xespietamayo - Tumblr blog

[xespietamayo]

I would be happy to go shopping! We may have to hold off on a proper shopping trip with Creek Fest coming up in a few days. However, I'm sure there will be so much to do or see, I would be happy to meet up at some point during the festival.

@xespietamayo

How are you! I feel like we are in need of another shopping day coming up. What do you think? I’ll make some time in my schedule for us to make it work.

[xespietamayo]

I have to put that degree to use every once in a while! Even if these days, I need a calculator half the time to accurately calculate tip. That's what makes this time of the year exciting! The never-ending, back-to-back, events and celebrations. It's what makes this time of year fly by. I think my personal busy season kicked off yesterday. Something about officially having a twenty year old. No more -teen. Twenty. E's birthday sort of kicks off the fall celebration season, in my brain. Then, with Creek Fest coming up. After that, October is always busy and onto the holidays. I'm just hopeful for the fly by part, because it just means the sooner Mimi is home for Christmas. But I promise to enjoy everything, for the next few months. As long as I don't get any phone calls pleading to come home, I'm reminding myself that we all left, we all were fine, and from what she has said, she's fine. And that is that. All is good. She's enough like me, she's enjoying being away from home for the first time. I take full responsibility for all the kids get from me. The good, the bad. Turning one into an animal obsessed future veterinarian is not the worst I could have done. So, success there! Breakfast foods, part of what has kept us alive and well for this long. And because I am such a sucker for nostalgia, I say we venture out tomorrow for even just a couple of hours, you and me. Whether breakfast, or drop in by Sea Breeze for old time's sake. I'm feeling just a little sentimental. 15 year old me, I'm not sure would at all believe where we would be 30 years later. As much as I hate aging myself. It's worth a little something. 30 years deserves a little acknowledgment.

Someone does have to do it, and we both know that it is not going to be me. Unless you need to figure out time or making change, otherwise, I'm not your guy. I fix people's heads and then I let the lady at the front desk figure out if they owe us anything. That's normally what happens, get them all settled into a routine, then Halloween comes and they get hyped up for that… back into a routine, and then Thanksgiving, and so on, and so forth. But at least you get those breaks in between where things are calm, you know? That's a life saver. I was going to say, you can listen in on the conversation that she's having with the cat to get an idea of how things are going, at least, which should count for something. Good! I'm sure it's a relief to know that things are going well, and she's enjoying herself and settling in alright, you know? More so than having any sort of struggle. She is undoubtedly your child, and I mean it in the best way possible. And I will never turn down the opportunity to make you some -- see? This is how an adult, mature relationship works. It revolves around breakfast foods, as it should!

[xespietamayo]

You are very welcome! I'm not sure how great I am off the top of my head these days, but someone has to do it. I will take that on. Everything is going as well as I could ask for, so I think we'll be good and settled back into a real routine soon. Just give it a couple more weeks, you know? It was a short week of school last week. I think by end of month, we'll be good and back to some semblance of normal, definitely some form of routine. But she is FaceTiming the cat. If you ask her, she'll say that she's calling to see us all, but she'll have Lily turn the phone to Toby to talk to him and check in on him. I won't complain though, it's an excuse for me to check in and hear all about how college is going so far. Which, from the sounds of it, is going well! Which, makes me feel a bit more comfortable. I haven't received any panicked phone calls about wanting to come home, so as I said, I think everyone is going as well as we could hope. And to be completely honest, I would probably do the same if I was away from home for that long, so. I can't blame her too much! That is my child! I'm not sure she would be as attached to the animals, otherwise. I have to say, from what I got to try, everyone did a phenomenal job with their food entries. Everything was delicious. All I am saying is I will never turn breakfast down. So it will be appreciated, no matter what.

Oh, I love that you've deemed yourself the mathematician of the family, mostly because of all of the pressure it takes directly off of me, thank you very much. But I'm glad, you seem to be adjusting pretty well, Toby hasn't needed to find a new home, back to school is in full swing… life is good, right? Plus, the daily check-ins probably help with that life being good. Although… is she really facetiming with the cat already? Actually, no, that doesn't surprise me at all. I would do the same thing with Toshiko. Well, you know that you're going to have my vote, as usual. Your food always does, but I'm happy to oblige more regular breakfasts if it makes you happy.

