I feel like my life is on a new path. When I started this blog I was living on The Island. My plan was to make (and then sell) seashell necklaces and to train monkeys (to make and then sell necklaces). I figured I'd share a few funny stories along the way. It was also a way for family and friends to hear about life on The Island.
However, I am no longer on The Island. There are no wild monkeys to train and it's a heck of a lot harder to find seashells in the Midwest. Not to mention that the bubble Itchy and I lived in burst. Life just feels different. The stress of living oh so far away, keeping secrets, etc may be gone but new stresses have already moved in (that's life).
I'm not sure what direction the blog is going to go. Let's face it though. I'm pregnant. There will be a kid around here soon. While I'm not completely mushy (or even kind of mushy) about being pregnant, I am excited to meet Stowaway*. The blog will probably become stories about Stowaway. A baby book of sorts. We'll see if Itchy will allow pics of Stowaway to be posted. Not likely though.
So in honor of the changes that are bound to happen, here's a fun story. Itchy told his parents (well, his dad) about Stowaway. I really think Itchy was hoping for a normal excited grandparent type response. That is not what he got. Instead he was asked what he was going to do about it, how are we going to pay for it, etc. Not a single congratulations in sight. I get that it's not exactly great news to them and they are dealing with a lot right now, but be happy for your kid.
The way I see it is that they can either be happy for us and be excited or they can sit there and pout and miss out on everything. Again. They missed so much of their first grandkid's life and they seem remorseful about that. Why would they choose to do that again? I know his mom may not have much time left, so you'd think that she want to make the most of it. Be involved. Ask about appointments, due dates, etc.
They were suppose to call last night. They didn't. Which probably means that Itchy's dad told his mom and it didn't go over well. Good times. It really pisses me off that they can't just be emotionally supportive of their kid. Even if they aren't truly excited, fake it. Your kid is happy about this. Be happy that he's happy. In the end, it's amazing that they've paid for Itchy's education. It really is. Education is very important and they made it a priority. Good for them. But money and education are not everything. They don't really know any of their kids. Seriously. Itchy doesn't tell them anything. He only told them about Stowaway because he thought they might be excited and because, well, it's a huge life changing event for him/us.
*Stowaway is the nickname I've given to the baby. It's gender neutral. It allows me to call it something other than baby which is nice since we won't be sharing names until after the baby arrives. Not to mention that this kid is a stowaway by definition. It hid in my uterus and got a free ride off of The Island and into the US. Ahh, it's already smart enough to know that building a raft out of tires doesn't work!
Friday, May 29, 2009
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Stupid
Apparently Itchy and I are too stupid to hook up a wireless router. It's there. The computer sees it. We got great signal strength. But we can't connect. I don't get it. I need to call their support people and have them talk me through it. Hopefully they will understand the need to speak to me like I am five because I seriously don't know what else to do with the damn thing. At least we still have the neighbor's wireless connection. I guess it wouldn't be a huge deal to sit in the second bedroom and use the internet connection in there, but the whole point of a laptop is to be able to away from the desk.
In other stupid news I had my first prenatal appointment today. I'm not saying that prenatal care is stupid, but this appointment was a huge stupid waste of time. It was a "cluster" appointment. They gather a group of newly (and some not so newly) pregnant women and do a group appointment. I guess it saves them a crap load of money. Whatever. There were 21 of us there. I'd say that the average age was about 22. I try really hard not to judge people. But wow, they made it hard. For example, the woman sitting next to me. She has already had one child so of course she knows everything and kept disagreeing with everything the instructor said. When the instructor was telling us that if we have cats, we should have someone else take over cleaning the litterbox or at the very least take some precautions. Woman next to me disagreed: you should just get rid of the cats (that's when I knew I hated her). The instructor told us that babies born to mother's that smoked weed would have withdrawal symptoms (same goes for alcohol, cigarettes, etc) once they are born. Woman next to me said that she smoked pot throughout her entire pregnancy and her kid was fine. She did say a little later that she no longer had custody of her kid, but I'm sure that it's completely unrelated. She was a gem. One of the others told everyone that based on her last period she was due in November, but another doctor did bloodwork and said that based on that she was due much, much sooner but he wouldn't tell her when she was due. Umm, I know that they will guess how far a long you are based on the level of HCG in your blood, but what doctor will not tell you when you are due?
I will say that most of those women needed to be there. They didn't seem to know a whole lot based on the questions they asked and the trouble they had following simple instructions (filling out forms).
Two useful things happened during this appointment. They drew blood (tons of it) and they scheduled my next appointment. That was it. The rest of it was a waste of time. It was all stuff they told me over the phone when I first called to make an appointment. Take your prenatal, don't smoke, drink, etc.
