The end of the Unemployed Sarah is near. I can't believe I only have a few more days before I start my new position. This past month has flown by faster than I ever thought possible. H went to school today, much to his chagrin, but I had a random list of stops to make and things to create before he was back at home. After running my errands, I wanted to clean our Basement Dwelling really well since we would be leaving for the weekend tomorrow, and I also had two Pinterest projects that were gathering dust on my table at my mom's. I had wanted to finish a race bib display plaque, as well as a big patriotic M for my mom's front door. I got started on both projects, alternating between the two as the paint dried. I also came up with an idea to double side the M, so that it could be used two ways. The back I started to paint bright yellow with the intention of adding white polka dots and then making the burlap bow usable on either side. So far so good:
Later on, J arrived home with H and we had dinner and made sure we were ready for Garage Sale Round Three, which was happening in the morning for a few hours. We had another great day, with perfect weather for playing outside in the evening.
Friday, July 29, 2016
Wednesday, July 27, 2016
Day 25 - July 26
H and I were off to have fun by 8am. I heard Grandma say, "Could you be going any earlier??" This coming from the woman that used to yell, "You're wasting the day away!!!" when I was a still-sleeping-at-11am teenage.
We decided it wasn't very hot yet and it should be early enough that there wouldn't be loads of kids at "the big park" which is a city park with a huge, three story playscape. There is also a splash pad and tennis courts so we grabbed H a towel and our rackets. We were thrilled to arrive at the park and see no signs of children anywhere. Bingo!! 8am at the park is the best time to go. We started with playing some tennis (and we decided maybe our old neighbor can give H some lessons in the fall, he was alternating between getting really frustrated and crushing the ball back at me). We then went onto the playscape where he challenged me to a race down the BIGGEST slides ever. I learned a few valuable lessons at that moment... (1) Kids are brave, (2) Running shorts go up your butt on steep slides, and (3) dew on the slides that early coupled with said shorts makes for wet underwear. Pleasant!! But this was all about play so I suggested we swing to dry our wet bottoms which H happily agreed to. We had a great time trying everything out.
We played another round of tennis before leaving the park and the only disappointment was that that splashpad apparently doesn't kick on until 10am. Makes sense but we made a note of that so we could come back sometime.
Once home, we got ready for lunch with our family before they headed back to FL. I was fortunate enough to go with just my brother to a local place with a killer Michigan micro list, so he was able to try a Bell's Two Hearted and I had Uncle John's Hard Apricot cider. We enjoyed those beverages on the loading dock along with some fantastic ahi salads. He was happy to have a break from diner food. I understood totally. It was great to spend that time with him, and I thought of my friend Jills who lives in OZ and frequently has "boozy lunches" with her friends. As an unemployed basement dweller, I could get used to these!
After lunch we said our sad goodbyes to our family and went home to Grandma's. H and I played catch for awhile but he was super tired and needed something exciting to do. At that point it was blazing hot again (love summer!!!) and so I hooked up his sprinkler and he had a blast running through it while I got steaks ready for the grill. When J got home, he even joined him in the yard while keeping an eye on the steaks. I also made quinoa and told H it's a special kind of pasta (ok that's a lie, but he's on a big plain pasta with butter kick right now) and he loved it. We had huge frozen yogurt sundaes for dessert and then J and I were able to get 2.6 miles in after H went to sleep. It was another wonderful day.
We decided it wasn't very hot yet and it should be early enough that there wouldn't be loads of kids at "the big park" which is a city park with a huge, three story playscape. There is also a splash pad and tennis courts so we grabbed H a towel and our rackets. We were thrilled to arrive at the park and see no signs of children anywhere. Bingo!! 8am at the park is the best time to go. We started with playing some tennis (and we decided maybe our old neighbor can give H some lessons in the fall, he was alternating between getting really frustrated and crushing the ball back at me). We then went onto the playscape where he challenged me to a race down the BIGGEST slides ever. I learned a few valuable lessons at that moment... (1) Kids are brave, (2) Running shorts go up your butt on steep slides, and (3) dew on the slides that early coupled with said shorts makes for wet underwear. Pleasant!! But this was all about play so I suggested we swing to dry our wet bottoms which H happily agreed to. We had a great time trying everything out.
We played another round of tennis before leaving the park and the only disappointment was that that splashpad apparently doesn't kick on until 10am. Makes sense but we made a note of that so we could come back sometime.
Once home, we got ready for lunch with our family before they headed back to FL. I was fortunate enough to go with just my brother to a local place with a killer Michigan micro list, so he was able to try a Bell's Two Hearted and I had Uncle John's Hard Apricot cider. We enjoyed those beverages on the loading dock along with some fantastic ahi salads. He was happy to have a break from diner food. I understood totally. It was great to spend that time with him, and I thought of my friend Jills who lives in OZ and frequently has "boozy lunches" with her friends. As an unemployed basement dweller, I could get used to these!
After lunch we said our sad goodbyes to our family and went home to Grandma's. H and I played catch for awhile but he was super tired and needed something exciting to do. At that point it was blazing hot again (love summer!!!) and so I hooked up his sprinkler and he had a blast running through it while I got steaks ready for the grill. When J got home, he even joined him in the yard while keeping an eye on the steaks. I also made quinoa and told H it's a special kind of pasta (ok that's a lie, but he's on a big plain pasta with butter kick right now) and he loved it. We had huge frozen yogurt sundaes for dessert and then J and I were able to get 2.6 miles in after H went to sleep. It was another wonderful day.
Tuesday, July 26, 2016
Day 24 - July 25
It's Water Day at school!! It's the only motivating factor for H to go on Mondays. But how fun; the kids get to wear bathing suits and water shoes and play in sprinklers in the afternoon! It was hot and sunny today, perfect Water Day weather! Donut Thursday evolved from Water Day two years ago when every single Thursday in August was cold and/or rainy, and I don't think they got one Water Day in six weeks. H was devastated. To make up for that, we decided we would get two TimBits from Tim Horton's in the morning on Thursday as a special treat (which would also get taken away for bad behavior). He always orders one birthday cake, and one chocolate TimBit, and the total is always $0.53. I think the drive through people think I'm a bit off my rocker for not ordering more. Oh well!
While H was at school, I went to Sam's to look at their rugs (which they had none) and return pants I had bought for J. I also checked on the house progress--five stars for the roofers, who were shingling in 88 degree weather. Check it out!!
When I got back to Owosso I got an oil change, drooled over the Camaro convertibles on the lot, and went to Meijer with my mom. It was nice to just wander through the store with her and take time to look at things. I also picked up what I would need for H and I's outside activity tomorrow--shaving cream and glue! Recipe to follow.
I got home and finished selecting the Bible verses that would go on the studs in the new house (post on that to follow). I am happy with my choices and think it will be a great addition to our new home. It was time to drive back to pick H up, so I headed back that way while rocking to JT "Can't Stop the Feeling" with the sunroof open. This has literally been the best month of my life.
Once I had H, we came back to town and met the FL family at the local bar downtown. My brother had never been there!! I was so proud, he ordered a Bell's Oberon and I had a Founders Rubaeus. YAY Mitten beer!!!! We had fun at dinner and followed up the bar food with ice cream of course. After we said goodbye to the family, H and I played Home Run Derby in the yard, thankfully with a plastic ball and bat, because I hit the garage soffits pretty hard. Oops! Sorry Grandma! We also played catch for awhile until J got home from golf and then it was time for bed. It was a great day!
While H was at school, I went to Sam's to look at their rugs (which they had none) and return pants I had bought for J. I also checked on the house progress--five stars for the roofers, who were shingling in 88 degree weather. Check it out!!
When I got back to Owosso I got an oil change, drooled over the Camaro convertibles on the lot, and went to Meijer with my mom. It was nice to just wander through the store with her and take time to look at things. I also picked up what I would need for H and I's outside activity tomorrow--shaving cream and glue! Recipe to follow.
I got home and finished selecting the Bible verses that would go on the studs in the new house (post on that to follow). I am happy with my choices and think it will be a great addition to our new home. It was time to drive back to pick H up, so I headed back that way while rocking to JT "Can't Stop the Feeling" with the sunroof open. This has literally been the best month of my life.
Once I had H, we came back to town and met the FL family at the local bar downtown. My brother had never been there!! I was so proud, he ordered a Bell's Oberon and I had a Founders Rubaeus. YAY Mitten beer!!!! We had fun at dinner and followed up the bar food with ice cream of course. After we said goodbye to the family, H and I played Home Run Derby in the yard, thankfully with a plastic ball and bat, because I hit the garage soffits pretty hard. Oops! Sorry Grandma! We also played catch for awhile until J got home from golf and then it was time for bed. It was a great day!
Monday, July 25, 2016
Day 23 - July 24
It was pretty rainy when we woke up today and H had decided he wanted to stay another night with our FL family at their hotel, so we were childless once again. We took advantage and went to church where we could actually pay attention to the WHOLE THING. How awesome! The readings were powerful and J noticed that too.
After church we drove to my grandparents' house to meet up with our family and H. We decided it was time for lunch, so we drove to a restaurant near an outlet shopping center to eat. My brother rode with us; it was great to have that time with him. After lunch we did some shopping and H goofed around with my dad, which gave us time to actually look things in the stores. We found a few good deals before heading back to the cottage to clean up before heading back downstate.
When we got to the cottage, H was playing with the neighbor kids who are home for a month from their two year stint in Italy. He was so excited to see them! We were cleaning and packing up when I heard blood curdling screams from my kid--he had gotten stung three times by a bee or wasp! The poor kid carried on for a long time but fortunately had no allergic reaction to the stings. It was his first time getting stung and he didn't know what to think. We stopped at the ice cream plan on the way home because we knew it would help him feel better. Ice cream makes everything better! Overall it was a good day (minus him getting stung) considering the weather was not cooperative.
After church we drove to my grandparents' house to meet up with our family and H. We decided it was time for lunch, so we drove to a restaurant near an outlet shopping center to eat. My brother rode with us; it was great to have that time with him. After lunch we did some shopping and H goofed around with my dad, which gave us time to actually look things in the stores. We found a few good deals before heading back to the cottage to clean up before heading back downstate.
When we got to the cottage, H was playing with the neighbor kids who are home for a month from their two year stint in Italy. He was so excited to see them! We were cleaning and packing up when I heard blood curdling screams from my kid--he had gotten stung three times by a bee or wasp! The poor kid carried on for a long time but fortunately had no allergic reaction to the stings. It was his first time getting stung and he didn't know what to think. We stopped at the ice cream plan on the way home because we knew it would help him feel better. Ice cream makes everything better! Overall it was a good day (minus him getting stung) considering the weather was not cooperative.
Day 22 - July 23 - Party #1
Saturday is party day! Today is the first of H's two fifth birthday parties. Turning five is BIG. DEAL.
Our family from FL had H overnight so we had some time to work before the party. J decided it was the perfect time to start taking down tree limbs. This sounded like a horrible idea to me, so I stood nervously behind bigger trees a ways away and watched with my breath held. Thankfully no injuries, but we were behind with my pre-party stops I needed to make. When I plan an event, no matter what the size, I get a vision in my head and it MUST LOOK EXACTLY RIGHT or I feel like I've failed. Not a great way to operate but that's me. I wanted to get balloon bouquets for the table and a plastic table cloth, and pick up the cake. We managed to get all this done and walk in with my aunt, who was gracious enough to jump right in to help me with setting up the private room I had reserved. I also had to fill the bags I brought with birthday popcorn, which was the 'party favor' for our adult guests. She was very helpful and moments before the birthday boy showed up, the room was ready to go.
