Midweek vacation

I got to see my family this week! Josh and Krista rode the train up to Bloomington and from there it was a great two days of family. Wednesday we met up with Miah, Jessie and the kids and enjoyed the afternoon together. I let Ben run about with my camera, and these first shots are his point of view. :)



Josh shared with us the video of the show he and Krista are working on right now. Micky's Talent Show has a huge variety of characters, of which Tigger and Buzz Lightyear are two. The blue shirt Ben is wearing - it's a Buzz shirt, if that tell you anything.






Cecilia is walking all over the place and was very interested in the salad dressings from the fridge. It took her a while to participate as she, like her aunt, does not like to get up after a nap.

We all had dinner together and then Josh, Krista and I went back to Bloomington for the night. We explored some thrift stores and book shops before making the trek to St. Louis, then I drove solo back to Carbondale. Lots of driving but totally worth it. It's so rare that we all get to see each other. In fact, this time last year was the last time Josh made almost the exact trip.

Josh and Krista showed me the inside of the tour bus they live in between cities, and I was impressed with how they were able to convert a 45 ft. coach into a home for 12 people. Sleeping nooks, two lounges, and satellite tv and internet. Not like any bus I've driven!

Happy Halloween!

Instead of getting a costume, going out, and being a part of the Carbondale community last night, I watched (a little) of the Oregon v. USC game and read The Girl That Kicked the Hornet's Nest again. I sat in the chair with sun on it for as long as possible, then got into a pile with Kodak, Baxter, and yes, even Comma, for afternoon reading/napping. Not much going on - other than reliving the mental kung-fu Lisbeth pulls out on Sweeden's legal system.

Out of the blue, I got a call (I heard her voice!) from my sister in Turkey! She skype-dialed me and she told me all about her next mind-stretching project: NaNoWriMo or National Novel Writing Month. I am excited to hear how it goes for her. It was a short call, but it was 11 pm where she was and sometimes that's just how it goes. I got to hear a bit from Adam too, as he piped up in the background. I miss you C!



I also received a phone call from my brother, Josh, and we talked details of our get together this week. I get to see both of my brothers! Josh and Krista are working in St. Louis this next weekend and they (as per usual) beat the truck with all the stuff so they get a few days to bum around. We'll meet in Bloomington, hang, go spend time with Miah, Jessie and the kiddos, and then on Wednesday I'll drive them back to St. Louis. I am really looking forward to meeting Krista and I don't see Josh near enough.

Kristy ran!

Kristy ran the Chicago Marathon! Yay Kristy!

Dan and I went up to Chicago to cheer her on this past weekend, and Chicago put on a good show. The weather was warm, the breeze came out, and most were in good spirits.

We drove through Champaign and made a jam drop at my brother's. Six huge jars of Ciara's homemade jam from the stock pile at dad's house to his. "How long with this last you Miah?" "Six jars? Probably six weeks." My brother loves jam.

My weekend was rounded out with a trip to my favorite fabric shop - The Needle Shop - and a special treat of meeting Alice, Gus's sister and Dan's aunt. I happen to think aunts are pretty cool, being one myself, and Alice was no exception. She is a wonderful story teller, and hearing about how she met her husband on a 2 week long steam ship voyage from New York to Athens was both hilarious and a trip through time.

There was a lot of fun crammed into the weekend, so I'm tired today. I got sun burnt while cheering Kristy on (ironic as she was running to raise money for skin cancer research), and for some reason my body hasn't liked the weather since leaving Juneau. I can't seem to drink enough water, and lotion just gets sucked into my skin. I'm hoping everything calms down. Or it rains. Both would be preferred.

Ben's 3rd birthday party!

Dan and I drove up to Champaign to celebrate my nephew's 3rd birthday. There were so many kids! The pool was set up outside, with sidewalk chalk and bubbles. The parents were filling in the gaps, making sure plastic bats weren't being swung too close to other children and towels were at the ready when it was time to go in for cake and presents.


Ben had an Airplane theme - as that is his passion at the moment. The cake (a few pictures down) was made by Nanny Rebekah and Jessie, and it had a runway and airplane, and all of the kids got to take their own airplane home in the grab bags Ben was happy to give out when they arrived. The big hit seemed to be the blow toy - the kind that unrolls when you blow into it, making it look like a big, long, tongue.




