Season's Greetings

Is it the New Year yet?  C'mon!  We've now been living in Minnesota for 6 months.

'Twas the day after Christmas and work has been chaotic during the holiday season, as it always is, working in the grocery/retail business.  Americans want what they want when they want and as much as they can get and they expect to get it.  It's their right.  Needless to say this has made for some long shifts these last few weeks.  As we head into the new year and then a few quieter months I hope to enjoy the job more.

Big News!  Evie Sue turned 4 years old on this 16th of the month!  I can hardly believe it.  We threw a little shindig for friends and family and everyone had a lovely time.  The kids were running around screaming, the adults were conversing over the screams and I was drinking.  We have a ton more princess items to add to our impressive collection.  The birthday present win of the year goes to Sara, who bought a box/trunk at the local goodwill and gifted it as a dress up box.  Now all of the princess gowns, tutus, and assorted costume pieces have a home.

Christmas Eve was spent in the company of family at the Patsy home in White Bear Lake.  Grandparents, great aunts & great uncles, aunts & uncles, cousins, and kids all gathered in a cozy home to exchange gifts, stories, and Christmas Cheer.  Christmas morning we stayed home with just the four of us and opened presents.  Sara cooked her traditional Christmas Quiche; this year with pepperoni, mozzarella and green peppers.  This is something we started a few years back and we look forward to every Christmas morning.  There have been several variations over the years including Greek inspired with roasted red pepper, feta, & asparagus, and/or also tomato, mozzarella & basil sometimes it varies but it is always Red, White & Green.  Then later I made chili, and Grandma & Grandpa came over to hang out.  All in all it was a good day considering that there's a cold going around, Ronen is the latest victim, and that Evie Sue was so hopped up on Pez, chocolate, and other sugar-based snacks that she was physically incapable of following directions for the entire day.

This was my 1st Christmas away from my family in many years and we definitely missed having them to celebrate with but I was able to Skype with 2/3 of my immediate family and exchanged a few text messages with friends and family wishing them a Merry Christmas.  Christmas presents are in the mail, I promise.  I was just a day too late.  Hope everyone out there had a great holiday.  New Years is right around the corner and 2016 is coming up fast.

In other news, Ronen is still not sleeping through the night.  Sara is on a winter break, of sorts, from work and we are still a single car family after a couple of set backs in our automobile search - both involving the same prospective seller.  It's a long aggravating story, but the long and the short of it is that we are restarting our search after having two sure things all through.  We have a lead through a family member and I'll start actively combing the area for something safe and affordable.  Hopefully the new year will see us with 2 reliable cars.

I am still not even close to finishing the book I am currently reading.  I started Dean Koontz's From The Corner of His Eye during the second week of October but the work schedule, the family duties and the holidays have all conspired to keep my reading to a minimum and I am only about halfway through the 768 page thriller.  Slow and steady...  I also have not been productive with my writing.

The fantasy football season is over and what a disappointing season it was, too.  I failed to make the play offs in both leagues I was involved in this year.  It was ugly.  I picked up several players during the season whom I thought would help me do well but week in and week out I my imaginary squad did not deliver.  There were a few weeks when I, distracted as I am these days, neglected my line up, left empty slots and/or didn't pay attention to injury news.  Oh well, few things matter less and this season I just could get things going my way.  There's always next imaginary season.

A Day Late (I Missed November)

Halloween was a smashing success.  The Sunday before Halloween we took the kids to Como Park Zoo  for Zoo Boo.  Along with Cousins Nikki & Dave and Great Aunties Di & Karen we made our way through the zoo trick or treating and meeting costumed volunteers, and many Disney Princesses.  Sara and I won 1st prize in a costume party during a Friday night pub crawl.  Saturday we went out trick or treating with Sara's best friend and her 3 kids.  We weren't out that long but with 4 kids (Ronen stayed home with Grandma) it was long enough.  White Bear Lake really makes trick or treating fun.  We saw 2 haunted houses, a clown on stilts and multiple driveway bonfires.  After the kids settled down Sara and I had a few beers and watched Hellraiser!

For the 2nd year in a row we made a Dias Del Los Muertos Altar in memory of my Mom.  Teal is the color of Ovarian Awareness, the gin if for her gin & tonics, pictures of family, one of her hats, flowers, some skulls and a candle.  This year we had to go and dig out our artifacts from storage in Sara's parents' garage and we almost missed the celebration.  My girls, so far Sara and Evie Sue, get into it and it's a fun way to remember Grandma Sue.    

Sara and I celebrated another Anniversary.  8 years of marriage brings us to the Bronze or Pottery Anniversary.  Unfortunately, with 2 small children we have not really found the time to celebrate the way we would've liked to.  We cut short an evening of cocktails due to a fever-stricken baby, and took the girls out for breakfast at a local eatery on the morning of the Anniversary but as of yet we have not truly found time to  mark the occasion. 

Thanksgiving this year, our 1st in Minnesota, was spent at Sara's brother's house with the In-Laws.  A few kids, 2 sets of grandparents - both Evie and Ronen's & their cousins' other grandparents -  sat down for a turkey dinner, a few card games and some family time.  I tried to Skype with my family back home but missed both my father and little brother, and then the time I did get with the older brother and his family was hectic and distracting due to the chaos on my side of the video call. 

