One of the great things about my current situation is that no matter what happens, I will have a job to go to at the end of it all.  Even if the academic job in Maine does not work out, I will still have a postdoc here in Vermont.  And regardless of what happens, there are many things to look forward to in the coming months.  I will enumerate them here, as a way to psych myself up and get through these last weeks of snow and bitter cold.

1.  Holden will be turning one in June.  I haven’t written our plans in stone yet because I am not sure where we will be in June, but the current plan is to rent out a picnic shelter at Oakledge Park in Burlington and have a potluck cookout for the little guy.  This park is lovely; it’s right on Lake Champlain, it borders the bike path, and sports the world’s first handicapped accessible treehouse.  What could be more fun than playing in a treehouse?  As soon as I know more about where we’re going to be in the next few months, I will be able to make the reservations and send out invites.

2.  First family vacation.  Rob and I have made it a priority to get away every year, even if it’s only for a long weekend.  We want to be able to take our first family vacation, just the three of us.  We are still undecided on the details.  We have contemplated going to North Carolina (we had a wonderful time there 2 years ago), or staying at a beachside cottage in Maine (although that option is less appealing if we actually end up living there).  Or we may opt for something completely new and different.  There are a billion places I would like to go without Holden (including many destinations in Europe), but we’re not ready to leave him for a week yet.  Maybe in a few more years.  For now, we’re just trying to find a simple, relaxing spot where the three of us can chill for a week.  Any suggestions?

3.  Dishwasher!  Whether we move or not, I am getting a dishwasher.  If we end up staying in our condo another couple years, I have decided that I can’t live without one.  I do way too much cooking and end up spending an hour of my day doing dishes (no lie).  Our kitchen is small and it will require some creative maneuvering to fit another appliance in here, but I am confident I can find someone handy enough (e.g. not one of us) to do the dirty work for us.

4.  Television!  The fact that Rob and I do not own a television makes us feel smug and superior on a daily basis.  We pride ourselves on being bookworms and reading the local newspaper instead.  We are avid fans of Netflix and watch many a movie on our desktop computer in the living room.  Alas, I am now 30 years old, and I can’t quite see the screen like I used to.  I am finding myself squinting as we watch movies most of the time.  We toyed around with the idea of getting a projector to save space, but now that flat screen TVs have really come down in price, it seems a good time to take the leap and snatch up a screen that we can actually see.  Our most recent obsession has been watching Cosmos (the famous PBS series hosted by Carl Sagan)—can you imagine how some of those shots of the Milky Way would look on a huge screen?  We’ve decided the TV will be reserved for watching movies and that we will forego cable.  After all, who wants to pay for being advertised to?

5.  Kayaking & Hiking!  In 2 more months, the mud will be gone and we will be able to hike.  Hauling Holden up a mountain might present a bit of a challenge, but we’ll figure it out.  We are excited for kayaking too—we just need to find a baby life preserver and we’ll be set!

What are you excited for as we spring forward into the warmer months?

Holden gives his audience a round of applause.  Yesterday while I was getting dinner ready, he sat in his booster seat and started clapping for Rob.  We encouraged his clapping by clapping along with him, which of course intensified his efforts.  He still has to master the high-five, but we are getting there.

Earlier in the day, Holden and I ran errands on our own because it was Rob’s turn to be very sick with the flu.  I like to turn routine errands into entertainment, so a trip to the pet store to pick up hay for the rabbit turned into an opportunity for Holden to see some animals he has never seen before.  His favorites by far were the mice and the fish.  When I took him to the mouse cage, he started giggling every time a mouse would dart around the corner of the enclosure and start digging frantically in the bedding.  Clearly, the mice were hysterical to Holden because they were so tiny and unpredictable.  The puppies, rats, and birds were moderately interesting, but when we got to the aquatic section of the store, Holden’s interest was piqued once again.  He loved watching the fish dart about in their organized shoals.  One day when he is old enough to take care of it, we might get him a small aquarium.

On the job front, I am still waiting for the interview to be scheduled.  It’s definitely nerve-wracking to know that it’s probably going to happen next week but not know exactly which day it is.  I have been preparing for the talk with the help of some very generous friends who have stepped up and offered to watch Holden.  Thank you to Amanda for being a good pal and spending time with Holden last Friday.  Holden spent the longest time he has ever been away from me (3.5 hours!) with Amanda while I worked on my talk.  Holden just loved playing with the puppy dogs over at Amanda’s!  Tomorrow he will spend 3 hours with my friend Adam, and on Wednesday and Thursday he will participate in a nanny share with one of our neighbors.  Wednesday will be the long, 8.5 hour day away from me, which will be difficult but necessary.  So far, Holden seems to handle being away from me just fine, although I imagine that this will vary from day to day and depend on his mood to a large degree.  

Hopefully I will know more about the job soon so I can update everyone.