Coming out of the haze

My baby is 2 weeks old today, and although it doesn't quite feel real, I'm getting used to the whole mom thing. For those of you who haven't heard all the details, here's how it all happened...
My due date was October 12, and I was fortunate enough to have an OB who wrote me a note to take the last few days of work off before my due date. This was nice because I had tons to do around the house to get ready for the little one (and a visit from my mother-in-law the Friday before my due date). On the 11th, I started having new, more painful contractions. Still, they never got too close together or consistent, so I was able to sleep a little bit that night. On the 12th, I had my 40 week appointment, and my OB decided to strip my membranes to see if that moved things along. The husband and I went for a walk after I got home from the doctor, and I started having those delightful contractions again. They continued for the rest of the night, but still no consistent pattern. When I decided to go to bed at about 11, I had a tough time actually sleeping because I was trying not to wake my husband when the contractions got bad.
Then at 1am, my water broke! It was not a full-on break, but there was some serious leaking. I called the OB, changed, grabbed the last of my supplies, and we were off to the hospital. The whole way there, the contractions were coming very strong and close together.
After I was admitted, I tried to make it through the contractions as best as I could. I had seen all those childbirth prep videos that suggest that you rock in a chair, walk around, or sit on a birthing ball to help with the pain. Well, these contractions were so intense that all I wanted to do was lie in bed and try to breathe through them. Seeing that I had no desire to leave the bed, I decided to get an epidural. It was in by about 3:15, and at about 3:45, I was wonderfully numb. I was surprised by how the epidural didn't hurt at all when the doctor put it in, and also how I couldn't even tell that I was having contractions.
After the medicine kicked in, the husband and I decided to sleep. The nurse came in every hour or so to flip me over and check my progress, but it was so nice to feel comfortable and well-rested. I called my parents at 7 or so, and since they didn't work that day, they came down to the hospital. By about 9, I was ready to go, but my OB had 3 patients going into labor that morning, so they had to decide which of us would get to give birth first. I told them I was fine with waiting since I had no urge to push yet, and it would be good for the baby to drop on her own. At 11:15, with two nursing students helping out, I started pushing. At 12:02, my daughter Evelyn was born.
I couldn't believe how easy labor was with the epidural. I felt in good spirits and well-rested since we had plenty of time to sleep before things got moving. It was also surprising how very little pain I felt with the drugs. The husband agrees about how great it was, too, since he felt like he could relax when I wasn't in pain.
So now I'm at home with my munchkin until the end of January, and when it's difficult, I just have to remind myself that being a mom is my new job. When I'm feeling exhausted or frustrated, it's because of my kid, not other people's! It's nice to venture out of the house now; it makes me feel a bit more like a normal human being. As long as I time everything okay, we don't have any problem going to Target or grocery shopping. I look forward to trying out the Matinees for Moms at the Block E theater downtown, too. They show movies on Tuesday afternoons for nursing moms; they leave the lights on low, keep the sound down, and have stroller valet service.
Otherwise, it has been an amazing experience so far, and we'll see what the next few months bring!

Growing plants and baby

Pregnancy-wise, everything is going well. Last Monday, at 17 weeks, 0 days, I felt the little guy move for the first time. I could only feel baby in the evening when I had a chance to sit still, but now I am feeling the little one sporadically throughout the day. I was just reading my "Week 18" info on this pregnancy tracker website, and this week, my baby can recognize my voice. That's totally crazy to me. Does that mean I should stop cussing?
Coming up, we have The Ultrasound on the 21st, so my darling spouse has until then to decide if we're finding out the baby's sex. I ultimately left it up to him. My reasoning: I have lots of ways to bond with the baby because it is in me, so if finding out the sex will help him feel more connected with his daughter or son, then I say let's go for it. He's still mulling it over.

In non-baby news, this weekend included my second annual trip to the Friends School Plant Sale at the State Fairgrounds. Unlike last year, I knew what would (and wouldn't) be appearing in my garden this year, so I had a plan. Also unlike last year, I didn't have my dad to come with me, so I had to bring the husband who got to be my "cart boy."
First priority: Food
Second priority: Perennials for the mulched garden patch that has (almost) nothing in it.
So my food crops include:

• Tomatoes (Celebrity, Pineapple Black - accidentally grabbed those instead of the Persimmons that I enjoyed last year, and Mexico Midgets - the most delicious tiny tomatoes you've ever had)
• Shallots
• Leeks - first time trying these out
  