Look at all these kids!





Here's the birthday boy in the captain's hat I was lucky to find. Such a fun birthday!

Painting

Man, this picture looks like crap, but here it is mom. The tree I was telling you about. I can share it, now that I gave it to my dear friend, Danny. I'm really bummed I didn't take a better picture. Oh well. I guess this is even more motivation to save my pennies for this. Recently, there have been many opportunities to use a camera, and I'm feeling sad that I haven't made it a priority to replace the camera that was taken in Juneau.

Other picture news, here is a recent one of Miah, me, and Ciara, while C was flying through on her whirlwind job finding adventure! We probably won't all be together again until Josh's wedding, and then all 4 will be together! (Miah and I used to be thought of as twins growing up. I think you can really see it in this pic.)

And I don't know why the font and size is all over the place. I promise, I'm not trying to shout at you.

Weekend with the kiddos!

Miah and Jessie celebrated being a couple for 11 years this weekend! I went up to Champaign to watch Cecilia and Benjamin. Here are some pics. Cecilia is sick, with a runny nose and a cough. Sick babies are a sad sight. She was out of it on Saturday night, lethargic and wheezy. Ben was a happy two year-old.

(I like this foot picture because I do the same thing, tangle my big toes together.)





I like giving Ben the camera and let him take over. His understanding of how and where to shoot is much improved since November (sans the bathtub shot.)

I need to look up an animated character named Kipper. It's his new favorite thing. That and airplanes.

Renters, pies, and pictures. Oh my!

I've done lots of driving this last week. I found a family to rent my condo on a month-to-month basis while they are in the process of buying a home, and that has meant back and forth, and back and forth, between whatever city I have been in. There was a key debacle on Friday and Saturday, but hopefully that is all worked out now. From November 16th to now, I'm at 1211 miles. That would get me to Miami, Providence, El Paso, or almost to Salt Lake City.

This is the last week of Nanny Life. I'm going to be sad not seeing Ben and Cecil so often. Today I went with Jessie to have their pictures taken. It was only a slightly traumatizing event for Cecilia. They are stinkin' adorable, with their winter sweaters and snowy back drops. Jessie and Miah make some cute kids.

Happy Thanksgiving all! I made three pies this weekend in preparation for it. I haven't seen that much butter on the table for a long time. The last was in a professional bakery where croissants were being made by the dozens.

My latest search: Super Feet. They don't exist in Carbondale, so before I leave Champaign I will hopefully have what I need to breathe new life into my running shoes. Wish me luck!

More fun!

Benjamin really likes stickers. Usually they get on a piece of paper, but this day, as you can see, they made it somewhere entirely different.

This is the indoor playground we've been going to on Tuesdays. This is only half of it! There is a seating area with tables for snacks, and a track that circles around the outer fence. With the weather changing, I expect it will be getting more crowded. This morning there were at least 20 toddlers running about. I never appreciated how much luggage mom's tote around until I started frequenting such locations.


Dad, this is for you! He's already a Packer fan!

A new picture of Cecilia. She is getting big so fast! By the the family sees her at Christmas she'll be reciting the Gettysburg address.

I've been going full speed ahead in trying to rent my condo. Total, I've had about 5 nibbles, but only one person has come to look at it so far. I went by to take new photos yesterday, hoping to refresh my craigslist ads with something more appealing to lookers. I hope it helps! There is one lead independent of my postings, but I'll let you know about that if it works out.

This last weekend I was up in Chicago with Dan. It was great to see his family again and relax a bit. I have loved being with B, C, Miah and Jessie, but I'm getting worn out moving cities every four days. Carbondale, Champaign, and Bloomington. Driving, driving driving. By the end of the weekend in Chi-town, I lost all my steam. I did get to take in the Art Institute, exploring their new contemporary art wing, and I really enjoy walking around and taking in the city. There was a abundance of great food, good people, and good stories. Sadly, I didn't take any pictures to share from there.

More soon!

My nephew, the photographer

Ben and I went to a new indoor play ground today. It. Was. Awesome. A huge play structure with slides and things to climb pretty much everywhere. We spent a good two hours there, which with a two-year-old's attention span, is proof enough for me that it is a good design.

