3 September 2008

to those who have wondered, yes Miranda is back from the space station and off to her last year at Annunciation.....she was too busy getting ready for 8th grade to make the photo on the steps with Annie.

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2 September 2008, first day of middle school for Annie

me: (hollered upstairs) Annie, what do you want in your lunch today?

A: fresh sliced tomatoes from Grandpa's garden, with fresh mozzerella cheese, and basil with a balsamic vinegarette!

me: um, how about pb & j?

A: ok

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29 August 2008

not that anyone has bothered to call ME fr the airport, but according to NWA her flight has arrived. Last I spoke to Tim he was in an airport bar......more to follow after I debrief her.

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28 August 2008, photos up at flickr, link on the left

Annie and I spent nearly 13 hours at the fair on Tuesday, which is why the recovery has taken so long. We aren't as young as we used to be. I tried to take a photo of the bacon with caramelized maple syrup on a stick, like Marti did, but I couldn't figure out how to take a photo without setting it down and I just wasn't willing to do that. It was that good. It was also enough bacon that I passed on the opportunity to try the dark chocolate dipped bacon from Famous Dave's.

I saw Norm Coleman (twice) and didn't kick him in the shins. My mom would be proud of my restraint. I didn't pick any fights with the prolifers, but they managed to rile me a bit with their comments about the most lovely Cecelia who accompanied us for our 4 hour shift in the booth. Someone ask if we rented her.....because apparently you can't be both prochoice AND a mother at the same time ?!?! Who knew?

The best deal of the day was the FREE bike helmet Annie scored in the health building.....and the free Martha's Cookies samples they were handing out (really who needs a free cookie sample to get them to buy them?) We purchsed a cone of cookies and took it straight to the 'all you can drink milk" and proceded to stuff ourselves beyond reason. Not having Miranda with us meant things weren't divided 3 ways (keen!) but also meant that we weren't as hungry to try as many things as we normally are.

We saw baby calves, chickens, pigs, sheep, horses, and puppies. We ate all manner of fair foods; corn dogs, (hehehe I mistyped that as corn gods...) roasted corn on the cob, lamb kebobs, gyros, bacon, cookies, milk, shakes, pizza....

We rode the Giant Slide, the skyride at night, we walked 800000 miles, we handed out condoms on sticks, and we played state fair bingo (Annie would have won but she was stumped and couldn't find anyone sporting a rattail....I'm not sure what the fair is coming to.)

We waddled to the car and drove home. Annie called Tim from the drive way to ask him to carry her into the house....we were just that pooped. Damn, I love the state fair.

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27 August 2008

and I'm still recovering. pics and post to follow....someday

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23 August 2008

Tomorrow morning Miranda leaves for her first solo plane trip to head to Huntsville for space camp.....within moments after tucking her into bed she was sound asleep. But not me, I'll be up til nearly 4am (when we need to wake up to get ready to head to the airport) worrying over things that don't need worrying about. Like will they respect her vegetarian diet or will she get stuck eating pb&j sandwiches for a week*, like has happened at other camps??

I KNOW this is a great opportunity for her. I know air travel is perfectly safe....I KNOW she'll be fine. but. WAHHH, she's my baby. My taller than me, with bigger feet than mine, space lovin' geek like her daddy.

Her dad who pointed out that with ALL of the notes I have stashed in her luggage I will make her out to be the biggest geek at space camp because there is a post it note on her tooth brush reminding her to brush for two full minutes! and being the biggest geek at space camp....well...that is pretty geeky. And he knows all about that.

*as if no other child on the planet has subsisted on a diet of pb&j for a week and lived to tell the tale.

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21 August 2008

Ok, I'm guessing people are missing the fact that they should click on the word SNAKE!!!! in the post below.

Yes Angie, to be fair to be fair to Annie she immediately identified what kind of snake it was......but in my defense...it was a REAL LIVE SNAKE. Go look. also other pics of the camping trip up at flickr.

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20 August 2008

In the car on the way to the state park I told the girls that there was a very rare possibility that we might encounter a snake. Specifically a rattlesnake. To which Annie hollered COOL! and Miranda said, um, and WHY are we going there??

After assuring them that it was HIGHLY unlikely that we would see a snake, I went over a few snake related rules...like don't provoke the snake, listen for them and avoid them, and DO NOT attempt to give your mother a heart attack by pretending there is a snake where there is not and therefore cause her to lose her shit (figuratively or otherwise). The last being the most important rule to remember. Do not call out "snake!" unless you can see their beady little eyes, and if YOU do falsely claim to see a snake that is not there you will never ever ever get your drivers license (worst threat I could think of on the spur of the moment) and that, I would likely kill you. after I soiled myself. Because my fear of snakes is NO joking matter.

Imagine my surprise then, when over 24 hrs into the trip, while out hiking, Annie quietly says....."um. Mom? I see a snake. Really a real snake. BUT DON'T PANIC MOM".

I was walking behind the girls (using them as a shield to keep the snakes away from me) and I calmly (really!) asked if the snake had slithered off (please god let it be so). But it had not, it was looking at Annie, wondering why she had poked it with her walking stick. By then M happened upon said snake and said, "yup, Mom, its a real snake" Thankfully it slithered off as I was attempting to take its picture (just for you Angie!). And thankfully I had smuggled beer into the park.

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18 August 2008, I thought google was my friend.

Ok, so i was quickly popping on to find a picture of the state park I'm dragging the girls to for our second ever camping without Tim trip....two nights, new park, so I was borrowing a photo from google images when much to my dismay i came across a picture of a snake at said state park. A big snake. So I v logically thought, I need to learn more about the snake so I don't fret the whole 3 days we are gone. Wiki let met know that the timber rattlesnake, ESPECIALLY in southern MN is one of the most deadly snakes, due to its venom and its SIZE. Folks, this is not making me feel any better, it is actually making me feel much worse. Do I at 8am scrap our plans and go elsewhere? Do I brave the snakes without Tim by my side to beat them with a stick? Do I allow the girls to wear anything other than high boots and long pants? ?

Maybe I just ought to stay home and drink......wahhhhh.

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15 August 2008

Oh for the love of god......getting one fairly small 13 year old to Huntsville is proving to be no small task. I won't jinx myself by saying that her travel plans are complete, but I will say that after 5 hours on the phone with two different airlines, 3 different reservations and hundreds of dollars in admin fees the child is set to take off in 9 days.....

So now the thing that will keep me awake at night is the thought of my baby flying off into the wild blue yonder without me. I'm a wreck. I can't imagine w how I'll feel when she goes to the space station for the first time. I will need some serious medication to get through that because the beer from last night is just not cutting it.

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