• Bell peppers
• Zucchini
• Basil (mine kind of keeled over last year)
• A bay laurel tree (to keep potted outdoors for the summer, and indoors in the winter)
  
• Rosemary
  
• Watermelon
• Cantaloupe
  
• Strawberries
• A grapevine (we'll see how this experiment goes)
• A raspberry bush
• A blueberry bush
• And left from last year: thyme, scallions, asparagus, chives, sage, and oregano

I feel like an urban farmer.
And in the flower category:

• Hollyhocks to help cover unsightly fences and walls
• Delphinium (which died last year - let's hope they stick this time!)
• Munstead lavender
  
• Bee balm
• Chamomile
• Coreopsis
• Astilbe
• Irish moss to fill in a flagstone path on the side of our house
• Marigolds to keep the bugs off my tomatoes and Russian sage

I still have plenty of space in my once-empty garden patch out back, but slowly, I am filling it in. Last year's perennials that I LOVE this spring are

• my clematis, which no longer looks anorexic
  
• my digitalis "Husker Red" (my favorite - the photo below does not do it justice)

• my creeping phlox which didn't bloom last year but is quite perky so far
• my weigela , so cute and bushy
• bulbs I planted last fall - allium, tulips, daffodils, etc.

There are a million other plants that the previous homeowner grew on all sides of our house. I'm so glad that I got to inherit such a mature garden space when we bought the house. Still, though, I don't know what some of the plants are! Sometime in the next couple weeks, I'll stock up on annuals for my patio pots. This year I'm going to be a bit more ambitious. Partly because I got a little sick of having 4 pots of purple and pink petunias. Oh well.

I just have four weeks of school left and then I can engage in all sorts of garden fun. And baby prep.

Sorry... I've been busy.

Here's my latest hobby:This is from early March (about 8 weeks). (B thinks the little guy looks like Casper the Friendly Ghost).
And below, this is from the other day when we decided to start tracking the belly progress. I've grown about 5 inches this week, I swear. Now I'm at 16 weeks.
Glad that the 24-hour nausea is over, but now it's time for the random aches and pains as the baby slowly takes over my entire abdomen. We will have the BIG ultrasound soon, but we're still determining whether or not to find out the gender. Your suggestions (with practical reasons one way or the other) are welcomed.
Here are the answers to all the questions (good and stupid) that everyone asks:
1. Yes, we're excited. We were planning this for a long time.
2. No, we don't have any names picked out. Haven't even discussed it.
3. October 13
4. Don't care if it's a girl or a boy. Just want 10 fingers and 10 toes.
5. I got very nauseous but didn't puke (until a week ago).
6. No cravings. I just like yummy food. No weird food aversions, except in the first tri- when I didn't want to eat anything. Ever.
7. As of 2 minutes ago, I've only gained about 2 or 3 pounds so far. But I am definitely bigger (can't button the jeans anymore).
8. Yes, I'm taking time off of work - probably until the end of second semester.
9. Don't think the cats are excited to have a new brother/sister. But the husband is. He already bought baby a replica MLS soccer ball.
10. This is the first grandchild for all our parents, and they are completely thrilled.

Bad blogger!

I have neglected this for a while, but I feel it is my duty to provide some amount of updating. I recently discovered this thing called Facebook, so that has hogged much of my allotted daily internet time.

Since the new year, school and my extracurricular duties have been all-consuming. My lovely service club held a "Mr. MHS" pageant this week which caused me much stress, lost sleep, but eventually joy. It was great that in a school with rich, white suburban kids, the winner, the boy whom our judges (and audience) felt was the best representative of our school, was a recent immigrant from Africa. He was so nervous backstage, but his talent and heart definitely won him the title. I felt like I was back at CSS organizing the Parents' Weekend talent show again. It was kind of the same thing, except that high schoolers need a lot more direction than college students. But the kids were awesome, and in the end, we raised a heap of school supplies for needy kids and $490 for our area foodshelf.
But now that it's over, I can devote more of my time to sleeping and recovering from this cold. At least I didn't get that horrible stomach virus that everyone in the metro area seems to have contracted.

In other news, husband and I have been working on a plan to remodel our only bathroom. It has what I believe to be the original sink from the (very) early 20th century, and a bathtub that has seen better days. The remodel will include spraying the tub, installing new tile throughout, new sink and toilet, new window, and adding some much-needed ventilation and electrical outlets. Right now, I have to plug my hairdryer and straightener into the light fixture over the medicine cabinet. Kind of awkward.

