AND... back to real life

So, contrary to what is becoming popular belief, our family is not always at the beach. We came down from our wet and sandy euphoria this past Monday and real life began once again.

George continues to be in his Ambulatory Medicine rotation in Fairfax, VA and seems to be "enjoying" it. He is starting the final week in this 8-week rotation today which is a big deal, not only because we get to go back to Charlottesville, but because he has to take his Medical "Shelf"--a difficult test that measures his knowledge and skills as a medical professional. Yay. This is the score that residencies look at when considering students for their program, so it's a little nerve-wracking. Despite the fact that he's home today with Bronchitis/Sinusitis, he's been doing very well with his rotation so far.  Hopefully, he'll feel better with the Z-pack he's taking and be able to finish strong. If the past is any indication, George will pass his rotation with flying colors.

The boys and I had a good time last week just relaxing and enjoying having cable TV at the Glass's house where we're staying. Speaking of cable, you know how sometimes the kids like some really ridiculous shows and you can't understand what they see in them that's so great? The Disney channel is full of such shows that I know, had I watched them as a child, my dad would have labeled as "brain-rot" (like Scooby Doo, which he did label as "brain-rot" and we were, therefore, not allowed to watch it). With that said, I'm only a little ashamed to admit I have a new favorite kid's TV show.

Phineas and Ferb. Absolute brain-rot hilarity. I think I'd even have to rank it above Rugrats and Doug. It's clever, funny, well-animated, and is mature enough to make the adults laugh, but on a level that rings true for the kids as well. I'm actually thinking about trying to find the episodes on DVD. Yeah. My siblings all love it, too, and the other night Amy, Laura, Stephen, Jason, and I stayed up until midnight watching recorded episodes and laughing hysterically. Mom joined us for a bit and while I don't think she saw it for it's true genius, I caught her laughing, too. If a cartoon can get my mom to laugh, it must be incredible.

On Friday, I took Lance to his dad's house and they flew out to California to spend time with the Dahlquist cousins for three whole weeks! Honestly, it never gets any easier to drop him off and hug him good-bye. I know he loves his dad and I know he has a blast and will love being in California with his cousins, but it hurts my heart to drive away after we say good-bye. I know he's having a great time, though, because when I talked to him last night, he wasn't that interested and kept wanting to go play with Calvin and Clare (cousins). Scott's sister Denise is an amazing person and I miss her friendship a lot. Lance is a lucky boy to be able to stay close to such a great family. I'm glad he's enjoying himself. Happy for him, sad for me. Lance, your mommy misses you like crazy. Be safe, have fun, and come home soon!

To add insult to injury, right after I dropped Lance off, Jude and I drove down to Charlottesville to do some cleaning. We had our final walk-through in our old house with our landlord the next day and I needed to do the deep cleaning before we would be ready. When the boys and I left for Florida three weeks ago, most of our belongings were still in their place and it still looked like we lived there. The Glass family came the following day and moved everything that was left to our new apartment. I hadn't seen it empty yet and as I opened our front door and walked into our old house, I almost cried. I know we didn't own it or anything, but for the past two years it was our home. Our first home as a couple. We made so many good memories there and had such a fun time being our own little family. I'm really going to miss it.

On a happier note, Jude and I had a good time working:

He helped me mow the lawn and edge. The car stood in as the camera-man. And yes, it was dark and I couldn't see very well. The next morning I noticed a few placed I missed, but all in all, I think I did a good job for mowing almost blind with a baby on my front. And yes, I did it all in white pants! I hadn't really thought things through when I got dressed that morning.

Jude even helped me clean the kitchen. Actually, I couldn't keep him away from the refrigerator and the mess I was making while trying to clean.

I find it funny that as you scrub and brush, sweep and mop, everything around you gets cleaner but you get more and more dirty. Why is that? 

George drove up that evening after his clinical and studied for his "Shelf" while Jude slept at the new place and I finished up at the old house. I staggered back to the apartment after 1 a.m. and felt more nasty and greasy and dirty than ever before. After a long, cool shower I crashed in bed.

We had to get up "early" to do the walk-through at 9 a.m. Jude had somehow made it to our bed in the middle of the night and I couldn't resist a picture:

Not only did I capture the moment, but I effectively woke up George as well. :) After the walk-through, we organizing our new place a little bit and then drove back up to Ashburn where we are currently while George finishes his rotation.