Trick or Treat

Happy Halloween!

 

This is Kevin with his kindergarten teacher during their Halloween party. I was afraid the other parents would think that Kevin's "Relief Worker" costume is part of an agenda by his parents, but the comments that I received were quite positive, both because of the idea itself and because of how easy it looked to prepare (which it was!)

New 'do

This is not the most flattering picture of me or my hair but I have an ultimate (frisbee) game to get to so I don't have time to properly fix either. So, here is my new hairdo. I hope that the recipient of my hair gets some good use out of it and feels better about him/herself for it.

 

And yes, I do intend to refrain from highlighting the scar on my forehead the next time I style my hair.

I was right

I was right. I love my computer.

I installed a second hard drive and additional memory last night. I went from a single 40GB drive to a 40GB drive plus a 160GB drive and from 512MB of RAM to 2.5GB of RAM.

Yes, I've gone off the deep end. But it sure is fast in here.

No award for this, but recognition

My grandmother celebrated her 103rd birthday last week. She is now officially the oldest resident in her community. I feel that my parents have seen a lot in their lives and that I have, to some extent (I remember the first Apple computer! :-) But think about what life was like when Grandma was born in 1904... she's seen more than I can imagine!

Growing up I never appreciated this grandmother very much. She wasn't as warm and nurturing as my other grandmother. But as I got older (and wiser, I hope) I came to realize how amazing she is.

My grandmother worked full-time. She was a teacher, but she kept teaching even after she had kids. She hired a nanny to take care of my dad and his sister. Speaking of the kids, my grandmother had her first child at age 34. Her second, my dad, was born when she was 40. That's not an oddity now, but it was rare to start having children so late back then. I'd say it was because her husband was younger than she, but Pop-pop wasn't that much younger - just enough to buck the stereotype.

I remember thinking that my grandparents were SO OLD back when we'd get together for holiday meals and I'd see my grandmother carrying the huge Thanksgiving turkey on a silver platter. I always expected to see her rickety legs fold beneath her and the turkey roll away, dragging her behind it. That was 25 years ago - I had nothing to worry about as she was still a spring chicken.

Bye bye

On Halloween, I'm donating my hair. It's been too long for too long.

 
 

Beautiful Fall Day

THIS is what a fall day should be like - a visit to the farm with the sun warm but not hot with red, yellow and orange leaves floating on the breeze.

 
A chainsaw carving at the entrance of the Red Barn

 
Kevin picking out the perfect gourd

 
Kevin in the hay maze

 
A llama nearing my too-close-for-comfort zone



My two pumpkin faces

Anticipating computer love

My computer has some problems. Take, for instance, that last sentence. I made a mistake and had to backspace and re-type the end of the sentence and the computer couldn't keep up with me. I was typing blind. Not a problem, but quite an annoyance. And that's just a simple example. It also disk thrashes so much that I have to reboot it regularly or it will come to a screeching halt entirely.

I'm not one who likes to tinker with things and build my own computers but my officemate has convinced me that I can install a second hard-drive (the first one is almost full and is likely causing most of the problems) and additional memory (you can never go wrong with more memory and with a full disk I'm sure the half a meg I have now doesn't go very far.)

My officemate always waits with much excitement (well, as much excitement as he ever seems to muster) for packages from newegg.com to arrive and now I understand why.

Now that I've placed my order, each bit of lag only makes me that much more annoyed because I know HELP IS ON THE WAY! And I suspect I'll love my computer after it arrives. Please, newegg - please ship it today!

From a journal

I don't journal often but this morning I found this excerpt from 2002:

My feet are stuck because I'm afraid to move forward alone, mostly because I have only questions with no answers, so I don't even know where to go. But, I can't return to the "comforts" of my God from the past few years, because my mind has moved beyond that point and the comforts of having answers, disciplines, succinct theories and a body of friends who believe the same things are no longer comforting and can no longer satisfy me. I'm stuck - as if I'm on that stairway to cross the Potomac River into Harper's Ferry - too afraid to move up or down because any change in balance causes a wave of nausea and vertigo - thoughts of plunging to the ground far away - falling through the sky, the unknown, only to be smacked by the very real, very solid rocks below. Is God there in the rocks, waiting to smack me because I let go? or because I went up the stairs in the first place? Is God in the unknown, the sky, a feeling of exhilaration due to fear and fun all at once? Do I need to wear a safety harness?

