Big City Parking... Not for the faint of heart!

I've always loved the Jeff Foxworthy's comments about "You know you've lived in Michigan when...."
- When you don't think twice about pointing to a place on your hand when explaining where you grew up, went to school, currently reside, etc..
- When you install security lights on your home and garage, and proceed to leave both unlocked.
- When you know people that have hit more than one deer with their car, in one season.

These comments and more, have always made me laugh because they ring true... I still point to my hand when explaining where I grew up. However having moved to Texas, and subsequently to the burbs of Washington D.C, I have a new found appreciation for the oddities locals consider commonplace.

For example....
"If you've ever gotten truly LOST in a parking garage, you might live near Washington D.C."

I have a new found... and very PROFOUND, respect for this adage. Yes, I made it up... I'm thinking about sending it to Jeff Foxworthy for any future comedy tours he may make! Either that or penning a manuscript and sending it to the writers for LOST to see if they have any interest in a new pilot T.V. show...

We've lived here for just about 6 weeks now, and this past Thursday was my first weekday, peak hour, adventure out of the house for a lunch meeting with a few local Dell employees that also work remote in the region. I was excited. I was looking cute, and made sure I left myself enough time (or so I thought) to make it to the restaurant. Upon making it downtown, I quickly realized the magnitude of the blessing it is to work from home... Every parking meter for 2 miles was occupied, and in my quest to look cute, the heels I was wearing didn't feel up to a hike! I rolled my eyes and decided I would pay the high cost of the parking garage for the 'simplicity & proximity' to my destination.

I have never been more wrong in my life!

I got my ticket and rolled into the garage... made the first turn, and the garage extended as far as the eye could see. I went a few rows down and made a turn, after all I wanted to stay close to the entrance so I could get back to the restaurant.

No spots.... another turn... no spots... 5 more turns... still no spots...

I see someone walking to their car... roll my window down, "Are you close?"... "yes just one row over" was their replay, I look around... all ONEWAY's, think briefly about ignoring the sign, until a car comes speeding out of nowhere, and I realize I will likely cause an accident by doing so.

After a few more turns I find my spot, park, and scurry off to lunch, not really giving it much of a second thought. I know now, that I should have been dropping bread crumbs the entire way!

I make it back to the car and begin making turns to follow the exit signs... Little did I know there were 3 different types of exits: Owners exits (for those who have purchased spots), Permit exits for govt. employees, and the Public exit where you can pay for your ticket and leave. I came upon my first exit, and had to annoy the two cars behind me forcing everyone to back up and let me turn around as I didn't have a permit and the barricade would not lift for me.

20 minutes later, I am still stuck in this parking garage.

Up until that point I had never considered myself a claustrophobic, however sitting in my Cx7 with the roof of the garage mere inches above my car, and cement pylons all around me, and I've neglected to mention up until this point, that the garage is UNDERGROUND... yeah my anxiety levels started rising quickly. It didn't help matters that other cars seemed to zip to/fro and my first attempt at trying to follow one of these 'veterans' of the underground maze only resulted in my delving further into the belly of the beast, which I didn't realize until they nestled their vehicle into their designated parking space and went blithely on their way.

The anxiety ratcheted up about 10 notches when I thought about calling Kevin, just for moral support, and realized the thousands of tons of cement around me would prevent any attempt to contact the outside world... This was about the time I put my car in park in the middle of the garage and started freaking out for a bit.

I pulled myself together and vowed to find ANY exit by following the signs, and if it happened to be a permit or owner exit, well I would wait for someone to leave, explain my plight, and plead if necessary for them to help me exit. Luckily I stumbled upon the correct exit about 10 minutes later, and began talking to the parking attendant as if she was the first person I'd seen in days! She politely explained that it was not an uncommon experience as this particular garage I had chosen was 3 stories under ground and spanned 4 city blocks. FOUR CITY BLOCKS!!!

I've made a mental note, NEVER to return to that garage for ANY reason, and am now even more thankful to be sitting comfortably at my 'home' office enjoying my lunch anxiety free in my yoga pants and a comfy tee!

2 Year Old's Guide to Smiling....

We worked on teaching Caleb how to 'smile' for the camera this weekend.

We started with a smirk...


Asked him if he could show us his teeth...

and ended up losing his eyes....

When we asked him to show us his teeth and keep his eyes open we got...



Finally we were able to pull it all together :)

All the while he was consoling bear in his sling, and continuing to tell us "Shhhhh... bear is sleeping".

Adventures in Pumping

**Disclaimer** This blog may contain a little too much TMI for any male readers I may have... Dad this means you... however it is WAY too funny not to share, so read on at your own risk and don't say I didn't warn you!***

I'm a proponent for breast feeding. I agree with all the nutritional benefits it stands to impart upon my child, I think the bond developed during that time of feeding is priceless, and..... Oh who am I kidding... I'm cheap and lazy! When I found out it cost ~$30 for a container of formula, which might last 2 weeks TOPS, and then having to wake in the middle of the night to mix and heat formula, and remember to tote it around with me whenever we went out??? No thanks!

