If I Had a Picture Collage

Of Texas A&M University, it would include:

• The MSC Flag Room from back in the day, where I watched some of the football games I left early when I was about to pass out from the heat, and yes, I'm a 2 %er.  But at least I still got to see the ends of those games on campus on a big screen.
• O&M because I had quite a few classes in there when I was a geology major, and the view from that observatory is absolutely breathtaking. ( BTW, so is the hike up the stairs to get to it.)
• Halbouty for many reasons.  1)  I got lost in that building more times than I can count.  For some reason, the stairs of the addition do not meet up with the same floors of the old building.  It's crazy.  2)  I fell down the stairs in there on my 19th birthday while carrying a plate and a cup, and I didn't spill anything.  3)  I remember having to do a scavenger hunt during my geology lab.  And 4) Its name has always made me laugh.
• Blocker because that's where I worked for 3 and a half years of my college life.  The College of Science Dean's Office is (used to be?) located on the 5th floor, and I spent more hours than I can possibly count there.  Incidentally, that is where I gained my incredible empathy for many of the characters on "The Office."
• FHK.  When I was a sophomore I spent a year in the dorms after living in an apartment with some high school friends.  They all ended up moving away, so I figured, hey, I'll just go potluck in a dorm.  It was fine.  My roommate was fine, just a little young.  (There's a huge difference in maturity between college sophomores and college freshmen.)  Anyway, I ended up meeting one of my dearest friends because after a literature class we had together, we always headed out in the same direction.  We chatted and discovered we lived in the same dorm and were both from East Texas.  Many years later, we ended up being roommates in a house, and she is still one of the best friends I have ever made.
• Finally, Sbisa.  I have had many excellent meals in that cafeteria.  They were renovating it for the first half of the year I lived in the dorm, but once it opened, it was amazing.  I would stop in for breakfast after church on Sunday mornings, and I would eat there with Anna when we would need to catch up.  I also had a standing once-a-semester lunch with a friend from freshman year.  Sbisa was awesome.

That's it.  And thanks, Tiffany, what a great writing activity!  Anyone else want to post your A&M collage?

You know, it's funny...

I should be tired.  I should be really tired.  I should be insanely tired.  But I'm not.  It's 11:27 pm, and I'm not close to tired.

Today, Rivers decided to let us sleep a little later than usual; she woke up sometime before 6.  Chis and I both heard her at about 6 in her crib, just talking away.  She wasn't crying or yelling or screaming; she was just making noise because she could.  She is such a happy baby in the mornings.  (She's really such a happy baby most of the time, but she's teething right now, so the happy baby comes and goes.)  She got up, and I fed her while Chisum ate breakfast and we drank our coffee.

When Chisum left for work, Riv went back down for her morning nap...only she didn't.  I thought it would be good to nap with her today since I was really tired from staying up last night, so I set my alarm and we got in the bed.  Everything was great until...Daisy decided to join us.  Only Daisy didn't want to join "us;" Daisy wanted to join me.  She jumped up on the bed and before I could even push her away, she was trying to lay down on the baby!  But I did push her away quickly, and Rivers didn't even wake up...that time.  Very soon, Daisy was back again and again and again.  Finally, all of the rustling about was too much for Riv to take, and she opened her eyes, looked at me, and grinned the biggest grin.  I guess she thought it was funny that Daisy wanted to smother her, and I succumbed to the idea that there would be no nap this morning.

Since there was no napping, I decided to sit Riv up on the bed propped up with pillows and get ready to go to Walmart.  (Rivers needed diapers and baby food, so I had planned us an adventure.)  Anyway, I only got my face washed before she had tipped over on the bed and wanted me to hold her and cried until I picked her up.  So I had the experience today of putting makeup on mostly one-handed.  And surprise!  I did it.  Once I got Riv fed, cleaned up, and dressed it was time to head to town.