In other stupid news I had my first prenatal appointment today. I'm not saying that prenatal care is stupid, but this appointment was a huge stupid waste of time. It was a "cluster" appointment. They gather a group of newly (and some not so newly) pregnant women and do a group appointment. I guess it saves them a crap load of money. Whatever. There were 21 of us there. I'd say that the average age was about 22. I try really hard not to judge people. But wow, they made it hard. For example, the woman sitting next to me. She has already had one child so of course she knows everything and kept disagreeing with everything the instructor said. When the instructor was telling us that if we have cats, we should have someone else take over cleaning the litterbox or at the very least take some precautions. Woman next to me disagreed: you should just get rid of the cats (that's when I knew I hated her). The instructor told us that babies born to mother's that smoked weed would have withdrawal symptoms (same goes for alcohol, cigarettes, etc) once they are born. Woman next to me said that she smoked pot throughout her entire pregnancy and her kid was fine. She did say a little later that she no longer had custody of her kid, but I'm sure that it's completely unrelated. She was a gem. One of the others told everyone that based on her last period she was due in November, but another doctor did bloodwork and said that based on that she was due much, much sooner but he wouldn't tell her when she was due. Umm, I know that they will guess how far a long you are based on the level of HCG in your blood, but what doctor will not tell you when you are due?
I will say that most of those women needed to be there. They didn't seem to know a whole lot based on the questions they asked and the trouble they had following simple instructions (filling out forms).
Two useful things happened during this appointment. They drew blood (tons of it) and they scheduled my next appointment. That was it. The rest of it was a waste of time. It was all stuff they told me over the phone when I first called to make an appointment. Take your prenatal, don't smoke, drink, etc.
Friday, May 22, 2009
Update
Comcast you suck! I've been waiting for you all afternoon. Specifically from noon until 4:32 pm. Thanks for letting me know 28 minutes before the window of time, in which you were suppose to be here, was over that you weren't actually coming today.
I'll be sitting here waiting for you tomorrow between 3pm and 5pm!
Bastards.
I'll be sitting here waiting for you tomorrow between 3pm and 5pm!
Bastards.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
No more borrowed internet
Tomorrow -hopefully- Comcast will be appearing at my door between noon and 5pm to hook us up with internet, cable, and a home phone line.
I've heard awful things about Comcast. Since they are the only provider in this part of town, I guess I can only hope for the best. So Comcast, if you're reading this, go ahead and prove the rumors wrong. Wow me with amazing customer service. Provide me with internet and cable that works even during the worst of thunderstorms. I dare ya!
I'm already a little wary of the noon to 5 pm time frame. Why can't they narrow it down more than that? They know approximately how long this stuff takes (they do it everyday) and they know how many stops they need to make (right? I mean I had to schedule this a week in advance), so why the guessing game? Surely you can narrow it down to sometime between 1 and 3?
Oh well. Their internet service has got to be better than the free wireless connection we're piggy backing. It goes in and out all day long. Rather annoying. It's too bad they couldn't have come today. I'd really like to watch the season finale of The Office. I guess I'll be watching it online tomorrow.
Once I have a steady and reliable internet connection I will be blogging more. Or not.
I've heard awful things about Comcast. Since they are the only provider in this part of town, I guess I can only hope for the best. So Comcast, if you're reading this, go ahead and prove the rumors wrong. Wow me with amazing customer service. Provide me with internet and cable that works even during the worst of thunderstorms. I dare ya!
I'm already a little wary of the noon to 5 pm time frame. Why can't they narrow it down more than that? They know approximately how long this stuff takes (they do it everyday) and they know how many stops they need to make (right? I mean I had to schedule this a week in advance), so why the guessing game? Surely you can narrow it down to sometime between 1 and 3?
Oh well. Their internet service has got to be better than the free wireless connection we're piggy backing. It goes in and out all day long. Rather annoying. It's too bad they couldn't have come today. I'd really like to watch the season finale of The Office. I guess I'll be watching it online tomorrow.
Once I have a steady and reliable internet connection I will be blogging more. Or not.
Monday, May 18, 2009
This is the crazy part
So I just got back to the States. I got my rental car and ran errands all day. They were boring and mostly uneventful. I did renew my drivers license though (in and out of there in under 10 minutes!!) and that was probably the most exciting thing.
My sisters were meeting me in Big City so we could hang out, shop, have fun, etc. Sunshine and her girls met up with me on Thursday. Thursday night we all went to the Science Museum, which was a blast. I love that place. Once we got back to the hotel, Itchy called me. He kept it short and sweet. His parents knew about me. They may or may not know about the baby. I was told to stay in well lit public areas and away from windows. We are dealing with crazy. Who knows what is going to happen! Itchy was driving like a maniac to get back to his house to make sure the cats were ok and hadn't been let outside (or worse) as an act of revenge by his dad. We both knew his parents weren't happy. It was just a matter of how unhappy they were and what actions they would take. Itchy told me that he would call when he knew more.
I barely sleep that night. My mind is racing. Friday morning we all get up and go to a movie (Monsters vs Aliens 3D) at the Imax theater. After that we meet up with The Warden's family for an afternoon at the zoo. I used to work there so I know some of the insider stuff. Not that we got to see or do anything cool/special because of it but I know what they feed animals/names/etc. We were a bit rushed but I think everyone had fun.
After the zoo we go back to the hotel. Itchy has been frantically trying to call me. His parents are coming back from the hospital and want the cats out of the house. Understandable given that his mom is sick, but we've got no notice. We don't have vaccine records or anything of that nature because that's just not how it's done on The Island and it's damn hard to find a place that will take 2 cats on short notice, for the weekend, with no vaccine history. I call a few people but can't get a hold of anyone. The one person that does answer will take the cats but only if no one else will (she's already got a zoo at her house). Itchy comes to pick me up and we take the cats to a boarding facility that I use to work at. I'm hoping that either it's someone I know or someone that doesn't really know the rules.
