Mary Poppins

Yesterday I hopped on a plane and headed down South to spend the week watching my cousin's kids while he takes his wife to Hawaii for their 10th anniversary. The boys are 6 and 4 years old and super cute, how hard could a week of child-rearing be?

Famous. Last. Words.

I know, I probably jinxed myself. But it was practically a blizzard at home and I was high on the thought of vitamin D, and kids are my profession, so I figured it would be no big deal.

But I prepared ahead of time, thinking up lots of projects and ideas to keep them busy. My suitcase was 49.5 pounds of mostly craft supplies and I had visions of Mary Poppins dancing in my head as I traveled.

After some travel complications (I'm on an unlucky streak lately) I arrived later than planned, but the kids were excited. This morning started early when we drove to the airport, but overall, it's been a smooth day. Little boys love to talk about the toilet and have really short attention spans, so we have literally done a million things. It is going to be an interesting week. But so far, no tears or "I miss mom and dad." I was evil for a little while this evening because I made them clear their plates after dinner and then pick up all of the toys in the living room. But I told a few poop jokes afterward and won them back. Hopefully that continues to work. It should be an adventure.

Crazy Dog Lady

Puppy= small fortune and changed life.

When everyone I knew warned me about that, I genuinely meant it when I said, "I know." Oh how naive...

I drive a 1998 Chevy Cavalier with no heat and a cracked windshield. I have stubbornly decided that I will buy a new car when I can pay in cash. But I think if you added up the amount of money I've spent since November on vet visits, dog food, treats, puppy classes, puppy playtime, puppy accessories (a good dog bed is important), not to mention puppy itself, I think at this point I could have bought a stretch limo.

But I have a small garage and clearly a limo wouldn't fit, so obviously she is a better use of my hard earned dollars.

And despite the fact that my best friend thinks I'm INSANE, she's been worth every penny. Yesterday I took her to a school on a recruiting visit with me. I was a little bit worried because the day before, I'd had meetings all day so I left her at home and from the time I got home until bed, she was a monster. She followed me everywhere I went, biting my feet and getting in my way. She didn't want to play because every time I sat down, she just wanted to sit in my lap (or bite me). She cried constantly and refused to listen to anything I said (smart but stubborn is typical bulldog behavior but frustrating because I know she knows all of the commands I was attempting!). So I was worried about bringing her into a school. But she was a rockstar.

Not every dog can handle being surrounded by kids, 15 little hands grabbing at her at once, while other little kids aer throwing their arms around her neck. But she was in heaven. She wiggled and kissed and let everyone pet her and ooh and ahh over how cute she is. She sat quietly when she was supposed to and was friendly when I wanted her to be. She was perfect. And hopefully memorable enough to make kids go home and beg to go to camp! If this recruiting strategy works out, she will be well worth the limo- worth she cost.

But today I officially became a crazy dog lady. I have been on the edge for a while now, but today was the day. It's too bad, because I was a normal, well-adjusted person just a few months ago. It's amazing what a little dog can do to a person...

As I said, leaving Olivia home alone doesn't go well. I have a lot of meetings and a crazy schedule coming up and she just won't be able to come to my office every day. And so today was Olivia's first day of Puppy Daycare. On the days she can't come to work with me, she will spend her days playing with other dogs, napping in a suite (I was concerned that she would have to be in a kennel for nap time but they told me she could go in a suite since she's claustrophobic), and having fun. She will come home happy and tired and I won't have to worry about leaving her while I'm busy at work. Today was just a half day trial so she could get used to it and they could evaluate if she would be a good fit. 4 hours of fun.

However, after a short tour, it was time for me to leave her and I burst into tears. I talked so many crying camp parents through separation anxiety this summer, and I had said everything the daycare staff told me as they patted my shoulder and assured me she would be okay. But still, I walked out in tears and almost tuned around to get her once I left.

In the end, she was fine. She had a lot of fun and has been passed out since I brought her home. The staff told me all about her day and which dogs she played with (oddly enough she played most with a lab puppy named Guinness who she was friends with in Puppy Kindergarten). And everything went well. Now if I could go back to being a normal 26 year old and not a crazy dog lady, life would be perfect...

