:)

Hi, all; long time no see. :)  Thought I'd attempt to check in here; I'm experiencing a very minimal level of guilt over being MIA for the last few weeks, as I see I'm not the only one. ;-)

Summarily: 

We're doing well.  Anticipating the arrival of summer, horrendous seasonal allergies aside.  Keeping busy with school, work, swimming, ballet, piano and voice, and hula.  Well, then.  No wonder I feel like I'm always going somewhere.


Randomly:

National Public Radio: Cooler Than it Used to Be

It's official: National Public Radio is about to become one of my radio station presets; am I really old enough for that?   If I had to describe NPR's primary listener demographic, I'd say, "A more mature audience of people who are, like, my parents' age, and stuff."  But do you realize that that would also be my daughter's response to the same question?  And we'd both be right, but how weird to think my children think I'm old  "mature." (!)  I have no right to be offended; I vividly recall being 6-years-old, and thinking that my 28-year-old mother was so pretty, despite being positively ancient. :)  Funny things, perspectives. 

Speaking of NPR...

So, I love NPR--we've cleared that up.  Their programming is very diverse, covering a wide range of fascinating topics (well, most of the time, anyway).  I am constantly amazed at the ideas presented, and just at how smart people can be; the expressions of intelligence I hear every day, well...some days, it just blows my mind.  By the same token, I am also reminded that there are a lot of dummies "intelligence-challenged" people out there, and that eloquence and intelligence do not always go
hand-in-hand; just because someone can articulate their point well, does not necessarily mean that they have a good point, and vice-versa. This brings me some relief, as I lack eloquence in the spoken word; if intelligence was judged solely by how well we speak, I'd be wearing a dunce cap. (Remember those?)  If you suspect that this may also be a veiled admission that my eloquence in writing is also not an accurate reflection of my intelligence, you would be correct; so I may or may not be as smart or unsmart as you or I thought I was.  Got it? :D (If all else fails, confuse 'em.)


Our Daughter Almost Ran Away From Home Last Week
(And It's Not the Daughter You Would've Expected It To Be)

This is a mildly surreal experience, to realize that your child:

1. thinks things have gotten so bad around your house that wandering off into the wild gray yonder (this is Washington, folks) with only the shirt on her back and last week's allowance would be an appealing option; and, 
2. that she has reached an age where she actually believes it is a distinct possibility that she could survive on her own without you, particularly because I'm not sure I'll ever really feel that way.  But, seriously: as far as I understand, the idea of being apart from Mom for more than a day is, for Youngest Daughter, the stuff of nightmarish fairytales; not so for certain others of my offspring, apparently. 

All's well that ends well; once she reached the end of our (very short) driveway, she could not decide whether she wanted to go left or right, giving Daddy enough time to convince her to make the (very short) trek back home.  :)  Interestingly enough, this experience inspired confessions to the fact that her sisters had, on separate occasions, also entertained the idea of running away from home, but ultimately decided against it, as they did not want to deal with the hassle of packing their stuff.  I'm conflicted--am I relieved or ashamed that it was essentially a poor work ethic that kept my children from running away from home?  I'll get back to you on that one.

I Know How Elephants Kiss, and Other Little Gems

This is the kind of stuff Youngest Daughter thinks about; our lives are full of very random and generally unverifiable bits of trivia she serves up daily.  She shares this wisdom, in full Technicolor detail, with such sincerity and conviction, putting to good use her huge brown eyes and funny little lisp; you really can't help but consider the possibility that what she's saying is true.  It's things like this that broaden my horizons, open up my world, and cause me to Google things I would have otherwise never thought to Google.  (There are videos on YouTube of elephants kissing.  In case you were wondering.)

It's "Eat Korean Fried Chicken" Day

Okay; it's not.  Technically, it's Noah's 20th birthday--hau'oli la hanau, Baby Brother!  April and May are busy birthday months around here--Mom, Dad, Uncle Rob, and others of my mother's siblings are April babies, plus Miki's 1/2 birthday!;  Noah kicks off the May birthdays, with Kiana, Terry, and quite a few of our close friends following after. 



Noah, being closer in age to his eldest nieces than he is to his eldest sisters has, in my mind, sort of served as a bridge between the generations.  Having a teen-aged brother somehow made the transition into my own "grown-upness" a little easier; I feel like I get to linger in my own youth a little bit longer because of it, even as I take on the responsibility of raising my own children.  Funny, eh?  I'm going to take a moment here to get mushy, and my sister will join me in this simple and inarguable sentiment: we have THE BEST brothers.  I cannot convey the depth of gratitude I have for these young men, and the love and care and interest they show to us, and our husbands, and our children; the love and enthusiasm their nieces have for them is indicative of the time and energy they put into being present in the girls' lives, and for this, I am thankful.  (In case you're wondering, my sister and I have established between ourselves that our brothers could not ask for better sisters; voting on that issue is now closed. :-9)


Well, I think I need to wrap this up; time marches on, and I've some chicken to prep. More writing later, maybe, as brain cells allow.

Before I go, check out this pink unicorn:

Love the green hoofhands.

The unicorn looks a little oppressed in this shot

Ooohh....THAT'S what the horn is for.

In case you hadn't figured it out:
it's the Mikster. :)

 

:)

It's Aloha Friday!

Have a GREAT weekend!