Clam Chowder

Home-made. By me. With some Chardonnay. Yay! (The wine was in me, not the chowder.) (Just clarifying.)

Welcome back to your life

I had five days of bliss.  Five days where my largest concern was misplacing one of my glittens.  (Found it, thankfully, under my suitcase.)  I had wine almost every night and woke up every morning when my eyes opened, not when the alarm on my phone went off.  I watched three movies, finished a book and started another one.  I went snowshoeing and shopping.  It was heaven.

I arrived back in the Lou at about 11 p.m. Monday night.  By shortly after midnight I was home, unpacked, and in bed.

Tuesday morning, I woke up fully immersed in my life, as if not a day had passed.

Running late for work that morning became running extra late when I realized I had to get gas and cat food.  I had to peel Zozer off me at school; her extra-clinginess stemming both from my finally being home and from her stomach that I thought was upset due to a small dinner the night before and not having breakfast yet.  By 8:15 the tank was full, the cats were out of danger of starvation, and I was at my desk.  Opening e-mail after e-mail that said, "Glad you're back...hope you had a great trip...can you help me with this TODAY?!"  Let's just say that the projects I didn't get done last week are in danger of not getting done this week, either.  A personal email informed me of an uncle who broke his leg, requiring risky surgery.  Then the phone calls from Zoe's school began, with the blow-by-blow descriptions of Zoe's corporeal emissions.  She was the Queen of Disgusting Bodily Fluids, apparently.  Left work early to pick her up, run home, and create a dinner that was as bland as I could possibly make it for Her Royal Upchuck.  Then it took me 45 minutes to get her down for the night (Let's Cling to Mommy, part deux).

Pulled out the laptop and got a bit of work done, and then found myself nodding off over the keyboard.

It's my life, and I love it.  I love being a mommy (even the disgusting, inconvenient parts of it).  I love being a part of a big, loving family that really, truly prays for each other.  I love having a great job that I enjoy.  I love my little car that runs and runs, so long as I feed it gas, and I love having two furry creatures that keep me company no matter what I feed them.

The break was good.  The occasional time-out is necessary, and vital, and appreciated.  But it's the everyday real life that matters.  This is me and mine, for better and for worse, and all I can do is live as authentically as possible.  Welcome home!

Creatures in Colorado

Some live. Some not-so-live.

Andrew William

Do you think Handy Andy sold the business to Bill? Shouldn't it be called Handy Bill, and rhyming be damned?!

Bear Lake

First lake on our trek. Walked right out on it.

To give you an idea of scale, look for the small, dark specks at the upper left of the snowfield. Those are people.

Snowshoe Art

Snowshoe Girl

What I did and saw today was nothing short of amazing. I walked on snow seven to eight feet thick. I walked on three lakes (Bear, Nymph, and Dream). I fell into "tree wells" and had to crawl out of snow that came up to my thigh. I slid down embankments and walked down snow-covered creeks. I saw Stellar Jays and some little Nuthatches that were overly friendly (think Tippi Hedron). I walked through freshly-fallen snow where there was no trail, where it would be impossible to traverse in the spring, summer, and fall. I fell on my ass and learned how to lean back and "ski" in snowshoes. I laughed...a lot. And mostly was in awe of Mother Nature yet again. That never gets old.

I'm already sore but it was worth every ache.

More to come. The iPhone allows only a few pix to be emailed at one time, and that's how I'm doing my updating this weekend. So please excuse any fat-finger typos!

And we're off!

NEOs...check. Snow shoes...check. Poles...check. Sunscreen...check.

Our guide is bringing a locator beacon. I'm simultaneously impressed and a little bit scared.

I love waking up in the mountains

E16

View from my second row (!) window seat. Before leaving gate 16, obviously.

On yet another plane

This time for fun! Estes Park, here I come!

Pics soon. iPhone balky due to update this morning.

Latina Zozo

Well, this explains why I craved Mexican food through my entire pregnancy.

The drawing there is her rendition of quesadillas raining from the sky.

Is her friend Amelia asking for boxes to wrap up the quesadillas?!

Kids just blow my mind.

My Valentine!

I love you, M! On Valentines Day and always.

Things I learned volunteering at Zoe's Valentines party

Foam + pipe cleaner + glue = disaster. Foam + pipe cleaner + stapler = success. Elmer's Glue is attracted to cashmere. My favorite name is "Zoe's Mom." I don't respond well to "Hey hey hey hey hey hey." Time flies when you're making Heart People. Googly eyes go everywhere. I'm wholly unprepared to react to the statement, "Hey, Zoe's Mom, Zoe bit me." However, I think I was quite gracious upon hearing, "Hey, Zoe's Mom, I'm sorry I lied about Zoe biting me."

And finally:

Those teachers don't earn nearly enough. Not nearly enough.

I have to go back to work now. And I'm flat-out exhausted. Holy shit.

FroYo at Red Mango

Found a new treat tonight in downtown Kirkwood. Best of all: it's guilt-free. YUM.

(The Racanelli's pizza for dinner, unfortunately, had pepperoni, mushrooms, and a healthy dose of guilt.)

Bubble Organ at The Magic House

Overland Park Sunset

They sure make 'em pretty in Kansas.

View from my room near the top o' the Marriott.

This is the way to travel

Walked out of security to find Robert waiting with a sign bearing my company's logo. He grabbed both my bags and led me 10 feet out the door to a running (ie warm!) black Lincoln Continental with leather seats and tinted windows.

OMG.

I could get used to this. I mean, really. Plane to highway in 5 minutes, riding in luxury to the corporate offices 35 minutes away? Yeah, this is why I went back to school for an MBA. This morning almost makes up for 2 years of hell.

Almost.

Frozen tundra

Or something like that.

STL to MCI, same as last week. Quick overnighter this time, though.

Driver picking me up at the airport and delivering me to the office in Lenexa. A girl could get used this.

Too preoccupied with work these days to blog much. All good stuff, even if it's taking awhile to sort out. Hopefully it'll be locked down in the next couple weeks. Meanwhile, I'm having an absolute blast with my new responsibilities.

Northing much else to report. I'm tired of the stupid cold, but who isn't? Spring seems too far away.

On the plane

Watching another get de-iced.

Oasis

Z-O-U!!!

On another note: They really oughtta put a sign out there that says, "Welcome to the KC airport. Get your coffee now because there ain't shit behind security."

I can see the Starbucks. I just can't get to the Starbucks. Fruit cup, OJ, and a granola bar I brought from home are gonna have to suffice, as the only places back here behind security are a Quizno's and a Bud Light kiosk. Really? WTF?!

In the belly of the beast

Checking in for my flight, I am surrounded by the damn KU track and field team.

Wonder what would happen if I belted out a hearty M-I-Z...

Goodbye, Hilton KC Airport

Last view from the hotel where I've been trapped for a couple days. Much to tell, but not with an iPhone touchscreen.

I made it.

In KC at last. Thankfully. Checked in, ready for bed.

Helluva day.

Remind me later to tell you how much I love Southwest Airlines.

Except for when they re-issue boarding passes in alpha order!