Wednesday, July 27, 2005

We're Back

We're back from our mini-vacation to Portland. It's nice to be home again. Except that it's still friggin' hotter than hades here and I was quite used to the central a/c at my parents house. No such luck at my home, so I'm melting once again. Mr. Chick is missing out - I'm posting sitting here in a semi-transparent white tank (think wife-beater style - nice, huh?), and white cotton undies. And nothing else. Most guys would probably think it's a sexy look, from a distance. Get too close and you can begin to smell how hot I've been.

But on to better topics than sweat. Mr. Chick has finished the dreaded Bar Exam! Hip Hip Hooray!! That damn thing is officially behind us and now the waiting starts. He won't know whether he's passed until the first part of September. That's an eternity. AND, even better, he tells me that most firms hold off hiring decisions this close to getting the Bar results, preferring to wait until they know if you've passed the test. So we have, like, 6 weeks of time to do.... anything! I'm not sure if having him home will be the best thing ever, or will make me crazy and want him to be elsewhere during normal working hours. Husbands have a way of disrupting the normal rhythm of daily routines. I've gotten quite used to being in charge of everything around here and a certain way I like to do stuff. He has a way of throwing me off-track when he's around unexpectedly. I hope it goes the other way and it turns out great that he's around to help out with the kids and get stuff done around the house. Like, for example, getting the place ready to sell. There's SO much to do. We even have a nice lesbian couple knocking on our door and calling us wanting to see the house already! I tell you, this market is out of control. Did anyone else read the recent Forbes ranking of the most expensive housing markets? Portland was ranked THIRD out of 85 cities. THIRD!! Behind Seattle and New York. We're now officially more expensive than the Bay Area, all things being equal. It sucks.

Ok, back to our week away: I kept the kids as busy as possible while at my parents place. They have a way of being sucked into watching far too much TV whenever we're there. Grandma has cable, you see, and there are cartoons - the good ones - on 24/7 if you want. Nickelodeon round the clock. So it's imperative that I plan lots of things to do to keep the kids (and me) busy and on the go. Mission accomplished. We spent the first night at my sisters place and she has 2 boys and a girl. Her two boys (one of which is just 3 months older than Nicholas) share a room and have bunkbeds. So Nicholas got to have a "sleep over" in their room - what a treat! The two 4 year olds outlasted my 7 yr old nephew and were laughing and chatting it up until way past 10pm. Lauren was with me on the pull-out, so she didn't go down until 11pm. We were all very tired the next day, needless to say. I ended up taking the kids swimming, which set them up beautifully for nice long naps. The following day I met up with a friend and her kids at a park. The kids all had fun running around, again allowing for decent naps (it's all about the sleep for me, in case you hadn't caught on yet). My parents attended a swanky wedding that night, leaving us on our own for dinner, so I met up with the same friend and another friend at a Burger King for dinner. Oh yes, we are gourmet all the way. The BK has the most fun play structure I've ever seen at a fast food place, which is why we go there. You actually have to pay by the hour to play there. It's attended, so it's not utterly dirty and disgusting. The kids love it, and I like keeping them entertained cheaply. So there. I was able to give my friend the cable-knit sweater I'd crocheted - she loved it. :) Sunday was a family birthday day and that's always fun. All of my sisters and my new brother-in-law were there. On Monday I got to take the kids on a long MAX train ride from our mechanics to the zoo, where we met up with my sister and her two youngest kids for the day. Thankfully everyone got along really well and had fun. How could you not have fun at the zoo?? My dad and I went to see "March of the Penquin" and we both thought it was amazing! A must-see. Then on Tuesday my dad, one of my sisters, and the kids and I went to a new park down in the Pearl district that I'd heard about. It has a wading pool for kids to play in. But better yet, the water fills the wading pool by cascading down a rock wall. It's so cool! Once it's full it drains completely and then the whole thing starts over again. It's on a 12 min cycle or so. Very, very entertaining for kids. The place was packed. My kids had the time of their lives for a solid hour. Below are some pictures:


Yay! We're going swimming!


Awright! I love the water!


Now THIS is good summertime fun!


Nicholas gets in on the action. Note the cool waterfalls that cascade down the rock wall that fills the wading pool.


Nicholas takes a moment to cool off


Refueling Posted by Picasa

The Bar Exam was Tuesday and Wednesday. I was able to go out and see Mr. Chick Tuesday night. He was doing ok, if a little stressed and tired. He won't even hedge a guess as to how well he's doing - he doesn't want to jinx himself, I guess. We met out for a beer and then went back to my sisters house where he's staying. He and I both were looking for a little action so we went for a drive like teenagers. It was hard to find a dark, private spot in the middle of the city, but we did. Or so we thought. We were getting it on in the Volvo, trying not to look at the two carseats in the back that would have just killed the moment, when Mr. Chick saw some headlights shining as if they were coming behind the building where we were parked. He practically threw me off him into the drivers seat he was so freaked out. We left and tried to find another hot spot, but failed. So we both had to go to our respective "homes" for the night completely unsatisfied. I swear, it totally felt like we were dating again and I was still living with my parents. Very surreal. So you know we're both eager for him to return home tomorrow night!!

Anyway, we're home again and I'm looking forward to sleeping in my own bed again. My own hot, sweltering, sweaty bed. Alone. But only for one more night. And then we can officially close the book on our law school years and look ahead to a bright future.

Comments:
CUTE PICS! Glad you had a nice time and that Bar Exam is DONE!!!
Kelly
 
So happy to hear the Bar is DONE with! Yay!!!

Laughing outloud over the whole "hot and bothered" car story and Mr. Chick throwing you off. Funny!!!
 
How are you?

Kelly
 
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