Travel Lowlights

It's good to be home. Two weeks of living out of a suitcase with a toddler is fun for only so long. We had a good time and were able to visit friends and family and friends who are like family. It was good but I'd love to share a few lowlights from the trip:

Lowlight #1 - The Airport
Lucy and I left on Monday morning at 5 AM. My mind doesn't function so well at this hour and I neglected to grab any cash. Bad move. Heed my words - ALWAYS TRAVEL WITH CASH. We got to the long-term parking lot and I realized my misstep. So I'm able to gather enough quarters to give the shuttle driver an adequate tip (yeah, I felt incredibly lame passing off a handful of quarters but money is money, right?). At the airport drop off I realize I have no cash for the cash-only smart cart machine. So what do I do? I become a human pack mule. I managed to carry Lucy in a front-pack, my diaper bag as a backpack, Lucy's car seat, a rolling duffel bag and a pack n play about a quarter mile to the ticket counter. I know people were looking at me thinking either of the following: Glad it's not me and/or Why the hell doesn't that lady get a smart cart? Did I feel slightly empowered that I could do it all myself? A little. Did I look like a complete idiot? Most definitely. Did I care once I successfully checked in? Not in the slightest.

Lowlight #2 - Thursday at Diane's
Lucy and I arrived at Diane's place on Tuesday evening and had a great time hanging out on Wednesday. Diane went back to work and I planned to visit my friend, Karen, in San Ramon on Thursday. I woke up with a little bit of pain in my lower back but I took some ibuprofen and thought little of it. As I got packed I realize my posture was getting worse and worse but again, I thought very little of it. I walked into the hallway to get Lucy and my back completely gave out. I collapsed and was in some serious pain, probably due to lowlight numero uno. Luckily, I collapsed with my cell phone in my pocket. I was able to calmly call Diane and she said she would be home in a half hour to help. Unfortunately, I couldn't get any network to call anyone else. So I found myself sliding on my back throughout Diane's apartment in order to get reception to call my friend, Karen, and my brother-in-law, Doug, who is a firefighter/EMT for advice. That moment was made for a Verizon commercial as I slid over rugs and around tables while cursing T Mobile. I must say I was quite thankful for her wood floors which made the sliding much easier. Lucy also took things in stride. I thought that the loud thud from my fall would scare her but no. Mom down = instant jungle gym. Trying to keep Lucy from standing on my mid-section while having back spasms was less than easy but at least she was happy.
Because I couldn't walk very well for a few days our plans to see San Francisco kinda fizzled, but we had a great time being with Diane and Brian. I must say that I'm incredible grateful to Diane who took the day off work to take care of Lucy while I was incapacitated. It is hard to feel completely helpless when you're not in your normal surroundings but Diane made it easy to depend on her which says a lot about her graciousness and care.

In spite of the lowlights it was a fun trip. We were able to spend a few days with my college roommate, Lisa, which was great fun. We got to bring in some of the summer harvest out of Lisa's garden and Lucy had a ball digging in the dirt and taking bites out of tomatoes (I wish I had pictures but I failed to take my camera anywhere). We watched lots of football and had many good conversations while eating copious amounts of good food. All in all, the trip wasn't at all restful and maybe it didn't go quite as planned but we got to be with people we love and that was what mattered.

Vacation

I should be packing right now. But am I? No. Because the computer is the devil and I get so sucked into blogs and facebook and nifty web sites that I can't get anything done. I think to myself, "I'll just sit down for one minute and check facebook." Yeah, it's thirty minutes later and I'm still here. And I'm sure none of you out there can relate. Luckily, I'm going to be on a computer hiatus for a while. Lucy and I are leaving for two weeks at the crack of dawn tomorrow morning. One week in AZ and the following week in San Francisco. So far, Lucy has been a great little traveler and I hope that continues to hold true. Hopefully, I'll have some pictures to show post-vacation but in the meantime, here's some recent Lucy pics that I had to share.

