A Pesky Tail Tale

A couple of months ago, B's check engine light came on in his car. A trip to the dealer brought bad news. Two of his O2 sensors were bad, which would set us back $715. The dealer admitted this wasn't a pressing issue, and he could wait. Thankfully, B is the opposite of me and isn't impulsive at all. He chose to wait mentioned the issue to his cousin a few weeks later. His cousin insisted that B could get a family discount at the dealership where he worked.

Easy fix.

Well, it would have been if his cousin didn't quit his job without warning B an hour before he walked in to ask for the family discount. (That has nothing to do with the story except to further illustrate what a headache this saga has been.)

Luckily, the serviceman took pity on B and gave him the discount anyway. Granted, it was a very kind gesture and a decent discount, but B and I still reeled at the price tag of $470. However, we knew it needed to be taken care of, so we bucked up to order the parts.

The next week, we were leaving for church and B held up a chewed up sippy cup lid that was in his backseat. Upon further inspection, we found a sucker stick and a book that had been nibbled. They didn't appear to be chewed by an almost-four-year-old L. They looked more like ...

....excuse me while I gag....

a mouse.

Ew. Ew, ew, ew.

I am phobic about bats, and mice are just as bad. They are simply bats without wings, as far as I'm concerned.

So.

I spent the next two weeks riding in B's car with my feet tucked underneath me and any belongings in my lap. He put a trap in the car, but the mouse, who he named "Mr. Jingles," (The Green Mile, anyone?) showed signs that he had made an appearance during the night, but was apparently unable to be caught.

Fast forward to about a week ago when B brought his car back into the shop to get the sensors fixed. My poor husband sat in the freezing cold waiting area for hours to be told that the sensors didn't do the problem. Unfortunately, this wasn't a "money back guarantee" situation, and we were out $470.

As B checked out, he mentioned in passing that he thought there was a mouse in his car.

The serviceman stopped, jaw slack, and stared at B.

He broke the news that this damn rodent was probably the cause of all the problems. According to him, mice find wiring to be the perfect snack and chewed-up wiring can cause a myriad of issues.

Last night, B was out in the garage, and who peeked out from a hiding spot between the wall and the siding?

Mr. Jingles himself.

It's safe to say that Mr. Jingles is no longer with us, although even if I wanted to, I wouldn't be able to tell you how he met his demise. B and I decided it was best that I didn't know.

I'd like to say our mouse story is over, but last night, B found Mrs. Jingles stuck to a trap in our garage. Luckily (for us), she'd already passed away.

My extraordinarily thorough and determined husband spent almost two hours in the garage last night.

We now have an extremely clean garage which includes several mousetraps. I have taken to sprinting to my car, shielding my eyes from the traps every time I need to leave the house.

It's safe to say that we won't be watching Ratatouille with L anytime soon.

Babywearing, pony rides, and corn mazes, oh my!

Poor L has been sick since last Saturday, culminating in a trip to the ER and resulting in lots of tears from both of us.

I was so sick of movies and tv that I borrowed this idea from Abbie and created a slide for L for his cars.

It was a nice break from Pete's Dragon, Caillou, and Curious George, and he still stayed somewhat still and calm while playing.


However, the thrill of that only lasted so long, and by yesterday, we were so stir-crazy that we had to get out of the house. Neither one of us were feeling 100% but we decided to head to the pumpkin patch anyway.

We did some babywearing (which G loves much more than he appears in this picture)....


slid down a really fun slide....
and tackled a really tough corn maze that had us circling in the corn for what seemed like forever. L led the way....


and may or may not have led us to several dead ends along the way....
but this was by far his favorite part of the day. "Wet's go dis way," we heard more than once.
To be honest, I was thrilled to get a break when my shoe came untied. That maze was a bit torturous and I kept thinking that it would be really creepy in the dark. Children of the Corn, anyone?

Logan demonstrated how we all felt when we finally made our way to the exit. Whew!

We made our way to the amazing produce stand. So much of their gorgeous produce was homegrown and I drooled over (and took pictures of) everything.



I didn't end up buying anything, because the lines were so darn long. I'm considering going back during the week and getting the homemade pumpkin butter that had me drooling, though.

While B waited in another ridiculously long line for some lemonade, L , G and I found a patch of shade to rest. I nursed G right there, for the first time in a very public place and am happy to report that we were successful! Thank goodness for nursing covers and nursing tanks...they are worth every penny.

