Nephew in Motion

Yeah, I'm waaaaaay behind on blogging, it's been a month! How does that happen? Oh well. Here's some videos of my adorable nephew in action.

First, bathtime at Oma's. That's Oma's voice in the background, trying to get him to smile. Eventually, he loses interest in the aunt behind the camera and shares his cute grin.

And after his bath, showing off his funky army crawl... notice he propels himself mostly with his left arm and right, but his left leg is also constantly in motion. He really really wanted to get his hands on his dad's flip flop so he could try to eat it (of course,) so we kept throwing it across the room so we could watch him crawl.


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If you're reading this on Facebook, you'll want to check out the original post at: http://rebeccasmiscellanies.blogspot.com/2009/07/nephew-in-motion.html to see the videos.

Happy 4th!

Best 4th so far: watched fireworks on the deck of the USS Midway, an aircraft carrier museum in San Diego. Definitely on my "things to do again" list.























This is me with my friend Rebecca checking out some of the museum's aircraft before dark. This was a helicopter that was involved in the recovery of several Apollo Missions.

























Yes, actually, I thought it was funny to sit IN the airplane's engine for a photo. Even better? Nobody stopped me.





























"... and the rocket's red glare,
the bombs bursting in air,
gave proof through the night
that our flag was still there."

Happy Birthday, United States!

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Originally posted at: http://rebeccasmiscellanies.blogspot.com/

Charlie is 6 months old

Thought I'd share a photo of my nephew from last week. He is 6 1/2 months old (already!?) He is very generous with his cute smile when he's around people he knows, but cries sometimes when faced with a room full of unfamiliar faces. (Don't worry, little guy, I sometimes feel like that, too!)

This one was taken while he was hanging out in the ExerS*ucer - bet you can't tell he just LOVES that!!

Charlie ~ June 20, 2009

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Originally posted at: http://rebeccasmiscellanies.blogspot.com/

The longest day of the year

Monday was the first day of summer and the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. Yesterday, the sun went behind the hills a few minutes before 8:00 pm here in San Diego. As I looked out the window and enjoyed the view for a moment, I was remember the longest day of the year during a summer that I think was 10 years ago. Maybe 11.*

I lived in Michigan then, and it was my second summer there. I still consider it a great injustice that I survived five very cold, snowy and long Winters followed by five still-cold, mushy, gray Springs in Michigan before I experienced my first glorious, green, amazing Summer there. Ah, summer. But back to the real story.

One of the glorious things about summer is that daylight just lasts forever. Seriously. Sunsets around 9:30 pm were something I had never before experienced, and it was just awesome. I guess it's a perk received as you go farther north, that one gets more daylight hours in summer in trade for a shorter warm season. Did I mention the five long, cold winters?

So that summer, I decided that the only suitable way to mark the official start of summer and the longest day of the year was to drive out to the beach, put my toes in the sand and watch the sunset. With friends. And wine. Really, it was wonderful. So wonderful that I imagined I would make it a tradition and do it every year.

Somehow, it did not become a tradition. If I did it again once or twice, I don't at all remember it. I live about the same distance from a beach now as I did then, and I haven't done this once since relocating to California six years ago. Maybe the magic is lessened by six years of nearly perpetual summer and no snow, but I think it's just forgetfulness because I still think that sunsets are the greatest show on earth.

So magical, that I often fail to notice them, despite the view from the beautiful place I call home. Here's a little piece of magic from tonight.


* Correction: the official scrapbook has been checked, and this was actually only 8 years ago, in 2001.
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Originally posted at: http://rebeccasmiscellanies.blogspot.com/

Frequent Flyer

Recently I realized that it's been more than a year since I've been on an airplane. This is rather unusual for me. I love traveling and usually find myself compelled to get out of town at least a couple times a year. I guess I've been sort of distracted by a little thing called grad school.

However, that being the case, I have some flexibility this summer and I blocked out two full weeks for a vacation in August. In January, I plan to be back to work full-time, so for at least a short while after that, I will have less flexibility (read: vacation time) and I therefore decided there's no time like the present.

So I bought plane tickets.

And then I panicked.

What on earth am I doing spending hundreds of dollars on plane tickets on my budget? Am I crazy?

In a conversation with a friend, I told her I was having buyer's remorse over my non-refundable purchase. Being the good friend she is, she talked me out of it. The regret, that is. I had already explained to her that my plans included traveling to three states to visit family and good friends. She pointed out that by choosing to spend my money to invest in people and relationships, I was investing in something good.

With that... a weight lifted, and the vacation planning fun begins. :)
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Originally posted at: http://rebeccasmiscellanies.blogspot.com/