Friday Flip-offs #3

Good morning, everyone!  As is my new Friday tradition, I am linking up with my girl, Kludgy Mom and flipping off all the things that made me crabby this week.

But if you want to read MORE Sluiter Nation today?  I am over at my partner in running, Loving the Burn, talking about my fitness journey.  Be warned:  there is more talk about how I HATE fitness then how much I love it.  So go check her out and leave some commenty love over there!

And now?  Here they are....

First up this week are all the poopy diapers Eddie has had.  Seriously?  We have been up two hours and I've already changed two.  And he thinks it's hilarious.  It is not.  Flip off.

Also?  That pesky molar that has been giving Eddie trouble sleeping?  While I appreciate that you are now through?  You still bug him.  So flip off to you my pearly white friend.

The 18 mosquito bites that I had on my legs that somehow multiplied to 28 bites and make my legs look like I shoot up heroin all over the place?  Um, yes.  I WAS going to wear a skirt to a wedding tomorrow and now I am considering pants because of you.  Big massive flip off!

And lastly to the weight that has decided to settle around my midsection and make me too fat for all the cute dresses I bought last year for weddings.  I just wanted to be cute again this year for weddings and you are making me feel all self-conscious and round.  uncool, belly fat.  uncool.  FLIPPITY FLIP OFF!

It's your turn!!! Head over to Kludgy Mom's and read some more or link up your own!

And then head over to Loving the Burn and read about how I wish I could still eat pizza and LOSE weight.

Reaching Outside the Nation

Today, I am sending you all to MacKenzie and Dave's blog (Cort's little sis and bro-in-law) to check out the online auction they have there to raise some money to bring their child(ren) home from Ethiopia. 

They have some REALLY great stuff on there for everyone:  hooded toddler towels, burp clothes, jewelry, handmade cups and a cutting board, Cubs tickets, Tigers tickets, and so SO much more!

So please go check it out at Stepping Stones, and maybe bid on something!  Help Eddie's cousin(s) come home!

I'm a Bloggy Mom!

Today Eddie is at daycare.  Yes, two of us are home this summer and in order to get the house cleaned and get any REAL stuff done around here, we still send Eddie to Miss Amy.  He loves it because he loves Miss Amy and he loves his friends.  They are more fun than we are, apparently.

Anyway, Cort and I will be cleaning and organizing and finding stuff for our BIG garage sale that we are having on August 14 to help bring Eddie's cousin(s) home from Ethiopia.

I will also be making a lemon cake for a get together tonight.  I am being all kinds of domestic today.

Anyway, while I am all busy, you can go read a post I wrote for a Back to School series on Tiffany's blog, A Bloggy Mom.  Lots of my twitter friends helped me decide what to write about...and I think they will like the results.  At least I hope so.

So, you go read.  Let me know what you think.  I am going to go get elbow-deep in lemon curd.

Also, please don't forget that tomorrow night at 6pm EST, the online auction to support my sister-in-law and brother-in-law's adoption goes live here.  There are LOTS of great items to bid on!  You'll want to check it out!

We Don't Camp, but We Did Anyway

 

As I have mentioned before, camping is not our ideal vacation here in Sluiter Nation.  We enjoy air conditioning, a real bed, a private bathroom.  I know...it's asking a lot.  I just like to feel rested and clean when I go away...not like a bug-bitten, squirrely-haired, greasey-faced hot mess.

However...each year Cort's mom and stepdad take all of us "kids" up north to tent camp and canoe.  They all really enjoy camping and we don't want to be the lame-o party poopers who don't go.  Plus?  Cort's side of the family?  Oh they bring the fun.  So I complain for a few days, but I pack it up and head in to the wilderness.  We DID get a new tent this year (thanks, Lynne!!!) so we weren't in a little pup tent.  That was a BIG plus.

Especially because Friday night?  It rained sheets down upon us.  Buckets and sheets and cats and dogs. Saturday morning it was still pouring.  That of course meant that our trip to the bathroom equaled muddy flip flops and gross toes. And it meant no hobo pies for breakfast.

