lxforever

^ title = all I’m listening to right now. over and over. From HOME ALONE. It’s the perfect get-sh*t-done in-the-holiday-season piece of songwork. Which, two weeks away from a big project coming to fruition at work, is a necessary component.

Cache! Cash! Cach´!

This is just going to be an update about whateverrrr I want.

How is it that just NOW I am thinking 17-year-olds are, like, kids, rather than just tiny adults? Is it b/c that age is equidisant(ish) between my age and my daughter’s age?

Or I’m just old.

I have a question! / Can I ask you a question?

What is it?

It’s an interrogative statement, used to test knowledge. But that’s not important right now.

BUT WHAT IS???

I woke up at 4:30am. My alarm was set to go off at 5 as usual. So I just stayed up. VERY BAD IDEA. Anything with a 4 (or 3, or whatever) in front of it is a bad time to wake up. I have this theory (NOT a question) that it’s not so much the hours of sleep but the time I wake up. The perfect time is, like, 7 or 8…but right now, to do all I wish to do in life, that is not do-able. So, Not 4 is the new goal. Hah.

WHATEVER.

All talk and no walk. You don’t want to be that. You want to produce, not talk a big game. Etc.

You want to…take a NAP. Not MOVE to Napa! (SATC yo)

you might get a phone call saying YOUR PHONE IS DONE. YES!!! PLEASE let it work.

You might…get 5 emails saying “don’t do this!!1!!111!!!” even as you already had.

You might just have to go build some HTML quick. BRB.

YOU MIGHT…be living January in November.

YOU *MIGHT* be looking forward to seeing all your buddies tonight!

You might, you just might, you just just just might.

Adios!

I have many things I could and should do but…no. I had a most EXCELLENT weekend and so it deserves an…

EOTW.

Friday deserves mention!!! A great workout in the morning, then Diana and I worked from a coffeeshop all day. Spyhouse NE. What a fantastical little place. Mojo donuts, fancy coffee, beautiful fixtures, old gray wood, big open space, etc. Even better was the company—Diana! We worked and gossiped and drank lattes alongside each other. Met her friend Molly and sat outside for a bit. The works. Eventually the day wound down, I got my phone fixed then Diana got calligraphy supplies and I got new pens and an eraser. Very exciting! (no really) What a wonderful day of productivity and hanging with D. It was like we worked together but we didn’t! Super cool.

Home and packed up to take 1YO to grocery store with me. It was a very looooooong trip but worth it and every person with whom we interacted was incredibly sweet. Lots of remarks about the eyes too. Cute. When we walked out the sky was absolutely gorgeous with the sunset. 70+ degrees in October! I’ll take it. On the way home we went by a house with a very cool Halloween display. Ooooh! We would be BACK.

Home and dinner and bedtime for 1YO, then shows + pizza + hanging out for me and Jeff. Restful and nice!

Saturday began with some breakfast (I think I made waffles AND eggs and sausage, yum) and getting out the door. Off to Michael’s! We saw Christie and the kids and Mike Tiff and Kaitlin, AND Mike’s new house. Really cool! The kids were so funny together. “That is your LAST muffin!” Agreed. Parted ways and home for some playtime and lunch. I think. I can’t remember. OH yeah went for a walk, saw the cool Halloween house setup, 1YO waved to a zombie hanging from a tree. Then naptime for the kid in the house.

I then got ready for a bike ride and Jeff informed me he needed spray paint. Well then! What a nice solution now that we’ve found the SEKRET way to Home Depot/Target/etc. – my bike ride would become an ERRAND bike ride! YEAH! Got the goods then cruised through interesting Richfield for a bit. Hmm. Home! Showered! Get everyone in the car for swim lessons! Swimming was great. Lots of smiles and “ha-ha”s for the teacher. Loving Wheels on the Bus! Some locker fun then 5 Guys, always great! Jeff then declared we MUST go to Rustica to get chocolate cookies. He was RIGHT!!! I am STILL dreaming of them…amazingggggly good. AMAZING!

Back home and I get costumed up, 1YO gets ready for bed. Christie shows up and off we go! To Lowbrow. Again, twice in one week. I LOVE that place. White sangria and desserts (actually, oatmeal cookie pie AGAIN yummmmm). SO good and such good conversation! Really nice to have one-on-one time w/ my great cousin C-dog. Yeah! Off to the party. Actually first to sketchy Target to change, it was a unique experience for sure, an interesting cell phone conversation was eavesdropped on. WTF? THEN to the par-tay.