We're also thinking about trading in our 2007 Yaris for something with a little more room, and 4 doors. Any suggestions? I love the idea of a Matrix, but we'd probably go used on that so we could get more features for less $$. High on our list of priorities are gas mileage (since I drive 20 miles per day) and safety (AWD would be great for those slippery commutes in the winter). Our new car will also definitely not be American or German. Based on our combined past experiences, I think we will probably only ever buy Japanese cars. I hope some redneck doesn't come after me for saying that.

Finally, we are planning a fantastic trip to Dublin for my spring break. And it just so happens to be over St. Paddy's Day! It's my first trip back to Eire since 2000, so it will be cool to see how well I remember my way around. I know I can definitely navigate myself between Grafton St, Trinity College, Temple Bar, and the GPO. I am especially looking forward to going back to Kilmainham Gaol, although I doubt that the cast from A Prairie Home Companion will be there on the tour with us again. We have also booked a day trip to the Wicklow mountains since I told B that there was no way I was going to go back to Ireland and only visit the city. When he visited me back in 2000, he only really saw the countryside (and Galway), so it will be exciting for him to see all that Dublin has to offer.

Well that's all for now. Slainte!

Simple Pleasures

Things that make me happy:
Kicking slush clumps from my car wheels
When my kitties lie on their backs
Stepping on frozen puddles with those bubbles in them that crack underfoot
Seeing cardinals in the backyard
Petting my kitties just below their ears - where the fur is supersoft
Cheese
The smell of my Christmas-scented Glade plug-in
The sound that my stove makes when the gas catches fire
Sitting in bed and reading before I go to sleep
Thunderstorms
Finding kitty and bunny tracks in the snow when I leave for work
Hot beverages on a Sunday afternoon
Cracking the top of a creme brulee
Bacon

It's that time again

For the top albums of 2008!
I already voted on The Current's website, so here are the ones I chose. I have starred my top 3.
Adele: 19
*Atmosphere: When Life Gives You Lemons…
Cold War Kids: Loyalty To Loyalty
Coldplay: Viva La Vida
Death Cab For Cutie: Narrow Stairs
Fleet Foxes: Fleet Foxes
Gary Louris: Vagabonds
*Jeremy Messersmith: The Silver City
Kings Of Leon: Only By The Night
*Martha Wainwright: I Know You're Married But I've Got Feelings Too
Mates Of State: Re-Arrange Us
Nada Surf: Lucky
The Raconteurs: Consolers Of The lonely
Ray Lamontagne: Gossip In The Grain
She & Him: Volume One
Shearwater: Rook
The Submarines: Honeysuckle Weeks
Tapes 'n Tapes: Walk It Off
Vampire Weekend: Vampire Weekend
Weezer: Weezer (Red Album)

These are definitely not the only albums I liked, but these have received the most airplay.
This year because I didn't go to Lollapalooza, I only saw 3 of these groups/artists live. But they weren't the only shows I went to. Maybe soon I will publish my Top Live Shows of 2008.

Back in the Saddle

Today was my first day teaching full-time after having my student teacher. He'll still be in for the next couple days, but he's wrapping up his grades and spending time observing some other teachers. We'll see how worn down I am in a couple weeks when I have a massive stack of AP essays to grade. Oh, well. I guess that's what I signed on for when I became an English teacher.

We just got back from our annual hockey weekend in Duluth, so it was good to be back on the lake. A bunch of us still go up for a Bulldog series each winter; this time it was vs. UND. Both games were really good (tied on Friday, UMD win on Saturday), and it was nice to see some of my Duluth friends. But the funny part is that as soon as we got to our seats on Friday night, I hear "Mrs. L!" coming from behind me. Yes, it was the entire boys hockey team. About 1/2 of them are current or former students, so I had to stop by and chat with them. They were on a trip to play against Hermantown for the weekend. A couple of them did ask me where I was for the entire second period, but I did not inform them that I was at the Curling Club. :)

So now it's in for the long holiday haul... We're going up to Two Harbors Thursday and doing dinner with my family on Saturday or Sunday. This will be the first time my sister has visited in at least 3 years, so it will be good to see her. Also, I have to meet the mysterious fiance of my youngest sister, while I try to be on my best behavior.

And I think it's about time to start making boozy truffles again. Mmmmm.

Looking for some addresses~

If I do not have your address (that's many of my college pals), and you would like a Christmas card from me, send me an email with your contact info!
Also, if you know of a good place to buy some eco-friendly cards, I would appreciate some tips. I have already started looking online and some of these places are ridiculously expensive (but probably meant for business customers).

