To All the Girls I've Loved Before...(and Still Love)

So, I've dropped out of the blog loop as of late, I know. For shame. School has been whipping me into shape, or into a real student, rather. My past two years have been really busy, but this year takes the cake. The reason is that I have decided to really put myself into my studies. I've only got two more years left. This is my one and only chance to go to grad school. I don't want to regret anything, including wishing I would have worked harder. So, that's exactly what I've been doing: working harder.

This weekend, however, I took a break. Hubby and I flew to NYC for the wedding of a good friend of mine. Hubby and I had a great time on Long Island where I was a bridesmaid in my friend's wedding. I have to admit though, this is the only wedding I've been in besides my own. Why is that? you may wonder. Do you not have friends?

To the contrary! I have a lot of close friends, but what you have to understand is that there was a time in my life that I thought weddings were silly. I thought they were all about trivial hype. Weddings were silly dreams girls made up that made them more girly. Brides were blind optimists who wanted to live in a fairytale. In fact, when all my close girlfriends were getting married, I asked them not to ask me to be in their wedding in any capacity.

Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't have missed their weddings for anything in the world, but I wanted that distance between me and this thing called marriage. (How sad.) I think part of that also had to do with the fact that I was unhealthily shy as well and the thought of being in front of so many people during the ceremony gave me instant stomach ulcers, but it was mostly fueled by this intense dislike for anything sacred, especially marriage.

So, what gives? What changed? Why was I in this wedding and not any others? I met hubby and my feelings about marriage--about a lot of things--drastically changed. I changed. I evolved.

Through the experience of my own wedding and my friend's wedding this weekend, I've come to realize that one of the most meaningful things a friend could ask of you is to take part in their wedding ceremony. To witness, up close--in tandem, a lifelong commitment between a good friend and the single individual that they have come to love and choose to spend the rest of their life with. I remember how I felt when I asked my girls to be in my wedding. How right it was. And, I remember how I felt when Glen asked me to be a part of his wedding.

See, I didn't know all of this back then. But, I know now. And, as usual, I'm a little late since all my good friends are married. So, I just want to say to all my girls, and you know who you are, I am so sorry. I really missed out.

We're Movin' on Up!

To the East side. With a deluxe apartment in the sky-y-y!

We found out this past Thursday that our landlord finally sold our humble abode. (Seriously humble. So humble, we're wondering why someone even bought it!) This revelation is good and bad. It is good because we wouldn't mind living in a nicer place with things like level floors, fewer slugs, and most of all, doors! This is bad because we don't want to pay the rent it typically takes to have level floors, fewer slugs, and doors.

Anyway, I took off work on Friday and we looked at a billion apartments. Finally, late in the day when all hope was lost, we found one that we both fell in love with, which says a lot about this apartment community because we were both dreading apartment dwelling.

Saturday, we put a deposit down and tomorrow we sign the lease and get our keys! We'll be moving stuff all week, but the big moving day is Thursday. I'll send out the new address to everyone soon.

Meanwhile...school starts tomorrow as does one of the courses I'm taking.

Bring it on!

Six Days!

Well, six days to go until school begins. Where am I? Well, I'm almost solidly through chapter 4 of a 9 chapter book I'm editing/ghost writing for a friend. I've got about 300 more pages left in book five of Harry Potter. I haven't yet begun working on my syllabus for my two sections of Advanced Composition, but I know what I'm doing. I've got 5 good poems ready to go into workshop for the fall. I've got all of the books I need for my Form and Theory of Short Fiction class checked out from the library. And, I've worked out what my schedule will look like with the 3 W's: work, working out, and writing. I'm feeling on top of things as long as I continue to work hard this week.

Lazy Days of Summer

Well, I guess that you can surmise that my desk job that sat me in front of the computer for four hours a day has ended, hence, the lackadaisical keeping up with the blog. This is much harder to do from home for some reason. Maybe because there are 500 other things that need my attention here and at work, well, there was very little.

So, there's one more week left until school begins. I am looking forward to getting into the grind again. On the order for this semester are the following: teaching two sections of Advanced Composition for, what feels like, the hundredth time; taking a poetry workshop and a form and theory of the short story. I'm looking forward to both.

In addition to this, I'll be working part-time for Thea at the flower shop; maintaining a regular workout schedule; writing and sending off work to literary magazines; reading lit mags to keep up on what's being published; maintaining my wifehoodness; and being an active-as-possible member at Vintage; and, of course, blogging.


