kdiddy.org

That was my fridge on Saturday. The fridge that I had as a sophomore in college looked shockingly similar, minus the green juice (try as I might, I just can’t get into drinking the stuff, but am really happy that the baby loves it). It also smelled very similar to my young kdiddy fridge up until last night when I finally found a hunk of mozzarella that had weird red spots in it. Whoops.

So, we had two weeks in the Outer Banks and it was just wonderful. My dad rented this awesome house right on the beach. We don’t get to see my dad that much, so getting to hang out with him was great.

We fell into a really comfortable pattern of lingering over coffee in the morning before strolling a few feet to the beach. The water was warm and renewing and the sand was incredibly soft. Several of my dad’s friends stayed with us and were excellent cooks, so we would have delicious dinner every night before retiring to the tiki bar.

A few times, the husband and I took a moonlit stroll on the beach, dodging crabs and frightening the groups of teenagers that would gather to do any number of illicit things by the light of campfire.

The bushes on the dune by the beach hid the remnants of those gatherings…beer bottles…panties…you know, the usual.

I got to hang out with this guy a lot. We dug holes in the sand and dug trenches so that the ocean would fill them up and completely failed at building a sandcastle. Architecture is not in our bones.

We ate tons of BBQ and got the itis.

We topped off our trip with a stop at Idlewild.

We got really used to being barefoot constantly and wearing shorts at the most. Being here now, in shoes and pants, feels downright oppressive.

School starts next week for all three of us. The baby is starting first grade, which I just can’t believe. The husband is entering his last year of undergrad. I think we’re all very excited for him to be done. It’s been a struggle for all of us to get him through, but his degree will present him with many opportunities. Hopefully by this time next year we will no longer be a one-income family and things won’t be so precarious all the time.

I still have about two years to go on my master’s, but I’m not regretting slowing down with my coursework.

The cicadas hiss that fall will be here soon. I’ll miss this summer. I drank it in. And it was lovely.

Yeah, that’s pretty much me at the moment. Might be quiet for a few days.

Talking Head: That was a really exciting race! Did you expect to pull out front so early?

Runner: *pant pant* Um *pant* I muh puh haaa *pant pant*

TH: And how glad are you that you made it into the final?

R: *pant* Well, musperseeeehhhh geh PU-CHOW! *pant pant pant*

TH: Uh-huh. Now, of course, you know this is the Olympics. Are you surprised that you didn’t perform better?

R: *pant pant pant* Hehe. Uhhhmmm…(something that may or may not be “go fuck yourself.”)

TH: Alright! Thank you. And good luck!

R: Ugh.

Brilliant.

I didn’t really get to watch the opening ceremony for the Olympics. When I turned it on, they were already in the midst of the Parade of Nations and I was kind of tired and I remembered that there are about 55 billion nations.

But I watched some highlights today and got chills. I love a big show. I can’t believe that it was all the vision of one guy. If I had to plan an event that big, it would be heavy on crepe paper and silly string and my directions would be like, “Okay, and then over here we can have the chocolate chip cookie dough bar and some kegs…oh, and everyone gets a sparkler. Boom. Done.”

Anyway…

I will no longer question a sport’s eligibility for the Olympics. I stopped doing that around the time of curling and ballroom dancing. I am not an athlete, so if the folks in charge determine that something has a place on the international stage, I’ll trust their judgment.

Which brings me to beach volleyball.

Now, obviously, beach volleyball is a very athletic event. There’s no question in my mind that it’s perfectly suited to the Olympics. I’m just a little…curious about how it’s presented.

I was watching the Australia/Russia women’s match earlier and of course was reminded of the U.S. victory in this event in the 2004 games. Kerri Walsh and Misty May celebrated their gold medal by jumping into each other’s arms. It was an incredibly joyful moment.

Walsh and May, clad in regulation bikini-ish outfits, rolled around in the sand and spanked each other. Across the land, all you heard was “SCHWIIIIING!”

And, you know, whatever. I’m not going to rail against the sport just because it’s portrayed in a way that’s a tad Joe Francis-esque. Sports are sensationalized. And women’s sports are still struggling just to get recognized. I’m cool with that. But I just think the Olympics possess a certain sense of…propriety? I don’t know if that’s the correct word.

I just want to point out that during the Australia/Russia match, the commentators noted how hot it was on the playing field and cut to a slow-motion shot of one of the Russian players pouring water over her head and gasping in relief.

I’m just sayin’…

Well, I think I can officially say that I am homesick. I mean, I really like it here. We get to sleep in a king-sized bed and I know that the wheels are now turning in my head to try to figure out to make that a reality in our daily life even though those suckers are expensive. Then, of course, there is the beach and all its glory. We’ve had near perfect weather everyday. The sand is incredibly soft (but HOT in the middle of the day), the water is nearly clear and the waves aren’t harsh at all.

But I miss relaxing on our ugly couch at the end of the day. I miss our cat. But I know that I need to shake this off since before we know it, we’ll be home. And really un-fun things like school and work will start bearing down on us.

I’m sure part of it is the aforementioned snarky menses. But I think there’s something else eating at me. Our last few summer vacations have been spent with Tracey and her family. They were supposed to come with us on this trip, too, but couldn’t. I think they’re definitely my “beach buddies” and I’m really noticing their absence. Perhaps I’m “homesick” for the long tequila-and-Fresca-fueled chats that Tracey and I have and the companionship between M and the baby that prevents both of them from getting beach dementia.

For instance, I don’t think the baby would have tried to pick up that gigantic table lamp just now if M were here. Ahem.

I really can’t complain about much of anything at the moment, but I would like my body to get its act together.

Ever-Growing List of Physical Maladies:

1) snarky menses
2) missed a step on the walkway and landed very roughly on a straight leg, which over-hyperextended my knee and jammed my hip. I thought for sure I broke my thigh.
3) sunburn
4) 5 or 6 GIGANTIC mosquito bites. In fact, I don’t think “bites” is the right word. “Mosquito tumors” is probably more apt.

But, I mean, seriously…

And just because:

Dead jellyfish on a plate. Breakfast?

Sunburn achieved. I rule.

Also, today is the 1-year anniversary of my first real post here on kdiddy.org. 🙂

Greetings from what are obviously not my usual surroundings. It’s not quite 9 a.m. on a beautiful Sunday morning. We’re in North Carolina with my dad and some family friends and I’m warning you now that I might not ever leave.

The drive down here was somewhat hellacious. It took about two hours longer than it should have, thanks to the most ridiculous traffic on I-95 and Rte. 12. I tempted the fates with my sassy Twitter update and I did, in fact, get my period as soon as we got here.

But all of that is melting away because it is absolutely beautiful here. The husband and I walked down to the beach late last night and got a quick glimpse of the ocean. I’m already feeling “restored.”

*vaguely mangled quote from City of God