While I finished nursing G, L got to ride a pony. I'm not gonna lie....I was a little jealous.

By that time, though, all four of us were beyond done. Both G and L were starting to melt down, so we ended up doing the unthinkable...leaving the pumpkin patch without a single pumpkin! I think L and I will bring our business to the local produce stand that we visit every week...goodness knows this pumpkin farm got plenty of our money already.

Even with the long lines, pricey pumpkins, and exhaustion-induced meltdowns, as my friend Katie wisely put it, the pumpkin patch is good for the soul.

(Very) Random Thoughts

L's love for G waxes and wanes from day to day in our house. Certain talents of G's, like his adorable grin or truck-driver-esque belches, thrill L to no end. Other times, L says he'd prefer to not be G's brother anymore.

So when L initiates interactions with G, I jump on the opportunity. Therefore, when I was bathing G the other night and L asked if he could help, I enthusiastically agreed to it.

L helped rinse G after I washed him and we all enjoyed the Hallmark moment. When I asked him to recount the story to his grandmother the next day, L proudly said, "I watered him!"

***

G is not the world's best sleeper. That might be the world's biggest understatement.

Two nights ago, he made my night by surpassing his previous record and sleeping for a 4.5 hour stretch. Last night, I tried to redo the routine from the night before, with an evening bath and similar feeding/bedtime schedule in hopes of a second good night of sleep. It worked...G slept great.

Unfortunately, L woke up, screaming like someone was ripping his toenails out, at 1 am.

At 2 am, B got up, changed G's diaper, and was moving around the room. I didn't realize what he was doing until he bent over the bed to kiss me goodbye, fully dressed for work.

Ahhh, sleep deprivation.

***

I dropped L off at school this morning, and thanks to our crazy night last night, we overslept and were running late. I walked him to his preschool class, where his teacher was already doing assessments to prepare, no doubt, for parent-teacher conferences this Friday.

Um, he's three. Does anyone else find parent-teacher conferences for three-year-olds a tiny bit strange?

Anyway, I was a bit panicked to see that the teacher was assessing their abilities to put together jigsaw puzzles. Poor L is going to get a big fat F on that test, seeing as he has never put together an interlocking puzzle in his life. I felt the need to tell the teacher that, and considered rushing to Target to stock up on jigsaws.

Mom fail. Sigh.

***

I start my personal training sessions this evening and I am equal parts stoked and petrified.

My trainer is my friend and spin teacher Audrey, who I've blogged about before. Considering we are close enough that she's seen my hoo-ha (in the delivery room, you dirty minded readers), it should make for an interesting dynamic.

I don't want to disappoint her, so I think she's a good choice of trainer. However, I'm really afraid of every exercise she might make me do. I honest-to-goodness am afraid of attempting to jump on one of those steps. I am that uncoordinated.

Tomorrow I'll post a recap of the session, complete with stats, goals I set, and before pictures. Don't say I didn't warn you.

***

Happy Hump Day! Namaste.

A stream of conciousness post that will serve as birth control in the future

I'm blogging from the couch, from B's laptop. And while neither of those seem note-worthy, they are.

I'm banished to the couch since this morning I had really bad cramping and bleeding, which had seemed to stop. I'll spare you the details, but it was a lot. When I called the OB exchange, the doctor who called me back requested that I stay off my feet today and if it happens again, I have to go to the ER. It was a bit of a bummer, because my cousins have been in town for most of the week and are heading back to Texas today. Bedrest=not being able to go to my mom's to say goodbye to them. And that makes me sad.

But what makes me even sadder is that L *sob* spilled water all over my laptop last night. He was playing on pbskids.org, and took a drink of his water. Just as I was about to tell him to take it into the kitchen, it toppled, and I swear it was in slow motion. I immediately started sobbing, and couldn't stop for a while. B thinks he might have saved it but we won't know for a while. I because quite dramatic, saying that it was my only connection to the outside world at this point. The worst part, though, is I totally yelled at L. Just typing that makes me tear up again. I don't claim to be the perfect mother...far from it, in fact. But I realized last night that I very rarely yell at L. And I feel so guilty that the one time I did, it was for something he did by pure accident.

He also has a little cold, and came over to talk to me about the computer situation and I told him to get out of my face because he was sick. I know I am sleep-deprived and hormonal, but I cannot believe I said that to my kid. (Do you hear that? It's the sound of people unfollowing me. It's okay...I understand.) I am so worried about G getting sick in the first few months (hello, flu season). I'm just as afraid of me getting sick since I am breastfeeding him.

