07/07/2008
And now, we have reached a new low at "the mouse says." I present cleaner porn. Vacuum cleaner porn!
Our Hoover Windtunnel bit it as we were cleaning our house in Seaside. We threw it away as we were leaving town.
Yesterday, I picked out a new Dyson DC-18. It's slim, it's powerful, it never loses suction.
My carpets at the new house have no idea what is coming their way!
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07/07/2008
I have many stories to share and dozens of pictures to accompany them but today we would like to declare that it is the end of the line for this hobo life we've been living.
We have arrived in Virginia, secured a home to rent, bought a week's worth of groceries for our efficiency and Rich starts inprocessing tomorrow.
We have loved our month plus as rich nomadic hobos and are looking forward to our 10 days as... vagrants? when we live in our new home awaiting the delivery of our furniture.
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06/28/2008
On our last night in town, Tony and Patty surprised me with an ice cream early birthday cake. We had a pool party and a great meal and then cake to top it off.
I was so happy to be able to see our friends and the celebration was equally about my birthday (just 3 days away now!) and about the blessings of friendships that endure the years.
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06/28/2008
We took the kids (Rich, Tony and the minors) rock climbing during the visit and they had a blast.
Isabelle and Aine hit it off big time this visit which was nice as Aine has been feeling sad during the trip about leaving our California friends. It was nice to be able to reassure her that friends may move but the friendship stays.
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06/28/2008
My dream house is on the market in Lafayette but they are asking about double what we budgeted for said dream house so donations for this worthy cause are now being accepted.
Isn't this a gorgeous house!
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06/28/2008
When it comes to me and Karaoke, there are a few things I know. I don't do it. If I did, I would be drunk. So far, there has not been enough liquor to compel me to delve into the depths of it.
But, like so many other things, that does not sway my beloved family from belting it out at the first opportunity.
I believe they were singing "How Do You Like Me Now?" by Toby Keith which, if you could intoxicate me enough, would be a good one to try out.
Though I think I am more of a Patsy Cline, "Crazy" girl.
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06/28/2008
If I have not mentioned it lately, Rhiannon loves animals.
Tony and Patty got a dog since we were here last and Rhiannon promptly fell in love with him.
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06/28/2008
The kids took over the upstairs during our visit and from the looks of it, there were great battles between princesses, pirates and a few transformers. Dress-up, toys and tea sets abounded.
Christian was greatly outnumbered by girls and did his best to stand up for what is good and right and just for boys everywhere.
But his efforts were struck down by the girls who composed the letter above to him.
Was the pen mightier than the sword? Only the Heavens know but the note, which I discovered the next day, will be treasured for decades to come.
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06/28/2008
It is also good to remember as we leave a place filled with people that we dearly love that some things transcend time.
Our visit to Lafayette was such a wonderful reminder that the people we love surround us in spirit even when we are hundreds of miles away. Like my visit with Colleen, Tony, Rich, Patty and I picked up right were we left off. The kids all reconnected quickly and our families blended once again into one filled with laughter, quick comebacks and deep roots. How blessed we are to have so many friends spanning this globe.
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06/28/2008
Any trip has its ups and downs, I think. Because vacations are just a microcosm for life.
We left Borsodi's heading to the New Orleans Museum of Art. In fact, the New Orleans Museum of Art prompted out visit to the city. Here's why:
When I was a high school freshman, I attended the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (NOCCA) in their creative writing program. In the spring, we took a field trip to the New Orleans Museum of Art (NOMA). Our goal was to find inspiration for our writing from the visual art therein.
I should add here that our professor was rather stern and frankly grouchy. He wanted to craft not nurture young minds.
So we went and it seemed to me that we were to model the cynical, critical and negative behavior he demonstrated in the classroom.
I delved into the Max Ernst and truly, any cynic should enjoy his work. I may provide examples of my favorite of his pieces another time.
My respect for this curious artist was rewarded by my professor.
And then, we came to a piece that baffled me. I had heard of Claude Monet but this piece was simply a white canvas. I took the opportunity to slam this romantic artist and said that the piece was ridiculous because all he did was put shades of white on a canvas and now look, it's in a museum because he is Claude Monet.
My professor narrowed his eyes at me with disapproval and sent me down the flight of stairs behind me, I supposed, in time out for criticizing a master.
Tail between my legs, I walked down the marble staircase and up the opposite side to my place in time-put, only to turn around and see that the painting was, in fact, a farm in Giverny during a blizzard.
What an amazing piece!
And for as much as I still think this man was cruel, unkind and unsuited to craft the minds of young adults, that gift has stayed with me for years.
Just because the canvas looks blank does not mean it is.
Just because the professor is an ass does not mean he does not have something to teach you.
Whatsoever is good and loving and true, think on THESE things.
So as we planned our trip from California to Virginia, I decided to stop in New Orleans to show the girls this piece that has had such a lasting impact on me.
I checked online at the museum page and found that it was a part of their permanent collection.
I told Maggie by email and she chided me for giving only 2 hours to city that meant so much to me. And as a result of this email conversation, I added the overnight and other stops to our visit.
You would think that with all these expectations, this would be a post about the joy of sharing this art, these memories with my family.
But it is not.
First, we got to town and planned to visit the museum on our first morning in town. But the museum is not open on Mondays or Tuesdays.
So we added another day to our trip to see my Monet and perhaps a few Ernst's as well.
Wednesday at noon, when the museum opened, we arrived and paid admission, telling the front desk how excited we were to see my Monet.
And she pointed out that several pieces of the permanent collection were in the possession of other museums.
Yes. That's right. Even if you plan a trip to see your favorite piece of art, even if the museum website says it is part of the permanent collection, even then, there is no guarantee it will be IN the collection when you visit. We paid our $28 and ventured forth to see for ourselves.
Aine is standing where I stood to see the Monet when I was relegated to other side of the staircase by my professor. There was no Snow at Giverny to seen.
Deirdre cried.
I felt awful.
We found no Max Ernst's at all.
We found several Miro's and a Picasso which we mocked for their weirdness. Line drawings that look like cartoon faces only simpler. And I defied anyone to chide us. We were sad. And miserable.
In the gift store I found a card and an 8x10 print of Snow at Giverny and I lined the girls up, eyes closed, and then had them look at it right at their noses and then backed up and they said it did not work. The spark was not there, it looked like a farm, can we go now?
I bought a card to remind me of my Monet but the girls are unpersuaded. Deirdre had me contact the museum registrar to ask where the piece was now because she hoped we could add it to our last 10 days of the trip.
So far the registrar has not replied. Hopefully, he will sometime and we can add that museum to a future vacation.
For now, it's useful to know that sometimes you plan and you plan and life turns out differently.
And reflecting on seeing New Orleans again, it's good to be mindful that the things you see today may not be here when you come back. Or you may not come back. So it is good and right and holy that we enjoy the blessings surrounding us now.
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