Birthday Thoughts & Adventures

Its my birthday.

Numero 29, friends.  

The number, well, it means pretty much nada to me.  Whatevs.  But the present of a new year laid out before me, the potential that brings with it...  I'll tell you what, it makes me downright introspective.  Makes me want to consider the past year and look to the new, decide what I want to do and be, make goals and order my thoughts.  And so I will, because its my birthday and I can plan and dream and scheme and hope if I want to!

1.  In this new year of mine, I want to chase after God like never before.  I want to center around Him, look first to Him, consider His words and ways and actually act on them.  I saw an instagram post recently that highlighted 4 women to follow, because they were living their lives full of passion and Jesus.  And I want that.  Not to be listed on someone's instagram feed, that is inconsequential.  But when I thought about being described that way, I didn't see it in myself.  And I want to see it.  I'm planning to be bold, folks.  I'm new here, and that helps a lot, but either way, I'm planning on Jesus first, and then anything else, and I'm excited for what that's going to be like.

2.  I want to embrace hard work.  Often times I feel like running from it.  C'mon, you know you do too.  I put off the least desirable task because, well, its least desirable.  But that doesn't make it go away.  It just makes it even more of a stressor, and often makes it even more difficult to get to, and worse when I finally do.  That's not smart.  Its not wise.  Its not the best approach.  If I can teach myself to do the hard stuff first, to figure out what needs to be done and do it (& well!) regardless of how much I like it, I believe that will make me leagues more successful.  Planning out my classes for the fall, down to the daily lecture level?  Sounds kind of terrible and like it'd be nice to ignore - Ima gonna do it.  Picking up after myself as the day goes on?  It'd be nice to just live and hope that a housekeeper gets lost and comes to my house - it's time to keep up with the chaos.  Stopping my activities and giving Handsome full attention?  Its harder than it should be a lot of the time, but it deserves to be done, and it ought not be delayed.

3.  I want to live out grace for myself.  A few years ago I decided to change personality types, move from a type-A to type-B.  I can't say I've ever really gotten there, and perhaps that's the wrong way to describe it, but I want to keep trying.  To me, this means not measuring every breath as a success or a failure; not keeping so focused on the clock that I forget to enjoy the people I'm with; no longer following too many rules and not enough jokes.  To me it means relaxation and rest, intentional attention and valuing other people over my schedule.  It just seems like a better way of life, you know?

4.  Finally, I want to seek out adventure and passion and life-giving things.  Today, for my birthday, I got the wild idea that we should drive out to Lake Erie and see the Ice Dunes (huge ice jams on the beaches caused by waves that freeze - what the what!?).  It didn't really have much purpose to it other than as an excursion, and it would have been easier to stay home, but we didn't.  We did the hard work (See #2) of getting ourselves and our toddler bundled up and out of the house, and drove out to the park.  We got way more than we bargained for!

Ice fishing diehards.
Impressive, from the warmth of my car.

We saw ice fishing in action (brand new experience), stood on a frozen bay that we'd previously been on in a boat (wild!), saw someone kite-skating (think parachute, windy day, harness, and ice skates) and got to experience a frozen beach.  I'm talking sand and snow mixed at your feet.  It was weird, people, but there was a sense of adventure in it and the wide open space let my soul breathe.  I needed that little trip, and I'm convinced that I need more like them.  So this year, I want to purse those experiences - the ones where you are just embracing life, finding joy and beauty and newness because you took the time to look.

Standing on the bay.
Sure, there are more exciting things, but still.
It was fun and now we've done it!

This is a beach, folks.
Like, sand that goes right up to the water.
Except now its walls of ice that lead down to sheets of ice.
I loved it.

Rileygirl didn't get to go out on the ice, but she had a good time anyhow.
I'm trying to embrace this time while she still doesn't really know when she's missing out ;)

So that's my goals, my hopes, my thoughts for this new year.  I'm excited for what its going to bring (like a new baby in only 5 sleeps!!) and to see who I become this year.  I can't stay the same, none of us can, and so I'm looking forward to see who I'll become!  Enjoy my birthday, friends!