I didn't realize, until registering for baby material while pregnant with Caleb, that my alternative to the $30 Formula containers would manifest itself in a $300+ Breast pump... Can we say EXTORTION!!!! The money miser within almost balked completely and walked away saying the girls would just have to do their thing, I didn't need any outside assistance... however the realization that a 3 month maternity leave would come to an end and the girls would have to return to work with me, left little wiggle room. I took solace in justifying that $300 amortized over multiple children resulted in pennies on the dollar and the ends justified the means.

That was until this past week....

I've always taken pride in being somewhat of a dairy farm, I had more than enough to feed my little man, and could even ship some off to premie's in need. I'd navigated through 4 turns with mastitis, all in the name of better nutrition, so I was more than a little concerned when my 'supply' began to dwindle with Logan only rounding the 4 month mark. It was taking WAY longer than normal to even get a couple ounces produced via the trusty pump, and we were going through my 'reserves' at an alarming rate.

Last night Kevin volunteered to disassemble my pump in an effort to return it to its original glory, because remember, we are far to cheap to toss the towel in without a fight and ante up for a new one. Upon further inspection a critical piece used to create the suction had perforated, thus resulting in a weak seal, and poor production... YAY Problem solved!!! Not quite, the pump still didn't work after our spit and shoe string attempt at fixing it. What to do.... You other mom's out there realize the predicament I was faced with... a couple of days of reduced production and your body starts throwing in the towel for you and after that, there's little hope for recovery... We had to act fast... So what did we do???

I've heard stories of the husbands that take one for the team and step up to the task, but the mental image of that alone for me was a bit much, that was a line I couldn't cross. We did however come up with our own hybrid version! Against my better judgment, I need to create a visual for you... the pump parts are funnel in nature, they connect to a bottle, and long tubes attach to the pump that creates the suction necessary to produce... Well we'd already determined the suction had been compromised, so in an experimental effort, Kevin took the end of one of the hoses that had been attached to the pump, placed the end in his mouth, and inhaled deeply....

"YOWSA" I exclaimed when I realized what had happened, glanced down, and was awe inspired when I realized it was working! He took the second hose and tried for 2 at a time... Success! Then he handed me one of the tubes and said "get to work", while he manned the other. I thought it was hysterical... sitting there watching Grey's Anatomy, both sucking through a long hose to essentially siphon out the "boobie juice" (as we refer to it around here), through the funnel provided and into the bottles, all without ever having to touch the stuff! I was getting a little cocky in our new found invention and challenged him to a race to see who could fill up their bottle first (there really is something wrong in my head)... All was going well, until I lost my focus during a great scene of Grey's, somehow miss handled the equipment (that we were obviously using for the intended purpose), and didn't notice the the hose was no longer siphoning correctly and took a big gulp of... you guessed it .... ACK!!!!!

Up to that point, I had never, would never, never crossed my mind, to try the stuff... There was no curiosity as to what I was feeding my children. I was, and still firmly remain, in the camp of individuals that am equally amazed and grossed out by the fact my body can nourish my child. Thank you God for feeding my baby, now pass me my PASTURIZED 2% and plate 'o Oreo's please!

The milk mishap was the divine intervention the money miser mini me :) needed to concede Mama's mouth is not the mechanics intended for creating suction, and motivated me to find the fix or ante up for the new pump! Chalk one up for the good guys, this Milk Mystery is solved!

Filtering my "To Do" List

I can't sleep. I seem to find the hours between 11pm and 2, sometimes 3am, provide the most insightful thoughts. Thoughts that are drowned out during the constant hustle/bustle of normal day to day activities, which when reflected upon, make said day to day activities seem quite trite. I've been told to get a pen/paper next to my bed, write my thoughts down as they come, and this activity will aide in the overall sleep attempt, keeping me from mulling things over well into the night. Wonderful advice. Why is it I always seem to remember this nugget of advice around 1-2am???

As I'm sure is the case with most women, and likely some men... although I'm not going to even pretend to understand the male psyche... and they say women are complicated... one word 'ego'... ya'll aren't a walk in the park yourselves, however, I digress.
As I was saying... what keeps me up at night is generally figuring out what I can be doing better. It's why I think the thought can apply to both men and women, but with women there is a consensus that while we maintain the multiple personalities of Mom, Wife, and Self and all the associated activities, the pervading thought is 'what step can I take that would make all of this flow just a little bit easier'.... Or maybe I really am just a "supply chain" geek hell bent on organizing EVERY facet of my life!

