"Mommy, I don't really like cucumbers... or onions... or peppers... or... tomatoes."
"Well Lydia, what DO you like?"
"I like... broccoli... and candy... and sugar... and coffee!"
(at least she's got the beginning and finale correct!)
Czech Moment
Yesterday my morning was a bust. With Lydia at preschool, I had envisioned a whole morning of accomplishments on the verge of taking place. My list was growing by the moment and I was excited to check some things off my lengthening to-do list.
Then I went to the Department of Motor Vehicles to exchange my Maryland license for Wisconsin.
The line was literally to the door, but I decided that I had made the 20 minute drive down there and waiting in line with Marcus was much more palatable than waiting in line with Marcus AND Lydia. So we took our place in line and inched forward for an HOUR AND A HALF! My cell phone, pocket flash light, Lydia's sunglasses and the water bottle from the lady next to us in line, all became toys for Marcus during that time.
When we finally approached the counter (did I mention 90 minutes had passed?!?) I handed over my plethora of documents proving that I do indeed exist and began writing my check. Then Mr. DMV asked the fateful question: proof of residency. Confidently I handed over the deed to our house as well as our loan payment book. And then he uttered these words: "I'm sorry. This just won't do." I think the room started swirling at that moment and everyone went silent. He continues "But I'll give you a list of the documents we DO accept." Oh, thank you for your generosity Mr. DMV. Apparently, mortgage documents are acceptable. A deed is not. Just to soften the blow, he encouraged me to keep my other documents all together and reminded me that I do have 90 days to get my license. What a comfort. All this without so much as a smile and while avoiding eye contact.
If ONLY Mr. DMV had told me that I needed a BLUE ink stamp on the front of my application with a RED ink stamp on the back and he hadn't been speaking English, I would've sworn I was back in the Czech Republic.
He also confirmed one more thing for me. Not EVERYBODY in Wisconsin is friendly. There are two such people now on my Nasty 'Sconsinite List: Mr. DMV and Mr. Piano Mover. So there.
Then I went to the Department of Motor Vehicles to exchange my Maryland license for Wisconsin.
The line was literally to the door, but I decided that I had made the 20 minute drive down there and waiting in line with Marcus was much more palatable than waiting in line with Marcus AND Lydia. So we took our place in line and inched forward for an HOUR AND A HALF! My cell phone, pocket flash light, Lydia's sunglasses and the water bottle from the lady next to us in line, all became toys for Marcus during that time.
When we finally approached the counter (did I mention 90 minutes had passed?!?) I handed over my plethora of documents proving that I do indeed exist and began writing my check. Then Mr. DMV asked the fateful question: proof of residency. Confidently I handed over the deed to our house as well as our loan payment book. And then he uttered these words: "I'm sorry. This just won't do." I think the room started swirling at that moment and everyone went silent. He continues "But I'll give you a list of the documents we DO accept." Oh, thank you for your generosity Mr. DMV. Apparently, mortgage documents are acceptable. A deed is not. Just to soften the blow, he encouraged me to keep my other documents all together and reminded me that I do have 90 days to get my license. What a comfort. All this without so much as a smile and while avoiding eye contact.
If ONLY Mr. DMV had told me that I needed a BLUE ink stamp on the front of my application with a RED ink stamp on the back and he hadn't been speaking English, I would've sworn I was back in the Czech Republic.
He also confirmed one more thing for me. Not EVERYBODY in Wisconsin is friendly. There are two such people now on my Nasty 'Sconsinite List: Mr. DMV and Mr. Piano Mover. So there.
Embracing Fall
Saturday, October 20, 2007
When one lives in Wisconsin, one learns to embrace each season fully because it's inevitable: Winter WILL come.