<3 M.

Vitamin-D Fatigue

You guys.  This weekend was such a good weekend, but the kind of weekend that you need a weekend from afterwards.  Or perhaps I just need a leetle bit more regular exercise in my days, because whoa! I am wiped. out.  Handsome is sleeping on the living room floor, per his usual I-ran-5-miles-today-so-now-I'm-tired.  Me, well, I just got a little bit of sun, and you know how that does.

I want you to know that if you ever, EVAR, have the chance to participate in a Color Run (by the legit color run folks), you should.  Unless you hate color.  Or happiness.  Or fanny packs.  Provided that you hate none of those, you should do it.

(before)

(after)

The weekend didn't stop with the run, though.  There was a gymnastics meet where I got to see little toddlers do their "routine" and about die of cuteness.  There was a great morning at church where RG did not get kicked out of the nursery for inconsolable fussiness (as opposed to last week...).  And then there was a stolen hour at the lake in the warm sunshine (hence my tiredness) (vitamin D-fatigue, its a thing). 

This was an especially sweet weekend because its one of the last for a while.  The proper motivation has been provided for me to finally finish my dissertation, and so there will be a lot of all-work-and-no-play-makes-Mariah-a-dull-girl weekends in my future, until I finally graduate this summer.  I'm not looking forward to the getting there, but being done?  Oh mylanta, the idea that I might actually be finished with being a student sounds almost better than chocolate.  Which, on this 35th day of Lent, is really saying something. [Note: the Lenten season expires (totally not the right word) on Thursday after Mass.  FYI.]  

Gear up, folks, its gonna be Monday tomorrow.  And that means its go-time.

<3 M.

Weekend is a Circus

First - thank you all for the encouragement and prayers and good wishes last week with my job interview!!  I think it went well, since everyone was really friendly and I didn't choke on water or trip down stairs or tell them that I didn't know what I was doing.  I even sounded professional and intelligent  which is what I was hoping for.  I also spilled butter on myself first thing in the morning, but ya gotta keep it real.

The trip was fast and cold and exhausting (so much!) but as soon as I got back, my in-laws and sweet baby niece were home waiting for me!  We've had a fabulous visit, and it is so fuzzy-feeling-making watching Riley play with her cousin, smooch her Papap, and throw food all over her Nana.  

Ever the entertainers, we headed out this weekend to the Shriner's Circus that was in town.  YOU GUYS.  It was so very awesome.  I hear there's a groupon for it, so check that out and then go and I hope you love it was much as I do but thats not really possible because I loved it so much and only stayed for half. *breathe*

Ahem.  

The Big Cat show.
This Lion's name was Handsome.
The guy put his head in the lion's mouth.
Circus dream: Realized.

Air Ballerina.
At least, that's what I'd call her.
Very impressive.

Getting our picture taken with the token endangered species.
Its a real live Siberian Tiger, I promise.
They fed him pieces of meat in between each picture.

That one time RG & her cousin & Myself & 2 strangers rode an elephant...
I had my cowgirl boots on, see, so I had to ride...
Second Circus Dream: realized.

Successful interaction with a clown.
(Yes, I handed my child to a stranger)
Hoping to not scar RG for life, but she loves strangers and so I felt like we were okay.

I had never been to a circus, and I had such a great time!  We went to The Smokin' Pig afterwards, which is just necessary and amazing.  And then today we hit up a great local pizza joint (BBQ Chicken Pizza, yes please!!) and then the International Student Food Festival on campus.  One thing I love about living in a college town is that there is almost always fun activities to be found!  I'm so excited to experience more and more of these as Riley gets older and can appreciate them more!

And that was our weekend.  How was yours?  Got your ducks in a row for tomorrow?  I'm about to go make up my Outlook Tasks for the week so I can know when I've been productive.  Nerdy, maybe, but I'll tell you what, I get things done!  I've got two purses to make, in addition to other things going on, and I'm so excited to be making some professional improvements to the shoppe!  I'll tell you more soon, I promise ;)

<3 M.