After, I introduced Ben to my world. the world of coffee. I thought I could handle high energy, what with dealing with the Medici for a good while. I drank quite a bit of coffee then, but I feel now that it was a convenience. Can't they find a way to bottle toddler energy?

But the coffee shop. I filled up the new cup I'm toting around (Bright red with a picture of an iron worker on the side, from my dad. Thanks dad!), Ben wanted to sit and enjoy the environment for a bit. I pulled out my camera for him to play with, and below are some of the shots he took. Most of them were of the table, but once he figured out he could point it other directions (!) he started getting really excited.

Because of the day, I'm planning on keeping a file of his shots, for nostalgia sake. I'm sure his point of view will produce some entertainment, if not a few worth putting up on the wall.






And this last shot is from tonight. Jeremiah brought his guitar out and we all had a nice time finding chords to Ben's favorite songs - Farmer in the Dell, Twinkle Twinkly Little Star, You Are My Sunshine, Are You Sleeping Brother John?



After there was some Dad Climbing. Ben was scaling the side of Miah before getting whipped around and tickled. I love happy kids! Cecilia, of course, is just hangin' out.

And should we take a poll? How many people remember having those number/letter magnets on their fridge as a kid?

Champaign!

Photos! Finally, right?

This is my dad holding Cecilia, his newest granddaughter.

Me and CeciliaMy brother, Jeremiah, with his adorable kids, Benjamin and Cecilia.

I've really loved hanging out with Ben. He's two, and all about it. "I do it!" comes out of his mouth pretty reliably, but with some patience his wrinkled brow turns back into a sunshine smile pretty quick.

Today was library day. A good hour with toys, books, and the great wide Out There. After was the park. Parks and kids are like peanut butter and jelly.

It's all taking a toll

We're supposed to have The Storm of the Century up here today. Winds up to 40 mph - tours are precanceling and the tram is shut down. Lots of rain already. Again, I'm glad I have my rain pants.

I was cut from my duties, and base is kind enough to let me use the computer, so here I am, soggy and tired, happy to be going over to Paradise Cafe in a bit to have coffee and some quiet.

I was able to change my ferry ticket in time to get a refund for Lauren's spot, and I'm in the process of getting my money back for the virus software that did not work on my computer. Those are little sunny spots in the day. I work so hard for my money, I hate the idea of just throwing it away. But I'm sure most people don't like throwing their money away.

Jessie sent me a new photo of Cecilia in a cute little dress - she's starting to look like a person instead of a baby blob. Cute little cheeks and dark eyes. Mom is finishing up her visit with Miah and Jessie today, and Dad starts his road trip over there on Friday. I threw out the idea to Ciara to ride back to IL with me, but we'll see if that works out. I think it would be great to ride with her. Plus, she could see Cecilia and the family, and I'd make sure there was a Dan sighting on the visit too. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it works out.

I am beyond ready to be on my way home. Yesterday was a mess, to the point where I left the shuttle line 30 minutes early so I didn't explode on the tourists. I know it's the end of the season and my patience isn't what it used to be, but the herds are mean! Pushing on to my shuttle and tours, yelling at each other. I want to tell them they're acting worse than the first and second graders on my mom's school bus! Be nice. Keep your hands to yourself. I you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all. Yes, I'm in the service industry. I am well aware that am answering questions and providing information in a friendly manner, but I'm still a human. More flys with honey...and all that. So I left the shuttle, came back to the yard, laid down on the floor in the office, and shut my eyes. The rest of my tours were fine.

I keep thinking about what it will be like back on the open road. Nothing around me but trees and mountains. No angry people upset that it's raining in the rain forest. No people upset because they didn't see a bear. No one telling me I'm not suited for my job because, obviously, if I'm driving the shuttle I'm on the driver second string. The road will be so kind to me. My Kodak will sit on my passenger seat and sleep. My book on tape will tell me about something wonderful, and I'll start to remember all of the good things about this summer.

Family!

Just got an update from Jessie on how the family is doing. They are so busy all the time! She attached some recent pictures of Ben, and he is so cute, I have to share!

Can't wait to go visit them when I get back!