So, this blog thing, I am not so great at it. Specifically the posting regularly part. Sorry to just drop off the radar for a while, to those of you who might still have me in your feed readers. Things got a little crazy over here. Let me give you a recap:
September 2011 - after a crazy and emotionally draining spring and summer, fall brought the return of preschool (and my-now-four-days-a-week, 25-minutes-each-way drive). It also thrust me back into the thick of the Minivan Mafia at her school, and this year I've refused pretty much every time they have asked me to volunteer for something. I am just too busy and too tired to knock myself out for people who will throw away whatever I do in spite of the fact that it's exactly what they asked for. I have met a kindred spirit this year, a woman whose daughter is new to the class and who found that the "friendly, welcoming atmosphere" proclaimed by the brochures and other parents is somewhat less than friendly and welcoming. She is also crafty and into animal rescue, and she helped me get a part-time job at the children's clothing store where she works.
October 2011 - I drove all the way to Chicago to see Portishead. It's 13+ hours each way. It actually took 15 hours with stops. It was supposed to be just me,
going to see my cousin and go to the concert with him, but at the last
minute Ryan decided he did not want to tackle three days of Piper
whining "I don't want you to do [thing that happens every day], I want
my mom!" so they came with. We crashed at our friends' place in
Evanston. Their neighborhood is awesome, lovely, amazing, cute, and
nearly perfect. We fell totally in love with it, but since even a
2-bedroom condo will set you back $200k and houses start at $1.5
million, I don't think we'll be moving there any time soon. We
discovered they are expecting a baby in the spring, and we are totally
happy for them, even if we did also say "Wait! We were supposed to
coordinate this so we could have babies together!"*
How was the
concert? AMAZING. Probably the best show I've ever been to. When I told
people I was going, they said "You're driving HOW FAR? To see WHO?" and I
had to explain that they haven't toured North America in 13 years and
only did 2 tours before that, the band members are all in their 40's now
and could well decide they want to split up or never tour again, so
this could be my last chance, I've never seen them live and they're one
of my top 5 bands ever, and I never get to see my cousin anymore, my
cousin who was my best concert buddy for years, so I basically have no
choice.
I took video and photos with my phone, which I have
watched over and over to re-live the experience. It was so fun, and I
was proud of myself for taking the L all the way into town and back
without messing it up and for feeling like it was a piece of cake. We
were only there for 34 hours or so, and we didn't do any sight-seeing,
but were happy to spend our time hanging out with our friends and taking
Piper to the park in their neighborhood. I introduced my cousin to
Indian food, we couldn't have picked a prettier time of year to travel,
and everyone had fun.
November 2011 - *As it turns out, we are having babies together. I have a bun in the oven, due in July. My husband thought it was a fabulous birthday present. Piper is totally psyched about being a big sister. I am one of five pregnant people I know among my close friends. One friend said she is up to 10 pregnant ladies within her immediate circle. There was apparently something in the water.
December 2011 -Deep in the grip of 1st-trimester nausea and migraines, I felt like Christmas got away from me more than usual this year. I managed to get everyone's gifts to them on time, but nothing was hand-made. It was warm - 50's & 60's - so there was not even a hint of snow. Oh, well.
January 2012 - coming out of the 1st trimester but I'm still exhausted much of the time and generally feel like crap. This pregnancy is pretty notable so far for its production of weird dreams. Every single night (since even before I had a positive pregnancy test) has been full of vivid, weird, super-involved dreams. I had to quit watching stuff like The Walking Dead right before bedtime because five nights in a row of dreams about rescuing my family from zombies while also riding a unicorn and completing college exams naked was my limit. Now I watch Downton Abbey all the time and my sleep is full of The Titanic, World War I, and being a member of the 1900's British aristocracy. Oh, and riding unicorns.
Last year I set myself a goal of two completed projects per month and didn't reach it. This year I have doubled down and my goal is four completed projects per month. As much time as I spend in the evenings sitting on the couch watching Downton Abbey because I am too worn-out to do much else, you'd think I would reach this goal with no trouble, but it doesn't seem to be working out that way. It's January 31, and I have one project finished and another one 3/4 done. But I wrote myself out a list, and I have enough planned projects to keep me at four-per-month for the next five years. I'd better step it up. Maybe more regular blogging will keep me on track.
