wrath averted

You guessed it, our day started with oatmeal, dressed up with ground flaxseed, wheatgerm, and a little brown sugar, and apple sauce. Adrienne was working, so June and I were on our own.

Following breakfast, I jumped into the shower, June played peekaboo with me behind the shower curtain, and then we both got dressed for Mass. To be perfectly honest, taking our active 16-month-old daughter to church without assistance from Adrienne stretches, or perhaps exceeds, my 16-month-old parenting skills. Sure we made it all the way to Communion before heading for the exit, but the journey getting there wasn't pretty. At one point during Mass, I let June walk around in the large hall just outside the church sanctuary. Before I knew it, she made her way into the smaller "daily chapel." She made a beeline towards the altar and started tugging on the antependium (more or less a decorative cloth) adorning the lectern. I was just waiting for lightning to strike. Luckily, she didn't put much muscle into her efforts so no damage was done, at least no physical damage. We somehow made it back into the sanctuary for the Liturgy of the Eucharist. Not since my grade school years have I so desperately wanted Mass to end; eventually it did and we made our way home.

Back at home, June immediately located her small brown-paper Whole Foods bag and recommenced her favorite activity du jour. She fills the bag with a variety of items and then drags it around the house, unloading and reloading it along the way. Books, cell phones, receipts, coasters-- if it's within her reach there's a good chance it gets tossed in the bag. This kept June entertained until lunchtime.

After lunch, I loaded June into our jogging stroller and we headed out for a ten mile run. Before stepping outside, I checked the forecast for temperature and precipitation; what could possibly be wrong with 60's and no rain? What initially felt like moderate winds soon seemed gale-force. The portion of the forecast I skipped over read, "steady 25 mph winds gusting to 40 mph." Our neighborhood and much of Duke's campus is covered with huge, beautiful oak trees; most of these trees, however, are nearing the end of their life cycles. It's not uncommon to see massive limbs, sometimes entire trees, felled by winds much less severe than today's. So given the aforementioned events that took place in the "daily chapel," I felt there was as good a chance as any that today I would be struck down by either a tree or a poorly tethered Krzyzewskiville tent (Krzyzewskiville is the makeshift "tent city" just outside Duke's basketball stadium. Students camp out for months, yes months, in advance of the UNC vs. Duke game. I run by "K-ville" several times a week). All joking aside, there were several times during today's run, especially during the portion in Duke Forest, that I was really nervous. The tall, skinny pine trees were bending at outrageous angles. As we made our way back towards home, a cross-street we first passed on the outbound leg of our run was now closed to traffic; a fairly large tree now covered the road (the picture was taken several hours later-- much of it had been cut and cleared away). Well, we finally made it home safely, but I felt like I had been through the wringer. June, on the other hand, slept blissfully for the majority of the ride.

Once home, I again took a quick shower and we scrambled out the door. June helped me choose a new memory card for our camera at Office Depot, and then we headed to, big surprise, The Museum of Life and Science. June is fascinated with Adrienne's sunglasses, so the new exhibit that incorporates 3-D glasses was a big hit with her. Not surprisingly, she didn't use the glasses for their intended purpose; she just collected them from the tray, handed them all to me, returned them to the tray, and then repeated several times. Whatever makes her happy. (sorry about the unclear picture, but it's a picture no less)

Following our trip to the museum, we drove to Duke to snap the tree photograph and then took a quick stop at the park for some windswept slide riding. Dinner, bath, and bed soon followed.

Precarious at times, but a fine day nonetheless.

Three other things from the past few days worth noting:

1. Yesterday, June made her first basket ever in a basketball hoop. Toddler-sized basketball goals were set out during class at The Little Gym. June looked like a toddler-sized World B. Free.

2. Last week was my mom's birthday and while I was talking to her I put the phone to June's ear. After a few moments of listening to her Nana, June said a very clear and deliberate, "Hiiiiiii," into the mouthpiece. A nice birthday gift indeed. I think it qualifies as her first real phone conversation.

3. Expect our reading list to rapidly expand. We've given up television for Lent. Adrienne is already petitioning for exceptions. While I'm working, CNBC is exempted. Trust me, I'd prefer never seeing or hearing CNBC again, but once in a blue moon, it has a breaking news story before anyone else.