We get lucky. It's two girls that don't really know what they are doing. I explain the situation, give them our hand written vaccine history and they aren't sure if they can take it. I tell them if they want to call their boss (my former boss) I'd be happy to explain it to her. I'm sure she'd be fine with it. I kind of bullied them a little. But in the end, they took the cats. Cuddles was depressed but he was fine. Patches on the other hand flipped the fuck out. That girl clawed the hell out of my arm and tried to bite. She was a monster. The girls working there were afraid of her and rightfully so. She's a beast. I apologized profusely and told them we'd be trying to find a different place for them to stay so that they wouldn't have to deal with that.
After that, Itchy decides that I should go meet his oldest brother. Yeah. I look like crap, smell because we've been walking around the zoo all afternoon, and need to get back to my sisters and nieces but sure what the hell, let's go to meet your brother!
His brother and his wife were both very nice. They actually made be feel a lot better about Itchy's parents. They seemed pretty excited about the baby too, so that was nice. Their little boy is as cute as can be too, so it was nice to meet him (Itchy loves that kid!). I can't believe how much alike Itchy and his oldest brother are. Not just looking alike either, their behaviors are very similar.
We didn't stay there long though. I had planned to have dinner with my family. So Itchy brings me back to the hotel. He can't stay because he has to deal with his parents who have decided that they need to meet me.
I go to dinner with my family. As we are eating I am telling them about all the craziness that is going on with Itchy's family. At the very end of dinner I spring the baby news on them. He he. They totally didn't see it coming! It was hilarious. I'm so glad that my mom and dad kept the secret. After dinner, we all head to Target to pick up breakfast food and I look for a shirt to wear to meet Itchy's parents.
Saturday morning we get up, the kids swim for a little while and than we head to the mall. Once we get there Sunshine and I take the kids to the aquarium and Warden and Mr. Warden go wander the mall. I've been to the aquarium so many times I could give tours, but it's still fun. After that we all go have lunch. I still need something to wear to meet Itchy's parents though, so after lunch I depart from the group to go find something. Itchy meets me there. It takes a while but I find something. We than had to hustle to get to the boarding place to get the cats. Itchy's neighbor had offered to watch them. We go get the cats, Itchy drops me off at the hotel so I can get ready to go meet his parents, and he brings the cats to his neighbors house.
About two hours later, Itchy finally picks me up to go meet his parents. I'm a freaking wreck. I know this isn't going to be fun. They already hate me. I really don't want to go but I know we have to. No more than 5 minutes from the hotel and Itchy's care breaks down. On a major highway. Great. Car absolutely will not start. We are standing on the side of a very busy highway like a bunch of dopes. Itchy calls his dad to arrange for a tow truck. I call my sister to see if they can pick us up and bring us to the hotel. That was fun. It was really hard to give them directions because I couldn't hear them and I'm not sure they could hear me. But in the end, we got back to the hotel. Itchy's brother was going to pick us up there and bring us to their parent's house. I've met Itchy's middle brother before but it was still weird.
Once we finally get to Itchy's parent's house, hours after we were suppose to be there, we are told to wait downstairs. His mom had just finished a feeding and they were getting her comfortable. I'm freaking out and want to just run away. Seriously, just run far far away. But before I can act on that, we are told to get upstairs.
We go up there, I am introduced, there is a little small talk, and than his dad starts talking about the wedding. He explains that if we are serious that we need to be married. He can marry us that night if we both agree to it. Yeah. Not joking here folks. We had a shotgun Indian wedding. In Itchy's parent's master bedroom. Most of it was in Arabic so I had no idea what was said, but I know that I agreed to marry Itchy for $300 cash and the promise of a ring (which is in a bank somewhere). His dad was sure to explain that this was not legally binding and that we would need to go to the courthouse to get it done legally, but in their eyes and in the eyes of their god, we were married. Then Itchy's mom started to cry. A lot. Itchy's brother's wife (A) and I were told to go downstairs.
That was fine until Itchy's dad came down and blatantly ignored the fact that I was there. Itchy's brother and his wife had ordered food for our "reception" and while his dad ate, it was obvious he was ignoring me. That's fine. I tried. I talked to A. She tried to keep the conversation going so that I could be included and I was talking, but his dad wasn't going for it. He'd talk over me or change the subject so that I couldn't participate. Whatever. After what seemed like forever, Itchy came downstairs. He talked to his dad and than his dad went upstairs. Itchy ate a little and than we needed to leave. It was almost midnight. We went upstairs to say goodbye to his parents, made his mom cry some more, and than Itchy drove me back to the hotel.
It was a weird, weird night. I feel like I should be relieved that they know about me and reacted so well, but it's just weird. Knowing that someone hates you, thinks you're stupid, and that you're not good enough but then they act nice to your face is a weird feeling.
So that was that. I told you it was crazy. I left out a lot of details, or it feels like I did, but this is the gist of it. Ask questions if you want more details.
My sisters were meeting me in Big City so we could hang out, shop, have fun, etc. Sunshine and her girls met up with me on Thursday. Thursday night we all went to the Science Museum, which was a blast. I love that place. Once we got back to the hotel, Itchy called me. He kept it short and sweet. His parents knew about me. They may or may not know about the baby. I was told to stay in well lit public areas and away from windows. We are dealing with crazy. Who knows what is going to happen! Itchy was driving like a maniac to get back to his house to make sure the cats were ok and hadn't been let outside (or worse) as an act of revenge by his dad. We both knew his parents weren't happy. It was just a matter of how unhappy they were and what actions they would take. Itchy told me that he would call when he knew more.
