This is one of my favorite recent pics of Coraline. She was a happy camper once I managed to untangle that little Slinky. (Photo taken 10/14/14)
Scene From a Marriage #37,453
“What are you going to do if she goes to college out of state?”
“We can move to be closer to her. You know, in case she needs to come home to eat, do laundry, hang out.”
“So you’re going to stalk her.”
“If moving just to stay close to someone and watching their every move is your definition of stalking, then yes, I suppose so.”
Filed under scene from a marriage
Is This Thing Still On?
Song Lyric of the Day:
I guess I can’t believe you really came / And that we’re sitting on this pier / See, I’m smiling / That means I’m happy that you’re here
Sherie René Scott / “See I’m Smiling“
I haven’t blogged in months. I haven’t even read blogs in months. Not that I haven’t wanted to, but life has been busybusybusy, which is nothing new, right? Regardless, I’m still alive. That’s something, right? So what’s been going on?
#TIFF14
In early September I was in lovely Toronto, Ontario, for the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival. I first went to the festival in 2009, and after much hemming and hawing for the past several months, Rich finally convinced me to go ahead and take the trip. So off I went. And yes, I was boo-hooing just a few months ago that I didn’t think I’d get to go anywhere this year. I had, however, been saving for several months for a new camera, which is the money I used to pay for my trip, which turned out to be as much fun as I’d hoped and then some. I will *try* to write about it more in depth soon. The Wi-Fi situation was not good, to put it mildly, while I was in Toronto, so I didn’t get to post anything here and barely managed to FaceTime and/or Skype with Rich and Coraline. In between seeing all those movies, that is.
This Is (Insert Old Age Here)
I hit a milestone birthday not long after I got back from Toronto, one which I have yet to celebrate with any sort of party because I was focused on a certain curly-haired bambina’s upcoming 4th birthday. Besides, my Toronto trip was pretty much my early birthday present to myself.
In honor of my 56th* birthday, I took a selfie.
*Would you believe … 57?
She’s 4 Now
Coraline turned 4 six days after my birthday. We celebrated with a bounce house party here at our house, which was a relief. Coraline has been to every kind of birthday party imaginable this year — Chuck E. Cheese, Ijams Nature Center, The Little Gym, The Pony Party, The Knoxville Zoo, to name a few — so Rich and I were surprised that she really wanted a party at home. And who were we to argue? She’s 4 now, after all, which she constantly reminds us of. Constantly. Did I mention she’s 4 now? Because she’s 4 now.
Coraline clowning around on her 4th birthday
Working Title
One of the main things that has kept me from blogging and reading blogs these last several weeks is that I have been writing. As in really writing and working on my book. I’ve made good progress and am happy with the direction it’s taking. It’s fiction, so I’m really enjoying letting my imagination run wild. I’ve been researching PTSD in combat veterans — triggers and treatments — so that my main character is believable, although I’m putting the poor bastard through the wringer. Now I just need a title that’s not complete crap like the one I originally slapped on it.
Did I mention that in my head this is what my main character looks like? I’m already casting the movie version.
Image courtesy of a Google search and beautiful man courtesy of Sebastian Stan’s mother.
I also have a new baby niece, Adriana, and Rich started a new job with a new company today. So now you know some of the main highlights of the last few months. Really, though, I’ve enjoyed spending time with my two favorite peeps and focusing more on living life offline. Or as the old-timers called it back in the day, life.
Finn decided to photobomb the family portrait we took on Coraline’s 4th birthday (9/23/14).
Photoblogging: Profile
I took this photo right after we washed Coraline’s hair. It helps give you an idea of how long her hair is before it re-curls as it dries, even though it had already started curling again by the time I snapped this. (5/11/14)
Filed under coraline, photoblogging, photography
The Year of Living Dangerously … Close to Home
Song Lyric of the Day:
Come away with me / Come, let’s go away to be / On a new adventure for two / We can fly across the ocean / Or take a train together / I don’t care as long as it’s beside you
Tim McMorris / “You’ve Got My Heart“
I’ve been fortunate in my life in that I’ve traveled a decent amount. My freshman year of high school, my mom scrimped and saved to send me to Europe with my French class (six countries in 16 days). For my honeymoon Rich and I took a Caribbean cruise. We made several trips to New York City over the years. In 2008 we met up with our friends Richard and Donna in Uruguay. In 2009 I took a solo vacation to the Toronto International Film Festival. In 2010 Rich and I visited Caren in Colorado right after learning we were pregnant with Coraline. In 2011 we took Coraline to Iowa to visit Rich’s extended family. In 2012 we took a long weekend in Asheville, N.C., exploring the city and visiting Biltmore (twice, but that’s a story for another day). Last year we took a long overdue visit to see friends in Ohio.
