Meeting Jane Dark
Well, we're here. The trip went amazingly well. There was hardly any traffic, and even though we got a late start we made it here before the kids' bedtime.
Baby E cried very little in the car, and the older girls did fabulously. They read to themselves for most of the trip, happily discussing their books and eating snacks.
Baby E was thrilled that I was sitting next to her. She kept pointing out things in the scenery that she wanted me to see, which was very cute. All three girls got very excited every time we went through a tunnel.
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Baby E was a little more tired and clingy than normal this morning, but by halfway through the afternoon she was almost back to her normal self. After she took her second nap in the car, she woke up positively happy and energetic.
Actually, she acted pretty normal for the most part all day. It will be nice when I can stop overanalyzing her every mood and expression, worrying about when her next bad spell will happen. I didn't used to be such a paranoid, uptight mother.
The highlight of the trip up was that we got to meet Jane Dark. It was far too short, but it was really fun to see her in person. It was my first real blogger meet-up.
She didn't look at all the way I had pictured her. I somehow expected a blogger with the pseudonym Jane Dark to be . . . well, you know . . . dark. I pictured her as tall, dark-haired and somewhat imposing. In reality she was much tinier, fairer and younger than I'd imagined her--and I didn't find her intimidating at all.
I liked her very much. Even though we only had a few minutes, I found her gracious, friendly and enjoyable to talk to. She seems like a person I'd enjoy hanging out with--someone we'd want to invite to visit our home if we lived close enough, or that I'd go to a fun event with.
I'm not sure if she felt the same way about us. We talked very unintelligently about British literature (even though DH and I both love reading and discussing books of all kinds), our kids, and not much else. The kids were so excited about the labyrinth in the little garden at her church that they barely said a word to her.
It was very short and felt rushed and a bit disjointed. We had to get back on the road pretty quickly. But as we left I found myself smiling at the way Jane Dark's eyes lit up when she mentioned that she enjoyed attending operas, concerts and plays. Since I love all those things, too, it made me feel somehow connected to her.
After we got back on the freeway, DH musingly said, "I wonder if she ever gets down to [town somewhat south of Jane Dark's home city where BIL and SIL live and we visit frequently]. BIL and SIL would like her, too."
It would sure be fun to have her down for a game of Settlers of Catan when we're visiting there sometime.
The kids were ecstatic when we arrived at the hotel. They ran around squealing and exclaiming at everything in the room. AJ kept saying, "This place is wonderful" and M&M couldn't get over the fact that she and AJ were going to get to share "a BIG bed!"
We just finished listening to AJ read us all a story about cats, and now DH is reading a chapter from Bedtime Bible Stories to the kids . . . it goes through most of the stories in the Bible, in laguage written for kids. I'm not sure Absolom is the best going-to-bed material, but at least it's written for kids and skips some of the most graphic parts.
Baby E cried very little in the car, and the older girls did fabulously. They read to themselves for most of the trip, happily discussing their books and eating snacks.
Baby E was thrilled that I was sitting next to her. She kept pointing out things in the scenery that she wanted me to see, which was very cute. All three girls got very excited every time we went through a tunnel.
#############################
Baby E was a little more tired and clingy than normal this morning, but by halfway through the afternoon she was almost back to her normal self. After she took her second nap in the car, she woke up positively happy and energetic.
Actually, she acted pretty normal for the most part all day. It will be nice when I can stop overanalyzing her every mood and expression, worrying about when her next bad spell will happen. I didn't used to be such a paranoid, uptight mother.
The highlight of the trip up was that we got to meet Jane Dark. It was far too short, but it was really fun to see her in person. It was my first real blogger meet-up.
She didn't look at all the way I had pictured her. I somehow expected a blogger with the pseudonym Jane Dark to be . . . well, you know . . . dark. I pictured her as tall, dark-haired and somewhat imposing. In reality she was much tinier, fairer and younger than I'd imagined her--and I didn't find her intimidating at all.
I liked her very much. Even though we only had a few minutes, I found her gracious, friendly and enjoyable to talk to. She seems like a person I'd enjoy hanging out with--someone we'd want to invite to visit our home if we lived close enough, or that I'd go to a fun event with.
I'm not sure if she felt the same way about us. We talked very unintelligently about British literature (even though DH and I both love reading and discussing books of all kinds), our kids, and not much else. The kids were so excited about the labyrinth in the little garden at her church that they barely said a word to her.
It was very short and felt rushed and a bit disjointed. We had to get back on the road pretty quickly. But as we left I found myself smiling at the way Jane Dark's eyes lit up when she mentioned that she enjoyed attending operas, concerts and plays. Since I love all those things, too, it made me feel somehow connected to her.
After we got back on the freeway, DH musingly said, "I wonder if she ever gets down to [town somewhat south of Jane Dark's home city where BIL and SIL live and we visit frequently]. BIL and SIL would like her, too."
It would sure be fun to have her down for a game of Settlers of Catan when we're visiting there sometime.
The kids were ecstatic when we arrived at the hotel. They ran around squealing and exclaiming at everything in the room. AJ kept saying, "This place is wonderful" and M&M couldn't get over the fact that she and AJ were going to get to share "a BIG bed!"
We just finished listening to AJ read us all a story about cats, and now DH is reading a chapter from Bedtime Bible Stories to the kids . . . it goes through most of the stories in the Bible, in laguage written for kids. I'm not sure Absolom is the best going-to-bed material, but at least it's written for kids and skips some of the most graphic parts.
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Posted by purple_kangaroo at 7:26 PM[Permanent link]
4 Comments:
Sounds like a wonderful blogger meet-up.
Oh, heavens, P_K, like you, I was only sorry we had less time!
And as to talking unintelligently about British lit, the only way that one can do that (in my definition) is to go on and on about crazy abstract theory. Talking about what you like (which we did) is entirely intelligent, in my book.
It was a fabulous 30 minutes; and gave me enough tranquility to get my proposal where I needed it to be. So in my eyes, your visit was a great gift.
Thank you.
CCW, it was! You're another person I'd love to meet up with, but I don't think you're as conveniently located.
Jane Dark, I'm glad our visit helped clear your mind. I hope we can meet up again soon!
BTW, if we had enough notice it's conceivable we might be able to attend an event in your city. That Donne event sure sounds like fun!
P_K, assuming that it happens again this year (I think it will), I will certainly let you know! It's in late January/early February...
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