The Pirates Who Don't [Usually Have Time To] Do Anything!

Well folks, welcome back to the Connecticut Connection: the show where everyone who cares gets to read about how my life is going out here in Greenwich. We realize that we have an audience of about three, but hey, we do it for the viewers.

The biggest news here is that Greenville, Ohio's very own JENNIFER REIFSNIDER came for a visit a few weekends ago!! Yes folks, it's true. My mommy came to see me, and it was wonderful! We had a great time, even though it was very short.

Moving on to other news, I went to Boston with my "family" a few weekends ago. My best friend Alie (a nanny from Australia) and my boyfriend Adam (what?!) and I left on a rainy Saturday morning for one of the most historic cities in the country. Alie and I had never been there before. Unfortunately, we visited Boston on the same day as Hurricane Noel. Hurrican Noel made Boston very cold, rainy and WINDY. I would show you documentation of this trip (and actual proof as to the exsistance of a boyfriend), but the weather was too depressing for pictures. The high point of the trip was teaching Alie to play Euchre, so she is now well exposed to the entertainment of the Midwest.

This just in, the color is still FABULOUS out here! Every day I see new trees ablaze with new hues of red and yellow. It has been the most beautiful fall that this reporter can ever remember viewing.

Moving on to more current events, my job is going well. I love my children and we have been getting along so nicely. They make me laugh every day. Harrison (4) is my youngest and he just doesn't know what to do with me. The other day, I bent down and pointed at my cheek and said "Lay one on me, Harrison!" He looked at me with a really confused look and then slapped me gently across the face. He had no idea that I meant for him to kiss me! He is also hooked on the Veggie Tales cd that I made for he and I to listen to in the car. We have dubbed ourselves the pirates who don't do anything. Stay tuned next time for more stories about the rest of the munchkins.

My (non-imaginary) boyfriend has been studying diligently for months for a very difficult exam that he will take on December first. That's why an outing to Boston was such an anomaly in our plans. Alie and I usually sit quietly (or not so quietly) watching movies or playing cards while he studies away about things that I can't even understand.

So....
I've never licked a sparkplug
and I've never sniffed a stink bug
and I've never painted daisies on a big red rubber ball
and I've never bathed in yogurt
and I don't look good in leggings.....
but now I've been to Boston in the fall!!!

When Sorrows Like Sea Billows Roll

An empty post, a moment of silence.

Lost and Translations

since we last spoke, i have been driving much more and learning my way around somewhat. i still need the navigation system and mapquest...for those frequent times when i get lost, but at least i can get to several major places around greenwich and stamford.
however, in my adventures of east-coast driving, i have found that east-coast drivers have alot to tell other east-coast drivers about their driving. just as in the far side cartoon, i will now translate some of the east-coast driving language:


honk!
"i really hated it when you pulled out in front me...don't do it again, or else!"
honk!
"i really wish you would have ran that red light, so i could get to my mani/pedi on time!"
honk!
"why can't you go any faster? i'm only going 28 miles over the speed limit!"
HONK!
"i can tell from your driving that you're from the midwest, and i HATE that about you!"
honk!
"why did you let that person in? now there's another person in front of me!"
honk!
"don't you dare hesitate at this intersection, or i will be mad!" (this one is preemptive)
honk!
"you're in the lane that i want to be in!"

i've honked twice at people, and here are the translations:
honk!
"when the light turned green, you should have gone! now it's red, and i didn't get a chance to go!"
honk!
"it was your turn to stop and my turn to go! please be more conscientious next time!"
i am much more polite than other east-coast drivers.

aslo, connectians (my own word; pronounced co-NE-shins) care much more about their beautiful foliage (it IS amazing) than they do useful, or even safe, roadways. but really, i mean who wants to be able to know which road to turn on? wouldn't you rather see a rare, blooming tree from sri-lanka or an oak tree that was planted during the revolutionary war than the silly old road sign? and who really wants to know if there's a car coming from the other direction as you're pulling out of a zero-visiblity driveway? i guess they prefer it this way.

i have to keep in mind that most connectians are ex-new yorkers looking for a more peaceful life in the "country." being from the ACTUAL country, i must say that peaceful must have a different definitition from what i know.