It'll Be Tomorrow Soon Enough

*** Don't forget, there's a giveaway going on HERE for $50 to The Leather Hide Store.  You can enter everyday. Mariah - Out! ***

Oh lovelies.  Tomorrow is coming.  Fast and quick and unrelenting.

In other news, if my dog doesn't stop whining, I might cause him murder.

Back to the point, tomorrow.  Tomorrow is big and heavy, I don't know if you knew.  Tomorrow, I hop on a plane and head to the Great Cold North (GCN).  And I do mean cold.  Super cold.  I recently acquired a handy little box that tells me the weather, and it told me that today the high here would be 56.  Chilly, but definitely do-able.  Then I looked up the GCN and saw the phrase "Near Record Lows".  

And then I cried.

Real tears.

Because while I've been hearing tale of your cold winter, you northern people, I haven't had the misfortune of experiencing it.  I'm totes not ready.  I need to find, like, pantyhose or something.  This isn't a trip for leisure; I've gotta be Business Mariah while I'm up there, which is a great segue to my reason for taking on such a harrowing journey.

Job interview.

GULP.

For those of you not in the Academia bubble, this isn't an "be here at 11:15 sharp" kind of thing.  Nope.  I'm locked in for 24 hours, although there is some time penciled in for sleeping/power point revisions, whatever seems more important at the time.  After dinner the night before, we've got breakfast at 7:30 (for the love!) and then back-to-back meetings with other faculty members, until I give an hour-long research talk, followed by lunch at the school (managed expectations: check) and then more meetings until 3:00 when I give a 40 minute sophomore-level lecture to a room full of PhD's (potential for awkwardness - moderate), to be finished with an exit interview, a drive to the airport, and a quick "don't call us we'll call you".  But hopefully, they mean it.

Just the right size for my cards and phone.
I call it the Airplane Wallet.
If I close it, it looks like a bad eye-glasses case.
Because that's how I do.

Its tiring just to think about.  I'm combating my rising level of nervousness by sewing myself a new wallet for the trip, cleaning my house for my in-laws (who are driving down here as I'm flying up there, take that two ships passing in the night), writing to you, and thinking about getting around to packing.

My biggest concern is that I have to brush off a language that I haven't used in a good long while.  After years of fighting my predilection towards talking math in public, I now have to re-become fluent in Nerd.  Apparently I undersell when I give research talks, shooting more for "relate-able" and less for "impressive".  While this has served me well in the classroom, it's not what potential employers are looking for.  They want the academic version of lady on the street, freak in the bed (which makes me blush just to write, but you know what I'm saying, right?).  They want simple talk in the classroom, but fancy talk for research.  My game plan is to watch that John Nash movie on my first flight tomorrow, then channel my inner mathlete on my second flight and revise my slides.

I've talked about this a little bit before, but in that vague way.  There is so much changing, so many different options and shades of options.  I've discovered that there is a thin line between trusting God and apathy.  I'm flirting with it.  I'm definitely going to give it my everything this week.  I'm going to Nerd them so hard in the research talk, and I'm going to charm them with my examples and wit when I lecture.  I'm going to be pleasant and excited and congenial, because I do think this would be an awesome job.  And then I'm going to let the chips fall.  Because God's got this, and after I do my part, there's nothing else to be done for it.  Apathy or faith, I'm not sure, but is it important?

So now I've procrastinated long enough for the diapers to be done in the washing machine so that I can switch them to the dryer before bed.  I still haven't packed, which is growing in importance in my mind, but still seems like it could wait a little bit.  Think of me tomorrow, dear ones.  And then tomorrow's tomorrow, because that's really the big day.

<3 M.

