Some call it "unemployment." I'm going with, "vacation." Yeah, that sounds good. I'm on vacation! Hooray!

Not for long, though. In two days, I'm back in the pet-sitting saddle again, and next Tuesday, I start my Speech class. Yep, back to school. After a full year off. Two years, if you consider the fact that the only classes I took the previous year were music classes and one Sociology class. That didn't really feel like a year of college. And since I'm still only going to be taking one class, I almost don't feel like I'm really "back in school." I feel like I'm taking one class. I don't think I'll feel like I'm really back in school until I'm in one of the universities I applied to, because that's where I'll be getting my degree. Right now, it's more like I'm in some sort of weird College Limbo.

And I wouldn't be so nervous about school and my one upcoming class, except that it's... Speech. Where you stand up in front of thirty people and speak! Damn CSU requirements! The really stupid thing is that I've given plenty of animal presentations in front of groups of thirty people. I've also given presentations in front of college classmates before. And I have been teaching small groups of children for the past year. What I'm saying is, this is really nothing new, and nothing that should be making me feel even remotely afraid. But I can't seem to convince my body of that. Just like I can't seem to convince it to be healthy. What's that about?

So I'm freaking out a little, waiting for school to start, and waiting for assignments that I'll procrastinate on. I can't say I'm excited about this class, though I wish I were. Maybe it'll be better once it starts.

Right now, I'm not doing much of anything, which is either good for me, or is possibly part of my problem (my brain: don't have enough to worry about? Let’s invent stuff!)

Anyway, I'm trying to enjoy my time off. For now, teaching is on hold. I'll actually be a substitute teacher in the fall, and in about a month, I'll even have a class of my own to teach. I'm pretty darn thrilled about it, too! I won't bore you with the details beforehand, but I'll sure as heck bombard you with them once I'm in the midst of it. So, stick around! Should be fun!

My last class, the Baby Animals class, came to a close just over a week ago, and it was a complete and utter success! I was both surprised and totally touched that several parents asked me what classes I was teaching in the fall so that they could sign up. How cool is that?? I got a ton of positive comments in my evaluation forms, and the kids came up to me to say what fun they had, too. One little girl said to me, "I liked class. You're special!" Someone shoot me. How do kids get that cute?!

Another little girl, my favorite of the bunch (shut up, I can have favorites if I want!), was wandering around with her grandmother in the exhibit hall after my class. My mom had come with me (my family came to town! more on that in a bit...) to help me prepare and to observe the class, so I took her upstairs afterwards to look at the animals. I was talking to my student's grandmother when the little girl said, "It's Meghan!" She does that every time she sees me. Five minutes after I arrive, she announces my presence! It's hysterical, and cracks me up every time.

The little girl, Jenny, kept walking off and saying, "Come on, Meghan!" or, "Let's go over here, Meghan!" So I kept following along behind her. The part of me that is still five years old was thinking, "Yay, she wants to play with me!"

My mom was laughing with me at how cute, articulate, and outgoing she is. Mom asked me her age. I couldn't remember, so I asked her, "Hey Jenny, how old are you?"

"Two," she said matter-of-factly.

"When will you be three?"

"Yeah!"

"No, when?" I laughed, trying to think of how to rephrase the question. "Uh, when's your birthday?"

"February."

"Oh, okay."

"Not the Fourth of July."

"Oh, not the Fourth of July?" I asked, amused.

"Nope. The Fourth of July is when things go KABOOM! And we get to see fireworks!!" she said excitedly. I wanted to fall over laughing. She is the sweetest thing since pumpkin pie. I love that kid! If I could give birth to ten clones of Jenny right now, I would.

Except that I wouldn’t, because I'm on vacation, and that means vacation from kids, too! All kids! Which does, in fact, mean that I am actually no longer Victor's nanny. My last day was supposed to be August 22, but it ended up being almost two weeks earlier, because of my crazy health shenanigans. It's just as well, as Victor and I seemed to be in quite the negative whirlwind together. He'd scream over something, my stress levels would shoot through the roof, he'd sense that, and get more upset, I’d end up in tears, and blah, blah, vicious-cycle-insanity, blah. I was anxious, very sick, and physically incapable of caring for Victor, right around the same time I felt emotionally incapable of caring for Victor. And I no longer think that's a coincidence. The good news is, Beth was able to work out a different work schedule with her boss, which meant she was able to spend more time with Victor, and I think everyone benefited from that change. Well, I'll speak for me. I know I did.

