Red Hook Ride

There is a nice bike/running trail not far from our house that goes for miles and miles.  A couple years ago we rode it 6.5 miles north to Woondinville for lunch at Red Hook Brewery, and then back...and it was okay.   The girls needed lots of breaks.  There was some whining.   Lots of  "How much further?"  "Are we there yet?"  "Why are you making me do this?"  You know how it goes.

We've had a string of gorgeous weekends, so last Saturday I decided we were going to do the Red Hook ride again.  We piled the bikes into the car...a bit of a fiasco because they don't all fit and we don't have a bike rack, so this required two trips to get the bikes and kids there.  (We're going to fix the no bike rack problem soon!)

And the ride was fabulous.  The kids were awesome.  The weather was beautiful.  There was no complaining, very few rest breaks, just a ton of fun hanging out as a family, and a really yummy lunch at the end.  (Or in the middle.  We did have to ride back home.)

One more activity that makes me appreciate this stage of parenting.

Oh the places you'll go!

Look at me! Two posts in two days. It's amazing what a three day work week will do for a girl.

One more post about working and then I'll post about something more interesting.

I have a very clear memory of a conversation I had with my mom a few years ago...it must have been eight years ago because I remember I was sitting in this breakfast nook folding a stack of laundry on the kitchen table while simultaneously keeping Amelia's high chair tray stocked with string cheese and blueberries while simultaneously watching that our puppy didn't pee on anything or chew on anything she shouldn't while simultaneously praying my 3 year old who was quiet in the next room was not peeing or chewing on anything she shouldn't, while simultaneously talking on the phone with my mom. Multi-tasking is a wonderful thing.

But I remember that conversation with my mom so clearly because I was frustrated that I had finally decided for certain that I wanted to go back to school to be a nurse. It felt like it was such a long road ahead of me, and the girls were so small and how were we going to make that happen? My very smart mom said, "You are young. Even if you don't graduate from nursing school until you are 40 years old you will still have 25 years of nursing before you retire. Don't be in such a rush. Enjoy this time. You'll know when the time is right for you to follow that dream."

And suddenly I felt calm. There was no rush. Just because I wanted to do something, didn't mean it had to be done now.

And when the time was right, I did it. There were a few speed bumps along the way, but with each speed bump I reminded myself of my mom's wise words, that there was plenty of time, and that allowed me to relax and just ride it out.

Last month my mom came to visit. On a business trip. I got off work early Friday to go pick her up from her dream job, "working" as an educator and designer for a machine quilting manufacturer. (We say she "works" because her work is really her play.) She flies around the country helping people learn to quilt on long-arm sewing machines. Or she entertains people who have flown to Utah for retreats to learn how to sew quilts. Or she designs and sews quilts to show what their machines can do. I'm pretty sure my mom could not have created a more perfect job for herself if she tried. And she got it at 58 years old.

It was surreal to drive back to my house with my mom, both of us talking about our jobs, and the difficulties in balancing home/work life, and learning to let go, and learning to let other people help, and both of us a little bit stunned that life had gotten us to this place.

My mom leaves next week for Melbourne, Australia with my dad to go teach people to quilt. I'm sure never in her wildest dreams would she have dreamt up that one.

And so sometimes when I wonder if I made the right decision to take the job I took instead of going a sexier, more high adrenaline direction with my career, I remind myself that I have plenty of time. This is the perfect job for my family now. It's the perfect job for me now. I'm home on the weekends. I'm home holidays, evenings, nights, and one (and sometimes two) days during the week. For the most part I do not bring my work home with me. (Emotionally, I mean. I most definitely do not bring the colonoscopy part of work home with me!) And someday when I don't need to be home to help with geometry homework or pick up a munchkin from rock climbing, maybe life will lead me in another direction.

I'm not even going to try to guess what that direction might be. But it would be cool if it's in Australia.

Six Months

I have no excuses.

Well, actually I have a lot of excuses, but probably none of them are good ones. Balancing work and family is exhausting, writing sounded overwhelming at the end of a long day, my computer came a little closer to death every time I picked it up so any attempts I made at updating my blog usually ended in my computer crashing, blah, blah, blah.

But maybe, just maybe, I am back. Maybe I'll catch up on the last 3 months, maybe I won't.

Yesterday was my 6 month anniversary at work, which also means I've been working full time for six months. (duh) Those two statements actually mean different things to me. Being at my job for 6 months means I'm starting to feel a little more comfortable and confident as a nurse. Working full time for six months means I'm starting to accept what I can't do at home. How's that?

What have I learned after working full time for six months?

1. Two parents working full time is not conducive to keeping a clean house (or car or yard).
2. A house cleaner is a really lovely thing. So lovely, in fact, that I would probably keep working at a job I hate just to come home to a completely clean house once every two weeks.
3. When you have time and energy to make dinner, think big. (See #4)
4. Leftovers are okay for dinner. Three days in a row.
5. Eggs are okay for dinner when you run out of leftovers.
6. Working makes me appreciate being home more. Especially the day after the housecleaner comes.
7. If you buy everyone a lot more socks and underwear you won't have to do laundry as often.
8. Being on your feet all day does not count as exercise. (At least that's what the scale and my jeans tell me.)
9. Leaving the house for the gym on my days off pretty much always sounds like a bad idea. For this reason, workout videos are a must.
10. The cool thing about working out at home is that you can do it in your pajamas. Just add bra.
11. My kids and husband are really cool, responsible, helpful people when I get out of their way.

Tis the Season...

Portland Getaway

A few weeks ago we snuck down to Portland for a surprise birthday weekend for the 40th birthday of our friend Greg (aka Nellie). Nellie is like me--a big surprise party would be his worst nightmare. But Kristin wanted to do something fun for him, so she arranged for just a few of us to stay at a hotel in downtown Portland with plans to surprise him when they arrived at the restaurant in the hotel for dinner. It was kind of a gift for all of us though--so much fun to stay downtown, hang out with friends, and eat lots of yummy food. (Our girls were staying at the Nelsons with Kristin's kids and her parents so they didn't miss us at all.)

For me, this weekend was very much a payoff for "all my hard work." (Feel free to eyeroll. I'm rolling my own eyes at myself.) Working 40 hours a week is kicking my butt. Just a big adjustment for me. I don't mind waking up at 4:45am, but I'm not staying awake much past 9pm, and the second I sit down I fall asleep. I know I'll adjust eventually, but right now "work tired" is the name of the game. (I do LOVE my job though). So it was nice to use my paycheck to pay for this weekend, it's nice to understand what all the hype is about weekends finally, and it was lovely to truly enjoy the weekend with Kolby and friends.

The Civil Wars

Last night Kolby and I went to see one of our newest favorites in concert. Kolby heard them on Prairie Home Companion a few months ago and downloaded their album when he got home, and we have listened to it over and over and over again since then. I cannot get over the beauty of their voices weaving in and out of each other's like musical instruments. Absolutely one of the most beautiful "duos" I've heard.

Last weekend when we were in Portland (post to follow), Kolby and I were talking about how some of our favorite concerts ever were at the Aladdin Theater, an old movie theater in SE Portland. We saw Steve Earle and Josh Ritter there years ago, and it was the perfect venue for both of them. When we walked into the Neptune Theater last night, we were so pleased to see it looked almost identical to the Aladdin.

On stage, it was just Joy and John Paul with his guitars. Their sound was so pure and they looked like they were having the time of their lives. This concert definitely ranks in my top 5 ever, and if you haven't heard them (and like Americana music) you should definitely give them a listen.

Give me candy.

We all survived our first Halloween with me working. This was probably the hardest day for me so far because I've always gone to the girls' Halloween parties. But we are all alive. Nobody seems to scarred by my not being there. Amelia put on her costume by herself at school. Maddie had the neighbor do her eyeliner for her. Kolby picked them up and took them to Microsoft to trick or treat, and I beat them home with just enough time to heat up some beef stew to warm them up before they went out and demanded candy from strangers.