T-minus 10 days until Turkey!

The documentary has aired!

My Japanese television debut was a smashing success, apparently, and if you know Japanese, you can check this out. If you don't know Japanese, you can still see this picture of me skyping with a teacher in CA from my beautiful green office.


The crew said that there was no way a television audience would believe that that was my actual home, not a film studio. I guess they don't have Slimer-green paint in Japan. My self-critique: my posture in that picture is horrible! If only I could have channeled my inner Amber.
Next time.

I still haven't seen the film, but I should receive it in the mail soon. My students want to have a red-carpet premiere. We'll have to see about that...

If I had a flag right now,

I'd wave it. Can't remember the last time I could really say that I was proud to be an American. I mean really, truly proud. I have always thought of my nationality as more Irish, or German, or English than American; I have also always thought of nationality as something that you're just born with, that you didn't have a say in. Like, am I proud to have brown hair? Myopia? Size 8 1/2 feet? Being "American" has been like that to me. To some people this is perhaps blasphemy. Love it or leave it. Yeah, I've heard a lot of those sentiments in the past 7 years. But I like to think I have a more adult love for my country.

Remember when you were a child and your parents could do no wrong? You would yell at any kid who said something like, "Your mom is a dork," or "Your dad smells funny," or whatever stupid little kids say. You would lose recess privileges for a week because you threw mud at him, or kicked her in the shins. That's the way I feel a lot of people love their country. It's a blind love, not rooted in what our country really is, right or wrong. Lash out at the naysayers. If you don't like it, then get out.

But then when you get older, you see those flaws in your parents. You realize they lied to you about your cat running away (it still hurts), or that they lose their tempers too easily, or whatever. But you love them anyway. For who they really are, not some idealized Normal Rockwell portrait. That is the love I think people should have for their country; it's deeper, more meaningful. Real love means seeing someone's positive and negative qualities. You love them in spite of the negative, and always with the notion that there is potential for greatness within all of us. We may not always treat the other countries all that nice on the playground of diplomacy, and our policies may hurt those who are most vulnerable, but every once in a while, we really do get to be that "shining city on a hill" that Winthrop hoped we would become. And I think Lincoln was on the mark when he said that we should work to form a "more perfect union" because we're not perfect yet. And it's the hubris of blind patriotism that says that we already are.

Yes, there have been moments when I have felt that warmth deep down in my gut, and a wave of patriotic sentiment has swept over me. The Olympics always seem to do that for me, for some reason. But now as I feel tears of pride looming constantly just under the surface, I have a real reason to be proud. Because today, the nations of the world look again to our country as a leader, an agent for good in the world. The country that I always loved, in spite of the bad things, has that potential for greatness once again. And I knew that it would redeem itself, so my faith during the dark times has been justified.

An update - on several themes

Since music is just about my favorite thing on the planet, I would be remiss if I failed to blog about my recent musical adventures.
In the past few weeks, I have attended a few lovely concerts (all at different venues, even).
First was The Fratellis at First Ave. The show was lots of fun, except for the women standing in front of us who danced in a horrible way that suggested little control of their bodies and poor coordination (think Elaine on Seinfeld). Concerts would be so much better sometimes if it weren't for the other fans. Sheesh.

Then it was off to the Weezer show at the Excel. For those of you not from this neck of the woods, it's the same arena that recently hosted the RNC. So it was big. But since I got awesome tickets via iTunes presale, it was phenomenal. I would even venture to say that it was better than the last Weezer show I saw - in the same arena with Kaiser Chiefs and Foo Fighters. We came fashionably late so as to miss some Angels and Something-or-other band and Tokyo Police Club, which we obviously had no interest in seeing. I was grateful that the band played lots of old mixed in with the new, and I saw them play some songs that I had never seen live ("Suzanne," "Pink Triangle," "Across the Sea(?)" etc.). But like the previous show, there were some d-bags sitting near us. Namely, this guy who kept telling me, "Oh, they're going to play [song] next. I saw the set-list before the show." Well, he was never right, and I just rolled my eyes. I guess when you get great seats, putting up with a toolshed is unavoidable.

The third and most recent show was Ray LaMontagne at the State Theater. I won tickets, literally, by being caller 10 on The Current, and I brought my lovely friend Heather. The show was tons of fun, but I preferred the time we spent before the show at The Chambers lounge catching up and drinking the most delicious ginger-spiked margarita. This is one of those places that I dismissed as pretentious until I actually went there. Yes, $6 for a Miller Lite is quite steep, especially if you have ever been to NW Sconie, but the ambiance is worth the bit extra. In my opinion. I will have to go this winter when they have the outdoor Ice Bar open. If you haven't been, I would recommend it as the perfect place to bring a girlfriend when you need to do some serious dishing and pretty-people-watching. And the appetizers were superdelicious.

