Whirlwind

We've had a crazy few weeks!

Did you ever have those times where you are so busy that you never feel you get a chance to recover and rest? That's how I've felt for a while now.

Last week was really busy - I just over-scheduled and did too many fun things with my friends at night after the girls went to bed.

Last weekend, we went to Las Vegas together. I had to work a tradeshow at the Sands Expo, and my boss was kind enough to suggest that I bring my family along and put them on the expense account for meals. She expressed to me that she wanted me to feel welcome and for me to have a good time with my family.

And while I REALLY appreciated the generosity (it's so nice to feel appreciated after 7 months of rejection), in many ways, it probably would have been better to leave the girls at home with Jenetta. There is just SO much stimulation there with lights and sounds and smells and crowds. Plus with the work of the trade show, I felt pretty much exhausted when I came back to be with them and of course, they were missing me and were jacked up and wanted to play. So I never got any rest.

And maybe Jenetta and I are "old before our time," but the whole Vegas party lifestyle doesn't seem very appealing to either of us. The sheer volume of public intoxication is staggering! People walk around with huge containers of liquor and sip on them all day long! The girls were exposed to things that were uncomfortable for me to witness, let alone for children to see. It just made me glad that we live in a nice community with good friends, and I'm happy to just chill out at the beach.

We came home very late on Monday night, and then all week, I had to play catch-up at work. So that wasn't very relaxing, either.

I'm venting and it sounds like everything was awful. The girls really enjoyed swimming and meeting other kids and playing at the pool with them. Jenetta took them to a chocolate factory and to Circus Circus, so that was neat. All their meals and snacks were paid for by my company, and I have a job at a place that is run by generous and thoughtful employers. I was even eventually able to get on top of the pile of work on my desk and got it down to a manageable stack! :)

Then last night, we had the unexpected blessing of getting four tickets to the Padres vs. Orioles game. These are great corporate seats - right in line with the first base path, just behind home plate, about 16 rows up. It was fun to talk baseball with the girls. I think O understood a little bit of it. They definitely enjoyed cotton candy! (Won't be doing that one again!!! - I think peanuts would be better next time - they were so hyped up!!!)


But in the third inning, we decided to take them to the park in the park. There is a spinning ride there that they love. (And they enjoy rolling down the grassy hill and getting grass stains all over themselves!) :)

The girls played for a while and I watched the game on the big screen behind the outfield wall. Then L had an accident and hit her face on a concrete planter. I actually have video of it, but it is brutal to watch. I think I will be deleting that file! The Petco Park emergency staff were super helpful and they cleaned up the blood and gave us lots of Padres stuff, but it was obvious that she would need stitches. So we took her to the Coronado ER because it is generally slower there. We were there about an hour and a half for everything (which is pretty good for a Friday night at the ER). 5 stitches later, L is fine, and it only hurts when she laughs or smiles.

But needles to say, last night wasn't very restful, either. :(

So this morning, we let the girls go play at the neighbor's house, and I'm planning on relaxing in front of the TV. I haven't been able to watch any World Cup games yet. We'll see how that goes! :)

Changes...

I spent some time yesterday looking at pictures from a year ago. I was overwhelmed by a strong sense of compassion for our girls. Not only where they physically unhealthy when they first came here, but they were so awkward. You can see in the pictures that they just don't know what is going on or how to respond. Jenetta and I talked about it, and she said it seems almost like a crime to uproot a child and tell them that they will be living somewhere else now with different parents. How strange and incomprehensible that must have seemed for them!

Recent photos show them just being themselves - normal kids. You can see a clear difference in their body language in photos from them versus now.

This morning I took O with me for a run. We hadn't run together since early April. So I noticed a lot of changes with that, too. First, we were both out of shape. O complained almost right away of being tired and not wanting to run. Our usual competitive games didn't work either. When I would run ahead and encourage her to come catch me, she just screamed and wanted to hold my hand. That need to compete and be in charge seems to have decreased a lot. She just wanted to be with me and enjoy running/walking together.

Maybe I'm reading too much into one morning. But Jenetta and I talked about it, and O's crazy excess energy has definitely decreased over the past few months. She still likes physical activity and loves riding her bike (and she can still be a pain at times), but the overflowing spring of energy and excitement within her seems to have decreased from a raging river to a gurgling stream. Maybe she doesn't need the running as often as possible to calm her down. She doesn't seem to have the excess energy to burn anymore.


Not really related to this post, but noteworthy is our upcoming trip to Las Vegas next weekend. I am part of the team from my work going to a Spa products trade show at the Venetian next Sunday and Monday. I was to go up on Saturday and return on Tuesday. Since I had a hotel room to myself, my boss suggested that I bring the whole family along to play in the pool and to get a vacation. We talked about it, and decided that even though the hotel would be free, the extra expense for eating out just wouldn't fit in our budget.

I was really touched by the response from my boss. She wants me to feel welcome at the company and really wants me to bring my family. She also wants to get to know our girls and Jenetta better, so she would very much like me to bring them. She told me to put their meals on the company expense account for the trade show. I am very grateful for this gesture. Even though I will be busy for much of my time there, it will be great to see my family in the mornings and to be with them for dinner and in the evenings. Vegas, here we come!

My birthday

Because Monday was a holiday, we ended up celebrating my birthday a day early. In the morning, I took the girls to the beach with David, Courtney, and Isaiah. We had a great time hanging out and playing together. O even paddled out with me on my surfboard for a few belly rides. It was great!

After naptime, we went to Grandma Joy and Grandpa CJ's pool to swim. Both girls are so brave in the water! Then we feasted and enjoyed my blue angel-food cake.

At work the next day, I got an unexpected bonus. I was informed that even though I had only been there a few weeks, I was getting Holiday pay. I think the last time I got paid for a day off from work was my last year of teaching - 1998. It's been a long time! It allowed me to not work so much this week - which is good, because there are lots of things for me to take care of at home! Thanks for all the birthday wishes. I really appreciated it!