PA Bound

Your favorite Pfirrman girls from the Dayton area are gearing up for a snowbound adventure. The Divine Miss M and I are heading to Seven Springs in Pennsylvania We are going snowboarding with Mark, his four kids and two of their friends. We leave in the wee hours of Jan. 1. It promises to be quite an exciting week. I will most certainly have pictures (and hopefully all bones in tact) when we return.

In case I don't speak to you all before we leave - have a fabulous New Year's Eve. I wish you all the best in the new year.

"The Little Lights Aren't Twinkling, Clark"

** Congrats ***
First - major congrats to Angie DeRosa Giancola for getting accepted to a fabulous MBA program. Knock em dead honey! Show em how tough we Kent State J school grads can be! You survived Endres and Reporting Practices - everything else is a breeze. :)

Second - For those who don't know, both Erin and Kelly are expecting girls. Kelly's second daughter (no name as of yet) will be arriving soon followed shortly by Erin's twin girls - preliminary names - Campbell and Evelyn.

** On to the Blog **

Most of you know by now that this is my favorite time of year. I love the build up to Christmas - finding the perfect gifts, holiday parties, time spent with family and friends. I love Maddie's face on Christmas morning. I love the quiet peace that settles in midday on Christmas. Okay, if climbing on the roof didn't make me nervous, I might just have a Clark Griswold house (and if I ever decided that "tacky" was my new way of life).

Our first Christmas in our new home was a slice of perfection. We spent most of the days preceding with family and new friends. My family was over for our holiday extravaganza on the 22nd and 23rd. And - hold onto your tinsel - I actually cooked. I completely bucked my rule of no cooking on the holidays after much harrassment. Time with my rowdy family was wonderful and we managed not to scare Mark badly. :) We joined Mark's family for Christmas Eve fun including a trip to the ice skating rink with Maddie and his youngest son Devon.

Maddie jumped out of bed at 1:30 a.m. on Christmas morning. Yikes. I did force her to wait until 4 a.m. to open gifts. She sat up from 1:30 - 4. I am not kidding. I know this because she let me know the time about every 5 minutes. After presents, which doesn't take long when you're an only child, we watched A Christmas Story AGAIN. Luckily, TBS seems to feel the need to run it for 24 hours straight. And when it gets to the part when Ralphie drops the lugnuts and screams "Fudge," Maddie informs me, for the 8000th time, that, "Mom, I know what he really said. Hee. Hee. Hee."

She did take a small nap later in the morning but she spent most of the day running on Christmas energy. That is until late afternoon when Mark, Maddie, Lola and I went to Sugarcreek to hike. By the time we finished the trail, the Divine Miss M was in full Diva Mode. Luckily, she did wind down and crashed with visions of toys and video games dancing in her head. :) Mark and I were actually able to have some alone adult time between the juggling of our children's schedules.

Most of you also know that for our family and friends, this can be a very painful time of year. The longing for loved ones who have passed can be much more salient this time of year. Memories of holidays past can be both comforting and heartwrenching. For all of you - and for the others - my thoughts are with you.

Merry Christmas. All my love.
Jami and Maddie

PS. If you have some time - check out the Swineharts blog. Those kids are too cute.

PPS. Jenn Brann - I just read about your scary adventure in the ER on Christmas morning. Jeez, kiddo, I guess we need to ask Santa to stuff your stockings with Benadryll and an EpiPen. Speedy recovery my dear and I'll give you a call this week to see how you are healing.

PPPS. I did do Christmas cards with year but I still haven't mailed them. They are coming this week so call them New Year Cards.

You Would Think Someone in Grad School Could Work a Computer

Okay so the new pictures weren't uploaded. Let's try this again:

Miss Maddie, the original snowbunny, LOVES snow days.

My beautiful kid sister, Lindsey, and me at our family cookie making party.

Okay, by far, the question I am asked the most is, "Are you dating anyone?" So, the answer is yes. His name is Mark. Here he is. Yes, he is rather attractive. Yes, this is a horrible picture of me. And yes, I am now a redhead. Any other questions?

This is one of my favorite pictures from my holiday party that I hosted for the people from school. This is Goziam. What makes this one of my favs is that this is the same cat who during one of our role plays in Interviewing class said, "But baby, I wanna grow wit you" when pretending to be a client coming on to a therapist. It's Dr. Love.

One too many - Adam actually looks like he might fall asleep on Neil.

Darius and his girlfriend Katherine.

Moopers, helping out and washing dishes - with Jet Dry. No kidding, she used Jet Dry.

Little Man Joe, icing cookies for Christmas. If Santa doesn't stop by next year it might be because Joe licked the knife while he spread the icing. I'm fairly certain he gave Santa the Ebola virus.