I barely sleep that night. My mind is racing. Friday morning we all get up and go to a movie (Monsters vs Aliens 3D) at the Imax theater. After that we meet up with The Warden's family for an afternoon at the zoo. I used to work there so I know some of the insider stuff. Not that we got to see or do anything cool/special because of it but I know what they feed animals/names/etc. We were a bit rushed but I think everyone had fun.
After the zoo we go back to the hotel. Itchy has been frantically trying to call me. His parents are coming back from the hospital and want the cats out of the house. Understandable given that his mom is sick, but we've got no notice. We don't have vaccine records or anything of that nature because that's just not how it's done on The Island and it's damn hard to find a place that will take 2 cats on short notice, for the weekend, with no vaccine history. I call a few people but can't get a hold of anyone. The one person that does answer will take the cats but only if no one else will (she's already got a zoo at her house). Itchy comes to pick me up and we take the cats to a boarding facility that I use to work at. I'm hoping that either it's someone I know or someone that doesn't really know the rules.
We get lucky. It's two girls that don't really know what they are doing. I explain the situation, give them our hand written vaccine history and they aren't sure if they can take it. I tell them if they want to call their boss (my former boss) I'd be happy to explain it to her. I'm sure she'd be fine with it. I kind of bullied them a little. But in the end, they took the cats. Cuddles was depressed but he was fine. Patches on the other hand flipped the fuck out. That girl clawed the hell out of my arm and tried to bite. She was a monster. The girls working there were afraid of her and rightfully so. She's a beast. I apologized profusely and told them we'd be trying to find a different place for them to stay so that they wouldn't have to deal with that.
After that, Itchy decides that I should go meet his oldest brother. Yeah. I look like crap, smell because we've been walking around the zoo all afternoon, and need to get back to my sisters and nieces but sure what the hell, let's go to meet your brother!
His brother and his wife were both very nice. They actually made be feel a lot better about Itchy's parents. They seemed pretty excited about the baby too, so that was nice. Their little boy is as cute as can be too, so it was nice to meet him (Itchy loves that kid!). I can't believe how much alike Itchy and his oldest brother are. Not just looking alike either, their behaviors are very similar.
We didn't stay there long though. I had planned to have dinner with my family. So Itchy brings me back to the hotel. He can't stay because he has to deal with his parents who have decided that they need to meet me.
I go to dinner with my family. As we are eating I am telling them about all the craziness that is going on with Itchy's family. At the very end of dinner I spring the baby news on them. He he. They totally didn't see it coming! It was hilarious. I'm so glad that my mom and dad kept the secret. After dinner, we all head to Target to pick up breakfast food and I look for a shirt to wear to meet Itchy's parents.
Saturday morning we get up, the kids swim for a little while and than we head to the mall. Once we get there Sunshine and I take the kids to the aquarium and Warden and Mr. Warden go wander the mall. I've been to the aquarium so many times I could give tours, but it's still fun. After that we all go have lunch. I still need something to wear to meet Itchy's parents though, so after lunch I depart from the group to go find something. Itchy meets me there. It takes a while but I find something. We than had to hustle to get to the boarding place to get the cats. Itchy's neighbor had offered to watch them. We go get the cats, Itchy drops me off at the hotel so I can get ready to go meet his parents, and he brings the cats to his neighbors house.
About two hours later, Itchy finally picks me up to go meet his parents. I'm a freaking wreck. I know this isn't going to be fun. They already hate me. I really don't want to go but I know we have to. No more than 5 minutes from the hotel and Itchy's care breaks down. On a major highway. Great. Car absolutely will not start. We are standing on the side of a very busy highway like a bunch of dopes. Itchy calls his dad to arrange for a tow truck. I call my sister to see if they can pick us up and bring us to the hotel. That was fun. It was really hard to give them directions because I couldn't hear them and I'm not sure they could hear me. But in the end, we got back to the hotel. Itchy's brother was going to pick us up there and bring us to their parent's house. I've met Itchy's middle brother before but it was still weird.
Once we finally get to Itchy's parent's house, hours after we were suppose to be there, we are told to wait downstairs. His mom had just finished a feeding and they were getting her comfortable. I'm freaking out and want to just run away. Seriously, just run far far away. But before I can act on that, we are told to get upstairs.
We go up there, I am introduced, there is a little small talk, and than his dad starts talking about the wedding. He explains that if we are serious that we need to be married. He can marry us that night if we both agree to it. Yeah. Not joking here folks. We had a shotgun Indian wedding. In Itchy's parent's master bedroom. Most of it was in Arabic so I had no idea what was said, but I know that I agreed to marry Itchy for $300 cash and the promise of a ring (which is in a bank somewhere). His dad was sure to explain that this was not legally binding and that we would need to go to the courthouse to get it done legally, but in their eyes and in the eyes of their god, we were married. Then Itchy's mom started to cry. A lot. Itchy's brother's wife (A) and I were told to go downstairs.
