Parenting Left of the Middle
Pictures here. We had a blast!
I haven’t experienced homesickness since I was 11. That was the summer I was supposed to spend a month with my best friend Kristal down in Fresno-area. I didn’t last there a week. The following year I was fine and every year after that I looked forward to that summer escape from my daily life, even if it was mostly the two of us playing pool, eating Kisses w/Almonds and watching bad soap operas. It’s really hot in the valley in summer, so we didn’t get out much.
Thursday night at BlogHer, in between parties, it hit me again. I was across the country from David and Jack and wouldn’t see them for days. I had no one to snuggle with and I was a little out of sorts in an unfamiliar city. I cried talking to David, called Jack and listened to him announce that he was a magician before fluttering away from the phone, and then wandered around the Hilton…
That was when I ran across Ali sitting in the lobby, and that familiar face from San Francisco made everything instantly better. Plus (if you’ve met Ali you know) she is the snuggliest, huggiest person ever. We hopped in a cab and headed to the Schick Party where we were both bummed to NOT be let in because we were so late. Bummer! Nevertheless, we waited around outside and were able to meet Angie and Aunt Becky and their husbands, among others that my feeble brain cannot recall at the moment. (Side note – I had NO idea how best to introduce myself to people…hi, I’m Crystal…um, Ewokmama? Oh, so you’ve heard of me? Cool, here’s my card anyway because I bought 500 and I have nothing else to do with them.) After quick intros, Ali and I headed over to meet up with Countess Mo at an Irish pub. Mo and I hadn’t met in person prior to this but it still felt like I was seeing someone from home. It was a very welcome interlude. When Mo left to chase after a friend, Ali and I wandered back to hang out with Aunt Becky & gang back at the hotel bar where Becky’s husband The Daver and I talked about work and corporate America. We are Teh Kewl! Or something.
Not too long after the group headed to bed, Ali and I stumbled into some drunk guy who wanted to party with us “fresh girls.” Ahahahaha. Ha. Countess Mo showed up out of the blue (how does she do that?!) to rescue us because she is totally the mama hen. She rocks and I luff her. We took a short trip up to a room where Duchess Mama (I am apparently into the royals) was staying with some other awesome ladies (who were you? am I following you??) and giggling. It was funny. I was drunk, though, so don’t take my word for it. Oh, that reminds me of a funny story of my actual meeting of Duchess Mama. It’s good, I promise…
So, we were at The People’s Party earlier that night and the set up was such that there were rugs overlapping on the floor. Duchess noticed this when her shoe slipped under the overlap. I immediately pointed out that she could TOTALLY get a free drink for that craziness! So then she “tripped” over the carpet and the hotel folks swarmed her to make sure she was okay and girly totally got a drink. Meanwhile the Hilton dudes discussed how best to avoid any future accidents and decided to place two chairs over the overlapping rugs…where a few bloggers proceeded to lap dance. ‘Twas awesome. (Did anyone get pictures?)
I can’t really remember what happened after we left Duchess & Co’s room so I will wrap this up. Suffice it to say that all of this was just one night of BlogHer. Also, there is a lot missing, like the delicious deli I went to with my roomies, the awesome dinner with my roomies, Nona, and Issa where our Irish waitress showed Issa how to use her iPhone camera, that nap I took in the hotel room, the surprise meeting of Jessica from Oh The Joys in the hallway, and the meeting of Undomestic Diva and Shuggilippo at The People’s Party.
So, yeah, there was A LOT packed into every day of my trip to New York and on this particular day the conference had not even started yet. Still, it wasn’t so much that I didn’t have time to miss home. There is always time for that.
I met a lot of awesome people last week at BlogHer. I didn’t get enough time to talk with those I met and I’m guessing there will be some checking out of blogs this week. I am still recovering from my trip across the country and the conference whirlwind, so details about the trip may be slow in coming. In the mean time, here is the profile that hooked me up with David nearly two years ago. It’s a great way to get to know me!
I am always seeking out new points of view on life from others to test my own opinions. I like to examine the differences and similarities in all people. I love to bounce ideas and theories around. I am playful and not afraid of embarrassment, although I dislike being the center of attention. I am a no-nonsense type of girl who goes for what she wants and I’m passionate about the things that are important to me. Yes, sometimes I argue my point even if I suspect I’m wrong. I don’t give up easily!