even with all the differences, i am loving the east coast and all the different modes of transportation. the train is my favorite, because it takes me to a whole different world called manhattan. i believe my next post will be a compare and contrast essay on the similarities and differences of the great darke county fair and manhattan.
tune in next time: same bat-time, same bat-channel.

your friendly neighborhood nanny,
lauren faith

Lauren's List

so instead of writing a long essay about all the fun times and amazing blessings that i'm enjoying here in connecticut, i've decided to just post a long list of things to update you all. i hope you enjoy!

the pictures, top to bottom:

1: partial front view of the home where i live

2: back view, my suite is on the far, far left

3: the view from the pool area

4: landon and erin came to visit me!! this is at my favorite diner.

the events, in no particular order:

1: i went to manhattan last saturday! i walked all around central park and a freelancer photographed me playing in the bethesda fountain.

2: i have already made some AMAZING friends and found a church home....PRAISE GOD.

3: i know how to get MANY places around town, and i can even navigate myself to the mall in stamford...very necessary.

4: i finally got a new computer! an adorable little macbook.

5: landon and erin came to visit me and we had a fabulous time!!

6: i was introduced to "high school musical" which is now a favorite.

7: OH YEAH, the family is amazing, but they have been on vacation for two weeks, so i am lonely at night in the big house.

8: my MOM is coming to visit me in october....yay!

9: i MIGHT get to see beth moore in rhode island at the end of the month...

10: another freelance photographer took me on a photoshoot the other day. people, i am not photogenic.

11: there are two baby deer (and perhaps their mother) trapped on the property. it is fully fenced in and they can not get out. they are very cute and i have named them jim and pam.

12: unfortunately, there might also be a coyote on the property. i saw him last week, but i've only heard him at night since then. i have not named him, because i do not like him.

13: thirteen is unlucky, so i will stop here.

well, there it is. i know it doesn't seem like a lot, but it's been an action-packed two + weeks for me. i will report more "work-related" details, as soon as i start living them:)

love to you all from the east coast,
lauren faith

Goodbyes and Greenwich

I have experienced the most defined period of change in my entire life over the past few months. I graduated from college, ending a separate seven-year period of change, said goodbye to my brother and hello to a new sister, then waved them both off to the far east coast. Since then, I have endured the departure of several dear friends from this house that I call home here in Winona Lake. Unfortunately, as the days of summer march on, I only have more goodbyes to handle.

Two weeks ago I travelled to Greenwich, Connecticut for an interview with a wonderful family. They have four children (somehow I'm always counting for little heads), and live in a rather spectacular home about 40 minutes outside of Manhattan. They offered me their recently available nanny position, and I accepted last week. This means that on July 28th, my dad will drive me to the East Coast and leave me there. This is what I want, and I'm very excited about all the newness that is to come, but I'm also very nervous. However, several things happened to confirm the decision. The number one thing is the family's departing nanny. She is a physical therapist, and is staying in the area when I take the position. She is a believer, and an instant friend! I knew she was from a small town in North Carolina, but when I asked her the specifics, she said I would never have heard of it. "Where is it?" I asked, thinking I would spit out my macaroni and cheese if she said Murphy. "Murphy, North Carolina; it's close to Atlanta." she responded. Anyway, she is definitely from the small town that has recently claimed two very important people in my life! We both thought that was way too much of a coincidence to be of anyone but God. I'm looking forward to a friendship with her once I arrive.

Heading to Greenwich means that I will have to bid farewell to four small children that feel like my own siblings here in Indiana. Ella, Nolan, Grant and Ava have been my entertainment, blessings, headaches and loves for almost 20 months. Not seeing them several times a week will be quite a shock to my system! Here are some highlights:

Ella: She called me while I was stuck at Laguardia (missing her dance recital) to tell me that she still loved me even though I couldn't see her dance. She says that the new children will surely like me because I am so nice to her and her siblings.
Nolan: He stepped on a piece of glass on Mother's Day, and just had to have surgery on Tuesday for a remaining 2-inch piece of glass that was still in there. But seeing him swing around like a monkey on tiny little crutches ALMOST makes it all worth it.
Grant: While watching the Red Sea part during "The Prince of Egypt" he yelled at me: "HOWY COW, WAREN, GOD IS AWESOME!" They had never heard the story of Moses before, so that was a neat time for us.
Ava: This little one breaks my heart, because she is probably too young to remember all the fun that she and I have had. We sing songs, dance and laugh. But the best was last night when I was tucking her in and she said: "Waren, you say Amen?" Which meant she wanted me to pray for her.

