My Empty Arms

Yesterday was a long day.  Even for pre-mama-me, it would have been long.  New Faculty Orientation, for 8 1/2 hours + 1 room + 19 (shouldabeen20) fluorescent lights = L.O.N.G.  But add in that this was my first day "back to work", my first day where I could have been with my girl but I wasn't... that actually spells out R.O.U.G.H.  

I did not love it.

I was good for about 5 hours and 45 minutes.  I interacted with people.  I payed attention and took notes and drew appropriately detailed doodle drawings.  I even made it past lunch (which I had to run away from to take care of some *ahem* pump issues).  And then 3:05 hit.  And passed.  And the people kept talking.  And then 3:39 came.  And went.  And the people kept talking.  And then 4:02 ticked and tocked and became the past.  

I quickly became useless.  No notes.  No attention payed.  Not even any doodling.  My usefulness had simmered down to the ability to change my phone's background to this picture, and then stare at her sweet face.

I may have stroked her little arms on the screen.  A lot.  I may have scrolled back and forth through the screens to see all of her rolls and neck creases.  The worst part was that my arms had been empty all. day. long.  

I'm not used to my arms being empty.  I'm used to my back aching a little bit, and my hands being slobbered on and my face being covered in the *kisses* that #RG loves to give.  I'm used to spending my mornings with my girl, looking at all of the things that she forgot existed overnight.  I'm used to getting raspberries blown at me while feeding her mango & banana so that I end up wearing mango & banana.  I'm used to that.

But Monday starts our new normal, Friday was just a teaser.  Monday, my girl RG is hitting the scene at our local daycare.  She'll take it by storm, this I know.  And she's not going to be there "full time" since I obviously can't handle it and honestly don't need to.  I'm not totally concerned, but I'd be lying if I said I only felt excitement.  It's a mixed bag.  

I might cry on Monday.  Briefly, but I'll pack tissues all the same.  And hopefully I'll fill my head with plans and papers with words and student's minds with knowledge... and maybe I won't notice my empty arms quite so much.

<3 M.

A Bag of Frozen Popcorn Chicken

I know I said I wasn't gonna be back here until my travels were done. But do you know how long a two week blogging break really is?  I haven't had it professionally measured, but I'm pretty sure its somewhere between infinity and forever.

That's not why I'm breaking this fast early though (and I don't mean "fast" in the religious sense, more I'm the breakfast sort of way, lest you judge).  No, wild horse could not have pulled me back, no way; it took an act of God.  And by "act of God," I'm talking about a bag of frozen popcorn chicken.

Without further ado, here's the story I had to come back to share with you...

I've been picking up my neighbors' mail for them for about 4 months now, since they've been dead out of town.  More on that later. Anyhow, tonight, on my way to their mailbox, I was chatting with me madre on the phone when I spied something in the road.  She's telling a story, so I don't interrupt, just pick up the something, grab the mail, and walk back to my house.  

As we get back to my house, I say, "Mom, guess what I'm holding in my hand?  It's a bag of..." and then she cuts me off and says "No, no, I want to guess.  Did you say it's a bag of something?  Say it again, you already let that part out."  So I say, "Yes, I said 'its a bag of...'"  And I about gave her a hint.  I did.  I almost at least told her how improbable it would be for her to guess.  But I didn't.  I didn't tell her anything else.  Because as I was holding what is in that picture above, my mother, 654 miles away, says "Uhm... A bag of frozen popcorn chicken!"

I'm not lying.   Sometimes I fib, but this is straight verbatim.  This happened.  To me.  Tonight.

I freaked out, obviously.  I demanded to know if she was in SC.  I accused her of using military satellites (or at least google earth) to spy on me.  She denied it all.  She had no explanation.  She then incorrectly guessed me as wearing a gray shirt (red), and although she could tell me what color Duke was, I don't think that actually counts.

All the same, it happened.  The world held still and the space-time continuum was breached.   Basically, she hacked my life, and I don't know how.  I guess that's just the type of bond we have.

And that's what I had to come back here to tell you.  I mean, how could I not share that with you?!?  Now I'm going back on break.  My next (and final, hallelujah!) trip starts at 4:30 in the AM tomorrow.  But then that's it.  After that, life as usual will resume.  I love life as usual.

I'm out,

TFW

Momma Mia in the Yearbook

Momma... OooooOOooOOoooo OOoooooh!

That's how I start emails to my Mom.  And phone calls.  And voicemails.  I can't help it.  I mean, if you had a Mom who looked like this, you'd serenade her too!

And, as if those photos weren't proof enough that this girl (the one writing this, who has two thumbs) is waaaaay blessed with an awesome maternal situation, I've got even more.  My MIL.  Who may-or-may-not know that I yearbookedherself...

I mean really, should a girl be so lucky?  No, probably not.  But am I?  Oh yes.  I love my mothers.  We're about 600 miles apart today, and that kind of blows.  But thus is the life we've been dealt.  To make up for my absence, I've sent them some special presents from Delicate Fortress.  Because my moms love pretty things, and helping people.  And because I like buying affection.

Happy Mother's Day, all you ladies out there!  And if you want a little extra fling on your special day, go yearbookyourself.  It's pretty much awesome.

The luckiest girl in any yearbook,

TFW

Going Home

I’m going home.  And then, when our trip is over, I’m coming back home. 

How can a person have two homes?  I do not know the answer to that question; I know only that I do, in fact, have both.

The first two three years or so that we lived down here, I wouldn’t get real excited on our trip home until we saw the first Sheetz.  Now, I still feel that excitement, but I feel the same excitement on the way back down when I see the first CookOut, the first offer of Meat & 3.  That’s how I know I have two homes.

I’m so thrilled about this trip.  I’m going to meet my new nephew (I love you little Izzy!!), I’m going to hangout out with friends and family, and I’m going to cool off a little bit (its never quite as warm up there).  We’re going home for no very good reason, which is, to me, the best of reasons.  It seems that we’ve fallen into a pattern of a trip home in May, a trip home in August, and a trip around Christmas time.  While its hardly enough, we try to make the most out of it, so this time we’ll be up in ole’ Pennsyltuckey for an entire week.

Really, I’m ‘bout to burst, I’m so excited.