1. I should be sleeping now while the baby is sleeping, but I'm not tired enough yet.

2. Alone with the kids much of this weekend. I hate the weekends that my husband works.

3. We are going to the shore next weekend, and I expect it to be more stressful than staying home. Much more. But my husband wants to go and I don't want to deprive my son of a beach experience.

3a. So I think a trip to the shore will be stressful, but I'm totally looking forward to returning to work after maternity leave in a week and a half. Fancy that.

1. A week after coming down with a cold, I still have an ugly raspy cough at night.

2. It rained a little just now. We need so much rain. A few drops are just symbolic at this point, but they felt nice.

3. I don't feel as if I have a good excuse, things are fine really, but the last few days have been emotionally tough, and I feel uncharacteristically fragile.

1. I am buy translating a book about an indigenous Amazon tribe, one of the more interesting projects I've had in years.

2. Two sets of friends have decided to move to my town from Brazil this summer, and as the respective families purchase/rent houses, they've been staying with us. It's been a lot of fun, and has made the summer rush by. I saw a commercial the other day for college football, which means fall is nearly upon us? What happened to summer? Also, explaining college football to a nine year old who has never seen American football before.

3. I have consumed more ice cream in the past few weeks than over the past five years combined.

1. I'm in Dallas (more specifically, the Dallas airport), en route to Santa Fe and then Taos for what they call a Writer's Retreat (I'm not so into the retreat aspects -- I thought it was more about the writing, but I'm going with the flow, so to speak; I may even learn the "Dance of Shiva," if I can keep from giggling). For the last Santa Fe to Taos leg, some nice ladies also heading to the retreat (it's women only) are picking me up at the airport and we're sharing a car (it helps not to have to walk in alone). Haven't seen many cowboy hats here in Dallas (disappointed). They did offer a "nondenominational" chapel service here at the airport, though (we're not in Gotham anymore, Toto).

2. I am getting very sleepy. Didn't sleep very much last night -- about three hours. Anxious, I guess. I could have slept during the first leg -- I sprung for first class, and man, what a difference, so comfortable -- but they were playing Divergence, which I've always wanted to see. Good movie. Made the time go by really fast.

3. I miss my boo already... (Hi, booie! :(

1. Old friends are in town for a fleeting visit. Old as in I haven't seen them since just after college (when they'd just started dating, after being roommates), so like 16 or 17 years ago?! Saw them for a few hours this afternoon, which is probably the only time I will get to catch up, but we slid right back into a nice vibe. People don't change, really, for the most part.

2. I've been sick with a random virus for a couple of weeks. So my run today was the first in a couple of weeks. Boy, that sucked.

3. 4 weeks until we go to New Zealand!

1. Generally pissed off at the world these days. And I don't get brownie points for just gritting my teeth and smiling even when I don't feel like it. I really, really am trying, and it feels like no one else is. Hate it.

2. Craving lots of salt, because it's summer. Salsa and chips for dinner tonight, mmmm.

3. (Related to #1) Feels like there's some sort of supernatural conspiracy to keep me from meeting anyone at dating events. Finally found one that I liked last week, and it got cancelled due to rain.

1. Had a two day garage sale that had mixed results. Got rid of a lot of stuff, but there's still a fuckton and a half left. Thankfully there's a donation center that will take just about all of it.

2. But they can't come until Friday, and I was going to leave town on Thursday. So now it's Saturday. It can be done, but man I hate cutting things this close.

3. It's taking all of my self control to obey my various apps and drink when I'm supposed to, rest when I'm supposed to, and not tape the kids up in boxes and send them to my parents.

1. After arriving in Osaka I slept for 13 hours, then ate breakfast and slept for another hour.

2. I'm heading to the U.S. Consulate now to get my Affidavit for Competency to Marry notarized.

3. This afternoon I'll take the bullet train to destiny.

So excited for you, HJ! Please keep us updated!

1. Great long weekend in FL with the family. Got the beach time I craved and had dinner with my grandparents, who are doing pretty well considering their poor health. O had a ball being spoiled by his grandparents. Not sure when we'll get down there again; soon we'll have two kids and even a three-hour flight sounds expensive & exhausting.
2. This rental house is going to give me a nervous breakdown. Everything keeps breaking! This week it's a leak in the kitchen and an AC with no cool air. And it being a rental means you gotta call The Guy (property manager) instead of someone who will actually come out ASAP and fix it. The Guy and I will be having a very fun conversation tomorrow morning going over what I'm expecting to happen here.
3. Due in two months. Two months! So soon and yet so far away. Heartburn killing me at the moment.

So very happy for you, HJ. I know it's been a long road for you.

HJ I hope you two will be very happy.


Not a weekend update, but update all the same: I just learned that tomorrow will be a national day of mourning. We'll probably interrupt any work activity for a minute silence when the bodies arrive in the Netherlands.
Quite unprecedented in the NL to have a day of mourning. But appropriate I think.

Very appropriate. Such a horrifying event.