The Coolest Baby in the World

My best friend Eliza Joy (EJ, Eej, Queen Ejifa, Squirt) is having a BABY!!! She and Russell just found out that it's going to be a GIRL!!! The little schnookum is currently the size of a banana... how cool! Knowing Eliza Joy and Russell, Eliza Joy's first few months of nausea were probably caused by the baby banana doing back handsprings to keep herself entertained. I realize this isn't likely at two months, but with these two adventure-seekers, I wouldn't be surprised. I couldn't be happier for them - she will be one of the most loved babies in the entire world. And I'm so excited to be an honorary aunt! I haven't officially been given that title, but I think (hope) it's safe to assume. Aunt Jax? Aunt Jaclyn? Aunt Jacifa? I'll let Eliza Joy decide. Look out friends... October is going to bring you a baby that will make history.

Chances are she will be...

A Monster Athlete

A Karaoke Star

A Complete Cheese for the Camera

Beautiful

A loyal, thoughful, and loving friend

Spontaneous, goofy, and willing to look a little bit foolish once in a while

Congratulations to two of my most favorite people! I can't wait to meet the little chiquita banana! Love you guys!

Today We Salute You, Mama Lauer

Happy Birthday to the Greatest Mom EVER! And here are a few reasons why…

~She can stay on a pogo-stick for a longer amount of time than anyone of any age.

~She used to make my best friend EJ wear clip-on earrings to every dance before she got her ears pierced… they clearly came off before EJ stepped foot into the dance, but she was always a good friend and humored Mom until we got in the car and waved goodbye.

~When me and my friend Maggie suffered the most humiliating moment of our teenage lives (upperclassmen finding our “monkey book” that shared every secret, every deep and shallow thought… and we busted into the classroom to find them reading it aloud to a math class filled with boys all mentioned in the book… oh, I still turn red thinking about it), Mom started a fire in our fireplace and helped us to burn every page of the book.

~She has volunteered for about 75 committees and always finds a way to improve them.

~She started playing tennis in her forties… and she could definitely whoop me on the tennis courts.

~She busted her heel on a kitchen cabinet while showing me and EJ that she could still do a cartwheel.

~She can accessorize any outfit with a piece of jewelry, wrap, or hair piece.

~Her favorite store may or may not be Big Lots. She put Big Lots undies in our stockings as a joke one year. I think it was a joke….

~She taught us the words to “The Littlest Worm” and allowed us to sing it over and over again on long car rides. I hope my kids don’t do that.

~She is the most thoughtful person I know.

~She could turn a run-down shack into a home featured in Good Housekeeping. Best decorating skills ever.

~She let me move to Texas, even though it is way, way, way too far away.

~She loves red wine, and her favorite bottle costs $8.99. Hello, Yellowtail Shiraz. Yum.

~She and my Aunt Lori laugh so hard together that it makes me so glad I have sisters.

~She is the best listener and gives the most sound advice.

And I could be super cheesy and list all of the reasons why she is the best Mom a girl could ask for… but to sum it up, my best friend Tara wrote a song about her in college. Yes, Mama Lauer has got it goin’ on. P.S. Tara, do you remember writing this?!

Jaclyn’s mom has got it goin’ on
Jaclyn’s mom has got it goin’ on
Jaclyn’s mom has got it goin’ on
Jaclyn’s mom has got it goin’ on

Off to Jaclyn’s house to get away from school (away from school)
We’ll go out in C’ville maybe act a fool (act a fool)
Hope your mom is home from her tennis match (tennis match)
Mr. Lauer’s lucky ‘cause his wife’s a catch (his wife’s a catch)

You know I love it when your mom makes cheesy eggs for me
She’s just so hip and sassy now, people can’t you see?

