Ruby saw this picture on my computer screen and shrieked, “Snow White!” I can’t blame her. Ruby knows a beautiful princess when she sees one, I suppose.

Truth is, Jennifer (pictured) does not live in Disneyland, she lives in Bentonville, Arkansas. She up and moved there with her family shortly before we made the move out here. I try not to complain about a couple of months away from my home and friends — Jennifer has made a permanent move to support her family — and it’s one that she wasn’t very excited about.

I compare her in this instance to more of a superstar than a princess (in my humble opinion) because I just think she rocks. I thought of her today because I know wherever she is, reading this, she misses home too.

And, I feel fairly sure she starts off each day with a smile and a song.

Any Wordpress pros out there who can help me through uploading a little video to Fannfare? I s’pose I could spend hours trying to figure it out, but why not depend on the collective wisdom of the blogosphere? We got Ruby on tape singing “Lemon Tree” by Peter, Paul and Mary, and well…you gotta see it!

Thanks for any tips. I see such cool things on blogs these days, and you know how I long to be cool. Dude!

…and look what Santa brought!

Dave and Wendy Heiges, all the way from DC. We spent a-too-few hours together — Ruby and Shaun and I still haven’t stopped talking about how great it was to see them. The Heiges’ were our first “couple” friends — we met as couples at a dinner party (thanks, Jeff!) and all four hit it off. I remember thinking “couple” friends were cool when I was younger, and hoping that I would have some someday. Bingo!

Wendy is currently cooking Baby-Boy-Bun-In-The-Oven, or Ruby’s Next Boyfriend (in line behind Nate, Julian, and Luke). I hope in years to come that she teaches him how to put a pea in his mouth and shoot it out his nose (oh yeah, we’re working on it. I learned it at Christian Youth Camp from some kid named Freddie). I imagine they’ll bond over how incredibly uncool and mean their Moms and Dads are. Maybe they will swim in a creek together, or ride bikes into “town” to buy candy, or build (and want to live in) a tree fort. Mostly, I’m sure they will be another great couple…of great friends.

We’re still a little road-dirted from our hospital adventure yesterday, but not so much that we can’t laugh at Miss Ruby and her Amazing Language Skills.

We were in Target wandering about; Ruby has started to editorialize about each item that I put in the cart. Normally it’s “NO yogurt, Mommy,” or “NO dog food.” Sure enough, as we were gliding by the tampons, she hollered “NO tampons, Mommy. Put those back.”

Insert: Ruby was with me in the bathroom the last time I used one. She was curious and I explained briefly what they’re for, and we (ahem) moved on.

A woman next to us was, I believe, startled by the two complete sentences from Ruby, and she asked how old she was. When I said she just turned two, the gal then focused on Ruby and said “You sure are a smart one!”

Ruby held up the box of Playtex and stared the woman straight in the eye. “These,” she said, “are for your bottom.”

Ruby had her first hospital overnight tonight. Those benign looking purple-dinosaur band-aids mask a 24-hour first-time-parents’ harrowing trip with toddler through the ER system.

Ruby was complaining about pain in her leg in the morning before school. “My leg hurts,” coupled with “I don’t want to go to school,” and no apparent trauma to the leg — we didn’t know what to think. We crossed our fingers and headed to Kindercare. About an hour after we dropped her off, they called us to come and get her. The knee was swollen and warm, and she wasn’t putting any weight on it.

We started at an Urgent Care, but they thought she would need more than an x-ray so they sent us to Northern Suburban Hospital. She had a fever, and was complaining about the knee. She still would not walk. When we got to the hospital, she heartily vomited all over herself and me — which made for a pleasant afternoon (Momma had NO diaper bag). They whisked us through triage, put in an IV (Good Lord, this was horrible) and took some blood. Her tests came back showing infection somewhere in her system, so we had to go to the ER at another hospital (Children’s in Denver) so she could see a pediatric orthopedist and get a tap of the knee (like a spinal tap, but they go into the knee joint instead of the spine). Insert: screaming, tears, screaming, tears, screaming. This, also, was horrible. Five minutes later, though, she was charming everyone out of popsicles and stickers and showing off her band-aids. I requested a martini-drip, and was not accommodated.