Whatever the reason, it seems that during my day I used up every minute, and then when I reflect at night, I see every minute I wasted. So, my 'bedside' note to myself this evening, is to put a sticky note on my computer that asks myself "are you serving". Whether its my kids, Kevin, or me, if I feel good about the way I answer that question when I see it, I can be satisfied that I used all my minutes the right way. (WOW, talk about conviction... God didn't even make the top 3, on the first type through... we'll bump him to the top of the list... good thing I proof read! How's that for honesty;), wish I could blame it on the late hour!

We'll see how tomorrow goes... however at this rate, I'm concerned my first day of 'serving' is going to require a nap... Doesn't bode well for my efforts does it?!? I'll keep you posted after a few weeks of my experiment how it all goes!

Shopping Nirvana

I would not classify myself as a "shopper". I don't enjoy going to malls or major department stores, and when I am shopping I don't take my time looking over the merchandise waiting for something to catch my eye. I'm fairly certain my aversion to shopping is directly tied to the number of digits in my back account at any given moment, as I do often find myself thinking what an amazing fashionista I could be if I was independently wealthy... Alas... That is not the case.

I do however pride myself on being a bargain hunter, fiscally responsible, mature with my finances... Or as some may view it... cheap. My stores of choice are Ross & Marshall's for Clothes and Shoes, I'm a member of every deal of the day websites; Woot, Groupon, One Deal a day, etc.. and I am totally infatuated with Craig's list.... Despite Kevin's concern that, in his words, "One of these days a Craig's List psycho is going to eat you with a fork".... I'll keep an eye out for that one!

I tend to envision these two opposite ideals, the shopper at the malls/department stores vs. the bargain hunter sifting for sales, as a venn diagram (think way back to those old math days... the two intersecting circles...) and the portion in the middle is the shopping 'Holy Grail'. When you can find that pair of "Seven for All Mankind" jeans, which retailed for over $100, and you can walk out with them for $35, which went perfectly with your "Nine West" patent red leather heals, that only cost YOU $25 instead of retails $65...

You see, its not that I don't enjoy the finer things in life... Yes, of course I want the Bentley... I just want it at the Buick's price! When I know that if I'm patient and keep my eye open for the sale I can get exactly what I want at a fraction of the price, I don't see the point in paying full price.

I recently just topped my all time best... courtesy of my great friends on Craig's List... Scoring a "Chariot Cougar: Double", with all the attachments... Bike, Running, Infant position-er, etc... en-total would have retailed for ~$900, and I scooped up the amazing deal for a cool $100. In the month that we've owned it, I've been stopped on the street more than 10 times asking questions about it and wanting to look at it! I LOVE IT!!! To be honest, before I found it, I had no previous knowledge of the "Chariot" brand... but the people stopping me are apparently well aware of it, and understand the high cost, so its THAT much more fun when they ask if it was worth it, and without missing a step I can say, "Well I got this for $100 on Craig's List, so yes, its been worth every penny." Ahhhh... what a feeling!

The kicker in all this is, after we outgrow this bad boy, it will likely find itself back on Craig's List and will probably end up paying for itself! Now THAT'S what I call shopping nirvana, making your purchase make you money!

Mama Moments... The Good, Bad, & Ugly

I was "that mom" today. The one you look at and say "awwww, bless her heart", and then thank your lucky stars you only have to watch the scene from afar, and not be an active participant. It wasn't for very long, but I had a good hour this morning, where I just couldn't get it together, and I blame it on the fact that I actually LEFT my house at 7am... on a bike... towing my 'little' men (which after having towed them, I'm seriously thinking of replacing with enormously HEAVY men)... Seriously, as I was trying to get them up a SMALL hill.... a runner passed me... I WAS ON A BIKE! Note to self... let's up the endurance workouts.

Normally that first hour after I wake up, my brain is still dusting the cobwebs off, however this particular morning, 30 minutes into that first hour, I was attempting to lock up my bike and transition my stroller from bike mode to walk mode, while listening to Logan scream his little lungs out and Caleb say at least 50 times in 2 minutes... "Out... Out mama, Out". I tackled that, acknowledged Logan was NOT gonna stop crying unless I was holding him, so put him in the sling and set off to get Caleb the promised 'treat' of Hot Cocoa.
We are now in line at Starbucks... Logan, STILL screaming, despite my consistent 'mama bounce' going non-stop with intermittent "shush's"... and Caleb off of his "Out" repeat has switched to "Hot Choc, Hot Choc mama, HOT CHOC!!!". We order, they make, we go to pay.... Um yep, I forgot my debit card and am cashless... AWESOME! More screaming, Caleb still on repeat, and now I'm on the phone activating the secondary card I had in my wallet, and THANK GOD, it worked! (I did not actually hold the line up, had that been the case, I would have just walked out)!

