Some words and some pictures that have little to do with them

So, I haven’t written part five. This is why I wanted to post this story on the blog: because I hoped people would bug me to finish. And I will. I promise. But first I wanted to write some other stuff.

I went to a class at education week that was called something like “Books are the doorway to the universe.” It turns out it was about encouraging kids to read. Even though I wasn’t going to have a kid for seven years (because, you see, I knew that), I stayed because it was good information. Wilcox talked about the importance of keeping a journal and gave a piece of advice (the only thing that stayed with me from that class): don’t try to catch up. If you try, you’ll likely never write. Journaling is about figuring out your life as you’re living it, not about keeping your posterity informed that you baked a great pie or that your next door neighbor has a really cute baby.

I figure a blog is similar. Blogging is about keeping in touch with friends and family. You don’t need a play-by-play of our lives to do that. So I’m only going to share a few things that happened in Hawaii.

But you will get random pictures.

I cooked some sweet meals. I can say that because it’s my blog. I made quinoa with chicken and Mexican spices. Quinoa has to be my new favorite food. It’s amazing. A few days later I made a two part meal: first a frittata with zucchini and bell peppers and then oat waffles served with cream whipped with brown sugar and topped with blueberries.

Nathaniel left a few days before I did because he had to start school, which left me in the position of lugging this through an airport:

It was not easy I feel like a rock star for having accomplished that.

As I was waiting at the airport in Phoenix, nursing Summer (with no blanket, by the way. I feel like blankets just scream “Look at my baby sucking on my boob!”), a girl over to me and smiled at the baby and touched her. She was just tickled pink. It was really cute. Later, she came over and asked if she could take a picture. “Sure,” I replied. I didn’t expect, however, that she really just wanted to take a picture Summer nursing, which she did. It was so close to my chest that I could actually see the picture that she was taking, and Summer’s head and my boob filled up the whole thing. Her parents noticed and apologized (not that I really cared), explaining that this girl was breast fed and apparently wasn’t weaned until she was two and a half. That’s unusual, but it still doesn’t explain taking a picture of my boob.

Upon my arrival home, I had to figure out how to put the car seat in the car for the first time. I didn’t do it very well, and the next day, after I made a turn, I looked in my rear view mirror and saw that the car seat had tipped over. Shocked, I pulled over and opened the back door. Summer was just sitting in her car seat, still attempting to eat her stuffed toy frog. Should I be pleased or concerned that getting tipped over and riding sideways in a car didn’t faze her in the least?

I totally thought today was our anniversary. Nathaniel showed me our marriage certificate this morning and proved me wrong. It was two days ago.

I love my life.