We ordered amazing pizzas (lobster and asparagus, anyone?) and breadsticks, and the cake was out of this world.
H had the best time opening his gifts and he received some wonderful activity-game type gifts instead of toys, which made me super happy. He has toys, toys, and more toys and we're still having an invite-his-class party in a few weeks! My favorite gifts he got were a marble run set, cornhole (which we left at the cottage, it was a perfect set for putting up and taking down easily), and a 'backyard explorers' kit, which is great since we've been catching fireflies at night in Grandma's yard.
He was so funny too--he opened a spelling game and exclaimed, "OH great! I've wanted this for years!!" He was also creatively photobombing the pics we were taking and by then we were all hysterically laughing. That kid of ours is awesome. When it was over, H told me it was the best party ever. J told me I am awesome at parties and planning and making things happen. Thank you, thank you.
Our family from FL had H overnight so we had some time to work before the party. J decided it was the perfect time to start taking down tree limbs. This sounded like a horrible idea to me, so I stood nervously behind bigger trees a ways away and watched with my breath held. Thankfully no injuries, but we were behind with my pre-party stops I needed to make. When I plan an event, no matter what the size, I get a vision in my head and it MUST LOOK EXACTLY RIGHT or I feel like I've failed. Not a great way to operate but that's me. I wanted to get balloon bouquets for the table and a plastic table cloth, and pick up the cake. We managed to get all this done and walk in with my aunt, who was gracious enough to jump right in to help me with setting up the private room I had reserved. I also had to fill the bags I brought with birthday popcorn, which was the 'party favor' for our adult guests. She was very helpful and moments before the birthday boy showed up, the room was ready to go.
We ordered amazing pizzas (lobster and asparagus, anyone?) and breadsticks, and the cake was out of this world.
H had the best time opening his gifts and he received some wonderful activity-game type gifts instead of toys, which made me super happy. He has toys, toys, and more toys and we're still having an invite-his-class party in a few weeks! My favorite gifts he got were a marble run set, cornhole (which we left at the cottage, it was a perfect set for putting up and taking down easily), and a 'backyard explorers' kit, which is great since we've been catching fireflies at night in Grandma's yard.
He was so funny too--he opened a spelling game and exclaimed, "OH great! I've wanted this for years!!" He was also creatively photobombing the pics we were taking and by then we were all hysterically laughing. That kid of ours is awesome. When it was over, H told me it was the best party ever. J told me I am awesome at parties and planning and making things happen. Thank you, thank you.
Day 21 - July 22 - Sale Day!
I. Hate. Garage. Sales.
I really do. I find them brutally painful. The even crazier part is when we had a sale in my old house, those people were nickel and diming on everything! It got so annoying I could hardly stand it. I think our prices were beyond fair and in some cases a heck of a deal, especially on the baby clothes and items. It was in the 80s before 10am and were sweating accordingly. H was selling bottles of water and lemonade and was so excited to get a buck in exchange for each of those bottles of water we had iced down in a cooler. I was hoping to teach him the value of working to earn money and that work isn't always fun; I think he understood that. I did send him in at some point though when I realized he was sweating profusely and not drinking enough. I didn't need a dehydrated kid on sale day!
I made about $200 and my mom made $100--not bad but not great. We decided to leave it all and go one more half day and start earlier. Then I really am going to donate all this stuff once and for all. I have such nice stuff but I refuse to move it yet again!
After we had closed up shop, we got ready to go to the lake for the weekend. H had now gone with my family that is visiting for the weekend for his bday from FL, and J and I realized that we could have a date night on our way up! SO EXCITING. We stopped at the local bar near the cottage and had fish fry. We sat at the bar and actually had adult conversations. What fun!! When we got to the cottage we were able to hang out at the beach talking to the neighbors for awhile before calling it a night. It was like our old life before H was born! I wouldn't trade one minute of being his mom, but it sure was nice to have that time together again.
Tomorrow is PARTY DAY!
I really do. I find them brutally painful. The even crazier part is when we had a sale in my old house, those people were nickel and diming on everything! It got so annoying I could hardly stand it. I think our prices were beyond fair and in some cases a heck of a deal, especially on the baby clothes and items. It was in the 80s before 10am and were sweating accordingly. H was selling bottles of water and lemonade and was so excited to get a buck in exchange for each of those bottles of water we had iced down in a cooler. I was hoping to teach him the value of working to earn money and that work isn't always fun; I think he understood that. I did send him in at some point though when I realized he was sweating profusely and not drinking enough. I didn't need a dehydrated kid on sale day!
I made about $200 and my mom made $100--not bad but not great. We decided to leave it all and go one more half day and start earlier. Then I really am going to donate all this stuff once and for all. I have such nice stuff but I refuse to move it yet again!
After we had closed up shop, we got ready to go to the lake for the weekend. H had now gone with my family that is visiting for the weekend for his bday from FL, and J and I realized that we could have a date night on our way up! SO EXCITING. We stopped at the local bar near the cottage and had fish fry. We sat at the bar and actually had adult conversations. What fun!! When we got to the cottage we were able to hang out at the beach talking to the neighbors for awhile before calling it a night. It was like our old life before H was born! I wouldn't trade one minute of being his mom, but it sure was nice to have that time together again.
Tomorrow is PARTY DAY!
Day 20 - July 21
And another week is flying by! It's hard to believe my third week off is almost over. Today was hotter than blazes but I had to get ready for my second attempt at selling off all this baby stuff! Five years of accumulating little boy clothing and gear and gadgets and moving it all again seems ridiculous so a garage sale at my mom's is necessary. Tomorrow is sale day but there was a lot to get done to prepare for it.
H was a good helper up until it was really hot and uncomfortable in the garage. He also then began to analyze each item I was selling and asking why we weren't keeping the 2T Ninja Turtle shirt he loved... It was going to be a long day but it was unavoidable if I wanted to have a successful sale.
By afternoon I had made a lot of progress and the local library was having a magician at 3pm so I asked H if he wanted to go. We were sweaty and we were dirty from the garage work but that's how unemployed basement dwellers roll so we went as we were. The library was full of kids as a storm was starting to darken the skies. There was literally one chair left in the crowd and a lot of people already standing so H sat on my lap after we confirmed it wasn't already spoken for. Baffling Bill the Magician was quite good and very entertaining for the 3-10 year old set. Other children were laughing at his silliness but my son was busy analyzing the mechanics of each trick and trying to make sense of what isn't logical. I see another engineer in my future! He was so heavy sitting on my lap, yet another indication of just how big he is getting. Time just flies by when you have a child; it is so true.
After the magician, we decided we needed low fat frozen yogurt to make sundaes later and a trip to Kroger was necessary. On the way I asked him what his favorite trick was, and he said "when he turned the two birds into a bunny". That was pretty amazing as they were all live animals! I enjoyed Gus the bunny doing a little magic trick of his own. Smart little bunny fou fou.
We gathered our sundae supplies at Kroger and then made griddled peanut butter and mango sandwiches for dinner (recipe below). After dinner H wanted to go for a wagon ride, and we took the dog and did almost two miles in the sub across the street. Apparently we have some friendly neighbors over there!
We made sundaes after the wagon ride and those treats were incredible as we were able to almost perfectly duplicate the CZ Graham Slam sundae. Hooray for that!
It was another wonderful day at home.
H was a good helper up until it was really hot and uncomfortable in the garage. He also then began to analyze each item I was selling and asking why we weren't keeping the 2T Ninja Turtle shirt he loved... It was going to be a long day but it was unavoidable if I wanted to have a successful sale.
By afternoon I had made a lot of progress and the local library was having a magician at 3pm so I asked H if he wanted to go. We were sweaty and we were dirty from the garage work but that's how unemployed basement dwellers roll so we went as we were. The library was full of kids as a storm was starting to darken the skies. There was literally one chair left in the crowd and a lot of people already standing so H sat on my lap after we confirmed it wasn't already spoken for. Baffling Bill the Magician was quite good and very entertaining for the 3-10 year old set. Other children were laughing at his silliness but my son was busy analyzing the mechanics of each trick and trying to make sense of what isn't logical. I see another engineer in my future! He was so heavy sitting on my lap, yet another indication of just how big he is getting. Time just flies by when you have a child; it is so true.
After the magician, we decided we needed low fat frozen yogurt to make sundaes later and a trip to Kroger was necessary. On the way I asked him what his favorite trick was, and he said "when he turned the two birds into a bunny". That was pretty amazing as they were all live animals! I enjoyed Gus the bunny doing a little magic trick of his own. Smart little bunny fou fou.
We gathered our sundae supplies at Kroger and then made griddled peanut butter and mango sandwiches for dinner (recipe below). After dinner H wanted to go for a wagon ride, and we took the dog and did almost two miles in the sub across the street. Apparently we have some friendly neighbors over there!
We made sundaes after the wagon ride and those treats were incredible as we were able to almost perfectly duplicate the CZ Graham Slam sundae. Hooray for that!
It was another wonderful day at home.
Saturday, July 23, 2016
Day 19 - July 20
H went to school today as I had more errands to run in town. I have some Pinterest projects to complete before I come out of retirement and a trip to the big box craft store for supplies was necessary to get this stuff finished. My biggest project is a race bib holder--they sell on Etsy for $50+! I knew I could make one for myself exactly the way I wanted. I am convinced that I will start an Etsy business on the side soon and hopefully I will be successful.
I was also able to meet my old boss for lunch, and explain everything that had happened and why I left my job. He couldn't believe everything that has happened. I can't either when I really think about it. It was wonderful to see him, and the craziest part was that we were joined, briefly, by the other department manager that I worked with closely over the last year before he retired. He showed up in a hat, sunglasses, plain shorts and sandals. Clearly retirement is treating him VERY well!! He was so funny, and I respected him so much as a manager and a mentor in the industry, that it was wonderful to see him so unexpectedly. He said he couldn't stay to eat with us, but then he ordered shot of top shelf tequila and a glass of water and then started eating our chips. That guy is awesome.
Once I picked H up, we went home to meet J and eat a quick dinner before going to get ice cream at our favorite local place to take to our cousin's baseball game. We had the wrong time for the game, so we can home and went for a walk instead (H chose to ride in the wagon). I do love living in my hometown again (even if it is in a basement!) and soaking up every little moment of being here. This has been the best month of my life; I was reflecting on that as we walked along my parents' street. I am beyond blessed and totally grateful.
I was also able to meet my old boss for lunch, and explain everything that had happened and why I left my job. He couldn't believe everything that has happened. I can't either when I really think about it. It was wonderful to see him, and the craziest part was that we were joined, briefly, by the other department manager that I worked with closely over the last year before he retired. He showed up in a hat, sunglasses, plain shorts and sandals. Clearly retirement is treating him VERY well!! He was so funny, and I respected him so much as a manager and a mentor in the industry, that it was wonderful to see him so unexpectedly. He said he couldn't stay to eat with us, but then he ordered shot of top shelf tequila and a glass of water and then started eating our chips. That guy is awesome.
Once I picked H up, we went home to meet J and eat a quick dinner before going to get ice cream at our favorite local place to take to our cousin's baseball game. We had the wrong time for the game, so we can home and went for a walk instead (H chose to ride in the wagon). I do love living in my hometown again (even if it is in a basement!) and soaking up every little moment of being here. This has been the best month of my life; I was reflecting on that as we walked along my parents' street. I am beyond blessed and totally grateful.
