I Hate Goodbyes

I really do. And I usually cry. Even when I will be seeing the person again. Pete now knows to expect me to cry after visiting my parents. After spending time with someone there is a hole left over when they aren't around.

That is how I felt today at school. It was our last day with kids at school. I know I will see some of them this summer, and I will see many of them again this fall. That didn't make saying goodbye any easier. I didn't cry, but it was sad. I'm going to miss those kids. I have lots of little holes today where those kids used to be.

Sometimes I am frustrated with my job, but when I am, it is always because of the grownups and never because of the kids. They've gotten taller, faster and smarter throughout the year. We've shared hugs and smiles and tears (well, the tears were all on their end because I don't cry much at work). I've helped them through some tough times, and as much as I didn't expect it, they've helped me through some tough times, too. It's been a privilege to spend time with them this year. Of course, there were some that it was more difficult to say goodbye to than others, but I can honestly say that I've enjoyed each and every one of them.

My wish for my kids is that they have a wonderful summer. That they get to go swimming and get grass stains on their clothes and go to Dairy Queen and just be kids.

Bike Love

Pete and I were at Freewheel this last week and I fell in love. With a beautiful bike. With a beautiful, expensive bike. The Gary Fisher Caliber 29. It's like someone made a bike specifically for me. Gary Fisher knows what I like when it comes to bikes. So here it is, in all its green 29" glory.

Almost Summer

I've always thought of summer as going from holiday (Memorial Day) to holiday (Labor Day). So that means next weekend, my summer officially begins! Wahoo! It won't be as leisurely as last summer, when I was making the transition between Wisconsin and Minnesota and spent three weeks in Montana, then the rest of the time here getting ready for school and finding a job. This summer I get to work. But hey, it's still summer and I'm excited. Here's what I'm looking forward to this summer:

1) Our house stays incredibly cool. It's nice to come home in the heat to a cool house, without even running the A/C. Thank you huge tree and super insulation!

2) Arnie Palmer. The best summer drink ever. Unless you count ...

3) Summer Beer. I know Pete doesn't care for it, but I LOVE Blue Moon. Scandia's good too :) I suspect I will be drinking that because Pete is incredibly pushy ;) My favorite seasonal brew: Glacier Brewing's Flathead Cherry Ale, which I will be drinking on my ...

4) Trip to Montana! Yay! Almost two perfect weeks of Western Montana summer, spending time with my three favorite people and my three favorite dogs.

5) Will my garden grow? The garden is a big experiment this summer and I'm excited to see how it goes. I have some plans for next year, but for now I want to see what does well and what the squirrels bother.

6) Riding with the Pete. Pete is bikey, and that means that I'm semi-bikey by association. We took the bikes out today for a nice little ride around Ft. Snelling and Minnehaha and it was fab. I'm looking forward to getting out more and making my legs as beefy as Pete's. Or not.

7) Grilling. We now have my Dad's old Weber grill that they were kind enough to haul out here for us. I love that grill and I love grilling, because it's tasty and Pete does it :)

8) Camping. It will be good to take the Hobitat out again this year. We have a group trip planned in July, and hopefully we'll find time to get out a bunch.


9) Swimming in the lake. Enough said. Now if J.Crew would ever ship the other back-ordered half of my new swimming suit, I'd be set.

10) Lots of delicious fruit :) And tasty desserts like fruit pizza, strawberries and ice cream, etc.

11) Freckles. Okay, I'm not really looking forward to these, but they're happening, so I might as well embrace them. I spend a lot of time outside for my job, and no matter how much sunscreen I put on (and I put on a lot), I still get freckles.

12) Pete's farmer's tan. Or should I say, cyclist's tan. It's already almost as bad as it got last year. He's been riding to and from work a lot, as well as a cycling class on Monday nights. I think it is so cute! You know you love someone when you like the tan lines they get from their Livestrong band :)

Happy Mother's Day!

With Mother's Day just a couple of days away, it seemed an opportune time to make this post. This picture, which was the only one of me and my mom readily available (thanks to Pete for putting it on Flickr), is of me telling my mom a secret on the patio of a Mexican restaurant up the Bitterroot.

First and foremost: Happy Mother's Day, Mom! I seriously have the best Mom ever. Her name is Avis, and she is an amazing resource and source of strength for me. She is incredibly wise, and I laugh harder with her than with anyone else. I guess it's not an accident that we both have the same quirky sense of humor. We have a habit of laughing at very inappropriate times (during quiet parts of movies, or worse, plays). There's something about knowing you shouldn't be laughing that makes you want to laugh more, and we feed off of each other, and pretty soon we're both in tears and people are looking at us like we're seriously deranged. My mom has taught me about so many things, but here are the ones that come to mind first: how to make every day special, the value of hard work, the magic of growing things, how to be a sports fan, the importance of family, and how to be a Noem. And that's just the beginning.

They say that girls grow up and become their mothers. I never put much stock in this, but I'm beginning to wonder. Not that I'd mind, because my mom is fantastic. I've always been told that we look alike, so that is no surprise. Since I've been out on my own, I've noticed some other similarities emerging as well. For instance, I have fully uncovered my gift for culinary disasters, particularly when company is expected. For example, putting muffin pans with plastic still on them into the hot oven, forgetting key ingredients, dumping things on the floor, burning myself. Pete will attest to this special gift. My mom and her mom are the only other people I've known to have such extreme tendencies, while still being great cooks (not that I'm a great cook, but I'm pretty good and I'm working on it). A real turning point happened the other day when Pete and I were at Chipotle. He asked if I wanted any more soda, and I replied, "No, I don't care for any." That is such a my mom thing to say. I never thought I would ever use that phrase. There's no fighting genetics, folks, and I'm okay with that. I have a mother who is beautiful inside and out, and I hope I'm lucky enough to be even a fraction as wonderful as she is.

So, Avis Ann, Happy Mother's Day :)

p.s. Dad, I've got some material for a Father's Day post, too, so stay tuned.

Ill-Gotten Flowers

First it was Peter and his ill-gotten lilacs, and now it is me and my ill-gotten lily of the valley. Last weekend, our next door neighbor mentioned the plants growing between our sidewalk and her sidewalk and all along the side of her house. She said she didn't like them and was going to get rid of them. They were just beginning to come up at the time, and I didn't know what they were. After thinking about it during the week and taking a closer look, I discovered that they were, in fact, lily of the valley.

My mom has a lily of the valley patch in one of her gardens, and I love it. They're such sweet little flowers and they smell so nice. I know a lot of people don't like them because they can tend to take things over a bit. I had actually been planning to acquire some lily of the valley to plant underneath our ginormous tree in the backyard.

How fortuitous! So I dug up some of our neighbor's lily of the valley and have transplanted them to the tree area. She wasn't around and I didn't ask her, but I really don't think she would care. However, it was HARD work to get them. The ones I took were growing between two slabs of concrete. I couldn't really get in there with my spade very well, and their roots were pretty deep. Who would have thought such cute little flowers could be so much work! Anyhow, I got some and we'll see how they do.

I also replanted a hosta. Those little buggers have some roots on them! I am getting a full-sized shovel in the near future! I pulled and I pulled and when it finally came out I fell right on my ass. But victory was mine, and now it is gracing the side of the house. I will not, however, be relocating any further hostas until a real shovel has been acquired.

I stopped and got some weed spray today, so dandelions hanging out in our front yard, beware! I will spray you soon. I can't wait to get more stuff planted outside. I'm just waiting for some of my seedlings to get a little bigger. I think next weekend I might start getting stuff out there, weather permitting. According to Bachman's, the average last frost date is May 10.

I love having a yard and gardens :)