Thursday, November 11, 2010

and i cried wee, wee, wee ... all the way home

The thing about moving in to a new environment, is that eventually ... gradually ... and perhaps without warning, you will start to feel homesick for the place from which you came. It's like a tickle at first. But with time, it will become a more noticeable ache of longing.

It's happened to me when I'm standing in our new house, trying to cook on our 50-year old electric stove, and thoroughly missing our modern stainless steel gas cook top that we left in California. It's happened when I walk around our leave-strewn yard, and remember our meticulously manicured lawn of California. Much like California, we currently live on a street where people take great pride in the condition of their yards. And we will, too.

Eventually.

It's just that right now, our attention has largely been focused on other matters which is why we haven't cut our grass in the two months that we've lived here. Of course, to cut the grass, we need to buy a lawnmower since the one that we owned, we gave to our gardener.

It happened to me one day last week when I picked up some beautiful avocados in the grocery store and then, turned to find some cilantro so I could make guacamole. I searched high and low before stumbling upon a small overpriced pack, that contained two measly sprigs.

Right there, in the grocery store, I audibly gasped when it hit me.

I'M NOT IN CALIFORNIA ANYMORE.

I'm not in the land of year-round awesome produce.

I'm not going to be able to buy massive bundles of cilantro, any old time I want, for $0.50. For that matter, I'm not going to be able to GROW massive bundles of cilantro, in that small sunny spot beneath our bedroom window, any time of the year.

How am I going to make salsa?

GASP.

It happens to me when I'm driving on the narrow and winding roads to work and comparing them to the spacious freeways of California. I can already imagine that when the first snow falls, I'm going to careen straight in to a ditch.

It happened to me last month when I took Henry to a pediatrician after he crushed his finger under a jar of soup. I'm still not entirely sure how he did this, but as I walked in to our new pediatrician's office, I noticed that in contrast to our bright and modern pediatrician's office of California, this office was small, dim and dated. And the people who worked there didn't flash big smiles of life-long recognition and tell the kids, "WOW, you are growing so big!!"

It happened earlier this week when I had a dentist appointment and got terribly lost on the way there. And it happened again when I took the children to their pediatric dentist appointment and their new dentist, had Elizabeth in tears about how deformed her teeth would be if she kept sucking her thumb. And then, despite Henry's cries, he put one hand on our son's head and one under his chin and SHOVED his mouth together so he could evaluate his bite. Charlie grabbed Henry out of the chair and snapped at the dentist, "That's it, you're DONE!" while I wondered why I hadn't done the same exact thing?

Our pediatric dentist in California was the most wonderful, gentle soul.

She'd never traumatize one of her patients.

Let alone two.

It happens when I want to go to Home Depot and Target. And instead of that outing taking me five minutes from my house, it takes me 20 minutes to get from one store to the next. And then, another 20 minutes to get home. Unless I get stuck in traffic and then it will take me an hour.

Lest anyone think I'm complaining ... we really do love it here.

We really are thankful for the change and for the new experience.

We really are optimistic about all of the things that we are going to see and learn and do.

But we are extremely sensitive to how DIFFERENT things are here. And recently, we've been missing our house in California. We've been missing our doctors and our dentists and our stores and our roads. We've been missing our friends and our neighbors. We've been missing the familiarity of knowing how to get from one place to the next and the shortest distance from A to B. We've been missing that life when our children were not in school and we could take them anywhere and everywhere, whenever.

Yesterday, my homesickness for California came to a head.

Yesterday, after having been up several hours the night before with a sick child, I decided to drive the kids to school since there was no way they'd make the school bus. My plan was to drop them off on the way to work. More specifically, my plan was to drop them off in the "Kiss & Ride" area, which is essentially an area where you pull through, the kids jump out, and you drive off.

