Grand Rapids Nesties
Dear Community,
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Wednesday randoms
I've been MIA for a few days.
On Thursday, daycare called and asked me to pick up T because he threw up. That meant no daycare on Friday, so I took the day off (minus a meeting that I had to come in for late afternoon.)
I had previously planned to take Monday and Tuesday off, so I just got back from a nice 5 days long weekend. I LOVE having time off.
Saturday morning, my dad called me with the worst news ever. My most beloved uncle has been diagnosed with liver cancer and it has spread to his bones. They don't think he has long to live (think weeks.) He lives in Texas and is planning to come back to Michigan soon to say goodbye. I'm completely devasted. He is the kindess, sweetest, gentlest, most loving man I know.
Re: Wednesday randoms
Thank you.
They were in town a few weeks ago, and I actually called in "sick" one day to work so I could spend the day with them. I am so happy and thankful that I did that. Life is too short.
On a much lighter note, Operation Build T a Table and Chair was a success.
Obviously not perfect, but I learned a lot and had fun.
That sucks.
My car wouldn't start on Friday night. And it wouldn't take a jump, which really confused me.
Thankfully, it just needed a new battery.
The battery works fine. My neighbor is thinking its the crank shaft fuse or something like that.
It's not "obviously" imperfect to me! In fact, it looks pretty darn awesome. Still so impressed that you did this all.
D&M: Sorry about Uncle but Yay on table/chair for T.
Yay us! We had a client pay so now I'm not nearly as worried about getting the car fix.
I get to play around with the iPad 2 for the next couple of days and try a few things out. In doing so I have realized I need more friends that are tech savvy so I can try out somethings.
Oh, and some news on the BIL (I guess I had a pretty drama-filled weekend...)
He was drinking heavily during the football game on Sunday (he is an alcoholic and started at 10 am). He was minding his own business and not bothering anyone so all was good. We made a huge amount of food for halftime, it was good game, the Bears won, everyone was having fun, etc.
After the game, I went out to the garage to work on the table and chairs. H turned on his surround sound as loud as it could go, and they were outside in the backyard hanging out.
The music was SO freaking loud, I went back in and turned it down, and walked to the slider and told H to keep it down because I didn't want to piss off the neighbors or hurt T's ears. I wasn't mean, I didn't yell, I just stated a fact - it had to be kept down, end of story.
H said ok, no problem, he was sorry. BIL flipped out on me, called me a b*tch, told me I was taking his brother away (ha) and a bunch of other really mean things people say when they are drunk (and probably thinking while they are sober...?)
I'm a baby and started crying, H went off on his brother, BIL packed his stuff and left. He walked to SIL's which is a good 4 miles away, and hasn't been back (and won't be coming back, either!)
It was SO weird.
There had been no drama until that moment, and he just went off on me. He gave me a few examples on how I had been a b*tch since he got there: 1) went to bed after 1 card game the night before, because I was tired. He thought that was bitchy. Ummmm?
2) Hmmm, apparently it was so ridiculous I can't even remember the other reason he gave me.
So my almost 3 week house guest only stayed 3 days. Score for me.
H and his brother have since made up. But he refuses to apologize to me, so guess who will never be back at my house?
Background: We do have a history of not getting along. Because he is a lazy, free loading mooch who lived on my couch in my 750 sq ft house for a while and didn't feel the need to pay or be respectful or be ambitious enough to get out on his own. He'll be 40 soon, and he is still such a loser.
I also am impressed by the table and chairs.
The drama with your BIL is not fun. It sounds like you have a decent attitude about it - it's really a situation where it's not you, it's him. It sounds like he has a lot of issues and I'm sorry he took it out on you - you didn't deserve that.
I am sick. SHOCKING because I've always heard that traveling, barely sleeping and eating poorly usually leads to excellent health.
Juli and Charity - I hope you both feel better soon!
Molly - I'm very sorry to hear about your uncle. Cancer is so cruel (understatement of the year?). It's hit close to home twice for us in the past six months. So, terrible. I'm glad to hear that you've gotten the opportunity to spend some time with your uncle lately though. Also, your BIL sounds like he has an awful lot of issues. Sorry for the drama, but maybe in the long run it was worth it to get him out of your house? And, awesome table and chair set!
I hope you feel better soon, but I'm sure it was worth it! I looooove Boston!
Mike, Henry and I ran into some of Mike's co-workers while at lunch. They asked Mike, "Is that your daughter?" while pointing to Henry. Yeah, yeah - Henry's hair is a little long. I am dragging my feet on getting it cut. When it is humid, his hair would curl a little and was adorable. Well - no more curls since the humid weather is probably behind us. Fine, society! I'll cut it.
But apparently it wasn't his hair that through them off. Idiot #1 said, "Well, he is wearing orange Crocs. So I assumed it was a girl!" and then Idiot #2 said, "You better have a talk with your wife." Wocka, Wocka. Oh you mean, me? The person sitting right with Mike and Henry? And since when are orange Crocs feminine? I stand by that Henry's shoes are gender neutral.
Eh - Henry gets called a girl fairly often, no biggie. It was just how these guys kept going on about it and then telling Mike basically that he needs to set me straight. Lemme tell ya something - not how our house works, Mr. 1957.
Ew, Hoektastic, those guys don't sound very cool. I would have been irritated too.
And, yes, last I checked, orange is gender neutral.
Rude. Fairly certain orange is a gender neutral color - honestly I think pink might be the only not gender neutral color - well maybe pink and purple. This reminds me of a story from when I was in London working with first graders. So imagine a cute English accent:
Amery (a boy): Miss Julianne, some boys were picking on Walid at recess.
Me: Oh no, what happened?
Avery: Well, he had a bit of pink on his jacket and they said that's a girl color. But I think he should wear whatever he likes.
Smartest 6 year old ever. ;-)
Hey. Were any of you here when the drama first went down and the baby board ladies broke away? Well, I think I just discovered that the leader of that baby board is friends with my boss. Which I find unsettling, for various reasons. And it's just weird.
Although, I could be wrong on this. But if it's who I think it is, than it's weird. And unsettling.
I was not around. By baby board, do you mean the GR board on the Bump? Was the drama surrounding length of hair and/or gender appropriate colors?
And thank you, ladies, for validating Henry's shoes! Haha.
JuliD- That little boy would have quickly become my favorite!
No, not the Bump board. It was a non-nest board. I would be willing to bet though that at some point, there has been drama on their board about length of hair and gender appropriate colors.
Me too! I felt so sleepy in my last class, which just got out. I grabbed a coffee to get me through the next several hours of work. Lots of reading to do and a draft of a legal writing assignment to get through...
That was right around the time I started being active. I remember the core group that broke away, but don't know which person exactly you're talking about.
That drama was really ugly.
Hoek, I also would definitely not call orange a girl color. I guess it's not too often that I'm around babies where I don't know their gender, but usually their clothing gives it away and it's fairly clear.
Somewhat amusing story re: mistaken gender identity. My youngest nephew who just turned two had long hair until recently. When he was around my two oldest nephews (from L's side, so they aren't related to each other), the older nephews kept referring to Elliot as "she."
HA! It never gets hold. Thanks, JuliD.
I guess I better get back to work then...