But we did improvise!  We all crammed in to the screened in tent and Ray made us our breakfast sandwiches on the little gas stove top. He made bacon and then egg, ham, and cheese grilled sandwiches.  YUM!

Since it was so rainy and gross, we were sort of thinking we wouldn't be able to canoe until at least noon.  So we were all just lazing around.  Around 10:15am we got word that we would be canoeing at 10:30!  The mad scramble to get all canoe-ready began.

All ten of us got on the river around 11:00am.  We were told it was a three hour paddle.  But wait...who paddles?

As if I wasn't already a big steaming hot mess after a rainy night in a tent, nasty feet from muddy flip flops, and no make-up, it was about to get much worse.

Everyone took turns "launching" their canoes.  I sad in the front of ours patiently waiting for Tom and Kristin to get their canoe off and floating.  I was sitting there minding my own business when...SPLASH!  I was gasping for breath as I came up from the bottom of the river!

Apparently, my superman of a husband thought he could shove us off and leap into our canoe all while not telling me what he was doing.  Um, no.  Now I was completely soaked, my leg was scraped up, and I had a bruised hand.  Even hotter mess than before.  But after I rung out my tank top and bandanna, I was in good spirits again!

After all, it was an accident, and look at that smile?  How can I be angry at that?  Plus, let's be honest, he does all the canoe work.  I don't have to do anything but ride along.  And sip my, uh, beverage.  I like that about canoeing.

See?  Sorry...this picture is sort of a hot mess.  This is what happens when I camp, fall in a river, and then smile really big while squinting into the sun.  Oh and that guy behind me?  Yup, I married him.  He is mine.

The river was higher than normal due to all the rain so there weren't as many place to have pit stops as usual.  We did a lot of this:  Party Barging.  There I am with my girls!  Sisters-in-law MacKenzie and Liz and our friend, Kristin!  These girls are why camping?  Isn't as bad as it could be.  And canoeing?  Is awesome.

We did find some places to stop.  I mean, we had to have bathroom breaks, right?  I am not sure what Tom and Cody are discussing here, but it reminds me of when my Mom-in-law said to Tom, "Hey Tom.  It's pretty hot out here.  Why don't you take your sleeve off?"  I mean seriously?  That was the funniest dang thing I heard all day.  My mom-in-law making a tattoo joke?  awesome.


There was lots more fun on the river.  Mom and Ray tipped in their canoe.  Cody and Liz tipped in their canoe (and then MacKenzie and Dave dragged Liz down the river until Cody could get the water out of the canoe and pick her up).  There were millions of turtle-sightings and even more laughs and jokes.

By the time we got off the river, we were all tired...and looking a little worse for wear.  We dragged ourselves back to camp, played some hillbilly golf, made some hot dogs, rested, and enjoyed being eaten alive by mosquitoes.

Yes, Sluiter Nation was sun burned, tired, achy, and did I mention tired?  We probably could have used a nap!

And aside from a brief panic attack on my part Saturday night (we had no phone service and I couldn't call to check on Eddie.  Plus I mixed anti-depressants and some booze.  not good.  lesson learned), the weekend was very fun!  I was proud of myself from changing my attitude from angerball to happy pants. 

Even if by Sunday morning when we were packing up, I was sure I could smell myself.  I think that might just be the definition of a hot mess.

And as it turned out?  Eddie had a GREAT time at my parents' house!  He was back to his old funny, silly, happy self when we picked him up Sunday morning.  Go figure.  I freaked out for nothing.  What else is new?

Starting the Week with Smiles

We had a super fun weekend.  I know I was all crabby about the camping thing, but you all were SO right...I had a blast!  It was impossible not to--our family is just that fun!

But we are glad to be home.  I will do a full post maybe tomorrow (some of my pics are on a waterproof camera and I have to go old school and get them developed before I can get them up here), but today, you can enjoy a little Sluiter Nation over at my girl, Andrea's place.