But I was driving Charlie's truck. And the door to the backseat, where the children were sitting, is a "suicide door" which cannot be opened unless the passenger door is opened first. So I jumped out of the car and ran around to the side to help let them out. And that's when a woman who was working the "Kiss & Ride" lane came RUNNING at me and yelling, "GET BACK IN THE CAR! GET BACK IN THE CAR! YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO GET OUT OF THE CAR!" and I nodded and said, "OK, I'll get back in the car, I just want to help my kindergartners out because they aren't able to open the door." And she said, "I'll do it! You, get back in the car! HURRY!"

Okay. Now wait a minute.

There were about five cars in front of me, that were still unloading passengers. Those cars hadn't moved. There were about 10 cars behind me, waiting to pull through the Kiss & Ride. While I understand that people aren't supposed to get of their cars, I honestly didn't know that anyone would be there to help my children get out and if I didn't help them, they'd be crawling out the window. And the fact that I did get out, shouldn't have caused such an uproar since there were several cars in front of me that were stopped.

Regardless, as my children were shuffled in to school, I did my best to show that I was expeditiously moving back to the driver's seat, and hey just because I have California plates on my vehicle, I'm keen on what's happening!

Rush! Rush! Rush! I Get It!

So I jogged to the curb, stepped off the curb, took a few steps to the car and the next thing I know, I'm laying FACE DOWN in the broken asphalt. BOOM. Like a ton of bricks I went down.

There was no warning. There was no stumble, no trip, no "Whoa ... I'm going down, brace myself!" One second I'm on my feet, a split second later, I'm on the ground.

This isn't the first time I've fallen in my life. I remember falling plenty of times when I was a kid. But it hurts a lot more when you're older and there's another 100 pounds of mass propelling towards the ground.

Since I was on my way to work, I was very nicely dressed. I had on my favorite Talbots pants, with hose, my shiny Dansko shoes, a silk blouse and my black wool peacoat. In retrospect, I think my foot rolled when I stepped in to a pothole. And instead of jumping up and dusting myself off, I laid there as the pain ricocheted through my entire body.

The Kiss & Ride lady looks over the hood of the car and continues yelling at me, "GET IN YOUR CAR! GET IN YOUR CAR!" And forgive me, Father in Heaven, if my body hadn't been in such an excruciating state, I would have put out her lights. What did she think? That I was laying in the chunked up asphalt taking a nap?! I agonizingly dragged myself in to the driver seat, accelerated out of the Kiss & Ride lane and directly in to a parking space.

That's where I conducted the first assessment of my injuries.

I looked down and could see that my favorite pants were torn all the way through the fabric, through my hose, to my skin which is bleeding. The extremely sensitive palms and the tops of my hands are ripped and gushing blood. My ankle, which I have sprained at least three other times, is throbbing. From the depths of my soul, I start to cry and I can. not. stop.

The pain is unbelievable. Worse perhaps than ... well, any pain that I can remember feeling in my adult life. I reach for my cell phone and call Charlie. After I cry about what has happened and the STUPID POTHOLES, there were no STUPID POT HOLES in SAN DIEGO, my husband tells me that maybe the reason I'm so upset is that this has been a very tough year and everything is coming to the surface?

"NO! That's not it!" I sob, "It's because I've got GRAVEL embedded in my knees, knuckles and chin!" And, well, OK. If I'm being perfectly honest, maybe there has been some stuff simmering under the surface.

Instead of driving to work, I drive home. And that's where I conducted the second assessment of my injuries. Charlie gently helped me to change in to different clothes. We look at my right ankle which had ballooned up to twice the size of my left ankle, was already deeply bruised and painful to the touch. I spent the rest of the day (and night) (and most of today) with my foot iced and palms wrapped in gauze.

Today, I was at the doctor's office where I was diagnosed with a severe sprain AND pink eye. I was issued a tetanus shot for the open wounds on my hands and administered an antibiotic drop for my eyes. I was told to stay off my feet for the next five to seven days and use crutches when walking. I look and feel like a cripple. Which I suppose is only appropriate since 2010 has successfully kicked my posterior from one side of the country to the other.

The good news is, just today, Charlie unpacked the box that held our boo-boo bunny.

