We picked up Vince from camp on Saturday – he was hoarse from screaming and yelling and singing all week. He was dirty and smelly from a week in the lake and some inadequate showering. He caught fish, learned to build a fire and learned lots of camp songs. He had a great time! Jeremy and I couldn’t chaperone the troop this summer because of work obligations – but Jeremy is pretty determined to make it next year. We are all so happy to see him back. First order of business – a BATH!
I miss Vince. I don’t think I’ve gone so long without actually speaking to him! I know he is having fun at camp (we get daily updates on the group activities), but it’s not the same as actually talking to him…
Edda is enjoying her time at camp. Here she is getting ready to go zip-lining!
We are trying (like the rest of the country) to get back in shape. This involves a lot of walking, exercise videos, borrowing the wii fit and time away from the internet. Thank goodness for the dogs, they make the walking part more fun.
Sixteen years ago this week, Jeremy and I were falling in love with each other, but we had not yet told each other of this fact. There were a lot of trips between the third floor (Arnold lab) and the basement (Wang lab) of the Spalding building with lame excuses to say hello. I remember how I asked him to go to the fireworks with me (with a group of mutual friends) and he turned me down (!). I thought for sure he did not like me.
We had an argument last week which started one night and festered for a few days. It’s a standard division-of-labor argument that crops up every few months. With both of us working, we generally split the childcare/household chores 50/50 with each person choosing what they like doing. I generally like the decluttering/lawn mowing/appt making. Jeremy likes all things kitchen/car/large home projects. Anyways, our argument started when we each decided that the other person was “Taking ME for GRANTED!” Our arguments are very passive-aggressive. We argue by being extremely nice to each other (I’ll go pick up the kids, you stay home and take a shower/nap. Look what I got from Trader Joe’s – your favorite ice cream bon bons!) but still being pretty mad at each other. Anyways, maybe we get tired of being mad, or maybe we get tired of being really nice to each other but we resolved our argument on Sunday night and celebrated July 4th by borrowing the Wii Fit from a neighbor and having a fun time being goofy.
We also went to a lovely neighborhood 4th of July party. They served Jello shots which were formed in the rind of a lime.
And I got to hold a baby!
Vince is off on his first sleepover camp. All packed:
Able to carry his own gear (barely):
Ready to go!
Here’s the update I got:
Quick update.
We all arrived safely at Goshen.
The boys are having a blast and are covered head to toe in dirt. We’ll see how many of them actually take showers tonight (or tomorrow).
Dinner tonight was baked chicken, bread, watermelon, salad and veggies. Most of the kids ate well and two lucky volunteers even cleaned and scrubbed down the dinner table. The scouts also got instruction from the camp counselors on how to properly clean a latrine. Keep this in mind for home!
We are headed over now for the closing flag ceremony and then on to a bonfire.
Every year, Jeremy goes on a work retreat to CA. It always seems like a lot of fun, more fun than any work business trip I’ve ever been on. He got to bike from SF to the retreat spot in Mill Valley – over the Golden Gate bridge:
And got to be bartender and make everyone a drink that he learned to make while on another business trip to Rio.
Jeremy was gone the same week Vince was at his grandparents house. So it was just us girls, me, Edda, Denise and the two dogs at home. It was very quiet in the house without our two most prolific talkers. Edda and I enjoyed ourselves. Lots of time together. Of all the family members, Edda and I are the least likely to drink enough water, so we spent the week hydrating ourselves. Not very exciting, I know, but it needs to be done 😉 .
By accident, I clicked on the wrong button. But, happy to see our family blog again here.
Fyi, I moved in the Expat Village provided by the owners here. My two bed-room apartment with a Study is facing the ocean, right across a marine drive along the coast. I would like to take a walk along the coast line somedays. Unfortunately, typhoon came last weekend – the wind was blowing and the waves were pretty high.
Working is becoming a daily routine with not too much up-and-downs. People here are pretty friendly with their own ways of doing things. Just like us, with our ways of doing things. Sometimes, they cross each others’. Well, I hope after I log-off, I still can see our blog when logging on again.
Edda went to a birthday party at the local indoor sportsplex. We ran around, we made some soccer goals, we played airplane:
We had birthday cake. I wanted to eat two cupcakes, but I resisted.