Last night, I went into his room and snuggled him after he went to sleep, telling him how much I love him and how sorry I am. I promised him I'd take him to get snow cones today, but evidently he'll have to get a rain check on that now that I can't get off the couch. Luckily, he hasn't said a word about it so I don't think he remembers. I'll make up for it in the next couple of days.

Breastfeeding is going well, at least. G loves to nurse, and while I know that sometimes he just nurses to soothe himself, for now, I am okay with that. He loves to be held and is so attached to me. In fact, sometimes if B is holding him, he'll cry for me. Then I feel bad about that too. But a little part of me kind of likes it just a little. Sshhhh.

B is being unbelievable as usual. He makes dinner. He does the dishes. He does the laundry. He changes 90% of the diapers. He brushes L's teeth and puts him to bed. I don't deal well with lack of sleep (obviously). I am one of those people who requires 8-10 hours a night, so the deprivation renders me somewhat useless. B just says he knows how hard I am working to keep G fed (boyfriend eats, on average, every 1-2 hours) and he needs to take care of me since I am taking care of our baby. Best. Husband. Ever.

He goes back to work on Tuesday and I'm a little nervous. I'm not nervous about being home alone with G. That, I'm kind of excited about. The silly thing I'm nervous about is getting L to school and bringing G along. Getting there on time...battling a germy preschool...it's a bit daunting. But I'm sure that once I do it one (or seven) times, it will become easier.

I miss spin class. I miss my girls at the gym. I miss my coworkers. I miss being able to run to Target when the world becomes too much.

And the difference this time around (as compared to my postpartum days with L) is that I know these feelings are normal and it's a bit easier to take a deep breath, eat some chocolate, and breathe in the smell of G and remember that this too, shall pass.

Wordless Wednesday: moments between my two boys

Christmas Miracles

Christmas was absolutely fantastic for us this year. Both B and I remarked that it was the best one in a long time. Perhaps this was due to the fact that we experienced not one, not two, but three Christmas miracles this year!

First...Logan did not throw up...not once, all. day. long! His asthma seems to be somewhat under control at the moment, and I've been limiting food and drinks that can exacerbate reflux, which I am finding is correlated with asthma.

Second, Logan did not have one meltdown all. day. long! He showed patience while waiting for B to put his toys together, was obedient when I asked him to refrain from his very favorite activity, (running), and besides the few Harry Potter spells he tried to cast on people, was sweet as can be to everyone with whom he came in contact.

Third, and perhaps most exciting, Logan stayed dry all. day. long! Not only did he stay dry, but twice at B's aunt and uncle's house, he actually told me that he had to go potty. Once was even after we had put on his diaper and pajamas. I was floored. We've been working diligently on potty training for months and months now, and I am hoping and praying that we are seeing some progress.

Seriously, it really was a great holiday. Lo had a blast opening his gifts. He kept saying, "Santa sure did bring me a lot of presents," and alternating "Oh my GOSH!" and "Oh, oh, oh!" when he opened something especially exciting. I wish I would have taken more still shots, but we videotaped the entire opening process.

B generously let me take a three-hour nap on Christmas afternoon since I wasn't feeling well. (Does an uninterrupted three-hour nap for a mommy count as a fourth miracle?)

Oh, and after 824 relatives commented that Lo would look even cuter with a haircut, B finally caved and gave his blessing for me to cut his hair. He doesn't normally put his foot down on anything, so I was letting it go for a while. I do love the long hair look on boys, but my poor little man is starting to look a little sheepdog-esque. I'll post before and after pics on Tuesday!

What Christmas miracles did YOU experience?

Even not-quite-fairy-tales can have happy endings.

Four years ago, I made the best and scariest decision of my life to take the plunge into married life. For the second time. Although I was petrified to get hitched again, I kept reminding myself that if I hadn't gotten married the first time, I would have never met the man that I was supposed to marry.





You see, when I entered my first marriage, I already knew B. His roommate was dating my then-fiancee's sister. B was actually such a good friend of mine that he came to my first wedding. By the time I got married for the first time, I adored B, but when I first met him, I wasn't so smitten. He wouldn't make eye contact with me, no matter what charming tricks I pulled out. He hardly spoke to me whatsoever. I actually used the word "shady" to describe him. Later, I realized he was just extraordinarily shy...something so foreign to me.

