A friend recently sent me a text reminding me that I could cross something off my 101 things list. Not only is she absolutely right but after a quick glance at the list I noticed there were more than a few things I could cross off. Upon second glance I started to sweat a little, why did I say I would blog about ALL of them?? It must be because I like to give myself disappointed looks in the mirror.
One thing at a time, right? I guess I will start at the top of the list and work my way down. Like most of my best intentions I never meant to fall this far behind, but there is nothing I can do about it now except attempt to play catch up. Aren't you just absolutely riveted by my passion for this project!?! I bet you can't wait for post after post about my life list - just bursting with high speed car chases and thrilling, edge of your seat suspense. Perhaps you should go practice your disappointed face.
Without further ramblings: #1 Send a care package to Josh.
It is only fitting that I renew my enthusiasm for this blogging project with a total failure. I did not, in fact, actually send my brother a care package. I know, I KNOW...Sister of the Year!
How is that for a suspenseful opening? I've really got you on the hook now!
How about a little back story? I am not sure that I have ever really written about my siblings on my blog. We all grewupMaine together over the course of 20 some odd years. There is a fairly significant age gap between myself and my brother (7 years my junior), and my sister was born three years after he was. Yes, we all have the same parents. No, I have no idea why our parents thought it would be fun to have three children over the course of a decade. In any case the age gap has certainly shaped our relationships. I am fiercely protective of them and over the years have worn many hats including, mother, sister, and friend.
My brother graduated from the University of Richmond a few weeks after Lily was born. His post collegiate plan, join the Peace Corp and move to a third world country in September of 2010. Between his May graduation and his departure date...Matt and I allowed him to live in our basement. Which I guess in the grand scheme of things was one step up from our parents basement. In return for room and some table scraps he spent the summer painting our house. The arrangement worked out surprisingly well with very few dirty looks exchanged and maybe a few too many beers consumed.
The good times could not last forever and as the sad song says, summer came to an end. Josh packed up his basement dwellings, spent a few weeks back home with my mom and dad, and at the end of September 2010 he set off for Paraguay. Admittedly I had to look on a map to have more than a vague idea of where he was going.
In the past two years he has been able to make two trips home. Not too shabby for a guy who lives in a concrete block hut. The first trip was for Christmas 2011 and we all knew he was coming home well in advance. His second trip home was a total surprise, thus bringing us to the care package that never left my dining room.
I went to Christmas Tree Shops and Marshalls to buy some food and some trinkets to send a few weeks before Josh's birthday in August. I really did have every intention of getting this package to him, I swear. BUT before I had a chance to get my butt to the post office (I have been a little busy) I got a message from my parents that Josh would be in the States mid September. Since there was absolutely no point in paying for postage to mail: dry soup mix, luna bars (which I did NOT know are for women, haha), knock off candy, water balloons, mini tools, colored pencils, and lighthouse puzzles, I held onto my treasures to give to my brother in person. Only half of which he had room for in his overstuffed backpack. He did tell me that the Luna bars hit the spot...so there.
The list item clearly says, "Send a care package to Josh." Sounds like 5 dollars in the charity jar to me.
Showing posts with label Josh. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Josh. Show all posts
Monday, November 19, 2012
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
The following post is rated PG-13
Poor neglected blog...
We have been doing our best to keep busy in spite of the never ending oppression that is calling itself "winter". In the 29 years I have lived in New England I can't remember a winter like this one. Three weeks in a row I have had to cancel plans because we were having ANOTHER SNOW STORM!!
Last week we were granted a break and over the last few days have actually seen some melt, now everything is brown and nasty...thats what I call progress! Over the weekend we visited both sets of parents in Maine (where there is significantly less snow). What can I say about going home? I am grateful that Lily has two sets of grandparents who love her so much and maybe I should leave it at that.
Yesterday I got my hair cut for the first time since Lily was born. Let me start by saying that I had 7 strands of baby fine hair before I got pregnant. While I was pregnant that number doubled to 14... postpartum 10 of them fell out. What I have been left with is just cruel. To make matters worse the "new hair" that is growing in, is coming in along my forehead and along my part. I have 1 inch spikes, spiky spikes, spiking up, all over my head. There is no other way to describe it. I could have splurged and gone to a salon but my hair is a lost cause, so we went to Supercuts. Dingle gets his hair cut there all the time and it usually turns out just fine. I should have known not to let this dude cut my hair when he wouldn't shut up about how much "breakage" I had...dude that is new hair, not breakage! Yesterday we walked out of there with two of the worst haircuts I have ever seen, Mr. Hedgehog and Mrs. Mullet. AWESOME. Oh, and Happy Valentines Day! Good thing we already love each other is all I'm sayin'.