Entertaining :: With A Baby

Our girl #RG has been around here for a little over 4 months.  The first month or so was a huge period of adjustment.  Much more so than I had anticipated.  Honestly, it was probably the first 3 months before I quit crying periodically, but that's another matter entirely.  I remember, in those early days, reading (on google, at 2 in the AM, obvi) that most mothers don't feel as though they've hit their stride until about 4 months.  Somewhere around the 4-month mark, things start to click and everyone resumes bathing regularly.  When I read that, I had thought "Bah!  I already feel like I've got it together."  Pretty sure I cried 3 of the next 5 days.  Definitely didn't have it together.

Start with a good sunset.

But now, now we're getting our groove on.  I mean, we're not consistently doing much of anything, but in general, my moments of despair and confusion last only on the order of mere seconds, rather than hours or minutes.  So that's good.

And since we've got our groove going, its time to be entertaining again.  I love, LOVE to have friends over.  Heck, I enjoy it when the bug spraying peoples and repairmen "visit".   Always try and get them to have something to eat or drink.  Have yet for them to take me up on the offer.  But friends, we do enjoy having friends over.  And while having a bambina bouncing around these parts does make going out more difficult, entertaining is nearly easier!

Getting Out :: Lake Beach

"Deuces" she says.  She's outta here.  In my 4-month tenure as a mama, I've spent an inordinate amount of time at my house.  Partially out of exhaustion.  Partially due to a napping baby who likes her crib.  Partially due to my own neurosis that makes normal things seem hard.  Mostly due to that last one, yo.  Motherhood has introduced me to all kinds of crazy I've had hidden deep inside.  We're working through it.

Anyhow, I can stay in my house no longer.  I've gotta go places.  And so I'm attempting to challenge that crazy voice that says doing regular things is prohibitively hard.  Like going out to eat, checking out the thrift stores, and (today) hitting the beach.  I'm trying to fight the panic and expand RG's horizon's, introducing her to new and exciting things.  Today I told her we were going to the beach, and I took her to the lake.  Poor thing will likely grow up believing that the "beach" involves muddy, 92* lake water, but hey, there are worse things.

WARNING: You're about to be bombarded with cuteness.  If you can't handle it, or aren't in an environment where squealing is appropriate, you might want to forego reading the rest of this.  For you brave souls who can handle a little pudgy baby smiling at them, carry on.

Small Town Love

So I participated in a chili cookoff the other weekend.

I'll spare you the suspense: I didn't win.

I'm not all that concerned, though.  I love my chili.  I didn't make anyone sick.  We're calling that a win.

In the middle of the cookoff, there was a Christmas parade.  It started like any other Christmas parade, assuming any other Christmas parade begins with the lead ambulance leaving the parade to go run a call.  

Weekend Wrap-Up

So there was this weekend... a four-day weekend, really, that started on Friday and rolled right on into Monday.  Like, today, Monday.  Handsome had 3 of the 4 days off, which made it feel so festivious (not to be confused with the holiday, festivus), and ... well, it was just what this lady needed.  Between Clemson football, Paramedic clinical hours, my many trips, and life in general, I've been missing my man.  Sometimes I think that maybe, if I didn't like him so much, it would be easier.  But really, I'm pretty sure it's impossible for me to resist his charms ;)

We went scouting for deer.  I would like to note that in the above picture, although my man is wearing suspenders, I am not.  That's a purse strap.  For my snacks.  And water bottle.  And kindle.  Because you never know what you're going to need whilst traipsing around the woods looking for sign of deer activity.  We did find some activity, and I'm proud to say that I can now correctly identify a deer rub.  See?

Deer Rub

(Whitetail) Deer routinely do this to small trees, for two reasons: to shed their velvet (a soft covering on growing antlers) in early Fall, and to mark their territory.  That's your nature lesson for the day.  If you find a whole bunch of these in the same area, that's a good sign (according to my outdoorsman of a husband) that bucks frequent the area, and would be a good place to set up a hunting spot.

Back At Home

Home.  Oh, I love a good home.  Even though there are many things I would love to change about our home (the popcorn ceilings, the overspray on the fireplace, the awkwardly shaped rooms...)I know that we have a pretty sweet situation here.  I am warm enough.  I am sheltered from wind and rain.  I get to watch birds flit around in the dogwoods at the front and back of the house.  I get to watch Duke go all Rambo-dog on the squierells that dare trespass on his lawn ("Stay off the grass!").  Our home is more than enough.