Ronen is a challenge at times.  This kids got you all fooled.  Whenever we take her places, to visit family, shopping -  what have you  - she shows off.  She's well-behaved and quiet.  People will tell us what an angel she is or how wonderful she's been.  You put this kid in a car, however, or try to get her to sleep through the night and it's a whole different ball game.  This one weekend in November she didn't go to be before 4 AM for a few nights in a row.  She napped and slept earlier in the evening but woke up around midnight as I'm crawling into bed - sneaking, really, with ninja-like stealth - and she wakes up and wants to party.  Of course, then we caught a little cold and it's even more unpredictable, she'd sleep until 3AM but then wake up every 20 minutes until her sister wakes up at 7.  There are some nights when Sara and I deal better with it than others and then there are nights when it seems like we might be losing out minds.  The kids almost 8 months old when will we get to sleep again.  Sleepless nights lead to exhausting days and then before you know it we've grumbled and stumbled our way into another sleepless night.  

I guess that's the way the cookie bounces, however.  I need to slow down and give thanks and appreciate the time I spend at home with the girls.  Too often I get frustrated with the every day dealings, sleepless nights and the absence of silence...  Then I go to work and all I want to do is go home and be with my family.  It is way too easy to get frustrated these days, being tired and frazzled from lack of sleep with the baby, still, and the sass and lack of listening we get from her older sister, but I should remind myself that the family time is the important time.  Work is what I do so I can have that important family time.  I hope the holidays are good to us.

PS.  As it turns out we will not be getting the afore mentioned house that we had been pursuing.  It's just not meant to be.  The plan going forward is to spend the winter in our current apartment, and resume the house hunting in the springtime.  More immediate is finding a reliable 2nd car for the family.  

Tricks and Treats

First things first, we have finished our Juicy Lucy Tour.  I figured I would jump right into the important stuff.  It's what you wanted to hear about isn't it?  Sara and I decided that we would only do 3 stops for the tour since so many local restaurants/ bars are featuring Juicy Lucies on their menus.  We decided we would got to the 2 establishments that claim to have invented the Juicy Lucy and then one who has apparently improved on the concept.  As you may have read in the previous post, we originally stopped by The Blue Door Pub for lunch.  (See September's post)

Our 2nd stop was Matt's Bar & Grill in St. Paul.  Matt's is a dark little restaurant with the griddle behind the bar, a single lunch time waitress and no credit card machines so bring cash.  The burger with grilled onions was a deliciously oozing mess that drenched the paper it was served on.  The cheese was a little runny for me but the burger was good.  Unfortunately, and Sara and I slightly disagree on this point, the service was just average, and it seemed like the entire establishment is run with the idea that they created the Juicy Lucy, it's that good, and so the the customer can deal with the inconvenience of no credit cards, a crowded restaurant and a small unfriendly staff.  The burgers were good but they weren't that good.

Finally, we made it back to St. Paul - all of these visit's were done in a little over a month and a half - and stopped in for lunch at The Nook.  A charming little bar that also claims to have invented these delicious burgers, has a friendly staff, and a bowling alley in the basement.  Sara got the traditional and I got mine with pepper jack cheese.  The burgers were plump, not as well done as some of the other places and the cheese was thicker leading Sara to hypothesize that they must use a cheese sauce.  We never found out but we will return because the burgers were that good.  The bowling alley looked fun - we didn't get a chance to play on our 1st visit - and we want to try the Spanish Fly burger which adds ground chorizo to the beef mix.

So, in summary, all 3 of the restaurants are local landmarks, and have their rabid, molten cheese-loving fans who swear that they serve the best Juicy Lucy in the Twin Cities.  Our favorite Juicy Lucy was hands down from the Nook.  We also enjoyed the garlicky blue cheese version served by The Blu Door Pub where we also hope to visit again and this time I will try the Jiffy Burger!  Matt's burgers were good but we both agreed we wouldn't go out of our way to go back and eat there.  Now that the food challenge is over maybe we'll start another.  How's about lutefisk?
 
In other news, family-related, the Cobb girls got to head out of town for a Girls Weekend in Wisconsin with Grandma Linda, Auntie Di and cousin, Nikki.  The ladies traveled up north east and into the Badger State for a few nights.  They'd rented a cabin on a lake, and were looking forward to a weekend of bonding.  I stayed at home with the dog and  cooked for one, watched action movies, had a bonfire and enjoyed the quiet.  I also managed to finish that memoir I was reading and start another book entitled Escape from the Deep: The Epic Story of a Legendary Submarine and her Courageous Crew:)  I also decided to read a thriller/ scary book for the month of October and am not very far into Dean Koontz's From the Corner of His Eye.

Our Halloween plans are moving along nicely.  Evie Sue was gifted a Princess dress by her great aunties, and is super excited.  Sophia The 1st is the actual costume, and it is a wonder that we have been able to keep her out of the costume this long.  She's actually lost and earned back the dress several times during the last few weeks due to her behavior; 3 year olds can be punks.  Sara and I will be attending a Halloween Pub Crawl next week but our costumes are still TBD.  I'm not sure where we will be trick or treating this year but I'm sure I'll be told the morning of.  We've always trick or treated with Bennett & Savannah in Maryland so this will be different.  Hopefully we can Skype on Halloween before the festivities so we can check out everyone's costumes.

