Leaving Again...

Okay...since Cape Cod, I went back to work for two weeks teaching a summer school program, practically full-time...but alas, today was my last day! The staff there, people I hardly knew at all, pitched in and presented me with all kinds of books and goodies for the baby...very very sweet and unexpected after a quick two weeks. I was honestly "touched."
It seems like every day after working, I was running around trying to get things done, whether it was stuff around the house, or more often, baby-related stuff. I met Jill to do some additional registering at Babies R Us after Trav and I had made an attempt on our own and were all confused in the first aisle we walked down with the scanner when we realized that there's actually "sizes" on pacifiers...who knew!! That was but the beginning of our adventure. I knew that once Travis had strapped himself into the demo back seat of a car in the carseat aisle that he was just about done being there. It didn't help our decision making either that the stock was limited/low. There were empty shelves and whole sections of wall...We thought that we'd want to pick what was supposed to be there since everyone else must have bought up all the good stuff, but now I think it's likely more related to recall items given the propensity for such in the baby business.
Aside from general registering has been an ongoing furniture search...Me being who I am, I have managed to make the process nearly impossible...At first I was looking for good, quality furniture, then I decided I didn't want the changing table/dresser "combo" because they have a cabinet on the side rather than just drawers, then I thought why contribute to more consumerism than I need to and buy from craigslist or something, then I realized that I really don't want someone else's child's teethmarks on my child's crib, nor do I want to have to drive all around the state scoping out other people's furniture, then I met Becky to check out a couple furniture places and taught her how to "smell the drawers" because I find that most dressers (that are not just plain old good ol' fashioned wood) have a chemically smell to them...yuck...and we got lectured by a man who apparently didn't believe me that I wasn't thrilled with his "best" furniture line and tried to convince me that I really liked it...thank goodness Becky is a little more assertive than I and told him we needed to go...
Then I went to a Raymour and Flanagan whose main product line is the same as the other guy's, BUT, I actually didn't mind one of the dressers...I educated my salesperson about children's furniture the best I could (he's only been there a couple of months) and he proceeded to share his life-story with me...ugh! But, he meant well, he just wasn't very helpful...it's a good thing I'm so smart!
Groceries were neglected this week, so was the house, more or less, and the dog, though he had some good ball time down at the park both Thursday and Friday...My feet too have been on the neglected side as I have finally come to terms with the fact that flip flops are not the most supportive shoe for walking up and down the hill to the park everyday AND up and down the long hallways at school everyday, particularly when lugging an extra 15-20 pounds of body mass. Today's after school mission was to hit DSW for a new pair of comfy shoes but I was unsuccessful...my feet just don't want shoes on, that's all there is to it. They would prefer no shoes and no walking...My Keen shoes are comfy, but I can only get them on in the morning and there's no putting them on after I've taken them off...I'm not sure what I'll do, Crocs actually crossed my mind since they are good and wide and soft...(but ugly to me not to mention that my husband is actively anti-Croc with his special anti-croc t-shirt--everybody needs a cause I guess;) Maybe this week I'll find shoes while at the Jersey shore...Perhaps I'll get back in some Birkenstocks...but not the standard look I had in the past...I'm thinking a more femininish pair...we'll have to see...
Which leads me to my tomorrow departure for Beach Haven, NJ...a tacky little beach town on Long Beach Island (LBI)...it' where my family went when we were kids and where my dad went when he was a kid so there's good family history there:) It's also where I had my second date with Travis when I was hit in the face with an orange! I met Travis for the first time the night before I left for Beach Haven 7 years ago (which also means my dad has been cancer free for 7 years, knock knock on wood!) Hows' that for stream of consciousness and connections...I'm looking forward to being there, though it's already 10pm on Friday and I'm exhausted, hardly packed and the house is a mess...I guess I finish everything in the morning, and whatever I don't finish, Travis will since he won't be joining us until mid-week...or else it will get done another time, and that's all good...Be back in a week!