Oct
19
October 19, 2006
To those of you who commented on my last post, thank you so much for sharing such thought-provoking, respectful points of view. I feel like that conversation actually changed my perspective on the whole difficult subject, in a good way. A broadened way. That’s some pretty awesome blog-post fallout, you know? So: thank you.
:::
We had friends stay with us last night, a couple we’ve known for years who recently spent 12 months traveling around the world. They started in New Zealand, moved on to Asia, and then went to Africa before coming back home. I thought it might be awkward to spend time together, I thought that compared to traveling the Kalahari in a Land Rover and camping in Thailand the life we’ve been living for the last year would seem excruciatingly boring.
I mean, they’ve been doing this. And seeing things like this. While we’ve been, uh, changing a lot of diapers.
But of course we are all living rich and interesting lives in our own way, and they seemed as excited by Riley’s development (and even the progress on our remodel, which was awfully damn nice of them to care about being as how I personally find the subject about as thrilling as, say, watching drywall dry) as we were in their travel experiences.
The last time they visited was over a year ago when Riley was a tiny little suctopus who brought all conversation to a startled halt when he turbo-horked a geyser of milk all over the sofa, floor, and JB’s lap. This time I thought he would be infinitely more charming, but whether it was end-of-day weariness, the stimulation of having new people around (and their massive, friendly Golden Retriever), the alignment of the planets, or some combination thereof, Riley basically morphed into a human spider monkey whose temperament veered dizzily from Cackling with Insane Glee to Howling in Great Sorrow while he clambered around falling into things because he was too hyper to keep his freaking balance.
If this couple decides against having children, I think we’ll all know who’s to blame, is what I’m saying.
Tonight JB’s parents are coming to stay for a couple days, which certainly brings up the monthly average of our bed-and-breakfast hosting activities. I’m hoping their presence will allow JB and I to escape for a while on Friday or Saturday night; maybe see a movie, or eat a meal that doesn’t involve being anywhere near those godforsaken Gerber “Pasta Pickups”.
I’m guessing our weekend will involve lots of sitting around and talking, marveling over the grandchild, and if the weather cooperates, some park-walks or geocache outings. I know it’s only Thursday, but indulge me again, won’t you? – (and give me something to read when I sneak away from all the festive family bonding to the computer) – what are you doing this weekend?
bah, also playing host to the out-laws this weekend. Dreading it, to be honest. They’re wonderful people, and I love them dearly, but not in my home.
On the agenda–Friday: either going to see the Tut exhibit at the museum of natural history, or going to the Museum of Science and Industry. Considering we did Tut a couple weeks ago with my parents, I’m hoping they’ll vote for Science and Industry. Friday night: Indian food for dinner, then a show at Second City comedy club.
Saturday: the Chicago Botanic Gardens, and then dinner at some undetermined location, probably our favorite barbecue place.
Sunday: avoiding the Chicago marathon as we try to get them to the airport for their mid-morning flight. Eesh. I really, really, really hope they don’t miss their flight.
At least the stuff we have planned will be fun, even if his mother is driving us apeshit all weekend.
Remaking the intricate pearl braclet i may LAST weekend, damn thing!
This weekend we are tiling the kitchen floor. By ourselves. And neither of us has done it before. We are armed only with advice from my step-sister and the Lowe’s do-it-yourself guide. Pray for us.
It’s interesting being nosey into everyone’s weekend plans!
Mine are…
Saturday – work, domestic fun like vaccuuming and washing, hopefully a walk in the spring sunshine
Sunday – sleep in, bbq at partner’s parent’s house with all his extended family
Monday (yep, 3 day weekend for us lucky NZers, Monday=labour day!) – sleep in, brunch somewhere and maybe some geocaching, we’re absolute beginners so wish us luck!
Enjoy your weekend :)
I have a blind date. He’s a CPA. Oh my gawd what was I thinking????
Friday, I’m going to watch hubby get an epidural in his neck to help with the pain of bulging discs. He wants to go on a date Friday night, but we’ll see how he feels. I’ll probably just baby him, feed him and pamper him all day. Saturday I’ll be attending a baby shower for my favorite niece. It should be fun. I so love babies and can’t wait until this one arrives. Sunday is family day. My husband and I will stay in bed late, then get up and eat with the younger girls (8 & 12). Then, my older two, (18 & 20) will be home in the afternoon and I’ll cook and we’ll eat some more and watch T.V. My 20-year-old daughter always stays to watch Desperate Housewives with me – my one guilty pleasure.