A bit of interesting news, a non-fiction piece I wrote is going to be published, er um... posted on a literary website this month.  Ampersandlit.com is a website that provides a place where writers and artists can share their work..  It's good exposure and I was interested in getting something out there.  I wrote the essay after moving here to Minnesota and meeting new coworkers who often times were curious about me and my family.  It felt good to write something and I have two other projects I'm dusting off for possible submission to a few theatre companies.
 
The search for a place to live continues.  Maybe we'll buy a house...or maybe not.  We've been looking at a house for a few weeks now and we both really like it.  We've toured the house twice and now just need to crunch some numbers and see if it's doable, not to mention applying for the home loan.  Stressful stuff, if you ask me but a necessary step.  We'll submit the pre-screening paperwork and see if the house is meant for us.  We'll keep you updated.

Time? Is It Really On My Side?

Summer has come and gone.  Autumn is upon us.  I wouldn't say that the weeks are flying by but I don't know where the time is going.  Ronen is almost 6 months old and we have been in Minnesota for over two months.  That's crazy. 

I've been reading the same book,  One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, since the beginning of May.  Now I am not the fastest reader but to spend over 4 months on a 400 page book is just ridiculous.  It shows you how busy I've have been.  Between packing, moving, unpacking, working and raising two wonderful, time-consuming daughter I have not been able to get through this book.  I like it but I've been reading it so long that I often don't remember details when the author references earlier incidences.  I am getting closer to the end and the stubborn reader in me will not not simply quit reading the book but I often find myself vegging out in front of the television instead of reading. 

Speaking of television, Sara and I have started watching the TV show Breaking Bad.   This highly acclaimed television show is every bit as good as we have been told.  We often discover shows after they've been out for a while and we watch free dvds from the library to catch up.  We're a couple seasons in already.  This show is so good that I often forget I haven't finished my book yet.  I've also been mildly obsessed with classic samurai movies recently.  In the past month I have watched Seven Samurai, Yojimbo and Sanjuro and I have already put in a request for the Hidden Fortress at our local library. 

Football Season has started and while I don't have much hope for the Redskins I also don't have much hope for my fantasy football squad.  This year marks the 9th year I have played fantasy football in a league of friends and family.  I have had mixed success over the years; finishing either in the middle of the pack or at bottom in most years.  It's a fun little hobby that I try not to obsess too much over,  and also I try not to take too seriously when I have a crap week.  (My book reading time just keeps shrinking, doesn't it?) 

This past weekend the Cobbs took in the local Renaissance Festival.  It's an annual tradition we started in Maryland, always including my father in the trip if possible.  This year was  a little different, we obviously missed my dad.  The Minnesota Festival is just as big maybe even a bit bigger but less wooded than the Maryland one, with large open fields covering much of the grounds.  This year also centered around a lot of what Evie Sue wanted to do.  We started the day with a princess tea party event, toured Mermaid Cove, got her face-painted and even met Cinderella face to face.  There were no oyster shooters like I'm used to but the food selection was mostly the same with the addition of cheese curds!  Schell beer was on tap, and we pushed a stroller with Ronen lounging all over the medieval realm.  It was fun outing. 

The family is good.  Ronen is almost 6 months old and sleeps through the night more than she used to but not every night.  Evie has started a preschool program two days a week, and is super excited about her Tuesday night dance class in which she learns Tap, Ballet and other dance forms!  Sara is semi-actively looking at real estate listings, and trying to move the us in the direction of finding our own place.   She also has been hired by the White Bear School District for a part time job working in their Before Care program 5 mornings a week.  It would not be an understatement to say that Sara was snatched up by the hiring managers at her job.  The woman who 1st called Sara could not even disguise her eagerness to interview someone with 'all sorts of wonderful qualifications'.  Sara applied, interviewed and started all within a few days time.

In a completely unrelated side note, this maybe the land of 10,000 Lakes but I am more aware of all of the water towers I see poking up above the trees everywhere you look.  I pass by 5 on my way to work everyday.  It seems that every other neighborhood has to have it's own water tower, and even some of the businesses.  It's just a funny little thing I noticed since moving here. 

Top Left To Bottom Left: Vadnais Heights, Shoreview, Arden Hills, Woodbury, White Bear Lake, & Minnesota State Fair

 Let's take a moment to discuss some local cuisine before I wrap up the post.  Minnesota is known for certain foods such as the lutefiske, 'hot dishes', wild rice and Walleye but have you ever heard of the 'Juicy Lucy'?   A local favorite, a 'Juicy Lucy' is a cheeseburger wherein the cheese has been cooked in the middle of two patties.  So basically a larger burger with a molten cheese center.  Sounds good to me.  In all of my years of visiting Minnesota I have never found the time to try this delicacy.  Well, that's gonna change.  We recently visited the Blue Door Pub in St. Paul; our 1st stop on our Juicy Lucy tour of the Twin Cities.  The 'Blucy' is created with a garlic and blue cheese center to the burger and is the Blue Door's twist on the idea.  They serve other variations such as the 'Merriam Park Blucy', which I had, with bacon and red currant jelly added to the 'Blucy'.  I chickened out when it came to 'Jiffy Burger' which adds bacon and peanut butter.  In the weeks to come we will seek out more burger joints on our Juicy Lucy Tour.  I can't wait.   

