We spent a long weekend in Florida, attending my niece’s wedding and meeting our new granddaughter.
My niece’s wedding was a temple affair. I did not attend. My husband went to the sealing with my MIL. I was rather taken aback at how I felt ironing my husband’s good white dress shirt, then sending him off to the temple without me. In the past, attending the temple was something good and meaningful that we did together. I felt a sense of loss that this is no longer something we can share.
The reception was wonderful. The bride and groom were stunning; a gorgeous couple. The two of them shared a ring ceremony after a dinner for the family (the groom’s family is not LDS, and so did not attend the service). They each read a piece of poetry they had written for the other. I wish I had been able to stay for that…but little boy started being disruptive so felt I ought to leave to keep him quiet. He and I played on the stairs to the stage, and bothered the caterers (but only a little bit). The food was tasty, and the music was excellent, and I had fun mingling with the groom’s family.
The next day, Saturday, we went further south to see my daughter and her family. My granddaughter, Amy, was only five days old. Dark hair, with a face quite like her big brother’s. I went grocery shopping and cooked up a bunch of meat (ground beef, chicken breasts) to freeze so meals can happen more easily. We visited for a bit and watched “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” which my daughter said she doesn’t “get.” We drove back north that evening.
Sunday, we had breakfast and lunch with my in-laws, who blew off church (bless ‘em) and then left for home around 1:30. With the time change, we were home by 8:30 p.m. I studied most of the time we were in the car (on the way there, the way to see my daughter, and the way home).
My mother-in-law made a funny statement: “Well, you’ve had a nice relaxing break from your hectic life.” It was about the opposite: we had a hectic break from our relaxing life.
Rather than stick around and take my final exam on Friday, in an effort to get an “A,” I’m going to go with my husband and little boy to Florida, to my niece’s wedding and reception. The wedding is Friday, the day of my final. But my Org Comm prof will substitute my lowest exam grade to date for the final exam. The grading scale in that class is ridiculously easy (not that I’m complaining), so I’m going to have a B for sure. I can live with a B. Heck, a B is pretty good.
On Saturday, we will all go to Sarasota to meet the newest small member of the family. We’ll drive back on Sunday.
The wedding is a temple affair, in Orlando. I’m not totally decided on what I will do: go sit for a few hours in the hot afternoon Central Florida June sun, or stay at the in-laws and study math.
Several rooms in my house are cleaner tonight than they’ve been in weeks, in anticipation of my nephew and his wife and their Large Truck that they are driving via the Southern Route from Utah to northeast Florida. They are going to sleep here for a couple of hours, then move on. The reason they aren’t just going to get a good night’s sleep is a very strange story that I will leave you all curious about, for the sake of loyalty to and love of those not present.
I have a final on Friday for which I am behind on my reading. I have a quiz tomorrow and “class work” to get extra points for the math exam I blogged about last week. The list of work I have to do to get ready for those things is about 2-3 hours a day for the next three days, and that doesn’t even include staying on top of the new material in math. I frittered away most of the afternoon today poking around on the ‘net and napping (ah, the life of leisure I lead). When I made my list tonight, I was VERY regretful of most of that time lost.
Well, maybe not the nap. I’m feeling kinda draggy today. I needed a nap.
So, if you don’t see anything much new here, or many comments from me on your blogs, don’t be surprised! I will post a picture or two of my new granddaughter when I get them, hopefully in the next day or so.
It’s a girl. Seven pounds, fourteen ounces, long fingernails, and absolutely fine. Mom and baby are both happy and beautiful.
She doesn’t have a name yet. Heck, she’s still not cleaned up.
My 2nd grandchild, a girl we think, will be arriving in the next day or less. Hopefully, within a few hours.
The baby passed the meconium already. This has me more than a little bit worried. At least they know, though, and they will have a respiratory therapist on hand at delivery.
If anybody reads this before Monday morning…whatever form of higher power you choose to petition, please include my granddaughter in your thoughts tonight. Strength in numbers, you know.
I grew up in a house where Mom got a job once we were all in school, and where Dad did the laundry. I like doing laundry. It’s an easy job. Folding clothes is something I can do on auto-pilot, and everything smells clean and feels soft coming out of the dryer. Maybe that’s why Dad liked doing it, too. He could do it while he watched football or golf or basketball or whatever season it was on TV.
I like doing dishes and scrubbing pots and pans when I’m upset about something. Suds, hot water, stainless steel and a scotch pad, all brought together in a flurry of activity while I think think think about why I’m upset and how to resolve it.
I cut the front yard today, and I think DH may have thought that I thought that he should be doing it. Not the case at all…he’s gonna do the back, which is bigger but out of sight.