That was fine until Itchy's dad came down and blatantly ignored the fact that I was there. Itchy's brother and his wife had ordered food for our "reception" and while his dad ate, it was obvious he was ignoring me. That's fine. I tried. I talked to A. She tried to keep the conversation going so that I could be included and I was talking, but his dad wasn't going for it. He'd talk over me or change the subject so that I couldn't participate. Whatever. After what seemed like forever, Itchy came downstairs. He talked to his dad and than his dad went upstairs. Itchy ate a little and than we needed to leave. It was almost midnight. We went upstairs to say goodbye to his parents, made his mom cry some more, and than Itchy drove me back to the hotel.
It was a weird, weird night. I feel like I should be relieved that they know about me and reacted so well, but it's just weird. Knowing that someone hates you, thinks you're stupid, and that you're not good enough but then they act nice to your face is a weird feeling.
So that was that. I told you it was crazy. I left out a lot of details, or it feels like I did, but this is the gist of it. Ask questions if you want more details.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Getting off the rock
Knowing what we now knew, it was more important than ever before that we get off The Island. Their medical care system sucks and neither I nor Itchy wanted to subject an innocent fetus to that. Itchy just had to pass his finals and we were done.
The first final was a breeze. The second final gave us a little something to worry about. Itchy wasn't sure he had done well enough. I really wasn't going to worry about it until we knew for sure. We had played that game before. He had always passed. Why would this time be any different. I told Itchy to suck it up and pass the third and final final. Failing one would have been bad enough, but fail two and you're done.
His last final was on Wednesday (April 15th). His friend, M, was suppose to arrive that day but his flights got screwed up so he didn't arrive until Thursday. Wednesday after the final we went to the beach. It's tradition. Booze on the beach. Or BOB. No booze for me but plenty to go around for everyone else. We spent the afternoon there and then went to dinner with friends. Good times.
M arrives on Thursday. We were suppose to go on a Catamaran trip, but couldn't because of his late arrival. Instead, we went back to the beach. I think. Honestly, the last week on the island is a bit of a blur. Morning sickness makes you forgetful (otherwise everyone would be only children).
On Friday, Itchy, M, and a few other friends go on a deep sea fishing trip. I opted out because sea sicknesses on top of morning sickness sounds awful. I ran a few errands and hung out with the neighbor lady.
I can't really remember what happened on Saturday. But on Sunday Itchy and M went to the neighboring island to do some hiking. They climbed to the peak and back down in record time. By the time they got on the ferry that night, locals had heard about them. It's pretty impressive. I stayed home to get more packing done.
Monday was the day that Itchy and I HAD to get stuff done. We ran errands and packed all day. It was not fun. We got what we needed to get done though. That was the important thing. M spent the day at the beach. When we all got back to the apartment, M was very sunburned. It was bad. I didn't see blisters, but after spending the last few days in the sun and drinking (he had sun poisoning on Friday after the fishing trip) he felt like crap. Itchy and went out to dinner while he rested on the couch.
Itchy and went to a "nice" restaurant downtown. The service reminded us why we were happy to be leaving. Eyes were rolled when we requested silverware and again when Itchy asked for a glass of wine. Just overall rude behavior. Typical of what you get on The Island. No one wants to work.
Just after Itchy and I had gotten done eating and we were going to ask for the dessert menu, his dad called him. Itchy left the restaurant and went downstairs to talk to his dad. At some point during the call a crazy local guy started yelling at Itchy about washing a his truck. Crazy dude was already washing someone's truck and wanted to get paid but it certainly wasn't our piece of crap car. Itchy ignored him. But Itchy's dad heard Crazy asking about a truck, so Itchy and his Dad start talking about the truck that Itchy wants/needs. Prior to this Itchy's parents were going to be buying him a used truck. Now all of a sudden his dad is telling him that they don't think it's a good idea; his mom doesn't feel well enough to go to the bank to get the money, etc. Lot of excuses. Itchy comes back upstairs and is annoyed. We pay our bill and leave. Neither one of us wants dessert anymore.
Without a truck, how in the world we were going to move our stuff to New City? It won't all fit in the Honda Civic. 2 adults, 2 cats, and our 5 suitcases weren't going to fit into the Civic. What about the rest of our stuff? Not to mention that a truck is much more convient for Itchy to have for school. He is doing some large animal stuff and will need to haul stuff around, get out into pastures, etc. We also were going to have to buy some furniture once we got to New City since we don't have any. Who wants to pay for delivery when you could just put it in the back of your truck? Itchy was very disappointed. We weren't really sure what we were going to do.
Tuesday morning we got up and M was gone. Not sure where he went or when he'd be back. But Itchy and I had to get our boxes to the shipping place. We finished pakcing those up and than went to drop those off. When we got back from doing that (which took way longer than it should have, the locals are not good with computers) we started clearing out the fridge, cabinets, etc. M was back at that point too, so he was busy getting ready to leave.