PS.  At the time of this posting, I have finally finished the book, and started a memoir by Gene Wilder entitled Kiss Me Like A Stranger.

PPS.  Happy Birthday, Pops.

The Dog Days

The Summer is drawing to a close and it has been a beautiful and eventful season.  Most days have been in the 80's with chilly evenings and mornings.  Over all it has been wonderful.  Yes, there are mosquitoes but we were aware of them long before moving here.  A common joke is that the mosquito is the state bird.  The spiders are what surprised me.  They're everywhere.  Leave something out on the patio for a day - say a chair - and when you come back a day or so later webs blanket the chair.  It's like something out of a bad horror flick.

I mentioned eventful.  We have been busy.    Whether it's splashing around in Grandma & Grandpa's pool, cooking out on the St. Croix River Boomsite with Sara's brother and his family, or attending work-related parties we are quite the little social butterflies.  Unexpected mini-adventures like the Boomsite are wonderful.  It was a beautiful evening spent on the river.  There always seems like there's something to do on our weekends; Sara had her 20th Year High School Reunion, we had a backyard get together for some friends and family, and we got together with some of Sara's family who flew in from the West Coast.

Oh, and then there was our trip to Comotown!  With Grandma, Auntie Diane, cousin Nikki and us parents in tow Evie Sue had a blast! Como Park Zoo & Conservatory is a popular attraction here in St. Paul.  Como Town is a small carnival/amusement park in the larger park.  Evie Sue rode on her very 1st thrill ride!  After spinning around on The Tornado with Daddy she allowed herself to step back and ride the Tea Cups with Mommy.  Sara got a little queasy.  After that it was Bumper Cars, a train ride, some fire engine kids ride where you're squirting a 'burning' building, and finished off her day with the swings!  She was pretty much up for anything.  It was a good day for Evie Sue.  

She's had a few bad days too.  Adjusting to being a big sister, the move across half the country and all of the changes that go along with such big events have started to take their toll on my Jekyll & Hyde.  One moment she's as sweet and loving as ever and then, in the blink of an eye, something switches and she becomes a royal pain in the butt!  She sits in my lap during a morning matinee at the movies, well-behaved and affectionate, and then we come home and she tries to lock her infant sister in a submission hold.  She'll lovingly snuggle up to Ronen, who is enjoying some floor time, and say, 'I love my baby sister," before trying to smother her with forceful hugs and kisses despite our warnings to give her sister some space.  She's three... and a half.  She's a strong-willed child.
It's a only phase.  She doesn't understand what' going on, blah blah blah.  I hope this phase passes soon.  It's hard to find the balance between encouraging her creativity, channeling her never-ending energy supply, and trying not to crush her spirit, or discourage her individuality while keeping her from burning down the house!  One day we'll figure this kid out.

Let's talk soccer; Barclay's Premier League Football to be more specific.  The 2015-2016 season has begun and I am determined to watch more games this season.  I was super excited after catching a few of the Women's World Cup games, and cheering on the US team for the next Premiere League season.  In years past I've got a few games here and there and always cheered for the Liverpool Football Club as a casual fan.  My fandom was  born not from geographic origins, or a family tradition but rather from a show souvenir given to me from a director in honor of an award-winning  performance.  Ever since keeping my costume piece, a LFC warm up jacket, I have cheered for the Reds as best I can.*  This year I determined to do better.  I watched the Liverpool season opener with my family and Evie Sue tried her best to pay attention to the game often cheering on 'Liverpoop!'.  She doesn't quite understand the game or the team rivalries but during another random game she asked if the people in the crowd were going to sing the Liverpool song.  I'll turn her into a fan.  Then maybe we'll get her on the field and see if she has any athletic ability.

Other than that work is work and the cogs continue to turn in the great machine that is consumerism.  Family life, as implied earlier, is a little chaotic with our two daughters, tired parents and a hyper-neurotic dog.  There's not much time to read - I've been on the same book for months - let alone write and besides there's the fact that most of my supplies are in storage and I can't seem to get organized at all plus a whole complicated computer hardware/software issue that is keeping me from accessing old writing projects.  It's a mess.  Fantasy Football is right around the corner so that'll be a fun.  We still hope to make it to some local Minor League Baseball games before the season ends and try to enjoy as much of the remaining Summer as we can.  Autumn will be here before we know it.

*  Today is the 17th of August and whilst watching the the 2nd game/1st home game of the Season for Liverpool I glance down at my Liverpool jacket and noticed that the letters read LFSC and not LFC for Liverpool Football Club.  I then remember that on the back it reads Liverpool LFSC New England USA???  After an extensive google search I realize that my 'authentic team' jacket, a gift given to me by the director of show in which I played a British serial killer, was actually not official but from an American Liverpool Football Supporters Club!  My Premier League loyalty has been based on a fallacy!  Sara just giggled and commented on the quality of dramaturgical research that went into this highly commended theatrical production.  I'm will not be swayed, however, and will continue to root for my Reds! 

