Twilight mania

Jennifer isn't much of a fan of Twilight, the movies, but her friends are.

So that explains alot on why she's staying up until midnight tonight and going down to Kent Station, near our home, to watch the new part of the series - Eclipse - when it starts showing at 12:01 tomorrow.

At first I had planned to take her to a showing up at the Pacific Science Center tonight, but no dice, that was for adults only, with cocktails.

Then Kent offered a 3-movie package, with treats, and she was intrigued. Began calling her friends, but couldn't find a ride home. And her dad said "no way" to his daughter driving home at 3 am, alone, after the movie, even tho it was only a 2 minute hop to our home.

So what to do. Gary said no, but I figured out if Jennifer met her friends there, and then went home with them on an overnighter, it might just work. And it did. So one lucky mom (not me) gets to welcome home four tired teens at 4 am tomorrow and let 'em sleep it off and talk about whether they are Team Edward or Team Jacob.

Back from Ocean Shores

A quick 24-hour trip, we plan to go longer later in the summer, but it was great walking with Jennifer on the beach. I could almost feel my dad, long dead now, walking along side us, admiring his granddaughter. My dad and I used to walk down the beach, all the time, when I was about 12 and he ran his fishing boat off the then Ocean Shores marina.

I could feel the whisper of time sort of shimmer in front of us.

Watching the World Cup

And yes, frankly we wish the U.S. were doing better than they are at the half, but we're suddenly new loyal fans. Go USA!

What was that crunching sound?

Jennifer decided to go down to Jamba Juice tonight, and so decided to back out the car from the garage. She'd parked it with no problem the night before.

Unfortunately when I said yes to this jaunt, I'd forgotten my hubby parked it in the garage tonight, and he always parks it catywampus.

So a few heartbeats and crunch. Gary bursts out and yells, and Jennifer goes into her room in tears. They've struck up a peace now, but argh. It won't be the last scratch in the car either.

What should I do about this opossum that's in the middle of the road?

That is what I called Jennifer about (hand free, mind you) yesterday as I went home from work.

I was going up Interstate 5, between Federal Way and Kent to pick her up at Kent Station, when I saw something swaying in the middle of the road. At first I thought it was a piece of paper, or whatnot, but as I came closer, at bumper to bumper 60mph, I realized it was a young opossum in the middle of the freeway - and I say that literally, on the white strip, with two lanes on one side and two lanes on the other.

HOW it got out there without getting hit was beyond me, tho it looked like something had nicked a leg. At any rate, the poor creature was swaying from side to side trying to figure out which way to jump (the smart answer would be neither a or b)

I drove on up the road, debating whether to pull over and back up. But then what? The traffic was thick and fast, so there was no way I was getting to it. And if I circled back and tried to pick it up, while what- driving 60mph with my door open I'd probably cause an accident myself or end up squashing it. Indiana Jones I am not.

So that's when I called Jennifer.

"What did you tell me this for!! Now I feel bad too!" she cried over the phone. But then she assured me that really, no there was nothing I probably could have done.

Later that night, when the family sent me out for ice cream at Dairy Queen, I sneaked over and swiped around again, and didn't even see a smear mark (again, I was asking myself what exactly I intended to do if I found it half dead in the middle of the road- run over it and put it out of its misery? Could I really do that?)

Just as I convinced myself a miracle had happened and the thing had actually escaped, I saw a huddle near the road, quite a bit north from where I remember the critter being, and curled up by the side of the road. So maybe it did make it the side, got hit and went flying? I didn't stop to check to see if this was the opossum I saw, since I probably couldn't figure it out anyway.

I called Jennifer again to tell her why I was late going home with the ice cream.

"You checked on it didn't you?"

Guilty.

I'm either going to have to start taking French again...

or hire Jennifer a tutor.

I was grilling her for her French final last night, and her vocab final. On the vocab, I was doing fine, and she, not so much, so it will be interesting to see how that test goes today. And the French final, I was asking her how her day was, where Martinique was, if she liked her Chemistry class, all in French mind you, but as she spit back the answers, I realized she was lapping me in my knowledge.

So back to class for me.

Hold that down dog pose!

Or something like that.


Jennifer and I have decided to start attending an 8 pm yoga class to


a. get in shape
b. avoid late night snacking
c. avoid vegging out in front of the TV all night.

Although the dog gives us a longing look as we walk out the door, as his little doggy brain processes, no walk tonight.

So, off we go, a little nervous, because we're novices and we don't want any hot shots showing us up. We really shouldn't have worried. Although there were some super yoga buffs in there, including a few men, who held that down dog pose as long as there the instructor, since the lights were turned off, no one was really eyeballing the other, as they tried to hold onto the warrior or goddess pose. Or just gave up as I did a few times and did the novice movement she showed us.

