Travel Time

Haha! This picture just about sums it up....

 Yesterday was the loveliest day ever- I spent it in my very favorite city, New Orleans.  I wanted this post to be about how obsessed I am with NOLA, and how much I miss it, and why I think it's the greatest city ever.  But... I can't get my pictures to save properly, and a post like that really needs pictures.  So I'll save that one, and instead talk about traveling- more specifically, the rules when traveling with children.

Today I said goodbye to New Orleans again, and boarded a plane for Seattle. :) It was nothing like my super dramatic sobfest goodbye of 3 weeks ago, where I cried for 2 hours and then drove around the city by myself for another hour "remembering".  Wow. What a drama queen.  (RJ's words, not mine).  This goodbye wasn't nearly as bad because I'll be back in 3 weeks, and I'm going home to my favorites, so I can't wait!

The only sucky thing was the 6 am flight this morning but I was completely prepared to sleep my way through it.  I even passed up coffee, which never happens.  And then... I found myself in a middle seat (which by the way I would NEVER choose, and I remember being able to pick the seats for this trip, so I'm 99% sure I was sabotaged).  This middle seat wasn't just any middle seat however. It was a middle seat right between a 7 year old and a 4 year old.  Rude.  Now I know, I know, I'm a teacher and I talk all the time about how much I love kids, blah, blah, blah.  And I do love kids.  I just don't love sitting between them at 6am on a 4 hour flight.  Here's what I found to be weird- their mom was in the row ahead of us sitting by herself.  I know this to be true because I paid very close attention. Maybe this is just me being judgmental, but if I was flying with my 7 year old, and 4 year old, I would ask the person who was sitting between them if we could trade seats.  She probably just didn't want to give up her cushy aisle seat. What are your thoughts on this? Is there some sort of etiquette on sitting with your kids when you fly?  If not, then heck, give me 5-10 years and then sign me up for separate seats when we fly with our kids!

So I'm sitting between this 4 year old and 7 year old, and it takes me all of 5 minutes to realize that the 4 year old has absolutely nothing to amuse himself with.  No books, coloring pages, handheld games... nothing.  The 7 year old has a book that seems to be keeping him pretty interested, but the other little guy... not so much. That's when I knew it was going to be a long flight. Looking out the window as we took off kept him amused for about 5 minutes, and then he started to get antsy.  I watched him kick the seat in front of him, and climb all over his seat for about 10 minutes before the teacher in me overpowered the tiredness.  If there had been TV for purchase you better believe I would have swiped my credit card and let him watch cartoons for 4 hours. (Gosh, I'm going to be such a good mom).  But alas, there was none.  So we started chatting, and he told me about preschool and I taught him how to play the dot game and tic-tac-toe.  16 games later I decided it was time to call in some reinforcement.  Hello i-phone!  Thank goodness I had downloaded some kid friendly apps awhile ago, so while he amused himself with Fruit Ninja and other games, I drifted off to sleep and had a lovely little nap. The kid played on my phone for over 2 hours as I slept, and frankly, I didn't care. Again... I can just see those “Mother of the Year” awards in a not so distant future...


I woke up when he tapped me and told me the phone was broken. For a second I almost had a heart attack. I could just see RJ's face when I explained that the reason I needed a new phone was because I gave it to a kid I didn't know on the plane and then fell asleep. These are exactly the types of situations he tells me to stop getting in.  But luckily it was just dead.  Phew!  We played a few games of "I Spy" and then we landed and I said goodbye to my little friend.  Now I kind of miss him.  Is that weird?


Now I'm home safe and sound in Seattle, doing what I do best... napping, drinking wine, and catching up with Mama Lund.  The only thing that would make this more perfect is if RJ was here....


Speaking of RJ, I think it should be noted that he would like to be called "Bear" in this blog.  Yes, this is real.  Obviously I've ignored this request thus far, but for those of you who care, here's the story:



E: I wrote another blog today. And I gave you a super secret code name, just like you asked.
R: Oh yeah? What is it?
E: RJ!
R: (sits up straight with a concerned look on his face) RJ? As in my initials? That's not code! People call me RJ all the time!
E: I've never heard anyone call you RJ
R: See, this is why I don't want to be in your blog. No more writing about me.
E: What? That's the silliest thing I've ever heard. I have people begging to be in this blog, and I put you in for free, just because I love you!
R: Well you don't have to. It's ok. And who has begged you to be in the blog? Your mom doesn't count.
E: Death Glare. (That was way harsh Tai). Ok, what if I give you a cooler, more secret code name like Maverick or Bear?
R: Fine, whatever, Bear is ok. Yeah, use Bear.
E: Let me get this straight, I can talk about you in this blog if I give you the code name Bear?
R: Defeated look on his face...
E: You see, this is a prime example of why I write about you. You just make it too easy to make fun of you....

