And Then I Stepped in Gum . . .

Update on Us

. . . and the news is good.

Today was Katie's first day of school and Dave's first day back teaching. Since you can go to just about any other mom blog to hear rhapsodizing about how quiet and lovely it was (although it really wasn't, as I was with Ian still -- his first day of daycare is tomorrow), I'll just say this. We need this. We need a schedule. We need individual efforts to pursue. We need to not be on top of each other every minute of every day. We need to go away from each other and have the chance to miss each other for a while so we can be happy to be back together again. (And then there's my own need to be alone in my own house for a significant period of time.) And that's why I'm glad it was the first day of school.

Other news:

• Torey and David's commitment ceremony was wonderfully fantastic and fantastically wonderful. We were so glad to make it out there and see old friends and be a part of their special day. And traveling without the kids and spending some time just one on one was as close to bliss as I've been in quite a while. I love my kids, but traveling with them is a lot of maintenance. Being able to go a whole day traipsing around San Francisco without once looking at our watches and not having to worry about any sore feet other than ours was great.
  
  
• The kids were totally spoiled by my mom, who was probably exhausted by the time she left. They loved it and didn't seem to miss us at all. Katie got new matching outfits for her and her American Girl doll, Josefina, and was thrilled to be able to help Grandma cut the pattern pieces out and sew. Ian loved baking cookies with Grandma. It all went just great, except that I didn't get to spend as much time with my mom as I'd like. And of course, I was fairly brain-dead and jetlagged when we did get home. I blame this for the act I perpetrated under the title of THE WORST DAUGHTER IN THE WORLD, EVER!!! The day after we got home, we had to take Mom to the airport. We packed everything up and headed out to the car, Mom taking her duffel bag and me bringing up the rear, telling her I'd get her suitcase. I got distracted looking for a coupon, but we got on the road in enough time to make it the 20-minute drive there. And then we pulled up to let her off, and I realized with shock and horror that I HAD FORGOTTEN TO GET HER SUITCASE FROM THE HALL. Oh. My. God. I. Am. Such an idiot. I dumped her off and tried to race back to the house and back to the airport again, only to get a call from Mom as I neared home, telling me not to bother, because the suitcase had to be in the airport for at least 30 minutes, or they wouldn't let it go on the plane. In other words, there was no way. And I'd rushed off so quickly that I didn't even get to hug her goodbye! It was just tragic, I tell you. And -- I'll never live it down.
  
  
• Hurricane Katrina: I have nothing to say that hasn't already been said. It's devastating, and I think I've finally just about reached saturation point -- no pun intended. We were lucky -- our house that was still for sale in Mobile had absolutely no damage, save a shingle missing from the back eaves of the playhouse we built in the backyard. So hip hip hooray for that!

Oh, and did you notice that I said was for sale? Eagle-eyed readers will perhaps have gotten the clue that WE FINALLY SOLD OUR HOUSE TODAY!! The final price was $6,000 under the listing price, but no contingencies, and they want to close on Friday. FRIDAY! (The Realtor says that's not going to happen, but he predicts by mid-next week.) Woohoo! Words on a Web page cannot express the profound relief and jubilation happening in the house this evening. Finally, we can pay off the debts we have left from moving and stop living paycheck to paycheck, with a tiny bit of money in the bank. It's tinier than it used to be, but at least the cushion will be there. Financial solidity, here we come!

And on that note, I must go beat the 2-year-old kicking the wall repeatedly instead of sleeping. Kidding, kidding; I kid. But tying him to the bed is not totally out of the question.

posted by Jennifer Morgan, at 8:28 PM