A New (Work)Day

The past few weeks have been a pretty big life change for the Winns. After a great vacation to Grand Cayman, Jarom flew off to Wisconsin for a second week of training for his new job. While he was away, Alixa hosted a baby shower for a non-acquaintance with Jamie because Grandma decided to fly off to Denver on short notice and forgot about her prior commitments. She also made all sorts of preparations for the big move down to Richmond, which took place on Saturday after Jarom returned. We drove the four hours south caravan style, with Lix piloting the Camry and Jarom driving the newest addition to the fleet, Grandma’s old Infiniti. Best Christmas present ever. Jenna decided to be a terrible passenger, screaming her head off non-stop between Delaware and DC before finally running out of gas and falling asleep. Upon arriving in Richmond, Nate came over and helped unload the cars, after which they went by his house to eat dinner with Kenz and see Kenna. It quickly became apparent just how nice it would be to have some family already living in the area, as they gave us all sorts of hints about stuff we would need and want.

Sunday morning meant a new ward, and one of the first things that Jarom noticed when he sat down was his old roommate Joel sitting up near the front of the chapel. Joel is an interesting character, and there will undoubtedly be more about him in upcoming posts. Sunday evening the Winns went over to the Winns for dinner and to meet a couple of Jarom’s new coworkers, Jeff and Gina. The food was good and everyone enjoyed the differences between Jenna and Kenna. Jenna sat in the middle of the rug and amassed toys while Kenna scooted around backwards.

Jenna and her treasure trove

January 18 was day 1 at Bon Secours, and through nearly two weeks it has been pretty good. Most of his days are spent meeting new people and nodding his head while pretending to understand what people are talking about, even though he really has no clue. But the people he works with are great, and they seem to enjoy their job, so he is confident that he will too once he figures it out. For now he isn’t really allowed to do much other than study for his certification test, which he will take next Tuesday. It is sort of like the bar exam in that he can’t really start doing his job until he passes it, only it is about 1,000 times easier. He has also enjoyed immersing himself in the corporate culture, which is everything that Dilbert says it is. Long, boring meetings with too many people trying to talk over the top of each other, water cooler gossip and backbiting between departments, and telling the boss that his tie is really sharp looking even though deep down you think it is ugly. Good times. But he likes it, and they have started depositing money in his bank account every other week, so no complaints.

Jenna is a shellfish and isn't quite ready to share her stuff with a younger sibling,so she helpfully reminds her parents to be careful

After one week in Richmond, Lix and Jarom grabbed Jenna and left me to watch the apartment while they drove to Knoxville to move all of our stuff. They got to hang out with some friends, maybe for the last time, and the weather was so nice that Jarom got to go play a round of golf on Saturday morning in his shorts. On Sunday Jarom left the girls and drove back so that he could be at work on Monday morning. That left Alixa in charge of the move, which she called “the worst day of my life.” It involved 8 hours, one baby, and no bed to take a nap in. She became progressively more upset with Jarom for not being there as the day went on, but did a great job taking care of everything. She flew back with Jenna on Tuesday, another very long day, and was quite the grumpopotamus when Jarom got home from a late meeting at about 8:30. Fortunately, that phase is now over and she can spend the bulk of her time looking for a more permanent residence. This is the most exciting thing that Alixa can imagine doing. For the last 5 years she has been preparing for this experience by watching between 1 and 2 hours of House Hunters per day, and all that research will hopefully pay off when she finds the perfect starter home for us to live in. She has already gotten to work with a realtor here and can’t contain her enthusiasm.

Finally, if anyone is interested in a trailer that is in need of some repairs and can swing by Lakeside, California, Jarom is selling one for $400. Or at least Jarom is fielding the calls since Paul decided to list his number as the contact info. For what seems to be a pretty dumpy item, it sure has gotten a lot of attention.

Isn't it about.....Time?