HBAH! The house was lit up and beautiful with pumpkins and orange. The host and hostesses welcomed us with gusto! Cousin Matt was already there and already drunk. He was hilarious. We met his friends, one of whom instantly asked if I was related to Megan. KREPI. They were nice though. Talked about babies, GT’s 60th, travel, the three siblings did a potion-shot together. Ate candy corn and got some cider. Tariq and Jen showed up! Cool dudes. I saw Jill too. Good times. Out to the porch! We chatted with Tiff then Matt + co. It was great. Time flew and suddenly it was EXTREMELY late. OH NO! Time to Go. Christie drove us home, then she continued on. What a GREAT night!!! Thanks C! Had some Raisin Bran, watched Jeff watch the fundraiser he donated to, then bed at 1am.

Sunday, 1YO is up and so are we. Jeff and 1YO go out to breakfast/book shopping, I start cooking for the week. Go to pick up brunch supplies at Kowalski’s and thank heavens our guests are running late because so is Kowalski’s! DANG IT. Get home, set up brunch, Jeff vacuums. Chris and Yuyun arrive! We had a wonderful time with them. Jeff has never met them but hit it off immediately with them both as I knew he would. He really gets along with my mom’s side of the family, whom we never see! Anyway. 1YO is adorable and funny and conversation is great. Brunch is pretty good too. They love our house and we love hosting them! Great morning!

Off they go, then naptime for 1YO and relaxation time for us. Sandwiches, video games, PROJEKTS etc. Time well spent!!! 1YO awakes and we eat/go for a big bike ride!!! To the park. We hang out there for an hour. Really fun. Everyone had a GREAT afternoon! Home for chili and wine and roasted veggies. SpecTACular! Then playtime, then bathtime, then bed for 1YO and cookies/books/video games for adults. What a wonderful weekend!

OK now I really DO have things to do but yesssss. Happy Halloweeeeeeen.

“I have opinions. Good ones. And I think I owe it to other people to share those opinions. … I have a LOT of opinions.”

—Diana…this is one of many reasons we are friends

EVERY YEAR I forget that it’s not September but OCTOBER that I love. Every year. I should kind of remember that next time I think. Octubre, mi amor!

Anyway!

Well, now what?

^ you should read that post. Diana wrote it and it is hilarious. It also sort of sums up how I’m feeling which is, wow, welcome back to REAL LIFE! NO I have not been planning a wedding or anything extravagant (BY THE WAY, Diana’s wedding was WONDERFUL and exquisite), but ever since we (sort of?) decided to put the house on the market/sold+bought/moved/packed+unpacked/traveled all over for work/were in our BFF’s weddings + all that/had random sickness etc….back in APRIL….it’s been Go-Go-Go. When I got back from SF on Friday night/Sat AM, it was like…REST.

Now we can just LIVE.

In light of that I have little to report. We have been enjoying October sunshine, apples, apple orchards (1YO ADORES this, esp. pumpkins), spending time as a fam, etc., normal stuff. And it is GREAT.

I have a(nother) new nephew, did I say that?? I met him last week. He is a little gem and fits right in. I now have two new nephews for 2014. I am a lucky duck!

I miss Jenny!

Jeff is the best!

The end, for now. I just wanted to write something. Happy.

“…I know I’ll make it, love can last forever / graceful swans of never topple to the earth / And you can make it last / forever you / you / can make it last / forever you / And for a moment I lose myself / wrapped up in the pleasures of the world / I’ve journeyed here and there and back again / but in the same old haunts I still find my friends / mysteries not ready to reveal / sympathies I’m ready to return / I’ll make the effort, love can last forever / graceful swans of never topple to the earth / tomorrow’s just an excuse / And you / can make it last / forever you / you / can make it las / forever you”

—Smashing Pumpkins, 33…naturally

EOTD(ays):

Friday. I took Friday off to have a day with my dear daughter. Unfortunately due a combination of events the night(s) prior, I had slept very little and was not feeling up to the task without a nap or something. First we enjoyed waffles and yogurt together, just mommy and baby, then Grandma Sue to the rescue and I rested for a bit. Finally the fog cleared (though it was sunny sun sun at the park/in the sand!), 1YO went down for a nap, and I called MY mommy to cry. Sleep and other things had really escaped me and the week had been a struggle. I was filled with sadness that the day (and the next, which was MY BIRTHDAY) might not go According To Plan.

