fine art and thrift stores

We are on our way to my parents house. I am really excited for our trip. But I also can't beleive we are done camp training. And camp starts next week??? Absolutely wild.

My ear hurt very much last night and it made it hard to fall asleep. But I would sleep really well. Thankfully. And woke up a few minutes before my alarm went off.

Sylvia came in our room and gave me some plastic. She had gotten into James's baseball cards. Oops. James said it was so cute but also not ideal! Thankfully nothing was damaged.

I took a shower. Thankfully my ear wasn't hurting so much but it was still swollen and I couldn't only hear a little. And I felt a little icky. So shower. And dressed. And felt real cute.

James said I looked beautiful and Sylvia was very cuddly and sweet. We would drive to camp together. I didnt realize it was going to be raining this morning. But it would turn into a beautiful day.

When we got to camp we went to the lodge to see if anyone was there to say hi to. We chatted with some friends. Mannie held her for a bit. Sylvia had some tatertots. We voted for color war themes. And then walked to the office.

Me and James each held one of her hands and we slowly walked across the feild. Sylvia was basically running which was very funny. And when we got to the office Blanche was there and she was excited to see baby. Everyone is excited thay she's back. I am also excited to see her get to meet all these people that already love her. She just doesn't remember yet.

We walked to the hacienda next. For my in person first aid and cpr class. We joked that we brought a baby to practice on. But then we said goodbye and James and Sylvia left.

Me and Blanche partnered for the practical practice part. We started late because some people were told the wrong time. But it was fine. We would have a really good class. And it was nice to get all the practice in. Me and Blanche were being silly but we were also getting eveything right and doing a good job. So everyone must deal with us being silly little guys.

After cpr we did the first aid part. Learned about choking and bleeding. Practiced with medical oxygen. And then we were done. Fantastic.

I went back to the office to continue my laminating work. I had some more stuff to print. Things to work on. And then at lunch I walked over there for mac and cheese.

Which was very good. I would chat with Burkie. Who found a book of drawing reference photos. One being almost all naked ladies! How long has this been in camp's library??? Crazy.

I took the book and brought it to the office. We laughed about full bush out at camp.

I did more work. Checked in with staff. Worked on some stuff in the attic. I would sit with Jayden to make name tags. Talked about camp and pets. I looked into a possible new red eared slider. Who is 42 years old and needs a new home. We'll see what happens there.

James and Sylvia came to get me a little after 4. I was sorting the name tags with Kim. Struggling to figure out who goes where. But we made great progress. James got Sylvia changed. We chatted on the porch with a few friends. Charlotte came down to say hi to her niece. And then we were on the road.

And that's where we are now. We should be at my parents around 7. Sylvia is babbling in the back. James is listening to a podcast. And I am enjoying the ride.

Tomorrow morning we are flying to Chicago. I'm excited. It will be a lovely day. And a great weekend.

I woke up and couldnt hear anything from my right ear. Everything sounded muffled. It felt like I had an earbud in and I keep reaching up to take it out when I'm talking to someone. It has not been fun. I'm just uncomfortable.

James said that I need to call the doctor. But we compromised that I would ask Nurse Joan when I got to camp and listen to her advice.

James made me a bagel. And Sylvia comforted me. She was so cute. And then Anne was there and Sylvia was telling her all kinds of stuff. Chattering. She's so sweet.

Me and James left together. Smooched on the sidewalk. And went to our jobs.

I barely wanted to listen to music because I could barely hear. I was so uncomfortable.

When I got to camp I walked towards the nurses office but she wasn't in yet. I went and told Mikael that I couldn't hear and they were very concerned about me. And promised to send the nurse to me if I didn't find her first.

I walked to all the specialties to get my eyes on it and see where everyone is in their set up.

I accidently scared Nico, sneaking up on them but I really didn't mean too!! They were doing good and would jump into helping with other specialties. I have such a good team.

I went to the office. And saw Nurse Joan's car so I grabbed the mail that was delivered to her and walked to the health center.

She was not happy with me. She was like how long has this been going on?? And then she found out of the hole in the wound on my boobie. And encouraged me to call my doctor.