We got to Walmart, and I thought for sure that Rivers would sleep while I pushed her around in her stroller.  Wrong!  She played with her little elephant and her feet the entire time we were there, and was just such a good baby.  As we were leaving, I decided to stop by Sam's Club which is next to Walmart.  Pushing Riv around in there usually gets her to sleep.  Wrong again!  I got a drink and sat down before we left, and just as I was getting up to leave, I looked down to find her asleep in her stroller.  And she slept for the next 20 minutes that it took to get home.  She woke up the second I pulled into our parking spot.

I had a tough time getting her to nap this afternoon too, but she finally did for about an hour.  I did laundry and cleaned the kitchen before Chisum got home.  When he got home, we played with the baby, Chisum practiced his presentation on me, I cooked dinner and made cupcakes (for my birthday cake), and we ate while I fed Rivers.  Then it was baby bathtime, then rocking baby to sleep, then cleaning the kitchen, then this.

Now I'm incredibly tired, but I'm not exactly sleepy.  Perhaps I will go lie down and see if sleep comes.  Funny how I've all of a sudden got Hamlet in my head, and I'm missing my job...and my "kids"...and my friends...and my literature...  Funny how quickly things change when you feel like time is dragging on.  Funny how I'll be 30 on Friday, and I can't figure out where all of that time went.  Funny how all I did was write about my day to come to this conclusion.*

*This conclusion in no way means I'm not totally and completely satisfied with my life.  I am blessed beyond what I ever should have been with my loving husband, amazing daughter, wonderful family, and friends.  I think I'm just having that "I'm about to be 30 freak-out" that I hear some people go through...

Flora or Fauna?

Rivers and I had a wonderful day!  I cleaned both bathrooms while she napped this morning.  That sense of accomplishment allowed me to feel I could play a little bit afterward.  When Rivers woke up, I tried both of her Halloween costumes on her.  She has two because about 98% of her attire has been hand-me-downed (it's a verb) to her.  Rivers is lucky enough to have three older girl cousins all within about two years of her age; therefore, we won the lottery on baby girl clothes which is super-awesome because baby clothes are EXPENSIVE!  Baby shoes are even worse!  I have taken a liking to consignment sales and stores, and soon, I intend to make her some clothes with my rapidly increasing sewing skills and my trusty sewing machine.

But I digress.  We tried on two costumes, one--a purple flowery thing, and two--Tenderheart Bear from the CareBears.  Now, of course I was not attempting to get my almost-five-month-old daughter choose her own costume because, let's face it, that's crazy.  I was, however, trying to see which one made her look the cutest.  But that was also ridiculous because, have you seen my baby?  She looks cute when her hand-me-down-already-been-through-three-children onesie is covered with breastmilk, cereal, and squash!  It's impossible not to love her!  (I'm not biased at all either.)  Anyway, all of this is to say that, when I tried the costumes on her, there was definitely one she preferred.  I'll let you take a look and see if you can determine the winner.

You guessed it--the flower thing wins!

And I have to admit, I was a little disappointed.  Tenderheart Bear, while not my favorite CareBear (it was Cheer Bear), was a blast from my past.  CareBears were something I enjoyed when I was a kid, and it would have been cool to share that liking with my daughter even though she's still a baby.  Seeing her in that little furry brown suit brought back some good memories for me.  I thought of my big pink Cheer Bear and some coloring books I had.  (And did I ever love to color!  I must have had about 100 coloring books.  Talk to my mom sometime if you think I'm kidding.)  I think I might also have had some CareBear paperback books and perhaps a video.  That's right, a VHS cassette tape.

Anyway, I'm not complaining about Rivers' "choice," and I know she's more comfortable in the flower outfit, and that's really all that matters to me.  It was just nice to be able to remember something from when I was a kid.  As I grow older, those reminiscences happen less and less.  So I'll take my daughter out on Halloween dressed as some sort of floral thing, and I'll be happy to do it.  I won't resent in the least her disdain for one of my favorite pieces of my childhood because as I said earlier, have you seen my baby?

Busy, Busy

So, last weekend Chisum, Rivers, and I went down to Corpus for Forrest and Jenny's wedding. It was a tremendously long drive, but we made it there and back in one piece. (Thank you to my amazing husband for driving the entire way.) The wedding was a great celebration, and I want to welcome my new sister, Jenny, to the Womack family! Back to the trip. I thought that it would be easier if Rivers would take a bottle for the drive, and--voila--she did! I finally found a bottle that worked for her. She does still only like fresh milk, but that's the next thing we'll try to overcome.