As my ex-husband became more and more emotionally and physically abusive, I more often retreated to the apartment that was shared by B and his roommate, Steve. After all, they were the ones who first told me that the way my ex talked to me and treated me was, well, abusive. They had an open-door policy with me and I took full advantage of it.

Things got really, really bad at my home only a few months after I got married. I was consistently cussed out, kicked, pushed, held down, and things were thrown at my head by the bully who I married. It was starting to escalate, and it was then that I started looking for my own apartment. One day, at B's apartment, I was in tears, telling him my fear that no one would ever want a divorcee like me. It was then that he confessed that he loved me.

I. Was. Shocked. I didn't know what to do with that information. Because although, deep down, I absolutely felt the same way, I couldn't process it at the time. I was getting ready to leave my husband of just a few months. I mean, I hadn't gotten my wedding album back from the photographer yet. I was already as confused as a girl could get and now my head was spinning. To make matters worse, my ex had already started telling people that he was certain that I was having affairs with B and/or Steve. The last thing I wanted was for the lies he was telling to become true.



A couple of months later, after attempted (and sorely failed) marriage counseling between my ex and me, B and I were watching a movie at his apartment one night. I could feel the tension between us and my heart started racing. We got closer and closer, daring the other one to give in. We simultaneously moved in and the kiss was electric. I am talking fireworks. Steve walked in from work and we quite literally, flew across the room to opposite chairs, looking everywhere but at each other.

The next week, I told my husband (who was continuing to abuse me) that I was leaving. I moved in with another good (married female) friend of mine. One day, my ex called me at work and told me that while I was gone, he was going to take all of my things and throw them on the lawn. I left work, with a coworker in tow, ignoring the pleas of my police officer brother to wait for a police escort. I cleaned out my apartment in record time, sobbing at what my life had become. That weekend, my ex was out of town. I went to clean the apartment, since I was the sole name on the lease, and found that my ex had absolutely trashed the place in hopes that I would be punished for his actions. B came over and helped me clean the apartment until it was sparkling. I got my entire security deposit refunded!

Although we waited to tell people that we were together, the truth was that nothing could keep us away from each other. I listened to counselors who told me that marrying the man who rescued me was not a good choice. I heard Dr. Phil say that rebound marriages flat out do not work. I smiled when my friends told me to take some time for myself and be single before dating after my marriage. I ignored them all and followed my gut. And today, on our 4th anniversary, I remember again why I am so happy that I did.

Happy Anniversary-Eve to Us!

Today, one of my very favorite bloggy friends, Brittany Ann from Living in the Moment, posted a cute getting-to-know-you questionnaire about her and her hubby. I figured since tomorrow is my and B's anniversary, it was perfect timing! Tomorrow, since it IS Way-Back-Whensday, I'll probably post a little more about us. (I also have a scarf swap post too...looks like tomorrow will be a two-post day!) So I hope you don't get too sick of the B and Gina posts!

♥ What are your middle names? Teresa and Robert. Mine is after my mom's best friend, and his is after his dad.

♥How long have you been together? This one is tricky because it was kind of a weird situation, with me coming out of my first marriage. I'll explain more tomorrow, when we will have been married for four years.

♥ How long did you know each other before you started dating? Again, the timing is quite the gray area. But considering he did come to my first wedding (weird, right?) it was probably about two years.

♥ Who asked who out? He confessed his feelings first. Because we were already really good friends, it wasn't your typical asking out.

♥ Who made the first move? We still argue over this. I say he kissed me first, he says I kissed him. Honestly, it was probably one of those made-for-the-movies mutual kiss moments.

♥ How old are each of you? I robbed the cradle a bit. I'll be 32 this year and he'll be 30.

♥ Did you go to the same school? No. We did both go to colleges in Missouri, but they were nowhere near each other.

♥ Are you from the same home town? Very close...our houses growing up were about fifteen minutes apart, but they are technically in different cities.

♥ Who is the smartest? B can figure ANYTHING out. Me, not so much. I might be a little more book-smart, but that's absolutely up for debate.

♥ Who majored in what?I majored in Communication Disorders. He started out in Education, then changed his mind a few times.

♥ Who is the most sensitive? I know this is hard to believe, but I think it's him. Sshhh. Don't tell him I said that.

♥ Where do you eat out most as a couple? It's becoming increasingly difficult to eat out with a wild 2 and 1/2 year old in tow. We used to eat at our favorite Italian restaurant where B actually used to work. But it closed, which devastated us. So now, our eating-out is limited to fast food or sub sandwich restaurants.