Jennifer did pretty well tho, and I'm proud of her. Back at it on Wed., and this time I'll have to take Kodi out for a run beforehand.

Father's Day at a Rainy Strawberry Fest

We woke up late, at 10:30 am or so, and were still working in breakfast at 11:30 am. We cleaned house a bit, and then drove up to the Burien Stawberry Festival, in the pouring rain.

But Gary loves to look at vintage cars,and Burien is cute. Adam met us there and gave Gary a Father's Day card, which I think was touching, and touched Gary too.

Then onto lunch at a faux Irish pub off the street,and then off to Trader Joes to buy orchids and then home for a nap. Perfect day for Gary, who is now watching Pawn Stars reruns.

Up to Nordie's cafe

We made a beeline for the Nordstrom Cafe on Friday to order gnocchi, one of our favorite foods, with her boyfriend, Adam, in tow.

Unfortunately, Jennifer were doing our usual sing-song back and forth, really fast. Think Gilmore Girls on steriods, and so Adam was feeling left out, Jennifer informed me after he went to seek a bathroom in Nordstrom's.

So, we decided to include him, ask about school, wrestling, and whatnot. And slowed the conversation down. It seemed to help.

Attack of the killer crabs

And no, I don't mean those type of crabs. I mean the type of that pinch.

This weekend, Jennifer decided to join me down on the Des Moines Beach for my first Beach Naturalist shift of the year. It was also the lowest tide of the year. And while there was the usual crowd of moon snails about, we we're seeing much else unusual until I saw what I thought was a detached red rock crab shell buried in the mud.

So we squatted down by the shell and carefully tried to extract it from the sand. The crab attached to the shell was not amused. It exploded out of the sand, pinchers drawn and Jennifer and I both almost fell backwards with the yelp.

As an aside, red rock crabs have powerful pinchers and are very aggressive in you get in their face. This guy def. felt we were in his face. And so did his buddies.

IN the red rock crab world, the boys like to hang the the boys and the gals with the gals, until mating season of course. And so when we disturbed this guy, all his buddies erupted out of the sand too. It was a bit like a 1950s horror movie. And Jennifer, who was wearing only flip flops, did little yelps as she tried to dodge miffed crabs who were making a run for the water.

So we provided entertainment for both my fellow naturalists and the crowd that gathered to see what all the shouting was about.

#twittermoms, #wildlife

Off to the gym again

I guess you could call this mother daughter bonding.

We're off to the gym tonight to do 8 pm, in-the-dark yoga at LA Fitness. My husband thinks we're nuts, but it is sort of fun. And it's nice that Jennifer will show me how to use the machines.

I think tho, from the looks I'm catching, most of the guys wish Jennifer was alone, at LAFitness.

American Pickers and Pawn Stars

Yes, I know, we watch too much TV, but these have become our new fav's - American Pickers and Pawn Stars - along with Cold Case.

We need something to get us through the doldrums until the summer season picks up. Yes, Burn Notice and Royal Pains are on USA, but that's only one day a week. We're in a bit of a drought for the other six.

#television #twittermoms

Yoga in the dark

Jennifer and I were working out tonight, although I noticed all the guys in the gym trailing her aruond, and then they saw me, and quickly looked away.

OK, it's not like I'm going to punch you for admiring the eye candy that I know is my daughter. Her dad might, but I won't.

Adam and a new home

Well Gary finally got ahold of Adam's case worker and it comes down to this.

He's going to be in juvi for a bit, and he's going to have to write a 5-page essay on how to get his life back on track, and he's going to have to stay put where the court puts him for awhile. There seem to be many adults that want to help Adam, us included. But he's a. going to have to stop spinning things and keep focused on staying at AHS and graduating.

To much into tech

I read this NYT article with some dismay - basically the bottom line is that our kids want us off the computer, phone or bluetooth and focusing on them when they are around.

I recently just skipped trying to post on this blog, for example or updating my Facebook or Twitter account, because frankly, I could feel my family frowning at my back when I did.

Now never mind that my hubby watches TV and is glued to his blackberry, or that my daughter is doing the same thing, except texting. But if I do it, it's another matter. Here is another disturbing NYT article about being too plugged in.

#twittermoms #technology

Get out of the car...now

We were late for J's first period Chem class, again. And really, we didn't have any excuse because it was late start anyway.

But she was jonesing for Jamba Juice, oatmeal with blueberries to be specific, and she wanted what she wanted. Unfortunately, a train came on the tracks, a long one, just as we pulled up to Meeker and 4th. And we waited. And waited. Penned in now, we couldn't turn around, so we resigned ourselves to be late, and get the oatmeal anyway.