Day 18 - July 19
Today was a stay at home day for H and I. We decided it was the perfect day to go to my aunt's house and take advantage of her generous offer to allow us to use the pool for the afternoon. We packed a picnic lunch and cooled off in the 82 degree water. It felt wonderful! H was able to touch "on flat toes" which is a BIG deal, and he didn't have to use his ring the whole time. Just as I was ready to take a break and he was getting bored, my cousin's 9 year old son came over from their house next door. H was so excited to see him, and play in the pool together. It gave me time to just talk with my aunt and my mom, something the three of us rarely get to do. It was a great day!
Tuesday, July 19, 2016
Day 17 - July 18
Back to school today! H was less than thrilled to go back to school today but he desperately needs some structure, routine, and a chance to play with his friends. I had a list of errands to run that kept getting longer so I planned to stay in town to get everything done. We took our time getting to school and even stopped to get H's passport pics taken. That was an adventure in itself but the pics are done. We also drove by the new house and it was amazing!!! They've made so much progress in the last week and a half. We couldn't believe it; it looks like a real house now!
After I dropped H off, I stopped at my bank, then at Michael's to buy a few things to complete a project this week (more on that later), then at SalonCentric for hair supplies, followed by Whole Foods (what a beautiful store, I went a little crazy in the bulk foods section), Old Navy to return extra uniform shirts, Target for a Starbucks hit, and finally Meijer before picking H back up. It was his water day at school and my timing was perfect as they were just coming back in.
When we got home, we made dinner and then played outside in his little pool since it was still so nice and warm outside. We also decided McFlurries sounded good so we drove through McDonald's drive through and brought them back to enjoy on Grandma's front porch.
Tomorrow we'll stay home from school to enjoy the hot weather together. It's going to be another great day off!
After I dropped H off, I stopped at my bank, then at Michael's to buy a few things to complete a project this week (more on that later), then at SalonCentric for hair supplies, followed by Whole Foods (what a beautiful store, I went a little crazy in the bulk foods section), Old Navy to return extra uniform shirts, Target for a Starbucks hit, and finally Meijer before picking H back up. It was his water day at school and my timing was perfect as they were just coming back in.
When we got home, we made dinner and then played outside in his little pool since it was still so nice and warm outside. We also decided McFlurries sounded good so we drove through McDonald's drive through and brought them back to enjoy on Grandma's front porch.
Tomorrow we'll stay home from school to enjoy the hot weather together. It's going to be another great day off!
Day 16 - July 17 - Vacation is over
Vacation is over today; the cousins go back to California and it is time for us to go home to Grandma's house. We went to church this morning and got to say hello to some of the neighbors. There was supposed to be a congregation picnic as well, but the weather was not cooperating as it was raining and really windy. When we got back to the cottage, everyone packed up their things and we started cleaning--until the power went out due to the high winds. It was ok to see still but we couldn't use the water or anything requiring electricity. We ate leftovers for lunch and made the best of it. We had a three hour drive home as I followed J trailering the Waverunner; I was so nervous the whole time but we made it.
Tonight we inflated the bounce house for H and took turns jumping with him. We also watered all the flowers and just enjoyed being outside instead of stuck in the car. I know the boys are sad their vacation week is over, and I'm incredibly sad that my time off is half way over now. This was the best decision I've ever made and I will repeat: NO ONE EVER LOOKS BACK AT LIFE AND SAYS, "GEE, I REALLY WISH I WOULD'VE WORKED MORE!". Nothing could be more true.
Tonight we inflated the bounce house for H and took turns jumping with him. We also watered all the flowers and just enjoyed being outside instead of stuck in the car. I know the boys are sad their vacation week is over, and I'm incredibly sad that my time off is half way over now. This was the best decision I've ever made and I will repeat: NO ONE EVER LOOKS BACK AT LIFE AND SAYS, "GEE, I REALLY WISH I WOULD'VE WORKED MORE!". Nothing could be more true.
Day 15 - July 16
Today should be titled "fit everything else in" day. The kids had their vacation bucket list that just had to be completed before the vacation was over or we faced a major catastrophe. My only request when we are in this part of The Mitten is breakfast at my very favorite place in town. I will keep it nameless for fear if too many people know about it, I'll never get a table again. The coolest part is more than one year I've run into a friend from work that retired a few years ago--she's almost always in the area at the same time as us visiting family. So ironic that we're at the same little café at the same time each year! (This year I missed her by a day!)
My boys begrudgingly went to breakfast with me. I think they thought they would miss something at the cottage by us leaving... turns out they missed everyone eating breakfast and taking a long time to get ready! We were on our way back from town and they hadn't even left yet. We met the rest of the family at the local craft fair, and walked around there for awhile. H was already complaining about the heat--I had a feeling we were in for a long day.
After the craft fair, they just HAD to go to the petting farm. I hadn't been there yet, so in my mind, I couldn't understand why this place was a big deal. Turns out this is more than just a little petting farm--it's actually a really nice orchard and farm with a lot of well cared for animals and a ton of activities for kids to do besides just petting and feeding animals. There is a huge bouncing balloon (actually two, one for big kids that H was allowed on and one for smaller kids), a double slide, a huge sand pit, rubber duck racing, pedal cart racing, a train ride through the orchard, and even tetherball. There appears to be even more to do in the fall - pumpkin launching! - and I imagine the place is really packed with people then.
The goats were by far my favorite and H even got to hold the sweetest little guy that was just born the day before. It was the highlight of my day for sure. Feeding the birds is also fun, and it was just like Potter Park Zoo where you buy a popsicle stick with seeds glued to it for the birds to land on and eat. We got some great pics of all three kids holding birds while they ate, which is no easy feat when the birds aren't overly cooperative (or hungry!). This place is awesome. No wonder it was on the kids' "must do" list.
Next we stopped for lunch at a golf course. The food was great and we were able to sit on their deck outside. We then ventured to the Children's Hands On Museum--which seemed crazy to me since there wasn't a lot of time before they closed and it was a drive to get there. The kids had fun there but I could tell they were all getting tired from a long day full of activity. I was tired too! Our favorite areas that H and I discussed were the "rockstar band area" where H tried out a cool drum set as well as vocals... Parent of the Year award for him signing "My House" by Flo Ride for the whole third floor to hear...
He also had fun at the vet center as we worked on sick animals. My favorite area to interact with him was their Hungry Howie's pizza and ice cream counter. He pretended to take a call for an order while getting my food ready; "18 minutes??!?!! I can't do that!". He also made me my usual, a sundae with peanut butter and cookie dough.
When we finally got home after being gone for 10 hours, the kids wanted Tonka toaster pizzas on the fire for dinner so that's what we did. I got a great video of them dancing to their new favorite song to sing together--Meghan Trainor's NO. How appropriate. H and I went to bed at the same time and talked about our day as we laid there in the dark. It was a great way to end our extremely busy day.
My boys begrudgingly went to breakfast with me. I think they thought they would miss something at the cottage by us leaving... turns out they missed everyone eating breakfast and taking a long time to get ready! We were on our way back from town and they hadn't even left yet. We met the rest of the family at the local craft fair, and walked around there for awhile. H was already complaining about the heat--I had a feeling we were in for a long day.
After the craft fair, they just HAD to go to the petting farm. I hadn't been there yet, so in my mind, I couldn't understand why this place was a big deal. Turns out this is more than just a little petting farm--it's actually a really nice orchard and farm with a lot of well cared for animals and a ton of activities for kids to do besides just petting and feeding animals. There is a huge bouncing balloon (actually two, one for big kids that H was allowed on and one for smaller kids), a double slide, a huge sand pit, rubber duck racing, pedal cart racing, a train ride through the orchard, and even tetherball. There appears to be even more to do in the fall - pumpkin launching! - and I imagine the place is really packed with people then.
The goats were by far my favorite and H even got to hold the sweetest little guy that was just born the day before. It was the highlight of my day for sure. Feeding the birds is also fun, and it was just like Potter Park Zoo where you buy a popsicle stick with seeds glued to it for the birds to land on and eat. We got some great pics of all three kids holding birds while they ate, which is no easy feat when the birds aren't overly cooperative (or hungry!). This place is awesome. No wonder it was on the kids' "must do" list.
Next we stopped for lunch at a golf course. The food was great and we were able to sit on their deck outside. We then ventured to the Children's Hands On Museum--which seemed crazy to me since there wasn't a lot of time before they closed and it was a drive to get there. The kids had fun there but I could tell they were all getting tired from a long day full of activity. I was tired too! Our favorite areas that H and I discussed were the "rockstar band area" where H tried out a cool drum set as well as vocals... Parent of the Year award for him signing "My House" by Flo Ride for the whole third floor to hear...
He also had fun at the vet center as we worked on sick animals. My favorite area to interact with him was their Hungry Howie's pizza and ice cream counter. He pretended to take a call for an order while getting my food ready; "18 minutes??!?!! I can't do that!". He also made me my usual, a sundae with peanut butter and cookie dough.
When we finally got home after being gone for 10 hours, the kids wanted Tonka toaster pizzas on the fire for dinner so that's what we did. I got a great video of them dancing to their new favorite song to sing together--Meghan Trainor's NO. How appropriate. H and I went to bed at the same time and talked about our day as we laid there in the dark. It was a great way to end our extremely busy day.
Friday, July 15, 2016
Day 14 - July 15
I am halfway through my time off!!!! Where does time go? And how come when I work, the weeks drag by, and then when I'm off, the time just flies??
I didn't sleep well last night so when H was up at 7am, I was not surprised. It was raining and cold and J and his dad wanted to golf, so we decided to take the kids to town for story hour at the bookstore. I'm not giving the place enough credit--it is a full on production starring the kids with puppets and singing and movement. At the end, each child makes a clay sculpture to take home. They really do a nice job and for only $8 a child it's well worth it.
H finished his clay ninja pirate before the girls were done, so we had time to look at books, get into another impromptu sword fight, play with the cool dollhouse, and the knight castle while we waited for them. It really is a cool store.
After the bookstore we went through a few other stores before stopping for lunch for the kids. The local pizza place had gluten free pizza crust so that was a good find. After lunch we stopped at the used bookstore and then drove to the state park on Lake Michigan so that the kiss could enjoy their playscape. The big lake was dark, choppy and very ominous looking with the bright red "warning--dangerous surf" flags all over. The kids enjoyed kicking off their shoes to play at the sandy playground.
Later, the kids played Cornhole and cards since the weather never really did clear up. H did well learning to play Uno with the girls. After dinner we had cake to celebrate a cousin's upcoming birthday.
As a final note, I was able to book H's fifth birthday party at the local bowling alley near my parents' house. The invites I ordered will hopefully be in next week so I can deliver them! H's other family party is next Saturday at lunch time. Needless to say he is very excited about anything related to his birthday!
I didn't sleep well last night so when H was up at 7am, I was not surprised. It was raining and cold and J and his dad wanted to golf, so we decided to take the kids to town for story hour at the bookstore. I'm not giving the place enough credit--it is a full on production starring the kids with puppets and singing and movement. At the end, each child makes a clay sculpture to take home. They really do a nice job and for only $8 a child it's well worth it.
H finished his clay ninja pirate before the girls were done, so we had time to look at books, get into another impromptu sword fight, play with the cool dollhouse, and the knight castle while we waited for them. It really is a cool store.