Our nieghbors hit the jackpot and got anything and everything that was left in the apartment. If we hadn't packed it or shipped it by that point, we got rid of it. This stuff took most of the day, but we did make it out to the beach for a little while that afternoon. We had our final Island dinner at one of the bars that we had spent a lot of time at. It was very fitting. Than we went to a cigar bar to hang out with friends one last time. And to arrange for a ride to the airport. We also talked to our landlord that day. She pretty much told us that the apartment was flithy. There was no way we'd get it clean enough for her standards (even before we did any cleaning prior to moving, it was cleaner than when we moved in). We had better get it clean or leave behind money to pay for someone else to do it. Bitch. That place was a hell hole. The floors needed to be mopped but other than that, it was cleaner than the day we moved in. I was pissed. I hate her so much. But we said to hell with it, we'll leave her the money and be done with it. We weren't going to spend our last night there cleaning the baseboards with a freaking q-tip to make her happy. I really wanted to smack her and her kid that night. Also, as a side note, I hope that they put up the basketball hoop the DAY we left The Island. I want her to realize that it wasn't just us that found it annoying. I know the new tenant. She will complian more than we ever did.
Wednesday April 22nd was our last day on the island. Our flight was at one so we had to be there around 11:30 am. We got all our last minute stuff done (dropping off the car, etc) and than headed to the airport.
We hauled ass through Puerto Rico to get to our connecting flight on time. The design of that process needs work. It was a major pain in the ass. Never again will I go to Puerto Rico. It's an official boycott. But we did make it on time. We got to Charlotte, NC that night and had an overnight wait. The hotel was decent enough. The cats were happy to be out of their kennels. We were delighted with a delievered pizza. Got a couple of hours of sleep (with one weird call at 1:30 am, heard breathing but no voice) and then took the shuttle back to the airport.
We got back to MN and once the plane landed, the bubble burst. The bubble that Itchy and I lived in. Our secret life together. It was so easy being on The Island. No chance his parents would catch us. We could go where we wanted, whenever we wanted to, and there was no chance of running into them or someone they knew. We were back in reality. As soon as we got to the baggage claim, it was as if we never knew each other. I went my way (to the rental cars) and Itchy and the cats went off to find Itchy's dad, who was picking them up.
Good time for another break. This is officially where it starts to get crazy though.
The first final was a breeze. The second final gave us a little something to worry about. Itchy wasn't sure he had done well enough. I really wasn't going to worry about it until we knew for sure. We had played that game before. He had always passed. Why would this time be any different. I told Itchy to suck it up and pass the third and final final. Failing one would have been bad enough, but fail two and you're done.
His last final was on Wednesday (April 15th). His friend, M, was suppose to arrive that day but his flights got screwed up so he didn't arrive until Thursday. Wednesday after the final we went to the beach. It's tradition. Booze on the beach. Or BOB. No booze for me but plenty to go around for everyone else. We spent the afternoon there and then went to dinner with friends. Good times.
M arrives on Thursday. We were suppose to go on a Catamaran trip, but couldn't because of his late arrival. Instead, we went back to the beach. I think. Honestly, the last week on the island is a bit of a blur. Morning sickness makes you forgetful (otherwise everyone would be only children).
On Friday, Itchy, M, and a few other friends go on a deep sea fishing trip. I opted out because sea sicknesses on top of morning sickness sounds awful. I ran a few errands and hung out with the neighbor lady.
I can't really remember what happened on Saturday. But on Sunday Itchy and M went to the neighboring island to do some hiking. They climbed to the peak and back down in record time. By the time they got on the ferry that night, locals had heard about them. It's pretty impressive. I stayed home to get more packing done.
Monday was the day that Itchy and I HAD to get stuff done. We ran errands and packed all day. It was not fun. We got what we needed to get done though. That was the important thing. M spent the day at the beach. When we all got back to the apartment, M was very sunburned. It was bad. I didn't see blisters, but after spending the last few days in the sun and drinking (he had sun poisoning on Friday after the fishing trip) he felt like crap. Itchy and went out to dinner while he rested on the couch.
Itchy and went to a "nice" restaurant downtown. The service reminded us why we were happy to be leaving. Eyes were rolled when we requested silverware and again when Itchy asked for a glass of wine. Just overall rude behavior. Typical of what you get on The Island. No one wants to work.
Just after Itchy and I had gotten done eating and we were going to ask for the dessert menu, his dad called him. Itchy left the restaurant and went downstairs to talk to his dad. At some point during the call a crazy local guy started yelling at Itchy about washing a his truck. Crazy dude was already washing someone's truck and wanted to get paid but it certainly wasn't our piece of crap car. Itchy ignored him. But Itchy's dad heard Crazy asking about a truck, so Itchy and his Dad start talking about the truck that Itchy wants/needs. Prior to this Itchy's parents were going to be buying him a used truck. Now all of a sudden his dad is telling him that they don't think it's a good idea; his mom doesn't feel well enough to go to the bank to get the money, etc. Lot of excuses. Itchy comes back upstairs and is annoyed. We pay our bill and leave. Neither one of us wants dessert anymore.
Without a truck, how in the world we were going to move our stuff to New City? It won't all fit in the Honda Civic. 2 adults, 2 cats, and our 5 suitcases weren't going to fit into the Civic. What about the rest of our stuff? Not to mention that a truck is much more convient for Itchy to have for school. He is doing some large animal stuff and will need to haul stuff around, get out into pastures, etc. We also were going to have to buy some furniture once we got to New City since we don't have any. Who wants to pay for delivery when you could just put it in the back of your truck? Itchy was very disappointed. We weren't really sure what we were going to do.
Tuesday morning we got up and M was gone. Not sure where he went or when he'd be back. But Itchy and I had to get our boxes to the shipping place. We finished pakcing those up and than went to drop those off. When we got back from doing that (which took way longer than it should have, the locals are not good with computers) we started clearing out the fridge, cabinets, etc. M was back at that point too, so he was busy getting ready to leave.