[xespietamayo]

"We could have started stocking up on Halloween candy over Fourth of July," Espie laughed softly, shaking her head at the thought. For as much candy as could get passed out during trick-or-treating, double as much could go in her house in that time frame with as many teenagers were in and out of her home on a regular basis. Though the inevitable last minute candy runs before Halloween night seemed inevitable no matter how far in advance one prepared. But she wasn't mistaken in suggesting that they could have probably started preparing months prior. There was always something about seasonal, holiday treats. If you were a fan of anything more exclusive, perhaps the early arrival in stores wasn't the worst. However, Espie was set on enjoying every season properly, as they came. Her eyes shifted between Josh and watching out where they were walking, nodding along as he listed off ideas of how to spend the next few months. "What better way to take advantage of the cooler weather?" she smiled, in full agreement for this plan. "We'll save the tropical vacation for when we need to get the hell out of town," she laughed, "cafes, the beach, all sounds like something perfect to look forward to."

In some ways, Josh understood it -- putting the decor and gifts out early meant that people had the time to start purchasing early, spacing things out, but… it also meant that people were rushing through the seasons, moving as quickly as they could, and sometimes that got to be a bit much, in his book. "The only positive to that, is we can by jelly beans that much earlier. Peanut butter eggs, too," he laughed as he said it, because that was the only thing that he would accept -- early treats to keep his sweet tooth satisfied. Otherwise, he was one of the people waiting until a normal time to start purchasing that decor, every time. Still, he knew that it wasn't going to change any time soon, because there would always be people there to purchase those things. "That's what I thought, too," he smiled, squeezing her hand, "stop at little cafes, drink coffee by the beach, do a little shopping. Those are my favorite kinds of adventures. Other than the tropical ones, of course."

[xespietamayo]

TASK #22

THAT FALL FEELING

[xespietamayo]

With Cordelia's approval, Espie rushed over to her car, rummaging through her center console and trunk for any items that could be of use. Having collected everything that she could, Espie rushed back to where Cordelia was with Rosalyn, now sat on the sidewalk. "I don't mind cleaning her up, if you would like to get some band-aids out of here to put on her," Espie handed Cordelia a variety box of band-aids that she kept in her car for her own kids' injuries, figuring she would like to take care of that. It also gave Cordelia something to redirect her mind to, sorting through the bandaids, rather than an underlying anxiety sh was feeling. Espie knelt down beside the toddler, explaining to both Rosalyn and Cordelia what she was going to do before proceeding to crack open a brand new water bottle and pouring it on Rosalyn's scraped up knees and hands in an effort to clean her up some a bit more thoroughly. She then dabbed each of the wounds with a clean, fresh napkin as gently as possible, wiping any blood away for a better stick to the bandages. "There you go, all clean. Now we can put some band-aids on," she smiled at Rosalyn, allowing for Cordelia to take over with her daughter.

Glancing back she saw Espie and was relieved, having another fellow mother who understood what it was like to have children that, well, acted like children. She was grateful when she offered to grab her stuff as she got up and went to get Rosalyn who's big tears streaked down her cheek. "Come here let me see." There was no point in trying to lecture a three year old on this was why you didn't let go of mama's hand, because she wouldn't fully understand and making her feel worse wasn't the solution. There was some of the dust of the concrete in her skin and she brushed it lightly causing Rosalyn to wiggle and whimper before crying a little more, "I know it's sore huh?" Hearing the woman's voice, "That would be great, I didn't bring my bigger bag I was only picking up a few things today and didn't think she would dash away like that from me, normally she's really good about holding my hand." Which was true, but the overexcitement about what was at home lately had definitely made her a little more hyper the last few days. "Thank you." she said as Espie set down her purse next to her and she shifted to set the small girl down on the curb so that she could get a better picture of what her hands and knees looked like.