The cry and the call miraculously turned my day around completely and I am EXTREMELY grateful for that! Thank you Mom! So I ate some yogurt, watched Scandal(yesssss) and 1YO slept on. I did some chores and opened up a really wonderful present from Stephie, Mike and the kids (“have a fruity/sporty birthday!”) And amazingly…I felt calmer than I had in days. It just came over me. So thankful. Prepared some ‘lunch’ and woke up 1YO. We enjoyed grilled cheese and grapes together in the evening light. I was so happy and couldn’t have loved looking at her little face more. We played in the yard a bit in the sunny sun sun. Up and down the slide and on and off the swing and playing with the ball and laughing.

Then! Per her ‘request’ (I think?), off on the bike! It was completely beautiful out and around Lake Nokomis we went. There is a sort-of secret old-school park there and we checked it out. Down down down the big slide and lots of crazy swinging. Played in the sand and met a beagle named Apollo. Played with some other kids then went home. She only takes her helmet off when the bike stops per the agreement. Ha!

Jeff came home too and after some dinner(?), we put away groceries all together, then went on a little night walk to check out the carnival! It was a really happening event. Rides, vendors, beer tent, all of it. Pretty awesome. It was cool to be out at night. Bath and bed for 1YO and pizza and Mad Men for us. A great night!

Saturday. Sleep was better. But I was incredibly groggy. I got up first and hopped in the shower so I could be a clean 33-year-old. I saw there were some presents for me, wrapped in gold/pink and dark red/yellow, in the living room! They were GIANT. Jeff and 1YO got up too and 1YO tore open a corner of the gifts. Well… so I decided to open them. Jeff had put together a THEMED GIFT and it couldn’t have been better!!! What a guy!!! The pink/gold gift was a gorgeous framed Paris poster, and the red/yellow one was a beautiful framed Rome poster. Wonderful things for the lovely new house! WOW! AND…to go along with it…two gift certificates to our two favorite Italian/French restaurants. WOW!! With a lovely card. I am so, so lucky. The luckiest!

My mom had called at 8:31, my birth time!, so I called her quick, then we packed up and got out to the bagel shop for breakfast. Beat the rush! Yummy bagels, 1YO ate a lot of sausage. Good job her. Then off to the apple orchard! McDougall’s Apple Junction. We’ve been going there for YEARS, at least 4?, and it’s the best place in the area IMHO. Lots of good but small attractions, CHEAP, and they have amazing peanut butter and the GOOD apples. We got a peck of SweeTangoes, a tub of PB, some apple donuts and a coffee for me. 1YO LOVED the donuts. We trolled around the place…checked out the pumpkin house (“the house where adults can’t get their kids out” -some middle school boy) and patch, the lookout tower, the playground with its tiny barn, the goats/chickens and walked up and down the orchard. So much to explore! WAY different experience than last year. Really awesome. We’ll be back!

On the way home we stopped at Menard’s, Jeff’s old workplace. It was weirdly very fun. Tried on sunglasses(?), looked at Halloween and Christmas(!) stuff, and spent a lot of time in the plumbing aisle (the point of the visit). 1YO was fascinated. Perhaps she’ll be a plumber. OH YEAH and on the way to the orchard I talked to Jenny!! She was on her way to a girls’ day out. It sounded fun. It was great to talk to my other JJ!

Got home and prepared a little lunch. I was feeling pretty poor by that point due to aforementioned Insomniac Week 2014 so I went to lay down for awhile. Thank you Jeff! 1YO did not want to nap. I got up and discovered Jeff’s plumbing project success. GO JEFF! He is pretty amazing! Got 1YO and we went for a walk where I called Stephie and talked to her and Anna. Hilarious! Anna is great. I can’t wait to see her soon.