I love coming back home, most of all.  There's just something so quieting to my soul to be back in my regular spot, doing my regular things.  Traveling is great and all, and Phoenix was really really cool, but I love home best of all.

Since I was home and could, I baked yesterday.  Bread.  Like, the real stuff.  Sounds impressive, right?  Like maybe I should open up that bakery I talk about.  It's probably because of some great tips I know.  Like the fact that if your house is, say hypothetically, 66* because you refuse to turn on the heat, under-cabinet puck lights can really heat up a space for bread to rise.

It might be a fire hazard, but dang it, my bread rose!

Or that if you think you should take your rings off before kneading the dough, it's probably a good idea to do so before (1) you get unbelievably pregnant or (2) the under-cabinet puck lights heat the entire kitchen and your fingers respond accordingly...

Whoops.

And finally, a good recipe is everything.  Seriously, Mel, she's got it going on.  Kid tested, mom approved, the girl has never failed me yet.  Her bread recipe takes 2 hours, start to finish, but only about 15 minutes of active time.  AND IT'S DELICOUS.  As in, I may or may not have eaten an entire half-loaf yesterday.  Okay, 1/3 of a loaf... But try it yourself, and you'll understand!

Fall for Apples

Tired of apples yet?  I'm not.  And today of all days, I really should be, but I'm not.

That's how I know.  Apples + Me = Luv.  4eva.  Today, I went to the apple festival, which was pretty much a marriage ceremony for me & apples.

Aaand that's all the further I'm going to take that metaphor.  The end.

Do you know what this is??  Love in a cup.  Others call it an Apple Cider Slushie.  For realz, people, it was everything you could hope it would be.  Just tasted like apple cider, but it was a slushie.  I love slushies.  And apple cider.  Hence my name for it, Love in a cup.  Because it was in a cup, and I love it.  Thanks for letting me spell that out for you.

Summer's Winding

So much of my expectations of summer rest squarely on the shoulders of food.  I expect summer to provide me with my yearly helping of sun-warmed berries, sweet corn-on-the-cob, and s'mores.  I expect lemonade and funnel cakes from the fairs & festivals that I expect to go to.  I expect icecream and cobblers, watermelon and tall drinks of water.

It's blowing my mind that June is nearly over.  I'm pretty sure it's early May still, and I'm anxiously awaiting something to happen in my garden.  I'm pretty sure I'm still eating fresh strawberries (it's so hard to say goodbye to them every year...) and can't wait  for watermelon to come around.

Campy

Sometimes, when you have a really nice time, and thoroughly relax and enjoy yourself, and then you come home and have loads of dirty laundry that smells like smoke (and cheese for some reason), and the love of your life is working and you have obligations and bills and papers and all that...

Sometimes you just want to run back up the mountain and climb back in the hammock and embrace the smell of smoke (but not the cheese) and take just one more nap.  One more hike.  One more early morning listening to birds and one more late night watching the moon and the fire dance.

 I love hammocks,

TFW

Up In The Air

Did you feel it?  On Saturday, did you know?

Did you know that the stars aligned?

For me, this meant that Handsome had the day off, did not have much to read, was awake before the day slipped into the PM, and was in love with me.

Of course, he's always in love with me, but it's still nice, nevertheless.

And, on top of all that goodness, there's one more thing: FWA.  Which, if you don't know, is an acronym for Freedom Weekend Aloft.  Which, if you don't know, means awesomesauce up in here.

That's right.  It was a hot air balloon festival.  And I didn't have to travel all the way to AZ for it to happen.  (Although I do someday want to travel to AZ and make it happen...)  It was fan-flippin-tastic.  My face hurt from smiling so much.

Don't Wanna

Let's assume this is true: There are many bad reasons for doing things.