As for the last post – my internet was down so I just read it today. I, like you, am pro-choice. However, I would never want to have to make that choice. I have 4 beautiful children and after seeing that 8-week in utero baby, it changed me as well. I didn’t read any of the comments for lack of time, but I’m glad to hear that they were supportive and kind. There are many women I love who made the same choice you did.
My husband’s aunt is in town from Vermont, and so we have to attend a party where she can meet our kids. Then, we are going to a birthday party for someone we aren’t particularly drawn to. Because it’s at a really swanky restaurant in the Pearl District, and includes cocktails and dinner. Our budget would never allow us to go there under ordinary circumstances, so we are going despite our ennui about the guest of honor. I feel a little guilty about it, but probably not so much that it will interfere with my ability to choke down a few mojitos. On Sunday we are getting together with some oldy/goody friends and doing the pumpkin patch with our assorted toddlers. I am really jazzed about that. In between, I will be doing all the laundry, grocery shopping, cooking, cleaning I can squeeze in before I go back to work on Monday.
WELL. I’m sure Riley just wanted to prove to your friends about how hard you work day in and day out. Who needs freefalling and bathing monks(?) when you have Suctopus??
This weekend I will will be partying the nights away as it is my birthday today!
The BF has three (THREE!) days off in a row (IN A ROW!) starting tomorrow, so I am feeling a bit under the weather already, oddly enough. Also, we are getting a new mattress tonight (swoon!) and, yep, there’s that fever coming on. Crazy how that happens.
We will be going to a great oceanside restaurant called the Beachcomber one day during the weekend, to enjoy this view during dinner, http://www.robertoswatersports.com/images/crystalcove11_0031.jpg (not my photo, but a good one!), preferably after a hike here http://www.mountainbikebill.com/images/Trails/ElMoro/LagunaElMoro-7SEP03-21.JPG (also not my picture, but also a good one!). However, the Santa Ana winds are a-blowin’ and that means hot + dry… we shall see.
Also we are going to get our Halloween costumes, and are still trying to decide between St. Pauli Girl and Sam Adams, or doing the Reno 911 thing again. It’s been 2 years, so we will need to, um, upgrade those costumes, but seeing the bf in a size 16 women’s hot pants is always funny.
Enjoy the in-laws and try to stay sane! And enjoy your date night, if you get it.
This is fun! I’m going to a wedding at the Woodmark hotel on Saturday. At noon. What the hell do I wear? Autumn wedding, so it’s cold here, but it’s at noon? And Semi-formal? Gah. At any rate, we’re making a weekend of it and staying there Saturday night, even though we live less than 20 minutes away. (That’s where my husband and I were married too, so we’ll get to reminisce a little.)
Should be fun – now what the HELL do I wear??!!
:)
I’m going to a Wiccan Handfasting… which I never ever have done before. What does one wear to a handfasting? He’s wearing a kilt and dagger, she’s all Renaissanced out… I’m clueless :)
Wow, all the people running marathons and 10ks and such make me feel so lazy!
My fiance’s brother is coming to visit us for the weekend, so on Saturday we’re going to see the Decemberists, and on Sunday we’re going to Disneyland to check out their special Halloween stuff. I’m also getting my hair cut, going to Kiehl’s and Victoria’s Secret, and helping my fiance buy dress shoes for the first time in his adult life.
I love this weekly installment of your and everyone else’s weekend plans! So fun.
Mine? Friday night: Netflix and pasta with chicken to rest up for Saturday morning: 18 mile run (the marathon is two weeks from Sunday! TWO WEEKS! AAAH!). Saturday mid-morning: lay gasping on living room floor and want to die. Saturday afternoon: clean apartment, run errands, consume ginger ale to stave off post-run nausea; eat everything that comes within a foot of my body to satisfy animal-like hunger. Saturday night: drinks and dinner with friends. Sunday: rejoice for the day off of running; write; maybe take some photos in Central Park if the dang leaves ever wake up to the fact that it’s fall; possibly clean out closet and bookshelves in seasonal purge of extraneous things. Stare into space at the prospect of the work week beginning anew. Check BlackBerry compulsively. Make Sunday night special of turkey burgers and fries. Weep.
Whoot! I made it to the what-are-your-week-end-plans post before Monday this time! This week-end husband, little boy, giant furry dog, and I are going to visit my in-laws in Sisters, OR where my awesome Mother-in-law has already set up massages for my husband and I while she gets some grandson time. Might be able to squeeze a Saturday night movie date out of it too, we’ll see. We’re going to go to a pumpkin farm there with a corn maze and all of that. Will feel ridiculous if we end up getting a pumpkin there and dragging it back to Portland when we could just get one here, but if we find the perfect pumpkin, I guess we’ll have to do it. The only thing I’m not looking forward to is spending 6 hours in the car in three days. My son is really unhappy about it as last week-end we drove to Eugene for a Ducks game – he’ll be completely car-ed out after this week-end, a 3.5 YO can only handle so much car time in one month.
