blossom

91:365

fat chance

90:365

Well, it was fun to dream about what we'd do.

Mine involved camera gear and multiple Corvettes. And no more trips to Kansas, effective immediately.

His involved Christmas lights. Did you expect anything else?

Zoe said she'd buy some money. She's either the new, female Alex P. Keaton, or destined to be a stock broker.

dream a little 4x4 dream

89:365

I met my friend Dena for lunch today. I don't think she realizes how much I respect and admire her. A couple years ago she left her asshole husband and moved herself and her two kids back home to STL. She's got family here, but she's definitely on her own. Girl's got some serious cajones.

She enrolled her daughter in preschool, and by luck and happenstance Niya was placed in Zoe's class. It didn't take long for Dena to introduce herself around, and I liked her instantly. She's like me: shy and retiring and introverted. (note: that is what we call sarcasm, my friends)

Since then, we've celebrated milestones like the finalization of her divorce, and her purchase of a home nearby. I have never seen Dena without a smile, or a sharp-witted comment, or a funny story about one of her blind dates.

She invited us over for a barbecue Monday night, and Zozer and I went and had a blast as usual. Later that night, long after we were home and Zoe was asleep, Dena pinged me. "We need to go out for lunch." We had caught up a bit at the BBQ, but she had other guests and I didn't want to monopolize her. We made plans to meet at noon today.

At 11:30 she pinged again. "Can we do 12:30? I'm buying a new car!" On my way to the restaurant my phone beeped again. "Look for big white."

Oh boy.

I got there first, and stood on the sidewalk scanning the lot. I saw a big white plumber's van. Nope. A giant old-lady Cadillac. No way. Then, I saw a kick-ass shiny white Toyota Tacoma extended cab round the corner with a huge grin behind the steering wheel.

I threw my arms up and returned the grin. She honked and waved maniacally while I ran to greet her. "Holy shit! This is AWESOME!" She smiled and looked relieved. "You really think so? You like it? It's a truck! I got myself a truck!"

She told me later over buffalo nachos that she's always wanted a truck. It's been a dream long-held. Her ex finally paid off the little Mazda hatchback, and she felt the urge to shed yet another tie to him.

I am so happy for her today! She was positively glowing and couldn't wait to pick up Niya and Zayd from school to show them. She texted me late in the afternoon: "Sittin' in the back of Betty!" (She named the truck Betty White. Which is SO Dena.) I could picture her reclining in the truck bed, soaking up the sunshine while waiting for Niya to finish play rehearsal. And it made me smile.

Sometimes I get so caught up in my own little trials and tribulations that I lose all sense of perspective. And then someone like Dena comes along and blows happiness and sunshine all over the place and I can't help but be thankful for the random circumstances that bring really great people into my life.

Here's to Dena, and Betty White. May you keep blazing new trails, spreading joy and laughter, and taking the hard, off-road path when you know it's the right thing to do.

max & chuck

88:365

My cat has excellent taste in footwear.

summer in st. louis

87:365

uno

86:365

Her favorite game these days. We play it every chance we get. Which is fine by me as I've had enough CandyLand to last a lifetime.

"Mommy, my favorite cards are the Draw Fours and the Wilds."

custard

85:365

Kickin' off the frozen custard season with a quick trip to Fritz's with the Corvetters, as Zoe calls the members of our Corvette Club.

Good weekend, with lots of good things brewin' for the future. God willing, some change is gonna come. I'm ready!

spectacle

84:365

Shopping today for M's new glasses. Zoe was a HUGE help, selecting almost exclusively from the 70s Porn Star Collection.

light

83:365
I looked up from my desk to see the dark clouds rolling in. The trees, though, were still brightly lit by sunlight. It was like watching drama unfold right outside my office window. The trees were lit for less than a minute after I snapped this picture. I was glad I had looked up just in time.

barn

82:365

soccer

81:365
She got to kick off her shoes and play on the inflatables after practice in the Soccerdome. She said it was the best soccer practice ever.

and back again

80:365

commute

79:365

Days like today, I don't mind the drive. Sunny skies, good music...made me miss my Corvette, though. We are coming back in to sportscar season, and I'm ready. We have some fantastic road trips planned this summer, and today made me yearn for a blue two-seater, a hot guy in the driver's seat, satellite radio, a camera with a clean card, and no deadline to be anywhere, except maybe dinner.

Gone fishin'

All she wanted to do today was take PB&J sandwiches to the park for a picnic lunch and then go fishing. It's all we heard yesterday, it's all we heard this morning.

So after church we came home, changed, cut up some bait (hot dogs and cheese), retrieved the ol' Barbie pole from the garage and headed up to our favorite local park.

After moving around a few times and trying various combinations, we settled on a routine that maximized our strengths and got us some fish:

I bait the hook.
M casts, and then sets the hook when he feels a nibble.
Zoe reels it in, after we call her back from dancing, watching other fisherpeople, and searching for bullfrogs.
I unhook the fish and hold it while Zoe touches it with one finger and squeals that it's slimy.
I release the fish and dig a paper towel from my pocket so Zoe can make a show of wiping off her slimy finger.
I rebait the hook while Zoe takes all credit for catching a fish.