Jaclyn’s mom has got it goin’ on
She’s all I wanna be when I am that young
Jaclyn can’t you see, I’m so glad you’re friends with me
That’s why I wrote this song, Mama Lauer you are totally the bomb

Jaclyn’s mom has got it goin’ on
Jaclyn’s mom has got it goin’ on

Jaclyn, do you remember when we played ‘what-if’? (played ‘what-if’)
Your mom’s great answers made me laugh in a jif (laugh in a jif)
I’m sad I missed her dance to the song ‘my humps’ (song ‘my humps’)
But love that she won’t take no crap from any crazy chumps (crazy chumps)

You know she was so kind when I got my mullet
So I didn’t return to Master Cuts with a bullet

Jaclyn’s mom has got it goin’ on
She’s all I wanna be when I am that young
Jaclyn can’t you see, I’m so glad you’re friends with me
That’s why I wrote this song, Mama Lauer you are totally the bomb

Happy Birthday, Mom! I love you!!!

Jailhouse Rock

As Activities Director, I am responsible for delivering the mail to residents and I have always enjoyed this part of my job for several reasons. First off, it reminds me of how sweet it is to receive a handwritten letter and how exciting it is to get "real mail". Ever since I started working in the nursing home and seeing how much they light up over a letter, I've made a promise to myself that I will continue to write letters to people, especially ones in that type of situation. Also, I usually read over half of the mail out loud to residents who have trouble reading and I get to share messages of new babies, long-awaited retirements, progress on their rose gardens, etc.... once in a while I'll have to read a letter written by a Debbie Downer which shares every single detail about every single illness in the family, but for the most part they're letters filled with words of encouragement.

Like I said, I have loved delivering mail to residents... until today.

I had a letter addressed to one of my ladies and written on the envelope in all caps was "PLEASE READ TO MY MOM. SHE HAS TROUBLE SEEING." Okay then. So I make my way to her room and as always, I excitedly say, "You've got MAIL!" I offered to read it to her and she was happy to let me. I opened the letter and it went something like this.....

"Hi Mother, I hope you are doing alright. Well, I'm in jail right now. (Imagine my horror as I read this out loud, scared to look up and see my resident's reaction...) Don't worry, I'm okay. I am going to get a court-appointed lawyer. But I need money. I couldn't remember Chris's address, but I remembered yours :) (Wow, how sweet that you remembered your mother's address at the nursing home so you could write her from JAIL.) So please tell Chris to send me money. I have really bad allergies, but I have a doctor's appointment soon. Hopefully I'm out by then. How is Mike? Tell Chris to tell Mike to cough up some money too :) (Again, is a smiley face appropriate anywhere in this letter?) Mom, get some good therapy so that you can return home. Keep me in your prayers. Love, Your Daughter"

I have never wished dementia on someone before today. She understood every word of the letter. Surprisingly enough, she didn't seem shocked by the news. I'm guessing this isn't a first... but it was for me.

You're the lucky one, so I've been told

A couple months ago, I shared with you all that I was going to learn how to crochet. It was one of the goals I set for myself after reading "A Million Miles in a Thousand Years". I purchased the spool of yarn and a few crocheting needles, but haven't touched them since. Shame on me, I know. But I have a new goal and I'm actually keeping up with it! I am learning sign language. Sounds random, but it's actually something I've always wanted to learn. I never really had reason to, but after we had a husband and wife who have been deaf since they were born become residents at our facility, I decided it was time. This type of language barrier is one I have not faced before. Obviously I work with people who are hard of hearing, but none that have been deaf their entire lives. I also work with those that are non-verbal but they tend to be on the lower-functioning side of the spectrum, but the wife is very alert and wishes to actively participate. After their first week at the facility, I knew that I wanted to be able to converse with them, and not by writing on a dry erase board every time I needed to communicate. To make a long story short, I've grown very close to the lady who we will name"Annie". She has an incredible sense of humor and is so appreciative of being included in the activities offered. I am slowly learning sign language from her. My goal is five words a day. I think I've only got about 14 memorized. It's so hard to form a sentence while signing to her, and she signs so fast that I can't keep up. I have gotten the chance to chat with her daughter a few times and I couldn't help but think how hard of a life she must have had with two deaf parents. They had three children, all without a hearing impairment. I can't imagine being raised by two deaf parents. We had a care plan meeting with her daughter to discuss her parents' progress, care, concerns, etc... and in the care plan, the daughter thanked me for including her Mom in activities and that her Mom always told her I came to get her from her room that day to "play". Love it. I told the daughter that spending time with her Mom was my favorite part of the day and she went on to say, "It's my favorite part of the day too. My parents really are incredible people, and you'll find out that deaf people really do have a culture of their own. I am so lucky." Yes, awkward to cry in a care plan, but no one ever said I wasn't awkward. It just blew me away. I felt sorry for her, and she feels lucky. Talk about gaining perspective. "Annie" told her daughter yesterday that I make her feel like a kid again. I think that's a good thing. Anyways, I know this post is a bit more serious than the rest and I promise to keep these to a minimum, but I just wanted to share. I'm outta here!