Summer In The Great White North

So here we are, newly transplanted Minnesotans, you betcha!

Things are moving along here in the Land of 10,000 Lakes.  Summer is in full swing because it is, after all, July.  Life here is still a little bit surreal.  We're living in Sara's hometown less than a mile from the house she grew up in.  We're fortunate enough to be staying in a full-furnished garden apartment, with a great backyard, that a friend of the family owns.  (We plan to find a place of our own in the surrounding area within the next few months.)  I was lucky enough to transfer stores with my job and have rolled right into the new work routine.  Things have kinda just fallen into place.

Sara hears the same question all the time, "How is Ty adjusting to Minnesota?"

"How are you finding life in Minnesota?" I often get asked.

It's not Mars people, it's Minnesota.  It was the 32nd state in the Union and it is the same country that I've lived most of my life.  I mean, sure, the evenings have been a bit cooler, apparently there is a cultural phenomenon called a cake walk*, and the accents are pretty amazing.  Before moving here I've only heard the accent from, shall we say, older women and/or family members but everybody here sounds like an old Minnesotan grandma when they open their mouths.    It's funny to me how prevalent the accent actually is and it's everybody.  (Well, not everybody but all ages and races.)  Another funny thing I noticed is that Minnesotans often exaggerate their own accents at times when talking with each other.

It's been 3 weeks since the move and we're still a hot item around town.  We've had a constant flow of visitors, invitations, and social engagements to keep our little family occupied.  Sara and the girls are enjoying the Summer with play dates, street festivals/farmer's markets and dance camps.  Evie Sue is a little fireball of energy from the moment she wakes up until the moment she drifts off to sleep after continually claiming to not be tired.  Her selective listening skills are in full swing and she is constantly testing limits.  Ronen continues to gain weight even though she seems to crap twice her body weight every day, she is smiling and cooing now and is starting to display a neat little personality.  Of course, she is a baby and can be very fussy and/or challenging baby.  One night she'll sleep through the entire night and then turn around and keep us up the next night.  One day we'll figure this kid out.

The job is the job.  I'm working in a slower store but I was kinda looking forward to a change of pace.  I've already been given an order/larger role in the store and I've only been there a few weeks.  I am enjoying being in a state that allows the sell of beer & wine in the store; it gives me another section of the store to familiarize myself with and more product knowledge to acquire.  Can you say wine tastings?  The biggest change in the work routine is just being the new guy in the store.  I don't have close friends working side by side with me.  I'll make friends, that's never a problem, but for the time being I'm kinda on my own.  It's funny how easy it is to take work friendships for granted until you move into a new situation.  I've received several text messages from former coworkers telling me how much I am missed and similar sentiments.  It's nice to know that I'm missed.

On that note, I must mention that this week it has been 6 years since my Mom passed away.  The anniversary of her death, and then her birthday all fall within a week's time.  To say it's a difficult 7 days is an understatement.  Time has marched on without her, and today I find myself a father of two beautiful little girls who will never know the amazing woman that was my mother.  Well, not in person anyway.  Evie Sue is aware of her Grandma Sue, and knows that she is no longer with us.  She recognizes pictures of my Mom, and sometimes brings her up out of the clear blue sky.  When she is being extra dramatic and looking for sympathy she'll sometimes pout, look sad and then say, "I miss my Grandma Sue."

I just pout, look sad, and add, "So do I.  So do I."  Happy Birthday, Ma.  Miss you.

*  A cake walk is a Midwestern tradition where people pay to walk around a cake and stop, with the music, on a number.  A random number is drawn and the corresponding participant wins a cake.

The Big Move: The North Star State

Well, we made it!  Thank the gods for small miracles.
  
Here are some of the details from the trip.  After our planned road trip to North Carolina in early June we decided that a 3 day road trip to Minnesota would be too much to handle.  It was hard enough traveling with 2 adults in the car and a screaming baby.  We bit the bullet and bought plane tickets for the girls.  Sara and the girls flew in last Monday, the 22nd, and I stayed behind and continued packing and cleaning. It took much longer to pack and clean than it should have - almost 3 days.  Now moving is horrible.  Packing up and moving from a 3rd floor walk up is hell.  A week later and my thighs and butt still hurt from going up and down all of those damn stairs

Tuesday morning I got up at 5, after having gone to bed at 12:30 the night before, and continued packing and cleaning.  4.5 hours later I was finally ready and started the long trek westward in a rented truck with the most neurotic dog in existence.  The dog never settle down once.  She would spin around in a circle lay down and then immediately stand right up.  At one point, as we were making our way through Pennsylvania a thunderstorm surprised us and the dog freaked out jumped between my feet and hid from the thunder.  I immediately turned on the flashers and pulled over to the side of the road.  I wasn't sure it was a safe practice to drive with a pet so near the pedals.  Turns out I didn't have a choice.  Tootsie either rode between my feet or on my lap.  Every tollbooth operator between Maryland and Minnesota thought she was just the cutest friggin' dog.  "Aw, does she always ride in your lap?"