Shark Girl Clare

Maddie tries to teach Shaznin to drive. So if you see a crazy Indian speeding down the sidewalk - thank Maddie.

Joe tagged along for the ride.

Catch Up!

It has been a quick couple of months. It's hard to believe break is almost over. So what outstanding feats have I accomplished over my first winter break? Well, I have spent a great deal of time with the people who mean a great deal to me, which is good because winter quarter is looming and it involves statistics and research design. Yikes. See you all in the spring. :) Just kidding.

Here are some pics to enjoy and catch you all up to speed on the Pfirrman Ladies.

Little Ones That Make Me Smile

Miss Peyton is goofing around.














Santa Babies Jackie and Jill

End of the Quarter

Well, we made it. One quarter of grad school down - 19 more to go. I could write volumes about all that has happened and all that I've learned in the last few months, but really my brain is fried. I have a couple weeks of "down time." I'm using that term losely since I have to start work on my dissertation. At any rate, I'll write more when my neurons recover from the last few weeks. Here are some new photos to enjoy in the mean time.

What happens to brilliant minds after two weeks of finals, 4 bottles of wine, and a case of beer - Care Bear puzzles become challenging.

(Stacy, Laura, Shaznin, and Mary)

Halloween makes us all a little crazy.

Goofy Maddie and Shaznin at the International Halloween Celebration at WSU.

Below: The elder Pfirrman kids at the OSU Basketball Camp. They had a great time. Thanks Mark for inviting us.

Below - right: Adam and his daughters, McKenna and Jillian at the International Halloween Celebration.

We Heart Fall

*** BIG BABY NEWS ***

We have an update in the Baby 2008 Watch: I just found out this weekend that the Hoopers are expecting not one - but two babies. That's right, another set of twins for the Cincinnati area. So, Sean and Julia - I'm sure you will have lots of advice for the new parents for when the babies arrive in April. Pat and Erin - as you know, I can't wait to play Auntie to the new ones.

*** OCTOBER SHOUT OUTS ***

Happy Birthday to Rudd. We hope having two new little granddaughters is helping you to feel young again.

Happy Birthday to the posse from school: Shaznin, Laura, Goziam, Candace.

So far, fall is off to a fabulous start for the Pfirrman girls. Trips to farms, time spent in the woods, hanging out with friends new and old - what more could you ask for? Midterms are over and I have fared quite well - all As so far. Miss M is doing quite well in third grade in spite of a peanut related scare last week. For those who we haven't talk to in a while, Maddie is in karate this year. She loves it and is getting ready to take her yellow belt test and thanks to our visit with the Hoopers and the Hodges, she'll be able to impress her teacher with the ever popular "wax on, wax off" and "crane" techniques.

Here are some pics to enjoy.

Mom and Maddie - taken by Karen Hodge shortly after Maddie rode a donkey. Must be why she's making that goofy grin.

Maddie's big pumpkin. It only took 40 minutes to find.

"My pumpkin rocks!"

Maddie and Jillian, my friend Adam's daughter, during a hike with some people from class. We explored the wonder of Yellow Springs. No, not the hippies - Glenn Helen.

Another Day, Another Test

It's midterm time. The first was last week. Two more this week. Plus writing papers. Plus finishing the development stage and persentation of my assessment tool. Plus making my first video for my interviewing class. I still wonder how I'm going to get it all in in such a short amount of time. And did I mention that I still have to continue reading new material. AAAAAA! It's at times like this that I wonder what as really so bad about writing about trees and the people who cut them down.

More later when the weight of midterms is lifted.

Love you all
Jami

"Now Why Don't (S)He Write?"

** Bonus points if you can guess what movie the title comes from. (Yes, I know this is a grammatically incorrect sentence. But I'm from Ohio, where we end our sentences with prepositions.

On to the Blog

So it's been a crazy couple of weeks. Grad school is in full swing. Many of you have asked lots of the same questions - what's it like? What do you do all day? How many classes do you take? What do you have to do to graduate? How long will it take? When do you get to work with crazy people? Do you have access to the good drugs?

So here are the answers:

What's it like: One of speakers at orientation equated grad school to boot camp, only it lasts for 5 years instead of a few weeks. So far, I have to say that assessment holds fairly true. You do a lot of things that don't make sense, you're tense and nervous, there is no sleeping, and you're constantly being scrutinized. You and the people you go in with develop a tight bond really fast because they're freaking out just as much as you are.