I often get so enraptured with a subject that I will read everything I can get my hands on about it until I’m an expert. It’s typical of me to read all of the album lyrics and notes prior to listening to a new CD. I am a master googler. I love imdb and wikipedia.
I’ll know I have reached the ultimate in life when I acquire a maid and a cook. I like it when I can pay someone else to do things I don’t like to do; I feel like I’m helping the economy.
I am somewhat impulsive but I usually spend a lot of time planning. I’m contrary sometimes.
I can be reserved at first but if you’re shyer than I am, I might do something outrageous to get you talking. I’m honest to a fault and will answer any question. My answers will probably surprise you.
I hate to wonder if I’m missing out on something that has the potential to be awesome. I am independent and enjoy time alone, but also love the energy of a group gathering. At a party I’m likely to be found in the corner of a room observing interactions or engrossed in a conversation about the merits of various toothpaste flavors and consistencies (cinnamon gel is my favorite).
I’m not much of a cook but I bake fairly well and often. I’ll make you some peanut butter brownies if you prepare the main course. Or you can give me cooking lessons… Dining out most nights a week is perfectly acceptable, as well (as long as it’s not fast food).
I have an amazing son who fascinates me with his passion and his unbridled sense of discovery. He is inspirational and brings out the kid in me. He makes me a better person every day.
for fun:
I love doing just about anything with another person – life is always more fun with friends. Board games, dining out, travel, BBQs, bocci ball… I like dancing around the house (but I’m a terrible dancer) and pondering the oddities in life.my job:
I’m an executive assistant at a software company. I like the exposure I get to various types of work, the details about the inner workings of a company, and I learn new things all the time. The money isn’t bad, either.my ethnicity:
I’m so pale I glow. I’m mostly German with a spattering of British and a little part of every other European country that ever existed, except Italian.my religion:
I’m highly skeptical of organized religion. I focus on being the best human being I can be and don’t feel that I require a set of instructions in order to do that. The Flying Spaghetti Monster is great, though.my education:
I could never decide what to major in (Sociology, Psychology, Art, Finance, English…so many choices, so little time) and the classroom is set at too slow a pace for me. I prefer to read a book and learn while doing.favorite hot spots:
It is my goal to eat out at every restaurant in the Bay Area. Okay, I can skip the seafood but I’ll take everything else! I enjoy museums, aquariums, botanical gardens, coffee shops…the Bay Area is a great place for all of those.favorite things:
I’m an indoors girl generally, but will venture outside for walks or a hike with the right company. I like to bowl. I’m currently having a lot of fun decorating my apartment (retro yeah!). Wine is tasty. I miss the 90s music scene but am adjusting.last read:
Lately I’ve been reading any vampire book I can get my hands on (anything from I Am Legend to Twilight). Patricia McKillip is my favorite (fantasy) author. I write and read blogs. I eat up Augusten Burroughs. Click Clack Moo gets a lot of play, too. [Note: I haven't read a book in two years so this part is out of date!)
I’m looking forward to getting to know all my new friends!
Did you know that July is almost over? Next week is August! AUGUST! I am not even sure where this year went. I’m fairly sure, though, that the next 5.5 weeks are going to disappear along with the rest of the year…so, because I am insanely busy, you get bullet points.
Plans are in full swing for BlogHer. I have a hotel room with roommates, my flight is booked, and I’ve RSVP’d to many a party:
Next I will print out the insane very rich and full agenda to determine which sessions I’ll be attending. I am open to suggestions since I’m a first timer.
Are you going to BlogHer? Let me know so we can meet! So far, besides my roomies, I expect I’ll catch up with Caitlin, Emmie, Megan, Kat, Lexi, and Dawn…I think. My memory is not so good so I probably forgot someone and/or included someone on accident.
Have I mentioned I’ve never been to New York? Not even the airport! Wheee!
Recently my mom suggested we plan a trip together. We’ve never gone on a trip together, so I was surprised by the suggestion. I was also delighted, of course, and much in need of a break, so I agreed without delay.
My mom has this whole week off work and Friday is a holiday at my place of employment, so this seemed like the perfect time for a mini vacation. We thought about flying somewhere at first, but I was finally able to figure out that if we stay close to home (mine being in SF and hers in Sacramento) we can get more for our money and actually be relaxed afterward. It didn’t take us long to pick Napa as our destination, which will also help me achieve my goal to go wine tasting this year. The hotel where we are staying offers in-room massages, so I booked that for the night we arrive. (Getting a professional massage also satisfies one of my goals this year! Woot!)
