Nov
26
It rained when we left Seattle and never let up once, all the way to Eugene, which has to be a first for that drive. Just relentlessly dreary weather that was kind of nerve-wracking to drive in because every now and then we’d hit one of those I-5 divots and get the eerie sensation the entire truck was waterskiing down the freeway, but the morning after we arrived in town the sky peeled back its ever-present layer of gray and everything was lovely: fresh and green and still dripping in the sunshine.
Thanksgiving dinner was amazing, delicious and fun and the boys behaved fantastically, even though Dylan would only eat rolls at the dinner table but whatever, they were some goddamned great rolls. (Thank you to whoever suggested this easy-peasy “recipe.”)
The boys are totally enamored with their baby cousin and I am too. Oh, he is a buttery little squish of awesomeness, and I especially love that miraculous part where I can hand him to his parents if he starts fussing. God, that is the best baby setup ever.
(“Ai!’ squawked baby Charlie at one point, and Riley was convinced he had said his first word. “You know: I,” he said to me, earnestly. “Like…I bet he was trying to say ‘I like volcanoes and dragons.'”)
There was a lot to like about this trip but oh, it was also a challenge, maybe because six of us were sharing a small house for three days, and I’m awfully glad to be home. I’m glad to be out of the reality of the visit and looking back on the handful of photos I took that show some of the brightest moments. That is often the magic of photography, don’t you think? Whether it’s a blurry badly-framed Instagram image or a gorgeous high-end SLR photo, sometimes you can choose to focus on the spirit of what you captured, and let the rest of it go.
It seems so weird that it’s only Saturday today. What will you be doing with the rest of your weekend? I am thinking of taking the kids to the Muppets, and if they do not love the Muppets, then I don’t even know, man. BANISHMENT.
Nov
22
Today I finished my last article for the week and I’m sorry to say that I did not go out on a high note, as my topic was Ashton freaking Kutcher, but whatever, the deadlines have been met and my vacation begins now. Woo!
Of course by “vacation” I mean “packing.” Packing is not nearly as much of a logistical nightmare as when we had acres of diapers and bouncy seats and bibs and swingamajigs and whatnot to cram in the truck, but man, it’s still a giant pain in the ass, especially when I’m trailed to and fro by a helpful preschooler who waits until my back is turned then quickly fills my suitcase with a cowboy hat, a stuffed donkey, and seventeen Curious George books.
I’m glad I’m not in charge of the Thanksgiving meal this year, although I’m not crazy about the fact that we’ll be in Oregon for this week and Christmas—that’s a lot of driving, for one thing, and I also feel bad that our house is so rarely a family holiday destination, but it just isn’t, even when it is, if that makes any kind of sense. Our house is too small to host more than two extra people and the truth is, no one really ever wants to come here. They do, of course, because they want to see us (well, let’s be honest: they want to see the kids), but small town Oregon does not love traveling to big sprawl Seattle, and I get that. I’m kind of tired of the traffic, expense, and unhappy local news, myself.
That’s just how it is and always will be, until some sort of job/economy miracle happens and we’re able to move to Oregon. Lately it feels like time is passing us by on this front—JB’s father has worsening health issues, his brother has a baby that I’ve only seen once—and it’s a difficult thing, us being so far away. I can’t complain, we’re doing well here and we are content for the most part … but I wonder if we’ll ever end up in that place we keep dreaming about. The one in a quiet town, the one that’s a shorter drive to so many of the things that are important to us.
Oh, but anyway, here we are coming up on Thanksgiving and I really do have so much to be thankful for. I’m thankful for my healthy, joyous, slightly deranged boys; I’m thankful for my happy marriage; I’m thankful for my awesome job that lets me write about zombies every week; I’m thankful for the chance to see JB’s family this week and my family in mid-December. I’m even sort of thankful for all the drives up and down I-5 we’ve done over the years, because our kids are used to it now and traveling together is actually sort of fun these days.
Tell me, where are you going to be this Thanksgiving? And what are you feeling thankful for, right now?
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