A warning

Today was a weird day. It started out quite predictably. I went for a walk, got ready for work and Jimmy and Lucy both prepared themselves for a walk downtown to take advantage of the Farmer's market on Wednesdays. I am still sad I teach when it it open.

It became quite obvious that today would be weird when we drove up to the VMI campus and there for officers with badges blocking off the main road through VMI. We went to park and then Jimmy and Lucy walked towards town and I went to my office. On my way I was told to take an alternative route. I didn't know why, but I did as I was told.

When I got inside I asked everyone what was going on. Everyone looked confused and we all had questions. And that's when the flurry of e-mails came in. Apparently there was a suspicious package found outside the library and until it was checked by a bomb squad our entire building was to be accessed from the back and all class rooms in the front where closed.

I made some phone calls to Jimmy, telling him that I really didn't know the whole situation but that he should probably not visit me with him spoils from the farmer's market. Getting in the building was going to be a hassle.

And I had class at 10 pm (in a room in the basement near the back of the building), and by 1pm they had detonated the package so everything was cleared. It didn't seem the package amounted to anything and everyone is still kind of confused about the event, but in the end it did rattle me a little bit. Not because I felt like I was in danger, but because I felt like I didn't have the information to make me feel like I was in control. Not that I am control freak, but sometimes not knowing what is going on is more nerve wracking.  This life is a crazy one, I tell you.

With all this stuff going on, I came home kind of exhausted. That happens almost everyday these days, but even more so today. Lucy was a bundle of energy as always. She was running around the house, singing, dancing and having a good time. And I thought "how nice it is to come home to this!" Though I was drained and not much fun to play with Lucy still was happy.

We made a "power" salad  and smoothies for dinner and then Lucy and I played on the deck until it started raining. Side note: either Lucy was really hungry or her taste buds are changing, but that little girl ate lettuce! She is a fabulous eater, but lettuce is not normally her favorite. Tonight she ate tomatoes, peppers, carrots, radishes and even some lettuce. I was floored and very happy. And in case you are wondering. My dad used to call me a rabbit for liking salads so much. Jimmy consents to a salad based dinner once a week as long as it is substantial  hence the "power" salad. This is not just lettuce my friends, it is fully loaded goodness.

Considering the weirdness of this day, I felt very blessed to end on a high note. My family really is the most important part of my life. I hugged Lucy a little bit tighter and longer when I put her to bed tonight. I think I need to remember that even when life can be crazy and unpredictable sometimes.

Yeah, I am pregnant

I feel kind of bad (but not really) With Lucy's pregnancy I took pictures of my progress as a pregnant person. Not every week, I am not one of those people (which if you are one of those people that is totally cool). But I would take a picture every month or so. It was just so exciting to get bigger, and think gosh there's a baby in there. This time around, though I am super excited about having another baby, I am not as pumped about the size increase that comes with said baby. Truth be told it would illogical to expect a baby without a little extra weight, but sometimes it is hard. In fact I am feeling pretty good these days, even though I grunt almost every time I bend over. And just the other day I was running back and forth between my office and my lab class and I was going fast enough that I almost forgot I was pregnant.

Anyways, here is the proof that I have been growing. My dad keeps asking if I am getting bigger, and yes I can confidently say that yes, I am getting bigger. Between 6-7 months I thought the growth was totally ridiculous. Now I am realizing that I am probably not enormous, just pregnant looking. Anyways, enough rambling, here is the picture proof. By the way, I am almost 8 month pregnant.

Planting flowers

Yes, we are leaving in less than a month. But that doesn't mean we can't leave our apartment a little bit nicer than when we came. Today we planted flowers as a family, and even though Lucy drove us nuts the entire time, throwing dirt at us and on herself, it was a worthwhile activity. Plus, it gave us time outside.

And, let's all give a little time of thought to those affected by the Boston tragedy. I suppose I should be somber about every tragedy, and I am, in my own way. But this one cut me a little deeper. Maybe it is because it is closer to home (literally) and maybe it is because it happened during an event that I consider part of me. Though I have not run the Boston Marathon, I have many friends who have, and it is on my list of marathons. Actually it is a life long goal I wish to eventually pursue. It makes me very sad that someone would attack people in a time of personal triumph. I hope and pray that everyone is okay. And for those who have lost, lost lives, physical capabilities and even just a little bit of peace, I hope that you can be comforted.

a breakthrough

I don't like ants. I don't mind if they are outside making little homes for themselves in the dirt and grass, but once they trend on my home I am just not a fan. This apartment, being slightly (more than slightly) old has some bad siding and therefore water damage and therefore ants. Two seasons ago it was the kitchen, then it was the pantry and as of late it has been the window and near the toilet in our bathroom. This latest battle has been the most frustrating. No one likes to use the bathroom next to a trail of ants. Or if you do, well I suppose that is okay. Anyways, I have tried several remedies to rid these pesky sugar ants of our bathroom.

First we used the cheapy bait traps. Nothing. Then we got some Terro traps, more expensive bait traps. We even let the ants live it up in our bathroom just to make sure they were actually taking the bait back to their nest. Then I tried cinnamon to deter their trail, and vinegar. And I even tried bleach, but that made me nervous because I am pregnant and our bathroom is not well ventilated, so I stuck with the vinegar and cinnamon.  Our bathroom looked even more dirty because of the trail of cinnamon I had created along the windows and floors. And it only seemed to confuse them, not deter them.

But today, as I was lamenting about the ants and their ability to seemingly appear out of no where I looked up, and noticed a large unsealed crack on the upper part of the window sill. So I sprayed the silly out of  that crack. And guess what?  Probably 50-100 dead ants landed on the window sill.  I realized that I had cleaned everywhere but above. Those silly ants were coming from the top of the window, through a crack and simply falling to the floor near the toilet and the window.

I felt silly, but then vindicated. Those ants have been taking over my bathroom for quite some time. Sometimes it almost made me crazy to think  that there seem to be nothing I could do to get rid of them. This little triumph has turned the whole week around.

Do you want to know about the rest of the week? Well I will give you the short version.

We had Easter, I had Monday off for Easter (VMI is too nice to their cadets!--but I am not complaining!), Jimmy studied for the MPRE (ethics portion of the bar), did his coursework, applied/followed up on jobs and basically was busy all week. I worked Wednesday, Thursday & Friday at VMI because they had to make up for the day they had missed. Jimmy took the MPRE today. We were both pretty wiped out yesterday and therefore somewhat grumpy. Today has been much better. Mostly because I figured out the ants (can you tell I am proud of myself?!)

Turn out Lucy likes to squeal (shriek) every time she is excited, and then she likes to run at you full speed in hopes that you will catch her. She did that to a 9 month old the other day. Thankfully he is tough, but it is something we have to work on before we have a newborn.

Lastly, it is beautiful today and it is supposed to be beautiful tomorrow. So if we can announce another breakthrough this week I think it is the weather. We had a freak snow storm on Thursday night, but it all melted by Friday morning and now it is in the 60s. I am pretty serious about it being spring, so I hope the weather doesn't recoil back to winter. I don't know if my sanity can handle it