This year? Well, it’s already mid-May, and I have zero travel plans for the year. That’s right — nada. I’ve got nowhere to go and nothin’ to do. Travel-wise, that is. Due to various issues that have arisen and others that will need to be dealt with in the near future, traveling to, well, pretty much anywhere seems like more of an extravagance than ever. And I admit, it’s a bit depressing. It’s undoubtedly a first-world problem — boo hoo, poor me, I can’t take a vacation — but I’ll be honest and admit that yes, it’s got me down a bit.
One of the many beautiful, exotic vacation destinations which I will not be visiting this year.
A couple of months ago, Rich was encouraging me to go back to Toronto for this year’s festival, but I’m pretty sure that’s not going to happen now. Which sucks if for no other reason than I got my hopes up. I’ve written before about how being optimistic, as opposed to my naturally pessimistic self, is something I have to work at. So getting the shit kicked out of my excitement at the mere thought of going back to Toronto has not been fun. Maybe next year. We’ll see.
I’m trying to be optimistic (what can I say? I’m a dumbass who never learns.) that maybe we can at least take Coraline to New York City this year. I haven’t been since 2006(!) so that is definitely on my shortlist of places to go whenever we can afford it. And no matter what we can afford right now, I’m just scared to spend money on things — vacations — we don’t need, because who knows what other things will need to be dealt with. See? That’s me being pessimistic. And practical.
Still, I do have things to look forward to this year: a new baby niece on the way, a nephew starting preschool, Coraline’s 4th birthday, a nephew starting 1st grade, time spent with family we are fortunate enough to live close to, a new X-Men movie. (Hey, if I can’t travel, you can bet your ass I’ll at least be drooling over Hugh Jackman on the big screen.) So despite not having any international or domestic adventures on the horizon, there are still good things happening this year.
Staycation, anyone?
Scene From a Marriage # 34,774
After driving out of our neighborhood on the way to day care:
“Oh my God! I forgot my phone!”
“Really? You never forget that.”
“It’s OK. I can go home at lunchtime to get it.”
A few blocks from day care:
“Oh my God! I left my work laptop at home!”
“Are you OK?”
“Ugh. I’ll drop you off at work then go home to get it.”
A few blocks from work:
“Oh my God! I forgot my wallet! It’s still in my camera bag from Coraline’s ballet class last night.”
“What is going on with you? You’re like me, but on crack.”
As he’s getting out of the car and looking through his backpack:
“Aw, crap! I left my wallet in the garage!”
Laughing my ass off:
“Oh my God! We’re senile!”
Filed under humor, marriage, relationship, scene from a marriage
Hold Me Closer, Tony Danza
Song Lyric of the Day:
Hold me closer tiny dancer / Count the headlights on the highway / Lay me down in sheets of linen / You had a busy day today
A couple of months ago Rich and I enrolled Coraline in her first ballet class. Technically, it’s a jazz/ballet/creative movement/gymnastics class, but we call it ballet for simplicity’s sake. Coraline loves it, and so do we. It’s been so much fun watching her make new friends and to learn how to do first position, second position, and plie, among other ballet moves. She’s also learned the ball-shuffle-change move in tap, heel-toe moves, toe taps, and so on. She then goes insane — as does her whole class — when it’s time to switch to gymnastics for the last half of class. With a bit of encouragement, she now loves braving new things like the parallel bars, the balance beam, and the uneven bars — all with the instructor’s assistance, of course. Coraline is also now an ace tumbler after a less-than-spectacular start.
