The Fullness of Life

Ugh - I can't believe it's been 19 days since I last sat down to gather my thoughts. I have had so much going on, good, bad, crazy & time-consuming. Julia at Village Green, Town Squared challenged to at least do weekly posts & that is my goal now that some excitement has died down.

But I can take a break & have some me-time. To Derby, Beckham & Disney, of course, that involves them. So right now, I have a 15 pound cat keeping me warm on a hot summer day that I periodically push off the couch, but then he returns. With the persistence of the feline species, I inevitably tire of the battle & sweat it out. (I will be going to the pool later, so I am trying to keep my mind's eye on refreshing cool water.)

With all that said, I have had such an awesome two weeks despite what some may perceive. Lil had TEN teeth removed last Friday - that was the ONLY day I could fit in between Early Voting & Primary Election Day. So I pulled her out of school on the last day. Note: she missed a couple of weeks of school in the final quarter for our trip to Europe. Still straight A's.

When she woke up from surgery, she was very scared as she'd never had her mouth numbed. Her panic was driving her blood pressure up to 145/110. I was scared too but I had to be careful to keep that in check. Finally, she calmed down enough for us to return home. I had to beg her to eat a Go-gurt because she doesn't like milkshakes or ice cream and she couldn't take meds on an empty stomach. About two hours after waking up, she was holding ice packs to her jaw, reading a book and she gave me the thumbs-up. With that, I knew we were past the crisis.

In the artistry of poor planning, she had gymnastics camp starting Monday. I waited for the phone call Monday for "Mrs. C, your daughter needs to be picked up." Nope. At 4 PM, she wanted to have some Motrin but was otherwise perky. I'm so proud of her strength - although she is sad about no popcorn for 2 months. :(

How have I spent the last two weeks otherwise? Meeting, calling and emailing supporters of Tom Coale's campaign for the House of Delegates. I have been standing at polling sites smiling, waving and calling out "Please consider Tom Coale for Delegate." If you had told me last year I would hop out of bed at 6 AM to go stand outside for 13 hours, I would have told you that you were crazy. Although I do feel guilty - I stopped at Checkers for a chicken sandwich as I was checking on volunteers. (Don't tell Tom or TJ, ok?)

I have made new friends, learned more about other candidates and gained lots of experience. Experience that I will need - because Tom won. We won. Ellicott City won. But we have to win in November.


So there's no resting - we have to regroup & focus on a long summer of campaigning. But I wanted to say THANK YOU to my mom and papa and my friends who volunteered on the campaign trail and took care of Lil (Tom's wife drove her to ballet).

And most importantly, the biggest thank you goes to Luke & Lil. Without their support & their efforts at home & campaigning, I could not have given Tom my time & effort. Also without Luke, I could not have gotten to Iron Bridge to check results & celebrate because I ran my car battery down. Our family has had such a great time doing this and we look forward to having that checkmark next to Tom's name on the TV screen in November. (Because that is SUPER exciting!)

Jumping Junebugs

The first or two weeks of June are my least favorite. Every year, there are too many things going on. Ballet recitals, school concerts, spring fairs & other wrap-up events are crammed into a space too small to fit. This year has thrown me another curveball, learning how to be, I mean being, Field Director for Tom Coale.

But I'm managing through it pretty well. I hit my head pretty severely Thursday morning, while I was testing the structural integrity of the soap holder in the bathtub. Good news - it's on there REALLY securely. Bad news - I have 6 stitches on the back of my head and a couple goose eggs around & thought I bruised my ribs.

When I was in college, I would make lists to keep organized & just think to myself in the shower, in two hours, that exam will be over. Knowing that time would pass helped me calm down & ease my anxiety over said upcoming trial. I did that a little this weekend. I could not wait until Saturday was over. With my head wound, I didn't do that much...Luke took Lil to the spring fair at school & helped out, he worked on installing a yard sign for the campaign (the best one yet methinks) & he cleaned up the kitchen. Although that's not completely true, I did do voter analysis & remembered how to use Excel. But I needed 9 PM to roll around.

We ate crappy Tex-Mex at my favorite crappy Tex-Mex place - On the Border - and worked on Washington Post Sunday crossword puzzles that have been piling up in my car. And I felt a lot of stress roll off my back. Sunday was a lazy day too, although I should remember I am accomplishing a lot even though I'm not at my full 100%. Some of what I'm accomplishing involves telling Luke what to do though...