[xespietamayo]

"That seems to be exactly where we're heading," Espie shook her head, a soft laugh escaping at the thought. It only seemed that the commercial aspect the holidays was now jumbling them all together. "Pumpkins before labor day, Santa at Halloween time, don't be surprised when we see Valentine's Day decor for Christmas! Easter decor for the New Year!" It was a complaint she had had for some time now, as it seemed to contribute to the feeling of the year rushing by. However, the change in seasons brought the opportunity for a change in leisure time activities, which she was looking forward to. Espie's eyes followed her hand as Josh raised it to kiss. She smiled up at Josh as they fell back in step, continuing their walk. "In a few weeks, once we get back settled into a routine with back to school and everything. Rides up along the coast sound perfect."

It seemed to Josh that summers were shorter and shorter every year. One moment, they would be planning out what to do and when, how to make the most out of the warm, sunny days, and then came the cooler temperatures, the cloudier skies, the sweaters and hot coffees. He couldn't fully complain, given that he did love those moments all the same, but he would be sad, as always, to see summer come to an end. "I'm already seeing a lot of pumpkins out and about in stores. I even saw candy corn the other day. And then before you know it, it will be Jack O'Lanterns on one side of the aisle, and Santa Claus on the other," the seasons did reach a point where they all blended together, whether they liked it or not. As she pulled away from the kiss, he leaned in to steal another quick one before dropping his hand back down to find herself, curling it around her fingers and bringing it up to press a kiss to her knuckles. "That, we do," he began walking again, letting out a content sigh. "Plus, the trees will be changing color soon, and you know we always have to get a few good foliage rides in, up along the coast."

[xespietamayo]

The reminder never hurts! Hahaha! As the mathematician of the family, we're entering week three. We are getting along well. I haven't managed to pawn Toby off on anyone else full time, but everyone is pitching in with minimal complaining, so that is a win in my book. That, and Mimi's daily check ins. And not just to FaceTime with the cat. I already have my plans ready to go for the grill-off, so I will happily taste test my competition every night this week! Just don't be surprised if I request breakfast too.

I'll always have faith in you, whether we're talking about the big things or the little things, don't worry. That's just because we're in week, what, two? Three? Two. I don't know, I'm a psychologist, not a mathematician. But either way, give it a little bit of time, and you guys will be the very best friends in the entire world, I know it. Alright, good, I don't mind sharing the bed with the cat if he's allowed there, but he has to understanding that I will not give up my spot for anything! I know what you mean, it's shaping up to be a pretty good fall season, so far. I need to figure out if I want to get involved in that grill-off coming up… might need to practice a few meals, so I guess you can take advantage of my efforts and come over for dinner whenever I do. You're very welcome. I figured that it would make for a slightly easier transition. Although in some ways even harder to get up and get moving, right? But I'll always make breakfast for you, any time.

[xespietamayo]

"That's probably smart," Espie laughed softly, redirecting her attention from all those around them and back to the sand in front of them. Kennedy was right, if they didn't get building, they'd having nothing to show for the confidence in their skills. Espie grabbed one of the other buckets, handing it over to Kennedy so that they could both get to work.

"Love the optimism," She laughed, returning her grin, as she scoped out their would-be competition beneath the sunglasses perched on the bridge of her nose. It hadn't been just kids, which made Kennedy feel better about turning it into one in her head. Some of them had been simple, but some of them had her wondering how much time they really spent on them. "Maybe we should start with a bit of a base and work from there? That way we're not all talk about our sand castle-making abilities. "

[xespietamayo]

Espie didn't have to watch the scene unfolding before her for long to know what was happening. She herself had been there plenty of times, feeling for Cordelia who was under an obvious overwhelming degree of stress. "Go ahead and take care of your little girl, I have your stuff!" Espie called out in the calmest voice she could pull. The last thing anyone needed was added frantic energy. Espie quickly but quietly made her way over to help out, first reaching for Cordelia to hand her the purse and wallet, that way she could handle the material items while Cordelia focused on Rosalyn. Collecting all of the items that had spilled out of Cordelia's bag in her arms, she did her best to return everything to where appeared their rightful home within the blonde's purse. Ensuring that everything had been picked up, from what she could tell, Espie secured Cordelia's purse over one arm and began to rummage through her own, searching for any first aid items that could be of help. "If you give me a second, I have water to clean her up and some band-aids in my car. Let me go grab them," she pointed to her nearby Explorer, handing Cordelia her purse back as to not walk away with it.