This is the only explanation I have for the absolute over-abundance of fall festivities and pumpkin patches galore in Wisconsin. This being our first fall here, we are being groomed into the biggest and best fall gluttons. Our latest adventures brought us to a nearby pumpkin farm/apple orchard called the "Elegant Farmer". Where, if you hand over enough dollar bills and get a happy-faced barn stamp on your hand, you are allowed to ride a tractor-pulled haywagon to the top of the hill and pick your own apples: a peck, 1/2 bushel or bushel. We quickly decided a peck was plenty and found our place in line and waited... and waited.... and waited for our tractor to arrive. Once in the apple orchard, we scrambled about filling our peck since the long tractor wait left us on the brink of naptime. Lydia ate about 3 apples on the way back down the hill and the rest of the peck has been in our refrigerator, long forgotten ever since. But that is just fine... it's all about savoring every glorious moment of fall before winter cometh. It's a nice lesson to learn.
This is the only explanation I have for the absolute over-abundance of fall festivities and pumpkin patches galore in Wisconsin. This being our first fall here, we are being groomed into the biggest and best fall gluttons. Our latest adventures brought us to a nearby pumpkin farm/apple orchard called the "Elegant Farmer". Where, if you hand over enough dollar bills and get a happy-faced barn stamp on your hand, you are allowed to ride a tractor-pulled haywagon to the top of the hill and pick your own apples: a peck, 1/2 bushel or bushel. We quickly decided a peck was plenty and found our place in line and waited... and waited.... and waited for our tractor to arrive. Once in the apple orchard, we scrambled about filling our peck since the long tractor wait left us on the brink of naptime. Lydia ate about 3 apples on the way back down the hill and the rest of the peck has been in our refrigerator, long forgotten ever since. But that is just fine... it's all about savoring every glorious moment of fall before winter cometh. It's a nice lesson to learn.
Teachable Moments
Scene: Lydia and Mommy driving to the store
"Mommy, why are those flowers on the ground there?"
"That's a cemetery. When people die, we put their bodies into the ground."
"Are we going to die?"
Mommy, realizing a teachable moment is fleeting by replies:
"Yes, Lydia. Everybody dies someday. And when we die, our body goes into the ground but we go to live in heaven with Jesus and get a brand new body. If we love Jesus, we get to live in heaven! Isn't that great?!? ... Lydia, do you love Jesus?
....Silence.... and then...
"Mommy, Look! There's a convertible!"
Um, yeh.
"Mommy, why are those flowers on the ground there?"
"That's a cemetery. When people die, we put their bodies into the ground."
"Are we going to die?"
Mommy, realizing a teachable moment is fleeting by replies:
"Yes, Lydia. Everybody dies someday. And when we die, our body goes into the ground but we go to live in heaven with Jesus and get a brand new body. If we love Jesus, we get to live in heaven! Isn't that great?!? ... Lydia, do you love Jesus?
....Silence.... and then...
"Mommy, Look! There's a convertible!"
Um, yeh.
In 365 days...
Sunday, October 07, 2007
You can enjoy four seasons, teach your daughter to write her name, move a few times, sell a house, buy a house, take a new job and
celebrate your son's first year of life!
celebrate your son's first year of life!
I can hardly believe our tiny baby is already a year old but at the same time marvel at all that has taken place in our lives in that amount of time. Lydia was thrown for a bit of a loop asking the morning of the party if "Lucy, Clark and Owen are coming to the party?". I had to remind her that Prague is very far away so they wouldn't be able to come. She had also convinced herself that Nina (her Prague babysitter) was making the trip as well... going so far as to "call her" the week leading up to the party on her toy cell phone to ask what kind of cake Nina wanted (Monkey Cake was the answer). Then she informed me that Nina was packing her suitcases and flying on a green plane to Wisconsin. Can you tell that she misses her Prague friends very much?
We had a wonderful birthday celebration with 10 of our dearest family members making the trip to Wisconsin to sing "Happy Birthday" to dear Marcus. It was such a treat to be able to enjoy their presence. Marcus is such a sweet little boy and couldn't have done a better job at soaking up all the love and attention.
The paparazzi arrived in full force
Cake. Yum.