SO... We finally get the Hot Cocoa, Logan is now at least 'thinking' about calming down, and we make it out the door. As I get Caleb positioned back in the stroller with his drink, the following quote summed up perfectly from a nice woman enjoying her 'peaceful' morning cup 'o joe at one of the sidewalk tables, "You have my respect and pity"... Um... Thanks, I think :)

The intent behind this little morning jaunt was to check out the Farmer's Market in Old Town, and let Kevin have a morning to sleep in/relax without distraction. As I walked past that first booth at the Farmer's Market, I had a Homer Simpson "Doh!" moment as I recalled... Farmer's Market = Cash... (Morning: 2, Julie: 0).... However, having a newly activated Debit card, I walk to an ATM... Not so fast.... newly activated ATM = Unknown PIN # and therefore still no cash (Morning: 3, Julie: 0). Some how un-deterred by ALL of the above, I set out to the CVS around the corner, where I intend to buy a water, over pay, and FINALLY get some cash. Luckily that was just the moment when my morning turned. We bumped into Tonya, the boys new nanny, on the street. She fronted me a $20, and helped push the stroller back toward the Farmer's Market, where we found some DELICIOUS fresh fruit, the flowers were breath taking, and Logan finally passed out in the sling! Tonya had to head on for her day, but Caleb and I took our treats, and headed down to the waterfront to watch the boats in the morning and feed the ducks... and Finally the tally in the Mama column started to go up :) After leisurely walking back up the street, with Logan now in the stroller and Caleb on my back for piggy back ride, we made it back to the bike and started to head for home (11am)... About 10 mins into my ride back home, I turned around and both boys are passed out in the buggie. I rode for the next hour, enjoying the beautiful bike trail, bridges over the streams, through the marsh, saw a bald eagle, and enjoyed the peace and quiet!

Despite my rocky start, the day turned out spectacularly... I would say it even qualified as one of my "Perfect Saturday's"... It's amazing how a flawless blue sky, with a bike trail sporting views of water, and a nice cool breeze can make you overlook even the most trying experiences!

Lyrics for Life

"Back to life, Back to Reality...." Those are the lyrics running through my head this evening, as Kevin iron's his shirt and slacks in preparation for his first day of work tomorrow. Looking back over the past four months, it feel's appropriate having song lyrics describing the way I feel tonight, considering it was a 'play list' courtesy of the man upstairs that kicked off this crazy ride!

4 Months ago, the beginning of May, I was 9 months pregnant, Kevin was taking his last finals, and everything was ahead of us.... One particularly overwhelming day, I get into the car a little anxious and I hear the following songs on the radio in perfect succession from departure to arrival: Faith Hill "Just Breathe", followed by Matt Maher's song with lyrics "this is the first day of the rest of your life", and finally I pulled into my destination listening to U2's, "It's a beautiful Day". I couldn't help but get out of my car with a smile on my face knowing everything that lay ahead would work out no matter what.

I think it was my last post, that likened this adventure to a death defying bicycle ride... well... We've made it, and have grown considerably in the process. It's funny how easy it is to take credit for things when they go your way... Kevin getting through school, getting a great job offer, having a healthy second baby boy, setting up for a cross country move, getting our house in Austin rented, finding a great place in Alexandria... everything fell into place so perfectly... I was flying pretty high, and an instant was all it took to put everything back into perspective. Watching Caleb lying in Kevin's arms, unresponsive, and being completely helpless to do anything except wait for an ambulance and pray... It wasn't us at all, it was all God, and I am SO thankful for all the amazing blessings his given us over these last 4 months, and the awesome opportunities we have ahead of us.

This last week has just been the icing on the cake! It's been BEAUTIFUL weather, the first few meetings with Tonya, our new nanny for the boys, were fantastic and I'm praying will be a long term solution for us, and then a labor day weekend for the books! Saturday we rode the metro into the capital and walked all around the city,then Logan and I had a nice dinner with Tonya and some of her gal pals on the deck of a nice restaurant overlooking the Potomac. Sunday we found a great new church that was very similar to Gateway back in Austin, except only 3 years old and a fraction of the size but growing with lots of promise. After church we took to the bike trails and rode to Maryland... This is the first time I can say I rode my bike across state lines! It was a beautiful ride and allowed us to walk along the banks of the Potomac River at National Harbor. Then Monday we were back on the Metro headed to the National Zoo, and seeing more of Washington D.C.. I had my first grocery shopping experience at Trader Joe's, and am in LOVE, what an amazing store! We seem to be 5/10 minutes away from everything, and the neighborhood is awesome! We would LOVE to be able to share our new town with anyone/everyone who wants to visit so PLEASE don't be shy, cause the only thing we've found missing from this place yet, is all the people we love and miss back in Michigan and Austin!!!

Thanks En Vogue, for bringing me "Back to life, Back to reality, back to the here and now... Yeah"!