Come and Sit

Dave and I recently watched Lars and the Real Girl. I realize we are a little late to the game on this one but let me be one more person to say that this is a great movie and well worth your time. There is a scene in the movie that I’ve been continuing to think about. Tragedy strikes and a few older women come to be with Lars. “We came to sit,” one of the ladies explains. “That’s what people do when tragedy strikes -- they come and sit.” It’s hard for me to think about that line without getting a bit emotional. It seems very passive but it’s such a powerful act. In essence, we’ve come to sit with you, to be with you, to share in your suffering and not allow you to be alone in your pain.

I am reminded that this isn’t anything new, this “sitting”. In the book of Job, Job’s friends sat with him and it led to a very different result as his friends expanded their role from sitting to offering explanations to the cause of Job’s suffering, a surefire recipe for disaster. But it’s the last chapter of Job that intrigues me. Job is blessed double after his ordeal, which is usually where we end the story in a kind of “Job lived happily ever after” fashion. And yet, the writer makes mention immediately after this blessing that Job’s sisters and brothers and all who had known him came and ate with him, showed sympathy to him and comforted him. In spite of this tremendous blessing, Job still was in need of comfort and healing. Blessing does not erase the pain and suffering of loss, even if we are overjoyed at its arrival. The sitting is still necessary.

If I had watched Lars and the Real Girl five years ago I doubt this scene would have made much of an impression. In fact, I may have thought older church ladies bringing casseroles and knitting as pretty insignificant. But having been on the receiving end of such a grace as this, I think much differently. Now I’m struck by the power of an active and healing work that comes when people have the courage to sit in silence with the pain of those who suffer. It takes courage to be with those who grieve and to share with people in their darkest moments of anger and despair. To “come and sit” may be one of the most powerful modes of healing during those times when words inevitably fall short. This type of being with is anything but insignificant. If anything it is a gift of grace that transforms and renews over time.

So I sit here with feelings of gratitude for that shared space that becomes sacred when people are willing to come and sit; and thankful for those in our lives who have sat with us and allowed us to share the same story over and over again simply because “that’s what people do.”

Well Said

With the news of Bristol Palin's pregnancy all over the media, I have to say that Barack Obama's response is worth noting:

"Let me be as clear as possible," Obama said. "I think people's families are off-limits, and people's children are especially off-limits. This shouldn't be part of our politics. It has no relevance to Gov. Palin's performance as governor or her potential performance as a vice president."

Obama said reporters should "back off these kinds of stories" and noted that he was born to an 18-year-old mother.

"How a family deals with issues and teenage children, that shouldn't be the topic of our politics, and I hope that anybody who is supporting me understands that's off-limits." (from CNN.com)

Well said.

Let Them Eat Cake...Or Not

As I've mentioned previously, I love to bake. Everyone has hobbies they enjoy and this has become one of my favorite pastimes. This week I thought I would try an upside-down nectarine cake made with whole grains. I had some nectarines on hand and thought this would be a great recipe to try. Isn’t it pretty? I think so. Too bad it tasted like crap.

This was my first foray into the land of whole grain dessert baking. This cake used whole wheat pastry flour and unrefined sugars and I had high hopes. As I put the pan in the oven I envisioned a blog post about my new adventures in baking with whole grains and the decadent results. Come to think of it, maybe if you start writing a blog post in your head before something actually happens you are begging for disaster. Maybe this doomed me from the start. But I digress. As I pulled the cake out of the oven and the scent of cinnamon wafted through the air I was already counting this as a baking triumph – until the first awful bite. This cake was dry. Like Sahara desert, pass me a litre of water so I can choke this puppy down dry. Like my husband is cracking up laughing because it’s so terrible dry. I’m sad to say that a good portion of the cake ended up in the trash and cake should never end up in the trash. It was that bad.

I’m a little discouraged but I’m not out yet. I’m hoping that baking with whole grains will make me feel better about serving baked goods to my family but on some level I think a dessert is a dessert is a dessert. Still, I’m on a mission here. Whole grains, I will conquer you. Next up – bread.

I’ll keep you posted.