Then I posture (I think I'm using that word wrong) this: There are even more lousy reasons for not doing things.

There's the "I'm busy" and "I'm tired" excuses that fall so easily from my lips.  There's the "I wasn't planning on this" one that works in lots of situations.  There are good excuses, like "I've already promised to be somewhere else" that, if we didn't use them, we'd be terrible promise keepers.  But there's lots of not-so-good excuses that often prohibit us from doing otherwise awesome things.

Like 2 weeks ago, when Handsome had the day off, and out of the blue announced, "Let's go to a ball game."

I had other plans.  They mostly included the food I was planning on eating, the blogs I was planning on reading, and the shows I was planning on watching.  They were plans, but mostly it was that I just didn't wanna.  After my initial hesitation, I made myself say yes, trusting that I would later be glad of this impromtu change, and dove headlong into it.

Apparently, "Lawn" is code for "Bring your own seats"
We found that out a little too late.
We also found out that the WV Power is affiliated with our own dear Pittsburgh Pirates.
In true Pirate fashion, they didn't exactly win...

I called a friend, we met them there, and proceeded to have a perfectly American night.  Much food was consumed (better than I had planned to eat), peoples faces were "read" (better than the blogs I had planned on, no offense!), and the ball game was mostly watched (which definitely beat any show I was planning on).  Mostly, I made some awesome memories with my favorite people.

So go do something unexpected.  I promise you won't regret it.  If you let a "don't wanna" hold you back, you really just might regret that.

Off to the next adventure, 

TFW

Letters to Orlando: Part IV

Dear Hotel Pool,

You were just what I wanted needed yesterday.

 The sun, the light breeze, the large green pool towels.

The lazy river going around the pool so I didn't even have to work to swim.

Aside from your embarrassing Cabana Boy, you were perfection itself.

Thanks for not letting me stay long enough to get burned.

*********************************************************************************

Dear Bahama Breeze,

Thank you for the most unique restaurant experience of my young life.

I've never been evacuated from a restaurant before.

At least, not before my appetizer came.

Even though I missed out on my pulled-pork-and-plantain-dish, I'm calling it a win.

How can it not be, when I ordered one of the most expensive drinks, and got it comp'd?

#Winning

*********************************************************************************

Letters to Orlando: Part III

Dear Good Life,

I'm quite unsure as to why I don't have views like this regularly.

Also in question: Why don't I have 5 pillows and spend my days lounging?

Please get back to me on that.

*********************************************************************************

Dear Confernce Coordinators, 

Let me just tell you, I'm touched.

You've done what no one else has been able to do before.

You spelled and pronounced my name right.

For the first time, I was not "Maria Magagnoootie"

It feels so good to be me.

*********************************************************************************

Dear Cabana Boy, 

You were nothing like what the movies had led me to expect.
You wore your shirt, and your skin did not glisten, nor did your eyes twinkle or your smile shine.
In a word, disappointing.

Although you did bring me fresh fruit.

Still, the illusion was shattered.

I'm trying not to hold you personally responsible.

*********************************************************************************

Letters to Orlando: Part II

Dear Handsome,

Thanks for calling me while you're grocery shopping and asking me where to find the yogurt.

Even though I'm 9 hours away.

I like that you fall apart in the small ways when I'm not there.

I also like that I know you ate the entire jar of peanut butter.

Although you did surprise me by using crackers instead of just a spoon.

Life's always an adventure with you.

*********************************************************************************

Dear Room Service Lady, 

Thanks for making me feel rich.

I'm sorry I opened the door before remembering to brush my teeth.

Due to me not being actually rich, I'll be eating the other half of the bagel for tomorrow's breakfast, so I won't be inviting you back.

Maybe we'll meet again some other day, under better circumstances.

i.e.- maybe my breath won't smell like death.

*********************************************************************************

Dear Skywriter,

Your work was impeccable when you wrote "GOD" in the sky.

I wonder if, from above, it looked like "DOG"?