After the bookstore we went through a few other stores before stopping for lunch for the kids. The local pizza place had gluten free pizza crust so that was a good find. After lunch we stopped at the used bookstore and then drove to the state park on Lake Michigan so that the kiss could enjoy their playscape. The big lake was dark, choppy and very ominous looking with the bright red "warning--dangerous surf" flags all over. The kids enjoyed kicking off their shoes to play at the sandy playground.
Later, the kids played Cornhole and cards since the weather never really did clear up. H did well learning to play Uno with the girls. After dinner we had cake to celebrate a cousin's upcoming birthday.
As a final note, I was able to book H's fifth birthday party at the local bowling alley near my parents' house. The invites I ordered will hopefully be in next week so I can deliver them! H's other family party is next Saturday at lunch time. Needless to say he is very excited about anything related to his birthday!
Day 13 - July 14
Bastille Day! And my college roommate/friend's birthday. Happy birthday, Shana! It's the only way I can ever remember her big day.
Today meant clean up and pack up for the long cross-state drive to J's family's cottage near Lake Michigan. My mom was also leaving the cottage so I helped her take out trash and recycling and put the deck furniture away. We had such a great time together that I was sad to leave. I chose the interesting route apparently to drive over--villages like Big Jackson, Bitely, and Merritt I can now cross off my list of must-see places. Turns out small places also don't have public restrooms. On a three hour drive, that is a problem. I finally found a park with an outdoor bathroom and I didn't care that there was no running water to wash my hands with. I have wipes and hand sanitizer in my car always so I was set.
It took almost three hours to make that trip so I was happy to get out of the car when I finally made it. I sure missed my kid! His hugs are the best. He and his two cousins were wound up and ready to go ride the go karts in town. Considering my leg was still sore and getting worse from so much drive time, I volunteered to hold everything and take pictures. The kids had a great time on the go karts and after that they had tokens to use in the arcade. It was fun to watch them play ski-ball and other childhood favorites of mine.
After dinner the kids talked J into going down to the dock to help them fish. It was fun to watch them impatiently yank at their bobbers just to find their worms had been stolen. It was a nice day in northern Michigan!
Today meant clean up and pack up for the long cross-state drive to J's family's cottage near Lake Michigan. My mom was also leaving the cottage so I helped her take out trash and recycling and put the deck furniture away. We had such a great time together that I was sad to leave. I chose the interesting route apparently to drive over--villages like Big Jackson, Bitely, and Merritt I can now cross off my list of must-see places. Turns out small places also don't have public restrooms. On a three hour drive, that is a problem. I finally found a park with an outdoor bathroom and I didn't care that there was no running water to wash my hands with. I have wipes and hand sanitizer in my car always so I was set.
It took almost three hours to make that trip so I was happy to get out of the car when I finally made it. I sure missed my kid! His hugs are the best. He and his two cousins were wound up and ready to go ride the go karts in town. Considering my leg was still sore and getting worse from so much drive time, I volunteered to hold everything and take pictures. The kids had a great time on the go karts and after that they had tokens to use in the arcade. It was fun to watch them play ski-ball and other childhood favorites of mine.
After dinner the kids talked J into going down to the dock to help them fish. It was fun to watch them impatiently yank at their bobbers just to find their worms had been stolen. It was a nice day in northern Michigan!
Day 12 - July 13
Woke up this morning and felt a sharp pain in my calf. Remembered the only downside to yesterday was the errant chair injury. A big anti-gravity chair fell on my leg when I had walked by it in the garage. The resulting bruise and lump were quite painful and causing me to limp like a fool. No running today!
My mom's two friends were on their way for the day and I was the self-designated lunch sous chef. I love to cook when I have time! I made Mexican Street Corn Salad to eat with tortilla chips
And my favorite recipe for Cherry Chicken Salad
Which is good in a wrap, on thick bread, in lettuce cups, or on a croissant. Today it was made with even more love; since I had time I grilled all the chicken which makes it taste awesome. I also added crushed pineapple and raw chopped pecans. Mmmmm. Both dishes were a hit. And my mom was afraid they wouldn't like my dishes!
After lunch when the ladies were mostly caught up, I suggested a boat ride. My mom looked at me like I had bats coming out of my mouth! I knew she was nervous because usually the captain is J, and if anyone helps it's my stepdad. I used to co-captain but ever since H came along and then we were blessed enough for the association dock upgrade, I don't do much to help with the boat. But, if there is anything these past few months have taught me (or reminded me), it's that I am strong enough, I am good enough, and dammit people like me. Or at least in this situation I am perfectly capable of getting this boat out myself.
Step one, remember the hoist lock and boat keys. Check! Got the cover off (where the h does he store that anyway!?!) and got it lowered. It was at this point I realized that the waves were coming in strong. Great. I got everyone on and decided to be safe I needed to jump in and manually walk he boat off the hoist and away from our neighbors' boats. Easier said than done--those waves were powerful!!
I finally got us out and on our way for a tour of the south shores. It was beautiful and just a bit breezy on the south end. We enjoyed our time on the water. When it was time to head in, things got crazy. The waves were awful when we rounded Flag Point. We were taking on water every other wave; my passengers were bouncing around like wine corks. No one let on if they were nervous as I tried to navigate us through the rough wake and back to our dock. I had no chance to get us onto the hoist so I killed the engine, jumped off the boat, and attempted to pull the boat toward our dock. It dragged me along until I finally by chance got it onto the hoist; man were my arms and shoulders
sore!! I only yelled one obscenity so that was a victory for me. Everyone agreed we had a lovely
time.
We had dinner at a local restaurant and then Dairy Queen for dessert. We played progressive gin (I think) after we got home which had a few crazy rules I hadn't heard before. It was a fun day full of laughter. Not bad for a Wednesday!!
My mom's two friends were on their way for the day and I was the self-designated lunch sous chef. I love to cook when I have time! I made Mexican Street Corn Salad to eat with tortilla chips
And my favorite recipe for Cherry Chicken Salad
Which is good in a wrap, on thick bread, in lettuce cups, or on a croissant. Today it was made with even more love; since I had time I grilled all the chicken which makes it taste awesome. I also added crushed pineapple and raw chopped pecans. Mmmmm. Both dishes were a hit. And my mom was afraid they wouldn't like my dishes!
After lunch when the ladies were mostly caught up, I suggested a boat ride. My mom looked at me like I had bats coming out of my mouth! I knew she was nervous because usually the captain is J, and if anyone helps it's my stepdad. I used to co-captain but ever since H came along and then we were blessed enough for the association dock upgrade, I don't do much to help with the boat. But, if there is anything these past few months have taught me (or reminded me), it's that I am strong enough, I am good enough, and dammit people like me. Or at least in this situation I am perfectly capable of getting this boat out myself.
Step one, remember the hoist lock and boat keys. Check! Got the cover off (where the h does he store that anyway!?!) and got it lowered. It was at this point I realized that the waves were coming in strong. Great. I got everyone on and decided to be safe I needed to jump in and manually walk he boat off the hoist and away from our neighbors' boats. Easier said than done--those waves were powerful!!
I finally got us out and on our way for a tour of the south shores. It was beautiful and just a bit breezy on the south end. We enjoyed our time on the water. When it was time to head in, things got crazy. The waves were awful when we rounded Flag Point. We were taking on water every other wave; my passengers were bouncing around like wine corks. No one let on if they were nervous as I tried to navigate us through the rough wake and back to our dock. I had no chance to get us onto the hoist so I killed the engine, jumped off the boat, and attempted to pull the boat toward our dock. It dragged me along until I finally by chance got it onto the hoist; man were my arms and shoulders
sore!! I only yelled one obscenity so that was a victory for me. Everyone agreed we had a lovely
time.
We had dinner at a local restaurant and then Dairy Queen for dessert. We played progressive gin (I think) after we got home which had a few crazy rules I hadn't heard before. It was a fun day full of laughter. Not bad for a Wednesday!!
Thursday, July 14, 2016
Day 11 - July 12 - Do NOTHING day!
Greatest. Day. Ever. Of doing nothing!!
Got up when I wanted. Did a little cleaning. Threw my gear on and decided to run three miles in 82 degrees and 80% humidity. Got sidetracked on a main road where a little dog named Lilly that was running back and forth crossing the road with no visible owner nearby. Had another runner stop to help me get the number off the collar. Finished the hot run and then grabbed the dog to do one more mile. Look at these views.
Put my bathing suit on and wandered down to the lake with the beach chairs. Sat in the sun. Read a big stack of eight month old magazines. Felt the sun warm me to my bones. Thought if only I could bottle up this feeling and open in February.
After the beach, had a snack. Went to the store, wanted to take bottles back but J drinks Michigan micros, the rarer the better, which you cannot return at the local up north grocer. Lesson learned. Ate a big bowl of ice cream. Watched $100,000 pyramid. Went to bed smiling.
Got up when I wanted. Did a little cleaning. Threw my gear on and decided to run three miles in 82 degrees and 80% humidity. Got sidetracked on a main road where a little dog named Lilly that was running back and forth crossing the road with no visible owner nearby. Had another runner stop to help me get the number off the collar. Finished the hot run and then grabbed the dog to do one more mile. Look at these views.
Put my bathing suit on and wandered down to the lake with the beach chairs. Sat in the sun. Read a big stack of eight month old magazines. Felt the sun warm me to my bones. Thought if only I could bottle up this feeling and open in February.
After the beach, had a snack. Went to the store, wanted to take bottles back but J drinks Michigan micros, the rarer the better, which you cannot return at the local up north grocer. Lesson learned. Ate a big bowl of ice cream. Watched $100,000 pyramid. Went to bed smiling.
Monday, July 11, 2016
Day Ten - July 11 - The best Monday ever!
It was quite possibly the best Monday ever. I cannot remember a Monday where I wasn't on some sort of schedule, had some sort of solid plan for my day, or some sort of goal to accomplish. What a great feeling!
We took our time getting ready this morning since it was just my mom and I. I still find myself thinking about the people at work and wondering if they had a lot of claims from the weekend storms. It was so ingrained in me to fear bad weather because it meant a crazy amount of claims coming in and this morning I thought about it for just a minute and suddenly I was over it. Pretty nice! Unemployment continues to treat me well mentally and physically.
We drove to Traverse City for the day to eat, shop, and repeat. Choosing eating establishments is something I take very seriously with due diligence on Tripadvisor and Yelp as well as Facebook to study menus. We used to always go to the same places on each trip to TC depending on the day's agenda---wine tasting all day? Sign me up for a monte cristo with homemade cherry preserves at North Peak. Football Saturday? Blue Tractor is a must for great food and lots of close TVs. H is with us? Time to stop at
My mom made a decision about two trips ago that it was high time to start trying one of the many places that we haven't been yet. That trip we went to Soup, and it was awesome. We also tried Slabtown which is not fast food but is not sit down either. We enjoyed both so maybe she's onto something. We had breakfast at Blue Heron and it did not disappoint. Not a huge menu but every option sounded delicious. I tried the Farmer's Omelet and My mom had the veggie quesadilla. We both really enjoyed our choices and the unique favors (sweet potato mash in eggs?! Excellent. Who knew.).
