Memorial Day Weekend, 2006

My sister Amy, her husband David, and their two children joined us for Memorial Day weekend.


Totally edible.


Paul at the Rio Grande Botanic Garden in the Children's Fantasy Garden. We took the little train from the Rio Grande Zoo to the Botanic Garden because it sounded like an entertaining trip for Abigail and an easy way to get between the two places. It turned out to be a better idea than a reality. The trains were running way behind schedule (the powers-that-be chose to have Memorial Day weekend be the test-run for two trains) and were very crowded as a result. So...


we walked from the Botanic Gardens back to the Zoo with two very tired, hot babies (who did enjoy the ice cream and the animals once we got back). It's a shortish walk (1 mile or so) but made longer since there isn't exactly a back entrance to the zoo from the walking path (although in the extra-long ice cream line, we chatted with a lady who said she and her family did the same thing, also with two little ones, except they begged the service entry to let them back in). We all decided that the train idea could use some work and perhaps a back entrance to the zoo is just what is needed.

After the long day on Saturday, we had a lazy start to the day on Sunday morning. Amy and I did a little shopping while David and Abigail went to the park and Paul babysat Benjamin (who was sound asleep and stayed that way, much to Paul's delight).


Paul and Abigail enjoy blueberry smooties and pita chips. Paul declared it a lesson in textures but I think he just wanted chips for breakfast.


Sunday evening, we took in an Albuquerque Isotopes game. We're deciding whether to start with something nutrious like a hot dog and nachos or just dive right in to Dippin' Dots and Icees.


#1 fan (who didn't like having her picture taken all weekend--this is a sneaky shot). Abigail did enjoy the mascot, Orbit, and learning how to headbang, thanks to her Aunt Carrie and Uncle Paul. (Long story short, one of the players had AC/DC as intro music. Abs was fussy and it seemed like a good distraction. It worked and was really amusing for all the adults.) Unfortunately the ballgame ran long and we gave up before the fireworks after the game.

All in all, it was a very enjoyable weekend for everyone. Abigail was taken by a bit of a stomach bug after the baseball game and Amy and David almost extended their visit. But thanks to the wonders of modern medicine (and the resilliency of a 3-year-old) she was back to 100% by mid-afternoon and they were on their way back home.

And Paul and I have decided we'd like to order a Benjamin when we decide to have a child. Such an easy-going mellow little guy. And he's got great hair.

I come by it honestly

Paul and I always joke that we're not very good at being grown-ups. Despite all those things that are put in place to make us into adults (mortgages, jobs, car payments, etc.), we bumble our way through life, half expecting someone to figure us out for the frauds that we are.

After a conversation with my mother yesterday, I've decided that perhaps Paul and I could be runner-up to my parents for the title of Worst Grown-Ups Ever. Even my mom agreed.

It seems that my parents managed to burn down their well house after leaving a dead stump burning unattended. Dad started it burning, told Mom to check it, and left to help a friend with some fence work. Mom and I chatted on the phone for a bit and then she left for a party at a friend's house. She received a phone call an hour or so later from another friend who let her know that there was a fire on their place and let her know that fire trucks were on their way.

Yes, folks--all those years of fire safety lessons that my mother taught her own children and at school seemed to have been forgotten. They burned down their well house. To the ground. Nothing left. Not the well, the various lawn equipment and garden stuff stored in there. Farewell to the silly stuffed pheasant that is still a vivid memory from my childhood. Gone. All gone. Thankfully, while it is bad that they've lost a bit of stuff, it isn't as bad as it could have been. The house is fine, the barn, storage shed, and carport are all fine. My parents are fine (albeit without water for a bit).

I just realized that I forgot to ask about the condition of the stump.

Catching up

It seems that I have been neglecting things over here at the blog. It was a combination of lack of inclination and a lack of things happening in life right now. Now that things have perked up a bit, the inclination to write has reappeared.

1. I really need a reason to wear this hat again:

...and I'll insert a picture of my new straw hat with the big-honking flower as soon as I find the camera cord but in the meantime, just know that it is quite faboo...

It is from a Derby party hosted by a friend in Ft. Worth. It is a fabulous hat but I didn't quite think it through before I bought it that I would have to get it back home (I did, however, plan for the several pairs of shoes I bought and the couple of new outfits and left room in the suitcase). I kept telling people at the airport that it made more sense on Saturday when I had on the floral dress, drinking a mint julep, and chatting about the horse race while wearing the hat. And the fact that there were other people doing the same thing also helped (although I have been known to just slap on various head gear because it's entertaining, such as the obnoxious birthday tiara I wore around work on my 30th birthday). But the hat and I made it home unscathed, much to my delight and the amusement of my fellow flyers.

I was in D/FW for a long weekend--one I try to take every Spring to visit my sister and the variety of friends in the Metroplex. It seems that the number of friends is growing as is the number of small children I see each time. It is telling that I am of That Age because two of my friends were pregnant on this visit. I'm always a bit melancholy upon arrival back in ABQ--I miss being in Texas with all of the people I know there. I know that there are negatives to living there, just as there are positives to being here. But that is home and it always will be no matter how long I live in the Land of Enchantment.

2. Yearbook distribution was today. For all the weeks I've had of doing not much at work--this was the chance to make up for it all. It is a super busy morning. I was greeted by about 10 people waiting to purchase yearbooks at 8:00 a.m. and the line didn't shorten again until midway through the morning. I've had stragglers coming in throughout the day to purchase yearbooks, including several parents who were told by their children that they had to buy the yearbook RIGHT THEN or they would all be sold. I'm not sure my mother would have left work RIGHT THEN to come buy something as frivolous as a yearbook for me. A kidney, perhaps. But not a yearbook.

I was a little irritated with this year's yearbook staff not doing quite as much work as they should have done (and I'm much too nice to kick them off the staff because of it). I completed several of the pages myself and had to edit many more because! there! were! lots! and lots! of exclamation! points! on! them!!!! The staff all did show up to help with the distribution this morning though, which was a very good thing because we might have seen the librarian's head explode if they hadn't. But the end result seems to be well received and I've heard good things from staff and students (with a few sour comments thrown in just because someone has to be a sour puss). A favorite page is the one with various teachers' pictures from middle school, including that wonderful version of me in 1987. The students don't realize that in 20 years, they'll be trying to figure out what the heck they were thinking as well.

3. School lets out in two weeks. Hard to believe it's almost summer. The library renovation will continue into the summer. Originally, we'd been told they would finish in May. Of course, we were also told it would start last July so I knew not to believe them when the May date was given. The renovation will be finished during the summer, and I'll be into that new space in August. August 8, to be exact. But I'm not thinking about that right now. Instead, I'm concentrating on there are only being nine more mornings that I have to get up at 6:00 a.m. Or at least that the alarm goes off that early because I can't honestly say I've been out of bed at that early in a long time.

4. And in anticipation of summer, I've started planning out a variety of projects to accomplish in the next two months. One is to continue organizing those Fibber McGee closets in our house and also break out the knitting how-to and finally get that learned. We're not planning any long vacations this year (or next or the year after that thanks to the new company) but have made some tentative plans to take a few long weekends to see MLB games. We decided to extend the trip KS that we'll be taking in June for Paul's grandparents' 70th wedding anniversary to include a Royals game. So far on the Tour Of MLB Teams, we've seen the Cubs (2003), Rockies (2003), Astros (2004), Orioles (2004), Braves (2004), and the Mariners (2005). Looking at that list, one would think I like baseball but I don't really. But I do like my husband who does like baseball.