7 Quick Takes

Linking up with Jen like I never don't.

1. I remember reading/hearing a few years ago that it takes half the time to fall out of shape that it does to get into shape. So ... if I were used to running marathons and took 5 days off of running completely and then tried to run a full thon I might die at mile sev- five. Mile five - kind of like I'm breathing what feels like my last today on the parenting front. It's our first full day back at home and the kids can sense that I'm weak and out of practice and they are killing me. They totally know it's a call weekend and are taking full advantage. Emptying dressers, timing their high pitched shrieks to pierce and bellow at the exact same time, and I swear Sebastian grew six inches in five days and can easily outsprint me which isn't terribly impressive because I'm useless on the fitness front these days. Anyway ... I'm going to bright side it and calculate that we only have about 35 more call weekends to go. Face crumple.

2. Since Simon and I flew in late Wednesday night and didn't get to see the kids until Thursday morning I didn't think they'd get that we were back from our trip and just sort of think it was another morning as usual but they did!! It was bizarre to witness Julia wake up in a pleasant mood and happy to see me because normally she starts her "GWAAAAAAACE!!" demands before she's even fully awake. She even said, "I'll hold the door open for you" earlier today and I almost dropped the stroller I was heaving because -- this is Julia and that was a complete and polite sentence directed at her mother. I guess the grands' manners rubbed off on her momentarily?

3. 4. & 5. Let's get the rest of the NOLA pictures out of the way before we return to regularly scheduled messy kids/messy house photo shoots ...

Most afternoons and evenings I would walk to the convention center past a huge casino and through a sea of power suits coming out of the conference meetings to meet Simon.

I think I blended in with the high rollers and business casuals juuuuuuuust fine ... 

I was taking this cell phone snap of the Cathedral in the French Quarter ...

... when a gentleman approached me with, "I see you're a church lover!!" and proceeded to tell me all about the prettier churches in the area before he did a little hop and was back on his merry way via an impressively fast speed walk. Friendly Orleans.

Cafe Du Mondé -

 sobering up after splitting one Hurricane.


Pizza just far enough away from Bourbon Street so that the smell didn't quite permeate our fare ...

 ... but close enough for warnings like dis.

6. Simon heard the author of The Five Love Languages speak and the focus of his talk was the five apology languages. Interesting and maybe more important? I don't know.

7. I keep hearing Rihanna say something like "this is Rihanna and you're listening to 90 whatever whatever" on the radio and I always thought it was Ree-on-uh but she she says Ree-ann-uh. I'm a failure.


Go see Jen for wuh-hay more exciting takes. Thanks for sticking with me through this diamond of a post.