Home Sweet Home: Part Two

The pictures have been posted! I can now provide you with a visual of one of the most glorious weekends of my life. Sounds like an exaggeration, but it really was so good to be home and with my family and friends. And here are a few of the reasons why the weekend was so memorable... We had a good time catching up and sharing stories Thursday night at Nicole's house... Deirdre and I stayed up talking once we got ready for bed when it dawned on me that we had been discussing the storylines of shows and lives of TV characters for a solid 45 minutes as if they were our friends. This should embarrass me, but it is so me and Deirdre, that I just think it's hysterical.


We woke up in the morning feeling like P-Diddy and started off our morning with a trip to see Nana and Uncle Jerry in Alexandria! Nana was so sweet to have breakfast ready when we got there even though it was so early... french toast, yum! Nana told me that she enjoys my blog and it sounds like I am eating and drinking my way through Texas - haha, she's totally right. I better write more about my adventures outside of restaurants and bars. After spending time at Nana's, we jumped in the car and were on our way to good ole' Charlottesville! Mom greeted us in the driveway by giving a big hug and kiss, Lilly (our crazy little fur-ball) greeted us in the driveway by peeing with excitement. Some things never change. We were on our way to Sam's Club to prepare for the big weekend at the Lauer house. As to be expected, the shopping trip was pretty uneventful except for Deirdre running into Nicole's heel with the grocery cart, bringing me back to moments of terror as a child when I accidentally did that to my Mom. It really is one of the most surprisingly painful things in the world. We headed home and got to work... preparing fruit trays, slicing veggies, whipping up red lobster cheese biscuits (I had a hard time eating these knowing what went in them.... well, I had a hard time eating more than two... eh, three), stocking the coolers... we were quite the team with Mom as our captain. After we had finished all the prep work, Dad returned home from work! It was so much fun being with the whole fam. We spent the rest of the night relaxing, grilling out, drinking wine... I was even able to sneak away for a couple hours to meet my good friends Vail and Elizabeth at Arches, our favorite high school hot spot, for frozen yogurt. Such a treat to see them... and to enjoy Arches! Fast forward to Saturday morning...
It's hard for me to write about Foxfield without feeling like I'm sharing a hundred inside jokes or moments where you just "had to be there". That's no fun for those that weren't present, so I will sum it up in a list of my favorite things from the day...

• Apple Pie Shooters (a Lauer tradition) - I threatened people to take them insisting that it was a part of Lauer initiation... gets 'em every time.
• Meredeath. She gets a bullet point all for herself becuse she is my third sister and I was so excited to see her! Dad has nicknamed her D4 = Daughter #4. It's official.
• Spending the day with my Richmond pals... Jobe, Courtney, Brad, Allison and Kellen... so glad they could make it, and Richmond kids know how to have a good time.
• Auctioning off Jobe while walking around the field... "22, single, white, female... only 22 for 3 more days, get 'er while she's hot"..... BAMA BANGS!
• Getting a good laugh out of classic and not-so-classic Foxfield attire (paisley button-down with plaid shorts, seersucker snuggie, girls in spandex and t-shirts, etc...)
• Watching people steal food from our plot and being reprimanded for it. I understand taking one chik-fila nugget (who can blame them?), but six at a time? One girl from the next plot over grabbed seven reeses cup cookies, placed them in a napkin, and started to walk away... my sweet friend Amanda Jobe with her sweet southern accent was quick to corner her and ask if she was part of our plot.... the girl claimed that she thought our plots were joined, and Amanda set her straight by grabbing the cookies from her hand and placing them back on the food table. I realize that I sound like a middle schooler in the middle of a fight on the playground, but it was priceless. I love that girl. Jobe, not the cookie thief.
• CHEESE BALLS. This jar had at least 87 hands in it by the end of the night. These cheese balls were famous, Foxfield-wide. I even danced with them on stage to Madonna's "Like a Prayer". Yes, there was a dance floor at a Foxfield plot this year. We continued to eat them up until the end of the night... it was like the never-ending jar of cheese balls. Gross.
  