Sigh. Don't you all wish you had an RJ-Bear in your life? :)


Well, that's all for now, but please weigh in your thoughts on "the rules" of sitting with your children when you fly.  I am very curious.


Hope it's sunshiny and beautiful where you are, I'm off to go call RJ-Bear!

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

Not so sure if I'm "living better, OR saving money..." But I'm certainly becoming a frequent patron...

 Today was a good day. Meaning, I was productive and not uber-lame. I bought flower pots for my herb garden, packed for my trip to New Orleans/Seattle/Montana (!), ordered Ryan some presents online, went to the grocery store, and cleaned the house. I also made some freezer meals for Ryan to eat for dinner while I'm gone. Well, ok, really I just made ONE freezer meal of chicken enchiladas, and then bought some frozen lasagnas and pizza... but whatever, it's practically the same thing. Besides, it's the thought that counts.  However, most of my days this week have NOT been this productive, and since apparently I have no pride, I have decided to post the email I sent to my mom yesterday.  It is titled, Life in Vicksburg- The HIGHS, the LOWS, and the IN-BETWEEN. But really, a much better title would have been: "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly". Here is a glimpse at what a usual day for me looks like:

***If you live in Vicksburg and are reading this blog, 1... why aren't you my friend? And 2. I am not trying to insult this town, just my life. :)

***Oh by the way, Ryan has requested that his name not be used in this blog. I laughed at him and explained that my mom was probably the only one reading this, so his concerns for anonymity were a little hyper-active. But nonetheless I shall call him RJ.

Mama, I decided to start a series called, Life in Vicksburg. Who knows, it may be published one day. Ha. Today's series is titled HIGHS and LOWS... and the in between. Ok, get ready... this stuff is riveting.

Today's LOWS:

Today I:

1. Have eaten 4 Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, 3 pickles, and a bowl of popcorn. The concern that my bridesmaid dress won't fit has now reached a legitimate and real level.

2. Visited Wal-Mart for the third time in 3 days. I only actually needed to purchase something the first day I went. The other two trips were out of pure boredom, where I proceeded to wander around the store for about an hour. I am now practically an expert on item and aisle placement. So far this achievement is the closest I have gotten to getting a job. But since it's Wal-Mart it needs to be placed in the LOWS column. Wait it gets worse. While at Wal-Mart today I:

a. Purchased a young adult fiction book about Vampires. (Why is Wal-Mart's book selection so much worse than Target's?)
b. Bought an item of clothing. Ok two items. (Please, just go ahead and start judging. If you haven't already)
c. Purchased a pint of Ben and Jerry's. Which I plan to eat all of. And I didn't even bother to look and see if they had frozen yogurt.
d. Knocked an entire shelf of pictures down, many of which fell on my head.  Five different people came up to me to ask if I was ok.  The first two found me in a crouched position with my hands over my head. SO Embar.

I wish this was a multiple choice list, but sadly it is not, unless the answer choice is E... all of the above.  I also haven't showered in two days, so at this point people are probably wondering if I live in "the Wal-Mart". Where the Heart Is... anyone?

3. Spilled coffee on the carpet. Balls. I forgot what it was like to live in a land of carpet. I don't think I'm made out for it.

4. Was yelled at for placing boxes that were not broken down into the dumpster.  At which point I explained that I couldn't break them down because they were all filled (to the brim might I add) with packing paper and material. I think I hear the activists of Washington and Oregon starting a revolt against me as I type. I did meekly ask if they knew of a recycling plant where I could bring all this material and was met with blank stares. 

***Disclaimer- to all my recycling friends out there- I am not happy about the fact that we live in a land of no recycling.  I really did try and find somewhere to recycle the leftovers. And I got rid of most of the boxes on Craigslist. These were just the ones left over.

5. As I type this I am eating the entire pint of Ben and Jerry's...why am I not more concerned about fitting into that dress...?

6. I have watched 26 hours of TV in the last 2 days

TODAY'S IN-BETWEENS:

1. I managed to show some self control, in the midst of all my binging, and stopped myself from buying a bottle of sweet wine at Wal-Mart. This cannot be considered a HIGH however because it is symbolic of the fact that Wal-Mart only sells SWEET WINE (WTF?) and I have to go to a LIQUOR STORE (WTF x2) to get regular wine.

