Monday, March 29, 2010

halfway to fifty-two


thank you for the birthday wishes! the kind words were the highlight of my day. and i love that james hacks into my account and blogs. he used to think blogs were the devil. now he is always telling me what to blog about but i give him the snub and tell him to start his own. his blog will feature lots of guns and strategies for starting his own renewable energy farm, with some commentary on how crappy medical school is. keep your google readers poised for it.

my parents have come and gone. i should probably share the pictures, but i'm in denial that they really left/i can't believe they really even came.


my mom filled four huge totes and one carry-on with everything we begged of her to bring while she and my dad had one little bag to stuff all their clothes in. they are wonderful. we love them so much. i told my mom that now that they're gone, i take comfort in the little memories i have with them all over the island. "there's the volcano dad and i hiked. there's valumart where mom stocked up on ting. oh, and here's our kitchen where dad was choking and jamie gave him the heimlich." (true story. i guess it's only funny if you were there. and let's be honest, i was shrieking hysterically when it happened.) anyway, it feels a little more like home since they were here. after we dropped them off at the airport, james cried all the way home. i lost it an hour later when i heard their plane take off and saw it flying away (we live right behind the airport). then, ten minutes later, another plane took off and i realized that was actually their plane. so i cried some more. lots of crying, folks.


this post is too depressing. let's talk about my birthday. my friends took me to the very cute shipwreck beach and we had cupcakes and balloons and my kids were HORRIBLE. and i cried all the way home. is anyone feeling sorry for me yet with all this crying? i'm kind of feeling sorry for myself.

here's a beach picture. so you feel a little less sorry for me.


(i'm not pregnant, by the way. i know the picture says otherwise.)

18 comments:

Carly said...

cupcakes and the beach? that's the best birthday ever! :)

kate said...

oh man. my parents only live 8 hours away, and I BAWLED like a new born baby after the first time they left when they came to visit me. I can't imagine being that far away.

Glad to hear you had a great time with them though! :)

Chelsea said...

hello! I can truly say I know how you're feeling... and I do feel sad for all your crying (because I do the same:). My sister in law lead me to your blog, since we have so much in common, and I'm so glad she did! I too am living in "paradise" as everyone in the US says. But, really it's just Dominica, which is the second poorest country in the Caribbean, and it really kind of sucks. My husband is in his second semester of medical school at Ross (we too never thought we'd be here, but applied late in the game). I giggled, felt bad, smiled, and felt validated for my feelings through about 15 of your previous posts last night, and also felt good, that someone else is blogging about the crazy ways of the Caribbean. Why don't they know about anything else but lace for drapes? We don't even have clean water... I don't know about you. I'm sure it's one of those things (I know it will be) that we'll look back and miss, especially the simplicity and slow lifestyle, but for now I'm looking forward to moving somewhere where there are no centipedes, and I'm not a sweaty mess 24 hours a day!

Nice to meet you (and you don't look pregnant, you are adorable!)

Chelsea Horsley

David and Shalynna said...

I'm glad you had a nice time with your family. It's so great that now they'll be able to picture everything when you tell them stories about the island. Also, I love that you take comfort in the little memories you made all over the island. That's a beautiful way of looking at it!

My family came to visit us for our second Christmas in Cayman. Two days before they left I started getting really sad. My mom got all of their leftover food together (they stayed at our med student friends' condo while they were on holiday) and gave it to me the day before they left. When I went through it at our apartment I cried when I saw that she saved a loaf of bread with only two slices. It made me cry because I would have totally thrown it away, but it was so like my frugal mother to save it. I totally broke down. It's hard when you have visitors and then they leave. You kind of feel like you are being left behind.

Hope you are crying less and able to get back into the swing of things. I'm glad you had a fun birthday party with friends and that your parents were able to bring you so many things that you weren't able to bring or buy in St. Kitts.

I told David that Jamie cried when your parents left and then I joked with him that HE cries when my parents COME to visit! :) I just think that is so sweet of Jamie. Tell David to be that way! He does love my family, I think? :)

jill said...

my husband would totally read your husbands blog. You do a really good job keeping it real and funny. Even your depressing posts are not too depressing.

Emily said...

Tell Jamie thanks for saving dad's life.

Tell Pearl to be a child model and make you lots of money.

Kera said...

so yeah lots of crying. but at least papa is still alive.

Anonymous said...

my mom told me that your mom and dad were back home and i thought that you must be feeling sad about that. i'm sorry you feel lonely. i'd give you a big hug if i could. give james a big hug too. you guys are at a hard part. (he should start a blog, in his spare time;))

never worry about being depressing. you couldn't be if you tried. you are too inspiring to depress.

Sarah said...

I'm sorry for any and all of your sadness. But it really is the sadness that makes the good times so good. Maybe that doesn't help. What I mean to say is that it will get better.

I'm so glad mom and dad got to visit you. What a great memory for all of you. I still want to see photos.

Nancy said...

I think we need more details on the choking incident, good thing Jamie was there! And cute pics, but sorry you're so sad, glad your mom and dad got to go visit you so soon!

Vagabond Mother said...

Yeah, isn't there a quote about death or something to not mourn because someone died but to celebrate because they lived??? Celebrate the visit! I need photos! You nut!!

Jacob said...

yay for their visit. and yayhoooo for that picture. and for how hot you look!

amyegodfrey said...

Mercy. It's all coming back now. The emotion of getting off the plane and being hit with the wall of humidity, and seeing Pearl sitting on Jamie's shoulders in the airport window. Then grabbing and hugging you all out in front by your little white Sunny. We couldn't even get one of the totes in the trunk, so we had to make a couple of trips to your house, which is about a 1/2 mile away, as the crow (or white egret) flies. The celebration in the "circus" was fabulous! They were promoting "Prevent Glaucoma Week", of all things. Anything for a party.

Brooke said...

I ALWAYS cry when my Mom leaves which makes my daughter cry even more hysterically. It's such a heart break! But it's all good, like you said, in memories. My Mom also usually brings an extra suitcase of "prizes" and "necessities" for us. I think last time was the best... she packed 8-10 containers of this DARK hot chocolate because she knows I love it and can't find it anywhere around here!

Unknown said...

you don’t look preg ... your a little string-bean!

first of all... i am laughing about the "heimlich maneuver" ... i hate laughing when your not "suppose to".

secondly...
happy birthday!!
sorry your kids were so bad but at least now i know i'm not alone when my child is SO SO SO horrible and i cry all the way home. {it happens all too often now a days!}

Bethany said...

Gotta big smile on my face right now. You brighten my day:)

Allred Fam said...

look at all the people that like/love you! I've never had 16 comments on my blog before.

I gotta hear this choking story! How scary and crazy, and you know you don't want to have something like that happen here.... in case you were relying on the medical care.... just sayin'

Bridget said...

your daughter's curls are the best. and i totally feel your pain. it gets easier after time goes, but i am always a mess when my mom leaves.