We shopped at every store on Front Street and some off Front as well. I bought the most items at Cherry Republic as we were out of almost everything we keep on hand. Our kitchen staples from CR include Cherry Jam, Cherry Artisan Mustard, and Cherry Green Salsa. We are also loving the newer Cherryaki on grilled chicken. I bought enough products to hopefully get us through our remaining tenure of basement dwelling; then I'll have an actual pantry that I can stock!!
After more shopping, and wishing my walls are actually constructed so I could buy all the cool "Love the Mitten" signs, we chose Amical for an early/light dinner before our drive home. We were able to sit outside which was pretty great considering we've walked by at least 50 times and never eaten there. The food and service were both great. We did not order the prix fixe even though it was a really great deal. We opted instead to order an app, small salads and a cup of soup. We also had half of warm baguette that I thoroughly enjoyed. I wished we saved room for dessert but we did not.
We had a wonderful day downtown just shopping and talking and looking at things as long as we wanted without being on a schedule or feeling rushed. I miss my boys but wouldn't trade today for anything. It was another great day of being unemployed!!!!
We took our time getting ready this morning since it was just my mom and I. I still find myself thinking about the people at work and wondering if they had a lot of claims from the weekend storms. It was so ingrained in me to fear bad weather because it meant a crazy amount of claims coming in and this morning I thought about it for just a minute and suddenly I was over it. Pretty nice! Unemployment continues to treat me well mentally and physically.
We drove to Traverse City for the day to eat, shop, and repeat. Choosing eating establishments is something I take very seriously with due diligence on Tripadvisor and Yelp as well as Facebook to study menus. We used to always go to the same places on each trip to TC depending on the day's agenda---wine tasting all day? Sign me up for a monte cristo with homemade cherry preserves at North Peak. Football Saturday? Blue Tractor is a must for great food and lots of close TVs. H is with us? Time to stop at
My mom made a decision about two trips ago that it was high time to start trying one of the many places that we haven't been yet. That trip we went to Soup, and it was awesome. We also tried Slabtown which is not fast food but is not sit down either. We enjoyed both so maybe she's onto something. We had breakfast at Blue Heron and it did not disappoint. Not a huge menu but every option sounded delicious. I tried the Farmer's Omelet and My mom had the veggie quesadilla. We both really enjoyed our choices and the unique favors (sweet potato mash in eggs?! Excellent. Who knew.).
We shopped at every store on Front Street and some off Front as well. I bought the most items at Cherry Republic as we were out of almost everything we keep on hand. Our kitchen staples from CR include Cherry Jam, Cherry Artisan Mustard, and Cherry Green Salsa. We are also loving the newer Cherryaki on grilled chicken. I bought enough products to hopefully get us through our remaining tenure of basement dwelling; then I'll have an actual pantry that I can stock!!
After more shopping, and wishing my walls are actually constructed so I could buy all the cool "Love the Mitten" signs, we chose Amical for an early/light dinner before our drive home. We were able to sit outside which was pretty great considering we've walked by at least 50 times and never eaten there. The food and service were both great. We did not order the prix fixe even though it was a really great deal. We opted instead to order an app, small salads and a cup of soup. We also had half of warm baguette that I thoroughly enjoyed. I wished we saved room for dessert but we did not.
We had a wonderful day downtown just shopping and talking and looking at things as long as we wanted without being on a schedule or feeling rushed. I miss my boys but wouldn't trade today for anything. It was another great day of being unemployed!!!!
Sunday, July 10, 2016
Day Nine - July 10
Our day started with church and as always I took advantage when H let me pick him up during the gospel. I am sure I look absurd with a 47lb., 45" tall kid in my arms, but it never lasts long and the feeling of my spine compressing is well worth it for those moments that someday I will wish I had back. When we got back to the cottage we decided it was too nice not to go down to our beach to build some sand castles and play for awhile. It was a calm lake day and I was wishing we planned better and went onto the lake for a couple of hours! My boys were planning to drive across the state later in the day and I knew it would be a lot of trouble to get the boat out. We had fun at the beach and spent some time talking to neighbors. It was fun watching H interact with their baby boy and share his toys with him.
We came back up to get them ready to make the drive over to J's family. I was sad to say goodbye to them but looking forward to the next few days with just my mom and I at the cottage. She's also unemployed so this worked out great for us to stay a few days. We took advantage of the quiet and sat on the deck talking and watching another neighbor trying to spray a squirrel with her nose while coaxing one of 50 local chipmunks out of her woodpile. (I wish I was joking: "here, Chip-Chip-Chip!! Get up that tree, you!!"). We also decided ice cream for dinner is totally appropriate and each ordered a blizzard at Dairy Queen.
I took the dog for a walk once we got home to tire her out. It is incredible to me what a different place it is now that most of the holiday vacationers are gone. It was totally quiet except for the birds and an occasional boat on the lake. I felt a sense of total calm serenity wash over me as I realized it was Sunday night and I don't have to go to work in the morning because I'm unemployed! What a wonderful feeling!!
We came back up to get them ready to make the drive over to J's family. I was sad to say goodbye to them but looking forward to the next few days with just my mom and I at the cottage. She's also unemployed so this worked out great for us to stay a few days. We took advantage of the quiet and sat on the deck talking and watching another neighbor trying to spray a squirrel with her nose while coaxing one of 50 local chipmunks out of her woodpile. (I wish I was joking: "here, Chip-Chip-Chip!! Get up that tree, you!!"). We also decided ice cream for dinner is totally appropriate and each ordered a blizzard at Dairy Queen.
I took the dog for a walk once we got home to tire her out. It is incredible to me what a different place it is now that most of the holiday vacationers are gone. It was totally quiet except for the birds and an occasional boat on the lake. I felt a sense of total calm serenity wash over me as I realized it was Sunday night and I don't have to go to work in the morning because I'm unemployed! What a wonderful feeling!!
Day Eight - July 9 - Happy Birthday, Mom!
When I told J my plan for today, he thought I had lost my unemployed basement-dwelling mind!!
It has been a running bucket list item of mine to run the National Cherry Festival Meijer Festival of Races 5K. It's a huge race with thousands of participants. It starts at 7:30am and the race route is about an hour and 20 minutes from our cottage. I informed J that I had signed us up and I hoped he would go with me even though we would get at 5am, drive over, run, then drive back home.
Today was the day! What a guy. :). I didn't sleep well but I also didn't want to sleep through my alarm. We left close to on time, drove to TC, got our packets and froze in the windy 60 degree overcast weather. It seemed to take forever to start the race but they had groups by pace which was helpful. I've never run in that big of a field before, and as we started in waves, I figured this was like the my-world version of the Boston Marathon.
Knowing full well I wasn't going to even place in the top 10 of my age division, my goal was to run the whole 3.1 miles with NO walking whatsoever. Earlier in the week I had three two mile runs, with Thursday's being the fastest pace so this was a really important goal to me. I have been running for total sh*t this year, and it was taking a toll on mentally as well. My PR is 31:05 in May 2015. This year, I haven't even run under 33 minutes. Horribly depressing. But I was determined today to make it my best run of 2016.
J went with a wave before me which makes sense considering he would likely run a 10 minute mile or faster pace. He disappeared quickly and I was on my own. At about the one mile mark I finally settled down into a rhythm and felt OK. Around two I started to feel the slightest pull where my side stitch resides, and I was adamant that it wouldn't hijack my race. I focused more on my breathing pattern and tried to alternate which foot I exhaled on which seemed to keep it at bay. I've never run in such a tight pack of people before! I've also never been passed continuously for all 3.1 miles before! When we rounded the corner onto Front Street, and officer said there was only two more blocks to go. Wouldn't that be great!!! Except I knew he was full of it, and there were at least four to go that I could think of off the top of my head! By this point I was physically spent and did not have my usual "finish line in sight second wind". I wanted to take a break to walk but running is more mental than physical most days. Not to mention Front was lined with people wrapped in blankets holding down their parade watching location and kindly cheering the runners on. I couldnt walk now, after making it the whole way running! The finish line never seemed to get closer so I started looking at the cherry clad store fronts to take my mind off my aching lungs. That helped and as I got close desperately wanted to bolt across that finish line but I couldn't for the life of me muster up an extra ounce of energy. I was disappointed when I realized my chip time was 34:00. That surge could have gotten me into the 33 minute range again! However, when I found J and told him I ran the whole thing, I knew I should be proud of myself and my efforts today.
We found my stepdad after he finished and I was able to see my dear friend Mags who was my roommate when we were finalists for Cherry Queen and then was crowned queen that year. She is the coolest person with the faith of Job! We also cleaned up the giveaways at the finish line including amazing cherry white chocolate cookies, chocolate milk, dried cherries, bananas, and of course, fresh cherries! The unfortunate part was thinking the car was only a mile away and thinking we could walk instead of waiting for the shuttle with hundreds of racers. Turns out it was actually 2.5 miles! We were exhausted by the time we got back to the car and I still had to drive us over an hour home!
Once back at the lake, the weather never really got better and we were able to get through the art fair quickly. We shopped at the cool local wine and beer store--he is always able to find unique small batch local MI beers that J never sees elsewhere--today was no different. He settled on a cool sounding Shorts seasonal. We also drove around the lake checking out the little stores along the way. We decided it was time for birthday dinner in town; pizza and doughy deliciousness for everyone!
It was such a fun afternoon and evening with H and my family. My favorite H move of the day was noticing him staring at some tiaras in a jewelry store before finally trying one on. He couldn't help himself! I did not get a picture but he sure was funny.
We ended our day making Sundaes for Grandma's birthday. It was a wonderful day!
It has been a running bucket list item of mine to run the National Cherry Festival Meijer Festival of Races 5K. It's a huge race with thousands of participants. It starts at 7:30am and the race route is about an hour and 20 minutes from our cottage. I informed J that I had signed us up and I hoped he would go with me even though we would get at 5am, drive over, run, then drive back home.
Today was the day! What a guy. :). I didn't sleep well but I also didn't want to sleep through my alarm. We left close to on time, drove to TC, got our packets and froze in the windy 60 degree overcast weather. It seemed to take forever to start the race but they had groups by pace which was helpful. I've never run in that big of a field before, and as we started in waves, I figured this was like the my-world version of the Boston Marathon.
Knowing full well I wasn't going to even place in the top 10 of my age division, my goal was to run the whole 3.1 miles with NO walking whatsoever. Earlier in the week I had three two mile runs, with Thursday's being the fastest pace so this was a really important goal to me. I have been running for total sh*t this year, and it was taking a toll on mentally as well. My PR is 31:05 in May 2015. This year, I haven't even run under 33 minutes. Horribly depressing. But I was determined today to make it my best run of 2016.
J went with a wave before me which makes sense considering he would likely run a 10 minute mile or faster pace. He disappeared quickly and I was on my own. At about the one mile mark I finally settled down into a rhythm and felt OK. Around two I started to feel the slightest pull where my side stitch resides, and I was adamant that it wouldn't hijack my race. I focused more on my breathing pattern and tried to alternate which foot I exhaled on which seemed to keep it at bay. I've never run in such a tight pack of people before! I've also never been passed continuously for all 3.1 miles before! When we rounded the corner onto Front Street, and officer said there was only two more blocks to go. Wouldn't that be great!!! Except I knew he was full of it, and there were at least four to go that I could think of off the top of my head! By this point I was physically spent and did not have my usual "finish line in sight second wind". I wanted to take a break to walk but running is more mental than physical most days. Not to mention Front was lined with people wrapped in blankets holding down their parade watching location and kindly cheering the runners on. I couldnt walk now, after making it the whole way running! The finish line never seemed to get closer so I started looking at the cherry clad store fronts to take my mind off my aching lungs. That helped and as I got close desperately wanted to bolt across that finish line but I couldn't for the life of me muster up an extra ounce of energy. I was disappointed when I realized my chip time was 34:00. That surge could have gotten me into the 33 minute range again! However, when I found J and told him I ran the whole thing, I knew I should be proud of myself and my efforts today.