Friday — Sleep in, watch PBS with Harper (23 mos. old), have a lazy evening at home with the hubby.
Saturday — Ditch graduate class to go to a family “reunion” (what I told the professor) in Indiana. My brother, his girlfriend, my husband and I (driving from Ohio) meeting my mom, dad, and sister (driving from Wisconsin) to watch the Wisconsin Badgers play Purdue. Nothing like Big-10 football on an autumn Saturday!!! I say that totally without sarcasm. Really. I mean it.
Sunday — Spend time with our in-laws, who live in town, watch more football (we’re a sports family), and laundry. Homework.
Ironman! No no, I’m not competing in it, I’m volunteering for it. The World Championships are right here in Kona, HI, and apparently the whole town just shuts down for the day. I have finish-line duty. Whee! I’m stoked.
Other than that, I shall see where the wind blows.
Commenting for the first time – which seems woefully inadequate given the enormous amounts of pleasure your blogs give me daily. Writing to you from Barbados. This weekend: a large part of it will be spent on working on an illustration for the final cover in a series of children’s primary (grade, I guess?) school textbooks; which will also involve removing the cat on a rather monotonous basis from my drafting table, smudgy spoilable things being an irrestistible draw. There’s also a belated birthday (mine) dinner out with the Other Half, and (bah) at least one session of running and/or tormenting various bodily bits and pieces in the gym. If really lucky, we will also see “An Inconvenient Truth”, which has just shown up on the listings for the local cinema…or could simply be less socially responsible and go see “Over The Hedge” at the drive-in. Oh yeah…and checking in on the blogs…always!
It’s a long weekend in New Zealand for Labour Day, so tonight I’m going to my favourite rock/metal bar. Then tomorrow I am meeting up with friends and going to my favourite rock/metal bar. The day after that is my friend who owns the bar’s birthday, and he is opening the bar for the night, so umm…we are going to his rock/metal bar. So um, summary – rock and metal. Then Monday I’ll probably sleep.
Here in IN we will be visiting the near-by pumpkin patch for a second time, this time with friends. It should be fun to let the kids run around with friends, instead of just “family time”. (By the way, your PP was MUCH cooler, letting you cut your own pumpkins. This one cuts them and dumps them all in one feild–randomly though. Not that it matters, all my boys care about is riding the tractor out to the feild and back.) Then Saturday evening we have our first Halloween party of The Season. Sunday is supposed to be cold and rainy so we will stay inside and watch football. I’m looking forward to a nice mix of social time and vegging time.
As Jem mentioned, it’s a long weekend here in New Zealand, and I’m heading to Queenstown (which may be where those bungy photos were taken?) for a wedding. I barely know the happy couple, but my boyfriend is in the bridal party. I’m anticipating an interesting time at the wedding as he has to make a speech but has a crippling fear of public speaking. Heee! Ooo, that’s mean, I’ll stop now.
We’re bording the dog (sad!), putting out extra litter pans for the cats, and taking a quick weekend trip to visit my fiance’s family. For a bonfire. Eleven hour drive tomorrow, visit Saturday, eleven hour drive Sunday. Whooo.
Friday night: Bowling, and picking up a friend from the airport.
Saturday: A birthday party for a friend, a store opening for another friend, and yet another birthday party for yet another friend.
Sunday: Halloween Pumpkin Carving Party! Ooooh yeah!
Hope you have a great weekend! :o)
Friday night: Watching The Science of Sleep
Saturday: making art and then looking at art followed by dinner with friends
Sunday: Halloween pet costume contest. I know!
I just checked out Anne Lamott’s Plan B: Further Thoughts on Faith on cd. Thanks!
Laura, a black dress would do the trick perfectly. :-)
Friday night: Cuban food and a comedy show with friends. Saturday: yard and laundry catchup then going to hear Barack Obama speak. Sunday the BF has rented a plane to fly us down to Virginia to scope out a space shuttle and do some campaign work for Jim Webb’s senate campaign.
I’m off on Friday so I’m meeting my DD and 2 month old granddaughter for a walk in the park. It’s a marshy kind of park and I’m hoping to get some pictures of the blooming pitcher plants.
After work on Sat (ugh) I’m meeting up with the rest of my Krew to work on our Mardi Gras float.
If the weather is nice on Sunday the BF and I will take a short motorcycle ride and then spend the rest of the day lazing around watching football.