Monday was my last day at the Quality Writing Center. Monday was also the first day of summer, technically, for those in summer school. No classes. So, I took down and installed 33 computers in our department. This was a hefty job, and I didn't think, nor did my boss think, that I was going to be able to get through them all in one day. About halfway through, I thought to myself, I don't think I'm going to make it. But, then, I found it. Internet Radio! My second wind! 80's alternative! You play the Cure, Adam Ant, Siouxie and the Banshees, Oingo Boingo, Pseudo Echo, the Go Go's and I can work til I drop! So, maybe you're like me. Maybe you have a hard time getting things done because you run out of steam. Maybe you grew up in the 80's and have a special place in your heart for TRUE alternative music. If so, I have two words to help get you through your work day: Live 365. (Okay, one word and a number.)

On Wednesday, hubby and I took a day retreat to Branson, MO. We hit the road in the morning and headed to White Water water park. They've got about five or six different water slides, a wave pool (which I think at one point was contaminated by a child--at any rate I saw lifeguards diving to the bottom of the pool with gloves on), and a lazy river. We had a blast. We quickly found our two favorite water slides and repeatedly knocked small children out of the way and stole inner tubes to get to the top of the line. Not really, but, we should have. White Water also has a really creative kids water park that hubby and I will definitely take our children to once we produce them.This weekend, our buddy Ash is coming up for a canoe trip. We're finally breaking in the canoe! Right now the rivers are low, but we're hoping we get more rain today so we can hit the Mulberry tomorrow morning. Otherwise, wherever we go, we'll be dragging our boats along as they hit bottom, which is no fun. Today, we're taking our friend Luke to lunch before he leaves us to return to Mizzou for another year of college.

All We Need Is A Miracle!

Those of you who are prayin' folk, please, please, please, pray for our church, Vintage. We have been looking for a new building for awhile now and currently meet in a punk-rock music hall and before that, a mall movie theater. Well, our search has now been given a deadline. The music hall we meet in is closing its doors permanently, and very soon. While we certainly have an established church, we now just need a building to meet in. So, please pray if you pray, wish if you wish, keep us in your thoughts...Thanks.

Babies, Babies, and More Babies!

Simmer, simmer! I promise you that it will not be via blog that you find out we're pregnant. Unless of course I don't talk to you too often, then, well... (Please don't misread here. I assure you I am not pregnant.)

Meet Annabel. Curly-headed, blue-eyed bundle of energy! Knows exactly how to push her sisters buttons. I chased her around the house naked trying to get her swimsuit on, which only consisted of a swimming diaper, so really, that's a little sad that I had such trouble with it.

Their parents, Tandi and Johnathon, were spending the day moving into a new house. So, hubby and I asked if we could play parents for the afternoon. The girls and I started our day lounging in the baby pool. We three sat around staring at each other until I discovered that both ladies loved being lifted high and then body slammed, mockingly, into the water. I also taught Elizabeth, the 5 year old, how to squirt her sister by cupping her hands together with a little bit of water in between her palms and then squeezing them together--something hubby taught me. Afterall, what are friends for but to teach your children to terrorize each other?

Then, we all came inside, had some snacks, and made a pallet of blankets on the floor so we could watch Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. We treated them to the original version with the creepy, Gene Wilder. Candy is dandy, but liquor is quicker! Another favor, no doubt, to the parents.

After several attempts at a nap, and two hours later, we decided that perhaps the girls needed to spend more energy. So, we took a short walk to Walker Park where there is a lovely sand pit and jungle gym, in the sun. In the hot, hot sun. We let them play for about 10 minutes then we began to worry that we were going to give them a heat stroke. So, we packed up and carried the kids back to the house. I now know what my hips are for and hubby, poor, poor hubby now knows the true burn of upper body pain.

After we replenished them with much water, Tandi called to tell me I could bring them home. While I enjoyed every minute of my time with Lizzy and Annabel, this experience really helped hubby and I figure out a few of things.

1.) You cannot raise kids and drive a two-door Honda Civic. (And, I love my car so this is a real dilemma!)

2.) At most, we can probably manage 1 child until that child is old enough to take care of the basics (dressing, bathing, not killing themselves with everyday household objects, helping to take care of another child, etc.) and then we'll adopt one more child.

3.) Cats and children don't always get along.

4.) Hotdog bits will end up in the strangest of places.

5.) Remote controls go to their dying place when children are around. (Tandi, by any chance was there a remote in the diaper bag?)

Keeper of the Melon