But all in all - I love it. Every day is something new. I'm challenged in ways I never imagined. (when I have more time I'll tell you about my interviewing class and multicultural lab) I'm learning lots of cool stuff every single day. The people (professors and students) are an incredibly interesting group. Every discussion is fun and bright.

For the first time in a very long time - I am right where I'm suppose to be. I feel connected in ways I haven't ever felt.

What do you do all day: Every day is different. Some days are heavy on the class work. Others are more practical. I read and read and read ALL day. Today, I had a class and then worked with my group from my assessment class. We're developing an assessment measure to evaluate the functioning level of children who are survivors of sexual abuse. My professor is impressed. We seem to have hit upon an area that has very few tests and evaluations. The process is difficult and challenging - but we're on the cutting edge. Not bad for First Years (what we're called).

How many classes do you take: Technically, I have four core classes a quarter -this quarter it's Interviewing 1, Assessment, Adult Psychopathology and Multicultural Lab. I also have professional development and practice tutorial (where we learn to conceptualize and present cases). Beside class, I will be working at PECE-Pact, developing and running groups. I am also taking a seminar on Mental Health and Deafness. An interesting note: 1 percent of the population is schizophrenic, 1 percent is deaf. There are thousands of therapists who specialize in schizophrenia and only a handful who are trained to work with deaf populations.

What do you have to do to graduate: I have a ton of course work, most of which is in the first two years. The classes cover pathology, assessment, specific therapies, theoretical orientations, etc. Some are more fun than others. My friend Nicole, who has a masters already, got to substitute Sex Therapy for the assessment 1 class that the rest of us are taking (ask me about her assignments sometime). I also have a ton of practical work. Officially, practicum starts next year. We get to request certain sites all over the region and then get our placements during the second year. In the third year, we take the Clinical Competency Exams, in which we present two cases, conceptualize them from a practicular theoretical orientation, and defend our work in front of a panel of professionals. Yes - we are all anxious about this already. All during this we are working on our dissertations, which we have to complete and defend in year four. During year four, we compete nationally for internships. Year five is the internship year. So that's it. Follow those steps and you too can be a doctor.

How long will it take: Obviously if you don't know this answer you weren't paying attention to the last one. 5 Years.

When do you work with crazy people: I already have. It was called the Stater. Or Davey. Just kidding. We don't call them "crazy."

Do you have access to the good drugs: NO! Stop asking. You are going to make me get up on my soapbox (which all of you know I hate doing ;) about the overuse of psychiatric drugs. Medicating doesn't make the pain go away, people. Wait a minute. Oops. I just knocked over my glass of wine. :)

Okay, so now you know what it is I have jumped into. I don't know what else to say except that I hope each of you finds the thing in your life that makes you feel as "activated" (check out my new pysch lingo) as I am right now.

Peace Out.

Where were you?

It's 9/11. Beside the momentary nod in the media, I guess I haven't really heard much today about the anniversary. It's funny that with the passage of time the anniversaries of horrific things seem to have less gravity. I guess that would only apply to those of us not directly affected. I know that my own personal anniversary of devastation still carries some weight.

Anyway, I was trying to remember where I was when I heard about the attacks. I still remember that when the Gulf War broke out, I was laying in bed after a long practice. My sister came in to tell me we were at war. I told her, "I don't give a shit. Now get out of my room." Gotta love teenagers. I remember where I was when the OJ verdict was announced. I skipped class and sat at the May 4 Memorial at Kent waiting to hear the verdict on my headphones trying to decided when to go into the newsroom.

So that brings me to 9/11. As I remember, I was running that morning around Landen Lake. I had already done the long stretch, turned onto Columbia and headed back to the condos. I ran passed a crew working on the road. They had all stopped and were standing completely still listening to the radio. The first tower had just been hit. I ran the last mile or so as fast as I could. When I got back to the apartment, Kevin was glued to the TV with this look of horror on his face.

I think as Americans we lived with this sense of naive invincibility. It's a luxury we no longer have. I miss some of that naiveté.

New Things To Smile About

What a week. Lots of good things to make you happy to be drawing breath.

First, happy birthday Karen Hodge. Mad and I hope your day was a fabulous birthday and wish we could be down there to tell you in person.

Second, Saturday rocked. Saturday was my convocation. I took my first oath as a doctor-to-be. Fabulous. Then, Maddie and I spent the afternoon with two of the most beautiful and tiny babies - Jackie and Jillian - and their parents and big brother too. I love newborns. They can just put your soul at ease. These two are amazing.

Third, we spent Sunday with Brad at the Popcorn Festival. Great company and mediocre festival food. How can you go wrong?

