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Garden Show
For someone who is trying really hard not to work, I sure do a bad job. I don’t know what my problem is. I guess I just have a problem saying “no” and of course there’s always the money issue. It’s hard for me to say “no” to a quick buck when my checking account is gasping for funds. The thing is, I’m a full-time mom and working doesn’t exactly fit into my schedule.
So when the Big Local Mall called me up to photograph their Garden Show again, I called up my mom and lined her up as babysitter. Then my sister-in-law decided to come too and brought along my niece, SuperChic. Before I knew it, the quick photo job had turned into another family extravaganza. The more the merrier, right?
Almost. Things were not going very merrily this morning. I’m always such a stress case whenever I have to be somewhere at a certain time. I hate being late and I hate leaving my house in a royal mess. But it’s kinda hard when you have family in the mix and they need to have their bedding and suitcases and miscellaneous stuff all over. I did my best to be Ms. Hospitality and Ms. Neat-nick at the same time but I think I came off as Ms. Chicken-with-her-head-cut-off instead.
Sigh….
I had to be at the mall at 9 am and pick up a camera at 8 am. Nothing went smoothly. I think that’s just the nature of being a mom and trying to juggle too many things at once. We managed to get out the door at a decent hour but then I took a wrong turn on the wrong boulevard and ended up smack in middle of morning traffic. I wanted to bang my head on the steering wheel. IF ONLY I had taken a different turn we would be sailing to our destination with time to spare. BUT NO… we had to stop at every light and miss every green arrow we came across. I was chewing the stitching off my steering wheel by the time we actually got to the coffee shop where I would meet a friend and pick up the camera. Did I say I hate being late? I really wish I could just learn to chill sometimes.
Thankfully, the camera loaning friend was super cool and he didn’t mind waiting around reading his paper and drinking his coffee for fifteen minutes while I sat in traffic melting bumpers off with my laser eyes of anger. We even had a few minutes to get our own coffee and a quick overview of the many camera functions. It turns out my friend’s camera is ten times better than my old camera and he even taught me a few new tricks.
We made it to the Big Mall with plenty of time to spare and the rest of the day went remarkably smooth. The camera didn’t break and I managed to get all the shots they requested. Plus, the photos didn’t even turn out half bad. I usually come away with a dozen photos that need to be re-shot because they are blurry or something but this time almost every single picture turned out. This just goes to show you that yes, I need to learn to chill. Why do I always get so uptight when everything usually works out in the end? I don’t know. It’s just the way I’m wired.
Baby Bug had a great time tagging along with her cousin and my mom and sister-in-law seemed to really enjoy the Garden Show. I made some money and learned a few photography tricks. Not bad for a day’s work. But still…even after all that good, I think I need to say “no” next time. I’m just not cut out for the pressure I put myself under.
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SAJ’s side of the Great Metal Detector Story
How can I possibly top Whoorl’s story? This morning I was busting at the seams to tell all about our fun adventure with the metal detectors… but then Whoorl went and made it a three part series with suspense and plot twists and sad parts that actually brought her readers to tears! Phooey! I can’t beat that.
I’ll just boggle you with the cuteness that is Baby Bug… and Wito instead! I’d post more pictures of Wito but I shared all my photos with Whoorl and I think she’s going to post all the cute collander pictures tomorrow. They are SO CUTE! Have you seen Wito’s toes?
When Wito and Baby Bug sit together, I suddenly start worrying about the size of Baby Bug’s head. She’s so little compared to him! And her head! Well, it’s big enough to house her giant brain, I guess. Poor kid. One of these days she’ll grow into her head.
So you wanna hear about the sunburn. I should have taken pictures but today was a day. As in A Day. As in it ran me over and spit me out so fast I couldn’t even pick up the camera. So I have no pictures. But believe me, the sunburn is stinging this very minute. I think my skin cells are rioting. The cells on my left shoulder are planning on looting the skin cells on the right and the cells on my forehead are throwing tomatoes. It’s just craziness. I might start molting soon.
What was I thinking going down to the beach without any sun block? Well, I wasn’t thinking obviously. I tan really easily. I’m olive skinned with a sixteenth of Native American thrown in. I rarely bother with sun block. I know this is terrible but I hate stuff on my skin. Lotion makes my skin feel like it’s trying to breath through a ziplock bag. I’m weird. I don’t wear make up (Not even lip gloss! And Whoorl is still my friend!). I do put lotion on my legs and feet but no where else. Can’t stand the stuff.
This is usually not a problem because I never go out in the sun to specifically “bake”. I take my walks in early morning or late afternoon. I think I’ve been sunburned maybe about five times in my whole entire life. So I figured a quick jaunt to the beach with Whoorl for maybe an hour or two would be fine. Just some chatting and a little fun in the sun for the beach babes. Not SIX hours with lots of trips back and forth up and down the hill. But you do what you gotta do right?
A girlfriend has to look out for her friend’s best interests. And if that means combing the sand with your fingers, looking for a shiny ring, then that’s what you do. And when your girlfriend pulls herself up by her bootstraps, wipes off the tears from her dry chapped cheeks and tells you she’s going to buy a metal detector and it’s going to be fun, then you better smile from ear to ear and make it the best adventure ever.
I know you are all sick of the lovey-dovey I-have-the-best-mom-friend-in-the-world business but I’m so proud of Whoorl. When somebody makes the best out of a situation like that and you find yourselves actually laughing and enjoying yourself, then you know you’re hanging out with someone with character. It really is true that you can tell a lot about a person by how they react under stress.
I’m only bummed that she found the silly ring in the first ten minutes she started looking for it. I missed the great find and the victory dance that followed. I almost wanted her to throw it in the sand again so we could find it again.