My next concert endeavor: Jeremy Messersmith at the Turf Club on November 7. If you want to go, too, give me a holler. You say you're unfamiliar with my darling Jeremy? He's only the most talented (aside from my beloved DW) singer-songwriter in MPLS. His recent album "The Silver City" is without a doubt my favorite album of 2008. And it's not just all the awesome Twin Cities references in his music. There is something amazing about his music and the way he sings it. If you didn't know better, you could easily mistake him for Elliot Smith (on Prozac). If you want to see the comparison, listen to Jeremy's "Franklin Avenue" and Elliot's "Pretty (Ugly Before)" or "Twilight." It always astounds me when great artists can marry an aching sadness with undiluted joy. It's like that clear beam of sunlight through an overcast sky. The result is some damn good music.
And trust me; if I were easily swayed by the Twin Cities references, then I would be a Hold Steady fan. And I'm not.

Aside from that, my current frequently played music includes the following:
The new and old Rachael Yamagata albums
Old Replacements albums
The new Kings of Leon (especially the track "Sex on Fire" - so good. Achingly good.)
Ray LaMontagne, since I saw him last
Cary Brothers (seems to be good fall music)
And Jeremy.

In non-music news, I enjoyed spending most of my workday today at the Metrodome watching my students win state in girls soccer. Lots of fun. And for those of you who don't work with teenagers, maybe you think they're hoodlums or scary weirdos in stupid baseball caps with flat brims. For those of us who do work with them, we know that there is nothing more heartwarming than the moments when they are just so cute. It could be the funny "rollercoaster ride" cheer-thing they were doing, or the student of mine who held up a banner that simply said "Awesome," but I am having one of those times professionally that I am finding so much joy in these amazing young people that I work with. Perhaps it is because my student teacher is taking all of the day-to-day "crap" off my hands that I have time to sit back, look at the big picture, and truly appreciate the career that I insanely felt drawn to.

So goodbye for now. Enjoy a warm fall beverage.
And don't forget to vote.

Boo!

Forget haunted houses. Check this out if you want a Halloween scare.

Surprise of a lifetime

I was in my usual 5 a.m. haze on the couch until husband was reading Twitter and said, "Your sister's engaged?" How's that for a wake-up? I sure hope I'll get to meet this young man sometime soon.
This has definitely been an interesting day.

I'm kind of a big deal in Japan.

This afternoon I played host to a film crew from NHK, Japan's version of the BBC, and my darling husband had to go elsewhere to watch football. Poor guy.
It's kind of a cool thing-- my students and I are being featured in a documentary called Education 2.0 about the use of emerging technologies in American education. They're interviewing me and my students and filming my classes for most of this week. So here's what we did today:
The crew arrived at my house at about 11, set up some lighting and such, and started filming. I answered a bunch of questions about Curriki, how I use technology in my classroom, and plagiarism with students copying things off the internet. Then I had a Skype video-chat session with a teacher in CA who has used some of my curriculum in her classroom. They taped everything, which will get edited down substantially, but our segment will play a prominent role in the finished product.
My students, as you can imagine are pretty excited to be "stars." In fact, when I told them that the documentary was for Japanese television, they were even more thrilled. I think they all have visions of being dubbed over in Japanese with wacky-sounding voices. They have also insisted that we get t-shirts advertising our new star status that proclaim: AP English Language - We're kind of a big deal in Japan. Now that things are quiet, I have to get a few papers graded. I haven't turned over those duties completely to the student teacher quite yet.
And there isn't a new episode of Mad Men on, so I should be able to do it without much distraction. Maybe.

Peace and quiet

The carnival of delegate buses and protesters and police in riot gear is finally over. *sigh of relief* And good riddance. It was quite easy to tell who the out-of-town Repubs were: white, old, male, and sporting haircuts that scream "No way am I letting a gay man touch my hair!"
A few items to note:
According to NPR (and republished on dailykos.com), the DNC claimed to have the most diverse convention in history. So here's how the numbers stack up:
DNC:
Minority delegates: 44%
Black: 24%
Hispanic: 12%
Women: just >50%

RNC:
Black delegates: 1.5% (36 total)
Hispanic: 5%
Male: 68%
Female: 32%

Median age at either convention: 54

And here's what I thought about the little I actually saw od the RNC: Giuliani should just go away forever, Palin deserved a severe beating for her blatantly false attacks and horrible hockey mom jokes, and Cindy McCain's outfit cost 1.58 times the value of my house.