So 15 minutes late, imagine our surprise when we pull up to the school, and at least half the student body is out front waiting for us. A fire drill, or some such, and it was pouring. We sit in the car a minute, but now I'm going to be late for my director's meeting, so she has to get out...now.

And of course she's lost the umbrella I gave her, and she leaves the oatmeal in the car, where it quickly gets cold.

"Jennifer, sorry for the downpour, and the fact the whole school now knows you're late, but get out."

"Mommy!"

"Now."

"Beezee"

Fine, but you still need to get out of the car.

So she calls to Adam, who seems to magically appear wherever she is, makes him carry her stuff so she can use her coat as a shield.

Stay away from the remote

I have saved Glee, the season finale, on Tivo tonight and Jennifer and I plan on watching all of it.

And keeping my husband away from the remote. As technically savvy as GAry is, that remote seems to hate him, and start misbehaving every time he tries to save something, play something, or restart.

Often, he ends up deleting a show that we've saved, as what happened about 3 Glee's ago. We haven't forgiven him, and have threatened to mass delete all his NCIS' if he does this again.

But as a precaution, we're just watching the finale live tonight (and record it too). And we're keeping dad away from the TV all together.

Playing hooky

Is harder than it looks.

Jennifer and I were going to take the day off (her with my permission, and me taking a vacation day) but alas, she has tests and I had work to do. And she has to give a student- led progress report today at 4:30 pm.

Not showing up for school, but showing up for that would raise a few eyebrows with her teachers, I think, unless it was obvious she had pneumonia, or some such.

So we're going to try again on Friday. I'll call her in sick; and I'll just take a vacation day.

And we'll shop, and sleep in. And probably not tell dad this time.

Cooking at last

We sort of took it over the top today, as we made a blueberry reduction (who knew that boiling water could be fun?) and drizzled it over salmon. Aside from turning the salmon blue on the outside it tasted pretty good. Fresh bread, asaparagus - grilled - and b-berry milkshakes.

Jennifer and I were in culinary heaven.

Bad choices

We've declared an Adam free zone in the house.

It's the only way for Jennifer not to end up in tears of late. She's broken up with him,but still obv. cares about him. As we all do.

He was arrested a runaway last night, but is out of jail (or juvi) now. But we, and I'm not sure, he, has any idea where he is going to end up.

He probably should have gone back to Celeste's house in Kent,but I can see from talking to Celeste today , and via my daughter (through what she knows of Adam's side) that probably wasn't going to work out. She wants him to follow the rules (a reasonable demand) while I'm not sure she really got Adam's sense of humor, or attempts to connect.

So, as to where he ends up now, who knows. I know that GAry did chew on him on Friday, saying we weren't going to let him draw Jennifer off the straight and narrow, AND for him to get his act together if he wanted to see her at all, ever.

Not that we can really make good on that as long as he's at Auburn Senior High or in the area, but I think it was a wake up call that even our patience is not unlimited.

High maintenance b-friend, part 2

OK, J broke up with Adam yesterday (although as of 4.17 pm PST, I don't know the status) and he promptly didn't come home (to his foster home) last night.

So worried foster mom calls me up at work, apologetic, asking if I've seen or heard from Adam.

Unfortunately no.

Though I do know he's been madly texting my daughter, trying to get back together with her. I'm privately hoping she's resisting his pleas. I think she'd better help him as a friend, than girl friend. But trying explaining that to a 16-year-old.

Anyway, I also know that Adam gave J back the cell phone Gary bought him, and the shoes (and no, I don't know if he walked away from the breakup in his sox).

But he did spend a night at a friend's and was hanging around school today (and texting Jennifer from someone's phone) trying to get back together with her.

I'm not surprised, but a bit angry at his not even telling Celeste (worried foster mom) about his whereabouts or where he was today. Jennifer's trying to get him to call her (I slooowly texted her Celeste's phone #, but who knows if he'll call her).

Anyway, off to pick Jennifer up now. And I hope she's still broken up with Adam.

Working out with the daughter

I want to get in shape, and fortunately, my daughter, all 112 lbs of her, thinks she needs to too.

So I took out a membership for us both at LA fitness in Kent, to finally, with no excuses, start working out. And I think it will work. I did sign up for a personal trainer, but alas, the contract had a buyout clause I just couldn't stomach (read that fine print!) so I had to pass.

But by 50, I want to be in better shape than I am now. And as for Jennifer, well, she'll probably still by 112, and most of it muscle.

It also helps that her boyfriend, is a wrestler and is all about working out. And flirting in the gym is fine with me. Keeps 'em out of the house.