Fourth, I am so pleased to announce that my two best friends are BOTH expecting babies in the spring. Kelly, Jamie and Peyton Clymer are going to welcome a new little one in March. Erin and Pat Hooper are expecting their first baby in May. I love you guys and can't wait to meet your little ones. Let Baby Watch 2008 begin.

Eight is Great!

Maddie's 8th birthday was this weekend. We had a fabulous birthday/housewarming party. Thanks to all you came and celebrated with us. Here are some pics provided by Karen Hodge:






Maddie and Clare trade Spongebob's arms and legs. The pinata was Spongebob - every parents fantasy - beating the hell out of America's most annoying cartoon character.









The Birthday Girl

Reaping the spoils.

The coolest shot. Willie swings for the fences.

You Say Pica, I Say Psychosis

Last week was the orientation. Beside being incredibly overwhelmed with information, I was struck by the new language of my new profession. What I mean by that is I love the way people in a given field or occupation communicate with one another. And I love the way we learn the language when we're new to the field. I remember being an undergrad learning to use "pica," "word count," "masthead" and "stylebook" in everyday conversation and having everyone around me know what I was talking about. Now, sentences like "By familiarizing yourself with the nomenclature, you will be prepared for the E triple Ps" are beginning to make sense.

Orientation brought up other points of interest. One, in particular, addressed the importance of outward appearance. We had a lecture on professional attire. We were told to be aware that we are in a small community and will probably run into clients when we're not working. We were reminded that we will be working with the mentally ill, many of whom have boundary issues and an inability to read physcial cues. We were reminded of the powerful combination of exposed cleavage and empathy. Guess that means no halter tops and mini skirts. :)

The upperclass students talked to us about how people will react differently toward us now that we are "psychologists in training." The funny thing is I had a real-life example of this today. Maddie and I went to the park to play after school. There was one other parent and child at the park - a single dad and his daughter. Maddie and the little girl played together so, of course, the dad and I started talking. When I mentioned that I am a grad student studying psychology, he asked if I was able to counsel outside of school. I'm guessing that the split from his baby's momma was anything but fun, not to mention it sounded like he was having job issues (as in he doesn't have one). I explained that it was illegal and unethical for me to provide private professional counsel without a license (or training for that matter). He proceeded to ask me out three times. :)

In case you couldn't guess - my answer was no. And before I get any shit from any of you - the guy was a 22-year-old unemployed barely high school graduate who occassionally sees his kid. Somehow, I don't think we're a match.

Happy Friday

Just wanted to share my new favorite photo. This is Peyton Clymer and her dad, Jamie. We should all be so happy.

Oh Baby!

Big Daddy and little Jackie











Mom and Jillian























Good news to report - new babies are here.


First - The Pfirrman girls just uped our population from three (Julia, Maddie and me) to five with the birth of Sean and Julia's twins. I am most pleased to welcome Jillian Grace and Jacqueline Kevyn Pfirrman. They were born earlier today (August 30). Everyone is doing well. It's at moments like this that I hate being far away. Please know that if I wasn't in the middle of my hazing into grad school (ie. orientation), we would be right there showering the girls in gifts and kisses as that is the primary responsibility of an aunt (at least until they are old enough for me to buy their first beer).


Maddie and I can't wait to see you all and snuggle the little ones. Maddie is so proud to be a big cousin again. She walked around all afternoon with her chest puffed out. I'm sure when I tell her tomorrow that Jackie is carrying her father's name she will be so touched. I know I am. I wish like crazy that he were here to see them. He would be so proud of you, Sean. (Although, Julia did do most of the work. :)


Second - Congrats to Coach Nance and his wife, Connie, on the birth of their first grandchild. Nico Anthony was born on 8/27.


Okay, that should be it for Summer Baby Watch 2007. That brings the tally to five - Avary, Owen, Jillian, Jackie, and Nico. Did I miss anyone? It reminds me of working at Davey when whole groups of people would be expecting at the same time. Everyone always said, "It must be something in the water." Hmm. Think I'll stick to iced tea. :)

The End of Denial Leads to a Long Road

For some time now I have been in complete denial about the fact that my dog may have put on a few extra pounds. I completely ignored all of you who so kindly pointed out, "Lola looks like she might be gaining a few" or not so kindly said, "Lola is getting fat."

Let me just say that I have a great dog. She is lovable. She more than tolerates the kids, including Joe who has put his finger up her nose on more than one occassion. She has totally mastered the impulse to jump on everyone. So, beside the shedding and stinky breath, Lola rocks.

With that being said, I now admit she may have been getting a little heavy. Now mind you, she's not obese, just a little plump. My denial ended when the vet mentioned that the "extra weight might be detrimental in the long run."