After a fairly uneventful weekend at home, we are gearing up for another crazy week. Next week, Chisum is flying Sunday to South Carolina for some training for his work, so rather than stay here by ourselves, Rivers and I are going to make the rounds. On Thursday, I am driving Rivers, Daisybob the cat, and myself to Mt. Pleasant to spend the night with my parents. (Daisybob is coming with us because of fleas that were apparently in our apartment before we moved in, but that's another story.) On Friday, Rivers, Momma, and I are meeting my sister, sis-in-law (s?), cousin, and aunt in Canton to brave the crowds for First Monday. (Oddly enough, First Monday is an entire weekend, beginning on Thursday before the first Monday of the month, hence its name.) Friday after Canton, Rivers and I are going to Eustace to spend the night with my in-laws. Then we will head back to Tyler to pick up my mom and drive back to Mt. Pleasant where we will spend most of the week.

That sounds like only a crazy couple of days, but it all begins today. I have to go to the grocery store, clean this house, bathe the cat, do the laundry, pack for myself, and pack for the baby all before we leave on Thursday, so it must begin today. Packing for myself will take approximately 1/2 of a suitcase and 20 minutes; packing for Rivers will take the other 1/2 of my suitcase, a diaper bag, a travel bag, a pack-n-play, bathtub, stroller, toys, food, etc..........and about 2 days, so again, I have to start today.

I guess I best get to it.

This is my first attempt at a personal blog. I hope it doesn't suck.

In an effort to have a non-sucky blog, I suppose I should introduce us. I'm Erin, my husband is Chisum, and our 4 1/2 month old daughter is Rivers.

Chisum and I had pretty similar upbringings. Our families are both fun, friendly, Christian people who have the best of intentions for themselves and everyone they know. Though Chisum's family is Catholic and my family is Protestant, they have incredibly similar values, and those were instilled in us both when we were brought up. Chisum and I both had some bumpy roads in our pasts, but God saw that we would help each other, and he did all he could to bring us together. (Interestingly enough, I think Chisum and I were fighting God for much of the time. Ask us how we got together sometime; it's an interesting story. Or maybe I'll write about it...) Anyway, Chisum and I did eventually get together, and then we were inseparable. Chisum was the missing part of my soul, and I daresay I was his, and we haven't been apart since.

We got married, and about 4 months ago, had a baby. Rivers is the light of our life. She is so incredibly special! She is smart, funny, amazingly beautiful, and really fun. (Of course I'm not biased at all...) We have been having the best time with her. After a shaky entrance into the world, Rivers has blossomed into such a lovely little lady. She smiles and laughs, plays and learns, and keeps every day interesting for us. Recently she has begun "helping" us change her diapers. This means that as soon as I lay her down, she grabs her feet and puts her toes in her mouth, and thus, her butt in the air. She's probably thinking this is the easiest way for me to get the new diaper under her and get her old one off, which is true. Then, however, it's necessary to actually put the new one on. Not so easy when she won't put her feet and butt down out of the air, but whatever, she thinks it's funny, and so it is. She has also just started to eat cereal in addition to nursing. This is an adventure because all she wants to do is hold the spoon herself and chew on it. Kind of makes it hard to get any cereal into her. All this I don't mind because she is a blessing of immense proportions.

Right now we are living in Irving, Texas. I am not currently teaching but staying at home with Rivers, and I fully realize how blessed I am to have the opportunity to do this. I hope that every mother has the chance to stay home with her child or children. I wouldn't trade anything for the experiences I get to have with Riv every day. Chisum is working for Purvis Industries and is currently in their training program. Around April of next year, we will be moving to Tyler, Texas, so that Chisum can take his job in outside sales. Until then, we're just hanging in and doing what we can to make ends meet.

So that's pretty much it for Chisum, Rivers, and me. We're one happy little family and what we are now is a far, far better thing than what we ever could have imagined for ourselves. Thank you, God, for that.