DSC_0010

Already, I'm feeling better. Although, I could use about 25 more.

48 comments:

  1. Hateful lady.

    I'm so sorry!

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  2. Hateful lady!

    I'm SO sorry!

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  3. Oh sweetie... I miss you... but... you guys have WOODS in your back yard! Real, live trees and leaves changing colors, other than Southern California dead-brown. I'm calling you tomorrow!!!

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  4. I'm so sorry it has been such a tough year for you. We are experiencing similar trauma from our move from Seattle to Dallas. It's a culture shock. Some people seem very friendly, while drivers and some in the customer service industry seem to think that manners and being nice to your fellow man went out of style some time ago.

    Hang in there. We feel your pain.

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  5. Ohhhhhhh! That makes me so angry! Insensitive, bossy, obnoxious woman. Why are some people so unable to adjust to the realities of a situation? Yelling at you while you are bleeding on the ground. The is just No excuse for that, I wish you had lain there just a little longer so that she had to come over to see the situation but she probably would have just pushed you into your car ! I hope you are feeling better, you did Not deserve that. Sending you some California sunshine.

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  6. Oh Jen!!! That lady was awful! What a terrible morning. Yes, you're right - that day was the straw that sprained your ankle.

    (((((HUGS))))

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  7. Oh my gosh. Well bless your heart! That fall sounds very painful and that school sounds exceedingly uptight. :-(

    I have to admit, I was getting very grumbly reading the first part of your post. Sometimes when you talk about the East Coast, you make it sound like a giant hellhole. I get defensive. But, I understand that the pace of life is very different and it is a big change for you. And no doubt, some people are very self absorbed and very brusque (and a good many aren't!)

    I hope you are looking for another pediatric dentist. Ours is fantastic and I'm sure there must be better ones in your area.

    Again, I'm so sorry for all your injuries. I hope you are able to take a tiny bit of time to rest and spend time with your kidlets.

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  8. Fie on the crazy Kiss and Ride Nazi. Yay for boo-boo bunnies. I hope you are feeling better soon.

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  9. Well since you have to stay off your feet, it is the perfect opportunity to make some phone calls.

    Start with the school and tell them how rude the lady was in the drop off lane. Really. It was one thing for her to panic about you to keep moving (which is actually quite odd) but to scream at you after you had fallen? Not acceptable.

    You can also start calling around for new dentist and pediatrician. Our family dentist has always been much more gentle and loving toward our children than the pediatric dentist we had to take them to for special treatment. Don't udnerestimate their capacity to work with children just because they didn't "specialize" in kids.

    The same for our family doctor. Our son went to a pediatrician ONE time and it was because we were in a new town. It was a horrible experience because we were used to a very loving and involved family doctor that treated our children with amazing kindness. Thank goodness we moved back to the area and our kids have grown up with the same doctor who literally held them in his arms moments after they were born.

    I certainly understand why you are overwhelmed. Perhaps now is a good time to be proactive and start changing what you know you can change. It will help you feel like you are in charge of things again.

    I hope you feel better soon and get both physical and emotional rest.

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  10. Wow! I can't imagine how it feels to move that far from home. I remember when we moved to this house..one town over..and how I felt. One day as I was unpacking, I remember just sitting down on the couch and crying that I just wanted to go home. I didn't think that this house or area would ever feel like home. Also, our other house was newer and better built with a perfect yard. Like you, those things would come to me often too.

    You are right that it hurts worse to fall as an adult. The last time I fell I could not believe how hard I fell. Kids fall down and pop right back up as if nothing ever happened. Not so for us for sure. I hope you are healed SOON!!!!