We’re having a big oyster party with friends and family. Lots of food, lots of beer, and at least 3 grandmas on site to attend to the kid so I can enjoy myself.
I like the weekend check-in question. Fun to read what others are up to!
my front tooth broke off today, so i see many sharp evil instruments of torture and nitrous oxide looming for saturday morning.
sunday i plan on doing my halloween decorating. the neighbors have copied my theme for a haunted graveyard from last year, but they don’t know about all the wonderful light-up gravestones i bought last year around thanksgiving for 90% off! so that day shall be spent pissing off the neighbors!
first of all i totally remember you writing about that couple visiting you last year when riley was just a baby. and how it was hard to imagine that when they got back he would be ONE. now i’m feeling the same sense of time running through my hands with my precious three-month-old boy.
this weekend. nothing except that saturday night i will be getting a sleep study done so that maybe i can stop snorting like a wild boar in my sleep and me and my husband can once again sleep in the same bed.
I’m finishing packing up then moving across the state to live with (tell me it isn’t so) my parents. My husband and I plan to save money for the next year or so and then we will begin construction on our dream home. Hopefully we won’t be completely insane by then and maybe we’ll get a live-in babysitter. Hold me.
I’m taking my husband away for the weekend to celebrate his 40th birthday. At his request, there will be NO party and no big family get-together. Even his Mom won’t be here. :) Just the two of us – it should be fun!
Well, since you asked…I’ll be spending my evening looking around campus for a party or two with a friend of mine, and then I’ll be studying for midterms for almost all of Saturday and Sunday. Of course, Saturday’s plans are looking a bit like Friday’s, but who knows…
I suddenly feel out of place. I wonder why that is. =)
My husband is at the fire station all weekend on duty. So it’s me and the boy. His last soccer game was last Saturday, so this Saturday we are SLEEPING IN. (I thought if I yelled it, he would subliminally pick it up in his sleep tonight) We may attend a kiddo birthday party Saturday evening. I haven’t decided yet. The Boy’s sensory issues make those things kind of iffy. I don’t want to drive 30 minutes, be there for 5 minutes, have him gag over a stringy ribbon on a birthday gift, and drive 30 minutes home. Depends on how good a day he has tomorrow. Sunday…..I dunno! This is weird. My weekends have been so mapped out for the last 6 weeks with soccer, now that it’s over, I don’t know what the boy and I should do with our free time. OH!! I’m going to make a cake. Shaped like a pumpkin. I do it every October. Yes. It’s smarmy. I don’t care.
I will be taking care of grandson and granddaughter ages 3 and 2. Daughter and son-in-law are going to see Bare Naked Ladies at Foxwoods.So for the kids, my husband and I it will be pizza and Pumpkintown for a great photo-op. Hug Riley for me.
What am I doing this weekend? As little as humanly possible, I suspect. Actually, Friday I have a medical exam for my new job (SQUEEE!) and then my best friend is coming over for coffee, cinnamin rolls and gossip; Saturday I plan on sleeping in, making pancakes for breakfast and if the weather permits, cutting the grass. Once the grass is cut I need to take Jr out in the backyard for some soccer practice as he missed Thursday night’s practice in lieu of the Cub Scouts Pack Meeting/Fall Festival. Since Tuesday’s practice was rained out he needs all the help he can get, know what I mean? Sunday will involve church, soccer for Jr, soccer for The Captain, then back to church for Children’s Choir. We are in charge of snacks this week. Various amounts of laundry and other assorted domestication will take place, I’m sure.
And you though YOUR life was boring? HA!!! Have a good weekend.
this weekend will be spent hosting my BFs mother and sister. they’ve never come to visit us before (we always go there) so this should be interesting. I’ll be spending most of the weekend trying not to be in the same room alone with his mom, because while I like her she tends to take every opportunity that he is out of the room to grill me on how he is doing. And if he won’t tell her, its then definitely not my place to spill anything. Sigh…
But there will be fun stuff! Like football watching, farm stand visiting (have you ever tried creamed honey? its seriously divine), restaurant eating, shopping…and the weather is supposed to be perfectly fall-like. So it all works out!
I will be painting a room in my house that I call the “gym”, although that’s a farce because calling it that would lead to you believe that exercise occurs in that room. Not so.
Then, on Monday, I have taken the day off to mourn, because I am turning 30. And, if I hear one more person say that it’s not a big deal I will shove an unused barbell up their ass, because it’s a big deal to me.
Cheers!
Tonight will be spent hanging with the gaggle of girlfriends I’ve had since elementary school. Tomorrow the husband and I will be attending the Arkansas vs. Ole Miss football game (Go Hogs!) with my parents. Sunday will be spent recovering from the celebratory hangover. =)
I wish I was having a quiet weekend, but we’ll be attending a birthday party (also bringing the little one – with him being the only little one – hey she wanted him there) So we’ll see how that goes. I want to take the little one to pick pumpkins and also football will be on the big screen if you want to stop by. Have a good one!
This weekend I’m getting all dolled up for “Breakfast Club” – a tradition among my campus to dress up in Halloween gear and camp out at the bars until game time and then I’ll stumble across campus to watch our team lose.
After that I’m hitting the mall and I won’t be leaving until I find Halloween costumes and birthday gifts.
Sunday? I’m sleeping in – because I can. And maybe hitting up a haunted house….
I think its fun that you ask us what we’re doing – I didn’t participate last week, because I wasn’t sure if you were serious… but thanks for asking!
You will be jealous. I’ll be here: http://www.nbc12.com/abouttown/halloween/4224291.html seeing alpacas in costumes. Yeah, verily!
My husband is in CO this weekend. LUCKY! SO, I will be at home, with the cat, attempting to quilt. This is the fourth item I’ve tried to sew in my life with a sewing machine from 1971. No joke. (Will be a camo quilt for my husband.) I will be occupied though. Wish me luck!
Hope you have a good time with your in-laws. There is usually tension in our house with the MIL. Also hope you and JB get some together time.
Well, at the house of massive confusion we are having a birthday party for my 15 year old daughter. We are dropping off her, our 16 year old daughter and 11 of their friends at a haunted house where they will giggle and scream and hit on boys (which I want to know NOTHING about). And while they are doing this we will be…. we have a babysitter for the little boys so my husband and I will be going to Dakota’s for dinner. This is a very fancy steak house that is underground in Dallas – and I could not be more excited. There will be no bibs, no pasta pickups, no sippy cups and no pooping at the dinner table. I cannot wait! I dread picking up the 13 kids after, but at least we will have a few hours of bliss.
Number One:
I am flying from Dallas (where I live) to Seattle. My husband and I have been wanting to move for FOREVER, and we’re FINALLY doing something about it. So. We’re prospecting the city, and absolutely giddy with excitement.
Number Two:
I am assuming you use Movable Type. Yes? Please say yes. Just say it, damn it. If so, how did you get the comments numbered? Am lame. Cannot figure it out.
I’m flying to Tampa to finally meet my interweb best friend in person. I can’t wait! There will be laughter, tears, a whole lotta tea-drinking and cookie-eating, and talking even faster than we type.
I just read your bio.
Hey! You’re in Seattle.
And you don’t have Movable Type.
So: disregard my question.
But: is there a place in Seattle that people should go to get a “feel” for the city? We’re going with absolutely NO plans at all, hoping that two and a half days will be enough for us to decide whether we want to move there.
I may just stay in bed with Kleenex shoved up my left nostril. I’ve got a wicked sinus cold, and this one nostril has been leaking since Wednesday night. I look supersexy with Kleenex plugging my faceholes.
OR, I may walk about and try to get to a farmer’s market to purchase cider and other farmy delights.
This week-end I’m reading Sundry’s comments on what everyone’s doing this week-end. And ok, Saturday: run a karaoke show and play secondlife (in the name of work, of course). Take some things (a microwave, towels for yips sake) over to my oldest daughter Ashlei, for her first apartment, help Sabrina with some college app essay question (when did the questions get so hard??) and play chauffer to Danielle’s ring-games and Danica’s homecoming. Possibly work on Lola’s halloween costume (10 mo, I’m painting her floaty innertubey thing and she’s the Michelin baby, heh).
Sunday? Grocery shopping/cooking/cleaning/yard work/nap.
I am going camping at Worthington State Forest in the Delaware Water Gap area in NJ with my fiance and two other couples. We’re going to freeze our asses off, but I expect big fun anyway.
Date night sounds fun. :) I think we’re going to get haircuts for everyone (me, hubby, and 2-yr-old) which is usually a festival of tears and snot and lollipops. (The 2-yr-old.)
A Saturday morning tradition!
My twin is coming home for a visit and a Toastmaster’s state conference thingy, so she’ll be over at my house this afternoon and staying the night tonight. It’ll be good to see her in a way, but, like always, I wish she could stay or visit here more often. We’re going to Uno’s to meet a bunch of people from high school and earlier years for dinner tonight. Tomorrow night, Kevin and I have a date night. *gasp* We’re going to a bonfire. Other than church on Sunday and lunch afterwords with friends, I have no clue what else is going on on Sunday. I hope you have afantastic weekend with the in-laws and yu have a chance to escape for a little while!