Unraveling This Life

A little bit of this . . . a whole lot of that . . . and just a pinch of sparkle

Posts from the “The Girls” Category

Have a Holly Jolly Christmas

Posted on December 23, 2012

It’s been a long December. I decided to write an essay with my students on top of a vocabulary writing quiz and a huge book project with my reading partner. Needless to say, it’s meant weekend after weekend full of revising and responding to essays and very little else. I couldn’t tell you the last time that I knit before today or even took a photo for that matter. Christmas break seemed like it would never, ever begin, but thankfully, Friday afternoon came and with it an 11 day break from school and a trip to Cambridge and Springfield, Ohio. Cambridge, Dave’s hometown, has always had its share of quirks. My hometown is quirky, but because it’s slightly larger, they tend to stay hidden.…

Categories: The Girls, Travels

Oh Yeah

Posted on October 29, 2012

My birthday was October 13, and this year my children decided to give me a surprise visit. Dave was returning home from a business trip on the 12th, and I had an acupuncture appointment that afternoon and then knit night later that evening. He and the girls figured that they could slip in while I was out, do a bit of light cleaning, and surprise me. But that morning, my car decided to start with every single warning light on, so I decided to play it safe and hitched a ride with a friend. That afternoon, another friend drove me home, followed me out to the repair shop to drop off my car, and then dropped me home. And here’s where the wheels came…

Categories: Memories, The Girls

The Song Remains the Same

Posted on May 26, 2012

I hate saying good-bye. Dave and the Girls will tell you I get downright bitchy the day before they leave to go back to school. I can’t explain it … it just happens. Yesterday, we took a train to Lübeck, a town about 45 minutes north of Hamburg to give Shelby a break from playing tour guide. It was a cute and charming little town. Dave found some “sweet kicks,” I found a wonderful yarn shop, and Mom bought a few scarves since she only brought seven. Fun fact about Germany: Germans drink 40 gallons of beer a year. It’s cheaper than water. After all our travels, I can say we’ve put a small dent in the average amount. See you in America!

Categories: The Girls, Travels

The Waiting

Posted on May 25, 2012

Chances are if there’s a zoo in a 30 mile radius, the requests will begin. “Hamburg has a zoo, you know … We should visit the zoo … Maybe Thursday we can go to the zoo.” And so we did. I honestly thought this would have faded with time, this fascination with all things zoological. But then again, Jordan was the only one to correctly identify the sturgeon on the television last night, so I don’t think the animal love is going anywhere, anytime soon. So … I’ve never been to a zoo where you can buy bag of food to feed the elephants. Or where you can sit on a bench and have the muntjacs come up for a little handout. Or where…

Categories: The Girls, Travels

Zoo Station*

Posted on May 24, 2012

Part of the beauty of renting a flat for the week is having some place to bum around when you don’t want to walk another step. Some place to read quietly. Some place to goof off with your kids. Some place to cook dinner and share a family dinner. Some place to pretend you’re all sitting around your own living room cracking up over stupid shit. Some place to call home. * And I totally didn’t get Dave’s reference in Berlin that we could take the U2 to the zoo station … which is bad when you have insisted on naming your oldest child after Bono’s oldest child.

Categories: The Girls, Travels

Sooner or Later

Posted on May 22, 2012

On the recommendation of a friend, we visited Miniature Wunderland in the harbor area of Hamburg. Not knowing what to expect other than a shit load of trains, I gotta say it’s pretty impressive. And the attention to detail and the creativity blew me away. The funniest part? The German fascination to sex outdoors or nudity in general. But then again, that was half the fun … looking for the people “doing it.” That and the cows snorkeling. Off to Berlin today on the ICE. Should be fun but makes for a long day.

Categories: The Girls, Travels

You Are My Sunshine

Posted on April 15, 2012

They turned 21 today, two continents apart. We Skyped with both of them. Not much I can say about my daughters that I haven’t already said before: they are the reason I get up every day, they make me a better person, they bring a smile to my face. Basically, they are awesome. Here’s looking towards the day we can all sit down and legally enjoy  a beer . . . only 35 more days to go. Happy birthday, Jordan and Shelby! Here’s last year’s video for their 20th birthday.

Categories: The Girls