Oh buckets, I feel sad just typing all of this. I detest goodbyes and all that goes along with them. As most of you reading this blog know, I'm not the best at keeping up with people. The farther away I get, the more difficult it is for me. But here's to trying...

Love to you all,
Lauren

migraines, march, marriage & massachusetts

buongiorno amici...

it's currently 2:38 in the morning, and i do plan on attending class when the sun comes up. yet, here i sit, greatly affected by the caffeine in the three excedrin that i had to take to get rid of my second migraine of the weekend. i never knew i was prone to migraines. i got alot of headaches in the fall, but my doctor and i decided that was caused by spending plenty of quality time with first-graders and not enough quality time with my bed. but this weekend, i had two bouts with the ailment. yesterday wasn't too bad, but tonight, i couldn't move. i managed to drag myself to my room, put a mask over my eyes and fall onto my bed. i layed there stationary for hours, waiting for the pain to go away so i could write a paper on my inductive study of the book of esther (haman really was a tool, wasn't he??). well, three hours and two excedrin later, i was able to start the paper. it's done now, but i am since i never drink soda or coffee, i am WAY affected by caffeine and so i'm up for awile. i feel like right now you are REALLY bored, because this was a dumb story. i'll move on.

it's the end of march...thank goodness. the end of march means that may 5 (my ever-elusive graduation date) is drawing closer and closer. for those of you who might be tempted to tell me: "you finally did it" or "it's about time" or "it took you long enough" or similar, here's a hint: please keep it to yourself. i know that people who graduate from college 7 years following their high school graduation usually have alot more letters after their name. i also know that people who have been saying these kind of things to me probably don't read this petty little blog.

may also brings the marriage of my brother and the lovely erin. i'm awfully excited to have a sister. i'm excited about their tiny little ceremony, too. i've been getting to know my extended family better at weddings in the past few years. it used to be that we only saw each other at funerals. this is better.

my plans for after graduation most likely involve the east coast. i have signed with a nanny agency in boston, and it is their job to place me with a family that meets my specifications. i (and my mother) feel much more at ease about picking up and moving to the east coast, now that i am with this agency. they have assured me that they have never found one of their nannies floating in the hudson, or any other river! so that's good. i will hopefully find out this week which family i will work for; the where and the when as well.

i feel like this is such a boring post. i don't feel clever at 3 o'clock in the morning. i'm sorry friends. don't quit reading my blog. please. ok, thanks.

buona notte amici

back in the saddle again...

hello friends!

i'm back in the blogger saddle again. actually, after the horse ride of death i was taken on while in the virgin islands...it looks like this will be the only saddle i will ever sit in AGAIN. i promise you that i rode a 50 year-old horse STRAIGHT UP and then STRAIGHT BACK DOWN a rocky cliff. no, i did not enjoy st. john from the dangerously high view-point. no, i wasn't sure if i was going to make it and NO, i was not happy that i had signed a waiver releasing the con artist from any responsibility if i should die.

i'm sure many of you are wondering just how i got so lucky as to find myself on the back of such an animal in the first place. well, let me tell you. i am employed as a nanny by the most generous family in the whole wide world. they took me along on their family vacation to st. john in the u.s. virgin islands. while i was there, i fed iguanas, went on a submarine dive, swam in the ocean, rode LOTS of boats and ate amazing fruit. i also went on the aforementioned horse ride from you-know-where with my little ella and her father. that was the low-point of the trip for me. but i did make it with only minimal tears shed.

the weather was amazing. i am sad to tell you that it was during your coldest week in the midwest. but i thought of you often as i sunned myself on the beach, whilst being brought exotic drinks and fruit right to my lounge chair. mind you, i did watch the kids. but i was basically just the fifth child, since i have never been anywhere so amazing. or expensive. i promise you that we never spent less than $95/person to do ANYTHING (and there were 7 of us, total). boat ride to st. thomas: $100/person, submarine ride: $250/person, horse ride: $95/person. well, i take it back...i think we usually ate for around $40/person. yeah, not a place i will ever be able to afford on my own.

it was wonderful. i am so thankful for the opportunity to have gone.

welp, i guess we'll find out who still reads this! more to come...i promise!

ps...i tried to post pictures, but it was just too difficult. too bad.