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  11. Jen. I feel your pain. I moved to the Northeast from Texas over four years ago and I am just in the last year finally feeling comfortable. Like I belong here. I too suffered through inept doctors...awful dentists, pediatrician offices that were last updated in 1978. The truth was I just had to keep looking and keep talking to people. Eventually I found wonderful doctors but it took time and good recommendations. If I were you, I would call someone on the PTA at the kids school and ask them to tell you who the best doctors are. And I would seriously post a complaint about that person who was screaming at you while you were injured. NOT COOL. So you didn't understand the rules...big deal. People can still find their manners and treat people with respect. That is just awful and I would have bawled all the way home too. When I was feeling out of place, I remember that those types of slights just hit me at my core. Texas people wouldn't act like this! I still think Texas might be home to the nicest people in the world, but I must admit I have met some of the most incredible, wonderful people here too. I know you know this will happen for you too. That first year is a doozy. I recommend a nice bottle of Three Saints Cabernet...or two! Hope you are feeling better soon.

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  12. ohmygoodness, I was cringing reading about your fall. I feel for you in being homesick. When we lived in other states I did not have kids but I remember that it took me more than one dentist and more than one doctor to find one I liked. You don't HAVE to stay at that doctors office. I am sure there are good friendly ones nearby, you just haven't found one yet. Ouch, I hope you are doing better today!

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  13. I TOTALLY understand. When we moved, it hit me one day after church. I missed everything about our old community, but especially our church. I bawled my eyes out after another somewhat disappointing service. And, like you, I was really happy to have moved.

    I hope you get better quickly...and I don't just mean your boo boos. You will always miss California, but it will be easier as time goes on.

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  14. Just one thought... when you meet those people in your neighborhood or in your office who are going to be your friends, real friends, not "pass 'em in the street and wave" friends, ask THEM for recommendations for dentists or doctors. And be ready to try more than one - once you find one you like, ask THEM to recommend others. I have been lucky enough to have some awesome doctors - and somehow, in some way, they're all intertwined with each other... my dentist recommended my oral surgeon, my doctor recommended my gynocologist, my accupuncturist (who I found all on my own!) recommended my orthopedist...
    (Wow, it sounds like I'm falling apart at the seams!)
    But I hope you're feeling better now and that dentist you went to? Complain about him, long and loud, and make sure you DON'T recommend him to the new family on the block when that's no longer you!

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  15. I'm sorry about your bad day? week? Month?

    The lady didn't even come over to see if you where ok? Did anyone come over to see if you were ok? Here in Oklahoma you would probably have had a swarm of people around you to help in just a few seconds. Even if you didn't want them to. We tend to get all up in everyone's business here.

    And she yelled for you to GET IN THE CAR! All while you are lying injured on the pavement? That would hurt my feelings, but maybe I'm too sensitive.

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  16. Bless your heart.

    I remember these very same feelings when I moved to the East Coast three years ago. The homesickness slowly fades, but your memories won't ever go away. It also makes going back for a visit that much more wonderful.

    And shame on that school lady for yelling at you. If I had been there, I would have given her a punch in the nose on your behalf.

    Feel better soon!

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  17. Oh you poor dear! :( When you are a kid, and you have to use crutches, it's usually for something "cool" like a sporting accident...but for some reason, as an adult, it's never that glamorous. I am so sorry you are hurting :( Heal quickly!

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  18. Ya know, I've been praying for you. My husband wants to move from Alaska to Hawaii. Which seems PERFECT when considering its minus 12 below zero today in Kotzebue, and going to be 87 degrees here on Maui. But, Kotzebue, for all its expensive, non-producey, nothing-to-do, still is my home. I left when I was 18, and came back. I left for college when I was 25, and came back. And I went back by choice, because I really, really love it there. I love my camp, and how remote it is, and how if you have nothing to do and no cable, you spend A LOT OF TIME with your family. The commute EVERYWHERE from the tip of town to the end is only 5 minutes. And you can walk everywhere. And the outdoor activities. Sigh... I wonder what's going to happen next...

    (We'd be living on Molokai where he'd be flying medevac flights to Oahu or the Big Island. And I'd be working, I don't know where...)

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  19. Oh dear. This would (and has) totally happen(ed) to me. I'm so sorry you are missing home. Is it too early there for a drink? Perhaps some festive Egg Nog and a roaring fire in the fireplace?