And for those of you who wonder if everything that was said in the convention speeches was based in actual truth, Politifact researches claims made on both sides. Apparently, so few things ring as absolute fact or fiction, that they have to show on a dial how true the claim actually is.

Welcome, Republicans!

I saw this yesterday along 494 by the airport.

Who knew the State Fair is a bastion of politically subversive farm-related plant art?

At the State Fair I counted about 7 pieces in the Crop Art category that specifically attacked Republicans. All these works were made out of various grains and seeds. Examples include:
Elephants shitting on the Constitution
Barack Obama cleaning up after elephant shit that was labeled with things like "Iraq War"
A Dr. Seuss Horton Hears a Who spin-off with anti-McCain, pro-Obama messages
A favorite was in the Scarecrow category - a GWB scarecrow with a pinocchio nose, a flight-suit labeled AWOL, a missile with the word Fear on it, and a puppet of Norm Coleman.
Strangely, no anti-Dem art. Another fairgoer reminded me that it's the Democratic-Farmer-Labor party. Oh, yeah.
SO wish I'd had my camera with me.

P.S. If you're not ripping on Rep's, apparently your inspiration for crop art is Jesus, Ray Romano, or Bernie Mac.

The Reunion

Saturday was the much-anticipated 10-year reunion for T-G, and it was definitely not what I expected.
First of all, way more people actually remembered me than I thought would, and seeing faces I haven't seen in 10 years brought back lots of memories. A big group of us headed out together so we knew that we'd have people to talk when we arrived, but before long, we had all split up to talk to everyone. There were a few people I had lost track of over the years that I was looking forward to connecting with, and they were the first ones I saw when I walked in the room! Granted, much of the conversation was along the lines of "What have you been up to the last 10 years?" but it was still fun.
For those of you CSS folks, I saw Kyle R. (since I graduated with his wife), and it was fun to reminisce about college and hear about his teaching experiences in Duluth.
It generally feels like a big part of who I was 10 years ago has been reopened, perhaps to renewed friendships; however, there are some "chapters" that have perhaps been closed now. The term closure seems cliche, but there were some questions that were definitely answered last night, and some things I won't be wondering about any more. It's a bittersweet feeling -- comforting and sad at the same time. And I never thought a high school reunion could do all that for me.

Things I am Afraid Of

At this moment, these are my panic-inducing, up-at-night thoughts:
The Republicans are coming. They will clog our freeways and bars.
Teacher workshop is next week.
I think Norm Coleman might win.
I don't know when I will have time to go to the State Fair. And it might be filled with Republicans.
One of my AP classes is way too big.
My grandpa is not getting better.
I am giving up control of my classroom (student teacher).
I don't know what to wear to the reunion next weekend.
Doctor's appt. next week... don't know what they will do to me, but I'm pretty sure it will include a needle.
The Republicans again.

Cabin Weekend = Fun

Got back from the ever-swanky Crosslake, MN, yesterday afternoon, and I know now why this is a highlight of my summer every year. Benny's family has a cabin up there and one weekend a year we reserve it, rent a boat from Al's, drink beer, and lay out in the sun. We got the same excellent pontoon that we had last summer, complete with lots of cushy lounge seats and a "changing booth" that we use primarily for peeping on other boaters. Most of our boat-day is spent cruising around the lakes chain and hitting up the bars that have docks. Fortunately I was not the only female again this year, thanks to Nora. Listening to a bunch of guys talking nonstop about cougars and milfs can get a little old. Also fortunately, we did not get into trouble with the lake cops this year (last time it was illegal bottle rockets and bow-riding).
A few things I learned this year at the cabin:
1. I am really good at Racko. Really good.
2. Apparently, it is legal to enter a PT Cruiser in a "classic" car show.
3. Firefighters are good at roasting pigs.
4. There is some sort of fancy pontoon that looks to hold about 25 people and has a fricken' wet bar on it. I didn't even bother finding out how much it costs to rent.
5. My husband will probably never let me stop at Treasure City on the way to the cabin, no matter how much I plead.
6. Although setting up a badminton court in the middle of a sandbar sounds like a good idea, it might be a little more complicated than you'd expect.
7. Shuttlecocks float.