Andrea is a fellow survivor of the crap that can happen postpartum, and she is witty and great and I just love her.  She blogs over at Good Girl Gone Redneck, and that is where you can find me today.  Bragging all about how great Cort is as a stay at home dad.

In other news, Eddie had fun at my parents' house this weekend while Cortney and I whooped it up on the Muskegon River.  In fact, we came home and he had his appetite back, was sleeping well again, and had no more roseolla rash!  He is our happy little man again!

So...go on and check me out on Andrea's blog, give me a little love so I don't feel lonely, and then head over to Katie's Bookcase where Miranda is posting for me!  Get your Monday started with some bloggy fun!

Still Growing Up

Wonder Woman.  Barbie.  Belinda Carlise (after she was a Gogo when she had her solo career).  Madonna.  Joan Jett.

What in the world do any of those things have to do with each other?  Well clearly they were all things I pretended to be at some point in my childhood.  They were the answer to my inner question of what kinds of things interested me enough to want to BE that thing/person.

Once school started I answered that question with anything from a telephone operator (because I like to push buttons), to a lawyer (I talk a lot and so do lawyers, right?), or maybe a best-selling author, although I could be an actress too.  By the end of my senior year I just didn't know WHAT I wanted to do.

One day, during fifth period British Literature senior year we were discussing the novel 1984 by George Orwell.  Right in the middle of a particularly great conversation, I paused, looked at my teacher and said,

"THIS. This right here."

him: "what?  what are you talking about?"

me: "This is what I want to do.  I want to read, talk about the books I read, and get paid to do it.  What is that?  What job is that?"

him:  "Um, my job.  Apparently you just decided to be an English teacher.  Can we finish talking about Winston, now?"

me:  "oh.  right.  yeah."

And that was it.  I applied to Western Michigan University, one of the top teacher education schools in the US, and the rest is history.

I'd love to tie a neat little bow on that and call that the end, but it's really not.  I look back on all those things that made up what I loved to pretend to be and what I thought I wanted to do.  They all have qualities that I value that I think are still shaping what I will be "when I grow up."

Wonder Woman, Barbie, Belinda Carlise, Madonna, and Joan Jett were all women who were individual who did things that they wanted to do.  And people who didn't agree with what they did?  Well they got the middle finger.  Even Barbie broke gender barriers and became a doctor back in the 80's!

The professions I thought I wanted make sense with this too.  Even a telephone operator.  Let's face it, I spend a LOT of my day pushing buttons.  I mean even right now...tappity tappity!  And to me, lawyers and actresses really aren't that different.  They need to put on shows that will win something for someone even if it's just winning someone's attention for 90 minutes.  I do that now as a teacher, but as a writer here, I have to sing and dance and use my words to make you want to come back for more.

And a best-selling author?  While I might not be making any money (in fact, I SPEND money to do this), I am selling.  I'm selling myself and my story to you.  For comments.  Let's face it.  If no one responded to this little old blog?  I probably would have quit long ago.

So I teach.  I write.  And I am still growing up.  And I still think Joan Jett is totally bad ass.

This post was written in response to the Bloggy Moms July Blog challenge:  Childhood Ambitions.  To read more entries in this challenge, please go here.

Friday Flip-offs #2

Last week I tried Friday Flip-offs for the first time here in Sluiter Nation.  It felt great!  I love that KludgyMom does this link up every week.  It's hilarious and cathartic to flip off all the shiz in life.  So here I go...

First of all, to Eddie's fever and roseola rash?  Um, you made my little boy all tired and sad and clingy and not his usual fun self this week.  That sucks.  FLIP OFF!

To those storms last night...while I appreciate a great storm every now and then?  I do NOT love super severe weather that makes me feel like I need to watch that idiot Kyle on WoodTv8 for hours to make sure a tornado is not going to take my deck off.  Storms?  You get a double-fisted flip-off.