We found my stepdad after he finished and I was able to see my dear friend Mags who was my roommate when we were finalists for Cherry Queen and then was crowned queen that year. She is the coolest person with the faith of Job! We also cleaned up the giveaways at the finish line including amazing cherry white chocolate cookies, chocolate milk, dried cherries, bananas, and of course, fresh cherries! The unfortunate part was thinking the car was only a mile away and thinking we could walk instead of waiting for the shuttle with hundreds of racers. Turns out it was actually 2.5 miles! We were exhausted by the time we got back to the car and I still had to drive us over an hour home!
Once back at the lake, the weather never really got better and we were able to get through the art fair quickly. We shopped at the cool local wine and beer store--he is always able to find unique small batch local MI beers that J never sees elsewhere--today was no different. He settled on a cool sounding Shorts seasonal. We also drove around the lake checking out the little stores along the way. We decided it was time for birthday dinner in town; pizza and doughy deliciousness for everyone!
It was such a fun afternoon and evening with H and my family. My favorite H move of the day was noticing him staring at some tiaras in a jewelry store before finally trying one on. He couldn't help himself! I did not get a picture but he sure was funny.
We ended our day making Sundaes for Grandma's birthday. It was a wonderful day!
Saturday, July 9, 2016
Day Seven - July 8
It's been one full week since I was last at work! I can't believe how fast it's gone. Today's weather looked questionable so we planned to go to the new township park to play before the storm came. Kudos to the local Rotary Club for their funding of the new playground for children. It is very nice and especially colorful. We played at the park for about an hour and a half before the thunder rumbled in the distance and dark clouds rolled in from across the lake. We played on every piece of equipment there and swang on the swings. We met a few new friends but they were a little older and didn't stay long.
We decided to stop at the new bakery on our way home to buy some treats. I think we've tried almost everything they make and it's all good. The turnovers are the best and those of course were gone already. We made a few selections and drove home for lunch just as the rain started to come down. We played more ping pong since we were stuck inside all afternoon and we also played a fun Toca Boca shopping game on the IPad. We took turns being the cashier or the customer (or as H says, the "costume-er". His vocabulary is so advanced that it makes me smile if he mispronounces something. (My favorite example recently at Bdub's: "yes, I'll have the bonus wings please."). We played a Ninja Turtle game as well and tried to work on being good sports regardless of winning or losing, something that H is struggling with which I'm told is age appropriate.
We finally got the call that J was close and to the exit and that meant it was time to go save a table at our favorite up north Friday fish fry spot. We got the just before the sky opened up and we only had to wait about 10 minutes for a table; luck was on our side! I informed J that I came to the conclusion that even though the Basement Dweller status is temporary, being unemployed is something I could really get used to. I have a list of artsy projects I intend to complete before the month is over but I could easily start an Etsy business and make a go of being home! J is going to take more convincing....
We decided to stop at the new bakery on our way home to buy some treats. I think we've tried almost everything they make and it's all good. The turnovers are the best and those of course were gone already. We made a few selections and drove home for lunch just as the rain started to come down. We played more ping pong since we were stuck inside all afternoon and we also played a fun Toca Boca shopping game on the IPad. We took turns being the cashier or the customer (or as H says, the "costume-er". His vocabulary is so advanced that it makes me smile if he mispronounces something. (My favorite example recently at Bdub's: "yes, I'll have the bonus wings please."). We played a Ninja Turtle game as well and tried to work on being good sports regardless of winning or losing, something that H is struggling with which I'm told is age appropriate.
We finally got the call that J was close and to the exit and that meant it was time to go save a table at our favorite up north Friday fish fry spot. We got the just before the sky opened up and we only had to wait about 10 minutes for a table; luck was on our side! I informed J that I came to the conclusion that even though the Basement Dweller status is temporary, being unemployed is something I could really get used to. I have a list of artsy projects I intend to complete before the month is over but I could easily start an Etsy business and make a go of being home! J is going to take more convincing....
Day Six - July 7
Today H and I planned to drive back to the cottage but first we had some serious shopping to do for weekend staples like ice cream and bacon. We took our time getting ready and then headed to Meijer with our list in hand.
Once at the store, H wanted to look at the toys and spend the money he earned watering Grandma's flowers and Grandpa's garden each day. During the perusing of the toy aisle, I never tried to hurry him or say we had to get going. We looked at every toy and decided which ones might make good birthday presents. At one point H picked up a foam sword and yelled "on guard!!" and an impromptu sword fight broke out. Good thing no one was trying to shop the toy aisle!
H was a super good shopper once we started working on our list. He helped choose items and get the things we needed for his upcoming week with his cousins. He paid attention to things that were on sale and helped check out at the end of our Meijer stop. We also went to Kroger for a few items they had on sale and I think we were in and out in record time.
Once home, I packed up the car and cleaned my basement dwelling. H picked up his toys and helped pack his clothes. We left around lunch for the two hour drive north to the cottage. We sang some Kidz Bop (and H can really belt out some Bieber) on the drive up. We unloaded the car and the dog and then had a fast paced game of ping pong... Well, as fast as an almost five year old can play. We had a lot of laughs and got a good workout chasing errant balls. We also played Old Maid; I cannot convince H that he needs to work on his poker face when he's holding the dreaded card in his hand. Finally before bed we watched Hotel Transylvania 2 and I'm always amazed at how many parts of that movie he already has memorized!!
It was another fun day!!
Once at the store, H wanted to look at the toys and spend the money he earned watering Grandma's flowers and Grandpa's garden each day. During the perusing of the toy aisle, I never tried to hurry him or say we had to get going. We looked at every toy and decided which ones might make good birthday presents. At one point H picked up a foam sword and yelled "on guard!!" and an impromptu sword fight broke out. Good thing no one was trying to shop the toy aisle!
H was a super good shopper once we started working on our list. He helped choose items and get the things we needed for his upcoming week with his cousins. He paid attention to things that were on sale and helped check out at the end of our Meijer stop. We also went to Kroger for a few items they had on sale and I think we were in and out in record time.
Once home, I packed up the car and cleaned my basement dwelling. H picked up his toys and helped pack his clothes. We left around lunch for the two hour drive north to the cottage. We sang some Kidz Bop (and H can really belt out some Bieber) on the drive up. We unloaded the car and the dog and then had a fast paced game of ping pong... Well, as fast as an almost five year old can play. We had a lot of laughs and got a good workout chasing errant balls. We also played Old Maid; I cannot convince H that he needs to work on his poker face when he's holding the dreaded card in his hand. Finally before bed we watched Hotel Transylvania 2 and I'm always amazed at how many parts of that movie he already has memorized!!
It was another fun day!!
Thursday, July 7, 2016
Day Five - July 6
What a productive day! After H woke up, and proceeded to give me 101 reasons why he should not have to go to school (really?!?? It's ONE day out of the whole week, buddy!) we finally headed for EL around 10am. I got a bright idea to stop to get his passport pics taken, but apparently with a minor, both parents must be present. Noted. We'll try again next week. We pretended it was Donut Thursday and stopped at Tim Horton's for H's usual order of one birthday cake timbit, and one chocolate. The grand total comes to 53 cents. At least we're consistent! I dropped him off at school around 10:30am and I'm sure the staff was wondering why in the heck I brought him at all.
My first stop: the Hallmark store. Grandma turns 60 on Saturday and we needed cards! I also checked out Gymboree for H but found nothing. That store is so hit or miss. Next, I drove to downtown Lansing to pick up H's bday party #1 invites that I created the day before. They turned out adorable. Now if only I could do design work on etsy.com and never return to work. This Basement Dweller would be so happy!!
I realized I had time to make it to Mass at St. John's on campus, so I raced across town and focused on God for 30 minutes. I did get a funny text from J--How was Mass? I'm in mass too... mass chaos. Sorry, Honey, I'm unemployed so I don't know what that's like today. :) Next I went to the mall to exchange some items I had gotten for my birthday. I have no idea how strict the new job's dress code is, so even though I should've been shopping for me, I instead went to Old Navy and stocked up on H's uniform shirts (hunter and white) and also to Crazy 8 for his pajamas. Finally, I went to Bed, Bath, and Beyond for new pillows for J and I, as well as my favorite invention of all time, the Turbie Twist. I've visited their website, and these women are geniuses. This product is a small super absorbent terrycloth towel if you will, but it's cut to fit a woman's head and then twist up and tuck into a loop of elastic. So simple and so effective. I've been using one for over a year, and I knew I needed one at the cottage and one for travel. Crazy but great! Kudos to them for such a fab product.
By now it was after 3pm and I was ready for some McAlister's tea so I stopped there (did I mention it was 86 and muggy as hell?) on my way to Capitol Lighting. We hadn't taken the time to pick out our lights yet since the house construction seemed to be at a standstill. We got a gentle reminder from the builder (thanks, Jodie!) to get going on that so we don't hold up the process at all. She suggested we meet with Jenny at the store, and I got there early to try to narrow it down a bit. Holy smokes, horribly overwhelming at first glance!!!! The store is not really that big, and there are fixtures dangling from every inch of the ceiling. I instantly felt anxious and I was afraid this appointment would take three hours! Jenny was great though, and as I showed her a few things I liked, she was able to point out certain fixtures that were similar to my style. By the time J got there, I was ready to see what he chose and excitedly would yell, "YES!!" when he picked out some of the exact fixtures that made my short list. I told her we would agree for the most part, and we totally did. I think my dining room fixture is my favorite as well, which is good, since it's a centerpiece of our new home! I also love the outdoor lights (which we needed five!! Three for the garage, and then the smaller version of the same for the porch and back deck). J will purchase our fans separately for the great room and our master and install those himself. We haven't bought those yet. The best part is that we only went about $500 over our lighting allowance from the builder. Awesome! All in all it was a really good experience.
We picked H up and had dinner at home and then headed for ice cream at CZ before going to watch our cousin's baseball game. H had a great time at the game cheering for him and the whole team. I can totally see now why people are obsessed with America's greatest pastime and why they spend evenings and weekends at the ball fields. It is a pretty great environment and we had a lot of fun. I know we have to start somewhere, but I will be grateful as we transcend the levels and get past the not-so-exciting world of t-ball!
While I do not miss 'my former company', I do miss the people, and I was happy to text with a few of them during the day. I also smiled to read "this place isn't the same without you". Who doesn't like to be missed! This week is flying by...
My first stop: the Hallmark store. Grandma turns 60 on Saturday and we needed cards! I also checked out Gymboree for H but found nothing. That store is so hit or miss. Next, I drove to downtown Lansing to pick up H's bday party #1 invites that I created the day before. They turned out adorable. Now if only I could do design work on etsy.com and never return to work. This Basement Dweller would be so happy!!
I realized I had time to make it to Mass at St. John's on campus, so I raced across town and focused on God for 30 minutes. I did get a funny text from J--How was Mass? I'm in mass too... mass chaos. Sorry, Honey, I'm unemployed so I don't know what that's like today. :) Next I went to the mall to exchange some items I had gotten for my birthday. I have no idea how strict the new job's dress code is, so even though I should've been shopping for me, I instead went to Old Navy and stocked up on H's uniform shirts (hunter and white) and also to Crazy 8 for his pajamas. Finally, I went to Bed, Bath, and Beyond for new pillows for J and I, as well as my favorite invention of all time, the Turbie Twist. I've visited their website, and these women are geniuses. This product is a small super absorbent terrycloth towel if you will, but it's cut to fit a woman's head and then twist up and tuck into a loop of elastic. So simple and so effective. I've been using one for over a year, and I knew I needed one at the cottage and one for travel. Crazy but great! Kudos to them for such a fab product.
By now it was after 3pm and I was ready for some McAlister's tea so I stopped there (did I mention it was 86 and muggy as hell?) on my way to Capitol Lighting. We hadn't taken the time to pick out our lights yet since the house construction seemed to be at a standstill. We got a gentle reminder from the builder (thanks, Jodie!) to get going on that so we don't hold up the process at all. She suggested we meet with Jenny at the store, and I got there early to try to narrow it down a bit. Holy smokes, horribly overwhelming at first glance!!!! The store is not really that big, and there are fixtures dangling from every inch of the ceiling. I instantly felt anxious and I was afraid this appointment would take three hours! Jenny was great though, and as I showed her a few things I liked, she was able to point out certain fixtures that were similar to my style. By the time J got there, I was ready to see what he chose and excitedly would yell, "YES!!" when he picked out some of the exact fixtures that made my short list. I told her we would agree for the most part, and we totally did. I think my dining room fixture is my favorite as well, which is good, since it's a centerpiece of our new home! I also love the outdoor lights (which we needed five!! Three for the garage, and then the smaller version of the same for the porch and back deck). J will purchase our fans separately for the great room and our master and install those himself. We haven't bought those yet. The best part is that we only went about $500 over our lighting allowance from the builder. Awesome! All in all it was a really good experience.
We picked H up and had dinner at home and then headed for ice cream at CZ before going to watch our cousin's baseball game. H had a great time at the game cheering for him and the whole team. I can totally see now why people are obsessed with America's greatest pastime and why they spend evenings and weekends at the ball fields. It is a pretty great environment and we had a lot of fun. I know we have to start somewhere, but I will be grateful as we transcend the levels and get past the not-so-exciting world of t-ball!
While I do not miss 'my former company', I do miss the people, and I was happy to text with a few of them during the day. I also smiled to read "this place isn't the same without you". Who doesn't like to be missed! This week is flying by...
Wednesday, July 6, 2016
Day Four - July 5 - FUN day!
Today we had a BIG day planned. I promised H no work, no school, and a super fun time.
With no set schedule, our plans included: taking Mawby to the groomer, stopping at Meijer to get Zoo Days vouchers, spending a couple hours at Potter Park Zoo, getting lunch at the place of H's choosing, picking Mawby back up, and then stopping at the house to see the progress before heading home.
At Meijer, he wanted to look at the toys, even though my intention was just to run in and grab the vouchers. I said sure. On the way to the toys, we stopped by the Fourth of July clearance and found lots of decorations that we can use for our boat for next year's Higgins Lake Boat Parade. Next year will be our year to actually participate instead of just watching!
I remembered today just why I love being H's mom. At the zoo, I let him choose what to look at next. If he wasn't ready to move on, I didn't hurry him along. If he didn't want to spend much time at a certain exhibit, we looked for the next creatures. The best part was watching him think through what us being there together meant. He would ask me what I wanted to see next. He would ask what my favorite things were, or what I liked best about the aviary building. He agreed snakes "are a little yucky" and we shared in the disappointment that once again that darn snow leopard was nowhere to be found. (He stated last time he was there "with his old school" they couldn't spot it either, so we decided either the snow leopard is sick, or just an incredibly good hider.) It was almost like discovering my child again, and also realizing how much I had missed over the past six months because I was so caught up in my own stress from my former job.
After we visited almost every animal exhibit and vendor booth in the whole park, we were treated to popsicles on the way out. We hadn't eaten lunch yet, and H asked if it was ok to eat it anyway. Today the answer was definitely YES. He was sticky and covered in orange syrup and I didn't care because he was smiling and happy and asking if we could come back again, just him and me. And I said, "of course!".
We stopped for lunch at Culver's and I watched him carefully eat an entire plain butterburger with cheese. My kid can eat! He ate most of his fries and happily encouraged me to eat some too "but not the big ones yet, Mom, they are really hot!". He drank all of his chocolate milk and I realized my baby will be in Kindergarten in literally a few weeks. I can't even stand to think about. We got our ice cream and decided to eat outside on the patio even though it melted faster than I could eat it. He seemed very deliberate and lost in his thoughts. Rather than interrupt, I just ate my ice cream and studied his face as he ate. He has the craziest hair right now but it is so blond. We need passports but I'll wait until that hair gets cut before getting his pics taken for that. He looks so much like his dad but yet I see myself in him too. When we went to pick up Mawby, a very friendly cat in the grooming salon was drawn to him and he was petting her (him? he was shaved to look like a little lion, really cute actually) the whole time. Totally something I would do.
In the afternoon we decided we would take a trip to Emerson to play on their playground while we waited for J to get home. We made sure we tried every piece of equipment, including the zipline; twice for both of us! I took a few short videos to capture the moment of just how big he really is.
It was a truly memorable day that I will cherish forever and hopefully he will too. These are the days that an unemployed basement dweller lives for!
With no set schedule, our plans included: taking Mawby to the groomer, stopping at Meijer to get Zoo Days vouchers, spending a couple hours at Potter Park Zoo, getting lunch at the place of H's choosing, picking Mawby back up, and then stopping at the house to see the progress before heading home.
At Meijer, he wanted to look at the toys, even though my intention was just to run in and grab the vouchers. I said sure. On the way to the toys, we stopped by the Fourth of July clearance and found lots of decorations that we can use for our boat for next year's Higgins Lake Boat Parade. Next year will be our year to actually participate instead of just watching!
I remembered today just why I love being H's mom. At the zoo, I let him choose what to look at next. If he wasn't ready to move on, I didn't hurry him along. If he didn't want to spend much time at a certain exhibit, we looked for the next creatures. The best part was watching him think through what us being there together meant. He would ask me what I wanted to see next. He would ask what my favorite things were, or what I liked best about the aviary building. He agreed snakes "are a little yucky" and we shared in the disappointment that once again that darn snow leopard was nowhere to be found. (He stated last time he was there "with his old school" they couldn't spot it either, so we decided either the snow leopard is sick, or just an incredibly good hider.) It was almost like discovering my child again, and also realizing how much I had missed over the past six months because I was so caught up in my own stress from my former job.
After we visited almost every animal exhibit and vendor booth in the whole park, we were treated to popsicles on the way out. We hadn't eaten lunch yet, and H asked if it was ok to eat it anyway. Today the answer was definitely YES. He was sticky and covered in orange syrup and I didn't care because he was smiling and happy and asking if we could come back again, just him and me. And I said, "of course!".
We stopped for lunch at Culver's and I watched him carefully eat an entire plain butterburger with cheese. My kid can eat! He ate most of his fries and happily encouraged me to eat some too "but not the big ones yet, Mom, they are really hot!". He drank all of his chocolate milk and I realized my baby will be in Kindergarten in literally a few weeks. I can't even stand to think about. We got our ice cream and decided to eat outside on the patio even though it melted faster than I could eat it. He seemed very deliberate and lost in his thoughts. Rather than interrupt, I just ate my ice cream and studied his face as he ate. He has the craziest hair right now but it is so blond. We need passports but I'll wait until that hair gets cut before getting his pics taken for that. He looks so much like his dad but yet I see myself in him too. When we went to pick up Mawby, a very friendly cat in the grooming salon was drawn to him and he was petting her (him? he was shaved to look like a little lion, really cute actually) the whole time. Totally something I would do.
In the afternoon we decided we would take a trip to Emerson to play on their playground while we waited for J to get home. We made sure we tried every piece of equipment, including the zipline; twice for both of us! I took a few short videos to capture the moment of just how big he really is.
It was a truly memorable day that I will cherish forever and hopefully he will too. These are the days that an unemployed basement dweller lives for!
Day Three - July 4 - Happy Birthday, America!
Freedom isn't free...
Today I am thankful for every veteran and active military member we have that fight to keep our great country safe. I am also grateful for their families that make such a sacrifice. I appreciate those who lost their lives all over the world while wearing red, white and blue. I am trying to teach H that there are children that live in places that are violent and scary, where they can't play outside, or go to school, or sleep without hearing fighting all night. We are so fortunate to live in a safe country where we choose what we do every day and the government for the most part allows us to live our lives.
We were able to have our friends over a few nights ago and watching the kids do sparklers reminded me of my own childhood. Sparklers were my favorite to do with my friends that grew up across the street from me. We would go through box after box, lighting them off a candle, writing our names in the air, throwing them down the street (usually a mom put a stop to that pretty quickly) and running around our houses to see how many laps we'd make before that wire would fizzle out. Morning Glories were such a treat and now I don't even see those in the store anymore. Regardless, sparklers are such a simple childhood pleasure that I'm happy to see my own kid enjoy.
This was also the first year that we let H stay up to watch the fireworks down at the lake. There is nothing like sitting on the beach with our neighbors and watching dazzling displays all around us along the shoreline. It really is quite magical and H seemed to really enjoy it this year.
We return to basement dwelling today but it was great to spend three nights in the king size bed at the cottage! And unfortunately for J, I did tease him that the only reason I was going back downstate was because he had to work; because it's not like I have a job! He's a good sport about it and keeps reminding himself he has all of next week off.
Today I am thankful for every veteran and active military member we have that fight to keep our great country safe. I am also grateful for their families that make such a sacrifice. I appreciate those who lost their lives all over the world while wearing red, white and blue. I am trying to teach H that there are children that live in places that are violent and scary, where they can't play outside, or go to school, or sleep without hearing fighting all night. We are so fortunate to live in a safe country where we choose what we do every day and the government for the most part allows us to live our lives.
We were able to have our friends over a few nights ago and watching the kids do sparklers reminded me of my own childhood. Sparklers were my favorite to do with my friends that grew up across the street from me. We would go through box after box, lighting them off a candle, writing our names in the air, throwing them down the street (usually a mom put a stop to that pretty quickly) and running around our houses to see how many laps we'd make before that wire would fizzle out. Morning Glories were such a treat and now I don't even see those in the store anymore. Regardless, sparklers are such a simple childhood pleasure that I'm happy to see my own kid enjoy.
This was also the first year that we let H stay up to watch the fireworks down at the lake. There is nothing like sitting on the beach with our neighbors and watching dazzling displays all around us along the shoreline. It really is quite magical and H seemed to really enjoy it this year.
We return to basement dwelling today but it was great to spend three nights in the king size bed at the cottage! And unfortunately for J, I did tease him that the only reason I was going back downstate was because he had to work; because it's not like I have a job! He's a good sport about it and keeps reminding himself he has all of next week off.
Day Two - July 3
Second day of being Unemployed--and it's just as great as the first!
I should explain the Unemployed part now before we go further! When I accepted the offer at my new company, I explained I wouldn't be able to start until August 1. They hoped to start my onboarding sooner, however, I just knew once I put my notice in, I would want some time off to spend with my family. Again, through the grace of God, I am able to be off the entire month of July (and get PAID for it $$$) before having to begin this new chapter of my career. What a tremendous blessing. No one ever looks back at their life and says, "Gee, I really wish I would've worked more!"