I called the rheumatologist but after chatting we decided I would go to urgent care.

I went and let Alexi know. And headed out.

The first and closest urgent care had am hour plus wait. So I drove to the next one and was then only patient. I was taken back really quickly.

And the nurse and doctor were awesome. So kind and really made me feel heard and taken care of. The doctor spent like 20 minutes with me. Tried flushing pit of ear. Checked out my wound. Gave me antibiotics and gave me advice to help. What a great man.

I went back to camp after that. Everyone was like. Jess why are you here. But I had stuff to do.

I went back to the office. Worked on printing and laminating. Tried to leave my ears alone.

At lunch we had BBQ chicken. The veggie version was very good. I didnt want to sit in the lodge because everything echos in there and sounded bad against my hurt ear.

I ate in the office and continued to work. And I would do some walks to the program areas. And worked until 3 when I ran out of steam.

I spent a few minutes going over things. And then it was time to go home. And while there was so traffic, I was able to get home by 4.

And at home Sylvia and Anne were in the playpen. They had gone to the zoo today! I am glad they had fun. I told Anne about urgent care. And hoping to feel better soon.

Anne went home and me and Sylvia went and had a snack. She played and made a mess while I went through my bag for Chicago. Feeling good about it. Sylvie tried to eat buttons and was so mad when I wouldn't let her. We played in her room. I finished packing. And soon James was home!!

They weren't home for long. Long enough for smooches and changing their shirt. They had their voting judge class tonight. And I hope they are having fun.

Me and Sylvia had something to eat. Played a little longer. But she had had a nap and was very tired. So an early bath.

Lots of bubbles and splashing. Silly time. And she went to sleep by 615.

I don't feel great. I had mostly been fine all day but I think I just really need some rest.

I am going to make something to eat. And chill. Maybe take a bath myself. And wait for my husband to come home!!

Tomorrow I have my first aid and cpr class. Some last minute stuff. And at 4 we will leave camp to go to my parents. For our Chicago weekend! I am looking forward to seeing our friends get married. And checking out some museums and attractions. AND I GET TO BE WITH JAMES. It's going to be great.

I ended up leaving work early. I wasnt feeling so good. But it was a productive day.

I slept okay. It was so fun waking up to Sylvia busting in the room saying hi. It was so cute. She came up for hugs. And James came and sat with us. Eventually I went to get dressed. And overall was okay. But I also felt a little off. Tired. Tired inside. But there was work to be done.

First thing I did was text Mikael that I was upset that thr tables weren't cleaned and the materials weren't put away. They apologized and promised to come up during camp clean up. It reminded me that I just need to be dramatic for a little and then I can let it go. But the dramatics are part of the process.

I worked on the camp all in canvas mural. I set up the bins for my projects next week. And I put things away. And went to the office to continue work on my first aid certificate.

I gave out cookies to the internationals and some other friends. I watched people make birdhouses and was super grateful. But there was still 100 parts of first aid and cpr.

So imI had to locknit. That would be a lot of the day. I would have a few other things going on. One staff menber wanted to discuss program ideas. And one of my staff members got nervous about teaching and leading a program. And so I figured out how to move some others around to help lead. And hopefully that will take some stress off.

At lunch I choked on some lettuce and then proceeded to cough my brains out. It was horrible. I had to go sit down cause I was coughing so hard I thought I was going to throw up. And it would effect how I felt for the rest of the day.

I did finish first aid. I did a terrible job on medical oxygen. I just don't test well!! I just overthink and think they are trying to trick me. But I finsihed. And am ready for the in person portion on Thursday.

I would do some stuff for Sarah. Take a few things off her to do list. Put together some rainy day boxes. Made labels for all of the walkies. And did a few little things at arts and crafts.

But I was feeling worse and worse. So I checked in with Alexi about a few things. And let her know that my chest hurt. And after finishing a few things at arts and crafts. And chatting with Mikael. I went home.

James and Sylvia had been out and about today. They installed another one of the fans. This time in the livingeoom. They went on a 20 mile bike ride where she squealed and laughed the whole time. And when I left camp they were on a walk in the park. And when I got back I waited on the stoop for them.

I chatted with the neighbor kids. And when James and Sylvia were back we went inside to sit in the backyard and then make dinner.

We had pizza and broccoli. We laid in the backyard and talked and enjoyed Sylvia being a silly goose. And after dinner we went to her room to fix the shelf that broke, play (me and James were organizing and sorting her cassets), and pack her bag for going to my parents' this weekend.

Eventually it was baby bed time. I left James to put her to sleep. And I went to get the mail. My other new camp shoes came. These are even uglier but are also very comfortable.

James had an interview tonight. And so I came upstairs to hang in the ac and paint my nails. And now I am going to take a shower. Have a snack. And hopefully go to sleep early.

It was a really good day. With one really bad moment. But I am working through it.

Sylvia struggled with sleep last night. We were all overtired and tired from the sun. While Sylvia was going to bed late, we went to bed early. But she would wake up at 330 crying and crying. My poor baby. James and her spent time together until she fell back asleep.

When I woke up I felt alright. I got dressed. Was cute. James helped get me out the door on time. Sylvia was still asleep. I stroked her face for a little but had to go. James made me a hashbrown for breakfast. And there was no traffic on my way to camp. Excellent.

When I got there I caught up with Sarah about the schedule. Did some office tasks. And would get ready for leading 2 workshops.

Me and Mikael would lead the program for about half of the staff. We painted and stamped metal and it was an absolute blast. Everyone was really great and I'm excited to see how they all do. I honestly feel really positive about the entire staff and that feels good.

I was specifically excited that Katerina is back!!! She's fantastic so I'm extra extra excited. I also just had fun talking to Mario, one of the other internationals. He is very sweet.

After our classes they went to the pool and I went to the office. I had tasks to do. Printing. Laminating. And walking over food restrictions to the kitchen.

I would talk to Taiyana about day camp. She didn't know I wrote theme projects and was stressing herself out over it so I was really glad to take some of that off her shoulders.

I would walk to nature next to see my turtle, Sandy. This is where things went wrong.

I went to find them. They are so small. Ray lets me know he hadnt seen or spotted Sandy. And that's because Sandy got stuck to the filter intake. The safety tube had fallen off. And their little shell had created a seal and they drowned.

I was devastated. Seeing their swollen little face. They had been thriving at our house and I brought them here. And they died. I was sick over it. Am sick over it. If I think about it to much I literally get nauseous I feel so bad about it. My poor baby.

I put him in the woods. And told Ray I was trying not to cry. I looked at the other animals and needed to not be there. I would walk over to the chickee.

There Mikael, Burkie, and Olivia were up there and they let me sit with my head down for a little. And talked about it. About how bad I felt. How guilty I felt. But I tried to shake it off and back to my job. Talked to Burkie about projects. And decided that Mikael would lead the 2 other workshops today.

I went back to the office to be sad and work on first aid and cpr. Which is crazy long but is going well. I'm about 25% through.

I would take some breaks to do other stuff. Worked on a bracelet. Texted Mikael ideas. Made an example for our articulated cardboard. In honor of Sandy I made a turtle. I walked up to stockade to see if the fridge was delivered tobthe basement. And it was and also there was chocolate in there.

And when I got there I found a toad!!! Life was worth living again. I got 3 chocolate bars. To share with Sarah. And brought my new toad to the office.

I made a care sheet and texted Ray to come get Herhsey the toad to keep in nature. Hooray.

Charlotte came in for a bit. She found a four leaf clover and she gave it to me! Which made me feel really special. And I kept working on first aid training.

I went up to art to say hi and see how Mikael was doing. Went back to the office to work a little more and meet with Kim and then I was excited when the ceiling fans my mom ordered us came!!! I am super excited to have fans!!

I went to get my car from the art lodge. Checked in with Mikael and gave them a list to get things done. And I went home.

There was a good amount of traffic. But I was still home by 6 and James came outside to help bring in the boxes of fans. And Sylvia ran to the door to give me a bag of cookies. Ugh I love her so much.

I am glad I got home to see her for a little. It was so fun watching her walk around the house. Like we just have a little guy who walks around grabbing snacks to bring us??? Hilarious.

Sylvia would get a bath and go to bed. James would install the first of the 5 fans. We chose the playroom since it gets the worst air flow. There were some issues but James got it installed and I am pleasantly surprised at how strong it is! Pretty sweet.

James made me pasta for dinner. My new work approved sandals came and they are very comfortable. A little ugly but very comfortable. And after eating dinner in the backyard I came upstairs to dye my hair.

After the hair dye was in I did some sewing. And started writing this. Listening to a scary story. And now I am going to go rinse my hair and get ready for bed.

What a fantastic day! We are on our way back to Baltimore from the Philadelphia Zoo. It was extremely fun. And I had an absolute blast. I am also really excited to go home and eat dinner and take a cool shower and go to bed!!

The wedding last night was so lovely and I has a good night. The only thing I didn't enjoy was dinner but that's just me. I don't like zucchini.

I got home around 1230. I have some kind of welt on my breast that was hurting. I would sleep with an ice pack on it and it helped. Still would ger irritated throughout the day but at least the ice helped and let me sleep.

When I woke up I was really tired but also really excited about the day. I struggled with my outfit because I am just slightly uncomfortable in a tank top. I tried a tshirt over top but in the end I just let myself be fine with my outfit.

James made me a bagel and a hashbrown. And once we made sure we had eveything we were in the car and off to Syliva swim lessons.

James would get in the water with her. It was fun sitting and watching them. I chatted with another mom. And just enjoyed seeing my baby have fun and learn safety.

After they were done and James and Sylvia got dressed. James made one stop for a donut for the road. And then we started the drive to Philly.

It was about 2 hours there. And it was not a bad ride. James was tired. They didn't sleep great after their basketball team lost. But they were still very present and I loved being all together.

It was so fun seeing Evan and Noelle. Sylvia had slept most of the drive up and would be a delight. She got to meet one of their cats. And looked around the house. It was very sweet.

The welt on my breat was hurting me so I took a minute to put cold water on it and it helped. But it was still getting irritated even with Vaseline.

The zoo was incredibly fun. I grew up going to this zoo but they have done so much work updating it. I was super impressed.

When we got there we also got to see all the people walking to the FIFA game. James was wearing a futball kit so the parking attendant thought we were parking for the game. But nope! Just a coincidence.

I think the last time I was at this zoo was with my dad when I was in college. I remover protesters and it smelling like pee and the enclousures being sad. But it was clear how much work has gone into the updates. The new enclosures. The walkways. The signage. It was great. I completely forgot my zoo key but that was okay. I just wanted to stare at animals and see Sylvia experience things. It was so fantastic.

I thought I was going to be most excited about the beara but I was really really excited about the bats!!! I have never seen a bath enclosure that had natural light so it was bright enough to see them and they were incredible. The fruit bats we spent so much time with. James had to run back to the car so we spent a really long time with the bats. Seeing then do a bad job walking. Eating. Hanging. Hugging. Fighting. It was so fun.

We would go pet goats. Sylvia did a pretty good job. I liked the sheered sheep best. I loved seeing my baby enjoy the animals. And also seeing our friends enjoy watching the baby too. I love seeing her be loved by the important people in our lives.

We got snacks. Sat and ate and talked. It was just a lot of fun. I loved the reptiles and turtles. I loved all the pride signs. They even had art made by the animals. I got a Keychain painted by a cockroach. Absolutely work $5.

We got ice cream. Went to see the bears and birds. Took pictures. Played with baby. It was such a good day. I was tired and got but mostly I was happy and having so much fun.

Around 430 we would go back to the car. We stopped for lemonade. And drove to Evan and Noelle's house to rest for a little. Get some drinks. And then it was time to go!!

Sylvia is sleeping. James is listening to a podcast. And when we get home I will pick outfits for the week. And have dinner. And take a shower. And got to bed.

Tomorrow is camp training week 2! I missed today but thats alright. I am looking forward to the week. And at the end of the week we are going on our trip to Chicago. Im excited for our little trip.

I hope you all sleep great. Have fun tomorrow!!