Speaking of last night, whatever it is that was making Eddie not sleep and need to constantly be held, but not really want to be held, but was preventing him from sleeping soundly?  Flip-offs from both me AND Cort! (that is four middle fingers, by the way).  Do NOT do that for Grandma this weekend!

To my dry, itchy skin and cracked feet...seriously, where did you COME FROM?  You make me feel all icky and gross and ugg-o.  cut it out.  Oh and FLIP OFF!

And finally, to my bad attitude about camping and canoeing this weekend.  Yes, Cort and I are dropping off our little Eddie Bear to my parents' house and going tent-camping/canoeing with Cort's side of the family.  We will have LOADS of fun, but I am having separation anxiety about leaving my on the mend little guy.  I have been trying to find all the reasons why this will be a sucky weekend, but in reality?  I love this side of the family SO much!  They bring the fun like no other and we will have a RIOT.  So flip-off to the attitude.  You are not welcome anymore!

So there you go.   Whew.  That actually feels much better.  And now that that is done and I have a venti starbucks coffee in my system, I can handle this day!  Now excuse me while I find my camping gear!

Oh, and to read more Friday Flip-offs, be sure to go visit Kludgy Mom!!

We Can Be Quiet

Nightswimming deserves a quiet night...

The day of our wedding was great.  It was very...us.  We are quiet a squirrelly, rambunctious couple.  We like to bring the fun.  We laughed through our whole ceremony.  People still talk about all the laughing and chatting and smiles that went on.  In fact, we wrote our own vows.  Mine were all serious and lovey.  Isn't that how vows are supposed to be?  Apparently not.

Cort's rhymed.  That is A.  B is that they were also funny.  Those who could hear (they forgot to mic him) we rolling.  In fact, our wedding was anything but quiet.

The photograph on the dashboard, taken years ago
Turned around backward so the windshield shows
Every streetlight reveals the picture in reverse

We were (are!) best friends. The group of friends and the events of our life that got us to the alter are nothing less than a rambunctious muddle of awesome.

We have so much history.  We have so much love.  We have so much us.  It was very fitting that we were not quiet and solemn up on that alter.

Nightswimming deserves a quiet night...

But we can slow it down.  We can be quiet and loving.  Our minister slowed us down and (unexpectedly) had us recite the traditional vows as well.

I'm not sure all these people understand,
It's not like years ago...

We were glad we did.  But even gladder that we had said our own to each other.  And since we weren't sticking to ordinary anyway?  We picked a first song that no one knew (well, a few did, but that is because they rock our socks).

These things they go away,
Replaced by every day.

I had to specially give our DJ our song by R.E.M for our first dance.  It was magical.  It was slow.  It was love.  And it was us.

Nightswiming, remembering that night,

This dance? Was when I really felt like I had said, "I do".

And what if there were two
Side by side in orbit
Around the fairest sun?


But because we are not quiet 99% of the time?  We also had another very special song.  Just for us to be introduced to as Mr. and Mrs. Sluiter for the first time.  And it was?  RAMBUNCTIOUS!   The song?  Big Pimpin' by Jay-Z. Yeah, people still talk about it.

And that song?  Helped with the atmosphere for the rest of the night!  I mean, I bet YOU didn't have someone announce his intent to run for the presidency in the next election? (he did not run, by the way.  Don't worry, I did not have McCain or Obama at my wedding.  Apparently is was just his political unrest and the beer talking.  Mostly the beer.)

But for that four minutes and fourteen seconds?  It was just us.  Quiet.

The photograph reflects,
Every streetlight a reminder,
Nightswimming deserves a quiet night, deserves a quiet night. 

Song lyrics from Nightswimming by R.E.M.

Viva Las Broncos!

I think I may have mentioned before that I attended Western Michigan University for my undergrad, yes?

If not...here is a reminder:

This is my super fun group of high school buddies at a Western football game.  Ok, not AT the game. We are tailgating.  I am the crazy skinny lass on your left on the bottom.  And my sweet Cortney is that lanky lad on the right (wearing a Georgetown sweatshirt?  What?)  Yes, the WMU days were fun.