Last night we skyped with my brother Josh, who is a peace corp volunteer living in Paraguay. I have to say that overall his living situation far surpasses my expectations. Soon he will have a small place of his own with four walls, a bed, and a gas stove...better than a mud hut. He used some of his startup allowance (or maybe his savings) to buy a netbook. He has the INTERNET in PARAGUAY, who knew? He is doing well, a hell of a lot better than I would be doing. He asked Lily to be his Valentine, which was hands down the cutest thing that has ever happened.
Today we ran some errands, with mixed results. It was cold, cold, cold, and windy, and cold. It is hard to lug Lily around in the winter. We ended our day with a playdate at the library with Vicki and Griffin. The kids are so cute together. As I mentioned the other day, Lily has been perfecting her kissing skills. Let's just say Lily and Griffin made it to first base more than once today, which was adorable. Then Griffin tried to lift up Lily's dress, hilarious. Vicki and I joked about whether or not we could blog about what happened next, obviously I decided the answer was yes. There is no other way to describe it...there was dry humping. (There you go Vicki, I said it...haha) Griff climbed on top of Lil and started bouncing up and down, all the while Lily laughed manically. This is why people have babies, for moments like that. Oh. My. God. Vicki and I, being the responsible mothers that we are, rolled around on the floor laughing, kicking ourselves for not having our cameras. A good time was had by all!!
We have been doing our best to keep busy in spite of the never ending oppression that is calling itself "winter". In the 29 years I have lived in New England I can't remember a winter like this one. Three weeks in a row I have had to cancel plans because we were having ANOTHER SNOW STORM!!
Last week we were granted a break and over the last few days have actually seen some melt, now everything is brown and nasty...thats what I call progress! Over the weekend we visited both sets of parents in Maine (where there is significantly less snow). What can I say about going home? I am grateful that Lily has two sets of grandparents who love her so much and maybe I should leave it at that.
Yesterday I got my hair cut for the first time since Lily was born. Let me start by saying that I had 7 strands of baby fine hair before I got pregnant. While I was pregnant that number doubled to 14... postpartum 10 of them fell out. What I have been left with is just cruel. To make matters worse the "new hair" that is growing in, is coming in along my forehead and along my part. I have 1 inch spikes, spiky spikes, spiking up, all over my head. There is no other way to describe it. I could have splurged and gone to a salon but my hair is a lost cause, so we went to Supercuts. Dingle gets his hair cut there all the time and it usually turns out just fine. I should have known not to let this dude cut my hair when he wouldn't shut up about how much "breakage" I had...dude that is new hair, not breakage! Yesterday we walked out of there with two of the worst haircuts I have ever seen, Mr. Hedgehog and Mrs. Mullet. AWESOME. Oh, and Happy Valentines Day! Good thing we already love each other is all I'm sayin'.
Last night we skyped with my brother Josh, who is a peace corp volunteer living in Paraguay. I have to say that overall his living situation far surpasses my expectations. Soon he will have a small place of his own with four walls, a bed, and a gas stove...better than a mud hut. He used some of his startup allowance (or maybe his savings) to buy a netbook. He has the INTERNET in PARAGUAY, who knew? He is doing well, a hell of a lot better than I would be doing. He asked Lily to be his Valentine, which was hands down the cutest thing that has ever happened.
Today we ran some errands, with mixed results. It was cold, cold, cold, and windy, and cold. It is hard to lug Lily around in the winter. We ended our day with a playdate at the library with Vicki and Griffin. The kids are so cute together. As I mentioned the other day, Lily has been perfecting her kissing skills. Let's just say Lily and Griffin made it to first base more than once today, which was adorable. Then Griffin tried to lift up Lily's dress, hilarious. Vicki and I joked about whether or not we could blog about what happened next, obviously I decided the answer was yes. There is no other way to describe it...there was dry humping. (There you go Vicki, I said it...haha) Griff climbed on top of Lil and started bouncing up and down, all the while Lily laughed manically. This is why people have babies, for moments like that. Oh. My. God. Vicki and I, being the responsible mothers that we are, rolled around on the floor laughing, kicking ourselves for not having our cameras. A good time was had by all!!
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