Open Starter ( 0/6 )

With the school year right around the corner, Cordelia was in overdrive mode. Getting the house ready for another teenager, getting Colton ready for school, Rosalyn ready for pre-school, it was all a bit crazy, and somehow she had forgotten getting her own stuff for her own classes that would be starting. Not to mention she did want to pick up a few things for Shawn to make him feel at home and welcome him to the family for the next year of his life while he was finishing up his junior year for the football team. So, with the boys settling things in at the house, she took Rosalyn with her to do a few errands. Her daughter was very much being little miss independent attempting to break free of her hand, "No, Ros." she said, as her little fingers tried to wiggle free, a whine coming from her that she wasn't amused in the slightest. When they got closer to the other side she somehow did slip from her fingers and bolted, "Rosalyn Willow!" Cordelia shouted, the little girl not paying attention, her foot hitting the curb sending her flying and skidding across the ground. "Dammit." she cursed, and she saw it, the little girl rolling and tumbling against the sidewalk, falling flat onto the ground, the immediate way she turned over, eyes filling with water, lip puckering, seeing tiny spots of blood forming on her knees and hands. "Okay, it's okay." Cordelia said calmly before she broke out into tears, dropping her bag, it tipping over and a few things tumbling out, rolling away. "Shit, I'm sorry can you grab that?" she pointed to someone walking by. "It's okay, Ros, I'm going to check you in one second." Trying to shove her wallet back into her back. @merrock

[xespietamayo]

That is what I am counting on.. Thank you for having faith in me! It's always appreciated! You know, I am not sure about best friends.. Toby and I do get along, but best friends may be pushing it. We will be spending far more time time together though seeing as I will probably be the one more around the house now, when he would typically have Mimi to spend time with. But, don't you worry, you will not be replaced by the cat. I promise you that much. This is going to be both one of my most anticipated holiday seasons, but I also want to enjoy the time that we have until then! So, fair warning, there may be some back and forth on that for the next, uh, four months.. Just shy. So, I will certainly not turn down distractions and happiness. Yesterday was a great birthday! Thank you for my gifts and making it that much more special. And this morning, even better.. It did make getting back to real life just a little easier.

Do what you do best -- get everyone organized, settled, and back into a routine, and I guarantee that you will be taking the biggest sigh of relief possible. You can handle this, I've got faith in you. And I've also got an idea that you and the cat are going to best friends by the time she comes home, and there might even be a little bit of jealousy because of it. Not with me, unless that cat takes my place on the couch, and then I'm going to have a stern talk with it. You are, but you'll be wondering it while baking Christmas cookies and getting ready for the holidays, knowing you. You're very welcome, I'm always happy to provide a little distraction and happiness wherever I can. And besides, I'm willing to say that you pretty much deserved it today, birthday and all. Tomorrow's going to be rough, back to reality, so how about you let me wake you up with a big breakfast, hm?

[xespietamayo]

happy birthday, @xespietamayo!

I'm only just realizing that gifting you with a leather jacket while we're at the beach feels a little counterproductive, but I digress. It's your birthday! And with birthdays come gifts. Obviously, the jacket, it's for the fall on the back of my bike. I figure that you can never have too many stylish looks to be out on a ride. The necklace is simple and elegant, because I am a man and I will never not buy you jewelry, I'm a walking cliche, and it's okay! And the last one is a little adventure / vacation fund. Obviously we aren't going to slip whole pay checks in there, but I thought if we start collecting change and the occasional dollar bills, when we do take our little tropical or warm weather getaway, they can buy coffees or beach drinks, or embarrassing souvenir t-shirts. And also, yes, it's a promise to take you away. I hope that this birthday is as gorgeous, bright and perfect as you are, my love. I love you.

xo Josh

[xespietamayo]

happy birthday, @xespietamayo!

