Monday, July 30, 2012

And Out Goes July...

Man, I've been a lazy blogger this month.  Good thing I can blame it on the beautiful weather and all the fun things I've been doing this month!  Here are a few updates from the month of July:

Work:  This week will be the first week of what I hope is my permanent schedule. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday in Portland at my new job, and then Thursday and Saturday nights at the Restaurant.  I'm really looking forward to this change as it puts me home with my little guy all day Thursdays-Sundays.  The chopped up schedule we were doing wasn't working.  And while this does mean that I will now be working about 36 hours a week, I can't tell you how happy I am that I can still be home with my little guy four days a week.  Not sure I could get a better arrangement if I tried.

School:  I bought a backpack.  That's right a new backpack.  I'm ready to go.  Well, once I buy a gazillion dollars worth of books.  Blah!  Must they be so expensive??  I got my bill for the semester and after my loans are applied I only owe the school $23.  Not too shabby.  I'm really excited to get back to school, but pretty terrified at the prospect of working 36 hours and being a full time student...and a full time mom!  Worse case scenario I'll just back off a bit at one of my jobs, but hopefully getting back into school will be like riding a bike and things will be easier than I'm expecting.  Fingers and toes are crossed.

Pets:  Well, we are still missing Scout the cat.  She's been gone well over two weeks now, and I'm not very optimistic.  She was a wonderful cat and I really hope she makes her way back here, but I'm beginning to think it's rather unlikely.  The other cat, Leonard, seems to be adjusting well; Scout was a bit of a pig so Leonard has been kind of amazed at the amount of food he's able to eat without Scout devouring every bite before he can get a mouthful.  He'll be tubby before I know it!  And, perhaps the best news of the month, a good friend of mine saw Ivy at a local pet store and stopped to talk to her new owner.  I can't believe how fortunate I am that I'm able to get a follow up report on her adoption!  Her new home is with an older lady, so there won't be any kids around, who is a volunteer at AWS.  She fell in love with Ivy while she was at the shelter and brought her home.  Ivy was very well behaved with this new owner and I am so relieved to know that she will be well taken care of.  And yes, I will probably be poking my head in at this local pet shop every now and again on the off chance that she is there on a shopping spree. :)

Ben:  I have the best kid ever.  Seriously.  He's amazing.  He's smart and friendly and talkative and becoming quite the little comedian.  It has been amazing to watch his imagination take off!  A few days ago, while playing on my bed, he told me that there were sharks coming.  Apparently, these sharks were going to get Papa's boat (my dad has a lobster boat) and he needed to save Papa.  He proudly announced that he had caught two sharks and that Papa was ok now.  How awesome is that!  He's been a trooper with me going back to work, and while I know he loves the extra time he has been spending with his grandmother and with Ms. Holly, I also notice how much more he enjoys our days together at home.  What used to be regular days have become Mom and Ben special days, and I think we are both loving it.

August:  Is going to rock.  It's going to kick off with MUMFORD & SONS in Portland followed by THE DROPKICK MURPHYS!  Yahoooo!  I'm so excited for this once in a lifetime event!  Seriously, they are only doing 4 of these shows in the US.  And I'm going to one!  Then it's our 7 Year Wedding Anniversary!  (The Copper or Wool Anniversary.  Phew.  Pretty romantic if you ask me.)  After that a birthday party for a friend of mine who is turning....well, I'm not going to say...she might read this...  :)  And after that.....MY SISTER COMES HOME!!!!  I haven't seen her in a year and a half.  I'm SO EXCITED to see her.  SO EXCITED.  Like jumping up and down excited.  We've got a bunch of stuff to do while she's home, but she has made a point to schedule a lot of time with Ben and I and I am so excited for her to get to know him and for him to get to know her.  Yay for family time.  Like I said...August is going to ROCK!

And that is my update Blog!  Phew!  I need to keep up with my blog so I don't have to do this all at once!

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Because I wanted to be an Astronaut

There just aren't enough hours in a day for me to keep up with my blogging!

A few days ago, Sally Ride, the first female American astronaut, passed away.  Maybe you've heard of her.  Maybe you haven't.  I probably wouldn't have heard of her, except that between the ages of seven and ten, I wanted to be an astronaut.  I was given a photo of her and told that she was the first woman in space.  That's all I knew about her.  Seriously.  But that was enough.  Coupled with my love of the movie "Space Camp" about a group of kids at Space Camp who actually ended up in space, (FYI: All Star cast on that one!  Yikes!  Bet those actors are still haunted by that...) I was pretty sure I was going to be an astronaut.

