A Happy 4th and First Fireworks

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!

We started our celebration of America's birthday with a parade in the small community we live in right now.

Americana at its best!

Then why not a few hot dogs and a picnic by the lake? We're going for the full gut-busting, Norman Rockwellesque American day here.



Of course, these days that American day would include work, and that's exactly where I got to go in the afternoon. Yeah me! That means I missed out on a first in Georgia's life - a thought which still has me pretty pissed off and hating my job right now. I missed her first fireworks show. Her daddy tells me she had a great time, although she did need her headphones on to accomplish that, and that she kept saying, "that's neat," when the fireworks exploded above the river. I wish I had seen it.

But I did get the next best thing, I guess. Before the hubby and daughter left for the show, I got to come home on my dinner break and set off a few little sparks of our own.



I'll take it, but I hope next year I get a bigger bang out of the 4th. I hope you all enjoyed your Independence Day.

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Splishing and a Splashing!

What's summer without a little fun in the backyard pool? No, no, sadly not a real pool... but still there's fun to be had!

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Making Memories...

When Georgia looks back on these days 10 or even 20 years from now, what will she remember of them? Well, probably nothing because she's not even two yet (but oh my God, she's so close - I can't believe it), but if she does remember our days at the beach, I hope she remembers days like this.

Dear daughter, remember these: the tinkling sound of the shells across the sand as they dance with the arrival and departure of each frothy wave; watching the sand pipers flirt and flit as they chase and then run from the waves; the taste of peaches and plums mixed with the salt of the ocean and a few mischievous grains of sand; a rainbow of sand toys - shovels, sifters and pails; the way sea oats hula to the ocean breezes; the cry of a gull; the approach and fly over of a flock of pelicans; the search as we walk for an "even better" seashell; the perfect crookedness of a sandcastle; watching footprints melt beneath a wave; the pure joy of sand between your toys.












Whether they're sharp in her mind in 20 years or not, the memories will be there and they will always be smiling.

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A Trip to the Big City!!

It's funny, one month ago we lived in a place commonly referred to as "the big city" by many. Basically, if you lived in Nebraska or western Iowa and did not live in Omaha, then Omaha was the "big city." It has shopping, it has restaurants, it has crime, it has traffic, it has suburbs - all the conveniences (and inconveniences) we have come to associate with larger cities. If you lived on a farm or in a small Nebraska town, Omaha was the place you headed every now and then because you needed some new school clothes or you wanted a fancy anniversary dinner or your favorite singer was in concert - but you never stayed long, after all, it was the big city. By God, they had shootings there!

Fast forward one month to now... now I'm the one heading to the "big city." The big city in our life now - Raleigh, NC. It's about two hours from us, and it's the home of my husband's best friend - his former Air Force buddy and the best man in our wedding. The friend, Shane, is the kind of friend who didn't hesitate to drive four hours round-trip when we first moved to New Bern just to help us unload our moving truck. Is it ironic that he also drove hours to help us pack our moving truck when we moved to Omaha 5+ years ago? So when Shane, who typically works weekends, got a random Sunday off - we didn't hesitate to drive four hours round-trip to see him and enjoy a cookout at his house in Raleigh.

Georgia has only met Shane (now) twice, and has taken to him every time. She cutely says "Shane" which sounds more like "sane," wearing a proud smile every time she remembers his name. And on Sunday, that smile was plastered full-time on Georgia's face when Shane took us to the awesome playground by his house!

We hit the swings...


Even Shane got some time in...

Then there was the sand box...

And this thing you can jump on...





We left with sweaty brows, a few new mosquito bites and big smiles.

Shane also invited over a couple who has a daughter one month older than Georgia. It was so nice to see her play with someone her own age again. I still feel guilty for ripping her away from her little friend next door to us in Omaha. So for an afternoon, we all remembered what it was like to have friends close at hand. It was nice. I won't say I started to feel at home yet in this new state, but it's as close as I've been since we made the 1,400 mile leap here. It was just around the corner... I swear!

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Mommy/Daughter Day in the Gardens

If you read my last post, maybe you realized before I did that Georgia and I were in some serious need of mommy/daughter time - no daddy allowed. So when my husband needed to get some work done Sunday, I decided Georgia and I would head out alone. There would be no daddy to block her blows or tantrums!

Despite that fact that it's August and we're now on the Carolina Coast, I thought we'd take advantage of the once-a-month, free day at the Tryon Palace gardens. The palace is a historic site, the first state capitol of NC. So with a car thermometer reading 100 degrees and plenty of sunblock and water in the diaper bag, Georgia and I headed out on our own.

We stop for some deep fried sustenance on the way:


And then we stop for a sailboat to pass by:

(I can't tell you how happy I am to live once again in a place where drawbridges are a necessity!)

We parked on the street just a few hundred feet from the palace entrance, and as soon as I opened the car door, the sounds of a band filled the air. It wasn't just any normal-sounding band - it had the sound of colonial times - the raspy drums, the high pitched flute, the patriotic tunes. Georgia was delighted.

This was our first trip to Tryon Palace:


Georgia loved the twisty-turny paths through the flowers, but she wasn't so fond of those white sculptures in the background.


And every water fountain or pond sent her into a squealing fit, running straight for it as soon as she spotted it.


At almost 22 months, Georgia has her first encounter with a cannon. Is this significant? I have no earthly idea, but she thought it was cool.

The cannonballs, however, were another matter. They frustrated the hell out of her that she could not pick them up. All I kept hearing was "ball, ball, mommy, ball." Then the grunts of a frustrated toddler trying to pick up a heavy metal ball welded to 10 other heavy metal balls.


Oh, and try taking a toddler to a public garden where they're not allowed to pick the flowers. I promise you, the only thing they'll want to do is... yep, pick those flowers.



But hey, who's going to miss a blossom or two?

Amid the flowers and trees and paths and water fountains and buckets of sweat on this day, Georgia and I discovered some things.

We discovered it's really hot in New Bern in August. We discovered all the doors on the palace grounds are, indeed, locked.


We discovered cannonballs are heavy (especially when welded to others). We discovered hidden corners.


We also discovered that we still can get along with each other. There was not one tantrum, not one swing at mommy's head, nor one evil look in my direction.


We discovered a beautiful day.

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