"Yep, almost every damn mile."

Anyway, Tootsie and I put in 14.5 hours on the 1st leg of the trip from Maryland to Illinois.  Once I got the hang of towing the car everything was fine except for the duration of the drive.  The Ohio turnpike seemed to stretch on forever.  Then as I was driving through Indiana, nearing Chicago and my cousin's welcoming home I must've driven through a time warp because the end destination kept moving further and further away from me.  My GPS, when it worked, would tell me I had 2 hours left.  Then an hour later I would still have 2.5 hours left.  It appeared to me that Chicago was running away from me.  Eventually, I persevered and pulled into the charming village of Western Springs, Illinois at 11PM Central time.  It was much later than I had planned but I was still able to stay up, have a beer with my cousin, Raleigh and catch up for a little bit.

The next morning we got up had breakfast with Raleigh and her son, Eli.  Then Tootsie and I climbed back into the Penske and tacked on an additional 8 hours until we reached White Bear Lake, Minnesota.  Day 2 was a cake walk.  It was pretty simple drive up through Illinois into Wisconsin and then into Minnesota.  I was disappointed by my inability to find a White Castle for my lunch stop but I kept puttering forward.  At 4PM we pulled up to the house and with my brother-in-law's help we managed to speedily unpack the truck.  In a little over an hour the truck was emptied and we were enjoying a beer and visiting with family.

We've been here for a week now and it still seems a little bit unreal.  Feels like we're on vacation visiting friends and family.  Later today I will go into work at a new store and start my work week.  I think getting back into a routine will be good for us.  I'll let you know how life in Minnesota progresses.

The Big Move: The Old Line State

We're in our last few weeks of being Marylanders.  As we scramble around to pack up our lives, and tie up loose ends it sometimes is overwhelming to think of everything still to be done.  We're squeezing everything into boxes, taking down pictures, and getting rid of non-essentials.  We've yet to sell the 2nd car.  I have to junk my old motorcycle; unless I cannot find the title then I might have to throw it on the truck for another move.  While I am excited about the upcoming move I hate the process of moving.

Sara and I have been trying to check things off of our Maryland Bucket List before we move.  We're not going to get through the list however.  We did manage to take the family into DC for a day of museums and fun, and we had crabs with my brother's family.  Things we may not get to include a trip to the shore - we haven't gone to Ocean City once in the 9 years we've been living in Maryland.  We're not going to make it to Assateague Island.
 
We're trying to say goodbye to as many friends and acquaintances as we can.  It's starting to sink in that we will not be seeing these friends on a daily basis again.  Co-workers, former co-stars, and colleagues are all going to be missed - well, maybe not all.  With only a few weeks left time is getting tight.  We managed to squeeze a brunch in with friends we have not seen in a while, and then went to a cook out/going away party with many of our local theatre friends.  What a great time we had goofing off, swimming, and swapping stories with our friends.  It was a good weekend.
 
We're heading out of town next weekend for a family get together in North Carolina; guess I'm going to make it to the shore even if it isn't a Maryland beach.  I'm sure we'll have a good time but that's over 72 hours of packing/organizing time lost.  No panic isn't setting in yet but I'm sure it will soon.  When we return we will have 1 week until our moving day.  1 week!  How in the hell are we already in the month of June!

The family is doing well.  Ronen is growing everyday, and has started smiling.  She's sleeping better and is starting to take notice of things going on around her.  Evie Sue seems to understand that we're moving but I'm not sure she fully comprehends what it means.  She talks about spending time with Grandma and Grandpa, her cousins, and tells people we're moving far away but it remains to be seen if she knows what she's in for and I'm not just talking about the 3 day road trip!  I'm noty sure Sara and I are ready for the road trip!  Sara is fond of saying something like, "Short of teleportation there is no way to make this trip not suck!"  So unless someone invents a teleporting device in the next 2 weeks we're in for a hell of a ride!

Boys & Girls

I am the middle of 3 sons. When I was growing up we were the 'Cobb Boys'.  We ran wild throughout the streets of our hometown causing panic and mayhem everywhere we went.  In actuality, I'm sure it's less dramatic than all of that but, still, we were the 'Cobb Boys'.  We were raised to eat whatever food was place in front of us; we were not allowed to be picky eaters.  We rode our bikes everywhere.  We were pool rats during the Summer often spending almost every available hour at the neighborhood pool.  We got into fights, mostly with each other.  We were young boys - crazy and out of control.Nowadays, the 'Cobb Boys' are all middle-aged.  The three boys are all grown up and not exactly wild.