In my determination to help the dog shed a few, I might have been a bit overambitious. Like most things, when I make up my mind to do something, I do it with gusto - reality be damned.
So here's the story: Our house is about three miles from Maddie's school. Perfect distance especially considering there is a hike/bike path the entire way. Last Thursday I said to Maddie, "How about if we walk to school? I can take Lola for her walk then."

"Great. That will be fun," said my kid. Of course, this seems fun the night before at 7 p.m. She didn't find it so fun the next morning when we had to leave the house at 7 a.m. Maddie, not being a morning person at all, drags her feet getting ready which means we have to haul ass to get to school. You may be asking yourself why didn't they just drive if they were running behind? Good question. The answer is that it was 7 a.m. in the morning and I had one thing on my mind - my fat dog. So we do a run/walk/run/sprint for three miles until we reach the elementary school.

Lola and I say goodbye to Maddie, who was only three minutes late, and turn to walk the three miles home. As we start back, I notice Lola is slowing down, not stopping mind you, but getting progressively slower by the minute. And no lie - she starts faking a limp. I know that she is faking because I check all her paws and let her rest for a bit. I tell her, "Time to go home." I swear to God, the dog gave this look like if she had middle fingers, I would be getting the double bird. Of course the limp disappears as we enter the home stretch.

After 6 miles, Lola found her spot and stayed there for two days. :) Everything in moderation - especially walking a fat dog.



Here's a picture of Maddie on the first day of school. By the way, she loves her school and day care. She now has a new best bed, named Minnie who happens to have the same birthday as Miss M. And she has a twin sister, Jennie, who Maddie informed me "has the same birthday, too!"

Mad Props

Just wanted to congratulate my niece Clare. She placed second in the beginners jig competition at the fesh during the Dublin Irish Festival. You rock.

(Getting that girl to hold still for a picture is nearly impossible.)

"Summer Lovin' - Happened So Fast ..."

Summer was more than just lugging heavy boxes and cracking hefty books for the Pfirrman girls. We did manage to squeeze in some fun this summer. Most of it was in the company of the Wild, Wild Driscolls. I just absolutely love my sister and her family.
Okay, as promised, here are some pictures from the summer:




For those who have or who know any kids under 13 (maybe even over as well), High School Musical is the biggest thing since Grease. For those who don't know about it - it's Grease without all the innuendos and bad-ass T-birds. The sequel came out this summer and we had a slumber party to celebrate.

So here are Maddie, Joe and Clare post-party.






Here's my stunning little girl. Gotta love her.














The lineup of superfans. Surprisingly, Joe might be the biggest fan. As he told me ALL night - "I Troy, Aunt J." (Troy is the main character.)











Irish eyes, baby! The three goofballs after Clare's competition at the Dublin Irish Festival.













One of our most favorite places to visit is Young's Diary Farm in Yellow Springs. Here are the kiddos knockin' back a few scoops of the best ice cream in the state.










Young's has several sport activities - much to Joe's delight. Here Maddie is trying to turn Little Man into the next Tiger Woods.















Not content to be a one-sport guy, Joe (and the rest of us) took a swing at the batting cages. Here my beautiful sister Lindsey stops him long enough to get a picture.











Maddie and Clare "drive" a tractor at Young's. Given the expressions on their faces you would think that the tractor actually moved. Nope, it was completely stationary.











Moving can be soooooo much fun! I have no idea what Clare was doing.












Maddie was hard at work painting her legs.


















Lola watches as Maddie paints, debunking the myth that she's the hardest working down in showbiz.

Maddie and her best friend Jenna from Cincy say goodbye. Lots of tears fell after this photo.

Goodbye summer ... And take the heat with you

It's official. Summer is over. Maddie started third grade yesterday.

Ah, third grade. I was just writing to a friend from London about it - (Angie Moore for those from London. She told a great story about how she made fake free breakfast and lunch tickets so that she could keep her cash for snacks after school - until she got caught several weeks later.) I remember that third grade was the year that I realized that teachers are actually people not just fixtures of the school. I had Miss Herman. I thought she was so cool. She wore tons of makeup and jacked her hair up to Jesus. Gotta love the 80s. I remember finding her cigarettes on the floor by her desk. It was then that I realized she wasn't just part of the classroom.

So far, my kid seems to be enjoying third grade. She likes her teacher "about the same as Miss Howry," which, from my kid, is like saying the woman walks on water. She seems to have adjusted to the new after-school care situation. Her music teacher is "soooooo funny." She gets to check out THREE books at the "very cool" library this year (I guess age does have its privileges). No new friends yet, but Maddie does take awhile to warm up to people, so I'm sure in the next few weeks I'll be hearing about her new best friend.

