Erica’s Blog

As I was typing that last post, an email came through from Poppa.  He was forwarding the email his boss at Stanford Magazine sent out to all the employees, announcing Poppa’s January 31, 2009 retirement date.

Yes, after working since 1949, Poppa is FINALLY retiring.  GO, POPPA!  GO, POPPA!  GO, POPPA!

Long time, no blog.  Sorry ’bout that! Here’s what’s been going on:

Hubby left on November 2nd to go back to Singapore, so there was a flurry of preparatory activity.  While he was gone, I didn’t cook (well, maybe once or twice), had a sick kid, rarely got really dressed (amen for flannel lounge pants!), and slept with the bedroom light on so I could read.  I also messed up my back and spent last Saturday in bed on the heating pad.  (THANK YOU, Leila, for coming over to vacuum my house; you ROCK!)  Hubby came home yesterday morning.  WOOT!

I’m having trouble cutting the umbilical cord and sending off TPTAML to the boss-lady.  It will happen soon.  Really.  Yeah.  I will.  Sure.  No, REALLY!

I’ve done a bunch of knitting, but b/c Hubby had the camera with him in Singapore, I couldn’t take any pictures.  I’ll do that soon and post them in the usual places.

We also had a great, but all too short, visit with my friend Leslie from college (I know you’re lurking out there, Leslie!) and her family.  I met Leslie my first week in the dorms at CAL in 1981.  She lives in the D.C. area now, and we hadn’t seen each other for about 20 years.  I’m bummed that she didn’t get to meet Hubby - I think he & her hubby would have gotten along well - but I’m glad that I got to meet her hubby and kids.  Her girls are 11 1/2 and 8 (as of today!), so they got along swimmingly with the Things.  Since there was no school on Tuesday b/c of Veterans’ Day, we were able to have them over from right after school till rather late.  It still wasn’t long enough, though.  If we ever get out to visit our many friends who’ve ended up over there, we’ll have to stay a night or two with them so Leslie and I can stay up late, talking and knitting…

Tonight is a 5th grade fund-raising pasta night at the Things’ school.  T1 gets to go help set up, bus tables, etc.  She’s really excited about it b/c the money from the tickets our family sold will all go toward paying for her to go to Outdoor Ed in January.  Since she didn’t do anything to sell the tickets, she gets to do the work tonight.  Hubby & I may not even be at the dinner b/c it’s from 5:00 - 7:00, and our annual church marriage retreat starts at 7:30 down in Santa Clara (about 40 minutes away).   Auntie will be there with Thing Two, though. 

Oh, and you knew I would mention it eventually:  The Election.  I will not be a poor sport and whine that the other side cheated or “stole the election”, etc., etc., etc.  John McCain wouldn’t have been my first choice, but he was (in my mind) the lesser of two evils, and I did like Sarah Palin.  He lost fair and square.  Whether I like him or not, it was a historic event to elect the first black US President.  Good luck, Barack Hussein Obama.  I did, however, for the first time in my life cry at the outcome of the election.  At least Proposition 8 passed.  (To the opponents:  It was put before the people.  The people voted.  That’s it.  Bring it up at the next election if you don’t like it, but suing is stupid, and please stop rioting, ‘kay?)