Let's looks at the next generation.  The 'Cobb Girls'!  In my home I am outnumbered 3 to 1 and that's if you don't count our dog.  I am the sole source of testosterone in the Cobb household.  There is a butt load of pink.  (We didn't really push pink on Evie Sue early on, trying to dress her in other colors such as yellows, oranges, greens, etc, but she has decided that it is her favorite color.)  There are many dresses to be worn and shoes to tried on.  There's a lot of playing 'Princess' with me often cast as the corresponding Prince depending on which movie we are reenacting.  But then again there's also a lot of sword-fighting going on.  Button loves a good fencing session.  She doesn't just love the Princess movies but also gets into Toy Story, and Big Hero 6.  We've got some bruised shins, scraped knees, and this girl loves to climb up and then jump off of furniture.  She's a cute mix of Princess & Tomboy.  I can hardly wait for Ronen's personality to start to emerge.  I wonder what she'll be into.  I am sure she'll be no less interesting than her older sister.


Speaking of Ronen, she is 5 weeks old right now.  We're still trying to figure this kid out.  Sara and I always admitted that Evie Sue was a pretty easy baby.  She didn't fuss a lot, slept through the night at an early age and was always pretty good at amusing herself.  Our youngest daughter, yes she's not even 2 months old yet, fusses more than we expected, doesn't really sleep unless she's being held, and pretty much needs constant care and attention.  Now, I realize how silly this all sounds.  Of course, she needs care and attention she's a newborn, ya jackass!  I get it, but we were spoiled with our 1st kid.  Ronen cries a lot, and we have not figured out if it's gas, reflux, or if she just likes seeing her parents frazzled and sleepless.  Sometimes I feel like maybe she just doesn't like me very much.  Hopefully, we'll get some answers soon.


In other news, we've started packing for the big move.  It's just a little over a month left before we jump into the car and drive to Minnesota.  17+ hours in a car with the daughters.  Actually, Sara will be in the car and I'll be following close behind in a rental truck with the dog.  Yes, it'll be a task but the real hassle will be packing up our lives and getting to moving day.  I'm excited though.  I'm ready... mentally. 

The Fantastic Four... but better!

The 4th month of the year has been amazing so far!

The big news is that Baby Ronen is finally here!  Ronen Patsy Cobb was born on April 3, 2015 at
9:40 AM by C-section.  She was 18 and 1/2 inches long, and 6lbs 4oz.  She is amazing.  She looks very similar to Evie Sue as a baby except for the fact that she has dark hair and a smaller (than Evie) head.  Both Mommy and baby did a great job and after spending Easter weekend in the hospital we all came home. 


Luckily, Sara's mom Grandma Linda was in town and lending a helping hand with our growing family during those 1st few days.  Her presence allowed me to go back to work knowing that Sara had a little bit of extra help during those daytime hours.  She's been gone a few days now and we're adjusting to being on our own with our two girls.  The sleeping schedule as you can imagine has been a little off as of late but it's been fun.  Evie Sue loves being a big sister so far, and has acted out only in tiny ways such as not following directions the 1st time, talking back, and other little acts of defiance.  She is really sweet with the baby though.

Oh yeah, and in a week I will be turning 40.  Forty!  This is hard for me to wrap my head around since many times I still feel like a bumbling adolescent.  If I look at the facts, however, it becomes painfully obvious that I am a middle aged man.  (Boy, that was hard for me to write.)  I have a family, responsibilities, debt, a receding hairline, a growing waistline and more grey hairs than I know what to do with.  When did this happen?  I mean, the grey hairs have been multiplying for some time but 40?  Really?  Yes, really.  It's okay though, I have hear that 40 is the new 21 or something like that. 

So in summary, during the month of April, I have become a father for the second time and just weeks before turning the big 40!  Whatamonthwhatamonthwhatamonth!
(I'd intended to add pics to this post but forgot to bring a thumb drive to the library, where I am updating my blog.  I'll try and post pics soon.)

In Like A Lion?

Spring has almost sprung,  Today there was a wintry mix but Spring is here... tomorrow... hopefully.  This Spring is going to be a good one.

In just 2 weeks we are scheduled for a C Section and Baby #2 will finally be here.  Grandma Linda will be flying in from St. Paul to stay for a few weeks and help out with the new grandchild.  I can't believe that the delivery date is almost here already.  It seems like just the other day Sara and I
were finding out about the pregnancy and starting to plan for our next child.  Where do the days go?Everyone is doing well.  I think we're all just getting anxious to meet the baby.  There is a significantly less amount of freaking out this time around.

Sara is doing well, although I think she's ready to have the baby already.  She enjoys being pregnant but by the end,understandably, is more than ready to get the kid out of there.   Evie Sue is genuinely excited about having a baby sister.  At least that's what she tells us.  We'll see what happens when the baby comes home from the hospital, my work schedule changes again, and Momma is home all day every day.  The neat thing about having children, one of the many I should say, is that you can be ready to ring their neck one minute and then they do or say something completely off the wall, eat a booger, or use your own words on you and all of the sudden your laughing at how upset you'd been.  At least, that's what happens to me.

In other news, I received a rejection letter from the Maryland State Arts Council for my stage play Diseased Wit.  I submitted it for an Individual Artist Award/Grant and it was not selected.  It's disappointing but not a crushing blow,  I really enjoy the script and will resubmit it in the future after a possible revision.  That's writing, folks.  I don't have anything in the hopper now.  Recently replaced my computer and cannot access old scripts without a software that I'm missing, and I also don't have a lot of time to write these days.  I am gathering ideas, and will try to organize a few projects that hopefully I can revisit as the Summer goes by.