I know for a fact my mom completely supported me on that.  Likely she thought space a nice alternative to having me underfoot all the time.  Like many childhood dreams, this one fizzled out.  I'm a book girl, not a science girl.  But, when I heard about the passing of Sally Ride, I was a little saddened about never making it to space.  I read a few articles about her and all the amazing things she has done within the space program and through her own company, Sally Ride Science, to encourage young girls to study science and math.  What an inspiration! Here are a few nice things I found while reading about her today:

Sally lived her life to the fullest, with boundless energy, curiosity, intelligence, passion, commitment, and love. Her integrity was absolute; her spirit was immeasurable; her approach to life was fearless.
Sally was a physicist, the first American woman to fly in space, a science writer, and the President and CEO of Sally Ride Science. She had the rare ability to understand the essence of things and to inspire those around her to join her pursuits.     -Sally Ride Science, Company Statement


Sally was a very private person who found herself a very public persona. It was a role in which she was never fully comfortable. I was privileged to be a part of her life and be in a position to support her as she became the first American woman to fly in space.
While she never enjoyed being a celebrity, she recognized that it gave her the opportunity to encourage children, particularly young girls, to reach their full potential. Sally Ride, the astronaut and the person, allowed many young girls across the world to believe they could achieve anything if they studied and worked hard. I think she would be pleased with that legacy.   -Steve Hawley, Former NASA astronaut, ex-husband (married to Ride from 1982 to 1987)



Sally Ride broke barriers with grace and professionalism — and literally changed the face of America's space program. The nation has lost one of its finest leaders, teachers and explorers. Our thoughts and prayers are with Sally's family and the many she inspired. She will be missed, but her star will always shine brightly.     -Charles Bolden, NASA Administrator


And while I never made it to space, or Space Camp, or even into the field of Science, I still wanted to take a minute to remember Ms. Ride for being an inspiration to me, before I knew what inspirations were.

This is the same picture I had of her when I was a kid!

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

A Bit of a Funk

I'm not having a great week.  And it's only Tuesday.

We had an excellent weekend, but thanks to a few irresponsible moves by my teenage stepson, the highlights were overshadowed by some pretty unfortunate events, one of them being that my indoor cat ran away and hasn't been seen since.  I called the shelter today and left my contact information, but she hasn't been dropped off there.  I've heard lots of stories about cats running away for weeks before making their way home, so I'm not giving up hope quite yet, but I'm also not terribly optimistic.

I'm also still not fully adjusted to working in Portland part-time.  It's proving to be a lot harder for me to be away from Ben than I thought.  I really like my job though, I'm just having a hard time getting into a rhythm due to the chopped up way my weeks have been shaping up, and I know it's rough for Ben too, which makes me feel even worse about the situation.

Hopefully having the day off tomorrow will help.  If the weather cooperates I'd like to take Ben berry picking.  Berries and whipped cream is one of his favorite snacks and I'd love to spend some one-on-one with him.  Unfortunately, I also have a mountain of paperwork to do too, but I think that's just going to have to wait until Thursday.  If I'm going to get my week straightened out and on the right track, I think I need a little time with Ben.  I hope he's up for spending some time with Mom!


Cheese Face!
(It's pretty much impossible not to miss this guy!)

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Read It: The Night Circus

I'm beat.  Working two jobs that operate on two different schedules is leaving me exhausted.  But I'm loving it, so I guess I just need to start going to bed a little earlier.  Now if only Ben would sleep in a little later....

I'm writing tonight to announce that I finished The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern.  It was excellent!!!  Wonderful storyline, wonderful characters, wonderful concept, and AMAZING description.  A really great read, a book that really just paints beautiful pictures, which is even more impressive a feat when the majority of the book takes place in a Circus that is designed to be only black and white.  If you're looking for something fun for the summer that is a bit more thought provoking than Fifty Shades, I suggest you pick up a copy!

I would like to write more, but I seem to be losing my ability to type as a result of being so damn tired.  Bed for me!  After I fold the laundry...and rinse the dishes....and pack my bags for the weekend.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzz

Sunday, July 8, 2012

The Ride Home

On Tuesday I spent my whole morning working hard to learn my new job.  I spent the afternoon diligently working as well.  But, when 4:30 rolled around, I started getting anxious.  Not because the next day was my day off, not because the next day was the Fourth of July, but because I missed my kid.

At five o'clock I flew out the door, tried to find the quickest way out of Portland (still looking) and headed home.  I really wanted to see my kid.

When I made the turn onto the Dole's Ridge Road (about 12 minutes from home) I found myself getting impatient.  My speed kept creeping up until I was way over the speed limit.  I tried to keep it in check, but I missed my kid.

As I turned onto the New Dam Road (about 5 minutes from home) I felt such frustration that I wasn't there yet.  I just wanted my kid.  I thought to myself, "Does this ever go away?  This longing for your child when you haven't seen them all day?"  But I quickly realized, I don't think I ever want it to go away.  Missing your kid so much it hurts really isn't fun.  But having such a wonderful kid to miss so much makes me a very lucky lady.