As for me, I'm studying my butt off. My neuropsych class end just in time for me to prepare for the "quizzes" they are planning on dropping on us during orientation. The study guides they provided are painful. One covers Personality Theory - that's right ALL of personality theory. AAAAAA! Well Toto, I guess we're not in Kent anymore. :)

Another for the WTF file

Just when I think we as a people have made some progress, I see that we aren't as far along as I thought. Check out this link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YuoiZnr4jLY

I really don't know what to say except I fear for the future.

31 and counting

So, according to my pal Kelly, I am now in my 3os. I suppose I haven't given it much thought. In fact, when my dad called and said "Tomorrow is your big day," I literally had to search the mental calendar. I was sure I had forgotten some commitment that I had. I guess that is the hallmark of getting older - you forget your own birthday. Granted I did have a project due for my neuropsych class so I've been a bit distracted.

I started my big day at 6 a.m. researching the side effects of Risperdal (an antipsychotic). Maddie got up at 6:30 (a rarity for my kid who usually sleeps until 9 or 10) to say happy birthday. She was so excited to celebrate. After working on the project and washing Maddie's wagon (what she wanted to do), we waited for the Directv people. After that, Lindsey and her crew came down for dinner. Too fun. Maddie went home with the Driscoll clan giving me two days without kid. Given that I know very few people in the area, I've spent the time painting the house and watching the Independent Film Channel - love those totally risque movies I've never heard of.

So now, it's 1:15 a.m., I'm covered in paint and buzzed from two glasses of shiraz. The shiraz came first, the paint came second. I can only imagine what my downstairs bath will look like tomorrow. So far, the 31st birthday doesn't feel all that different from the 21st - except I'm not crying in the parking lot of Holly Park for no apparent reason.

Maybe Kelly is right - the 30s ARE the new 20s.

Holy Sh**, It's for real!

I just received my first year clinical assignment and I'm having a bit of a panic attack. Not in a totally bad way. More like, "Oh my God, it's finally happening" way. I know that I have been planning for this next phase for some time now, but I'm still a little in denial about what is to come. A little denial is good I suppose for sanity sake.

Anyway, my first assignment is PECE-Pact. It's a program designed and run by one of WSU's faculty members. After some cursory research, my understanding of the program is that it focuses on reducing the prevalance of conduct disorder (a precursor to antisocial personalities - scary stuff - think Charles Manson, one of my cousins, and probably any dirtbag you know) by working on empathy, anger management, etc. I am thrilled about the assignment as it will be very interesting.

Now I have to get malpractice insurance. Oy Vey!

Time Flies

First and foremost, some announcements:

Happy birthday to my brother-in-law Sean. That's Uncle Big Sean, not Uncle Little Sean for those who are curious. He turns 36 tomorrow.

Good luck to my brillant niece Clare who will be competing in the beginners division of the Irish Dance competition next weekend at the Dublin Irish Festival. She will be dancing the jig and the reel. Honestly, I have no idea what those are (besides dances) but I will be at Dublin High School Saturday morning with all the Micks, Half-Micks, and Mick-Wannabes cheering on my favorite 6-year-old. Join us if you are up for good beer, bland food and fun times. Erin Go Braugh!

Now onto the blog:

I just looked at the calendar and realized that it's the end of July. Good grief. Where did the summer go? Where did the year go? I remember talking with Jen when I left Davey last summer about all the stuff I wanted to do in that year and how I was unsure of how I would deal with all the time off. You were right Jen. Time did fly by so fast and no, I didn't get as much finished as I wanted (though the grad school process and moving are pretty big accomplishments). TIme did fly. Especially the last two weeks. Caring for my mom and Maddie I suppose did make it go by faster.

My mom is healing well. Lindsey just came to pick her up from my place where she has been staying for the last week. She still isn't able to walk around for very long. But she's getting there.

So, on the the next tasks - finding after school care for Moops, final touches on the house, setting up the kick-ass media room. - Oh, and celebrating my 31st birthday on August 1 (hint, hint). :)

A shorty

Just took a break from all the chaos to write. My mom is having surgery tomorrow so we'll be commuting back and forth for the next couple weeks to see that she heals properly. Given that the doctors have estimated a 6-week recovery period and she seems to think she'll be up again in one, it should be interesting. Anyway, please keep her (and the rest of us) in your thoughts.

Also, welcome back to the good old U.S.A., Lennox family! Enjoy your brief respite from the tropical paradise that is the Marshall Islands. Enjoy the splendor of ice cream and Walmart. :)

I think I will get married again soon ...

... or "Ewwwwww, Gross."