*********************************************************************************

Letters to Orlando: Part I

Dear caramel apple that I ate whilst alone in my room,

You were utterly magnificent.

Everything a caramel apple bought at the slightly-over-priced Disney store should be.

I'll love you always.

Or at least as long as the flavor lingers.

*********************************************************************************

Dear Venezuala, 

Thank you for sending this man to be my brother.

I'm so happy to know that I won't starve if ever I find myself in your country.

These.

Were.

Delicious.

Age of The Jetsons

I know it's not reasonable.  And I know it's evidence of my "country mouse goes to the city" complex.  And I don't care.  I just can't help but be enamored of some of this new-fangled technology.  It makes me feel like I'm living in the age of the Jetsons.  Sometimes I yell out "Rosie, please bring me my best dress" just to see if we've reached that point.  It hasn't happened yet, but it's not going to stop me from trying!

First thing that made me feel like a Jetson:  The new Coke machines.  I know people say Firehouse got them first, but I saw them at Moe's.  And I was totally blown away.  

Over 100 different flavors of pop, tea, and energy drinks?  Yes please!  I mean, I only ever get Root Beer out of it, and never flavored, but still.  I like knowing that I can get something more exotic, if only I'd stop loving Root Beer so much.  (never going to happen).

Then, the other night, Handsome and I were feeling particularly uninspired for dinner, and we decided to go drive through a Little Caesar's. I'll tell you what, I nearly called the check-out guy George.  Or perhaps Elroy.  Either way, it felt next-to-magical to me.  I mean, we pulled up, he said "What would you like?" we said "Hot and ready pepperoni pizza, please" and he said "That'll be $5.30" and we gave it to him and he gave us a piping hot pizza, just how we had ordered it.  I  know that pepperoni isn't very impressive, and that it is probably just evidence that the pizza had been sitting around for a long time, but still.  Magic, I tell you.

The Sound that Made The Camel Cry

I called a friend tonight.

I told her "I'm having a disproportionate reaction to an event."

Because I was.

And because that's how I talk.

Apparently, it takes some degree of effort for me to sound more like a normal person and less like someone who has multiple math degrees.  And at the time I placed that phone call, I didn't have any extra effort in me to give.

The "event" that I was having a disproportionate reaction to was my smoke alarms going off.  Every single one of them, at the same time.  I wasn't cooking, or baking, and nothing was burning.  At least, I was pretty sure that nothing in the house was on fire.  So that's weird.  And annoying.  And I didn't know how to make it stop.  My "disproprotionate reaction" as that I just wanted to sit down on my front stoop and sob.  We're talking the ugly cry, here people.  That's all I wanted to do.

Handsome is currently in a burn building conducting training, so I was left to rely upon the kindness of strangers and my own ingenuity.  It's sort of impressive, really, that it has taken nearly 3 years for this to happen; me to need him and him be unreachable due to the fire/medic service.  This was the first time, as long as we're not counting the time he left me at the grocery store.  Let's not count that.  

I didn't really take time to change into "going out in public" clothes.
I wore these snazzy platform Teva's, a tank top, and pajama shorts.
For some reason, it made sense to me to leave my house to go to the grocery store,
but I couldn't take time to change, in case it really was on fire.
Like I said, I had no extra effort left.

I loaded Duke up in the Jeep, so that in case the house really was on fire, I wouldn't have a char-broiled pup on my hands, and went to the grocery store.  A mere $18 later, I had 4 new batteries all in place.

It still happened again.  So now I'm playing the process of elimination where we methodically unhook each detector from the electric, and see what happens.  And I'm not baking.  Just in case.

So begins another adventure as the wife of a firefighter.  Paramedic school also starts tomorrow (likely the cause of my disproportionate reaction), and so I'm also entering a new phase in life.  I like to call it "The Wedded Bachelorette".  I hear that a person can survive most anything, if they have a finish line.  So here's to the next 11 months.  May they be as painless as possible.  And may I still be able to recognize my husband at the end of it.

Oh, and may my house not burn down.  Amen.

Glamorous as always,

TFW