Running Away

It began on Friday night with a simple chat message:

Scott (10:19 AM):  Heather- would you guys be interested in free tickets to the circus? Anna got a bunch from work. It is tomorrow, Saturday, at 10 and 2. I can drop the tickets off to you today after work, if you’re interested. Let me know or if you know someone who would like them. I have 4 tickets for each show. -Scott

Saturday was supposed to be a lazy-relaxing day and was anything but, but it was so worth it.  We made buying gas a three-hour family adventure complete with waiting in line for Costco gas (at $3.79, significantly cheaper than anywhere else,) running errands, and brunching at Krispy Kreme.  At Krispy Kreme when the sign says “Hot Now” it’s really hard to ignore.  Diets aren’t for weekends anyway, right?!?

We were only home for an hour before it was time to hit the traffic and head down to the Shrine Auditorium.  The boys were supposed to nap but they just goofed off in their room instead.  I was surprised that Boy Blue hadn’t been too upset when I put him down.  Later when I passed by their room doing laundry I thought I heard giggles — sure enough they were tossing a balloon back and forth from in and out of the crib.  I didn’t care, and took some quiet time for myself, napless notwithstanding.

I don’t think I’ve been to the circus since I was very young, so I didn’t know what to expect.  I quiet enjoyed the stupid human tricks and feats of strength.  I found the dog and pony tricks to be a bit trite, and was quite surprised at the agility of the elephants.  (But I confess the protesters on the way in got to me, and I spent the whole time worried about the conditions in which those animals were cared.)  During intermission Boy Blue and Little Red climbed to the very top of the Shrine Auditorium.  The handrails had a lower rail just the right height for a little guy, so Boy Blue learned to how go up stairs standing up like a big boy.  I followed as closely as I could, on the uneven, century-old steps, my blood pressure raising with the altitude, but everything went well.

We topped the day off with Fatburger, since we were in the area anyway.

Not a good day for our arteries, between the food, lack of exercise, and stress.  But a very fun day.  Thanks Scott and Anna!!!  Now, about that restful weekend…

(not)Following Inspiration

On Saturday night, as we were saying our prayers, I immediately thought of my pregnant sister-in-law.  “We need to pray for Nancee!”  I exclaimed to Paul.  It should be no surprise, then, that on Sunday morning she was on my mind.  I knew I needed to call her, but I thought instead of calling right after church I would call at suppter-time.  After all, if it was I who was pregnant, I’d be napping.  I didn’t want to interrupt the precious sleep of a mother-to-be.

At suppertime my mother-in-law called to say that Andrew and Nancee had gone into the hospital to be checked for leaking and that while her water hadn’t yet broken, it while they were at the hospital and she was admitted.

I could have kicked myself.  Why didn’t I call her and let her know I was thinking of her?  If I’m not careful, I’m not going to keep getting those little thoughts to reach out to those I love.

Nancee is proving my theory that tall people have shorter, easier labours.  Hers was one third the length of either of mine, and now she has a healthy, gorgeous little boy.  I’m so excited!  I’m so excited that I can’t even wait to go to Vegas and meet the little guy!

So Drama

Wow, how did I let this go for so long?

Oh, that’s easy.  Between not sleeping and not being allowed any computer time I’ve also had visits from my family and swarming concerns over my mother-in-law’s health who is altogether too young and too healthy to be so sick for so long, trying to keep up with the developmental needs of my boys, keeping pace with work, church, playgroups, and home responsibilities, I guess it kind of makes sense.  Did I ever mention that Boy Blue has been walking, nay running, since before his birthday?

Beginning May 1st I’m going to be babysitting an infant full-time while he’s on the waiting list for a daycare.  It’s a win-win; his mother needs to get back to work but doesn’t want to settle on a lesser daycare, and I need the money.  Summer is coming, if I’m going to be cloistered in the apartment playing with the boys, I might as well add another one to the mix and make a little money.  Now, before you get all silly and think I’m going to spend the money, take note, all that money is going directly to the credit card.  I’m not proud of it, but the truth is we do have debt and I just can’t start spending money on myself until this is taken care of.  Summers are tough for me, I’m not ready for triple-digit temperatures, fires, sky-high electricity bills, and oh yes, summer-blend gas.  Staying inside and making money, caring for three sweet boys, is the best way I can think of to make the time fly.  This has been in the works for a couple of months, but I’ve been trying to not get my hopes up too early, as there was always the chance that Aiden would get in to the daycare before Janel had to return to work.  Now that we’re two weeks away, things are looking pretty good!

