my adventure begins

I am on my way to Chad to visit Kirsten!!!! I am sitting in the Paris airport, 6 dollar coke in hand (a necessity as my body does not compute that it is 930 am alrady!!) and pacing as I wait through my layover. In a few short hours I will be away from everything familiar and dear with the exception of my big sister and her family. I can't believe I will be hugging them so soon! I am missing my family so bad, especially when I see a little toddler or baby. I want to snatch them up and run away. But then I realize how peaceful it is and I appriciate the temporary solitude. I have been burning through my novel and working on sketches that have remained only ideas for 2 months. Every now and then I am shocked at myself that I have traveled all of this way alone--what an adventure! Don't forget to say a quick prayer for me tonight!

Camping adventures

We got brave and decided to take our first family camping trip. The scenery was amazing at the campground that was hosting the weekend-long bluegrass music festival.

We camped with friends who also had kids (misery loves company I guess!) and had a great day and night listening to music and playing in our campsite. Weather was so perfect we even got to enjoy a swim in the Potomac.

Then the hail storm came. At first it was just huge droplets of rain that were welcome relief from the heat. But then the sky got dark. and loud. and angry. The wind gusted, thunder and lightning warned, and we all ran. I was pushing the two kids in our double stroller and doing my best to keep them sheltered while pushing through crowds. Right after we got to a pavilion, hail pelted down. We were all awestruck. The storm lasted what felt like days but ended up being a bit over an hour. Our tent poles were broken, our sleeping bags were floating in icewater and a tent just feet from our was flattened under a massive tree.

Shortly after throwing our sopping wet gear into my in-laws minivan and hitting the highway for a dry, indoor bed, Nate and I were debating the ranking of this trip in our "worst camping experiences" list. It definitely was the wettest (although we both thought of a few that were close runners up!) but the good times made the craziness seem worth it. I can recall camping disasters with my parents growing up and so can Nate. I guess our kids are doomed!

I'm going places!

The little man is mobile...
brace yourselves!!

Peaceful protest

 

Lately Scarlett has developed a new and interesting form of protest. She does not engage in the full tilt hissy-fit--she's way too cool for that. When she decides that she has had enough, she simply lays her body prostrate. Wherever we are (even gross floors like the doctor's office) she just goes completely limp. This is a particularly powerful weapon, as I am often carrying around her not-yet-moblie younger brother. I then must resort to dragging her floppy body where I need it to go and threatening her through clenched teeth. I have already been chastised by several 'helpful' people about not allowing her to lay there, as if I hadn't noticed the filth layer just beneath her stubborn little cheek. It is not like I approve of my daughter laying face down in the dairy isle, library lobby, and worst of all women's locker room--clearly I am just outwitted. While I do prefer this kind of peaceful protest to the screaming tantrum favored by most of her peers, I do worry that her little arm might get pulled right out of socket! At the end of the dat though, I secretly admire the creativity and determination that she already possessess in spades. I imagine all of the great things she might accomplish one day.

For daddy

Nate has to travel for work so this is for him.
We miss you honey.

Triathalon Wednesday ( I give up!)

SO I guess I'll never make it on Tuesday...
This week I lunged till I hurt. (didn't take long)
I also swan half the distance I will swim in the race. When I see others in the pool, I realize how much more practice I need. Luckily I have someone to give me some coaching on Friday! (am a little nervous)
Running has been going well. I have been running to the gym as my warm up and now when I run I am almost having fun (imagine that!)
I really need to ride my bike soon....
Now that spring is almost here I think my training will be much more fun.
Most Irongirl moment of the week:
swimming 4 laps without stopping!

Can you dig it?

 

To call our house a fixer-upper seems to be a bit of an understatement. It is a huge project that we have been working on since we moved in 9 months ago. The kitchen had to be gutted (thats a picture of it empty) and built again. Same for the bathroom. We bought the house knowing we needed to fix these things and Nate's done a great job of doing these projects so far. We also knew the house was too small and planned to dig out the basement and add on a third story. Right now Nate's office occupies the front half of our bedroom and I think he's getting anxious for his own space (mostly so he can be a slob without me rolling my eys at him!!) We spent a ton of time prepping for the basement dig out--cleaning it out, getting the plans drawn up, choosing a contractor to help out and enlisting a workforce. One of the things we didn't spend much time on was getting city permits. We had been warned about this part of the process, but haven't had to deal with it so far (none of the other projects were so obvious from the outside...) We were given the permit to put the dumpster out on the street to collect the dirt, but denied the permit to remove the dirt. Boo. Seems there were a few dig-outs that resulted in a few rowhomes collapsing. We are confident that our architect/structural engineer has created a plan that would not destabilize the house, but apparently the city is less confident in our plans. Some have suggested digging without the permit. I am wondering if those people will give us a place to stay when the city condems our home.
This is a hurdle, sure. But we are determined ot eek out more living space from our small city home anyway we can, so we are on to plan B (in case anyone cares, I suggesting finishing the basement without digging it out BEFORE we spent 4 digits on the project!!) And from this setback we have gleaned several bits of wisdom:
You can fight City Hall, but why would you want to?
Get any permits you might need sometime BEFORE the day you plan to begin the project.
Make the architect's pay contigent on a sucessful permit!
Don't get your heart set on a project or the powers-that-be will crush your spirit.
Cleaning out your basement is cathartic!
Anyway I am sure there will be many more headaches to come but I wouldn't leave my little rowhouse for anything!!