get my focus back to simplifying my life. A re-calibration, if you will. There’s not as much “Simply” in my “Jess” as there should be (sorry, that was corny, but I just kept thinking it).

If I can’t be in Vermont…I might as well bring the Vermont spirit with me back to Georgia.

 

Gooey Goodness

The last couple days have been…rough. I’m exhausted, I’m stressed, I’m feeling a bit discouraged and I’m a little disappointed in the lack of concern shown by some of my friends. I don’t want to get into it…it’s just been a lousy few days.

So tonight, as I was cleaning up after the older kids went to bed, I walked into the kitchen and found this……

….a big pile of gooey goodness. I guess the world isn’t too bad after all.

I love it when that happens.

 

Doing What We Can

While the East Coast was bracing for Hurricane Irene and everybody was panicking about New York City, Jason and I sat in our Atlanta area home, watched the projected path and remarked “Whoa, that’s going right through Vermont…and those rivers are going to flood.” We had no idea that it would rival the Great Flood of 1927 or that it would literally cut our hometowns off from the rest of the state.

We expected some water damage, but we never expected that rushing water would wipe out entire roads.

We didn’t realize that our friends’ homes and offices would literally fill with water.

(Photo by Megan Schultz)

And we never imagined that the unthinkable would happen.

When the water had cleared, and we’d finally heard from our loved ones, we wondered “What can we do?”. We felt completely powerless and ached to be there to help. Within a day, we started seeing Facebook status updates from friends elsewhere in the country expressing the same sadness, frustration and feelings of helplessness. Once a Vermonter, always a Vermonter.

While I started pitching stories at work, relaying information from person to person about the conditions of roads & pimping t-shirts, Jason realized that he needed to get his hands dirty. He needed to feel his muscles ache from hard work. He needed to be there.

So, that’s where we are. In 2 weeks, Jason will head up to Vermont. He’ll work wherever he’s needed and do whatever he can. By that time, things will be organized enough that a week’s worth of work by one person will make even more of an impact. Exhaustion will be setting in, and he’ll be able to relieve residents.

The cool thing about all these little towns in VT is that a little will go a long way. Please consider donating whatever you can (no matter how small). 100% of this money benefit communities that Jason will be serving.

And if anyone would like to help in any way at all, travel with him, meet up, send something specific (this is all very fluid right now), let us know!!

Peace, Love & Maple Syrup,
Jessica

 

Wordless Wednesday- The Climb

 

Sitting in My Hometown Sun

For the past week, I’ve been trying to figure out what to write about my family’s trip to Vermont (our annual pilgrimage to the mother-land).

Here are the points that I wanted to convey:

• I grew up in VT
• I no longer live there
• I did not appreciate it when I was there
• I miss it now
• Being in VT brings me a certain happiness that nothing else does

I’ve spent a week’s worth of commutes to and from work trying to decide what exactly I’d say…how I’d even start.  Admittedly, I’m still in my post-vacay, “why the hell do I have to live in GA?”, pissed off at the world period, so whatever I wrote was probably going to be pretty jumpy and emotional.  Don’t worry, I get like this every year.

The more I thought about it, the more one particular song ran through my head.  First, it was the words….then it was the tune….and suddenly I couldn’t think of anything else:

When I Die  -The Waifs

When I die won’t you bury me
In the town where I was born
Most of my life I’ve been rambling free
When I die I want to come back home

Ever since I was a baby child
I knew I was born to roam
I had to climb to the top of the hill
Just to see what lies beyond
Now seasons change and I am still the same
I don’t belong to anyone
Still a piece of me will always be
Sitting in my hometown sun

In my time I have seen ten thousand setting suns
And I made my bed where I lay my head
And it never hurt anyone
It could be said that a girl like me
Ain’t nothing but a prodigal son
And just like that prodigal boy I’m gonna finish off where I’ve begun

Do I dream about moving back to Vermont?  Absolutely.

Does living in VT look this good because I see it as unattainable right now?  Probably.

Do I have doubts that I’d be happy actually living there?  Yep.

Who knows what will happen.  But one thing is for sure…a piece of me will always be sitting in my hometown sun.

(this is the view of my parents’ house if you’re sprawled on the grass in their front yard on a beautiful, sunny day)

 

Going Bowling

I’m lucky enough to work for a company that provides several nice lactation rooms for all your breastfeeding & pumping needs. It’s one of those things that most people don’t know about until they’re in the position to need it. The usual reaction from my childless co-workers is “What?! We have one of those??”. Of course, my 6 daughter Amelia had the best reaction when she learned about it.. “There’s a special room?…Why don’t you just crawl under your desk to do it?” (oh, to be 6…).

I’m in a pretty good routine now at the end of my third week back at work. My co-workers know the drill (where I’m going, when I’ll leave, how long I’ll be gone), but a few of the young, childless, single guys obviously don’t want to acknowledge that they know what’s going on. I get it. It’s weird to them. It’s weird to put that image together with a super-hot co-worker who they see every day.

One such co-worker, Chris, who has a knack for getting into not-quite-work-appropriate conversations with me and then blushing a deep shade of scarlet, has found a graceful way for me to make my exit. One day last week, I picked up my bag and said “Ok, I’m going to go….”, trying to think of what else to say (other than “….milk myself”). Chris quickly followed up with “…bowling?”. The day before, we’d had a conversation about how much my pump-bag looks like a bowling bag.

The whole thing is pretty old and clunky…definitely not subtle or well camoflaged. So, he said that and we all had a good laugh and there was a sigh of relief because nobody would have to say the words ‘pump’ or ‘breast’ (not me, I don’t care. I’ll say the word ‘breast’ all day long. Breast, Breast, Breast…)

So, we have a fun new euphemism and everybody feels comfortable. Hooray.

Of course, after a few days of “bowling”, Chris & I discussed how awkward it would be if we ever received an email from our manager announcing that we’d be having a department wide team-building outing….to go bowling.

Especially if they were providing the drinks.

 

Honda Love…

When you work the same hours every day, it makes sense that when you arrive to work you’ll park in approximately the same place every morning. I know I do. When I pull in, I see the same group of cars parked in the same few rows in the back 1/3 of the parking deck. Generally, the parking configuration varies a bit. However, at least 3 days a week, I find myself (& my Silver Honda Pilot) parked next to the same car (Gold Honda Pilot).

Now, I know that Honda Pilots aren’t rare. In fact, looking at our parking deck, Pilots are the new go-to automobiles for young, hip families (SO much cooler than a mini-van). And I fully admit to occasionally parking next to another Pilot just for fun. But I’m starting to feel like this gold/silver Honda flirtation is getting compulsive. There are other Pilots around (steely grey, periwinkle blue), but Gold and I always seem to end up together.

And it gets weirder…
The other day, I was walking out and found the Gold Pilot parked to the left of my Silver (this is when I snapped the photo above). I was walking between the 2 cars and I happened to see a carseat in the Gold Pilot. I took another look and found that the Gold Pilot had an infant seat behind the passenger seat, a convertible seat behind the driver’s seat and a booster seat in the third row. This, oddly, is the EXACT configuration of carseats in my car. Exactly.

So, here’s my theory…
Either I have a Single White Female situation going on and this childless person is trying to take over my life OR this person is destined to be my friend. Thoughts? Either way, the other car was A LOT cleaner then mine, so it’ll probably be a good influence for me to hang out with this person.