Remembering...

Oy.  Quick post, as I try to ignore the little "You're a blogging failure!" voices in my head. :D

It's been pleasantly busy around here: school, meeting, classes at the Y, sniffly noses and sore throats, date nights, finalizing travel plans, and so on.  The next few days ahead will continue that trend, with birthday parties, ladies night, and hopefully, some more car-shopping (-buying?)  

Tomorrow, we'll be attending the funeral of a dear, dear man.  Max was one of the elders in our area for a long time; I went to his and Leota's home for union Sunday meetings when I first moved to Port Orchard.  In our meeting last Sunday, Frank spoke about Max and his simplicity--"There was nothing fancy about him."  That is so true, and one of the things I enjoyed about him.  He was a quiet man, and a kind one; his words to me were few, but his smile always extended all the way up to his eyes, and that meant more to me than all the fancy words in the world.

He will be missed, but "Sweet is the rest."

Grrrr....

Tonight's post has been NOT brought to you by:

Progress Reports.  

Due by tomorrow. =p  Pardon the poor grammar.  More tomorrow night!

Just Another Day

No news is good news.  =D

In a nutshell: 

• Malia:  
• Blazed through 2 days of School.  
• Went to the store with Daddy.  
• Taught the rest of us what dancing should really look like.  (That girl has moves, and I honestly have no idea where they come from.  Maybe from her dad and I? No, not so much.)
• Mikela:
• Also blazed through 2 days of School, at a slightly dreamier pace.
• Contemplated the meaning of life.
• Wondered where the Tooth Fairy gets enough money to cover all of the teeth she keeps losing (lost tooth #8 today!). Malia seemed pretty sure the Tooth Fairy just takes it out of the wallet of the person who lost the tooth, and sticks it under their pillow.  Miki checked her wallet, because...well, because Malia can be very convincing.  And Miki can be very convinced.
• Kiana:
• No School.  Why not?
• Ear tube surgery.  For the 3rd time.
• Felt good enough to get up and show us some of her moves.  Suddenly got tired again when Mom suggested getting in a science lesson.  Funny how that works.

Another typical day in the Arnall household. =D

Mr. & Mrs. Campbell

Thinking of these two today--it's been 8 years since that dude in the uniform whisked my sister and niece off to Yuma, Ah-wee-zoh-nah (that's how Cali used to say "Arizona"), to start a new life as husband and wife.  I'll whine a little bit about not being able to watch my sister get married, but I guess the whole we-got-married-in-Reno story is kind of cute, so I won't carry on for too long. ;-9

There is much emotion as I consider my sister and her husband.  They have walked some difficult paths, both before they knew each other, and in their last 8 years together.  I am grateful for the tremendous strength that kept my sister pushing forward through the tough experiences; and for the incredible love and devotion that my brother-in-law has shown, both to her, and to my precious, precious nieces.  

The depth of feeling is so much greater than my words can convey, so I'll just leave it at this.  

I love you two; happy, happy anniversary, and wishing you many more to come.  ♥

                                     

Midnight Posting

Must.  Post.  Now.  Self-imposed midnight deadline....Must Write FASTER!!!! 


So this habit formation makes for really boring posts; I apologize.  Today was very school-focused, which also doesn't make for terrific blogging, unless you're interested in...um...shoot.  I think I've officially data-dumped.  Hope the kids haven't. :p


We're starting our serious hunt for well-priced tickets to D.C.; they were looking fantastic, as recently as last week, but the evil airfare goblin has now taken hold, making me wish I'd just jumped on it then.  Oh, indecisiveness, why dost thou haunt me this way?  I had a brief moment of weakness, and considered not going, but seriously?!  I'm going to let a tiny little airfare hike keep me, and more importantly, the girls, from an opportunity like this?  I think not.  Everything else is covered, as this is business travel for the hubby; we're definitely going.


This mama is tired, and we've got another long day ahead of us tomorrow, so off to bed I go.  Maybe I'll get the camera out tomorrow....

Sweet dreams!

(By the way, if anyone has any must-see recommendations for D.C., please share!  I'm getting totally overwhelmed by all there is to see and do there; what are your favorites?)

DoRe' Was Here

(Again, an "If-I-can-just-show-up-for-21-days-maybe-I'll-get-to-call-myself-a-regular-blogger" post.  This, I believe, is Day 2.  

Ah!  It's actually Day 3--yay, me! :D)

Today was a lazy day; we finally meandered out of the house at about 2 in the afternoon.  Destination: car lots.  

We ended up taking the Ford Flex out for a test drive; it was a comfy ride, and it seemed like it could be a good fit for our family.  We're getting kind of tired of our minivan status symbol, but we really aren't small enough to fit into the midsize-SUVs I've been looking at; this could strike the balance.  

Another major bonus: the lives of others would be minimally endangered when I'm behind the wheel of it, as I can actually reach the gas/brake pedals and see over the dashboard--at the same time.  (We four-and-a-half-footers take those kinds of things more seriously than you think.)  As of now, though, you may want to continue to exercise extreme caution if you spot a red Nissan Quest with Hawaiian stickers all over the back window; I'm still driving it.  You may not be able to see me; that just means I'm down on the floorboard, trying to reach the brake pedal.

Happy Monday!

Work in Progress...Proceed with Patience (Writer-in-Training)

Not much to see here, folks...really.  The next few posts will be more a matter of form than substance, as I try to get back into the habit of "showing up" here in Blogville on a regular basis.  Bear with me; I'm sure the posts will get more interesting after I get used to acting like a writer again. :p

V-Day was sweet, complete with roses (a dozen red), balloons (1 cute, quiet one, and 3 huge, singing ones that went off at random times during the day, usually all at once), and chocolate (I-say-"toe-MAY-toe,"-you-say-"toe-MAH-toe"; I-say-"Godiva,"-Miki-says-"Go, Diva!"  I kid you not.).   Brad and Arica and fam joined us for gospel meeting--so, so helpful--and then home we came, where Arica cooked a most amazing dinner for us--DElish.

Tomorrow is, as of yet, unplanned--what shall we do? Happy President's Day!

Pho' Sho...

Okay.  So I'm just going to jump back in here; you all just pretend it's normal.  Please.

Yesterday was a good day.  We kicked off the morning with some Zumba, and GymKids classes at the Y.  If you haven't gotten around to Zumba-ing yet, try it.  Just once.  You'll be speaking Salsa in no time.

Highlight of our day: meeting up with Arica for the best pho' in Federal Way, and, quite possibly, the entire Puget Sound area.  If you haven't tried pho' yet, try that, as well.  You'll be speaking Noodles in no time, too.

Old pic, but we're not in the habit of getting in front of cameras, so this will have to do. :D

On the agenda for today:  Finishing up some school that was skipped yesterday, getting the house prepped for dinner guests tomorrow night, and car-shopping.  Happy Saturday!!!