Okay, as many of you know, in the course of my relationship with Kevin, I handled most of the grown-up stuff - finances, planning, legal stuff, slaughtering the Jurassic Park sized spiders that gave him the creeps. Kev handled a lot of the fun stuff, with one exception. He took care of the gross stuff. Not the, "Oops, the baby stinks," stuff (though he did do his share of that. I'm talking about the really disgusting stuff, like mice in the garage. No, this is not about mice. You know this, because if it were, I would have called each and every one of you to come deal with it before wasting any time on this blog. I have a deathly fear of rodents. It's a problem, I know. I'm working on it. I'm going to grad school just to figure out why. ;)

No, this is about a bird (a rat with wings, so not much different than a mouse). To be more accurate, it's actually about pieces of a bird. It would seem that my monster of a deck (it is quite large) is so big that it interrupts the flight pattern of the birds of Beavercreek. Erin, if you had your bird guide, you could help me identify the pieces. Yes, the pieces.

I went to let the dog out and she was distracted by something so I followed to investigate. First, I saw the feathers. And then more feathers. And still even more feathers. Then streaks of blood across the handrail of the deck. The other pieces were scattered in the backyard.

Yes, I shrieked like a little girl, gagged and ran in the house. No, I haven't cleaned it up. I'm still trying to suppress the queasiness to tackle it.

So, I'm thinking of getting married again just to have some other grown up here to clean up the gross stuff. Wait a minute - I have a kid. Maddie has a new chore. :)

Knee High By 4th of July ...

... or "Make New Friends and Keep the Old ..."

*** WARNING: This is a long one. And pics will follow later ***

Life for the Pfirrman girls has been busy - I know, I'm sounding like a broken record. But it's true nonetheless. The holiday weekend brought with it quite a bit of activity. Not exactly the holiday itself, mind you. We spent most of the fourth locked in the house. I am taking a neuropsychology class this summer as a prereq for the grad program. And since I had three tests this week, I was hurriedly trying to memorize the parts of a neuron and the operation of the sodium-potassium pump that facilitates neural activity. WAKE UP!! I know you all dozed off for a minute. Except you, Jen Brann. :)

After knocking out chapter after chapter of exciting material, Miss M and I went to the Beavercreek July 4 parade. It pails in comparison to the Loveland parade that we have been going to for the last few years, in part because they were not allowed to throw candy and there was no music. My favorite part of the parade was the Beavercreek Citizens on Patrol car. I kept waiting for Hightower and that guy who does the beat boxing to step out (vague Police Academy reference for you non-movie buffs). We also went to the Beavercreek festival, which amounted to two food booths run by the Boy Scouts and a band.

After all that fun, we joined some of my new neighbors to watch the fireworks. That's right, you can sit on their deck (and mine too) and see a fantastic fireworks show. Not just the city's fireworks, but all the neighbors' as well. And since most of the families in the neighborhood are part of the military, the fireworks take on a whole new tone. Let's just say, at one point dynamite was used and I got to watch the fireworks with night vision googles.

It was great to meet some new people. To make it an even better night, no one asked the question that generally stops all normal conversation around me - "So where's your husband?" I think the old owners filled them in.

Friday we went down to Loveland stay with Erin and Pat for two reasons (well, three if you count the fact that we love the Hoopers). First, Erin planned a going away dinner for us. Some of my favorite women (Molly, Ali, Aunt Judy, Julia, Kelly, Erin, Maddie and Peyton) took us to the Iron Chef. As always, I was very pleased to be in the company of such fabulous chicks.

Friday also brought with it the best part of the holiday. The Clymers came to town. Actually, they came to Erin's too. For those who don't know - the Clymers include one of my best friends in the entire world - Kelly - and her husband Jamie and their daughter Peyton. It was so much fun spending time with them. And although the genetically enginered super corn is taller than knee high, Miss Peyton, who celebrated her first birthday in April fits the saying well. (Pictures to come later).

A little back story (if you know this already, or if I lost you at the talk of neurons, feel free to skip ahead): In addition to my sister, Erin and Kelly are two women who I feel are essential to my life. I met Kelly during orientation week at Kent after she saw me running at the track and stalked me. :) Kelly was a jumper on the Kent track team. As for Erin, Kent State finally got something right when they assigned us to the same room. We were all kind of inseparable after that.

These are the two women who knew me when. One of us can say, "'Member when?" and the other two will know exactly what she is talking about. They loved me when I drank Pepsi and ate toast for breakfast and still do when I run on about why we should all be eating organic foods now. I know that they love to shop, particularly for bargains, so I go to Gabes with them. They know that my tolerance for it is low and they don't mind too much when I start to whine and beg for lunch. They are ones can make any situation feel like home for me. After Kevin died, they were among the first five calls that I made and they didn't hestitate to jump on planes to be by my side.