DH is very good about home repair. Before we got married, my MIL told me, “(DH) likes to do things that have value. He isn’t at all interested in chores that just need to be done again, but he likes doing things that won’t need to be done again. Also, he isn’t very good about doing things promptly. He does them when he gets around to them.” This was very useful advice, because I grew up with a father who, when he wanted something done, wanted it done NOW. As a result of this conversation with my MIL, DH and I were able to avoid some early misunderstandings. I told him, “I won’t often ask you to do something. But when I do, it contains an implied NOW at the end.”
Do many of you divide your home maintenance and upkeep and day-to-day chores into “men’s work” and “women’s work”? I wouldn’t think about installing shelves or an attic fan, because DH enjoys that kind of work. OTOH, I don’t think there’s any housework he won’t do…but there’s some that he doesn’t do unless asked.
Doing yard work here is an absolute chore. We’ve had a lot of rain, so the grass is growing like crazy. And it’s hotter than blazes, and the humidity is unbelievable. It doesn’t help that I’m not in shape. Well, round is a shape, but not the shape most conducive to vigorous activity in the heat.
Fortunately, the front yard is pretty small, and there’s a pretty good-sized patch without much grass. So I was able to get it cut this morning in about 30 minutes. I even trimmed the tall grass next to the border edging (railroad ties, in termite country…not my idea, OK?) It took almost no time, even with these little hand clippers.
The back yard…well, Little Boy won’t get lost out there, so it’s going to wait for another day. Or evening, close to sunset.
DH and my little son have invented several games that they both enjoy very much. Little boy likes them because they are interactive, and active (for him). DH likes them because he mostly gets to sit or lay down.
The games are:
- Take things - DH will sit on the couch and hold something over his head, moving it back and forth and from hand to hand. Little boy tries to take it away from him.
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- Pull pull pull fall down - DH holds on to something, like a dish towel, and little boy holds on to the other end. Each pulls on his end of the towel (or whatever) and then DH lets go.
- Catch Someone - DH lays on the bed or the floor. Little boy runs around and pretends to dodge and duck, while DH pretends to try to catch him, all the while making growling noises. Then little boy will jump on DH, and DH will catch him.
They also play a very structured game of Hide and Seek. DH has to hide in our bathroom, while little boy will pretend not to be able to find him. Then, (Ta Dum!) Little Boy finds Daddy exactly where Daddy was instructed to hide. Then, it’s DH’s turn to pretend to not be able to find Little Boy in the corner behind a box in our closet, the same exact spot where he hides every time.
One other exciting activity is the jump-carry hug. Little boy will leap into the air and DH will catch him. They hug, while DH carries him around. The first time I heard this described - “I want a Jump-Carry hug” - I was sure he said “John Kerry hug.”
Those of you who have not-quite-five-year-old little boys (or girls) are free to try any of these games. Many of them can be done easily even after a long day at work.
What a man. We have a ‘90 Toyota Corolla with almost 250K miles on it. I treasure that car. You’d think I’d put the miles on it myself, I love it so much.
It was behaving erratically. He replaced the starter. It took him an entire day. He’s a logical and very intelligent man, but not a car guy. The car ran fine for a couple of days, then would shut off for no reason at all. Yikes. We had it repaired (for about the same $$ as we paid for the car). The most recent behavior was that it would run fine around home, but when we drove it to New Orleans, after we got it there, it wouldn’t start. It would have to “rest” for a few hours before it could make the trip home. Very annoying. A couple of car guys said it sounded like a bad starter, and that the place we bought the starter from was known to have bad batches on occasion (!)
DH drove the car to Mandeville, then to the car parts place, where the car would not start up again. They tested it. It was the starter. He replaced it again today. And now, when we drive it to Mandeville and back, it will start right up again.
I told him, if the university professor thing starts to get old, he can always become a car starter installer.
I have joined up with the “Mo Life Blog Club,” started by the writer of my favorite Mormon-themed site, “Dave’s Mormon Inquiry.” I am not obliged to blog about Mormon stuff regularly, but am expected to occasionally touch on Mormon themes. Since I am still a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and expect to remain one, I think I will be able to come up with something occasionally.
I know most of my regular readers here are affiliated, at least tangentially, with the Disaffected Mormon Underground. I love you guys. Please don’t scare away the faithful, who I hope will get to be regular readers and commenters on Life, The Universe, and Everything, and not just “The C.” Y’all have been really cool about my “no cussing” rule, so I expect that my (very) occasional comments about The C will not send any of you into the slough of despond.
I don’t expect what I write will be especially faith-promoting, but I don’t expect to be especially critical, either. Many of my most favorite humans are LDS.
Feel free to check out any of the links on the “Mo Blog Club” on the right. Oh, and if you want to sign up, head over to Dave’s Mormon Inquiry and post a comment saying “I want to join the club.”
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