2. I only lasted one week with my vow not to buy another People or US until I had a job. However, this is not considered a LOW because at least I got to read People and US. And come on, there is a lot of drama happening right now with this Tom and Katie mess, it can hardly be ignored.

3. I am contemplating going to the gym. I may have to take it easy with a pint of ice cream in my stomach but hey, at least I'm thinking about going, that's something right? Some might consider going to the gym at 8:15 on a Friday night a LOW, but I really don't want to add a 7th item to my list, especially when I can only think of 2 HIGHS.


TODAY'S HIGHS

1. Vicksburg is getting a TJ-MAXX!!! I just hope "Coming Soon" means in like a week, not 6 months. I am little desperate, if you couldn't already tell from the above items.

2. The lady that I met on Craigslist (remember the one who came to get some of our boxes) asked if I want to get lunch!! I have a friend!!  RJ laughed at me for meeting a friend on Craigslist and said that she probably is only reaching out because she thinks I am an abused woman.  However, I will not let him rain on my parade because I made a friend!! And hello, at this point I will take what I can get. (See above items).

***Side note- I am not an abused woman. We live in a gated community (I know- we fancy), that has a gate code. When the couple that was coming to get our boxes came to the door, they showed up with the Apartment Security Guys who wanted to make sure that we had asked them to come.  We aren't supposed to give out our gate code, but since I am incapable of not putting my foot in my mouth, EVER, I said to them "Oh, I'm sorry we made you go to the front office, I called and left you a message with the gate code, just a minute ago!" RJ, knowing what was about to come out of my mouth as I said it, turned to put his hand over my mouth.  Except I moved at the exact same time he went to do this, and he ended up whacking me in the face with the back of his arm. So we joke about how he hit me in front of our first human interaction together in Mississippi.

Ok, well hope this email doesn't make you want to commit me.  I love you tons, you are my fave!! I hope your day was more productive and fulfilling than mine, if it wasn't, then I am severely worried about you. Can't wait to see you soon, love you!!

E

PS... Having RJ is a high, but that sounds sappy. And sappy was not the tone of this first installment. Obvi.

PPS- Do you think Adele quit smoking now that she is preg?

This was an extremely long blog post, and if you actually read the whole thing, I apologize for stealing 10 minutes of your life.  As I mentioned above, this post was really just the good, the bad and the ugly of my life, not Vicksburg.  In fact, Vicksburg is actually a cute little town. Once I meet some people, and start doing something with my life, I think I will really enjoy it.  In my next post I will show the city a little love with some highlights, and must sees!

Wanted: Job or Friends.

Well... it is official. I have way too much time on my hands. I always wanted to start a blog when I was teaching in New Orleans, because, well... I was actually doing something interesting and worthwhile, and my kids were hilarious. They provided plenty of entertaining material. But frankly, I barely had time to watch my favorite TV shows during that time (I said barely), so obviously I never did. But now... oh how quickly I have fallen. We moved to Mississippi for Ryan's job a few weeks ago and suddenly I have gone from living in a busy, vibrant city, with lots of friends (ok, a few friends), and a job that kept me working all the time... to... living in a town of 18,000 people, of which I only know Ryan, and no job in sight to speak of. 

 To be honest, as excited as I was to be  living with Ryan again, I was in complete denial that I had to move to Mississippi to do so. In fact, I practically kept the move a secret, only telling the people I obviously couldn't hide it from.  Thus, the name of this blog. (Side note- every time I have to spell Mississippi I find myself saying it out loud like we used to in school. You know- "Mississippi- can you spell it? M-I-SS-I-SS-I-PP-I"). 

Despite my resistance to move, the first week wasn't bad at all, minus the fact that I was very New Orleans heartsick.  It was fun being back together with Ry and unpacking and setting up the house kept me busy. I also made dinner every night like the anti-housewife I am... However, I do need a hobby, and since I sort of feel like I should make Ryan dinner (he IS working after all), cooking is as good a place to start as any. We ate dinner every night on our new Martha patio set, and drank tea, because we are southern now... and life was pretty good.  

Then....this week Ryan switched to a shift that has him gone from 2pm-2am.  And I realized that my pathetic-ness could reach unheard of levels. And my boredom. Hence- this blog. I sent my mom an email titled- Life in Vicksburg Part 1- but right now it makes me look far too pathetic to post it somewhere public. Maybe I will do some editing and make myself look cooler and follow with a second blog entry. Or, maybe I will get a job. Who knows... stay tuned.