♥ Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple? We went to Jamaica on our honeymoon. And loved, literally, every single second of it. We dream of going back very soon.

♥ Who has the worst temper? Me. And he reminds me of that quite often. I think I've made some progress though.

♥ How many children do you want? Just two. Now that we are trying for Baby #2, we constantly joke about the panic we'd be going through if we got pregnant with twins!!

♥ Who does the cooking? When we cook, it's me, most of the time. He's an awesome cook, though...he used to do it as a career in a few different restaurants. When he does cook, it's such a treat!

♥ Who is more social? No question here...definitely me. He's certainly come out of his shell more, but overall, he's as introverted as I am extroverted.

♥ Who is the neat-freak? He used to be the biggest neat freak I know, but he claims I ruined that because being a neat freak while married to me was futile. Boo.

♥ Who is the most stubborn? He'd say me. I know he would. But I think it's him. I am always willing to give in and move on with life. A few years ago, I'd agree with him that it's me.

♥ Who wakes up earlier? Usually, he does, unless he stays up too late watching episodes of House or random movies. I LOVE to sleep and always pass out before he does.

♥ Where was your first date? We went to see XMen with his brother and his brother's fiancee, and I remember being so nervous because I wasn't technically divorced yet. (Looking forward to tomorrow's post yet?)

♥ Who has the bigger family? Him....both of his parents are one of seven children, and they all have several kids. I still can't keep his dad's family straight.

♥ Do you get flowers often? Not enough! No...he does buy me flowers on the obligatory flower-giving days....Mother's Day, our anniversary, etc. I love flowers, and if it's been too long, I'll just buy them for myself!

♥ How do you spend the holidays? Both of our parents are divorced, so we try to spread the love. Luckily, our parents are usually pretty cool with spreading out the holidays over a few days. They have learned it's that or only seeing us every other year!

♥ Who is more jealous? We both have our jealous moments. I'd say this one is a tie.

♥ How long did it take to get serious? We were serious a lot sooner than we admitted. I'll just say that.

♥ Who eats more? Definitely B. Sometimes I can't get over the portions on his plate, but he is working on that!

♥ What do you do for a living? He works as a loss mitigation specialist (short sale negotiator) for a large company. I am a speech-language therapist at an elementary school.

♥ Who does the laundry? He does. I am a lucky, lucky girl.

♥ Who’s better with the computer? He is. Remember that whole "he can figure anything out" answer? It applies to computers, too.

♥ Who drives when you are together? Almost always him. He claims that I don't pay attention while I drive. Unfocused....me?? Noooo.

♥ What is "your" song? Stand By Me by Ben E. King. We just thought it fit, so we chose it as our wedding dance song.

I'd include a tag, but I want to read everyone's answers! Let me know if you do this!

Namaste!

my perfect weekend + a little anxiety and perfectionism

Best. Weekend. Ever. I feel like we haven't stopped but it's been a blast. It was gorgeous and not humid at all. That kind of weather doesn't happen very often in St. Louis, especially not in mid-July. I am so glad that we took advantage of it. Saturday morning we woke up early and took our favorite teacher's spinning class. I've talked about her before...the woman is shredded. I told B that I sort of kind of would like to look like her (she participates in weightlifting shows) and he just sort of rolled his eyes. I know it's a bit much. But I think it would be fun to have an 8 pack and perfectly sculpted...okay, huge arms. And if I ever do have another baby, I am going to hire her to whip me into shape afterwards.

After spinning, we came home and cut the grass, and I totally messed up the lines. I actually felt the need to put something about it on Facebook, purely to apologize to my neighbor, who is my Facebook friend. I know it only lasts a couple of days, but it's embarrassing when there are dips in the lines and half the lines are super crooked. My step-mother-in-law says she is surprised that I haven't figured out a way to make it artistic, like writing our last name in the lawn. That would be a lot cooler.

Saturday afternoon, we went to see the new Harry Potter. Considering I accidentally said, "This many people are here to see Harry Potter??" when I walked into the theater (I often suffer from verbal diarrhea) and got lots of dirty looks, I didn't think I'd enjoy the next 2 and 1/2 hours. But I totally did. Harry Potter is on more evenings than not in my house. B and L absolutely love to watch it. L is trying to negotiate Hermione coming to kiss him if he poops in the potty. But I have never been interested in it. But it was so fun, and I love the theme of love, and good vs. evil, and kindness. Who knew?

