I've Told You Before

Moderation and I are not friends. We try, we have good intentions but we just don't get along. And apparently it's not only me that has noticed this. Tonight's dinner conversation:

N - (singing, of course) - My mom has two sides. Either really, really nice and very happy or grumpy....

Me (interrupting) - Only two sides? Nothing else?

N - Um...no, that's about it.

Me - Nothing in the middle?

N - Nope.

Me - Oh, well, which side am I on most often?

N - Definitely the happy side.

Now, I'm not sure if that's actually true or if he's just completely terrified of the grumpy side. Either way, even my 8 year old can tell that Moderation and I are just not meant to be. It's simply all or nothing.

Tying Up Loose Ends

It feels like everything is coming together and coming to an end. Summer is approaching quicker than I can wish it here. With very few plans I feel like I'm ready to move on and get out. But it never works out to be that easy, does it?

That's What I'm Talking About

We decided to redo last week's rainy Mother's Day hike and get back to Skyline Drive yesterday. The weather was a great, calm, sunny 65 degrees up on the mountain and so we decided to see if the kids could tackle the 4 mile Rose River Trail. I don't know why I hesitated. The kids were so awesome...they not only conquered the trek with happy skipping, rock climbing, stick throwing, bug counting and picnic eating, they ended up challenging J to a race to the end of the fire road. We got back to the parking area a little sweaty and a little tired to find 3 deer calmly standing, waiting for us beside the car. And to my kids, being able to stand that close to deer was even better than all the amazingly beautiful cascades and waterfalls we saw...though they admit the water was a close second. Another good weekend? Yeah, I think we're on a roll.

Friday, I'm So Happy To See You

Cigar smoke and a shot of vodka. Fever and headaches. Too many late nights and days that have been too short. Every project one-quarter complete and the rain arrives again. Conflicting schedules, it's scary how time is flying by. Reverting back to email, I miss the IM. A surprise lovely orange drink at my front door and the sounds of spring darkness outside. What a crazy week it's been.

When Best Laid Plans Go Awry

A few weeks ago, I was asked what I wanted to do for Mother's Day. Without hesitation I said, "Let's go hiking." It's one of my favorite ways to spend a weekend and it's something we never seem to have time for. So, needless to say, I wasn't exactly thrilled to hear that today was supposed to be cold and rainy. I tried to come up with a Plan B. We talked about the movies and bowling, hanging out at home and sleeping late, things that were OK but not exactly what I wanted. As of this morning, we still hadn't decided what we were going to do today.

I woke up this morning to the smell of french toast cooking and a little voice in my ear asking what time I wanted my breakfast. We lounged in our pj's until noon, snuggling and wrestling around in the living room, squishing all 4 of us into one chair. A perfect morning filled with lots of giggling. Finally, at 12:30 I decided that I just couldn't shake the hiking urge. I wanted to get outside, I wanted to get moving, I wanted to go up on the Drive. So, we bundled up and headed out. There was no rain and no wind, it was just chilly. Winding our way up toward Big Meadows the fog decended on the mountain, thrilling Liv to no end. But as we reached our destination, we burst through the clouds and looked up. The sky was blue! The sun was shining! The wind, however, was fierce and the temperature was 45 degrees. A big difference from the beautiful high 70's we've had lately. We picked an easy hike (in case we needed to run quickly back to the car), only 2 miles and flat. Easy. And, it's a good thing because quickly the wind blew the fog back in and the forest was amazing. The fog muffled every sound. Everything looked misty and soft. The greens seemed even greener. The yellow wildflowers against the grey stone walls looked like little rays of light in the cloudy cold fog. We were alone on our trail and visibility limited us to viewing only what was directly around us. It was perfect. But misty. Very, very misty. About a mile into the hike, we were starting to get pretty wet. The four of us, pink cheeked, wet jeaned, and grinning couldn't stop laughing at how damp we were. And, at exactly halfway through the trail, there was no way to turn back. The sprinkles started...a light but sharp rain that felt like sleet at times as we jogged back to the car, barely able to breathe from the constant giggling at the way we all looked. Drowned rats? You bet. Finally, we hit the car, jumped in and cranked the heat all the way up. And, then, thank God for my impeccable timing...the hail started and the sky opened up. Torrential rain, ice pinging the side of the car and us, warm and drying, happy and tired, heading home.

The plan had been to hit the showers, change and head to dinner at the local Indian restaurant. But, halfway home we decided that chinese food in nice dry pj's, sitting on the living room floor, watching a movie was a better way to end the day. And you know what? It was a good decision. So the day didn't work out as planned and I ended up cold and wet and without any green masala chicken and naan in my belly. I liked it way better this way. The adventure of hiking in the fog and rain, the warmth of home, snuggling with my two favorite kids - I wouldn't have changed a thing.

Happy Mother's Day.