Home and got ready and off to swimming. 1YO had a GREAT class and did some new tricks. She’s becoming a real little fish. I love that pool. After we cleaned up we went to 5 Guys as is our tradition every!Saturday!after!swimming! for burgers, fries and cherry-vanilla Coke (I stuck with ginger ale this time due to Insomniac Tendencies). SO! GET THIS. We walk in and we are placing our order and something weird is happening…the order-takers are chatting, also note when we came in a couple workers said to us “hi, nice to see you again”…hahaha. ANYWAY. They had NO IDEA it was my birthday so this is not why this happened, it is just COINCIDENCE! The owner guy put our order on the house! Wow! What a guy! We felt very flattered and amused. Guess we are really regulars, huh!!! I still can’t believe that happened.

Home and played a lot. Played chase, Jeff hung my gifts, we did some chores. I opened the many sweet cards people had sent, read the many kind messages they had left on my wall, and opened a gift. People are so thoughtful. Chased 1YO on the couch. Called my mom and dad for some FaceTime which was hilarious! 1YO eats that up. Fed 1YO Dinner2 and then my Grandma called! How sweet is that! We chatted about stamps, babies, and her Sunday plans. It was really nice. Put 1YO to bed, she fell asleep in my arms, then Jeff got us Blizzards and we watched Mad Men while I texted Jenny about her weird night out, haha. Now Jeff is playing video games and I just finished my snack plate and this blog. Though it was kind of a challenging week, this was probably one of my favorite birthdays in history. None of this would have been possible without my mom, my daughter, my loving family/sisters/friends, and most importantly, Jeff. He made this ordinary day extraordinary just by being there for me and with me and being a dad to our darling. I love him so.

Happy 33 to me. Thank you Jeff.

I’m obviously having trouble getting a post going so I’ll just fall back on the good ol ‘ (wait does anyone do this anymore?!) Friday FIVE!

1. It’s fall all of a sudden. It’s like COLD, yo. And I don’t think I ever gave it enough credit but wow we did SO much great stuff this summer. I was ever-stressin’ about a lot of it/there was so Much To DO! to settle in to the house and now that we (mostly) have, I look back and see: we saw family, we saw friends, we went to the POOL!, I saw Katy + her son, I saw Andrea + her new baby, I saw my new nephew and new mom JENNY!, we sold/bought/moved to a really great new house, threw a shower/bachelorette for Diana (way fun!), had a b-day party for 1YO, etcetcetc I know there is more but yeah that’s what I wanted to say there.

2. I hate the new WordPress text editor.

3. Work is really overwhelming right now. Honestly…it’s mostly good…I’m mostly actually excited to go in to work every day (no, really…I know)…but…without going into it I’m just a liiiiitle worried about a super big project I’m working on and I’m not sure there’s a good solution. Guess I’ll just keep on truckin’. Somehow…it will get done! Everything else about the Job is still great though thank GOD.

4. TONIGHT: Pizza wine and a fire!!!

5. I LOVE having a 1YO even more than I loved having a baby. It just keeps getting better from here!

6. BONUS! I’m working in coffeeshops in St. Paul today. I feel like an impostor…or really cool. OK, both!

OK time to meet Kristin for some lunchy lunch.

Bitches (not “notches”, autocorrect)!! It’s just not right to not update. Esp when Jeff is away and I’m alone(ish, I mean besides Baby) like the old days…except I’m writing on a tiny phone THAT GETS INTERNET OVER THE AIR. CRAZY TECHNOLOGYYYYY!!!

Anyway. Well. The excitement is too great it’s time for s’mores and bed allll to my (lonesome!!) self. Adios. FOR NOW…

…hence VERY SHORT EOTW:

Friday – sick baby, but sometimes happy. Played with wood pieces and plastic box of weird drawing toys in basement. Walk in carrier. Dinner – late night homemade (ok, not really) pizza buffet.

Saturday – Up with the fam. blueberry pancakes, sausage and cold press! YUMMY. Yogurt mess. HUGE long BIKE RIDE in the sunny sunnnnnn!!! Baby in trailer and she passed out. So so good to finally get physical challenge in. Home, shared lunch, coconut water. Baby nap/me 20 min nap/then cooking. Short pool time in the gathering clouds. “Ha!” to all kids. Jeff saved a baby bird! Malt Shop and old photos and then first trip to Patina. Home and finish up bedroom! YEAH! Organized! Bed. So tired. Good book to read but so tired.

