Vacation: Day 1

A mostly uneventful day, unless you count the power outages (2), the wild indian that is my oldest niece, and her whirling dervish of a sister.

I was awakened this morning by a wee voice saying "Wake up, Manna!" I woke up (I was already awake, since I'd been hearing the stirring of little bodies since earlier in the morning), and we started out right away reading books. It's good that they were just in Indiana for a visit a couple of weeks ago, because Olivia remembered me right away. We got up and at 'em at 7:00, and about 20 minutes later the transformer on the pole outside my brother's house popped and crackled and went out. A small tree limb had apparently fallen on the line. Georgia Power & Light was obviously in no hurry to get here, so we left the house and went to find breakfast at the local Cracker Barrel.

Side note: Those that know me (which, since my readership consists of 1, is everyone) know that I don't leave the house without showering, so don't fall over when I tell you that I did indeed venture out this morning after just washing my face and brushing my teeth. I put my greasy hair in a ponytail, covered it with a hat, put clean clothes on my dirty body, and went. It was so cute... when I brushed my teeth, Olivia was in the bathroom with me, and she said "Wia brush, too." It's obvious that she wants to do whatever the adults are doing, and she's so smart.

Anyway, we came home from Cracker Barrel to find that the lights were still out, but power was restored a short time later. We watched some TV, and the girls went down for much needed naps. Olivia is coming down with a cold -- her runny nose made it so hard for her to sleep lastnight or today, so she's not getting very good rest right now. Tonight she got some Benadryl, so we'll see how tomorrow goes.

Emilia got up from her nap as happy as a lark... her little bottom lip came out a bit when she was left alone with me for a while, but she did okay. Hey, she's only 8 months old and she doesn't know me as well as Olivia does. Olivia slept fitfully, so she and RC laid down on the couch in Emilia's room. Michelle, Emilia, and I were in the living room, when we heard a buzzing sound -- it really sounded like someone sawing something. Next thing I know, a tree branch at the house next door is on fire, then some sparks are falling from the power line, and then the transformer blows again! This time there was a very bright light... the branch was actually en flambe twice, and something blew up. RC, being the firefighter that he is, called 911, telling them there was an arcing power line (which it wasn't), and then he called GP&L again... in order to get them out more quickly, he told them the power line was down, and that it was arcing. I hope he doesn't get fined for that little white lie. It only took about 20 minutes for the power to come back on, but we're a little leery to go outside after all of that.

Olivia is so fun... 22 months is such a cute age. She's scary smart... she may not talk in complete sentences, but she understands so much, and communicates in long strings of real words. Nothing is garbled; the only word we couldn't immediately understand today was "ticka", which RC explained was obviously "sticker". Duh... I gave her the label off a banana today... thus, sticker. Michelle and I both felt pretty stupid. Olivia and I sat in the dining room after supper tonight and had a lengthy conversation... we smelled one of Michelle's nice candles that had been lit earlier today; we talked about dinner; we sang "Itsy Bitsy Spider", "Row, Row, Row Your Boat", and "Twinkle, Twinkle"; she told me about her trip to Indiana and who she saw; and in general she just floored me. She's full of hugs and kisses and she wants nothing more than to sit in your lap and read book after book after book. I tell you, I don't know if I could be more enchanted and in love with my own child.

More tomorrow... I'm wiped out for today. I'm hoping to get outside to take some pictures tomorrow.

PS - We did get to see a turtle today. I don't know what kind it was, but it was crossing the front yard, so RC went and picked it up so Olivia could see it. "Hi, Mr. Turtle", she said, and then RC put him back where he found him. I pretty much melted.

The Girls, February edition

Every month my brother and sister-in-law publish pictures of the girls, Olivia and Emilia. You can usually tell what they've been up to for that month, and for those of us that are far away it's a way for us to see the family without actually seeing the family. Of course all it does for me is make me feel like I'm missing out on all the hugs and kisses and coos and gurgles.

