NathanRising » weather

Enjoying a summer morning outside

Jen — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 02:38:09 +0000

Nathan loves his Daddy

Checking out the gravel

What’s that over there?

Taking in his surroundings

Something looks interesting
Let’s see what it tastes like!

Relief, oh sweet relief

Jen — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 17:38:55 +0000

You guys! Remember how I told you our main a/c quit working? And how I was dreading the possibility of it being DAYS until our new one arrived? Well, we ordered the new one just yesterday and here it sits, on our front porch, waiting for my husband to come home and install it.

But I can’t help but wonder, is it some sort of… Magic… Air Conditioner? Because this air conditioner was on a mission. See, we paid for one-day shipping but it was estimated to arrive between Friday (tomorrow) and Monday. We weren’t expecting it to arrive so quickly. One moment it was sitting in a warehouse somewhere, and the next, it was on our front porch. WINGADARIUM LEVIOSA! Thank you, Harry Potter. I believe in you now. And I am grateful.

Very, very grateful.

Because now? Now I don’t have to worry about becoming cooked flesh in this unrelenting summer heat. And I can now stop complaining about it to the Internet. I bet you are all secretly clapping your hands, aren’t you?

A melting human

Jen — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 14:50:08 +0000

So I’m pretty sure it really IS possible for a human to melt.

Like the wicked witch off the Wizard of Oz, only without the pointy hat and the whole being-a-witch thing. I’m melting! Melting! (If you click on the link, fast forward to about 3 minutes and 15 seconds to see the melting scene. Because who wouldn’t want to see a witch melt?)

I know, I know. I’ve been whining and grousing about the heat lately, but you guys! Our air conditioner quit working yesterday evening.

As in, dead. Bereft of life. Pushing up daisies. Defunct.

Our air conditioner went to meet it’s maker. Probably the devil himself, considering the shoddy job it did cooling our house as it was. But still… it kept it cooler than it is right now. And believe it or not, we can’t just go out and grab another one because the only ones the stores nearby have in stock are crappy, cheap little air conditioners that would be a waste of money and wouldn’t cool our house. We have to ORDER it and have it SHIPPED. Which takes days. DAYS. I’ll probably be roasted by then. Completely cooked.

Just give me a pitch fork and a pointed tail and I’ll fit right into my environment.

Yes, I know. People in Australia and other parts of the world would totally scoff at me right about now. But I admit it, I am a TOTAL WUSS when it comes to uncomfortable heat. I guess you could say I am addicted to air conditioning. So keep your collective fingers crossed for us. Here’s to hoping we can get some relief and SOON!

Can I have some cheese with my whine?

Jen — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 16:12:57 +0000

So supposedly, the temperature around here is supposed to be in the mid to upper ’80’s for the next few days. I hope so. I really, really hope so. I know, I’m totally kvetching over here, but guys! I’m miserable! Don’t get me wrong- I can handle the heat. In fact, I relish relaxing in a nice, hot sauna because that’s how us Finnish folks roll. It’s in my blood.

In fact, my dad (who is Finnish) introduced me to the sauna when I was only 5 or 6 years old. At the time, he was active duty (Army) and I would sometimes accompany him to his PT. The base had a sauna, so after his workout, we would go relax in it. And even though I was just a child, I thought it was so freakin’ awesome. (And, of course, my dad always peeked in first to make sure no naked men were lounging inside. Fortunately, there never was!) But this humidity that we’ve been experiencing? It’s not the soothing heat of a sauna, for sure. It’s killing me. If it was possible to get a restraining order on this humidity, I WOULD TOTALLY DO IT. The air outside is all moist and damp and sweaty and smelly and not at all unlike BEING TRAPPED IN THE DEVIL’S ARMPIT after he’s been doing cartwheels in hell.

I am to the point that daydreaming of being an ice cube is causing me to feel delirious.

It’s hot. Really, really hot.

Jen — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 22:01:01 +0000

You know what really helps when your house feels like a stifling sauna (besides wishing you were an ice cube)? I’ll tell ya what helps. Sitting outside, where it is even hotter, where the humidity is so thick you could almost choke on it, and sitting for a good ten minutes. Then when you come back inside, More >

Nature’s beauty

Jen — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 14:30:48 +0000

These are some pictures I took on the Fourth of July Weekend. Oh, and the last picture? The one where Nathan is smiling happily at the camera? Yeah, that lasted about three seconds. Until he realized he was in the GRASS. The mean, evil, child-eating grass. That ended up being only one of two pictures I could take of him sitting on the lawn that day.

There’s nothing like the smell of a campfire

Jen — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 02:14:00 +0000

Paul and I took Nathan on his first camping trip this weekend! The little man really enjoyed himself the first day and the morning of the second day, but by the time he woke up for his nap, he was totally ready to go. It was a nice experience for him, though, because he loves being outside and in nature. The smell of the campfires, the sounds of frogs, the brightness of the stars, and the feel of the breeze on his cheeks really intrigued him, and he even slept through the entire night. We didn’t take any pictures because we were there less than 24 hours, and after all the unpacking, unloading, and setting up the tent, neither of us really had the time. We ended up arriving later than we anticipated because, as anyone with kids knows, it takes TWICE as long to get things together anytime you go somewhere!

He’s also starting to use walking as his preferred method of mobility. He still likes to crawl every so often so he can slam his little hands and knees down on the ground with resounding thuds, but he has been walking a ton this weekend. And he’s started saying “What’s that?” Well, it actually sounds more like “Wfffsss sat?” which makes it even more cute. Especially when he blows spit bubbles when trying to say it.

These moments are so neat. My once 100% dependant baby is gaining his independence and soon will be eagerly voicing his opinions, wants, and needs. And hopefully, I will be able to somewhat keep my sanity through all of the temper tantrums, I-don’t-wannas, and feet stomping. I’m looking forward to seeing what he’s going to be like and who he’s going to become as he ages.

More fun outside

Jen — Fri, 14 May 2010 02:40:38 +0000

It doesn’t take much to keep Nathan happy outside. As you all know, he loves sitting on the porch, looking out over the rails, and crunching any rogue leaves in his hands. No matter what mood he’s in, taking him outside guarantees a few smiles!

Weekend wedding

Jen — Tue, 04 May 2010 01:28:33 +0000

One of my dear friends got married this weekend! It was a lovely outdoor wedding, and thankfully, it didn’t rain too hard… unlike what my fellow Tennesseans to the west are experiencing right now with the crazy flooding in Nashville. My friend wore a wedding gown that her grandmother sewed and wore to her own wedding, then passed it down to her daughter (my friend’s mom) and then my friend. Pretty neat. I did a different type of editing on some of the pictures I took. I didn’t want them to look like everyone else’s, so I went for a glowy, dreamlike look to give the pictures some individuality and softness.

Her father giving her away

The groom takes her hand

Bride and groom saying their vows

Holding hands, happy to be husband and wife

A visitor of the feathered kind

Jen — Sat, 01 May 2010 01:26:32 +0000

It was another beautiful East Tennessee day, and as my husband was enjoying the view while looking out our back window, he noticed a woodpecker in our backyard. The pictures are a little blurry because the woodpecker was quite a ways up the hill, plus my husband was shooting the picture behind a window. But still, it was pretty neat having a woodpecker “visit” us!