My intention is to actually LIVE my life these next 30 days and reconnect with everyone around me, including myself. I started that process too first thing this morning; I got up before everyone else and ran two miles. It's not far but up north taking that run along the lake drive is one of my all-time favorite places to just BE; to focus on the sounds, smells, and sights of northern Michigan.
After church we got ready for a day on the boat. The sun was hot, the water was crystal clear, and we had the best time parking by my cousins for the afternoon while the boys played together. I try to really drink in those moments; first of all, because come February, I'm dying for those precious moments on the lake, and second, because I'm fully aware that our lives can change at any second. What do I mean? A good friend of mine recently fell on some stairs, and now has a serious head injury. His whole life has changed. I am keenly aware that people can be diagnosed with a myriad of issues that can affect their sight or hearing or even their ability to spend time in the sun. What if I couldn't see that amazingly clear water? What if I couldn't inhale deeply the fresh air that only the lake provides? What if I was told to stay out of the sun for the rest of my life? Worst of all, I think about how different it would if one of those people that I love was not on our boat with us. I think about all of these things that I take for granted every time we're out on the water and try to really take it all in.
So far this basement dwelling, unemployed life of mine is really quite awesome.
I should explain the Unemployed part now before we go further! When I accepted the offer at my new company, I explained I wouldn't be able to start until August 1. They hoped to start my onboarding sooner, however, I just knew once I put my notice in, I would want some time off to spend with my family. Again, through the grace of God, I am able to be off the entire month of July (and get PAID for it $$$) before having to begin this new chapter of my career. What a tremendous blessing. No one ever looks back at their life and says, "Gee, I really wish I would've worked more!"
My intention is to actually LIVE my life these next 30 days and reconnect with everyone around me, including myself. I started that process too first thing this morning; I got up before everyone else and ran two miles. It's not far but up north taking that run along the lake drive is one of my all-time favorite places to just BE; to focus on the sounds, smells, and sights of northern Michigan.
After church we got ready for a day on the boat. The sun was hot, the water was crystal clear, and we had the best time parking by my cousins for the afternoon while the boys played together. I try to really drink in those moments; first of all, because come February, I'm dying for those precious moments on the lake, and second, because I'm fully aware that our lives can change at any second. What do I mean? A good friend of mine recently fell on some stairs, and now has a serious head injury. His whole life has changed. I am keenly aware that people can be diagnosed with a myriad of issues that can affect their sight or hearing or even their ability to spend time in the sun. What if I couldn't see that amazingly clear water? What if I couldn't inhale deeply the fresh air that only the lake provides? What if I was told to stay out of the sun for the rest of my life? Worst of all, I think about how different it would if one of those people that I love was not on our boat with us. I think about all of these things that I take for granted every time we're out on the water and try to really take it all in.
So far this basement dwelling, unemployed life of mine is really quite awesome.
Day One - July 2
Today is my first official day of unemployment. And I couldn't be happier! Normally, at 36 years old, the phrase "I live in my mom's basement and I'm unemployed" means you've hit absolute rock bottom in life. But by the grace of God, not for me! In fact, I am beyond blessed and my life could not be better right now.
As we all know, you do have to have a low point to truly appreciate the highest of highs, and the beginning of the year was the lowest I've been in a long time. My marriage felt more like a roommates situation, my job was absolutely miserable every day, I hated where we lived, and I felt very alone in the world. I cried A LOT and knew the only one that could start making positive changes was me. For Lent I went to daily Mass as often as I could; my goal was to surrender all of this grief to God. It helped tremendously and also gave me the break I needed from work several times a week. I felt like the weight of my own cross got lighter as we got closer to Easter. I also tried to focus more on being a better wife and a better mother, both things I had been neglecting. J and I had THE TALK finally, and decided we were much better off in East Lansing. We knew in our hearts that H needed to attend STA, and he would do much better in a private school setting with a focus on our faith. We put the house up for sale, and by nothing shy of a miracle, had a full price offer within 24 hours, followed by a bidding war over the following weekend. For the first time in a long time we made money on real estate!
We signed on with a local builder after realizing the real estate market was very favorable to sellers but the opposite to buyers! At our age, we knew what we wanted and knew building was the way to get it. We had some requirements (three car garage, ranch, open floor plan) and some nice to haves (I surprised J with a covered deck, one of our favorite features of our now-sold home). We've run into some issues with the build but we're on our way now.
We've been Basement Dwellers since May 19 which most people are horrified when I tell them we moved BACK IN with my parents considering we lived here, in their basement, for four months last year (that's right, from Feb. to June of 2015 we were in the same accommodations) so this really is our second go-round as official Basement Dwellers. I do not plan on becoming an expert at basement life but I was certainly more prepared this time around (ie we have ALL totes with us with clothing, textiles, etc. so that I'm not digging through the storage unit when I realize I don't have something I need).
Now for the Unemployed part...
My former company (if I had a dollar for every time the president at my old job said that, I would literally be retired) was where I spent the first half of my career. I started there at 22 years old, and had spent the past 13 years there, slowly working my way up through the ranks. I am a good adjusters, and I'm even better at customer service and treating people the way they should expect and deserve to be treated. I'm not perfect but I had an ability to make the company look good often. The president had a real issue with assertive women; I was one of several that became targets for his own insecurities when the company was bought out by a big insurance group from a different state. He was no longer in charge, and he couldn't stand it. He tried to control everyone and everything he could including me and that just doesn't work for me. For the past four months, my life became a living hell at work, to the point that I was constantly stressed, not eating, being a horribly impatient and short with people, and worst of all, not being the mom I strive to be with H. I owed it to my family, my kid, and myself to make a change here as well, because it became very clear my career was over with this company anyway.
A couple of weeks ago we hit the pinnacle (or rock bottom technically) when I was essentially demoted and told I would receive no more raises. When I asked whom this applied to, I was told just to my position. I also broke down emotionally which I had prided myself on NOT doing up until that point. Without getting into the details, I almost walked out on the spot, but couldn't in good faith do that to my people that reported to me daily. That was a Thursday, and on Friday I worked from home, knowing full well I couldn't be in that building another day under that kind of pressure. Through nothing shy of a miracle, a company I had been having casual conversations with over the past two years contacted me with an opening and asked if I was interested just a week prior. Of course I jumped at the chance to interview again (they had offered me a job in the past, which I stupidly turned down) and that Friday afternoon they called with an offer.
Was I looking for a new job? Not actively. Did I intend to be a lifer at my company? I did. I had stuck it out so far and ridden the waves of some of the most tumultuous times in the company thus far. But I truly believe in everything happens for a reason and timing is everything; I also believe that I had been praying so hard for direction that this offer was an answer to my prayers. I knew the toughest part would be saying goodbye to people who were not coworkers, but who instead had become family. Our department is awesome and there are a whole lot of great people that work there. One bad apple shouldn't spoil the bushel but unfortunately when that bad apple is at the top and you have no buffer, that's exactly what happens. I take solace in knowing I will be working from home, and I'll be nine minutes away once our house is built (another indication I planned to work there, I am building a house that close to the home office!!). I will be able to keep in touch and see my friends from the office for lunch which helps. I do hope and pray for all of them that they are able to weather the storm there. Ironic insurance pun intended.
As we all know, you do have to have a low point to truly appreciate the highest of highs, and the beginning of the year was the lowest I've been in a long time. My marriage felt more like a roommates situation, my job was absolutely miserable every day, I hated where we lived, and I felt very alone in the world. I cried A LOT and knew the only one that could start making positive changes was me. For Lent I went to daily Mass as often as I could; my goal was to surrender all of this grief to God. It helped tremendously and also gave me the break I needed from work several times a week. I felt like the weight of my own cross got lighter as we got closer to Easter. I also tried to focus more on being a better wife and a better mother, both things I had been neglecting. J and I had THE TALK finally, and decided we were much better off in East Lansing. We knew in our hearts that H needed to attend STA, and he would do much better in a private school setting with a focus on our faith. We put the house up for sale, and by nothing shy of a miracle, had a full price offer within 24 hours, followed by a bidding war over the following weekend. For the first time in a long time we made money on real estate!
We signed on with a local builder after realizing the real estate market was very favorable to sellers but the opposite to buyers! At our age, we knew what we wanted and knew building was the way to get it. We had some requirements (three car garage, ranch, open floor plan) and some nice to haves (I surprised J with a covered deck, one of our favorite features of our now-sold home). We've run into some issues with the build but we're on our way now.
We've been Basement Dwellers since May 19 which most people are horrified when I tell them we moved BACK IN with my parents considering we lived here, in their basement, for four months last year (that's right, from Feb. to June of 2015 we were in the same accommodations) so this really is our second go-round as official Basement Dwellers. I do not plan on becoming an expert at basement life but I was certainly more prepared this time around (ie we have ALL totes with us with clothing, textiles, etc. so that I'm not digging through the storage unit when I realize I don't have something I need).
Now for the Unemployed part...
My former company (if I had a dollar for every time the president at my old job said that, I would literally be retired) was where I spent the first half of my career. I started there at 22 years old, and had spent the past 13 years there, slowly working my way up through the ranks. I am a good adjusters, and I'm even better at customer service and treating people the way they should expect and deserve to be treated. I'm not perfect but I had an ability to make the company look good often. The president had a real issue with assertive women; I was one of several that became targets for his own insecurities when the company was bought out by a big insurance group from a different state. He was no longer in charge, and he couldn't stand it. He tried to control everyone and everything he could including me and that just doesn't work for me. For the past four months, my life became a living hell at work, to the point that I was constantly stressed, not eating, being a horribly impatient and short with people, and worst of all, not being the mom I strive to be with H. I owed it to my family, my kid, and myself to make a change here as well, because it became very clear my career was over with this company anyway.
A couple of weeks ago we hit the pinnacle (or rock bottom technically) when I was essentially demoted and told I would receive no more raises. When I asked whom this applied to, I was told just to my position. I also broke down emotionally which I had prided myself on NOT doing up until that point. Without getting into the details, I almost walked out on the spot, but couldn't in good faith do that to my people that reported to me daily. That was a Thursday, and on Friday I worked from home, knowing full well I couldn't be in that building another day under that kind of pressure. Through nothing shy of a miracle, a company I had been having casual conversations with over the past two years contacted me with an opening and asked if I was interested just a week prior. Of course I jumped at the chance to interview again (they had offered me a job in the past, which I stupidly turned down) and that Friday afternoon they called with an offer.
Was I looking for a new job? Not actively. Did I intend to be a lifer at my company? I did. I had stuck it out so far and ridden the waves of some of the most tumultuous times in the company thus far. But I truly believe in everything happens for a reason and timing is everything; I also believe that I had been praying so hard for direction that this offer was an answer to my prayers. I knew the toughest part would be saying goodbye to people who were not coworkers, but who instead had become family. Our department is awesome and there are a whole lot of great people that work there. One bad apple shouldn't spoil the bushel but unfortunately when that bad apple is at the top and you have no buffer, that's exactly what happens. I take solace in knowing I will be working from home, and I'll be nine minutes away once our house is built (another indication I planned to work there, I am building a house that close to the home office!!). I will be able to keep in touch and see my friends from the office for lunch which helps. I do hope and pray for all of them that they are able to weather the storm there. Ironic insurance pun intended.
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