Last month they went to Tybee Island for an afternoon. Living in Savannah, they've had decent weather all winter, so while it was a windy day, it wasn't unbearable. Here are just a couple of my favorite shots of Miss Olivia:







And not to be left out, here's baby Emilia cooking up some kind of devious plot to eventually steal the show from her sister:



I think she looks like she's got so much to say, and just can't get it out! I'm sure she will, eventually.

Olivia, 14 months

Olivia, 14 months
Originally uploaded by Little Miss Magic.

On my last trip to Savannah, Mom and I kidnapped Olivia for a few hours in the late afternoon (post-afternoon nap). We went to the fabric store, which was a staple of my childhood shopping trips -- O was interested in all of the pretty, shiny, see-through fabrics, and loved that she was actually allowed to touch things! We left there and went to World Market, where there weren't as many things to touch and feel. There were, however, clothing items on clearance... and so we decided to put her in a hat and scarf. She actually smiled *after* I snapped the picture; I'm always either too quick, or not quick enough.

After we finished shopping we decided to go eat pizza. I don't know if she knows what pizza is, but if you ask her if she wants some she nods her head vigorously. She did such a good job being out with just Grandma and Aunt Manda -- she was even out past her bedtime. She was just so friendly and outgoing to everyone she met... she's a sweet girl. Just like her aunt, right?

When last we spoke...

I was trying to figure out how my family could have left me, looking forward to a new niece, and being generally dissatisfied with my job. Not much has changed since August!

Things have changed -- my brother married the girl he followed to Georgia. My niece, Olivia, arrived at the end of October...



and now looks more like this...



She's a sweetie, and I can't wait to visit her next week. She's crawling, people, and Grandma is just about beside herself now that the girl is mobile!!

The whole thing about Mom and Dad moving and leaving me hasn't been all that bad -- I still talk to Mom at least once a day, and Dad's been working from here off and on, so my separation anxiety has been at a manageable level. You know, it's time to cut the apron strings, anyway.

Except that I'm planning to move down there as soon as I can.

Oh, and my job? No better. Still sucks. Still hating it. But living with it.

Stay tuned!

Catching up

So, an awful lot has happened since I last posted in *gasp* February! I sort of waffled about whether or not to continue doing this -- I'm not really writing for an audience, but rather to just get things down on paper. Sort of. So, I've decided I'll give it another shot. My life is about to turn a little topsy-turvy, so why not put it out there for anyone who wanders by to read about?

Shortly after my last post, I found out I'm going to be an aunt for the first time. My younger brother followed the love of his life to Georgia 2 years ago, and they've been off-again/on-again ever since. They moved in together (finally) at the beginning of this year, and shortly thereafter, he knocked her up. Anyway, my parents will be moving at the end of October to be there before the baby comes, and for anyone who knows me, this is a H-U-G-E deal. HUGE. MONSTROUS. My parents are the source of entertainment, my free meal tickets, and general support system in the absence of a large circle of friends. Mom is my best friend -- and while I know I'll still be able to talk to her every day, I feel like someone sucker-punched me with this whole baby thing.

See, as petty as this may sound, it was supposed to be ME that went through all of this first, not him. I'm the oldest. I'm supposed to be married, with at least 1 kid already. Instead, I'm about as far away from married as you can get, and my furry animals are my child-substitutes. Now, I do sort of like my life -- but I couldn't help feeling irrationally jealous about the whole thing when he first told me. I'm fine now -- I'm SO excited to be an aunt, I can hardly wait for her to get here! I'm not happy about being so 750 miles away, while they all get to see her and touch her and play with her every day... the best I can do is drive down for a visit every 3 months or so.

Which brings me to... general work unsatisfaction (is that a word?). I'm beginning to hate my job so, so much. I've been doing this for 5 years, internet, and it's just evolved so much since I started, and I'm not sure I've evolved along with it. I like to think I've adapted, but I can't see for sure that I have. And of course, we're about to evolve further, and naturally, without proper training for all involved. Yeah-rah, Corporate America!! So, I find that I'm staying for 1) the benefits (which, for me, includes 28 days of PTO per year since I've been here so freakin' long), and 2) the pay ('cause I can't make this much money without a degree anywhere else). If it weren't for those 2 things, I'd be packin' it in and moving to Georgia along with everyone else!