To my gardening buddy, happiest of all happy birthdays! I wanted to get you something that would make you smile, but I want to clarify: the little pots do come with the promise of any plants of your choosing from the nursery any time that you want to stop in! Even the expensive, rare ones (go for those, trust me, they're prettier) that we have in the back. Hopefully the smiley little guys and something pretty helps you get through the cold months when we can't plant nice things. Happy birthday, beautiful!

x Nari

[xespietamayo]

Happy Birthday, @xespietamayo!

I’ve been working on this for a little bit now in my spare time, though you can thank Lily for the idea. I don’t know if you already had a jewellery box, but hope it’s convenient for your most worn items. The second gift is a bit of an afterthought, but since you’ve recently had to help one of your kiddos leave the nest, I thought it would be nice to give you a Digital Photo Frame. Both of you will be able to add images and videos to your hearts content. I know your family will make your day a grand one.

-- Derek

[xespietamayo]

Happy birthday @xespietamayo! Hope you have a wonderful day and thank you for always being a great friend. I hope you like the sea foam green sea glass succulents.

Your friend,

Theo

[xespietamayo]

"I know!" Espie sighed into soft laughter at the mention of how quickly summer had passed this year. Only months ago, they had been planning out their summer, with all of the commitments and obligations that the time of year came with. At this point, summer would officially be over in a little over a week, as one kid was already off at school, and the other three would be back to school following the Labor Day weekend. "Now we get to plan for fall, winter.." she smiled. That came with all of it's own sort of commitments and obligations, so there was plenty to look forward to, upcoming. That included whatever getaways they could manage in between all of that. In the meantime, she was sure that they would probably venture out back here to the beach at some point in the next few weeks, until it got too chilly to be enjoyable, but a proper full weekend out like this among all of their friends, that was far less likely. As Josh pulled her closer, Espie couldn't help but smile into the kiss, her arm wrapping around his neck. Pulling away, she stepped back, "we do have next weekend.."

"That's very true," he laughed, nodding his head. Not that either of them had to scrimp too much to make a good vacation happy, blessed be, but it was still nice to know that they could rely on a night like this, or an afternoon by the lake, or heading to one of the bed and breakfasts to just… get away and take a deep breath for once. Sometimes, that was needed. "Although it is hard to believe that summer's almost over, isn't it? It genuinely feels like we were just talking about how excited we were to be able to go to the beach, and this might be our last trip here." Although with the way he liked to surf, he had a feeling that he would still be back around in the latest weeks of the summer, the earliest of fall. "Mm," Josh smiled against her lips when she leaned up to kiss him, stopping in their walk to drop his hand to the small of her back, pulling her in against him to return the kiss. "I do enjoy full weekends with you."

[xespietamayo]

Unfortunately, it has not been that easy. There's been as much of a routine adjustment for a week as all over the place as this past week. It should ease into something more steady, once everyone is in a true routine, once school starts up again. And, let's be honest, the cat isn't so much work. I'm sure there would be far more complaining if they had another dog to add to the daily walk schedule. Yeah, I know, you're right.. Come December, I am going to be wondering how we even got there so quickly. And I'm feeling a little better, I have gotten check-ins and phone calls almost every day this week. So, I'm not feeling as nervous or sad. Thank you for helping me stay as sane as possible through all of this. I'm really not sure what I would do otherwise. This weekend was also a much needed distraction, so lucky there too.

Wouldn't that be a godsend? Come back home and find out that they fell in love with the cat and they're going to volunteer to scoop the litter box, do all of the feeding, take care of everything that needs done. You wouldn't have to worry about anything! I don't think that it will, she loves you and she'll miss you, and if nothing else, she'll want you to wash her laundry and cook her good meals, so you always have that going for you, right? It's a decent chunk of time, and it's not close, but… it'll be good for her, that's what you have to keep telling yourself. Besides, this time of year? Everything just flies by. Next thing you know, you'll be picking her up and getting ready for the holidays, I promise. Besides, I'm pretty proud of you, look how far you've made it into the weekend without having a total breakdown yet! Good thing you happen to be in a relationship with someone equipped to handle it.