there was an old lady who lived in a shoe

baby stroller 2, originally uploaded by pinprick.

except instead of an old lady, it's five adults and one very fussy 16 month old living not in a shoe, but a house the size of a shoe.

i love my family, god knows i do, and spending time with them has been basically my only goal the last few months, but the house i grew up in is tiny. you sneeze in the garage, they hear you in the back of the house. we are piled on top of each other like kids crammed into a phone booth, and it's starting to take a toll. i'm just as excited to see alaska right now as to be staying someplace bigger. yes, the boat is bigger than my parent's house, and with a little more privacy.

my niece is crazy adorable and funny as hell, but she is also adjusting to being in a new house full of adults she's not totally familiar with, and as a result she's been pretty rotten. i hope you don't take that the wrong way; it's not that i don't love her and we aren't having fun, but when she's terrible it's fairly painful. it's a testament to family love and good times when you adore a kid even when they're being bratty, isn't it? she knows how to throw a fit, but i also know how to ignore her or change the subject, so we're getting along just fine. she hugged me this afternoon, and i thought i was going to melt. she can be as naughty as she wants to be as long as she hugs me!

this time tomorrow i'll be in alaska! i started packing earlier but i think i'm taking too much stuff so later i'm going to unpack it all, lay it out, and consolidate. i'll only be gone two weeks, no one expects me to be crazy pretty and there is a washer and drier on the boat. my goal is to get everything i need into one medium duffel so i can check it and the sleeping bag. i need to make a list as well, to make sure i pack the essentials (like deodorant and soap!), but right now i'm going to have a drink. baby's been in rare form tonight and i need a little cocktail to take the edge off. maybe i shouldn't be a parent...