Our nieghbors hit the jackpot and got anything and everything that was left in the apartment. If we hadn't packed it or shipped it by that point, we got rid of it. This stuff took most of the day, but we did make it out to the beach for a little while that afternoon. We had our final Island dinner at one of the bars that we had spent a lot of time at. It was very fitting. Than we went to a cigar bar to hang out with friends one last time. And to arrange for a ride to the airport. We also talked to our landlord that day. She pretty much told us that the apartment was flithy. There was no way we'd get it clean enough for her standards (even before we did any cleaning prior to moving, it was cleaner than when we moved in). We had better get it clean or leave behind money to pay for someone else to do it. Bitch. That place was a hell hole. The floors needed to be mopped but other than that, it was cleaner than the day we moved in. I was pissed. I hate her so much. But we said to hell with it, we'll leave her the money and be done with it. We weren't going to spend our last night there cleaning the baseboards with a freaking q-tip to make her happy. I really wanted to smack her and her kid that night. Also, as a side note, I hope that they put up the basketball hoop the DAY we left The Island. I want her to realize that it wasn't just us that found it annoying. I know the new tenant. She will complian more than we ever did.
Wednesday April 22nd was our last day on the island. Our flight was at one so we had to be there around 11:30 am. We got all our last minute stuff done (dropping off the car, etc) and than headed to the airport.
We hauled ass through Puerto Rico to get to our connecting flight on time. The design of that process needs work. It was a major pain in the ass. Never again will I go to Puerto Rico. It's an official boycott. But we did make it on time. We got to Charlotte, NC that night and had an overnight wait. The hotel was decent enough. The cats were happy to be out of their kennels. We were delighted with a delievered pizza. Got a couple of hours of sleep (with one weird call at 1:30 am, heard breathing but no voice) and then took the shuttle back to the airport.
We got back to MN and once the plane landed, the bubble burst. The bubble that Itchy and I lived in. Our secret life together. It was so easy being on The Island. No chance his parents would catch us. We could go where we wanted, whenever we wanted to, and there was no chance of running into them or someone they knew. We were back in reality. As soon as we got to the baggage claim, it was as if we never knew each other. I went my way (to the rental cars) and Itchy and the cats went off to find Itchy's dad, who was picking them up.
Good time for another break. This is officially where it starts to get crazy though.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Wild times
So much has happened since I last blogged. Crazy stuff too, not just your regular day to day activities. Be prepared, this is long. I will probably break it down into sections for you though.
Here's just a little background info that I hadn't felt comfortable sharing before now. Itchy's mom has cancer. Stage 4. It's not looking so good. She's undergoing chemo and radiation, but who knows how much longer she has. It's really depressing. They really aren't giving Itchy many straight answers either. He found out about this in mid-March.
With that said, let's take a little trip back to The Island. Starting up around the time Itchy found out about his mom. It was mid-semester break. We had about a month and a half left on the island. We just found out that his mom had cancer. Itchy was busy with school. 7th semester is hard and you are busy. Very busy. I myself was keeping busy with packing and finding a new place to live. I was also feeling like crap. The heartburn. I think I complained of that more than once. It's kind of a family tradition. We tend to worry ourselves sick of stuff. I wasn't feeling particularly nervous/worried, but I figured the heartburn was a sign of that.
Let's fast forward a bit. April hits us and I have some packing done. I have found an apartment in New City that looks great. It's undergoing renovations, but the landlord promises it will be great. Still feeling lousy, in addition to the heartburn I now feel nauseous. Itchy still busy with school but instead of donkeys/surgeries/sheep stuff, it's all studying for finals.
The Tuesday before finals I am feeling particularly awful. I woke up feeling like I had a hangover. After vomitting that morning it crossed my mind that this had been going on for a long time. OH.MY.GOD. What if? No. Can't be. I'm taking the pill. It's the pill. It works. It's been working for years. Still, once it had entered my mind I couldn't really shake the feeling that pregnancy would explain all the symptoms. So I went on a little walk to the pharmacy. Stood in line for over 30 minutes. Bought a stick to pee on. By the time I walked home I had all but convinced myself that I was fine. It was just stress. I even felt better by the time I got home. I'll just put the test away and the next time I felt sick, I'd take it.
Well, I woke up Thursday (April 9th), vomitted, and took the test. The positive line showed up immediately. I started to cry. It's not that we didn't want kids. We just weren't planning on one arriving so soon. I spent most of the day crying. It was very overwhelming to me. My brain just wouldn't stop. Telling Itchy (he's already got so much going on), Itchy's parents (we'd have to tell them now, right?), Itchy's mom with her cancer (this could be what kills her), insurance (don't have any), etc. The list went on and on. I was scared to death. Not to mention that because I had been on the pill and had been skipping periods for a while, I had no idea how far along I was.
I had to send Itchy an email at some point during the day and I made a comment at the bottom that I think I knew why I had been so sick. I didn't want to tell him over email, so that's all I said. I was hoping he'd guess it and I wouldn't have to actually tell him. When he got home that night, he asked about that little comment. Wanted to know what I thought the reason was. I gave him one guess. He got it right. Cue more crying from me.