Besides having lots of my "old school" buddies with me, I met some lovely ladies in my years of college.  They were my first friends when I was just a lowly freshman washing dishes in the dorm cafeteria and they were wise sophomores.

They welcomed me into their fold o fun.  They brought me to my first college parties.  They stumbled home with me from Knollwood (hey freshman!  Where's the Par-tay!?!  That was for you, Erin, my dear).  They even sucked it up and became my housemates for a year.  AND they introduced me to a very lovely lady, their friend Tara, who would become my immediate partner in crime.

I have loved these ladies since our college days.  When they started graduating, we vowed to get together at least once a year...and we have kept that promise.

Half of us live on the West side of Michigan and half live on the East side, so we go back and forth.  Sort of.  I don't have pictures (because I didn't have a digital camera yet), but we started back in 2000!  I know, crazy!  Kristin was the first to get married, so we started at her house (East side). We all stayed overnight back then too because some of us were still college students and sleeping in a REAL house was better than going back to a crappy apartment.

In 2001 we gathered at Whitney's house (West Side).  It was our first dinner party as a group.  I remember not knowing how to act since we were all used to eating pizza rolls while sitting around a living room.

In 2002 it was Kim's house (West Side, but south).  We were actually drinking wine because we were all graduated now and so grown up.

In 2003 we were at Tara's house (East side).  I had a boyfriend named Cortney who I brought with me for the first time AND the first baby came along to the party via Whitney. 

In 2004 we were at Erin's house (East side).  She may have had some Sangria and forgot to make food.  May have. Which was awesome because we were reminded that it hadn't been THAT long since were were foolish college kids.

In 2005 we were here in Sluiter Nation (West side).  Cort and I were newlyweds and excited to host.  I made a full on turkey dinner.  Because I wanted to prove I could go all Martha on them.  That will not happen when it is my turn again.

In 2006, we started over at Kristin's.  And I had a digital camera.  See:

Top row: Kim, Kristin, Whitney

Bottom row: me, Erin, Tara 

Um.  We do NOT have to talk about anything I am wearing in this picture.  Or my nasty hair.  Or that weird necklace.  Just. Don't. Talk. About. It.

In 2007, we were back at Whitney's.  Again, I have a picture:

By this time there were many kids roaming around.  Some even made it into the pictures.  Because kids do that.

2008 it was back to Kim's, but it ended up being in 2009 because of all the snow and busy holiday schedules.

And yes, I was large and in charge.  Because of this scary weather driving, we chose to change the parties to the summer.  Oh yeah, and everyone's houses were just getting too small for the growing number of kids everyone was having!

So, last summer, we were at Tara's:

Do you like how we did this all prom-like?  We are cool.  We did one with all the kids too.  So you could see what I mean by explosion of kids:

BAM!  KIDS!

This past weekend we got together again, and if you were paying attention, it was Erin's turn this year:

There we all are.  Looking good for seasoned momma's I might add! I didn't pick the most flattering shirt, but I did wear a flower in my hair.  So there is that.

Next year it is back in Sluiter Nation which  means we will have come full circle for the second time.  Twelve years of keeping up with my Lady Broncos.

We don't see each other much, but thanks to the interwebs and facebook, we at least know what is going on with each other.

I love these ladies fiercely.  We may have changed a little from our college days, but we all still have the same love of all things Bronco and for each other!

GO BRONCOS!! FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT!

Sluiter Nation Home Tour: The Room That Almost Wasn't

UPDATE:
I just found out that I have guest posts running over at Back to the Basics for my friend, Julie AND at Not Super...Just Mom for my friend, Miranda.  So after you read this post, head over and show some love on their blogs!!

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Last week Tuesday, I unveiled my intent to show you all around Sluiter Nation, MTV cribs-style (mom, that means giving a tour).  I started with the Master Bedroom. This week, I am taking you to my favorite room in all of Sluiter Nation:  The Nursery.