My mom and her husband offered to make us a steak dinner that night. I told my mom that I was leaning vegetarian, so she offered me chicken instead. Hmmm. But it was good. I love a good dinner that I do not have to cook. Cooking is so nerve-wracking to me. I am always petrified that I am going to screw it up. I think I might be the only one who feels that way.

Today, we had milk and chocolate long johns for breakfast (I love splurges) and drove about 30 minutes to the park where we went camping a few weekends ago. We attempted to mountain bike up some hills, but B pulling L in the carrier + me who is still lacking confidence on my bike + big hills = difficulties. So we decided to do a few laps around the flat, paved "Lake Loop." We still got to enjoy the outdoors...I kept yelling to B, "Doesn't it smell so good out here?" I am a big tree-hugging nerd. We ate a picnic lunch (there's nothing better than eating outside) and got home in perfect time for L's nap.

We went out to dinner tonight and I got to have some salmon, which I swear I could eat 5 days a week. When we got home, I sat on the driveway and blew bubbles for L, who joyously stomped on them. Boys. I didn't want to waste one minute of this weather. Weekends like this don't come around very often. If I get to enjoy weather like this in Cali in a few weeks, I may need even less Xanax to fly and be away from my boys than I thought.

proud to be a tree-hugger

I am back from an all-too-short camping trip. Everyone had to drag me away from the site this morning. I was all ready to hike or fish, or just sit by the fire under the trees for a while longer. Unfortunately, everyone was starving and hadn't planned breakfast there, so my bliss in the wilderness was cut short. (I was perfectly content with my protein bar.) The only thing that made me feel better was when B promised that we could go back to the same park next weekend for a bike ride/picnic/frisbee day with L. I am already excited. Plus, the group is already planning a float trip/camping/possible winery trip in a few months. So I reluctantly agreed to leave all that nature for the day. (Plus, B tempted me with breakfast at the Cracker Barrel.)


We had a blast...ate great barbecue, checked out the park, fished, (or in my case, talked to other people while they fished), sat and chatted around the campfire, got a little tipsy, and crashed in our tent. I thought the noises of the wilderness would keep me up, and with the exception of a few mystery footsteps that my BFF Em heard too, I found nothing scary about sleeping outdoors. That is, except the ground-shaking snoring coming from one of our fellow campers. I literally fell asleep with one ear to my pillow and my finger in my other ear. No lie.


Here are a few pictures:


The pond/lake at the park. You can fish in it or jog/bike on the trail surrounding it.

B and me chillin' by the campfire. Both of those chairs broke by the end of the night and we had to throw them away. Two less things to pack up, right?

Our happy little tent. Is it cheating if we had an air mattress and a ceiling fan? Cause we did.

The trees, the sun, the fresh air...love. it. It probably helps that apparently, I am not appetizing to mosquitos. But man, do I love being outside.


I have a bit of an odd obsession with trees. I drive B crazy when we are in the car. "Oooh! Look at that tree, baby! Isn't it pretty? Oh, wow, look at that huge tree." But I think that every tree is awesome, so I get a little annoying. At least I can admit it.



Right behind our campsite was this cool little area, where there was a great view of some rocky cliffs and some big boulders to climb up. You had to walk down a steep sandy path to get there. It was hard to capture it in a photo, at least for someone with zero photography skills, but B makes it look so easy. I swear it was more treacherous than it looks here.

So I was all proud when I made it down and climbed up on a big boulder. I was loving it. I couldn't have done that a couple of years back before I worked out. It's crazy to think about how different I am now. I think giving birth made me think I was Supergirl or something. Or maybe I just used to be a huge wuss. Or both.

Em had the best idea ever, especially considering neither one of us are big marshmallow fans. She put a Hershey bar in a cut-off soda can and set it next to the fire.

(In case you are wondering, yes, she is like 5'9" and a size 2 and has a 2 year old. And no, she doesn't work out regularly. I swear, if she had any desire at all to wear makeup and clothes that showed off her body, she'd make a killing as a model. )

And voila! A chocolate dipped graham cracker. I highly recommend this deliciousness for all you other camping-lovers.

I seriously could have stayed for three more days. I told B that when Logan is too old to want to hang out with me in the summers, I am going to become a park ranger for my summer job. B's response: "Well, it is the perfect job for you...ride around on a bike in a park, tell people not to litter, and stop every so often to hug a tree." I choose to take that as a compliment.