Coraline’s class’ recital is this weekend, the stuff of my mother’s dreams. See, once upon a time, young Pattie was enrolled in ballet class. And little Pattie whined after every class about how tired she was. Which always got the same response from her mother: “But you’ll be such a pretty ballerina!” It’s basically become family lore that I failed as a ballerina. Me, the klutz who broke my toe walking out of a room, remember? I can admit that I have hardly any grace, and I’ve made my peace with that. But my mom — oh, boy. She might literally have bells on this weekend, she’s so excited for Coraline’s recital. At least Coraline truly enjoys her class. No whining about being tired afterward from her! In fact, she’s excited about starting the next level of class, because she’s my girl and she’s awesome. Sure, she has maybe an ounce more grace than I do, but she pours her heart into learning her steps.
I’ll be wearing my own set of bells for her recital this weekend.
First day of class (3/26/14)
Tiny ballerina feet
Preparing to twirl
Practicing some of that creative movement
If there’s one thing Coraline is aces at, it’s the bows. The child is all about the bows.
Coraline is always more than happy to pose for a photo when she’s in her ballet outfit.
Twirling
Look at that bow — she has more grace than me after all!
My beautiful ballerina
*This post’s title is taken from one of my favorite jokes on Friends, courtesy of Phoebe.
Filed under coraline, personal, photography
Photoblogging: Mother’s Day 2014
Yesterday I enjoyed a low-key Mother’s Day, my fourth as Coraline’s lucky mom. We started the day with brunch — Coraline’s favorite meal — at The Egg & I, our first visit and one of the few places with a less than two-hour wait. Then we came home, where Rich and Coraline presented me with cards and presents. Coraline’s card made me cry (Rich chose well), while Rich’s was sweet and heartfelt. They gifted me with Lily Allen‘s new album, Sheezus, which I really like; a gift certificate to my favorite Italian restaurant, Altruda’s; and the Evil Dead Blu-Ray, which is a huge deal. It’s a huge deal because while I LOVE horror movies, Rich does not. At all. So he really took one for the team, because now that I own it, he knows there’s a chance he might have to watch it with me. That’s a good man right there. As far as Coraline is concerned, it’s a “people” (read: adult) movie that she can’t watch for a very long time.
Rich then offered to watch Coraline so I could enjoy a solo trip to Barnes & Noble without my tiny bookworm in tow — so luxurious. After the bookstore I went to my parents’ house to give Mom her card and presents. Coraline will be personally presenting her abuela with her Mother’s Day card today; we knew she’d want to do that herself. I got home, hung out a bit more, then when Coraline went down for her nap, I passed out on the couch with my cats. Then it was time for dinner, which we picked up from a nearby restaurant, and more family time. All in all, it was another great Mother’s Day. I’m really fortunate to be mom to such a fabulous kid, which I would never be without an equally fabulous husband.
Speaking of, said husband indulged me and took some pics of me with our curly-topped cutie to commemorate the day.
Coraline insists she be called Darth Vader when wielding this little inflatable light saber.
A kiss from Mommy
Smiles
A kiss from Coraline
A BIG kiss from Coraline
She’s very into making silly faces for photos these days.
Me and my little girl
Filed under being a mom, coraline, personal, photoblogging, photography
From the Heart
Coraline made this for me at day care. She told the teachers what she wanted to tell me, and they wrote it on this little butterfly made from tracing her hands. It’s the most perfect Mother’s Day present I could have hoped for. Artwork like this makes day care worth every cent.
Butterfly Hands
I hope all my fellow moms — to both little humans and fur kids — have a wonderful Mother’s Day this weekend. I know I’m looking forward to spending it with my favorite curly-haired munchkin.
Flashback Friday: “Only the Lonely” by The Motels
When I got a new computer last year, I was able to successfully transfer almost everything from my old computer. Unfortunately, one of the things that took a hit during the transfer was my iTunes library. I lost dozens of songs and albums, which I have been working to restore via iTunes support (for purchases) and old backup CDs I found. One of my favorite songs from the ’80s, “Only the Lonely” by the Motels, was one of those song casualties. It’s since been restored to my library, and in honor of that — and the fact that I still love this song so much — I’m sharing the video for it here. I have to say, even decades later, lead singer Martha Davis‘ voice still amazes me.
Filed under flashback friday, music, music videos