    Okay now for the practical advice:

    Call a gardener for the yard, just this once - just mowing, edging and some light clipping of bushes, etc. If memory serves (spent 6 years in Boston), you won't have to worry about the state of the yard again until March.

    Make sure you have a heavy duty ice scraper, a bag of cat litter and a compact snow shovel in each of your cars. This will aid you when you get caught in a snow drift (and it will happen sooner or later).

    Buy a reliable snow blower BEFORE the first snow fall (when the prices shoot up and availability is scarce) and buy lots of bags of salt and keep them in the garage.

    Talk to your neighbors about who they use to come clear their driveways each time it snows. This cost is so completely worth it. This person will drive to your house after a snowfall and clear out your driveway so you don't spend 2+ hours doing it in the mornings before work.

    If there's a Trader Joes out there, they sell cilantro in the freezer section. Little tiny cubes of it. Not the same as fresh but it works nicely in salsa.

    Hang in there, dearest. For the first year? You are doing surprisingly well!

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  20. Oh! And keep looking for pediatricians and pediatric dentists. There are so many of them out there, you don't have to put up with anyone crappy. And good for Charlie telling the guy off! Sheesh.

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  21. Oh you poor thing! Adding insult to injury like that. Gah.

    Nothing a boo boo bunny can't he;p though :)

    Feel better soon!

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  22. So sorry you fell (it is all the Kiss & Ride Nazi's fault!) and so sorry you're feeling so homesick. Are you a member of any local online Mommy groups (you know, in your spare time;))? If not, check out http://www.themommiesnetwork.org/index.shtml
    I'm pretty sure they have an online group in your area and you can get great information from other local Mommies about wonderful dentists and doctors for your kids.
    Hang in there...everything is going to be all right! ((hugs))

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  23. Oh I'm sorry Jen but your tale did make me laugh!!

    Seriously though - I hope you're on the mend really soon. You have been through so much this year. But equally you have soooo much to both look forward to and be thankful for.

    .......... Just loved the part where you were lying in the road and the lady is still shouting at you to get in the car and you wanted to know if she though you were having a nap! Priceless.

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  24. Aw Jen I'm so sorry. :( Hang in there buddy. It took me two solid years for the sensitive-ness of home sickness to calm down the past two times I've moved. It does calm, even when you move to environments that can be *ehem* more hostile (for example, I just moved right North of NYC...the first time someone chased me down the highway while driving I was ready to pack up and move right back to where I belonged). I have learned not to frequent certain grocery stores where the checkers are particularly nasty and I always brace myself before going to the registrars office where the bursar's secretary routinely makes students cry. But amidst this harshness there have been lights of grace and blessings that have emerged. Running clubs filled with kindness, church with gentle souls, and even the ocassional attending or resident that has a smile for a med student. I know my words don't help that much right now. It's ok to cry and rant against your new home, I like to call that processing! Hang in there. You are in my thoughts and prayers.

    P.S. That crazy Kiss and Drive lady or whatever you call it? Man she needs some therapy or something!

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  25. I'm sad that no one came over to help you after falling. I am an elementary school teacher and I understand that it is important to keep the car lane moving quickly to get the kiddos into class on time and help with traffic. However, we have to model kindness and where better to start than on the front porch.

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  26. See, the only thing that would make me feel better, in a situation like this, is to make sure that freakin' a$$ed raving lunatic knew just what I thought of her, even if it had to wait a few days. I hope you make a complaint. She was WAY out of line.

    Homesickness, well, it sucks. We moved half way across the world nearly 13 years ago and it still hits me hard sometimes. I hope you're feeling better again soon.

