Since we got home, it has been a whirlwind. I suppose it has really only been a few days, but it feels like a long time. The trip home from Victoria was not bad - first to Vancouver for an epic gathering of Baddeck folks, as well as a fabulous late-night conversation with Anika, which reminded me that next time, it needs to be four days in Vancouver - no question.
Perhaps the most comical part came when we tried to figure out how to get me to the airport - cabs don't have car seats in Vancouver and I didn't bring Thea's and had too much stuff to use public transportation. So we finally figured we would use Anika's then pay for the cab fare back to her place to return it. Later we found a friend who had one I could take home with me - which wound up costing me $25 because I had an "extra bag" in the eyes of the airlines - you just can't win. And then at the last minute we realized Liam's booster had taken off with the cab on the way to her house.....
There was also the moment when we arrived downtown at the bus depot in Vancouver and I tried to use my debit and visa cards to get money, but for some reason the ATM in the station didn't accept Visa - so I had to carry all the stuff, which was sizeable - Thea on my back in the backpack, the stroller loaded with bags, and my rolling suitcase behind me - around a whole block until I found an atm that worked enough to give me $20 for the cab ride to Anika's house. It probably took me a 1/2 hour - I should have just sat down on the sidewalk and panhandled. Would have surely got the money quicker. That's the way it seems to always be when traveling with kids - a swirling mass of logistical mayhem.
We got back to Anchorage after a mellow flight around 3 p.m. and found a cab right away with car seats (YAH AK) and off to the car repair shop, where the car was ready to go. Then to the store in search of kid gates, and another store, and finally giving up and heading to Jerzy and Paula's to pick up my shoes and a sleeping bag and then off on down the road, where we found a nutty storm with rain and gusting winds, but the kids slept most of the way, and we got home at 9:30 p.m. and collapsed.
Matt oggled a bit as he watched Thea move around with her new confidence and I oggled a bit as I watched her nose start to flow from the moment she entered the house. Cat? Dog? Dust? Mold? Combined with the experience of staying in Tiffany's pristine apartment, I am now obsessed with cleaning the house and getting rid of junk. I've been at it for several days now and show no signs of slowing, though I am getting a little tired of it all - overwhelmed. But it is really grossing me out - the dust, the grime, the junk that has built up over the years. It doesn't need to be there, and I want it all gone.
Thea has proceeded to learn to pull up on things, and eat furniture (she especially likes the wicker coffee table) and take lots of falls and so forth. She is changing so fast, I can't keep up. And today, when we went to see the new baby Lukas, I couldn't believe how big she seemed in comparison. And it's time for another round of clothing swapping, too, and didn't I just get her 12-month stuff in there????
Oh, yeah, and I started a new job and on Monday, Thea goes to daycare for the first time. Does it ever stop? And the freelance work is WAY backed up, too.
The thing is - all that chaos, I think, is a result of moving too fast - rushing. Don't have time to get dressed so you rush and dump your pjs on the floor. Don't have time to put away the dishes properly, and all of a sudden your tupperware looks like a mosh pit. Shoes dumped at the door - papers pile up - it's all about time, rushing, and the mess is just the byproduct. So . I . am . trying . to . slow . down.
Camera is having battery issues, so pics will have to wait. Sorry - but good video coming soon - stay tuned.
No comments:
Post a Comment