 Come in, come in.  The baby is not sleeping.  This is his view though when he pushes that door open to his very own room.  The room that almost didn't happen.

Don't get me wrong, the room itself has always been there.  It was finished and ready for something when we bought the house almost six years ago.  First it was an office/guest bedroom.  I painted it this green color knowing I wanted it to be a nursery someday and I wouldn't want to repaint.  And it was a GREAT guest bedroom.

When we found out we were pregnant the first time, we started getting rid of the bed and other things that made it a guest bedroom.  Then we weren't pregnant.  It was still an office, but more of a "cloffice" as DesignHerMomma would call it.  It was a place for everything and nothing.  It got worse after our second miscarriage.  It was just piles, a computer, and occasionally? Me.

But then Eddie stuck.  He decided he was going to be our son.  And we turned this room of broken dreams into a warm, room of his own.  I have never put so much effort into decorating and placing things in a room.

It needed to be apparent whose room this was--in case anyone forgot.  And there needed to be a theme.  All the pretty nurseries had themes (by the way, no other room in my house has a theme.  Those rooms?  Are a mishmash of things collected over time).  This room was planned and thought out in my heart.

It needed books.  My son would love books.  He would be a lifelong reader like his mom.  I collected books.  Books and animals.  As I mentioned here, Cort and I had been collecting animals for this room since before we were married.  Every zoo we went to was another animal added to my "nursery pile."  So we (and by "we" I mean "I".  Cort totally indulged me however he could in this.  I am eternally grateful for his compassion and understanding that I needed this room to be perfect) filled his room with books and animals.

Animals and books and comfort and safety.  This is his space.  This is his place to be.  This is his.

And after all that planning and "putting" and rearranging?  After all those hours that I sat in the room by myself with my big pregnant belly and read the books aloud to my growing baby?  He was there.  And we put him in his room.

Toys in a toy box.  Crumpled up jammies waiting for the evening routine.

snugly blankies and soft friends waiting for naptime or bedtime.

His first friend on the wall by his changing table.  Even in the midst of crabby colic, this elephant got smiles and coos. I've often given this elephant the stink eye wondering what he had that I didn't back then.  He just smiles knowingly back at me.  Jerk.

Little shoes waiting for outside play.  Resting from all the adventures of the morning.

And our spot.  OUR spot.  Where Eddie and I (and Eddie and daddy) spend countless hours rocking and rocking and singing and reading and rocking.

Eddie's room.  I still find myself sitting in the rocking chair looking at the room from that view (above) and trying to remember how the room used to be.  But the memory escapes me.  Memories never escape me.  But that one is fading.  And I am ok with that.  I love this room.  I love what this room means. This room?  Means we are a family.  We are Three.

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BIG NEWS!  Tonight we found out that all the paperwork went through for Cortney's sister, MacKenzie and her husband, David for their adoption!  They are officially on waiting lists!  You can read about their journey at their blog Stepping Stones. 

They will be holding an Adoption Auction Fundraiser over at their blog from Thursday, July 29-Sunday August 1st.  There are TONS of great things going up for auction to help them raise the gazillion dollars it costs to bring their child(ren) home from Ethiopia.  The auction is open to the whole wide world as far as I know and I think they are still accepting any donations for items/services to bid on.

ALSO, for those who are local?  Sluiter Nation will be having a HUGE yard/garage sale on Saturday August 14 that we have named Kids in the Yard (Sale).  All proceeds will go to Kenz and Dave to help bring our little family members home.  If you would like to donate stuff to be sold, let me know and we will arrange to get it.  Otherwise, we hope to see you there!!!

I Saw the Sign...and It Opened Up My Eyes...

A storm is rolling in.

I can see the clouds to the west growing darker and darker.  It must be a slow moving storm because it's been growing darker and muggier for about and hour now.  Small rolls of thunder remind us that soon?  There will be rain.  And wind.  And louder thunder.  It might get scary.