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  27. I have been following your blog for a few years now and so many times catch myself going "oh my ME TOO". Oddly I too just recently moved to a whole new town (4 hrs away but in Wyomings rural area it is HARD to fit back in to a small town life). I can't imagine moving across the country but I have had to move away from my fiance and twin 4 year-olds until I find a place here(4 months still looking). Hearing your ups and downs has been matching mine. ANYWAY this post cracked me up because seems we moved the same time and now broke our ankles up the same time, a week ago I was running down the large hill I'm living on and being friendly like waved happily to a neighbor mowing their lawn(which mowing in Nov. Is taboo here, yay for indian summers) at that moment I stepped on a pothole, rolled my ankle, kept my downhill momentum and rolled head over heels flat on my face and hands. Needless to say I had to slowly climb back up the hill cursing, bleeding, and limping my shamed self up the steep incline. Hang in there be happy you have your babies there with you and remember no matter how cold you are, Wyoming is much colder! :)

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  28. (((HUGS))) 2010 was rough, but ya'll survived... just think how great 2011 will be!

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  29. PS - I would so complain about that chick in the Kiss&Ride, she apparently has some kind of control issues and besides, that is just plain rude.

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  30. OMG!!! I'm so sorry! It sounds like a really serious fall! Charlie is a sweetie & of course the "bunny" helps to heal all wounds.
    Take care & hopefully you'll be well enough to head back to work by Monday.
    I have a son who's in public school K too & it's a hard transition! I'm thinking about doing a Waldorf homes chool program & you might like it ~ from reading your blog it sounds like a good fit.
    Take care & hope you have a swift recovery this weekend...chocolate & a glass of wine can only help the healing. T

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  31. Oh you have made me feel so much better! We just moved far away from 'home' last year and I feel like this most of the time. I was wondering if it were just me. I'm trying to tell myself that my memeories are a case of the grass is greener but I'm not convinced. I'm trying to remember why we thought it was such a great idea to move. I'm also looking forward to reading more of your posts as you navigate your new life and your subsequent emotions.

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  32. Jen - so sorry you got hurt!!! This is a good time to put your feet up and relax (for once) - doctors orders!

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  33. oh jen . . . if it makes you feel any better . . . we have the SAME drop off lady . . . . she has an absolute FIT if you try to get out of the car??? Must be a job requirement.

    Hope you are healing well. We MISS YOU HERE. Everyone's coming over tonight for pizza and screening of "TOY STORY III" in our backyard using our projector. Where are you guys?? Won't be the same without you.

    Jessica

    PS - 3day Walk Next weekend. They transferred my account from last year - wish me luck!

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  34. ((HUGS)) I remember moving from California to Colorado. I have never felt so lost in my life, and that was when it was just me - no family, home or children to rearrange. I this isn't news, but I'll say it again, "It WILL get better."

    I still remember the first time I flew back from a visit to California, looked around and thought, "I am so glad to be home." Until that happens to you, crack open a bottle of wine (hey, you have your foot up anyway, right?), eat some dark chocolate, and rest.

    I hope you're feeling better soon.

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  35. I'm so sorry.
    I hope you get used to the new area, surroundings, etc. Big hugs. You will be ok. You are a wonderful couple, you and Charlie and you will figure this one out. GL.

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  36. I hope you told the parking nazi to go yell and somebody else or better yet 'stick it where the sun don't shine.'

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  37. Augh! That Kiss&Ride horrible person can kiss my a$$!!!
    Homesickness sucks,and Thank God for BooBoo Bunnies :o)

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  38. It is hard to turn your life upside down. You have been through a LOT this past year... and you don't give yourself enough credit. You are doing the right thing for you, for Charlie and your 4 kids. And you need to GIVE YOURSELF A BREAK. Maybe that is what the universe is telling you by making you sit still for 5-7 days. :)

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  39. So sorry : ( Huge bummer about your Talbot pants. I love the store - wish they had better prices, and I hope they gave you some pain killers too!
    -Going to Whole Foods to buy produce helped me not feel so homesick when we moved there. You are already paying an arm and a leg for produce out there anyways...whats another 10 to 50 cents a pound? (No more Henry's with 66 cents a pound apple sale!) PLUS I noticed that my produce purchased at Whole foods actually kept the whole week in my fridge without spoiling.
    -Whenever I felt homesick, I went out of my comfort zone to try to meet a new person and make a new friend. It really paid off. I highly recommend it. There are many transplants with no family in the area. I made a really great friend at the gym...we still joke about how I "picked up on her" one day. My opening line...."Whatcha reading?" (but of course first we had passed each other in the child care area dropping off our kids for a few weeks first)

    Being homesick is really miserable. The dreams about being back "home" can be so vivid.
    Big hugs to you!

