Mulberry Street

We stopped at this great little store in Monterey, VA and bought a delicious apple pie. Monterey is a quaint town where the locals speak with a southern accent and call you "honey." The kind of place you think of when someone refers to "small-town America." Photo by: Alisha Photo date: October 10, 2008

I put Genevieve is a corduroy dress this morning and she can't get over the texture of it. It is quite comical to watch her rub the dress then look for the dots on her tights.

Today was a REALLY tough day for me and since they say blogging is therapeutic, here goes... Genevieve was finally asleep but my nerves were fried. I don't know what time I actually lost it, it wasn't until I called Eric that I broke down in tears. You know when you feel like crying but hold it back all day until your friend calls and asks "Whats up?" and all of a sudden your floodgates open? I guess it is easier to be tough when no one can hear your voice waiver. Eric left his desk as soon as we hung up. I am glad he recognized the irrational side of me during our brief conversation. He rushed home, took the monitor, and ordered me off Genevieve duty. Eric took care of her the rest of the day while I slept, cried, slept, watched "Planet Earth", cried some more. Perhaps I have been in a funk for awhile and hitting bottom unfortunately coincided with the appearance of Genevieve's third molar. I realize there will continue to be tough days, in fact I shoul...

I may have mentioned it before, but Genevieve loves to be outside. I mean LOVES it. When someone walks out the door and doesn't take her with them, she is highly offended. Many moms told me about how their toddlers would bring shoes to them and beg to go outside. I am happy to report that Genevieve has joined those ranks. Although she manages to find my keys, as well. The problem is she usually ends up pushing the panic button for the car (who decided that button needed to be red, anyway). I figure if my neighbors can throw ragin' beer bashes then my toddler can set off the panic button (I just have to let her do it at 3:00am). The result is - we're outside most of the day. We come inside to eat and nap before heading out again. We're very lucky to have a park so close and lots of friends to accompany us. I don't know what we'll do when it gets too cold to be outside so often. I guess I can invest in an eskimo suit for each of us... Below are some ran...

I’ve complained a lot about Genevieve’s potent mood swings lately. Lest you or I forget how cute she is, I have posted some of her most kissable faces. I love you Genevieve. I know it is the painful teeth talking.

Genevieve appears to like dolls. I refused to get one. My thought was, she would resist that aspect of gender socialization. However, every time we went to a friends' she went straight for the dolls and related paraphernalia. Then people started giving me a hard time...and I would explain she had a teddy bear and a mini-baby doll. Well, I gave in and got her a baby doll. Then she saw this stroller at the thrift store and had to have that too. It is hard to put a price on the happiness of a little girl. So I gave in again. But, I haven't given up. I also got her a monster truck and blocks to go along with her train set. If she self-selects her toys I'm okay with that...as long as she has a choice. On a different subject Genevieve now has ten teeth. Tonight I felt the culprit of her recent pain. A second molar on the right (one on top and one beneath, both on the rightside) will join her front eight teeth (four on top and four on bottom). So, maybe it isn't the terrible...

When Genevieve, my mom, and I went to the zoo back in June I planned to return often. So we went last week. (I know it is like four months later but it is a little bit of a production to spend the day there.) Anywhoo. Part of my reason for putting off a return trip to the zoo was the hot weather. Neither the animals nor Genevieve like to be out in the heat. So when we arrived at the zoo on an October day we were surprised that it was 80 degrees. You just can’t win sometimes. We were lucky enough to be joined by Brighten and Ie Li. We spent more time chasing the kids than looking at animals (hence the lack in photo's this time around). But, it was fun to get out and do something fun. A young sloth bear. We saw three orangutans on the “O” line. A zookeeper warned us to stand clear of the “drop zone” which we all appreciated. If you look closely you can see the orangutan’s foot in a ‘C’ shape as it gets ready to grasp the rope. I appreciate having some prehensile ab...

I spent an afternoon putting together a video montage with footage and photos my teammates and I took during the race. Here is the final product of my limited editing skills. I presented the video to my teammates at a post-race dinner/celebration tonight. It was good to hear that I wasn't the only one still "on a break" from running. I also enjoyed chatting with everyone and sharing memories from race weekend. The video turned out better than I expected. Watching the final product re-ignited the spark in me to get running this week. I will also set a goal to sign up for a race or two, before Christmas. I need a race to train for because I obviously have lost some motivation since the relay.

Genevieve is asleep and Eric is off camping with the boy scouts. What shall I do with all this quiet time? Go to bed? I should so I get in some sleep before the monster wakes up at 1:00am. Catch up on blogging? Nah, I have way too many photos to ever "catch up." Do any one of the items on my long To Do list? Nope. I think I will leave the dishes and peruse my video collection. I'm in a cheesy, light and airy sort of mood so I'll spring for either a chick flick or a musical. Well, it is now 11:42pm and I didn't watch a movie as I hoped. It is still quiet, but the peace is certainly gone. Instead of a fun, light-hearted movie, I watched a documentary on PBS/WETA titled " Torturing Democracy ." The documentary tells the story of torture and detainees from the War on Terror and unless you can stomach the facts, I wouldn't recommend it. I heard the news about torture techniques associated with the war on terror, scandals in Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay, ...

To Whom It May Concern, I want my child back, please. Specifically, I want the child who sleeps through the night and has a fun-loving personality. I really miss her, Bisous even misses her. If you could return "Sweet" Genevieve I promise to trade you for this version. I fear for her safety due to my lack of sleep and resulting insanity. Kind Regards, Alisha

For those of you who have already read the train posts below, please note that Eric is the author. I hate to disappoint, but I can't take credit for Eric's writing abilities. I requested he do the write up on the outing while I selected and posted the pictures. I appreciate all the compliments and I'll be sure to pass them along to Eric. I will then go to work on my own writing skills. Alisha

By 1911, West Virginia had around 3,000 miles of logging rails. Today, only the 11 miles at Cass remain. The state also owns a half dozen of the original steam engines, many of which are 100 years old, and which remarkably still pull hundreds of passengers up the mountain every day. We arrived at the station just as the train came down the valley. At 100 meters from the station, the train released a resonating hoot that instantly changed Genevieve’s and Emerson’s outlook for the day. (And required a diaper change as well.) We boarded the last car of the train, which given the amount of smoke, soot, and noise produced by the engines, was the most intelligent decision we made all day. There was something very romantic about the lumbering, lurching steam engine meandering its way up the side of the mountain. A steady plume of black smoke, outlined by a larger white cloud of steam, poured from the engine. Three large pistons, each the size of a person, churned on each side of the trai...