i have been homeless since sunday officially, but been in a hotel since thursday. i am also carless!! all of my possessions are sprawled around me in a few suitcases, while the rest of my belongings are in storage until i find a house in atlanta. i'm sure i could have survived with less stuff, but it's weird how you get attached to your stuff. i can now relate to homeless people wheeling around shopping carts with all their stuff. even the homeless are comforted by having their stuff! s has recently taken to wheeling around her stuff in her doll's stroller. she jams in as much as she can, then marches down the hall to the elevator. i continually strive to have less stuff, as i believe too much stuff ways you down, but certain things i can't let go of. cause i might need them one day. my parents are at opposite extremes of this spectrum. my mom has almost no stuff, while my dad has a lot of stuff....with a garage 3 times bigger than his house to keep it all! my 2 vw beetles live just outside my dad's garage....in the compound:) i'm somewhere in the middle of my parents, although my house did look like an episode of hoarders for a period of time during the summer/fall. i'm just hoping for big closets!
anyways, i have 3 more sleeps in wpg, then i'm off to atl. i am excited, as it signifies the end of the wpg to do list that has been causing a lot of stress....even though i will be facing a long atl to do list including getting a visa, social security number, a car and a house. oh, and i need to find some friends.....i desperately wish all my friends and fam were coming with me!!! i have been practicing talking to strangers to get some practice in making friends. i almost always talk to moms i don't know when the opportunity arises....."how old is your daugher" or "what's his name?" or "i love your stroller!" sometimes a conversation follows and sometimes i get a one word response, which is my signal to talk to move on!
gotta run, my sleeping beauty is calling!
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
travelling with a toddler
it looks like a BOMB went off in my hotel room! despite my best efforts, my room is a complete disaster. our already tiny room is crammed with a playpen and a stroller. our huge suitcase is on the floor and our overflowing garbage can is sitting on the desk b/c s pulled my starbucks cup out of it yesterday and tried to drink out of it. s put j's shoes in the bathroom and mine in a drawer. complete chaos.
s has her other front tooth now! she seemed to handle it alright, however we've had a few temper tantrums that can be most likely attributed to teething. although many of the tantrums are a result of s asserting her independence.....pushing her stroller as opposed to riding in it is a perfect example. if only she could walk in the right direction. so inevitably i scoop her up. i'm not sure what people think when i carry her down the street with her screaming her face off, one arm threaded through her legs so i can get a good hold on her. i swear all these babies i see happily riding in their strollers must be sedated.
off to london today. got a 5-hour train ride from edinburgh to catch. can't wait to walk up and down the isles with s!
s has her other front tooth now! she seemed to handle it alright, however we've had a few temper tantrums that can be most likely attributed to teething. although many of the tantrums are a result of s asserting her independence.....pushing her stroller as opposed to riding in it is a perfect example. if only she could walk in the right direction. so inevitably i scoop her up. i'm not sure what people think when i carry her down the street with her screaming her face off, one arm threaded through her legs so i can get a good hold on her. i swear all these babies i see happily riding in their strollers must be sedated.
off to london today. got a 5-hour train ride from edinburgh to catch. can't wait to walk up and down the isles with s!
Sunday, August 2, 2009
glasgow, edinburgh
we spent our first week near glasgow, staying with j's fam. we got a chance to eat, drink and relax! with all the chaos prior to leaving for the UK, it was well deserved. j and i got the opportunity to go for dinner, just the 2 of us, and do some shopping! a special thanks to anutie l and my mil. we got some curry, as i had a craving, bought some new clothes (to account for all the rainy days that i hadn't planned for) and had tea at The Willow Tea Room (http://www.willowtearooms.co.uk/buchanan.htm). the tea room was fun....i wish i got a better picture of it. tea sandwiches aren't my fave (kinda boring), but the atmosphere was amazing! our room was all black and white and the chair backs were black and taller than i am, so that when you sit down you feel almost like you're caged into your table. the servers were wearing black dresses with white aprons, similar to a maid costume. oh, and the tea was good too!
we arrived in edinburgh by car yesterday. wow, is it busy! we walked up the royal mile a few times, which is VERY touristy, but worth while, none the less. we went a neat little restaurant last night called the dogs. sloane was soooooo exhausted that she passed out on our way in. i was so excited that i got to eat a meal without chasing her around that i didn't take any pics. there were dog statues, paintings and ornaments everywhere. there must have been some actual dogs somewhere too, b/c i saw a dog dish. i had barley risotto and j had lamb. delish! toffee pudding for dessert, which is my latest food addiction. did i mention, i'm wearing leggings almost everyday, so if my jeans are getting snug from all these indulgences, i am unaware.....however pushing a stroller uphill is a great workout!
today we went to the edinburgh castle, which was over half an hour to get in, but worth the wait in the end. i am not much for history, but it was quite impressive. i won't try to describe it, let's just say it's big and castle like, with beautiful views.
