JERSEY UPDATE # 3: Maybe it's okay here?

A couple weeks ago I had vertigo. Woke up at 6:00 on a Saturday morning and the world was spinning. It stopped until I turned over, and then it started again. So, a phone call to my uncle in Texas, a trip to urgent care and a few meds later, things were better. Except for the part when the doctor said “no non-essential driving for one week.” Which is fine if, say, you live in Dallas and KNOW PEOPLE who can haul your dizzy butt different places. But, if you’re in a brand new state and you’re pretty sure your neighbors are somehow mafia-connected, that is not such a good thing. To top it off, Joe had already arranged to go back to Dallas Thursday – Sunday for work (and the Cowboys preseason game).

Chloe had a gym thing at the Jersey shore on Tuesday, and thankfully my new friend Cheri offered to drive us. Her daughter, Kirsten, and Chloe are on the same gymnastics team. Another mom from school, Anne, offered to pick Ross up at our house and bring him back after we got home. She has a 7th grade son, Andrew, who is a clone of my boy, all the way down to the light sabres and Lego pieces, so that worked out VERY well. Another bonus: her daughter is a 9th grader and babysits!!! Yee-haw!

I got Ross off to his play date at Anne’s house and scurried around the kitchen making lunches for the girls & I to enjoy at the shore. Not being a native, I had no idea if they’d have food vendors or if we were talking “just a beach.” So, I packed peanut butter & jelly on white bread, Cheetos, Ruffles, fruit rollups, a couple snack sized M&Ms, some soda cans, water, juice boxes, Gogurt… the essentials for a picnic. We get in Cheri’s Volvo SUV and are on our way. Cheri and I start talking, and I find out all kinds of interesting things about her. She is one of 14 children (3 are adopted and 11 are biological siblings), her husband is the marketing director for Barnes & Noble and offices about a stone’s throw from Joe, and she’s a vegetarian who eats only organic food. I seriously thought I was going to have a panic attack as I thought about how I’d unpack my lovely processed lunches onto our beach blanket. We get to the shore and Cheri’s son gets hungry, so she pulls out organic popcorn and organic cheezits, homemade organic chocolate chip cookies, fruit, bottled water. The kid ate it ALL. Score one for the "mother of the year" right here!

The rest of our day is uneventful (except for a minor run-in with a park Ranger who thought I’d parked in a “no parking” zone) and we get home at about the time that Anne and her whole family is pulling up in the driveway with Ross. They went to a movie and she offered to bring Ross home afterwards.

I say a quick thank you and goodbye to Cheri and invite everyone else inside. Ross and his new friend, Andrew, are gone before we know it, and the rest of us decide to sit & visit. Emmy doesn’t like this plan, and decides we have 2 choices: we can play the quiet game, or we can move. Thankfully, they all thought Emmy was pretty funny. I was not amused, but I did move us into the dining room. I learn that Anne is from Atlanta, her husband, Steven, is from Pennsylvania, they used to own a music store & school there and moved here about 8 years ago when Steven got his dream job. What is that, you may ask? Nothing much, really… he’s just a tenor in the New York Metropolitan Opera!!! He also is the assistant manager of the chorus. Well, after hearing that, I am all kinds of impressed and probably make a big fool out of myself asking all kinds of questions about his job. Anne is the middle and high school choir director at our school, which makes me like her even more. I find out that her first FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL will be next Wednesday, because she kind-of inherited the job midway through the fall semester last year. We finish our visit and decide to get the boys together once more before school starts. We also make plans for the 4 adults to go out to dinner. i can tell how much I'm going to like these people right away!!! So, Tuesday was a pretty great day.

This entry is getting pretty long, so I quickly run through the rest of the goings-on here.

We started school today. Emmy's re-entry into the structure of the school day was not as smooth as I would have liked. I am hoping she rallies and has a good week. If not, we might just move on to "plan B." What's that, you ask? I'll let you know when I figure it out!!

In Texas, 90 – 100 is an “A”. In New Jersey, 93 – 100 is an “A”. That information alone was enough to cause a giant meltdown at our house tonight.

I worked recess today for 2nd – 5th grades. It seemed like a great way to get to know the kids and some of the teachers. I still think it is, but I'm not sure if I'm the right person for the job. I was whipped after my hour on the playground!

It is NEVER GOOD if a teacher, parent, or volunteer knows your child’s name after spending only 20 minutes watching him/her (and 40 other children) on the playground. His name is Jastin.

Ross is hoping he can make it to all his classes within the 4 minutes allotted between periods. The betting pool at our house says he'll probably have a tardy by end of day tomorrow.

Chloe has a blister the size of a quarter on her heel because of the cute shoes I bought her to match the first day of school outfit. She's not sure what she'll wear tomorrow, but I am thinking a bandaid will be a part of the ensemble.

There are a few things in this world I hate: unloading the dishwasher, folding the laundry, and mopping the floors all fit into that category. A new addition to that list: packing school lunches. I can't figure out why. I used to pack them in the mornings before school, but decided that I didn't like how rushed I felt. So, I started packing them at night, but I am so sleepy by the time I make the lunches that I'm throwing all kinds of junk into them. I think my kids should buy lunch EVERY DAY, but they disagree. Maybe I'll start making disgusting lunches and give them no choice!! :)

I, like the rest of America, am reading Francis Chen's book, Crazy Love. I highly recommed it, especially if you're feeling a bit "empty" in the God department. I believe it will change your perspective.

Enjoy your LONG Labor Day weekend!