• Brad and I yelling "COLLEGE" at the top of our lungs while we were leaving the field.
  

We returned home to Mom's baked ziti, relaxing around the fire-pit, card games at the kitchen table, kickin' music by DJ Dad, and good company. Sunday came way too fast and after everyone took off, it was just the six of us (Tony too, this time!) again. I must say that the favorite part of my trip home was sitting in the bonus room with my family and watching home videos from wayyy back. We were practically crying from laughing so hard. I don't know how Mom and Dad put up with the three of us, especially me... I wouldn't have blamed them if they had locked me outside after I was constantly jumping in front of the camera every time they were trying to film someone else... "LOOK AT ME! I CAN SING! I CAN DANCE!" Wow. I'm glad they put up with me though. Best family ever.

Intermission

The second "C'ville Weekend" post is coming, I promise. Until then, I wanted to give a quick shout-out to my blog's biggest fan. Believe it or not, it's not my Mom (although she and Nana are close runner-ups) ... it's the one and only Bradley Thomas Trevillian. He must have told atleast 76 people at Foxfield about my blog. It didn't matter if this was their first time meeting me, Brad was certain that they would enjoy reading it. It was quite entertaining, and a little bit flattering too. Brad asked what it would take to get a shout-out on my blog, and I realized that I should have dropped his name a long time ago. He inspired the title of my blog! The lyric is taken from a song by Ryan Adams, a musician that Brad introduced me to and is now my all-time favorite artist. I believe Brad had this exact quote on his AIM profile (was anyone prepared for that throwback?) all four years of college. It was one of those staples I could count on. And I just love the song. Besides Brad having excellent taste in music, he is a good friend of mine, and one that I have known for a long, long time.

He always has a toast up his sleeve for a special occasion or a random bar night with good friends (some mildly inappropriate)... my favorite being, "As you slide down the banister of life, may the splinters never point in the wrong direction."

Brad is known for his sense of humor. I'm sure that half the planet doesn't understand it, but I am always laughing. I was browsing his pictures on Facebook and came across this one that I had actually commented on back in 2006. Wow. He had taken it at the Monument 10k in Richmond, and the caption read, "The winner...he trained for 10 years running away from lions." I might have woken up Kristen by laughing so loudly. I can't stop. I never said Brad's sense of humor was appropriate or politically correct, but he sure knows how to stir a crowd.

And to top it off, he married a beautiful bride and they had one of the most FUN weddings I've ever been to. And they asked me to be a part of it... what an honor! I love this picture. Good thing the camera couldn't capture my hands shaking as I read the passage... stage fright, I suppose. We were so thrilled to welcome Allison in to the crazy C'ville crew, and so happy that Brad had found his match. I will always hold a special place in my heart for the two of them as they introduced me to Caddy's, the best redneck karaoke bar I have ever been to. I will never forget our first night there...

He wore a zoot suit to school almost every day in 9th grade. Along with a few other immature middle school boys, he created a fake screenname on AOL and made me think I was in a "long distance relationship" with a boy from Virginia Beach (I still haven't completely forgiven them for that... I thought I had found my 7th grade soulmate). He wears bow-ties. He makes a killer bloody mary. He wakes up at 4 am and is probably the most productive person I've ever met. He used to inline skate. He drove around C'ville with me, Vail, and John Bourgeois to deliver invitations to a luau-themed going-away party for a boy that we didn't even know that well (driving through the field behind Crozet Elementary = best afternoon ever). He made business cards for himself when he graduated high-school, complete with his picture and screenname. There he is, folks... Bradley Thomas Trevillian.