We had a great trip to Charleston, thanks to Rachel.  Here are a few photos to prove it...

ViV

Happy Birthday !

Well, what would YOU do if your daughter asked YOU?

At the library today, I stopped by the graphic novels section.  I've been checking them out for Lucy, and she's read some pretty cool stuff that would otherwise have been too hard for her.  For example, she was riveted by The Odyssey, and she's read some Shakespeare and some Jules Verne.  Today however, the shelf was empty, except for this:



I was frozen, completely stumped.  Here is a fairly literal transcript of my mental conversation with myself.  I felt like Tevye, in the Fiddler on the Roof:

on the one hand...Nancy Drew, Vampire Slayer?! How awesome is that?
on the other hand...Nancy Drew, Vampire Slayer? That's completely ridiculous.
on the other hand...Lucy would LOVE it.
on the other hand...no way does my daughter need gateway drug vampire fiction.
on the other hand...I want to read it.
on the other hand...Lucy is 9. See above comment about vampire fiction.
on the other hand...I wonder what Ned looks like? Is that him on the cover?
on the other hand...no way do I want this on my permanent library record
on the other hand...this is just the tween version of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, right?
on the other hand...Lucy is 9.
on the other hand....

NO!  There IS no other hand!

I left it on the shelf.  But aren't you just a little curious?

Surfin USA

Theo and our friend Jeff surfing the wave behind the boat.  No rope!

50 Days of Rachel

Tomorrow marks day #50 since Rachel moved in.  Some thoughts:

-Every day around 5pm, the door opens and Rachel walks in and I can't believe my good luck. Then last night I was sitting in the big comfy chair when Rach comes in and curls up on my lap, like a cat. I stroked her hair while I read my book. I decided she's kind of like having a sister, a nanny and a pet all rolled up into one.

-I thought living with her would make her seem more human.  It doesn't. Take the mornings- I expected to get to know a little bit of 'morning Rachel'.  You know, a bit haggard, batting at the alarm clock, stumbling into the shower, grunting...but no. No, there's never any alarm clock.  No getting ready noises. No toilet flushing or tooth-brushing sounds..instead the door to Rachel's room opens at 7:28 each morning and she springs forth, fully formed and perfectly coiffed, ready to greet the day. It's a little disturbing, frankly.

- Did you know Rachel doesn't like pineapple on pizza?  I did not know that.

-She does, however, like free chocolate, and if you ask her about it, the conversation will go like this:
Me: Rachel, do you know anything about the eight Reese's Peanut Butter Cups that are on the kitchen counter?
Rachel: ...
Rachel, sounding chagrined: I know I meant to hide them before you got home.

- This morning I was packing up Lucy's lunch, so there was food out on the counter, including a couple of speckly looking bananas. Rachel was leaving to work when suddenly she stops and looks at the bananas. She looks for about 5 seconds, then slooowly she reaches her hand into her bag and pulls out a perfect banana.  The poster child of bananas.  Perfectly yellow and smooth, not a brown spot to be seen. She looks at her perfect banana (which she purchased WITH HER OWN MONEY) and gently sets it down on the counter, trading it for a crummy banana, which she puts into her purse and heads out the door. And that pretty much sums up living with Rachel.

a third party

we were watching the finale of so you think you can dance, when eric walked in..

e-when are they going to vote?
me- oh they already did last night
e- really!?  who did you vote for?
me - i don't vote.
e- (quiet for a bit)  but isn't it important?
me- i guess so, but i just like to watch.  voting is kind of silly.
e- but when do we find out who won?
me- next week
e- but who would you have voted for if you were going to vote?
me- probably arireanna
 (long pause)
e- i thought it was between rommney and obama?!

oh -- what are we talking about?!

Bad Guys Beware

Theo annointed us all with super hero names today:

Theo: Wincing Flippy
Lucy: Storm Hose
Rachel: Dirt Rusty
Carrie: Loving Husto

Claire and Gordon, just let me know if you need any more ideas for Jones Bar...

tim

tim was describing to me the complexities of what it would take to fix a board in my kitchen the "right way". after a pouty look, i said, "can't i just super glue it?"
he was quiet for a minuet, then as he was turning away, he muttered, 
"apparently, failure IS an option".

I can see clearly now....

Lucy, keeping up a family tradition of getting your first pair of glasses at age 8.