All of these questions have answers in my old paradigm, but I've jumped ship and even if I jumped back on board, I would not stop hearing the call of the sea to jump back in. My arms need to pull, my feet need to kick, my lungs need to expand with breath to hold me afloat.

Do I end this time with prayer? That seems hypocritical. Or is it just faithfulness at a time when true faith really shines... at a time when there is no answer? Is my desire for prayer due to habit or true yearning for my creator? Have I been created by anything more than Contingency, Law and Deep Time? I think that I hope so.

An open mind

Our church installed a labyrinth this year and dedicated it to our founding pastor and his family. It's purpose is to provide a meditative/contemplative exercise to the user. I've never used a labyrinth and I've never learned much about them except for hearing one person's experience with it.

This morning I visited the labyrinth. I am glad that I haven't read much about them because each idea I had for how to do it was new and my own (rather, from God.) Here's how it went...

I prayed before stepping onto the paver stones that I would be able to clearly hear God if He had anything to say to me. That's it. I had no lofty expectations or goals for my time in the labyrinth. I stepped onto the bricks and prayed again, clearing my mind and asking only to have my thoughts be God's thoughts.

I walked in sets of 10 steps. After each 10 steps, I paused. I did my best not to find words to offer up thanks to God for the birds that were singing their praises in the fields around me or for the tickling breeze on my bare skin or for the happy, fluffy clouds in the sky as I looked up to feel God's face gazing on mine. I felt thankful but did not clutter my mind by putting words to my feelings.

Each time my stomach leapt because I thought I'd walked on the wrong path (hard to do when there's only one, but the path is separated from its own curves by just a row of different colored pavers) I immediately told myself it didn't matter even if I was on the wrong path and to let it go.

As I neared the center, I felt the urge to take off my shoes and socks to stand barefoot directly on the stones. I thought that was a little weird, especially since I knew people in the parking lot could see me as they arrived for the bible study group I was about to attend. Then I realized God was telling me not to be embarrassed and to just do it, so I did. I stood barefoot in the center for a minute or two, then picked my shoes up and walked slowly but continuously out the path, feeling the cold stone and the occasional piece of gravel digging into the soles of my feet.

I had no earth-shattering experience while in the labyrinth, but I did feel extremely at peace and completely open to hearing Him, which was my only hope for the exercise.

I plan to try it again sometime soon.

Farm Tough

On Friday, I went to Sears to pick up Andy's chainsaw that was in for repair. That model had been recalled so they gave us a replacement. Unfortunately for them, they no longer make a comparable chainsaw, so they had to give us a Husqvarna 455 Rancher model - 20" bar, 56cc engine, commercial-grade.

I almost had to sleep in the guest bed Friday night so that Andy had room for his new chainsaw in our bed.

 

Missed an important anniversary!

With all that's going on around us, we completely flaked on the anniversary of Kevin becoming part of our family. It was on October 2, 2004, that we first met him (and he us) and it was on October 6, 2004, that he first stepped foot into our (and his new) home.

He started out as a quiet and shy kid, overwhelmed by his new experiences. Three years later, he's now 5 1/2 years old and a popular, although not precocious, member of the kindergarten class at our local elementary school.

We'll have to come up with some way to commemorate the missed anniversary. I'm guessing we'll eat out at a restaurant not because that's how everyone seems to celebrate everything but because it's Kevin's most favorite thing in the world to do. Hey, if I don't have to cook or clean up, I'm game!

A Good Cry

I never believed I'd ever experience a "good cry" as I'd heard other people describe one. Like most people, when given the choice, I prefer not to cry. I couldn't imagine what would ever be good about doing it. Some people are more ok with crying than others and some people talk about needing "a good cry" to feel better about something. I had never understood that but I think I experienced one on Sunday.

It was with trepidation that I went to church on Sunday because of the situation in the life of a close friend of mine. When I sat down, a lot of pent-up emotion came out and I cried - I wasn't able to stop it but I was able to curb it a little. I wasn't embarrassed by it, I guess because I had a really good reason to be crying.

I suspect I needed to release the emotion that had built up and that's why it felt ok, and even good, to cry. Even now, I don't have bad memories of it and I don't wish that it won't happen again.

I'm learning a lot about myself through my friend's devastating experience. Maybe the next time someone in my life faces something difficult, I'll be better equipped to support them.

Griever as counselor

In the recent past (and present) I've found myself among friends who are grieving. I care deeply for these friends and grieve with them from my own perspective. I grieve over their grief and face my own grief over the situation.

If someone close to a friend dies, I grieve for my friend's loss. I feel sad, angry, etc, that my friend has to face the loss. I also grieve my own loss, remembering the person who died as I knew them through my friend.

I've come to realize that when I go to a grieving friend, I go from my perspective as a griever. "I can't believe this is happening. I'm shocked." "I'm so sorry for your loss - do you remember that time when I was there with your mom and she said 'such and such' to me?" I end up working through my own grief in the presence of one who is grieving so much more. The "main griever" ends up being my counselor. How backward is that?

In a current grieving situation of a close friend, I'm trying to consciously help her process her grief while leaving mine for other people. I think it's a good start and I hope it helps me to be a better friend to leave my own processing on the shoulders of other friends around the situation and sometimes those entirely outside of the situation.

I also hope that when I am in a situation of grief and the people around me come to support me that I will better understand that they will be coming from their own perspective and may need to bring me their grief as a way to process it.

Harry Potter Summer

This summer I read the Harry Potter series. I hadn't read them until now because I don't generally care for the science fiction or fantasy genres of stories. Plus there was the way that "everyone" was "always" talking about Harry Potter This and Harry Potter That. I think that God was secretly keeping me away from the books so that I wouldn't have to wait between reading them. I timed them perfectly... I started the first one just as the last one was released to the public. My biggest problem at that point was trying not to hear any news of the plot of the last book, or even what characters were still around. While it's not hard to surprise me, my enjoyment of a story is pretty much ruined once I know what's going to happen.

I liked the series a lot and even found myself noticing that the author had a good way of writing. That's the way English majors describe good literature, no?

If you haven't read the books yet, I suggest giving the first one a try. You won't lose out on anything by trying it but you might find yourself happily sucked into the story on page 2 the way that I did - kinda like falling into a pensieve.

Mama, it doesn't matter

I'm sometimes a bit of a control freak. I fretted over Kevin's lunch items when he started kindergarten because he can't open most of our plastic containers. Before purchasing some that he can open, I accidentally packed him regular containers one day without thinking about it. Then I worried because if I'd been unable to open my lunch items, I would've just put them back in my Pigs In Space lunchbox and not eaten. Kevin, on the other hand, asked the lunch room monitor for help. Huh, how about that?

The second day of school, he asked to buy lunch. In all my years of school, I never bought my lunch. And I haven't seen how Kevin's school does it, so I didn't know how to tell him to proceed. I agreed to let him buy lunch after all but tried to explain how it might work.

"You probably have to pick up a tray and then tell the person behind the counter-" Kevin interrupted me to inform me, "they're lunch ladies." I wasn't sure that was a politically correct label but I guess it is. I continued, "You'll have to tell the lunch lady what you want to eat - tell her cheese pizza. Then you need to pick out a fruit-" He asked, "Will they make me?" I said, "No, but I will. So you have your tray and your pizza and your fruit and then you can pick your milk. Hmm... Maybe the milk is at the beginning of the line. Well, either get your milk at the beginning or the end, I'm sorry, I just don't know."

Kevin replied nonchalantly, "It doesn't matter," as if he had some inkling of the earthquake of uncertainty in my soul, and he grabbed his backpack and bounced out of the house.

Stylin'

 

Kevin has been asking for "crocs" for awhile now. Today I told him we could do something special for him (he has the day off from school) if he was good while I shopped for clothes for the wedding reception I'm attending this weekend.

His pair is shaped like race cars. On the back, where the taillights are, they actually light up (feel free to roll your eyes - mine haven't stopped since I handed the cashier my credit card.)

 

This is a close-up of the pair that Kevin picked out for me. I said, "But they have skulls and crossbones on them." He answered, "Just ignore them."

Kindergartner

 

No tears from anyone when he got on the bus but I admit I'm nervous about some little things like him not knowing that he can ask to use the bathroom whenever he needs to and how to open all of his lunch items himself (although I used mostly all ziploc bags today because I didn't think to test him on our plastic containers.)

I don't have any worries in the grand scheme of things - he'll be a pro in a few days and I think he'll do well in school and enjoy it.

It's canning season

I canned strawberry jam early in the summer but now it's time for peaches and tomatoes. Applesauce is still to come.

 
Yummy, simmering peaches just before putting them into jars

 
Tomato leftovers - the skin and seeds left after mashing the rest of the tomatoes through the food mill to make tomato sauce

More vacation pictures

 

This is the man who designed and makes the Christmas Trees at Simon Pearce. It was amazing to watch him make them.

 

Our twilight canoe ride at Deep Creek Lake State Park

 

The living room of the cabin/house we stayed in

 
Dad and Andy enjoying our last few minutes of vacation

Vacation pictures

Surprisingly, I didn't carry my camera with me much on vacation and I don't have many pictures. I'm hoping to snag some of my dad's to supplement my inventory.

Here are a few I did take.

 

Dianne, Kevin, Andy in the freezing water at Tolliver Falls in Swallow Falls State Park

 

Kevin being silly

 

Dianne, Andy, Kevin, Dad, Mom on the trail to Muddy Creek Falls in Swallow Falls State Park

 

Kevin with Skunky, his new stuffed animal that he asked for 8 times a day after we first saw it at the Discovery Center in Deep Creek Lake State Park

We had the best vacation

Do you know how I know we had the best vacation? The day we left to come home, we wished we could've stayed another week. When we got home, we wished we weren't here. The next day, we still wished we were on our vacation, exactly as it was, and not here.

It's not just that we don't want to go back to work. It's not that we need a vacation from our vacation. It's that we want that vacation we just had to continue just as it was really happening.

Our honeymoon was like that to some extent, although on our way home, we had our new "normal," everyday married life to look forward to.

Not only did this vacation include our son, but we were with my parents. Staying in the same cabin. Participating in the same activities.

And it was awesome.

Just overheard from behind my chair

"You have a skunk on your face and you look like Santa Clause."

How not to respond to someone else's good news

Friend/Acquaintance: Yeah, I got married this weekend.
Me: On purpose?

I can only hope he thinks that I was testifying to the state of my marriage (which, of course, I would get myself into on purpose a million times over) and not to the state of my opinion of his husband-worthiness.

Adios, Mi Amigo

 

This was my last look at the truck while driving away from the lot where I left it tonight.

The Tour de France!

Yes, that's an exclamation point up there, because I LOVE THE TOUR. At the beginning of this year's Tour, I was a bit down about all of the doping BS (pardon my French - haha, get it? French?) throughout the past year. I survived 2 weeks of the 3-week Tour without watching a single "live update newsflash." Then things got really exciting and I couldn't help myself - I turned back into my usual Tour maniac-self. Well, let's say 80% of my usual Tour maniac-self. Here's a summary of this year's Tour:

1. A few people got kicked out of the race for doping


2. A few people got fired from their teams for doping


3. The race leader in the first set of mountains was kicked out of the race and off of his team for lying about his whereabouts during missed drug tests in the off-season


4. One guy got booted for doping on the same day that he participated in a "sit-in" against doping


5. The Discovery Channel team ROCKED THE PELOTON winning 1st and 3rd places overall - Go Disco!


6. Levi Leipheimer (who came in 3rd place) STOMPED the last individual time trial


7. The overall winner, Alberto Contador, from the Discovery Channel team, is only 24 years old


8. Discovery Channel might perhaps be wishing they hadn't already announced pulling out of their sponsorship of the team after this season

There you have it, the 2007 Tour de France in a nutshell.

Thoughts from my last day driving my old truck

I took the S-10 out for a spin today to CarMax to get it appraised to find out whether the charity I will support with it will get more money from it if I sell it and give them the cash or give them the truck outright. While all conditions they check (exterior/body, interior, frame, mechanics, etc.) were listed "as expected for the age of the vehicle" they still only offered me $250 - I guess I'm lucky they didn't try to charge me to take it off my hands. Speaking of which, Andy text messaged me while I was there and said, "Throw $20 on the floor and just walk out." Hmph.

Anyway, here are some thoughts I had while driving "Al" for what was probably the last real time.

1. Sliding into that seat and pulling out of the driveway was like slipping into an old pair of cotton fleece sweatpants - soft, comfy and worn-in in just the right spots. Sliding into the new car seat and pulling out of the driveway is like slipping into a pair of sweat-wicking, 4-way power stretch, therma-fleece running pants - also soft and comfy but more technologically advanced and designed for moving instead of lolly-gagging.
   
2. The truck accelerates as fast as a snail on downers.
   
3. Country music sounds much better in a pickup.
   
4. What with all the creaks and clunks it lets out, I'm really lucky that truck still runs and never left me (or anyone else) stranded anywhere.
   

I run like an animal

A friend invited me to do a duathlon with her in September. That's a race where you do a run, ride your bike, and then run again. I used to do them regularly but haven't done a training run or bike ride in AGES. This friend is obviously not someone I talk to on a regular basis or else she probably would have never considered asking me along :-)

Not knowing whether I can even train hard enough to be prepared in 8 weeks, I went for a test run this morning. If I can't run a mile already, there's no way I can be ready for that race in 2 months. I stole borrowed Andy's mp3 player and went out with my running shoes on this morning. I ran for 15 minutes (and walked another 15) so I'm guessing I made it about a mile (not including the walking.) I run very slowly.

I don't usually run with music on so that was a change that I think helped me to stay moving when I would've otherwise felt like I should quit. If I can't hear myself breathing like a raspy ogre, then it doesn't seem like I'm doing such a bad job. Plus, I listened to Nickelback, which is hard to sit still during anyway.

Most of the time I have to consciously slow myself down because I can't run very long if I run at a normal pace and I at least need to get back home from wherever I am at the time. This morning I found the perfect song to match my tempo. Never before has a song actually fit perfectly with my stride/pace/cadence.

It figures that it's the song "Animals." Sheesh.

They say it's my birthday

Today is my birthday and the celebration started on Sunday with a surprise "party" set up for me when I got home from church. Amy decorated our dining room table with party plates and napkins, confetti, balloons, flowers, candles, presents and a cake while we were out.

Yesterday I spent the day with two other dear friends, Beth and Elesa, swimming in the pool and just hanging out doing not much of anything. Dinner was terrific and there was home made ice cream and cake afterward - yum!

When I got in the car to come home, I found a new CD (Rascal Flatts) with a bow on it that Andy had put in the car for me to listen to on the way home. This morning I found a card in the refrigerator which Kevin made.

I don't often feel sappy or get teary-eyed about things that Kevin does but this came close to doing it:

 

Can you see what he wrote at the bottom? "You are the prettiest and greatest Mama." Of course he should think that, as all kids do, but I don't take that for granted. Plus, when I try to make him write things, he stops at his name and asks me to write the rest. Writing that whole statement himself was an effort the likes of which he rarely makes.

Kevin couldn't wait for Andy to come home to give me presents so he had me call Andy so he could talk to him on the phone. Andy walked Kevin through the process of finding the hidden presents in the car and under Kevin's bed so Kevin traipsed outside in his pajamas and rain boots (it's beautifully sunny here today) with the phone to his ear and climbed through the car to find the pack of socks hidden in there for me. After the presents were found, Kevin asked Andy if he could tell me what we're doing this afternoon and Andy obliged. Kevin told me that we're going out to dinner and to play "MINIATURE GOLF!!" Andy says that was Kevin's idea.

It's been a wonderful few days of birthday celebration and it's more than I expected. I'm very fortunate to have friends and family who care for me.

More Kwik-E-Mart photos

Thank you for loitering. Please come again.

7-Eleven knows what they're doing, joining up with The Simpsons movie. The folks buying Buzz Cola, Squishees, Krusty-Ohs and pink sprinkled doughnuts and snapping pics with their pocket digital cameras outnumbered those who appeared to be locals at the Bladensburg, MD, 7-Eleven-turned-Kwik-E-Mart on this sunny Sunday morning.

Without studying

Honestly, though, if they call an A- "excellent," what do they call an A+? They might just be trying to make me feel good but I know better.

Le Tour. (with a period, not an exclamation point)

Yes, Folks, the riders of Le Tour de France are less than 2 weeks from lining up for the Grand Depart in London, England. England? Yup, the Tour makes its debut in London and we avid race fans are wondering, "Will car traffic be held off while the cyclists race through the tunnel?" Just kidding.

Anyway, you haven't heard much from me this year about the Tour because, frankly, there's too much drama. Unfortunately, it's not racing tactics drama so it's not exciting. Well, I guess it actually is racing tactics but it reads more like a gritty tale of drugs, drugs and more drugs. Doping is the word in cycling, yet again (still?) and the stories make my head spin. I wish I could provide a nice, clean summary to catch you all up but I can't. It's too crazy with someone like me being completely unable to know what's true and what's not. I sure hope someone comes up with a way to figure that out sooner rather than later because I'm not sure the professionals know all that much more surely than I do.

Yes, I will keep an eye on the race. Yes, I will get excited about the race. But there will be a piece of me holding back because I have that awful, nagging feeling that nothing is what it seems.

Thoughts from my first day driving our new car

Today I drove our new car to work. It was my first chance to drive it in place of my truck. I had some thoughts along the way.

1. It's hard to drive the speed limit in a new car
2. I'm no longer a cool chick in a truck
3. I'm no longer a weird and/or possibly lesbian chick in a truck
4. Feeling safer (real or contrived) feels good
5. I'm interchangeable with most other people on the road
6. I will miss my truck
7. Sitting lower than other drivers provides a new perspective
8. It takes longer to change the temperature of the air in a wagon than a truck cab
9. I should more closely consider where I park
10. Accidentally turning on the heated seats switch makes a 100-degree day feel even hotter
11. I look forward to testing the limits of the all-wheel-drive-ity of the new car
12. A shorter wheelbase allows one to drive faster over speed humps

Too many issues to tackle at one time

Me: (looking behind my nightstand) Huh - I have 2 hair ties back here.
Kevin: I hid them from you to punish you.
Me: For what?
Kevin: Because I didn't want to go to the Meaghers' house.
Me: Ohh, I see. But now you're glad that I forced you go to, right? You said you had lots of fun.
Kevin: Right. Did you look around? Is something else missing?
Me: I don't see anything missing. Why, should I?
Kevin: Yes.
Me: What else did you hide?
Kevin: Papi's blanket.
Me: You hid Papa's blanket to punish me?
Kevin: Yes.
Me: That doesn't punish me very much, actually. I do hope that you'll return it to him before he needs it tonight.
[half an hour later, we're still discussing the missing blanket in the midst of taking care of other things - I refuse to search for it and he refuses to tell me or Andy where it is - he finally says something to Andy while I'm out of the room and then I get called back in...]
Kevin: Mami?
Me: Yes?
Kevin: Here's the blanket. But it's not Papi's; it's yours; I was trying to trick you!
Me: Oh, I see. Are you actually just trying to keep me from getting mad at you for punishing me too much?
Kevin: Yes.

Suba-what?

Lady at key counter: What kind of car is this for?
Andy: A Subaru
Lady at key counter: What is the other name for it?
Andy: Outback
Lady at key counter: No, I mean what kind of car - Toyota, Honda, Chevrolet...?
Andy: It's a Subaru
Lady at key counter: I've never heard of that. *looks at catalog for the key blank it matches* Huh - Soo...buh...roo. Oh, Subaru. Sorry, we don't have that in stock.

Now it's time for a game called Props

If you live anywhere near here and are looking to buy a used car from someone who acts like a normal human being and who treats you like a normal human being, then go to Shoreline Motorcars in Glen Burnie.

Buying our car was so pleasant it felt more like buying a cherry pie from someone's grandma at the farmer's market than what I've ever known buying a car to be like.

My freedom is but a positive side effect

Kevin moved up to a new class in preschool/daycare for the summer. This new class has a summer camp format through August and the kids are over 4 years old so there is no nap requirement.

His second day in the new class, Kevin asked me if he could stay there all day every day. I made sure he understood what he was asking for and then talked to Andy about it. We agreed that as long as he didn't have to nap, we were ok with it. [When Kevin has to participate in nap/rest time, he falls asleep and then doesn't go to bed that night until 10pm - we try to minimize such behavior.]

Now in his second week of the new class, Kevin is thriving. He LOVES the activities, field trips and new friends. He prefers to be there over just about anywhere else. I couldn't be happier to see him so happy.

Yes, I now have even more time at home (or running errands or weeding the garden or what-have-you) with nobody else here but, honestly, I think my thrill from that is overshadowed by my glee at Kevin's thrill of being at school with his classmates and teachers doing fun things and learning and going on field trips and swimming and just experiencing all sorts of life.

Go for it, Little Dude.

Our New Ride

 

Some facts about Andy

These may help you interpret Kevin's interview responses.

Andy is 5'5" tall.
He has brown eyes and black hair.
He likes to eat salmon but loves to eat watermelon, potato chips and steak.
He likes to drink Coke.
His favorite color is red but he is not a fan of the Redskins.
He works at the government printing office warehouse (nowhere near the harbor.)
He is wild and crazy when it comes to making people, kids especially, laugh.
He is not a teenager. He is 40 years old.
He sings and dances.
He loves Kevin immensely.
Kevin loves him to pieces.

Father's Day Interview

Click here to read the 2005 interview.
Click here to read the 2006 interview.

June 2007

What is Papá’s name? Papá. No! Andy. Aguilera.
Is Papá tall or short? Tall
What color are Papá’s eyes? I don’t know. Brown?
What color is Papá’s hair? Black

What does Papá like to eat? Salmon. And should I add anymore stuff?
[Sure.] Lettuce, tomatoes.
What does Papá love to eat? I don’t know. Uh... fish?
What does Papá like to drink? Coke
What is Papá’s favorite color? Red, like the Redskins.

What does Papá do at work? Works in the harbor and people send him books

What do you like to do with Papá? Play with him.
How do you like to play with him? Because he’s such a fun, playful guy

Where do you like to go with Papá? To the birdseed store
What do you like to help Papá do at home? Fill the bird feeders and work in the garage

What does Papá do that makes you laugh? Do funny things
What kinds of funny things? Dances funny dances, he sticks out his tongue to make a funny face

How old is Papá? Fourteen. Oh, no, he’s not a teenager!
So how old is he? Twenty four

Is Papá a good singer? Yes!
Is Papá a good dancer? Yes.

Does Papá love you? Yes!
Do you love Papá? Yes!

Lollipop of Death

+

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Death to the little suckers tormenting us for the past 4 months.

We tried everything we were supposed to - multiple types of baits w/ poison, peanut butter and jelly with boric acid, washing every dish and wiping every counter at the sight of the smallest speck of spill or crumb, etc. Nothing worked until the night I came home to find the ants parading across the kitchen floor creating a veritable superhighway between their nest (in the wall) and Kevin's bucket o' candy. The ants were mostly on the lollipops - not the dum-dums style pops but the flat kind with the clear wrappers. The ants squeezed through the space between the paper stick and where the wrapper is glued shut.

"Ok," I thought. "If you love those lollipops so much, you can have 'em!" I cleaned up the bucket o' candy and sprayed "deterrent" along their pathway back to their point of emergence where I placed a lollipop dipped in yummy but deadly boric acid powder. The ants were all over it! I placed another one at the back of the countertop where they often emerge.

This week I tempted fate - I put dirty dishes in the dishwasher. Lo and behold there was no ant superhighway across the counter culminating in a thousand-strong party of ants in the dishwasher. Woohoo!

Be careful what you ask for

Taylor: I know! Let's play a game where we pretend to fight.
Kevin: Ok. *smacks Taylor in the face*
Taylor: [crying] Ow, Kevin, stop it!
Kevin: Sorry, Taylor, but that's what you said!

Brother (4) and Sister (3) and Friend (5)

Taylor (brother): Mom! Alyssa pretended to cut her arms off!
Alyssa (sister): I was just PLAYING. I didn't really do it.

Taylor: Stop it, Alyssa. It's not funny.
Alyssa: *pause* Hahahahahaha!!!

Mom: What was your favorite part of today?
Taylor: Mine was having Kevin come over.
Kevin (friend): Mine was watching TV.
Alyssa: Mine was taking a bath with Kevin.