I seriously couldn't believe his reaction. At first he said "oh no". We agreed the timing couldn't have been worse. But then, he was smiling. Laughing even. He was happy about this.
He told me not to worry, that everything would be fine. Then he went to take a shower. Acting like what I had just told him was nothing more serious than the milk going bad.
When he came back out into the living room I was still crying. He was laughing. I started telling him my concerns, he reminded me that we DID want kids. This was just a little sooner than we had planned. But it's still what we wanted. We'd make things work. We always do.
After I had settled down a little, Itchy wanted to call his brothers. He needed their help to devise a plan to tell his parents. I didn't want to tell anyone yet. I wanted to see a doctor first, find out when I was due, etc before we went around telling everyone. But he couldn't wait. I asked him to keep it a secret from the people at school because once one of them knew, everyone would know, and I wasn't ready for that.
By the end of the week, I'm pretty sure he had told most of his class. He said he was too excited to keep it a secret. Yeah, he was That Guy. Watch out folks, he's probably going to be the guy that can't stop talking about his kid. Want to see a picture? He's got dozens of them!
I called and told my parents early the next week. After it felt like everyone else knew. I did ask them to keep it a secret from my sisters though. I thought it would be more fun to tell them in person. And I was going to see them in just a couple weeks anyway.
This seems like a good spot for a break. Next up will be "getting off the rock".
Here's just a little background info that I hadn't felt comfortable sharing before now. Itchy's mom has cancer. Stage 4. It's not looking so good. She's undergoing chemo and radiation, but who knows how much longer she has. It's really depressing. They really aren't giving Itchy many straight answers either. He found out about this in mid-March.
With that said, let's take a little trip back to The Island. Starting up around the time Itchy found out about his mom. It was mid-semester break. We had about a month and a half left on the island. We just found out that his mom had cancer. Itchy was busy with school. 7th semester is hard and you are busy. Very busy. I myself was keeping busy with packing and finding a new place to live. I was also feeling like crap. The heartburn. I think I complained of that more than once. It's kind of a family tradition. We tend to worry ourselves sick of stuff. I wasn't feeling particularly nervous/worried, but I figured the heartburn was a sign of that.
Let's fast forward a bit. April hits us and I have some packing done. I have found an apartment in New City that looks great. It's undergoing renovations, but the landlord promises it will be great. Still feeling lousy, in addition to the heartburn I now feel nauseous. Itchy still busy with school but instead of donkeys/surgeries/sheep stuff, it's all studying for finals.
The Tuesday before finals I am feeling particularly awful. I woke up feeling like I had a hangover. After vomitting that morning it crossed my mind that this had been going on for a long time. OH.MY.GOD. What if? No. Can't be. I'm taking the pill. It's the pill. It works. It's been working for years. Still, once it had entered my mind I couldn't really shake the feeling that pregnancy would explain all the symptoms. So I went on a little walk to the pharmacy. Stood in line for over 30 minutes. Bought a stick to pee on. By the time I walked home I had all but convinced myself that I was fine. It was just stress. I even felt better by the time I got home. I'll just put the test away and the next time I felt sick, I'd take it.
Well, I woke up Thursday (April 9th), vomitted, and took the test. The positive line showed up immediately. I started to cry. It's not that we didn't want kids. We just weren't planning on one arriving so soon. I spent most of the day crying. It was very overwhelming to me. My brain just wouldn't stop. Telling Itchy (he's already got so much going on), Itchy's parents (we'd have to tell them now, right?), Itchy's mom with her cancer (this could be what kills her), insurance (don't have any), etc. The list went on and on. I was scared to death. Not to mention that because I had been on the pill and had been skipping periods for a while, I had no idea how far along I was.
I had to send Itchy an email at some point during the day and I made a comment at the bottom that I think I knew why I had been so sick. I didn't want to tell him over email, so that's all I said. I was hoping he'd guess it and I wouldn't have to actually tell him. When he got home that night, he asked about that little comment. Wanted to know what I thought the reason was. I gave him one guess. He got it right. Cue more crying from me.
I seriously couldn't believe his reaction. At first he said "oh no". We agreed the timing couldn't have been worse. But then, he was smiling. Laughing even. He was happy about this.
He told me not to worry, that everything would be fine. Then he went to take a shower. Acting like what I had just told him was nothing more serious than the milk going bad.
When he came back out into the living room I was still crying. He was laughing. I started telling him my concerns, he reminded me that we DID want kids. This was just a little sooner than we had planned. But it's still what we wanted. We'd make things work. We always do.
After I had settled down a little, Itchy wanted to call his brothers. He needed their help to devise a plan to tell his parents. I didn't want to tell anyone yet. I wanted to see a doctor first, find out when I was due, etc before we went around telling everyone. But he couldn't wait. I asked him to keep it a secret from the people at school because once one of them knew, everyone would know, and I wasn't ready for that.
By the end of the week, I'm pretty sure he had told most of his class. He said he was too excited to keep it a secret. Yeah, he was That Guy. Watch out folks, he's probably going to be the guy that can't stop talking about his kid. Want to see a picture? He's got dozens of them!
I called and told my parents early the next week. After it felt like everyone else knew. I did ask them to keep it a secret from my sisters though. I thought it would be more fun to tell them in person. And I was going to see them in just a couple weeks anyway.
This seems like a good spot for a break. Next up will be "getting off the rock".
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