Like a Fish in Water

I swear, there are days when I wonder what the heck I've been doing here for the last two years. The city continues to surprise me with new hidden gems I never even knew existed, and today was a case in point. Who knew the base had a free water park for kids under 4?



Did I mention that it was free?

Luke loved it once he got over his initial fear of the bigger kids who were splashing nearby. He crawled all over the shallow end (eventually going in up to his chin before wanting to be carried around again), did some splashing himself, and generally had the time of his life.





I think this is going to become a weekly ritual for us now that we know it exists. The best part is that we have a little group of friends-with-babies who will be going with us on future excursions. Swimming fun for all!

Open letters

Dear Newly Divorced Man Across the Street,

I noticed this morning that you invested in some new artwork for your truck. "I swapped my wife for a gun--it was a great deal" is both a rather bold statement to make and a great way to let your neighbors know that not only are you bitter towards your ex, but now you're also armed! Thanks for the heads-up.

Sincerely,
C (who really hopes you didn't go out and buy a gun)


Dear Colorblind Couple at the End of the Block,

Did you know that your house was a lovely shade of buttercream up until last fall? It was. I often thought that yours was one of the prettiest homes on the street, and that was saying a lot. We have some beautiful homes here. Now, I don't know you personally, but I've been assuming that you both suffer from some form of colorblindness after the fateful day last November when I came home from work to discover that you had repainted your house pea green. Not a pretty pea green (if such a color exists) either, truly the ugliest shade of 70s throwback pea green I've ever seen. I dearly hope you're not planning to try to sell your home...ever because no matter how it looks on the inside I just can't imagine potential buyers doing anything other than screaming and running away once they catch a glimpse of the exterior.

Sincerely,
C (who really, really hopes you're planning to re-paint soon)


Dear Frozen in Time Neighbors,

I'm not sure if you got the memo, but Christmas was almost 6 months ago. I know, feels like yesterday, doesn't it? The thing is, the unwritten rule about holiday decorations is that they're supposed to be taken down no later than the end of January. Seeing as how one usually doesn't display 3/4 scale nativity scenes on a year-round basis, I'm going to assume that you forgot about it (and are shut-ins since it's really difficult to miss it in your front yard) or have no idea that it's actually almost July now. Either way, I'll take the damn thing down myself if you're not going to because it's driving me crazy.

Sincerely,
C (who has limited tolerance for yard sculpture even when it's seasonally appropriate)

Of updates and jet lag

Why hello there, it's been awhile! The Internet being what it is, I didn't want to publicize the fact that Juan and I were going to be out of the country until we were back home, but we just returned from a much-needed vacation to Athens, Greece. It was an amazing trip, but it's good to be home.

Updates from the home front--I'm now a temporary stay-at-home-mom, and I think Luke is getting bored already. There are only so many times the boy can crawl around the house before he gets frustrated that there aren't any other kids here to play with, so we're going to start some Gymboree classes with a friend and her daughter next week and try to find some other activities to fill up our days.

In less happy news, my grandmother was officially diagnosed with esophageal cancer two weeks ago. She begins chemo/radiation treatments tomorrow, and any good thoughts you can send her way would be very much appreciated.

Finally, since I still kind of can't believe that we were actually in Athens this time last week, a few pictures from the trip: