The Previous Owner

When we moved from Japan to DC, one of the first things I did (literally straight from getting off the plane) was get a cell phone number.  The number I happened to get belonged to someone else before me.  Her name is Tiffany (whose last name I'll keep to myself).  I know because I got calls for her frequently in the first few months that I had the number.  Most were automated, but occasionally a real human would call for her.  I told them all the same thing: it wasn't her number any more.  I'm sure lots of people have had this same experience.
As the calls persisted, I became more and more curious about this Tiffany who had failed to tell so many people when her number changed.  Naturally, I started to invent a life for her, since the callers were quite persistant and she was brought to my attention so regularly.  I assumed that she was up to her ears in debt because I couldn't think of any better reason for my phone to be called every day by an automated, unknown number around the same time (between 8:00 and 9:00 am).  I could understand not telling the money lenders what her new number was, even if they were really annoying to me.
The ones that baffled me for a long time were the calls from humans who were clearly not calling for professional reasons, and the texts from similar sources.  The guy who opened the conversation with "Girl, where you at?" for example, was probably a friend of some sort, right?  So  may be Tiffany was trying to break ties with a few people and simply failed to send them her new number as a result.  May be...
I blissfully made up my own stories of Tiffany's life, depending on the most recent calls (which persisted well past a year after I had the number).  I never figured I find out anything about her beyond her name and the fact that she used to have my number.  She was, for my purposes, a fictional character in my own mental dramas. 
Then, when I was pregnant with Lily and reached a point where my belly wouldn't fit in normal clothes, I went to the mall in search of maternity T-shirts.  The lady at the store asked for my number to put my name in the system (they do that a lot at maternity stores).  When I gave her my number, she replied, "Tiffany?"  I laughed out loud before I corrected the clerk.  It was an interesting way to discover that my phone had been owned by someone else who, aside from overspending, was at some point pregnant.  It lended a whole new level to my pretend life for her.  Also, now we had something in common. 
A few days ago, I got a piece of junk mail for Tiffany.  It was addressed to her at my address.  It totally weirded me out.  I can only assume that someone had a record of my phone number belonging to Tiffany, and also a record of my phone number some how being attached ot my current address, so they assumed she lives here.  It would be too much of a coincidence if she had actually lived here.  I mean, DC is small, but not that small.  It was strange all the same.  The person who I had made into a fiction for my own entertainment has gotten to be a little too alive.  I don't get calls for her very often anymore, and I think I'll kind of be glad when I move again and get someone else's old number.

Celebrating

Over the Fourth of July Weekend, lots of people we love came to DC to sight see and celebrate. Ela got to spend some time with her second cousins bouncing...

... and playing in a sprinkler (which doesn't show up in this picture nearly as well as Ela's reaction to it does).

The kids also liked spending time with Lily.

And Ela got some advice on how to be a super big sister.

We had some friends from college visiting us as well, but I was having too much fun hanging out with them to remember to take pictures.  Sorry about that.  Anyway, we've been very busy and having entirely too much fun.

Cherry Picking

On our last day in North Carolina, we took a trip up to an orchard and went cherry picking.    It was a lovely drive, and the view from the orchard was awesome.  The trees were covered with fruit.  They gave us buckets, pointed us in the right direction, and we got to work.  Ela had a partner to help her pick.

The brave folks climbed the ladders to get the fruit from higher up. 







Lily and I stayed firmly on the ground, though we did pick a few cherries from there.  Between us all, and not counting what we ate to keep our energy up while we were picking (yum!), we got four gallon-sized bags worth.  I have one in my freezer now, waiting for some attention from Zack, who promised to pit them if I would then make them into a cobbler.  I can't wait to see how it turns out!

Summer Travel Begins

Last week, we headed off to see the grandparents.  It was a very pleasant and relaxing week.  We spent a lot of time hanging around the pool. It took awhile, but Ela warmed up to the idea of being in the water for the summer.

When she wasn't in the water, she enjoyed the fact that parks in North Carolina actually have swings.

Grandma and Grandpa took the girls to see the ducks at Tanglewood Park.

And we even got to visit with some friends from high school and college. 

Now we're home again, and enjoying a little down time before July heats up again.  We had a great time. 

Lily's Baptism

We were very busy this weekend.

We had lots of company.

And we had lots to celebrate.

 So we threw a party!

Smiles

This afternoon, when Ela's "quiet time" was over, I went up to get her out of bed.  I've learned the hard way that allowing her to sleep past about 3:30 is bad for bedtime, so I go hassle her around then most afternoons.  Today, I was carrying Lily, who was fighting her afternoon nap with all her little strength.  When I got into Ela's room, I sat down on the end of her bed to help her wake up gradually.  She sat up for a minute, then she took my hand and lay back down.  She was still half asleep and her eyes closed right back up, and then she smiled a little in her half-asleep state.  I looked over at Lily, whose eyes were opening and closing at random as she fought sleep.  Her eyes closed involuntarily, and she smiled the exact same smile that Ela had just smiled. 
I smiled too.

Daddy's Girls

We had a quiet Memorial Day weekend this year.  There's not much to say about it, but here are some cute pictures.