In an on-going effort to eat healthy, save money, lose weight, etc, etc, etc, Jay has been making our lunches every day.

Making lunch is one of those tasks that I absolutely despise, second to emptying the dishwasher. I have no trouble loading the dishwasher, I actually like that, it feels like an accomplishment. Jay likes unloading and not loading. It is the simple things in life that make a marriage. This should be a question on Match.com

I digress.

Jay makes our lunches and aesthetically places them in little snack size tupperwares (actually, they are Snapware, made in USA, but calling it anything else is like saying facial tissue or cotton swab) for us to enjoy throughout the day. Each snack is attractive and perfect and yummy. When I make lunch I throw whatever left overs I have in a mismatched tupperware and throw it in a bag, regretfully assuming my children will be mocked for their sad lunch.

Nope, not Jay. Jay makes perfect lunches as evidenced by yesterday’s lunch.

Notice the corner to corner cut and the fresh greens I specially requested and that he delivered? When I made sandwiches when we first got married, I would draw hearts inside with the mustard. Now, I have 2 kids and a job and skating and soccer. Now, he would be lucky to get mustard. (Yes, I recognize that he has those same kids and a job and….)

Today’s lunch followed the same trend, but with an extra large serving of blackberries. I was in heaven and hungry when I arrived this morning so I dove right into the blackberries. They were huge and juicy. I snacked on them all morning, through 3 conference calls and a number of emails. I sat here at my desk all morning, snacking away on blackberries.

I just got back to my desk and rolled my chair out from underneath it. The carpet is coated in blackberry. The carpet is not a loud casino carpet either to hide the stains…I have 2 very large, very prominent stains right at my feet. So while I was sitting here, smacking my lips on tart blackberries, I was apparently also smooshing an escapee into the rug with my shoes.

I am not even capable of eating pretty lunches.

And, I am wearing the same pants I did during the Starbucks incident.

And water is not lifting the deep red blotches from the carpet.

I wonder if a nice area rug would look weird in an office. Under a wood desk. That nobody but me would see.

Pappou arrived for his first visit since we moved back.

I booked it back in May, it was part of his birthday present. When I booked it, I did so with mild trepidation: worried I was making an 86 year old man get on a plane and come visit his crazy family, worried that the house would not be clean or chaotic-less enough for him, worried that he would have fun, etc, etc, etc. I booked it anyway, making the return flight for as many days out as possible. I wanted him to enjoy his time and not be stressed about getting home. He shocked me with being ok with an almost 2 week trip.

On the days leading up to the trip, I could tell how excited he was, packing early, getting ready, getting to the airport hours before his flight left. A few hiccups with the flight because of very bad weather but he arrived in one piece and in a great mood.

That great mood has continued. He has gone to hockey and soccer practices and cheered Thane and Mara on. The kids wake him up in the morning and give good night hugs. Thane asked if he could stay for 5 years. We have had dinner with friends (He made us chili and rice pudding too), with friends repeating the sentiment of wishing he could stay in Nashville.

For Father’s Day, we all hopped in the mini-van, popped in a video and drove to Louisville aka a quick stop from the casino in Indiana. I got to have one of my first grown up adventures with Pappou. While Jay stayed back with the kids at the hotel, Pappou and I hit the Horseshoe Casino…and stayed until after midnight! We went again the next day, too, before heading home and to swim lessons.

Pappou, so far, is having a ball. He has been sad about GiaGia, yes, but I am sure it is nice for him to have us around to grieve with. We talk about her every day together, and it is nice to have him to share our thoughts with as well. On a related note, he is eating really well, we have gone to a few restaurants and breweries that he has enjoyed too. The kids love having Pappou here, Mara even got into his bed last night and did not want to go to her own room to sleep.

It has been wonderful to have him a part of our daily life here in Nashville. He has said how welcoming we have been, how comfortable we have made him. He agrees that we made the right choice coming back, seeing all we can do for the kids and the friends and support that surround us. It is so good to have him here and he is already talking about when he is coming back.

Love you Pappou! So glad to have you here!

Oh, and as a note. The house is clean, the kids love their Pappou, and he loves being with his family. Now what was I worried about???

When Thane started skating, he always, regardless of age, got “suited up” for hockey. He would be 2 years old and out in full gear taking skating lessons…helmet, gloves, shoulder pads, sometimes even a jock. Taking skating lessons was something even more special than the lessons. When he got out on the ice, in his full ensemble, he WAS a hockey player.

Mara has been different. She pretty much wears whatever she was wearing that day, with the exception of now where we add pants or a jacket for the colder rink. Mara loves skating, but lately we have seen her a little less interested in the whole process.

Then a couple of lessons ago, I forgot a jacket for her so I through her into one of Thane’s hockey jerseys. It dwarfed her. She loved it though and paraded around until she got out on the ice.

If you know Mara, you know she is quite the diva. Everything is a bracelet or a necklace (once to the point of danger) and she loves to dress up. We decided skating needed to become a production…

Voila! Ladybug Ice Princess made her debut!

She loved the outfit. The scrunchie that came with it was home, she had walked around with that for 3 days. I convinced her later to put on a tshirt to keep her warm.

She was happy to twirl and show everyone her pretty figure skater costume. At one point, she even wandered out of the ice area and found her teacher, much to mom and dad’s paranoia and frantic looking.

There was no hesitation when it was time to skate. She raced out on to the ice and skated quickly to her class. The lighter costume made her a much faster skater. I think a figure skater was born today.

She put on quite the performance during her lesson.

Then she peed on the ice.