It's like this...

I had an interesting conversation with my seven year old last night after dinner. Well, it was during my dinner. She'd rejected eating any of the four different stuffed brats that hubby had cooked on the barbecue in favor of one slice of juicy watermelon. She obviously finished her meal much earlier than I did. Ashley: "You said you'd take me to the Dollar Store" Me: (Reaching over to select a tomato and basil chicken brat) "Did not" Ashley: "Did too!" Me: (popping a bit into my mouth) "I never said I was going to take you today" Ashley: "You said you were going to Goat Hair!!" This was followed by a lot of facial movements and several stomped feet for punctuation. Me: "Goat hair?" Ashley: "GO THERE" Me: "Goat hair? I don't get it. Why would you want goat hair?" Ashley: "I didn't say GOAT HAIR!" (more stomping) Me: "Well, I suppose goat hair might be nice, exc...

I've been blessed to have married into a family that has a beach cabin in Kingston. We are all able to use it whenever we want, as no one lives there. It's simply there for the extended family. There are always big family BBQ's on holidays. Here is where we spent Memorial Day with my friend from Venezuela and her daughter. This is Annabella and her daughter. Ashley made a beautiful sand castle. Ashley loves her beach time. We drove to the cabin, but took the ferry back over to Seattle on the way home, as Annabella hadn't ever been on a ferry before. While we were waiting in line, Tom (Kimberely's boyfriend) treated us all to ice cream cones. Here is Lance eating the remainder of Ashley's. I think she got rootbeer float. Ashley looked out at the water from the ferry as we pulled out of Kingston on our way to Edmonds. It was a beautiful ride. It was the perfect ending to a wonderful four days with my friends. I haven't laughed like that in so long. We...

Last thursday I willingly, and with foresight, climbed aboard a little yellow bus, crammed with forty or so 1st graders. We went to the zoo. What was I thinking? Before leaving, I took all the drugs I could lay my hands on medications I was safely allowed to consume in order for my spinal column to function in a manner consistent with life. We were greeted at the bottom of first of roughly half a billion stairs the steps by this gorgeous creature. It was at first admired, then feared by the little macho men who thought they could chase it. It went on the attack and scared them half to death. This elicited giggles from me which, being the serious adult that I am, were muffled behind my hand. This little jewel is the reason I risked life and limb to go on this field trip. She so dearly wanted me to come, and despite her sister's best attempts at being sick, I managed to make it. First we went to the fish place. I'm sure they have a clever name for the place, but I was too ...

They're making a comeback! Perhaps it's just here, but still. Every time I mention it to my Stephanie, she rolls her eyes and laughs at me. Which is not unlike her reaction to most things I say to her. This makes it difficult to know if she's not interested in the idea, or if she (as usual), believes that I'm off my rocker. Mmmm. Rocker. I'll need a nice new rocker to sit in to rock Stephanie's and Adam's first baby. You have to admit that this whole arranged marriage thing takes away some of the difficulties that a great many newly married couples experience. The groom's mother and I are exceptionally good friends. The groom's mother adores Stephanie, so that nixes any mother-in-law to daughter-in-law conflicts right in the bud. What more could they ask for? Oh sure, they'll have to meet for the first time. I'm sure everything will work out just fine. As it's Memorial Day here in the colonies, we're planning on heading ...

Having lived in that country for some time, I consider myself an honorary citizen. I've spent the last two days with an old friend from there. She and her daughter drove up here from Utah. She has two children, twins, a boy and a girl. They are twenty. Annabella (my friend) and I have decided to take a step back into the old days when marriages were arranged. Stephanie is going to marry Adam. A match made in heaven. It has the added benefits of the mother's in law already being great friends, plus we'd laugh like crazy at the reception and spoil our future grandchildren crazy. We're already fighting over who will be the best grandma and spoil the babies the most. I think I'll win. At any rate, I'm spending the day up in Seattle with my friend so we can go to all our old haunts. She was with me when I started dating my husband, so she knows all my dark secrets. It's been a great time talking more Spanish. I've missed having someone here that s...

It began when our computer wouldn't connect to the Internet. You'd have thought that I, personally, had reinstated the Spanish Inquisition (no one expects the Spanish Inquisition!!) and was torturing my very own children. I swear it wasn't my fault. I still don't know why it won't work. Husband: "Did you pay the Internet bill?" Me: "Yes" Husband: "Are you sure?" Me: "Yes, as our cable and Internet are on the same bill and our cable is still working, right?" Husband: "Hmm. Did you unhook anything?" Me: "Now why would I unhook anything?" It was then that my teenagers wanted to know what I'd done to the computer. Why is it that everything is my fault even when it isn't my fault? I mean really. It was kind of nice after the second day. We began communicating with each other more. My daughter text messaged me more than she usually does. If that's not a sign of family togetherness, I...

I'm sure you've heard by now that blue is the new black, forty is the new thirty and they're lying through their teeth when they say that last thing. Also, imaginary childhood friends (you know you had one) have been replaced with online friends. They're the same in that no one ever really sees them, but you talk to them, you play with them, your other friends and family think you're just this side of a restraining jacket and you're a lot older than you were when you first had friends you never saw. Sure they're real you might say in that mocking tone you have . Well stop that. Save your mocking for later on when I tell you all about my Internet friends. No, I can't see them, or touch them, although some of them have asked me....um, well, we'll go into that later. People have become friends with other people across the world, sometimes they've become friends with people they'd never become friends with in RL. That means real life for ...