But none of those newsy catch-up things are what I really wanted to write today.  I’ve taken time away from my chores, my boys, and getting ready for tutoring (spring break — early tutoring) to write about my hot date last night!  Yes, that’s right, we went out again!  I know!!!  This is becomming a more common thing — hooray!

Stacey has a comedy showcase with Cricket Feet, at the Colony Theatre last night and tonight, and I, eager to support my friend, made all arrangements for us to go.  We got the boys in their pjs before we took off, telling them they were going to have a pajama party with Angela (who, once again, kindly offered to babysit.)  As we sat in the theatre, waiting for the showcase to begin, we both realized how long it had been since we’d been to a show.  I saw only a couple when we were in Virginia, most of which were shows in which Paul was performing, but at Ricks I went to as many as I could, and in the Yukon I attended even more than I performed.  It felt so good to be “back.”  I don’t care if I ever perform on stage again, but I can’t believe I had gone so long without being in the audience.

When it was over we congratulated Stacey, convinced her that babysitting problems shouldn’t keep Bret from being able to see her and that we should watch Jack, grabbed some quick snacks catered by El Cholo, and took off.  All in all, it was dinner and a show, all for free, mostly spontaneous (I reserved our seats on Monday), and on a Wednesday night.  How rejuvinating!  Sometimes I really like living here.

Stacey was great.  Not everyone was great, and not every scene was great, but I liked hers.  I really hope she gets work from this.  She’s so awesome.

 

the Mailbox (last week, already)

the pennysaver

credit card requests

(yeah right!!! how stupid do you think I am?)

flyers

and surprisingly,

a sweet note from a far-away friend.

 

Sometimes it’s the little things

that can elevate me.

 

Thank you.

Freak Out

Thank you to all of you who, instead of knowingly reminding me that two days does not a pattern make, kindly joined me in rejoicing in my two night’s of sleep.  Need I explain my absence by describing how two good night’s is all I had?

I’m quite sure that my on-going fatigue is the reason I’m so off-balance today.  It didn’t help that I gassed up the car to a whopping $60 this morning.  That officially blows my budget.  It means I have to gas up LESS than twice a month to stay on track.  I’m not sure how much less driving I can do.  I can’t very well walk to La Crescenta to tutor.  And while I can (and often do) walk to the grocery store, I can’t when I’m buying milk, eggs, cheese, and all those other cold things which are so essential to a healthy household.  I think the only frivolous driving I do at this point is getting to and from our Friday morning playgroup, which hardly counts as frivolous because it maintains sanity in our home.  I am preparing myself emotionally to give it up, but that’s going to take me a while still.

Angela is leaving.  They’ve decided to use their tax refund to move to a new place.  I knew this was coming as she’s pregnant and they just need a bigger place, but to hear her say it today sent me into high-gear-panic.  What am I going to do without my baby-sitting share?  I can’t afford to pay someone.  (I couldn’t afford Esme, for the record, and we survived so I guess we can do it, but things are a bit different now and I’m less confident we can make it.)  Not to mention, what will I do without a friend three doors down?  It took us a while to find our groove as friends, but now I rely on her a great deal and I will miss her terribly.

Mum and the remaining Whitehorse contingent of the family are moving this summer.  (To Edmonton, it appears, although the location is not final.)  It was disequilibrating when the house burnt down, and it was wierd when I went back to visit, being in the new house.  It’s immensly more strange to realize that I will never again go “home” to Whitehorse.  I may go and visit the places, and see my grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins, but never again to my parents’ house.  I feel strange about that.  I hope that someday Paul and I will have our own home, and we’ll feel more rooted.  Maybe then we won’t feel quite so attached to our parents’ homes, and the cities in which we were raised.

Dad and Liz start demolition on their house probably this week.  That, too, is strange, as that home has been more consistently my “other” home than the Whitehorse house.  But they’ve been talking about this for a while, and they are rebuilding on the same lot, so there is consistency.  I think it’s the surprise, combined with the departure, that makes Mum’s move such a bigger deal than Dad’s demo.

Of course, this post would be incomplete without mentionning what great pains Boy Blue has taken to keep me from writing discearnable words.  His freakout is much more pressing than mine, and I must once again put aside myself and take care of him.  I have such little time in which I can so easily sooth him with my time and attention.  I hate wasting it in front of the computer.