Gretna Weekend

Last weekend we had a great time with great friends.  Mount Gretna is a hard place to describe; it's almost like something out of a story - where quaint cottages with names like "As You Wish" and "Serendipity" are haphazardly nestled close together under a canopy of trees. 

After enjoying lunch at the Hideaway, we tucked in on the super huge porch of our rented cottage and listened to music while watching the rain.  Even though she barely  napped, Kayla was an absolute delight, making fast friends. 

We ate way too much and certainly drank our share, but it was a wonderful time.  I'd go back to sitting on that porch and listening to the rain in a heartbeat given the opportunity.  Hoping we get to do that soon!

Is weekend yet?

My hair dryer shit the bed finally gave up the ghost this morning.  I guess I can’t complain – I’ve had that thing since at least college, if not high school, which makes it approximately… ancient.  So I’m sitting at my desk, hair in a ponytail still foggy from lack of caffeine.  It’s foggy outside too – hoping that grey skies and rain don’t ruin our weekend. 

 

But my school work is done, we have plans for good times with good friends, Kayla will be with her grandparents Saturday into Sunday…

 

And right now my husband is out purchasing a new hair dryer for me.  Heaven help us all. 

Still waiting on that MOTY award

And from the looks of it, the wait will be long. 

The lovely mark on her forehead?  Obtained out walking with mommy and daddy earlier this week.  I was singing a song to get her to hurry up a little because it was getting dark; I had a hold of her hand, but she tripped and I couldn't grab hard enough fast enough so down she went.  Do you know what it sounds like when a little one's head hits the sidewalk?  I do.  It's awful. 

Thankfully she seems no worse for wear, as evidenced above.  I am still bothered by it, but she clearly is not.  Unless a side effect of a head injury is suddenly asking "why?" to everything.  Today when I picked her up from school, I put her in the car and our conversation went something like this:

Me:  Did you have a good day today?

Her:  Uh-huh!

Me:  Good!  Let's go home and watch Gabba...

Her:  YAY!

Me:  Then after nap time we're going to go to the grocery store.

Her:  Why?

Me:  Because we need food.

Her:  Why?

Me:  Because we have to eat, silly!

Her:  Why?

Me:  Because you get grumpy when you're hungry.

Her:  Why?

Me:  Because I get grumpy when I'm hungry too.

Her:  Why? 

Me:  Oh look, we're home!

Her:  Why? 

I know every kid goes through this.  Somehow though, I wasn't expecting it until she was a bit older.  I guess I can just hope that we're getting it over and done with early... and also hope that this little phase doesn't rear its ugly head again later on. 

I haven't forgotten

I wanted to write something yesterday, but the words wouldn’t come.  It felt trite.  Ten years is such an arbitrary line in time – why would this particular anniversary be more poignant than the previous 9?  But it was.  Maybe because of the media frenzy; everyone and their brother had something about 9/11 on TV.  Maybe because for the first time in 10 years, I actually sat and watched the video rather than changing channels. 

I remember 9/11/2001 pretty clearly.  It was a beautiful fall day.  I remember sitting in my friend Matt’s dorm room with he and his roommate; watching the coverage, holding hands and feeling a spectrum of emotions.  Anger.  Fear.  Sadness.  Confusion.  It’s amazing how an event like that can cause such a seismic shift to a 19 year old.  I remember the agonizing 2-3 days afterwards, waiting anxiously for word from my friend Ashley who was attending NYU at that time.  I remember standing outside of my dorm with friends and none of us being able to talk about anything else for days. 

I hope that someday I will be able to share my memories of that day with Kayla, and I can help her understand how it changed our world.  It’s a hard thing for me to reconcile sometimes… I just hope I’m able when the time comes. 

We love the beach!

Seriously who couldn't get used to this view?

Yeah, that was taken from the balcony of the condo we rented in OC.  Nice, huh?

We arrived and dropped Shaun off at our OC Branch to do some work during some rain showers.  Thankfully they let up as I put gas in the Jeep so Kayla and I could kill some time on the beach.  She happily skipped along, sand toys in hand, oblivious to the crap weather we were having. 

As the clouds started to clear off, we had dinner and went down to the boardwalk for some shopping and treats.  Kayla loves Thrasher's... she wasn't too keen on the "no ketchup" policy though - vinegar isn't her favorite. 