The next time I write on this site I'll have a newborn in hand, my 40th birthday around the corner and a big move on the horizon.  2015 is gonna be a big year for this little expanding family.  






 

So Far in 2015

The year is now over a month old.  How is it already February?


Since my last post we have pulled Button from daycare in an effort to save some money before the baby arrives.  We were extremely happy with our daycare provider.  In their care Evie Sue has blossomed into a wonderfully social and intelligent young girl; Sara and I also had a part in her development.  She loved going to school, and always talked about her teachers and friends.  The only way we could've liked the daycare center more was if it was free which it was not.  So we decided to keep her home.  I was home during the week most days anyway before working evenings at the store.  This way I just keep her home with me and then pass her off to mommy before I go to work.  We've been able to make it work with our schedules.  Of course our schedules will change again once we get closer to daughter #2.


Sara has jokingly called my days with Evie 'Daddy Daycare' and I am trying to balance play time with some educational activities and field trips, as well.  Our typical day starts with PBS Kids and breakfast while daddy gets his caffeine fix.  After daddy is properly awake we turn off the TV for a bit and read books, work on puzzles, numbers, and/or letters.  Inevitably, we will end up playing Princesses - yes, I am a princess too - and then lunch and hopefully a nap.  Naps are a hassle these days and Button often claims to have forgotten how to sleep or nap.  With the winter weather we haven't been getting out to playground as often but we do the occasional class at MyGym, and also have weekly trips to the library.  All in all it has been a pleasant mix of fun & frustration.


I am constantly amazed at this little person growing before our very eyes.  Evie Sue often makes comments that I think are mature for her age.  She also loves to sing, is quite bossy and has a delightful imagination.  One day while I was driving her to mommy's work, after yet another napless day, she named our two family cars.  Daddy's car is Lock.  Mommy's car is key.  She came up with this all on her own.  Lock and Key.  Two things that go together.  It's funny how her mind works.


At this time we have a little over 7 weeks until our new baby is born, if everything goes according to plan.  Sara is feeling more and more pregnant everyday.  I've learned not to say, "Yeah, that's because you are."  Instead, I try to comfort her as I sit back and watch the baby stretch and roll within the womb.  I love this part of it.  I can put my hand on the belly and feel the kicks, and watch the waves of progressive blows shake the belly.  It's like something out of a sci-fi movie but it happens every night on our couch. 


With in the next week, we have Valentine's Day coming up (Sara is working), a Fat Tuesday Pancake Dinner in Mom's honor next week, and then Sara's birthday a few days later.  For such a short month February has been very busy so far.  We'll see what the next few weeks hold for the Family Cobb.

It's A New Year! Let's Try This Again.

I closed my last post of 2014 stating that I might not be blogging anymore.  The original intent of this blog was to update my friends and family - the few that actually read it - and to exercise my writing 'muscles'; if I wasn't working on a script at least I could write blog posts.  But recently I've slacked off.  Oh, the pressure of being a half-assed blogger!   Sometimes I would beat myself up over my lack of productivity.  I'd talk myself out of posting because I'm pretty sure no one checks this blog anymore.  I'd have  a flash of inspiration and then it would take me too long to get the chance to write and by then the flash had fizzled out. 

Anyway, I was toying with the idea of just dropping off completely and abandoning my blog when a couple of thoughts came to me.  1st, this year marks the 10th Anniversary of this silly little outlet for my writing.  That's right, 10 years ago, I was almost 30, I started the blog while working as a stock boy at a cooking school in Chicago.  10 years!  Now, here I am about to turn 40 and stocking shelves in a grocery store in Annapolis.  Not much has changed, it would appear, but a million and one things have happened in the last decade and this next year is going to be a big one!  We are expecting our second daughter this Spring, and a big move this Summer among many other adventures that appear to be in the Cobb Family's near future.

This past year I did not post nearly as much as I used to, in fact, I only posted 13 times.  That's as much as I posted in my first month 10 years ago. So here's my proposal.   I will continue to blog for the next 12 months, but I commit myself to only 12 posts.  I will give monthly updates - starting today - and allow myself a little more relief from the guilt of not writing.  I will check in, monthly, and that is all.  Simple.

So, January is here.  It's 2015.  The holidays have come and gone.  It was fun because this was the 1st year Button really got it.  She asked to meet Santa Claus so we took her to sit on his lap and tell her what she wanted:  a panda and Cinderella dvd.  She got both.  We spend Christmas morning having our annual Christmas Quiche and hosting my father.  Then in the afternoon we moved the party over to my brother's house.  Sara and I rang in the New Year on the couch watching episodes of Battle Star Galactica (2003) and then the Ball Drop!  I don't make New Year's resolutions usually but this year I'm going to work on increasing my patience.  Time marches on and there's no point in trying to rush it or fight whatever the case may be. 

So far the mild winter has finally cooled off and we got our 1st real snow of the season.  Sara would tell you it wasn't much and that Maryland has no idea how to deal with winter weather; not like her home state of Minnesota.  She's right but it sure was pretty.  Button and I played outside and she kept saying, "Best day ever!"  It was definitely up there.