we arrived in edinburgh by car yesterday. wow, is it busy! we walked up the royal mile a few times, which is VERY touristy, but worth while, none the less. we went a neat little restaurant last night called the dogs. sloane was soooooo exhausted that she passed out on our way in. i was so excited that i got to eat a meal without chasing her around that i didn't take any pics. there were dog statues, paintings and ornaments everywhere. there must have been some actual dogs somewhere too, b/c i saw a dog dish. i had barley risotto and j had lamb. delish! toffee pudding for dessert, which is my latest food addiction. did i mention, i'm wearing leggings almost everyday, so if my jeans are getting snug from all these indulgences, i am unaware.....however pushing a stroller uphill is a great workout!
today we went to the edinburgh castle, which was over half an hour to get in, but worth the wait in the end. i am not much for history, but it was quite impressive. i won't try to describe it, let's just say it's big and castle like, with beautiful views.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
the journey
so, obviously we all made it here safely! almost a week ago. things got better as the journey went on. it all started with some moron at wpg airport security. after being asked to hold my belt open with both hands so i could be scanned WHILE HOLDING SLOANE, i thought i should put sloane down, and was told to pick her back up. j intervened by picking her up and was quickly told to put her down so i could grab her.....while holding my belt open.....with both hands......arrrrrrrggghhhh. after turning around so he could scan my rear side, he informed me that he was 1 minute from shutting the whole airport down on my account and none of this would have happened if i would have remembered to take off my belt. i'm getting pissed off just typing this. j told me to forget about it.....so i did after repeating a few "serenity nows".
flight to TO was kinda brutal b/c s was crazy and needing to be all over the place. flight to london was delayed a half hour or an hour. first class rocks, although we deserve a discount b/c i didn't eat or drink anything. i did make use of my air canada slippers though. s passed out before our flight even took off, sometime around midnight. i passed out shortly after, and we woke up half an hour before our flight landed. phew. it could have gone much worse! i had visions of no sleep and walking up and down the isles for 7 hours. it was a bit of a gong show when we landed, as our connecting flight to glasgow took off 30 minutes after we landed. air canada was nice enough to drive us across the tarmac and escort us to customs, but we still missed our flight. the following one was 4 or 5 hours later. man, there were some pissed off canadians. we went to the private lounge and had a nap.....s included.
flight to TO was kinda brutal b/c s was crazy and needing to be all over the place. flight to london was delayed a half hour or an hour. first class rocks, although we deserve a discount b/c i didn't eat or drink anything. i did make use of my air canada slippers though. s passed out before our flight even took off, sometime around midnight. i passed out shortly after, and we woke up half an hour before our flight landed. phew. it could have gone much worse! i had visions of no sleep and walking up and down the isles for 7 hours. it was a bit of a gong show when we landed, as our connecting flight to glasgow took off 30 minutes after we landed. air canada was nice enough to drive us across the tarmac and escort us to customs, but we still missed our flight. the following one was 4 or 5 hours later. man, there were some pissed off canadians. we went to the private lounge and had a nap.....s included.
anyways, the flight to glasgow was uneventful and now we're here!
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Thursday, July 9, 2009
dear sloane 07.09.09
dear sloane:
today i thought i lost you! we're staying in auntie em's while we get our hardwood floors redone on a futon in the basement. i was in the bathroom putting on my make-up before work while you were in bed with dad and when i was done, you were GONE! i frantically searched the basement with no luck, then ran up the stairs to find you at the front door playing with my keys. you scared the sh*t out of me! normally you wake up slowly.....we cuddle for a bit, and when you're fully awake you explore. apparently not any more!
please don't do this again.
love,
mom
today i thought i lost you! we're staying in auntie em's while we get our hardwood floors redone on a futon in the basement. i was in the bathroom putting on my make-up before work while you were in bed with dad and when i was done, you were GONE! i frantically searched the basement with no luck, then ran up the stairs to find you at the front door playing with my keys. you scared the sh*t out of me! normally you wake up slowly.....we cuddle for a bit, and when you're fully awake you explore. apparently not any more!
please don't do this again.
love,
mom
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Back to Work!!
so, i have officially been off work for 14 months, and i go back to work in one month! the year has flown by, and it seems like just the other day i was pregnant and counting down til my last day at work. sloane is 11 months now, and i'm starting to plan her first birthday party which is bittersweet because it coincides with me returning to work and leaving my baby for 6 hours everday:( i never imagined i could be so attached to someone! we do EVERYTHING together. somethings i don't love, like being in the bathroom with her....if i'm on the toilet, she's trying to flush it, if i'm putting on make-up or brushing my teeth, she's unravelling the toilet paper. the other day i let her unravel a whole roll just so i could put on my make-up. there are many things i DO love though....cuddling on the couch, going for walks, reading stories, rocking in our rocking chair *depending on the time of day*, and watching her as she explores our house. the last one just makes me smile. those door stopper springs.....she loves! she also loves tupperware, electrical cords and outlets, magazines, laundry.....all these boring, mundane things are interesting to her! she loves the cordless phone, but i had to take it away after the police showed up at my door saying they received a call from my house! i was making dinner and gave her the phone to keep her busy, thinking what are the odds she could call 911. pretty good apparently. i answered the door thinking it was my dinner guests and was quite surprised to find 2 police officers. good times. so many memories. i have enjoyed this year more than i could have ever imagined. i am thankful however that my mom will be watching her while i'm at work. it will be a rough transition, but we'll make it through it....my cubicle will be plastered with photos of my baby girl....and i will hurry home from work everyday to see my family:)
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