Okay, so it shouldn't take three of us to land a bluegill, but it works for us and we left the park happy with our day's efforts. We caught six fish, and made a six-year-old very happy.

shamrock

78:365

down the tracks

77:365

spring

76:365

blow out

75:365

A trim this afternoon. Another step in my attempt to grow out the mop in an organized, non-freakshow sort of way. My usual method of simply stopping going for cuts does not, I've realized, work. I wind up with a ridiculous shaggy mullet of fuzz. It ain't pretty. Then I wake up one day, look in the mirror, and go batshit crazy until I can find a stylist to cut.it.off.NOW.

Then it's cut and M's dreams are dashed and I swear I'll never grow it out again.

This time, though, is different. For one, there is way better product available for curly hair. Or I finally have the financial means to shell out for it. Second, I've figured out I don't have to be style-free while growing it out. There's a way to do this in stages, you see. Trims here and there, and whacking off the mullet every couple of months until the top catches up.

Anyway, after my trim and demulleting this afternoon, Ruth asked if I wanted it blown out straight. Just for shits and giggles. Why not? I mean, the hundred percent humidity will kill it 30 seconds after I walk out the door, but it ain't my energy to do it.

So she blew it out, and I was awed by how long it has gotten (hard to see length on curly hair - it just keeps curling up the longer it gets!) and Zoe pronounced that Mommy looks silly (she's never seen my hair this long, or straight, before). We took a picture in the car to send to Daddy in London, and I love Zoe's expression in the background so it became my picture for today.

We sure are having fun this week, just us girls. M comes home tomorrow night, and I can't wait. I've gotten used to having him around a lot and I might have trouble adjusting to his renewed travel schedule.

before the rain

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between the tracks

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Some days you're on the track, gliding along smoothly, almost effortlessly. Some days you're between the tracks, bumping along, struggling, and off your path.

Either way, you just gotta keep chugging.

ride

72:365

We took advantage of the beautiful day and spent some time outside after work/school. We wore shorts and sandals and blinded ourselves with pale skin, and it was glorious.

I love being at home for a whole week straight. It feels luxurious and wonderful and as it should be.

dream weaver

71:365

M left tonight for a five-day jaunt to fair Brittania, so it's girls week. We have most of our days planned already, and got started tonight with a loom project.

It's a Big Secret for Daddy. Since Daddy reads this blog, I cannot divulge the final outcome of our weaving. Also, I'm not entirely confident I'll be able to finish this thing as instructed in the book, so if it turns into something other than intended I won't make a complete ass of myself. "It was supposed to be a locomotive but turned into a hippopotamus."

heater

70:365

Went to a "kindergarten parent happy hour" tonight with M at a local restaurant. Holy fun. It's like having 40 instant new couples friends. We had a blast and met lots of new parents as well as catching up with "old" kindergarten soccer friends.

We were relegated to the tent portion of the restaurant, which included very photogenic heaters. I honestly think we could have been thrown together in a cardboard box and had just as much fun.

Good times.

web

69:365

happy

68:365

This morning was good. Got Zozer ready for school, then took her. As she hopped out of the car, grinning and laughing and chirping, "Bye Mommyyyy! I love youuuuu!" I realized that she was happy. And that, in turn, I was, too.

rays

67:365

Home tonight. So thankful to be here, with my little family.

Will most likely crumble to the cold I've been fighting off since Saturday night. I'm home now. I can relax. Let the defenses down. Sleep.

sunrise sunset

66:365

I saw the sun rise.

I saw the sun set.

In between, I saw only the light blue walls of a windowless conference room.

Yep, business travel sure is glamorous.

done

65:365

I'm tapped out. Done. Time for rest.

packing

64:365

Heading out again tomorrow morning. This is getting old. I think it's time to start looking for something new.

Today's image sucks because today sucked. I spent most of the day in bed, feeling like I'd been hit by a truck. After not feeling better I finally got up, showered, and took care of some deadlines. Now I'm mustering enough energy to pack so I can go back to bed.

On the road tomorrow, so hopefully I'll find something worth pointing my lens at.

lasagna

63:365

Made lasagna tonight for the first time ever. Mmmmm.

Not so much hard as time-consuming and kind of a pain in the ass. A delicious pain in the ass though.

And we now have about 10 lbs of lasagna.

american idiot

62:365

Went to see the American Idiot musical at Peabody Opera House tonight.

Oh. My.

I'm a huge Green Day fan. Huge. Billie Joe is on my top five list. Has been since the first time I saw his kohl guyliner and heard him scream "Seig Heil to the President Gasman..."

So getting to see his music in stage performance was...well...awesome.

track

61:365

I took advantage of the gorgeous weather tonight and strolled around the track at the school next to the house. A recovering Zozer accompanied me for one lap on her bicycle, before going inside and falling asleep on the couch.

It was nice to move, after a few days of being chained to a desk. It was good to be outside.

Met with a general contractor today, and another one is lined up for tomorrow. We are honing in on a final cost, and working heavily with the budget. This is my least favorite part of the process; I find it excruciatingly boring and wind up grouchy and impatient within minutes of starting. While I understand perfectly the reasoning behind doing it, I'd prefer that M just crunch numbers and give me some options rather than dragging me kicking and screaming through every iota of his thought process. Let's just say the engineer and the non-engineer have very different ways of approaching things, and non-engineers quickly view engineers as pedantic. It's a good thing he's cute and makes me laugh.

In return, I will grant that my husband most likely views his wife as exceedingly disengaged and naive, and frustratingly over-attached to roman brick.

All in all though, I am sure that we are on the right track, and I'm glad we are on it together.