Whirlwind

It has been a whirlwind few weeks and I'm not out of it yet. Last week I flew out East to take part in a training for Operation Purple. It was a great opportunity to learn more about the program and I left feeling really excited. I am looking forward to sharing more as I am able to get some of the many tasks I need to do for it accomplished.

I've been home almost a full week since that trip, but I still haven't quite gotten back into the groove. There is so much to do in the office, my house is a mess and I have a puppy that did not do well with my absence and has been acting out like I've never seen. Ordinarily, she is stubborn and has her own ideas about what she is and isn't allowed to get away with. But since I got home, she has alternated between defiant and clingy, so I can't seem to get much done. We tested out of Puppy First Grade on Monday, but it was close. Luckily the teacher has seen her for weeks and knows she is smart and can do all of the commands like a rockstar. Unfortunately, I had just gotten home that weekend and Olivia was still ignoring me. It was rough.

I am leaving in a week for another trip, this time down South to spend some time with my cousin's kids. I am looking forward to spending my days playing with cute kids in the warm weather, although I am very nervous about the baby I am leaving behind. She is going to the breeder to be boarded this time. Last time, my roommates didn't get to sleep before 2 am because of an overtired colicky puppy. Even with my mom coming over two evenings to sit with her, I think she didn't get enough attention, so this will be better for her. I will still worry the whole time though.

Anyway, back to the to do list that is a full two pages long at this point. Summer is around the corner and I am starting to wonder how everything will come together by then...

Guess

Let's say all of the pipes in your dining hall froze and a plumber came out to give you an estimate on the damage; how much would you guess it would cost?

A few weeks ago, when I had a pipe freeze and break in my basement, my dad was able to rip out a wall, sauter the pipe back together, cover the pipe in insulated pipe covering, replace and re-tile the wall, for about $100. Labor was free of course, so I knew it would be higher than that. In fact, i expected it would be several thousand dollars because it's a big building.

But when the plumber called me today with a worst case scenario estimate of $96,000 I almost passed out.

$96,000.

Soak that number in.

That would be for a new boiler system, new hot water heaters, a new in-floor heating system and some other important pipe/plumbing things.

Luckily the building is insured up to $1 million so other than a $2500 deductible, we're covered.

Thank goodness.

When I dreamed of having this job, it included more camp songs, art projects and s'mores, and less time learning about plumbing, talking about insurance and dealing with "worst case scenario estimates." But I guess that's what keeps my days interesting. and I can't complain about that.

Cruisin' For Guys

Today I spent the day at the all-men's college looking for some guys. I was looking for some male staff for camp.

It took over two hours to get there and two hours home. I sat at a table for 3 hours and was ignored the entire time. My table even had candy and bright, happy photos. Nothing. I might as well have been wearing wall-paper colored clothing. Apparently it's too early for them to be thinking about summer jobs.

It was a huge waste of a day and I feel so stressed out. I have so much to do in my office, I could have used 7 hours to be productive. I will be at a training all week next week and have much to do to prepare. What an annoying day.

Early Birds

Today was the cut off for Early Bird registration. If families register early, they get $50 off the price of camp.

Last year, you only had to put a $100 deposit, and the deadline was December 31. Also, our brochures weren't printed and mailed out until March, so overall I thought the whole thing was not well planned.

So this year I changed it. They had to pay in full, the deadline was far past Christmas (although still early) and the brochure were mailed out a week before the deadline. I was a little worried that with the economy how it is, paying in full would be a struggle.

But this morning we were at 99 registrations (a full 50 more than last year!) and 3 people who were are still dealing with, but will probably end up as Early Birds once we get their stuff worked out.

I couldn't be more thrilled. I think this is a promising start to the 2009 camping season.

Date #3

Date #3 was fine, neutral, kind of a non-event actually.

I had been really excited about seeing this guy because the second date went so well, so yesterday we met at the art museum.

I don't know if he was having a bad day, or not into the museum, or maybe he wasn't in to me, but the spark from before didn't seem to be there.

It was a pleasant afternoon. He was still nice, still funny, and it was a chill way to spend time with someone. But in a day filled with bright colors, it was a relatively colorless date.

If I hear from him in the next few days, that will be cool. If not, that's cool too. I have a pretty big personality, I know that. And I also know that it takes a special kind of person to not be overwhelmed by me. I would like to find the guy who will embrace me for every part of who I am. If that is him, cool. If not, my life rocks, so I can be patient until he arrives.