As you are all aware, Jenna crossed the half year mark on December 25, and she thanks you all for celebrating her half birthday with so much gift-giving and general merriment. During those first six months she has driven across much of the country, visiting 14 states from Idaho to Delaware. She had also flown on 12 plane rides. But it seemed like something was missing. So for her half-birthday she got a passport and the Winns hopped on Jenna’s first (finally!) international flight bound for Grand Cayman. This was a special treat from Grandma and Grandpa, in part to congratulate Jarom for graduating, in part because Darin and Angela backed out, and in part because he didn’t have a job when the offer was extended, making the Winns one of the few people who would be able to drop everything for a week on short notice. The truth of the matter is that the reasons could not have been less important to them. It was freezing in Philly and warm and tropical in the Caribbean, so they were thrilled to be going.

Jenna, meditating on the beach

Everything was going so well.....

And then some sunscreen got in her eyes

The flight was non-stop and Jenna behaved wonderfully, making friends with some of the flight attendants and making her parents proud by not screaming at all. The first task upon their arrival was to get the rental cars. To Jarom’s delight, he was assigned to a Toyota Corolla with the steering wheel on the right (not correct) side. The Caymans are a British Isle, which means that they drive on the left side of the road. This took some getting used to, although many of the roads are divided highways, eliminating a great deal of the challenge. It turns out that the trickiest part of driving backwards is changing lanes, because the turn signal and windshield wiper levers are reversed. Anyone who has ever driven or been in the car with someone in a British country can attest to the fact that turning the wipers on instead of the blinker is hilarious, and even after the driver has done it about 15 times it is still funny. Alixa got to sit in the front seat a few times, and always commented about how she felt like something was missing and kept reaching up to adjust the rear view mirror. Fortunately they got through the week without any accidents.




The house they stayed at was great, adjacent to a beautiful golf course and the Ritz-Carlton. The company was okay too, consisting of the Grandparents Winn, the Grandparents Slaugh, Patrick and Kris Holderness, and some single guy who keeps tagging along on these vacations. As the only baby amongst so many (grand)motherly figures, Jenna received an unhealthy amount of attention, but it was nice for Jarom and Lix to be able to go and do things and have willing babysitters around. For her part, Jenna was pleasant all week, even though she did get a bit of a cold on Friday and Saturday. Days were spent at the beach and pool and doing assorted activities, while nights were spent watching football games and eating and playing games. One night they played Trivial Pursuit, with Jarom’s team winning, of course. The most interesting moment was when Alixa, who had been quiet most of the game, shot both hands into the air and yelled, using her best inside voice, “Captain Underpants, Baby!” You will have to ask her what the question was. It should be noted that the correct answer was in fact, Captain Underpants.

Jarom, practicing his trick shot off the water

Some shots were better than others

On Wednesday the crew chartered a boat for some snorkeling and stuff. On the ride out to the bay, Jarom decided to play Win Skiffington’s Money and asked how much the boat they were riding on was worth. The guesses ranged between $1-325,000, but the captain informed them that we were all woefully short, as the MSRP came to $999,000, which didn’t include the $15,000 jetski that was strapped to the back. Needless to say, it was a pretty nice boat. The first stop was stingray city, where tourists bring food to a plethora of stingrays who have become quite accustomed to the crowds, and will swim all over you without the slightest hint of fear. Alixa bravely went back in the water, despite the infamous Mexican incident of ’06. She handled herself well enough, at least until we went to the second stop, the coral reef. The current there was quite strong, and as she picked her head up out of the water to look around for other members of the group, she was pulled over the top of some coral and scratched her on one butt cheek. She sprayed some vinegar on it to help take away the sting, but spent the next few days looking like she was trying to discreetly fart every time she sat down.

The entire group on the fancy boat

Above, befriending the stingrays
Below, starting a game of hide-and-seek with them

On Friday everyone went to visit the turtle farm on the island, where they saw about 400 green sea turtles swimming in a tank that looked big enough for less than 40. It didn’t smell very good. But they also got to see some little ones, who have the most beautiful shells you have ever seen. Jenna was a little sleepy due to an interrupted nap, but she seemed to be genuinely intrigued by these strange animals. Perhaps it was the way they flapped their flippers out of the water in the same manner that she swings her arms whenever she gets excited.

On Sunday they visited the Cayman branch for church in the morning, where the locals complained about how cold it was (maybe 65 with the wind chill.) Then they headed to the airport and back to Philadelphia, where the temperature on the ground was about 30. Jenna slept for nearly the entire flight, which was great for everyone except Alixa’s arm, which was trapped beneath Jenna’s head for over two hours. The sacrifices that mothers make for their children are amazing.

Assorted dorfy Jenna faces

This week Jarom is back in Wisconsin for another week of training while Alixa and Jenna and I ready ourselves for the move down to Richmond, which will take place this weekend. As wonderful as this extended Christmas vacation has been, it will certainly be nice to return at least a small amount of stability and normalcy to our lives. But it will be sad to have no more grandpeople around to dote on Jenna and hang out with. The real world beckons. Boohiss.

Times are a changin'

I have been pretty lazy the last few weeks, which is why I haven’t updated you on the happenings, of which there have been plenty. I’ll just blame it on my conspicuous consumption of eggnog during the holiday season. It makes me shreepy.

The Winns spent the last few weeks hanging out in Cleveland enjoying the company of a great many Hegewalds. Abe was home, still semi-fresh off his mission and willing to break out his camera and share pictures with anyone who was even remotely interested in seeing them (very few takers.) Zak and Sam broke the news that there would be a second Hegewald grandbaby arriving this summer, which makes Jenna very excited. The official game of Hegewald family gatherings, Settlers of Catan, was played far more than was healthy, and Jarom and Alixa spent many mornings playing tennis while Sam practiced her child care skills with Jenna. For Christmas, Alixa got a sewing machine, which she has been wanting for several years. Jarom got some golf shoes and some nice clothes that he can wear to work now that he will have a job. Jenna got some hand puppets and rattles and stuff, but was mostly excited about all the wrapping paper that people were discarding around her. Crinkly things are her favorite, so she was in heaven.

Tearing into her first Christmas gifts

Jenna’s new trick is that she talks to herself for about an hour every morning when she wakes up. Jarom and Lix enjoy listening to her, which can be done from just about any room in the house since she has inherited her mother’s inside voice. Mostly she says “da da da da da” but Lix is working with her to try and get a “mama” out of her. We’ll put it on her list of New Year’s resolutions. Jenna also has a new hairstyle. Her curly Q was getting a little too long and wouldn’t stand up anymore, so she got her first haircut and now sports a little fauxhawk. It kind of makes her look like a boy, but I think it is cute.

Bundled or naked, Jenna stays pretty happy

Jarom and Alixa’s fantasy football season wrapped up, with Jarom knocking off Alixa in the semifinals and going on to capture the championship. Unfortunately, Big Baby Bruce has latched on to a slight scheduling hiccup that had to be changed and has been crying to anyone within earshot that Jarom’s victory is tainted and should include an asterisk. He feels so strongly about it that he has even resigned from the league in protest. I say good riddance.

Thanks to Mars for being such a gracious host for so long

Please take note of the cute mittens on Jenna's hands

Another highlight was spending time with Abe’s Colombian friend, Rudy. He came to town for a few days before going with Abe to New York City to watch the ball drop. He was a fun guy to get to know, and it gave Alixa a chance to practice her Spanish skills on a real live southern Mexican. So one night we played games, splitting into an English and a Spanish group, and Lix got to use all of the phrases she knows. She even reprimanded Rudy for asking for a cookie instead of a galleta.

Jenna, hanging out with her godparents

Finally, after spending three great weeks in Ohio, it was time to go. So we packed the car with boxes of Christmas presents, my cage, a car seat, and a snuggie-wrapped Lixi and headed back east towards Delaware. To celebrate the sixth anniversary of their first date, Jarom and Lix spent New Year’s Eve playing life with Grandma and Grandpa, which I think pretty much cements their status as huge losers. Tomorrow morning they will leave me in this wintry cold and jet off to the Cayman Islands to spend a week enjoying the sun and the sand and the beautiful fishes. Not that I’m bitter or anything, but I hope they all get severe sunburn.