But the weather assures us it will be short-lived.  There will be sun again after.  Even though more storms will come after that.  Those they are not as sure about.  Just that there will be more storms.

Sigh....

Is it a coincidence that as I have been searching ALL DAY to write about paying attention to signs, the signs of a storm have been growing and growing outside?

I read in my O magazine (and heard Oprah say it on her show) millions of times that the universe is full of signs.  That there are no such things as coincidences.  My friend, Missy loves this idea.  My faith (which in my mind is always my mom's voice) follows this idea too only it is called a Plan.  Those signs? I think I am starting to believe.  Oprah, Missy, my mom?  They might be right.

It starts with little subtle signs--like the storm outside, there was a barely perceptible rise in the dew point (it's been so damn muggy around here lately, how in the crap could we tell?).

Then, if you don't act on those signs, they get bigger and a bit more pushy.  The thunder has been increasing around here.  And Cort just had to switch on the lights because it has gotten so dark.  It moved us to DO something about the signs.  Nothing huge, mind you.  We are still going about our normal Sunday, but because of the storm?  We had to move away from what we are doing to turn on the lights.

After that, if the Universe isn't happy with the "action" that you may or may not have taken, the signs get even more aggressive and all up in your business.  This storm?  It's coming.  We should probably close the garage door and pick up any toys that are outside since now the wind is blowing pretty hard.  We should probably bring in anything that is out drying that we don't want to get all wet and blown into the neighbors yard.

And so on and so forth until the Universe MAKES you see the signs and take the path you are supposed to take.

The Sluiters know the signs of a storm.  We have weathered quite a few.  But this one that is rolling in and out of our life right now?  It has different signs--at least for me.

At some point during this current storm of unemployment and job scares, some sort of new wind blew at me.  First it had me question the state of education in my state.  Do I really have what it takes to deal with this broken machine?  Do I even want to?  I love teaching, but I don't love the machine.  The political broken machine.

Then I started writing.  And you started reading.  And commenting.  It reminded me of my love of the written word.  So I wrote more.  Some of you sent freelance opportunities my way. Some of these opportunities I have pursued. Some have accepted me!  Lots of you have asked me to guest post lately.  I am all sorts of in love with writing.  The Universe seems to be telling me that someone likes my writing.

But I am too humble stupid faithless to believe that this could be true.  I read what I consider great writing.  There are some of you who fill me up with inspiration while at the same time make me feel like small potatoes with my own talent (not because you are jerks, but because you are WONDERFUL).

So I keep writing here.  And wondering.  And dreaming.

I caught myself remembering how authors/writers were rock stars to me as a kid...and really as an adult.  I don't think I could ever write fiction.  (could I?), but maybe a memoir.  But would anyone want to read that?  What would that be?  Sluiter Nation in a binding?  Who cares about our zoo visits or my cat's vet appointments?  But I guess there is other stuff...but I just don't feel that it is book material.  But what is it?  What am I supposed to be doing with this new found love?  Is it just a hobby?

As a kid, writing was a dream.  You couldn't really DO that as a profession.  That was for talented people like Judy Blume and Beverly Cleary (who'd going to see Ramona and Beezus with me, by the way?).  People with mad skills like Jen Lancaster and Anne Lamont get to write about their lives and have people coming back for more.  There are people out in the blogging world even who are way better than me who aren't even thinking about publishing.  What do I have to offer?

And are you supposed to admit that you want to be a writer?  Or is that just opening yourself up for snarky comments about how you should "stick to your day job."

I don't know.

Right now, on this Sunday afternoon, I am dreaming as I watch the storm.  When the sun comes out...will I be in the same exact place, just bracing for another storm?  Hoping this one doesn't do any more damage?  Will I ignore the signs and stick with what is "safe" (ha!  right!) and very clichely just wait for the other shoe to drop?

Or will I recognize the signs, step out of my crappy storm shelter, and face the rain with hope and desire?

I don't know.  I really don't.  Oh...here comes the sun.  That storm is over.  For now.

Put Us In the Zoo!