I haven’t spent much time in Napa before, so I’m open to suggestions from you fine folks. So far the only things we have scheduled are massages, a dinner at Celadon, a dinner at Cuvee, and a brunch at Angele. Wine tasting is on the list – including the free one offered by the hotel – and we have a few wineries within walking distance to check out (Gustavo Thrace and Stonegate). There may be some shopping and we’re planning on checking out the scenery on our way out.
It’s taking every bit of reserve I have to get through this insane week. Napa is my reward for slogging through. I will make it to tomorrow afternoon!
I’m moving right along on my list of 110 in 2010. So far, I’ve completed fifteen items and have fourteen others in various stages of progress. (At least two have been eliminated from the list – wear a skirt once a week and participate in project 365.) Hopefully I’ll be up to 25% by the end of March, otherwise I’m going to have to work double time.
#102 on my list is “Attend a blogger based social event.” This is how I convinced myself that it is imperative that I attend BlogHer ’10. Well, that and the fact that I’ve never been to New York before (which is really insane because I even have family there). I registered to attend at the end of February so that I could get the discounted pricing and thank goodness I did! The conference is sold out now – five months early. I’ve arranged to room with Jenny, Julia, and Lora, and to be honest I think they are all going to out-party me! I’m totally up for the challenge, though.
Are you going to BlogHer? If so, let’s arrange to meet. For those of you who have been to the BlogHer conference before, can you tell me what I need to bring? I’m the type to only pack essentials and take as small a suitcase as possible (so that I can carry it on the plane). The last conference I went to was for Stampin’ Up! back when I was a demonstrator; I attended three of those and had a blast every time. I may be a convention/conference junkie…
We had a wonderful Christmas. I’m still trying to get back into the swing of things after being on the east coast for a week and we still have some celebrating to do with family and friends that we haven’t yet seen. Our holiday has been quite spread out!
We flew to Maryland on the 16th to stay with my sister and her family. Jack traveled wonderfully, which was a real blessing considering that our flight was moved 2 hours later and we nearly missed our connection. Our entire day was full of travel! Even so, we got lucky flying in when we did because the second night we were there, Maryland got a record-breaking 21″ of snow. (Of course we had packed absolutely no snow gear.)
Before the snow hit, though, we got a fantastic visit in at the Air & Space Museum in Washington, D.C. David gets all the credit for this idea and man, did Jack love it! He was having a horrible day but as soon as we set foot in the museum his face lit up and he was bursting with excitement. He got to see command modules, satellites, and astronaut gear. I think David and I both felt so much joy to be able to fulfill that dream for Jack.
We had a nice white Christmas when we opened presents and stockings on Saturday. The big hit this year for Jack was a combination of a cape, mask, and blaster cuffs from SuperFlyKidz on Etsy with The Incredibles movie. Jack spent a lot of time as Mr. Incredible over the past week. My 11 month old niece Sabrina was absolutely delighted with the stacking cups we got for her. Between the two kids and David’s happiness with the MASH shirt I found for him, I felt like a Master Gifter this year!
On Sunday we drove down to Virginia. We stopped in Quantico for a quick visit with my longtime friend Daniella and her family. I briefly got to hold her new baby, who is an absolute DOLL. (Being around my niece and Daniella’s little guy didn’t help my recently found baby fever at all…) Thanks to the traffic from drivers struggling to get through the snow-laden highways, we were only able to visit for a brief time. Daniella fed us and we got to have a nice chat, which was both fun and relaxing after the craziness of the road.
After our visit to Quantico, we made our way down to David’s parents house in Williamsburg. This was Jack’s and my first time meeting our new in-laws. We all got along right off the bat and I immediately felt like Jack and I were part of the family. Spending the holiday together seemed to make our little step-family even more official, as well. Jack and I are so blessed!
The trip home was long but went fairly smoothly. There was a marked difference in how Jack traveled this year as compared to last year – there was not a gigantic meltdown at the end of our trip (although there were many little ones throughout the week) and Jack followed directions pretty well while we went through the airport. I’m counting that as my gift from him this year. 
I’ll have to post some pictures when I am not bogged down with catch-up work and the intracacies of adjusting to the new daycare drop-off/pick-up routine (since Joe started his new job today), but here are some highlights of our trip to Maryland:
