Read this poem, my last entry.

1. Please read this poem, and be careful to read it one line at a time.

Lost Generation

I realize this may be a shock but
'Happiness comes from within'
is a lie, and
'Money will make me happy'
So in thirty years I will tell my children
they are not the most important thing in my life.
My employer will know that
I have my priorities straight because
work
is more important than
family
I tell you this
Once upon a time
Families stayed together
but this will not be true in my era
this is a quick fix society
Experts tell me
Thirty years from now I will be celebrating the 10th anniversary of my divorce
I do not concede that
I will live in a country of my own making
In the future
Environmental destruction will be the norm
No longer can it be said that
My peers and I care about this earth
It will be evident that
My generation is apathetic and lethargic
It is foolish to presume that
There is hope.

And all of this will come true unless we choose to reverse it.

2. Now read each line, starting from the last line to the first line (reverse it). Did you like that? I loved it, and it reinforced, for me, all the thousands of wonderful things we can teach our children as teachers, mothers, fathers, role models.

This was a poem we read in class tonight and I wanted to share it in a blog post. Actually, I want it to be my last blog post. I hardly ever blog, and hardly anyone even reads it, but still I want closure. I just said I hardly blog and this is true, but it's one other "thing" I've always got in back of my head to do. I'm seriously enjoying life right now, and I think it's because I'm truly trying to simplify. Calling it quits on the blog is one way to "tie up" this loose end-- this project I wished I could have done more with. I've met some really awesome people through blogging, and even seen sides of friends and family that I never knew about. I wonder if it's cheating to keep peeking at other people's blogs when you've quit your own? Maybe so. But I've got to pack up all these little unfinished projects and focus on my family, these pesky assignments for school, old friends, and good times.

Wish you all the best. Love, C.

Projects I Am Currently Working On.

So this summer will surely be a busy one with school and all, but sometimes my little projects are something I really look forward to. Plus, if they are written down, perhaps I'll be more motivated to check them off the list! Here's a short list of a few things I'd love to work on this summer:

* My 101 in 1001 list. I started this last summer and have recently completed 7 of the items! Some are long term goals, other things I have wanted to do so I can check them off my list.

*MBC MAT work. This has got to count for something, right?

*My brother's quilt. I have no pictures of it, yet, but I have been waiting to bind it forever...

*Ashley's quilt. It's a wedding gift and I have a year, right? Another one I don't have a picture of!

*A Blurb book for Jeremy's family. I started this last year, but our computer crashed when I was scanning the last batch.

*A Blurb book about Ocean City. Because it might be my last summer in a while.

*A Blurb book for our little family for 2009. And then I'll work my way back to finishing the one I started so long ago for 2008.

*Papercuttings- some silouettes of our little family.

*A papercuttings wall. I have so many of them, but haven't put them up. There's just one space left in our tiny house and you can bet I am taking it!

I think that sounds pretty good. What do you want to accomplish this summer?

Saturday Trip to the Zoo

These pictures uploaded all over the place, so randomly! Oh well.

We went to the Natural Bridge Zoo last Saturday and we brought Ellie. The zoo is small, but it really does have a nice collection of animals. If Charlie talks at all, it's usually about animals. And Ellie is so smart -- I actually did a practicum in her classroom this year at the very time they presented animal projects. Her favorite animal is the cheetah, which she knew a ton of information about-- and although she and I saw one earlier this year at the National Zoo, the Natural Bridge zoo had no cheetah. I think everyone had a good time!

They have lots of cute little animals running around-- like exotic chickens that jump into the trees!

There are some photographs of me at the zoo in 1985 or 86, and most are of me petting a baby elephant. I found out that the zoo has had this elephant since around that time, and it being their only elephant, she's all grown up! I wish she had a buddy.Moments before the rain came. A moment I want to remember.But wish I had painted my toenails.
Charlie wouldn't feed the animals so I dropped some food on the base of his stroller. The llamas loved it! Charlie-- not so much.
Giraffes have looooong tongues! Feels funny!
Ellie is so pretty, huh! She ran out of purchased food at one point and ran over to an animals trough and took some food out to share with the other animals! I sure hope Leslie writes down some Ellie stories!
Cute little goats!

Watching the monkeys while it rained....
We discovered Charlie had a fever soon after this.... which is why he looks sooo over it!
Wish I could've gotten just a little closer!

Peonies

Peonies

 This morning the green fists of the peonies are getting ready  to break my heart  as the sun rises,  as the sun strokes them with his old, buttery fingers   and they open -  pools of lace,  white and pink -  and all day the black ants climb over them,

 boring their deep and mysterious holes  into the curls,  craving the sweet sap,  taking it away   to their dark, underground cities -  and all day  under the shifty wind,  as in a dance to the great wedding,   the flowers bend their bright bodies,  and tip their fragrance to the air,  and rise,  their red stems holding

 all that dampness and recklessness  gladly and lightly,  and there it is again -  beauty the brave, the exemplary,   blazing open.  Do you love this world?  Do you cherish your humble and silky life?  Do you adore the green grass, with its terror beneath?   Do you also hurry, half-dressed and barefoot, into the garden,  and softly,  and exclaiming of their dearness,  fill your arms with the white and pink flowers,   with their honeyed heaviness, their lush trembling,  their eagerness  to be wild and perfect for a moment, before they are  nothing, forever? 

-- Mary Oliver

Everybody is Moving Away!!!

So, Sam's getting married (and moving wherever the Marine {Ben} takes her!) AND Leslie, Paul and Ellie are moving to Charleston, SC AND Jeremy's parents are also moving to Tennessee. All this in the span of the next 2 weeks or 2 months. Kinda crazy and I know we are really going to miss everybody!

So, me being who I am, I feel like we should have a few more get-togethers before everybody drives off into the sunset. We will hopefully do something for Memorial Day, and we are also thinking of going to Pearisburg to help Jeremy's folks pack up (and maybe slip up to Cascades or something, too.)

We had a little picnic in Jordan's Point Park. I realized after I looked at all the pictures that I never took a picture of Ellie, who was with us. After we ate, she found a big branch and wanted everyone to go down to the Min-each (for Mini-beach); no one took her up on the offer because we just wanted to hang out in the grassy area. Good times.

Here are the siblings:

Playing in the grass! We don't have any grass at home so this was super exciting for him! :)
He really loves his aunts and cousin!
Samantha and Buster
Chillaxing.

One Last Go

Well, it's been quite a while since I've blogged and I've decided to give one .... last.... try.

I stopped for a few reasons:

1. I started this blog a couple of years ago thinking I could use it like a scrapbook, and upload the blog to Blurb or something. But then Blurb and Blogger couldn't get along a few months back, and Blurb decided it wouldn't publish Blogger blogs. A few days ago I checked, and they're back on good terms, so maybe that's a good reason to continue.

2. I am swamped for time as a mom, wife, student. I just realized I haven't fixed my hair, like a real person, since last weekend, and I haven't worn makeup since ... the Wednesday before that. I look terrible, and most of the time I feel like a chicken with my head cut off. How can I find the time to do this, too?

3. I don't love to share my thoughts publicly. Most of the time, I'm just trying to write down some details from something we did, but sometimes I want to just break out in a real rant, but realize that I could really offend someone, or it's risky. For this reason, sometimes blogging feels a little fake.

4. Who reads this anyway? I feel like sharing things sometimes, but wouldn't Facebook be just as effective if I have no one who reads this blog anyway?

Ok, so that's just a few reasons I want to stop... but since I love to read other folks' blogs, and because it is easier to make a scrapbook when you have some sort of reference, ... and, I guess also because Leslie asked me to... I'll give another shot.

24/25 Posts: Cookies!

So after spending so much time with other kids, home must have looked a little boring for Charlie. Luckily, my aunt Anna had sent us a Gingerbread Cookie decorating kit (Brilliant gift!) It may have been as early as 9 am, but I wanted to do something fun!

Here's what he did:

Gotta sample the icing, like any good baker!



This is what we did after!
24 Posts! I have just one more, and that is one I'll have to do tomorrow!

23/25 Posts: A Quick Trip to Philadelphia, Part 2

Since Jeremy had never been to Reading Terminal Market, and we were downtown, Becca drove us there for lunch. I think Jeremy and I both had cheesesteaks on the brain! It's a great place to go, so many choices!


Even close to 3 pm, it was still packed with long lines. We chose, instead of cheesesteaks, to eat at this one Jewish deli! So good! We walked around afterwards, looking at the different bakeries and candy shops... and my camera batteries died.

We had nice relaxing evening that night, and hung out more with family the next day. I got to see my grandparents, and my aunt and some other cousins. We left the next day, stopping in Baltimore to see Jeremy's friend Kevin, and his family. They have 3 kids that Charlie also got to play with! He especially had a great holiday, I think, because he got to play with so many kids!

22/25 Posts: A Quick Trip to Philadelphia, part 1

After leaving Pearisburg, we headed home for the night, only to hit the road for another trip the next morning. We went to visit my family in Philadelphia. We didn't arrive until later in the night Sunday, but when we woke up Monday morning, Charlie came downstairs and saw lots of kids! For a little kid who hardly ever gets to see kids, and to see so many kids over the weekend, he was in paradise!

Here's Ryan, my cousin Matt's youngest, most adorable baby, and Jeremy...
Charlie, Andrea (my cousin Becca's girl) and Matt Jr. (Matt's oldest boy): all coloring, watching Baby Einstein (I think!)
I know, Charlie's not smiling... sometimes he doesn't... but he really loved being around Andrea and Matt, and especially Jeffrey! He just kept jabbering and talking all about it. He had a blast!
There's Jeffrey! Charlie was into exploring the place...
Ryan and Jeremy... in the same spot... still going at the teether giraffe!
Cutie pie!!!
My Uncle Mark and his grandson Ryan :) Sweet pic.
I think this is right after MJ gave Charlie a hug :)
So we decided to head downtown to the National Academy of Sciences. It was the perfect choice for all the ages of kids we had. There was a special exhibit about George Washington Carver, a Butterfly garden, animal exhibits, dinosaurs and a dig, etc.

On the way into the city, Charlie fell asleep. He even let me carry him while sleeping, which is completely unheard of! This kid is a fighter when it comes to sleep!
Ryan looking cute, as usual!
He's always a good sport, never saw him fuss!
Andrea and Matt, Jr.
So the animal exhibits were stuffed animals. They were really well-done! Charlie had seen animals at the zoo and the aquarium, but he'd never been able to walk on his own at those places. Here, he could stand in front of the glass and stare and chat about them all he wanted! That he did!
He's not always shy! Here he's talking to them about these animals!
While the rest of the group was ready after a few minutes, our little guy wanted to stay at many of the exhibits! Wonder if we've got a little scientist on our hands?
At the "dig" area, kids had to wear goggles and they got this special tool. I gotta be honest, I thought it was going to be one big sandbox. I was really impressed, though; it was not easy to dig into these "rocks" (more like some kind of cement). Plus, there were actually things to "DIG!"
Jeffrey helping Matt, Jr.
Becca and Charlie! (Becca is my cousin; also is Matt's sister, and Mark's daughter!)
Look at what they could dig, if they spent days doing it! I believe it's some kind of claw.
Charlie's looking for something!
Matt Jr. was just happy, happy! Here he is in front of a Polar bear!
Our little walker, going at his own pace.
In the butterfly garden! They had tons of different kinds of butterflies all over the place. I wanted one to come land on our shoulders, but :(
After this, we split into 2 groups: Those who were too puckered out to continue, and Those who were ready for Lunch! I'm always up for food, so off we went for lunch at Reading Terminal Market!