And while I adore the almost 14-year history that I have with them, I think I love observing the women we are becoming even more. Watching Kelly coo over Peyton makes me smile as much as watching Erin take charge now does. And even though we live far apart and don't see one another as often as we would all like, when we do get together it's as comforting and fun as it has always been.

Happy 4th everyone.
Jami

Good News and Big Thanks

First, I want to thank my family for their help with the move. In particular, Lindsey, Sean, Clare and Joe were fabulous (yes, even Clare and Joe helped move stuff - even if they did so reluctantly). I don't know what we would do without you all. Sean, big thanks for helping assemble the grill and cracking the whip. Lindsey, as always, baby sister, you make every moment fun.

Also, good news to share:

Karen and Jim Hodge are the proud grandparents of a new little boy - Owen Phillip. After all the love and care you've given to Maddie and me, I know you will be fantastic grandparents.

The Swineharts added the first girl to their ever-growing clan. Congrats gang on the birth of Avary Joy.

Goodbye Beargrass

Well, we've done it. We're in the new place. It is a beautiful house. Or at least it will be once the boxes are unpacked. Right now, we are living in Box City. Despite what seemed like a long prep period, the move happened quite quickly. Within a 10-day period, I was worried that the Beargrass house wouldn't sell, having a showing, getting an offer, negoitating the sale, closing, packing up and moving.

In the days that followed, things have been moving at warp speed. The new place is smaller in some areas - bedrooms, closets, baths. I am squeezing us in, which means installing lots of storage and organization things. For those of you who have ever seen my handwork, you know what kind of week I've been having. Did I mention that the majority of the walls are white - WHITE! I need color. I've already painted one bathroom and have plans for most of the other wall space.

Now that I have a minute, I am reflecting on our old home.

Here are the things that I am happy to leave behind:
1. The HOA from Hell - I will not miss the Neighborhood Nazis and their crazy rules. For those left behind in the Village, keep fighting the good fight. Sean, isn't it time to hang the 4th of July lights?
2. My crabby neighbor - what kind of person turns the sprinkler on small children?
3. My great neighbors who, in their concern for me, know all my business. They knew who came and went and what they were there for - anyone blushing yet? ;)
4. The busted pavement of Stephens Road.
5. The constant construction of strip malls - Target AND Walmart are building in the area now.
6. Mowing the bowl shaped yard.
7. The wild "house" cats that my neighbors let run the street.

Here are the things that I will miss:
1. The memories of Kevin's last days in our home.
2. The gaggle of neighborhood girls who ran from house to house to house.
3. The look on Maddie's face as she came down the stairs on Christmas.
4. Laying in the hammock chatting with my best girl on a lazy day.
5. My fabulous backyard.
6. Stargazing on the front lawn with Maddie.
7. Painted walls.
8. Being close to friends and family.
9. Hearing the doorball and seeing little Will's face. I will always remember the first time he rode his bike over to our place all alone and how excited he was.
10. Playing ball in the front yard.

My heart is heavy as we start our life in the new place. I will miss our first home.

Drowning in a sea of stuff

The packing sucks. I'll just be honest. I hate it. Despite trying to rid my house of clutter and unnecessary stuff over the last few years, we still have entirely too much stuff. I am seriously considering throwing it all in for free with the purchase of my house.

Other than that, we are trying to spend as much time with friends as possible before the move. Today we have had Maddie's friend Jenna over all day. Will also joined us at the pool and then came over to play. Right now, Maddie and a very tired Jenna are fast asleep. Lucky dogs. I still have more packing. :)

In the beginning ...

So here we are at the threshold of our adventure. The house has sold. The new house is waiting. The packing is (slowly) underway. In less than two weeks, Miss M, Lola and I will be in Beavercreek adapting to our new life. In a few months, the massive work and deadlines of graduate school will be piling up. That's why I've decided to create this site. I am notoriously bad at remembering to call those that I love when there is a lot to get done and when I do, I often forget to whom I've told what. So, if you check in at this site, I will do my best to keep everyone up-to-date on the Pfirrman girls.

I cannot claim any originality in this idea. I often keep up with two of my favorite women through their blogs - Betty Swinehart, who will always be Betty Beane to me, and her growing tribe and The Lennox crew, who are on what might be the coolest adventure. If you know them, or just want to be a voyeur, check out their blogs at:

http://www.theswineharts.blogspot.com/

http://www.lennoxscootcher.com/

Love to you all.
Jami