I'm really just not cut out for childcare, I think. The next kid I'll be taking care of is my own, and even when I imagine myself as a parent, I have a hard time imagining it as 100% real. Meaning, I can't say I really, really, truly want that for myself, without a doubt. Because there are some doubts in my mind. Or maybe they're just normal fears. All I know is I think about kids way too much for someone who doesn't have any! And I just want to spend some time being a college student and embracing my twenty-two year old self, without worrying about things that should be reserved for my twenty-eight or thirty year old self to sort out.

So that's what I’m going to do! I'll do more me-oriented things. More healthy things. More relaxing and fun things. Like having my family visit (told you I’d get to it!)! Mom and my younger brother found a great deal on airfare and down they flew! Joe and I went to get sheets at Target when we found an amazing deal on (get this) … a futon! Hooray! We wouldn’t have to set up the air mattress inside the tent, after all! (We’ve done that for visiting family in the past.)

It was wonderful having them here. Sure, four people in our tiny, one-bedroom apartment was a little insane, but it all worked out. A major plus in this deal is that my family is just as lazy as I am, so there was no obligation to entertain them. Plus, between my mom’s and my health troubles, it was best we didn’t do too much! We just chilled out in the apartment or took leisurely days downtown. My family helped me finally spend my two huge-ass gift certificates to Crate and Barrell I’d received for my wedding (a year and a half ago, for those who are counting). That was really fun! After I’d bought the supplies, I made cookies!! All this time without a rubber stirring spoon (what the hell are those things actually called?) or mixing bowls greatly dampered my cookie-making fun. Well, no more! Cookies for everyone! And muffins! That’s right, I’m now armed with a muffin tin. My favorite of the big purchases, though, is the new pasta pot. It’s a pot inside a pot, so you can drain the water by just pulling one pot out. And? You can steam veggies on top, with a third pot! It’s a three way pot. And in case you're wondering? Yes. It is as sexy as it sounds.

Anyway, I also showed them the Build-a-Bear Workshop (which they'd heard of but never seen; Mom was enamored by the whole thing) and afterwards, we went to Coldstone Creamery. Mom ordered ice cream while my brother and I hit Jamba Juice for some Strawberry Tsunami goodness. Mmm, limey...

We also went to San Francisco while they were here. How could we not? It’s such the touristy thing to do. We even met up with my older brother and his wife, who now live in the Bay Area again. I have to say, the city of San Francisco is pretty sucky. The appeal of it all is completely lost on me, and even though it was great to see the sea lions, the trip to the city was just okay. Not great. And we took BART there and back, and had to deal with MUNI trains and it was just generally a big pain in the ass. Mom, my brother, and I (Joe was at work the whole day) got home okay. In fact, it looked like we’d just missed the rain, which we were a little sad about. It was nice that it was so cool, for a change, though!

We walked back to the apartment, slipped off our shoes, opened the windows, and just as we were getting ready to sit down and relax, BOOOM! A giant clap of thunder shook the apartment. We all immediately shouted some form of “Awesome!” or “Wow!” It was pretty damn cool. We listened to the thunderstorm, and then we all took naps. It was perfect.

The day before they left, my older brother and his wife threw a barbeque at their place in Palo Alto. We all headed out there and ate great food, and laughed so much. My sister in law’s family and friends were there, too, which was great. They are such nice people. The main thing I can say about the whole day was how much fun we had, laughing and laughing. It was a spectacular evening!

The next day, my family flew back to Washington, and Joe and I were once again alone with our kitties. I promptly caught a cold.

In spite of my congestion, it’s been nice to have some quiet time to myself. My body doesn’t seem used to relaxing, though, so it’s been difficult. Plus, my heart's quickened beats haven't totally normalized, though they are improving. I’ve been trying to read more, and of course, watching t.v. is always fun. Paradise Hotel is the greatest show ever made, I swear. I finished Life of Pi, which is excellent. Joe and I went to the midnight sale of The Two Towers at Best Buy. We’ve been watching more anime together, too.

All in all, vacation’s going well, and I plan to continue making the most of it while I can. No worries, no obligations, no children, and well... no paychecks, either. But that's okay. There'll be time for all that later. For now, my Harry Potter books await...