Sunday swim class! Making new baby friends. Then family brunch. Very very good to all get together. Home and nap? Then I went to the POOL all by myself!!! Read my book in the sun and swam around. SOOOOOOOO awesome! Home + snacks + hanging out + then FAMILY pool time. YAY!!! Then Jeff decides we should order a (Jeff creation!) pizza. Watch the very first episode of Mad Men. Awesome! Cook up dinner for the week then bed (too late but still).

Now it is Monday and I have a lot to do and I am sick but still. What an awesome weekend…first truly awesome weekend since the spring? YAY!!!!!

And now for the busy busy rest of the month. See ya’ll in Sept (or Oct…)…

OH MY GOSH YOU GUYS.

ONE of my sisters had her BABY BOY 2+ weeks ago and oh my God I never wrote about it!!!!!!!! WELCOME BABY AA!!! 🙂 🙂 🙂 I promise to try and live up to some sort of example of an auntie/namesake and I canNOT wait to meet you, Mr. Fancy Hair Head!!! He is the CUTEST ever, for real ;). SOOOOOOOOOO happy for them. My sister is in heaven.

One of my friends is having a baby TODAY(!!!) and it is turning out to be much more challenging than anticipated for them to meet their new family member. Thinking of her + her husband + baby a lot today!

One of my friends wrote this hilarious and ACCURATE post about new mommyhood and I can’t stop reading it, she seriously nails it: Shout out to all the mommies out there. GOOD JOB.

Mommies…they’re mommies!!!

Babies…they’re BABIES!!! My baby is no longer such a baby, she is a Sort-Of Toddler. Who walks and walks and tries to talk! She is amazing. Something new every day and it’s so amazing that the person she is will keep changing and learning and growing every single day…incredible. What a gift it is to watch. I can’t even capture it adequately so…I won’t.

This time of year reminds me of high school summers and glow sticks and driving around and teaching gymnastics and lunch buffets and AM workouts and biking to practice and diving? sort of and hangouts and waterballoons and website making and craziness and no sleep. No sleep…it was so fun though.

This summer is probably one of my favorites ever though (even alongside Summer of Leave 2013, which was super awesome, but hard due to health news for my Dad at the end…). SO MUCH GREATNESS! Pool babies, seeing Katy + meeting Carter, get to meet baby AA soon!, baby AA born/other babies being born!, NEW HOUSE that is a mess but we adore, Baby-Turning-Sort-Of-Toddler delighting us, etc.etc.etc. I’m sure there is more.

Ummmmm I have to work now. Over + out!

Jenny:
it didn’t tell me much, just that they’re different
female pelvis is as wide as it can be to allow childbirth while still letting us walk
male is optimized for locomotion

Alexis:
wow
aren’t we lucky

Jenny:
i know
so we get eaten and they can run away

Alexis:
RIGHT!
omg

Jenny:
*we get eaten while giving birth

YO BITCHES!!! OK sorry I just…gave up blogging. I know I keep saying that because…it’s true. BUT NO THE BLOG WILL NEVER DIE THE BLOG WILL NEVER DIE NO NO! Until I do.

ANYway what’s up. I totally skipped April(right?? wait no not quite) and almost skipped May and skipitee do dah skipitee ay. It’s summer (what happened to spring??), we’re moving (a few blocks away), I’ve got two new nephews on the horizon (for real!) and a Dad who’swhose (who am I…can’t write?!) health continues to amaze. F YEAH!!!

It was Taco Tuesday!

“Wanna go to Taco Bell?”

“Did you ever play Mario Kart?” nope just 6 golden coins!

Movie night…fail! “We’re not teenagers anymore!”

Thank God for summer and long days, this is my most favorite time of year…it just gets better and better. I’m also on a quest for unlimited cold press in my life this summer…although getting a small carafe of decaf wouldn’t hurt.

WHATEVER! This is all boring and worthless. What is REALLY GOING ON???

Wait I think I covered that. Living amongst boxes. Keeping tabs on the fam. Cheerio mate?

OH yeah and the central DELIGHT of our lives, Baby who is soon to be the One Year Old…yesssssssss. Makes me smile just to think of her! 🙂

On that note…I’m out. Skedaddle. Thanks for stopping in champs (not chumps!)!