Update on my fall: The pain in my side has decreased, so I went to the gym today despite Lil telling me last night, "I wouldn't advise going to the gym, Mama."  Right now, I'm a little woozy. I didn't eat much until 3:15, so I'm chalking it up to that a wee bit. While I was eating my leftover chili, however, I seemed to have a heat flash. An icepack from D'Artagnan Gourmet Meats is currently resting on my neck. No idea where it came from, but it is proving useful.

And today, a day where I've struggled to remember it's Monday, I found something amazing... He's not a replacement, but might fit the requirements for addressing our felines to people ratio.

Book crazy

I often read 2 or 3 books at the same time. I have to have a book in my car, in case I have an appointment. At home, I need a downstairs book & an upstairs book. Upstairs books are usually non-library books as they take me a long time.

When I bring books into public places, people ask me what I'm reading. That response takes a minute. I try to gauge whether they're asking to feign interest or genuinely interested. And that takes a moment.

And then I explain what I'm reading & feel like I have to justify what I'm reading.

I'm addicted to medieval & Renaissance historical fiction & if it's a mystery, it's like the book is canonized. World War I mysteries are a favorite too. I have a History degree, I come by it honestly. But I still feel like I need a disclaimer...

Hello, my name is Kirsty & I have a problem with getting too many books from the library. Can you blame me? My library did win a prestigious award this year.

Unfortunately, my 12 step plan still involves me going to the library. I volunteer there...not as often as I'd like.

But when I volunteer, I generally find additional books to adopt...I mean, borrow.

The Merry Month of May

Where has it gone? I have 2 days left of this month...

The end of May & the beginning of June are my least favorite times scheduling wise. School concerts, recitals, making sure all the forms are filled out for camp, etc. Lil has NINE baby teeth that need to come out before orthodontia can proceed. She's going to miss the last day of school because I scheduled surgery after early voting & before the regular primary. She just had her annual physical today - approximately TWO months after her birthday. At this rate, she'll be 19 when she gets her 18 year physical.

And now add to that working as Field Director for my friend Tom Coale's Campaign for the Maryland House of Delegates. I am loving it. My whole family is! OK, they might not be LOVING it, but they're having fun. I'm so glad to have them join me putting in signs, going to events & learning about the Howard County & Maryland political landscape. I went to a lovely HocoBlog party at Alexandra's at Turf Valley last night & enjoyed meeting new friends & catching up with old ones.

Life is full, I think the mortgage is paid & there is food in the fridge...Maybe we'll have time to eat it at some point!

Echoes

Do you ever wonder whether someone was listening?

Tonight I received an email that said YES. That I had made an impact.

My parents & my husband worry about my "speaking" - that it is too loud or alienating or blah-blah.

But I have a voice. Am I supposed to say the light is fine when it's burning? Or the water's fine when it's scalding?

Or can I have an opinion? It's very perplexing.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/catherine-rampell-the-self-assurance-imbalance-in-the-workplace/2014/05/19/cb16802e-df91-11e3-8dcc-d6b7fede081a_story.html

The Mommy trails

Tonight, I was confronted by one of "those" moms.

I didn't like it.

I am not planning on attending both of my daughter's performances. I am a horrible mom. Evidently this is not allowed. (After 8 years, I did not know that.)

I will attend one of my daughter's performances. For one thing, the theatre is small, so I assume that there are tons of people wanting to see their offspring. If I buy tickets to multiple performances, then that takes away from others.

And I have another annoying truth...So...I'm conflicted.

Whatcha doin' today?

As usual, this weekend is full of activities...political campaign events, Mother's Day reduxes, etc.  Forget about those! Preakness is over so that's not an option for today either...

Come visit me at the Inner Arbor Trust booth at Wine in the Woods. We'll be handing out water and showing people the Inner Arbor plan for Symphony Woods.

Lil is now a veteran water hander outer, having previously worked on the Clyde's 10K earlier this year.

My dear hubby somehow came up with the convenient excuse of a "partner" meeting in Dallas that begins tomorrow, but required him to leave our house around 6:30 AM today. Sketchy, huh?

Well, I guess I can forgive him, as he walked around Ellicott City yesterday in support of our friend Tom Coale to work on upcoming mailers for the campaign. Actually, we all had a great time & it was a lovely day to be out in historic Ellicott City, supporting local businesses like the Wine Bin and Johnny's on Main. The Wine Bin has an epic selection of Belgian beers, so Luke picked up a Chimay. Johnny's has AMAZING pizza. My steak & cheese was pretty good too.

Today looks a little chilly, but no rain is forecasted. I'm looking forward to seeing friends at WITW & trying out a couple new Maryland wineries after volunteering. Also, the food choices look great too! And Damon Foreman will be playing this afternoon.

Get out there Howard County! Enjoy the great outdoors with us!

#hocopolitics