Wednesday morning we woke up to hazy skies that quickly cleared and gave us a beautiful day on the beach!  Grandma and Pawpaw came down to spend some time with us.  We played in the surf, but the waves were too rough for any real swimming.  After a morning on the beach, we had lunch, nap and then went to dinner at Harpoon Hanna's.  We hit the boardwalk again and took Kayla to see the kites at the Kite Loft - a huge hit for sure! 

Thursday was another beautfiul day in Ocean City, but the morning was a little subdued as we started to get news of the flooding that was happening here at home.  Thankfully our house was dry, but many people we know are dealing with water in their basements - some a little, and some a lot.  We kept a close eye on everything that was going on, although there wasn't much we could do from such a distance.  A lot of bridges were flooded and roads closed, so even trying to come home sounded more dangerous than just staying put. 

So we stayed.  And enjoyed another beautiful, sunny day.  Kayla got to have dinner at Grotto Pizza with Grandma and Pawpaw.  Shaun and I got a date night at Liquid Assets.  It was wonderful.  We got back in time to take a walk down to Dumser's for ice cream and for Kayla to show us the spoils of her night out with her grandparents.  A little boogie board, a school bus toy and best of all - a treasured balloon from the restaurant. 

Friday was pretty overcast, so we took the opportunity to explore one of the parks across the highway from our condo.  Playgrounds are almost always a big hit... and the adults enjoyed the walk too. 

After Grandma and Pawpaw headed home, we relaxed and napped, then had a quick dinner in and took one last trip down to the boardwalk.  Tonight?  A yummy soft pretzel, a new sweatshirt and a cool Angry Bird toy won by daddy.  We walked around the rides, and it brought back a lot of memories from when I vacationed in OC as a kid - a lot has changed, but a lot of things are the same.  It's so much fun to share this stuff with Kayla now. 

All in all we had a great vacation; I'm already looking forward to going back! 

We're Back!

And the basement is dry!  I'm in the midst of 37 loads of laundry and catching up on my school work, but when I get around to editing, there will be a photo-laden post for your enjoyment.

There's nothing quite like the beach for bringing out the kid in us all.

A break in the clouds?

We certainly hope so... especially me.  Looking like potential for crap weather in OCMD this week.  If anyone has any perfect weather bids they want to surrender for Wednesday and/or Thursday, I'd be eternally grateful. 

Though I suppose a crap day at the beach is better than a good day at work, right? 

Can you prepare a statement of retained earnings for a corporation?

I can. 


TAKE THAT, ACCOUNTING 200.





Now that I have that out of my system... I just finished up my last assignment for the week.  And man does it feel good.  I'm currently rocking a 115% in my medical terminology class, which is shaping up to have more work but I feel like I'm managing that well because it's interesting.  Accounting spent 3 days kicking my ass before I finally decided I wasn't afraid and I could manage it - so I did. 

I'm starting to think that I really can do this.  Even when increasing my course load next semester.  I can do this. 

Wow. 

One more week of work and class, then we're off to the beach.  Class will likely have to follow, but it will mostly be sun and fun for a few days.  I look forward to ocean sunrises and quiet and reconnecting with my little family and my cameras.  The next few weeks are going to be fun.  It's been a lovely summer, but I'm looking forward to the fall. 

Officially Official

I have a student ID and some books.  Virtual Campus orientation is tonight, and classes start in a week. 

 

Holy crap, I’m a college student again. 

 

Ohhh back to school

This week I took a leap that I wasn't completely certain I was capable of.  I registered for two online classes.

Don't get me wrong, I still think I'm the poster child for what not to do... Like people point and whisper, saying "that's the girl who just registered at the local community college to get an associates degree.  Oh, don't be fooled by her looks, she's almost 30." 

[Side note: that comment about my looks isn't just my vanity talking.  A few years ago I was working part time at a grocery store to help pay for our wedding.  Maybe it was the fact that no one I worked with was over 18, but no one believed me when I said I was recommending a wine from experience, and yes, I was really old enough to drink.]

I'm not proud that it's taken me so long.  I'm not happy that it took 5 years in a dead end job to finally get me off my duff (in my defense, it only became a true dead end this time last year).  I wish I could follow my heart and what I think my true career path should be, but we just aren't there right now.  I'm also not celebrating - I'll do that when I'm done.  Hopefully that will be next December.

So - as if my writing wasn't sporadic enough, it may be even more so starting later this month.  Classes begin 8/22 and finish up 12/16.  It should be an interesting few weeks.  Wish me luck.