The mature man would obviously be my brother David…..the other two guys — not so much. And I have to say that Seth makes me laugh so hard….especially when he “deserves” Micah’s camera!
Via micah –
“hi babe,
today is our last day in panama. that means i´ll be home tonight. we should be home around 11:00pm if everything runs smoothly. ç
yesterday was pretty cool. we went on a canopy tour of the rainforest. the resort has an aerial tram ride that they´ve carved out on top of a hill. the guide told us about all of the wildlife and we saw a huge iguana and a cayman in a small pond. that was the extent of the big animals. everything else was ants and trees and termites. seth and i ate some termites for lunch.
at the top of the hill was a huge ten-story observation tower that we went to the top of and we could see all around the rainforest. the view was amazing of the chagres river flowing into the panama canal. the crazy thing is you have to be that high just to get out of the top of the trees. it´s an incredibly dense forest.
there was a nature preserve that was part of our tour. it was kind of like a mini zoo. we walked through a butterfly sanctuary and there were hundreds of butterflys all over the place. there was a snake place just like the one at the zoo where you can look at them through the glass. there was also a river wildlife exhibit and one of the animal pads had a big crocodile sitting in it. we all thought it was fake; it really looked fake and didn´t move at all. we had actually left the building when david came out and told us that it was real so we had to go back in to confirm. if you looked really closely in its mouth, you could see him breathing. freaky. seth even through a rock at it but the thing didn´t even budge. maybe he was a heavy sleeper.
we had lunch by the river and we could see tons of fish and turtles. somebody saw a crocodile, but by the time i ran over to look it was gone. supposedly there are a couple of crocodiles that hang out under that restaurant–which sits over the water.
afterwards we came home and jumped in the pool for a bit. then seth and i went kayaking on the chagres. we had asked the people at the front desk if we could swim across and they told us about the crocodilles, but our kayak guide thought it would be ok if we jumped in and swam around in the middle of the river. so we kayaked over to the point where the river flows into the canal and jumped in and swam under the barrier into the canal. not too many people can say they´ve ever swam in the panama canal.
we tipped each other over a couple of times and then the guide found a sloth in the trees so we went to check it out. then we headed back to the docks. right in front of the docks we tipped each other over again and the guide was already out of the water at this point. so i tossed seth and cruised over to the dock and the guide told me that he didn´t think we should be swimming right there. that´s where the crocodiles live because the fishermen come back from their trips and toss all of the extra fish to the crocs. so i kind of got this sick feeling in my stomach and seth was still out in the kelp trying to get on his kayak.
once we were all on shore, we asked the guide how big the crocodiles were (the one we saw in the rainforest was about 4 feet long).
and he said, “how long is a meter? about 3 feet, right?”
we nodded ”yes”
then he responded, “well, then, it´s probably 15 or 16 feet long”
my stomach got huge knots in it.
later in the evening, we went on a bike ride around the resort and back down to the docks to look for the crocodile. but no luck.
the worst part it that i don´t have any of this on my camera because seth´s camera was broken and he thought he deserved to use my camera. so he took my sim card out and put his in and carried around the camera all day. he never even asked to do it, but hinted the night before that he thought of a great idea “that he could just put his card in my camera” and solve his problem with his broken camera.
anyhow, my time is out and i´ll be home tonight. i love you.”
It has been a week since Micah has been gone, and there have been some perks and bummers about him not being here The perks include — not having to have a meal on the table right when he gets home from work. Not having a huge load of laundry to do. Not having to make the bed every morning — especially because I am on the couch to have a better comfort level in the final stages of pregnancy. I get a ton more one on one time with my little buddy. And finally not having to watch any football on television!
The drawbacks have been as numerous. I obviously don’t have him to take Scout on walks / play ball / swing in the blanket / etc….. I don’t get as much adult conversation in the late night. I can’t send notes to him via Scout, that are too cute to pass up, and allow me to shirk some of my duties. There hasn’t been a constant flow of adoration and genuine compliments (oh yeah….that is in my dreams!). I don’t get to my feet rubbed every morning before he leaves to work — and NO that isn’t in my dreams — eat your heart out ladies! There are a ton of others, but one of the biggest is that I don’t have my Jeopardy/Wheel of Fortune challenge every night.
Micah is the curent world record holder, but when the subjects in one game are “Sports Venues”, “UCLA Alumni”, “Triathlons”, and “Hot Red Heads”….I guess you can call yourself the winner, but I wouldn’t wear it with as much pride as he does! Babe — when you return…..it is on! No more of this “I want my husband to feel really smart and good about himself, so I am letting him squeak out the win” stuff anymore!
Can’t wait for your safe return. And it sounds like you are having a total blast. This part of your Email made me jealous I wasn’t with you……
“yesterday we were on contadora island the whole day. we swam across the channel to the other island and it was the highlight of the trip. it´ll make for a great story and it will be totally different from each of us. basically, it was awesome like anything else where you almost die but don´t. we checked out the tide chart and talked with the locals about the currents and everything else. we were supposed to take a boat out fishing in the morning and get dropped off at the island around 8:30. we had to be finishing our swim back to contadora by 9:30 or the tide would start coming in and wipe us out to sea. unfortunately, we didn´t get into the water until 9:45 and we were swimming from contadora to the little island-against the current. we asked our boat guy, pedro, to pick us up at 11am, but nobody was there until some other people came out to snorkel at noon. so we got a ride back with them. luckily,because i never saw another boat go out there the rest of the day.
the little island was where they did tribal councils for survivor so it was cool.
we found a great restaurant that a little german lady ran on the island and they had the best food so we ate there the last two nights. the rest of the food has been mediocre.
this morning we caught our flight back to the mainland and took a cab to our hotel in the gamboa rainforest. it´s a 5star resort so it´s really nice (but not really 5-star nice). you wouldn´t believe our view of the chagres river. we just came in and had pina coladas while we were waiting for our room. then we went in our room and sat out on the hammock on the balcony during a huge rain storm. it poured for about 20 minutes, then stopped completely.
we have a quick tour of the resort tonight and a jungle cruise to monkey island tomorrow. we might end up doing another tour later in the day tomorrow, either a canopy tour or a night safari. but we also might just hang out by the pool all day, then we come home the next day.”
XOXO — Jealous — Miss You
If ever there is a few minutes of silence, and I don’t know where Scout is……I can usually bet with high odds that he is sitting at my computer and messing everything up. I found him like this about four times yesterday, and he gets so proud of himself when I bust him. But this morning when I found him, he had a pen and had drawn all over a business card and himself…….I better stop the madness now!
Twice a year, ever since I can remember, something happens to me that comes out of nowhere. There is no planning, and there have been times when I wonder when it will happen, but it always does happen. When fall arrives and it gets chilly outside is one of the times. The other is when spring arrives, the sun is out, the weather is beautiful and looks like it will stay for a while. One day during each of these periods, I get a natural adrenaline rush for an entire day and am much happier than normal. I literally have the rush all day long, and feel like I can conquer anything I put my mind to. The fall date usually lands around Halloween time, and gets me so excited for the upcoming holidays. The other is right before the start of summer usually, so don’t ask me why I had that feeling all day long today. I can’t believe that the weather was so nice today — the middle of January — that I got my “feeling”. I am interested to see if I get it again later in the year, or if my body only gives me the usual two days a year. Time will tell, but for now…..I will enjoy the weather.
This morning as I was getting ready, I used my usual tactics to keep Scout entertained. Amongst the many are….keep him in the bath with his bath toys, have him get all of his lotion and gel and clothes ready for me to put on him, send him on errands to clean different things up, and give him a toothbrush for him to brush away. The last tactic is not my very favorite because he asks me to add additional toothpaste and get the brush wet about every minute.
I sent him on the errand of putting his clothes away in the hamper, and it was quite a while before he was back. When he returned, he kept running from the bathroom to the study and cracking up as much as I have ever heard him laugh. I was just thrilled he was entertaining himself. After about 5 minutes of the running and finishing blow drying my hair, I finally was interested in what was thrilling him. I then realized he had a toothbrush and toothpaste in hand, and rather than bother me, he figured out that if he dipped his brush in the toilet water, he wouldn’t have to ask me for help and wait the 30 seconds until I got around to it. By this time, he had the front of his shirt fairly wet, and water just dripping from his mouth. Nasty!
I guess the good news is that it wasn’t my toothbrush. The really good news is that it will dry before Micah gets home….so he won’t suspect a thing!
What does a wife who is about two weeks away from giving birth, dealing with a lack of sleep due to my 1 1/2 year old having night terrors, and trying to get everything organized for the next stage of life, say to her husband? It goes a little something like this…..,”Sure babe……head off to Panama for eight days for a fun filled trip of relaxing and sightseeing.”
Micah and Seth are both expecting new babies around January 24th, and concocted this idea about Thanksgiving time. Both were going to be able to take time off this month, and both got the OK from their wives…..so I just got back from LAX to drop him off. My other brother David also had the good fortune of having some time off this month, and he is heading out there too. Micah is so excited, and has the whole trip planned out down to the details. His highlight is staying on some island that the show Survivor was filmed on for three nights. The entire island is only 7 miles around, and he plans to jog it every day. But his ultimate excitement comes from packing one of his favorite items…..you know….the pink Speedo he got as a joke a few years back. Seth and David will be humiliated!
I figure that times don’t come very often to just take off and have fun. I am glad all of the plans worked out……but don’t think there isn’t something in it for me. With a new baby around the corner, I figure I will have her when he is gone, or right as he comes back. If he is gone, there is NO QUESTION that I will be naming the baby. If it is right when he comes back, there is still no question…..BUT I might have to guilt him into it a bit more! Time will tell…..
I have taken Scout to a ton of different attractions — all of which were a little ho hummy. For the first time, as Micah and I took him to the San Diego Zoo, he was thrilled by everything. He refused to be in his stroller because he wanted to run from animal to animal. He loved the sky mover, and thought that the Hippos and the Fish were the best. How fun for me that he is starting to really love things. I especially loved when he saw some odd animal from Asia that kind of looked like a horse and a cow mixed together, and he said “Moooooo”, and then decided to neigh instead. Pretty cute. But most of all, I thinked he liked to be with his mom and his dad. On our way home, I asked him a ton of questions, and all of his answers were, “No!” But when I asked him if he had fun with mommy and daddy, he said, “Yesth!”
Watch less and read more
I got a bunch of great books for Christmas, and have been reading one over the past few days. I don’t know how I always forget that I love to read. On top of loving it, I think it makes you smarter which is always good. I am usually not very good at the whole goal thing, because as soon as I tell myself I have to do something, I then tell myself, “yeah right….No one can tell you what to do. You do what you want!” Talk about self sabotage! So reading more is not my New Year’s Resolution…..it is more like a new way of life.
2008 was HECTIC to say the least. Beyond moving out of my family’s rather large house in only two weeks, helping buy a new house, remodeling that house for 9 months, playing nurse to my mom who was sick (now better…thank goodness!), watching Scout teeth for what seemed like six months straight, getting pregnant on the sly (it really wasn’t, but I now play into Micah’s story), feeling sick/exhausted because of the new baby coming, tripping and injuring both ankles, etc….., I welcome 2009. I am not complaining about last year, but I look forward to having a darling little boy who doesn’t know the word no, and a cute and sweet little girl who never has anything to complain about such as a dirty diaper, a hungry stomach or a new tooth. Regardless of what this year brings, I am a very lucky girl who has been blessed tremendously.
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