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  40. San Diego misses you, too.

    Although we do, actually, have potholes.

    Just saying.

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  41. (((HUGS)))) It will get better! I can not imagine the emotions you are going thru right now, but it will get better!(I pinky promise)

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  42. Oh, you poor thing! I live in IL and we have the same ladies "helping" the kiddos get out of the cars. I tried to turn right the other day & was forced to go straight, even though I ALWAYS turn right after deposting my daughter. Next time, I am just going to go around her! I hope you are feeling better soon!

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  43. Nasty lady, hope you gave her a word or three once you got yourself up.

    You know, Dankso's are VERY GOOD for kicking things not that I'm advocating violence mind you but I would have been tempted.

    Your property is breath taking and truly a childhood heaven!

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  44. Having read the responses, I find it amazing that EVERYONE assumes the written word is the absolute truth.
    No exaggeration out of frustration?
    No literary license?

    Just saying.

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  45. I moved here (Washington DC) from San Diego in 2008 - 5 days after getting married. Some months after, my husband and I were car shopping (his died, great timing) and he accidentally rolled my finger up in the window of the car. I not only cried, I sobbed uncontrollably and blubbered like an idiot for 20 full minutes. Everything - the wedding, the hasty move, the new job, the traffic, the upstairs washing machine overfilling, exploding and flooding the upstairs of my house, and being so far, far away from all my precious ones just came to the surface all at once. It gets better.

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  46. Anon: Actually, I'm just saying that in the case of this post, there was absolutely ZERO exaggeration out of frustration.

    Would you like to see a picture of my bloodied hands? Or, perhaps the letter that I sent to the school expressing my concern with the attitude of the staff who are "patrolling" the drop-off lanes and the terrible condition of the pavement? Perhaps I should post a receipt of my co-pay to the doctor on Thursday? I'm not sure where you think there's an exaggeration of the truth?

    Seems to me, the driveway where children are running in to and out of school shouldn't be marked with potholes that have a depth of greater than three-inches. Also, seems to me that there's something called COMMON DECENCY that is severely lacking when a person is YELLING at someone who is ON THE GROUND to get up and MOVE MOVE MOVE. Hey, I've got an awesome idea. If people aren't supposed to get out of their vehicle, you know what might really help convey that message? How about A SIGN that reads, "DON'T GET OUT OF YOUR CAR. STAFF WILL ASSIST YOUR CHILD."

    There's no literary license in that. Those are just the facts.

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  47. You just have to wait until 31 st dec. Then kiss 2010 and all it's pain goodbye. Moving countries to a different environment is really tough. But kids learn to adaptable from it. To be adventurous and more importantly to not be scared of change. There will be brilliant dentists and doctors there. You just need to find them. Don't give up. Get it all out before the end of the year and then plan to begin 2011 with a positive note.

    Trust me. For a few months I looked at photos of our old house, pets and friends we had left behind every day with tears in my eyes. Now i'm preparing to leave here and I'm going to miss those things here.

    In regards to sucking thumb. There is a very simple brace that can be inserted that stops thumb sucking in days. It also pulls the teeth back. Just had it for my 8 year old.

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  48. I just read your response your response to anon. Sounds like your school would benefit from your oh& s experience in regards to potholes in drop off zones.

    Think Charlie should join the pta also. Great way to get involved and meet people. Best thing I ever did. This coming to someone who writes to the board of directors. board of trustees and principal on average once a month. Best way to change something is to instigate it with a solution.

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