One very fun thing that Cortney and I have in common is our love of zoos and aquariums.  It seems that every summer we somehow find our way to one (well, not last summer.  Last summer we had a zoo in our home with our newborn and everyone coming to look at US).  This week, thanks to my mom, we were able to take Eddie to his first zoo.  But before I get to that, a little retrospective of past zoo/aquarium visits.

The summer of 2004 (the summer when we got engaged) we took a trip to NY to visit friends who were living in Rochester at the time.  We stopped at the Buffalo Zoo for an afternoon.  Of course they had buffalo.

And they also had a rhino.  This zoo was WAY smaller than we expected, but had some good animals.  However, the giraffe feeding, elephant washing, and camel rides their website advertised?  So were not happening.  I was crabby about this.

On a rainy day on our honeymoon in Myrtle Beach in June of 2005, we went to the Ripley's aquarium.  Cort was braver than I was with all the touching and the holding of sea creatures.

In 2006 we took a trip to Seattle.  We visited the Tacoma Zoo and saw whales and...

reindeer!  It was fun, but sort of hot.  That was one of the nicer zoos we've been to, although it was sort of a long drive from where we were staying.

We also visited the aquarium on the Puget sound.  I went into the kid section for some pictures.  What did I think I was doing with that polo and hair do?  Ugg.

In 2007 we went out to Montana.  No zoos, but in South Dakota we saw some REAL buffalo (Cort made me get back in the car because there were signs all over the place about how they will KILL you)...

and in North Dakota we saw this big cow.  But it wasn't real, so I guess it doesn't count as part of our animal experiences.

In 2008 we went out to NY again for a wine tour with our friends near Rochester, and on the way home we stopped in the Toledo Zoo.  This has been my favorite zoo so far.  Look at those big polar bears!

They are big...see?

They had camels at this zoo.  I think Cort was trying to impress the camels with his super suave ways.

Did I mention we visit the gift shop at each zoo and buy a new animal?  It's true.  we were collecting animals for Eddie's nursery before Eddie was even conceived!  I knew I wanted an animal themed nursery.  Leave it to Cort to find the hooters in Toledo.

On Tuesday my mom brought our little family to the John Ball zoo about 30 minutes from where we live.  Even though we love zoos, Cort and I hadn't been to the one near home in YEARS!

We saw this Kamodo Dragon.  It was creepy, but pretty neat.  My mom thought it was icky and after he opened his mouth like this she kept talking to it trying to get it to do it again.

We saw lots of monkey butts.  Here is Eddie watching a chimp moon him.  He didn't seem too traumatized though.  He actually enjoyed watching all the different monkeys.

He even got to play an African drum on his way out of the African exhibits.  Anything that makes noise is cool with him.

 Grandma really wanted Eddie to pet the pygmy goats.  He preferred to point, not pet.

One thing grandma REALLY wanted us to do was ride the camel.  She brought extra money just so we could do it.  I believe her words were, "C'mon, Cort.  I've got five dollars burning a hole in my pocket just waiting for you to ride that camel."  So he did.  We didn't want to disappoint Grandma!

Even I got on Angel the Camel.  In a skirt, no less.  The ride was much less glamorous than Sarah Jessica Parker made it look in Sex in the City 2, let me tell you!

We saw bears.  A grizzly and a brown bear.  My mom thought those claws were pretty big.  See?

Then we hit the petting zoo where again Grandma tried to get Eddie to pet a goat.  He had more fun running around the area away from the animals.

Eddie and daddy thought the penguins were pretty cool...even after we sneaked the stroller in...shhhhh...

And wouldn't you know it?  We bought Eddie his own camel to take home!  And he has been sleeping with it every nap and every night.  He loves that darn thing.  I don't blame him, it is SOFT!

And when we got home?  Louis was in a box.  I guess he felt left out.  He wanted to be looked at in a "habitat" too.

Our family sure does love zoos!  We can't wait to visit the Indianapolis Zoo (hopefully!) in just a few weeks!