Fat Biscuit

Fourth of July With the Coppola-Barrys

Kelley took this great photo yesterday during the celebrations at her house. Owen had a blast with his "little brother." 

Spotting Hummers at the Farmers' Market

We're two weeks into summer break, and I'm already exhausted. It's tiring staying busy and entertained with a 6-year-old boy. That said, I wouldn't trade it for the 9-5 for anything.

It's funny how you can try something once, and it will not work out; then you try it a second time, under different conditions or a new mindset, and suddenly it all falls into place. That's been my recent experience with running. I started running outside a couple of months ago and have been loving it. Don't know if it's the fully healed back sprain, the new, fancy sneaks, or the great outdoors, but it is so much more gratifying than the treadmill ever was. In the last two months, I've run two short races and hope to run another one in the fall. I feel healthier and obsess less about all the squishy parts of my body. 

The last race we did had a 1-mile race for kids with parents, so I cajoled Tay and Owen into participating. We were so proud of Owen for participating in a RACE, or COMPETITION, because these things usually terrify him. He ran the entire mile and wore his race shirt and medal for the next two days straight.

This summer Owen and I are staying busier than usual, thanks to Owen's increased maturity and my decreased anxiety. Here's a list of the typical activities:

• swim lessons (where we spotted a Mitt Romney for President tee shirt)
• farmers' market (where we often spot the aforementioned hummers) 
• library time (I still need to do my weekly volunteer stint)
• free movies  
• Pirates' Cove (Pohick Bay)
• Great Waves Water Park (Cameron Run) 

We've also got visits planned with Nana and Am and Baba, as well as our traditional beach week at Ocean City. We also HAVE to see Jim Waive and the Young Divorcees at Fridays After Five on August 28 in C'ville. Owen will love that. 

  

Mum Calls This Cheating

Biking at Sunset

Chez-Nous

 

Ceri: It's normal to wear a fake mustache. 

Taylor: Ummm . . . no, it's not. 

Ceri: Well, I don't think it's normal to wear a Mujahideen hat.

Immune System of a Thirty-Three-Year Old

That cold tried to wrestle me to the ground, but I fought back (or at least my body did), so I was not still ill on my Birthday. Yeah, body! 

I'm tapping this on my MacBook from my little kitchen: I've got fish sticks in the oven, Heinz beans (British style) ready, and salads prepped. Most importantly, I've got my Magic Hat #9. Owen just interrupted me to ask for something to eat; he typically does this 20 minutes before dinner. Perhaps an indication that I should make dinner earlier?

This Saturday was the best Birthday I've had in ages. Mum and Tay's parents were here, I had a cake with my name on it, and I went out for dinner with Tay, K, and L. Dinner here was fabulous, even though we had to wait 40 minutes for a table, forcing us to have drinks at the bar beforehand.

Today Taylor did a lot of yardwork and I did a lot of Owen tending. Specifically, I played many rounds of hide-and-seek with Owen and his neighbour friend, R, and then played grunt to Owen's general in a highly strategic, potato-gun-enhanced Army battle. 

Owen climbed many trees and had another biking session, again with R. He has a happy life; only 20 more years before he appreciates it.

Six Months Between The Two

April is one of my favourite months, but it's also one of the busiest. Not only is it the birth month of both myself and my son, but it's also when several of my closest friends and family members celebrate their birthiversaries as well. (I did it again; I made up a word, . . . just like that!)

Starting it off, on the first of this month (six months to the day after Frieda died), as you must have noticed by my recent catcentric photo postings, we adopted a new cat, Reese. Reese is about as good as it gets. She is friendly, cuddly, tolerant of loud noises, and playful; she is also highly skilled with the cat box. She eats dry food; she eats wet food; she likes the occasional cat treat (but doesn't scarf them down); she enjoys some cat nip. She hasn't even tried to eat our plants. We made an excellent choice.

I thought I would pass on perhaps the most annoying exchange I've ever had with a stranger in public. I was at the checkout line at Whole Foods when I noticed that my tub of grape tomatoes was moldy. I wasn't quite up to the checker yet, so I turned to the woman in line behind me and said, "Would you mind if I just run back to grab another?" She looked at me with little enthusiasm and said, "Do what you have to do." 

What the F**K does that mean? 

I've hated her, that stranger at Whole Foods, ever since. She's got a whole backstory now as well. If you'd like to hear more about her emotionless, joyless upbringing, just drop me a line. Don't even get me started about her political leanings.

Another April breakthrough: Owen rode his bike without his training wheels. I'll put up a picture as soon as the resident photographer gets some uploaded. 

Finally, it seems I always get a nasty cold in April. I remember the most heinous one was my final year at college, the year I turned 21. I felt like dying but had so many papers to do and tests to study for. That was also the year that Katie and Kalai gave me a Welsh coffee mug and a tiny bottle of Godiva liquor.

Owen Finds Reese