They kept us overnight to observe her. They thought she had pediatric septic joint, but her ultimate diagnosis was reactive arthritis, which is when an infection gets into your body somewhere, and settles into a joint. By getting some of the fluid out, they relieved the pressure and some of the pain for her. She slept like a champion there (every child that spends the night in the hospital takes home a handmade quilt made by the Linus Foundation — now her “special blanket”), with me in a little barcalounger next to her. We were discharged in the morning. She’s still limping, but she is bearing weight on the leg and in fine spirits. They say it can take a while for the infection to go away, just like a cold.

They were so nice to her throughout our 24-hour experience that she woke up this morning and said “I want to go to the hospital.” We opted for Starbucks instead.

Now, Joan, I don’t mean to worry you, but I thought about you and Nate and your trip to Children’s Hospital in DC (don’t let the US News “Best” rating fool you!) while Ruby and I were being treated like Goodwill Ambassadors at our three different medical locations. Yes, we’re still coming home, but I think if Ruby scrapes her knee once I get back, I may have to fly back here to get it looked at.

When we were limping back to the car yesterday, we passed a father wheeling his son (and all his IVs, oxygen tanks, etc.) out into the sunshine in a Radio Flyer wagon. They were not heading for home. Today, at the park, Ruby looked no worse for wear.

I realize, in the grand scheme of things, that this was a minor scrape. I just share it because it was our first. I am thankful for Ruby’s health, every moment.

Note that I am not including a photo of her harried, exhausted, milquetoast mother.

Got a link to fannfare here, and there are some other interesting folks there too. Click away!

I finally realized what it is that’s different about Colorado. Well, aside from the beautiful mountains (gotta drive a ways to get to those from DC, and even then they’re…smaller), the lack of humidity, and no bugs.

It’s not crowded!

That’s it. I never realized how crowded it is at home! Granted, lots of the people in the DC area are ones that I love and enjoy being close to (I am coming home), but there is something to be said for wide open spaces. Big sky. And a parking lot that one can zip in and out of on a whim.

Want to go to the mall here? Just pop on over! I have to build an entire day into my schedule just to get in and out of the parking garage(s) at Tysons Corner! A trip to the post office in DC involves circling and circling and circling for a parking space (I usually opt for the 15 minute walk, honestly) and then waiting in line for 1/2 hour or more to get grunted at by customers and clerks alike. Here, everyone is smiling and cheery, and although no one is in a hurry, I still haven’t waited in line for more than 5 minutes….anywhere.

I take that back. We were at the genius bar at the Apple store for an interminable expanse of time, but I think that’s more about Apple and geniuses than it is about Colorado.

I walked into a nail place without an appointment and sat right down for a manicure over the weekend. I was in and out of the market in less than an hour having gotten everything I needed.

The furthest Shaun and I drive here? The four stories up we have to go in the parking garage at our apartment. Seriously.

It’s becoming increasingly harder to imagine myself crossing the 14th Street Bridge to get to Costco when I get home.

Come visit! You’ll love the weather, you won’t get eaten alive by mosquitoes, I think you can touch God’s toe from certain spots in Boulder, and you’ll get a great parking space.

I know I mustn’t. But I can.

Every time this makes me laugh. Every. Time.

I am getting to know the folks at Safeway here. When I go shopping it seems the same people are working, and the store is never very crowded. In an effort to get to know everyone, I speak and ask questions and thank the people who help me.

Today, I saved buckets of money with my Safeway card, and was chatting it up with the checker about their great savings program on gasoline (with every $50 you spend in the store, you get 10 cents per gallon off at the pump). The fella bagging my groceries put the heavy stuff in a paper bag and then in a plastic one, so I would have handles. I gave him a hearty “Thank you, Sir,” and I don’t speak in a whisper. When my transaction was complete, she asked me if I needed help getting out to my car. I glanced at her nametag — Deanna.

PEOPLE. I had no idea. I just knew, through the entire time I was at the checkout, that she was a he. In my defense, she sort of had evangelist hair, and I totally thought she was a thoughtful, helpful, quiet man.

I didn’t even bother to back-pedal. I just slinked my way to the car — I just tell you as a way to apologize to HER.

OhforGod’ssake.