4th of July, and hair

We spent the 4th at our friend's the Strini's place, swimming and eating and generally having fun. Michael had fun throwing anything he could lift into the pool, including most everyone's abandoned shoes. Late in the day, he decided the pool was fun to jump into, repeatedly. Now, he has no fear of water; crap. My husband is accumulating a fan club of people that think he looks like Keith Urban. I guess he's some country music singer, don't know, never listen to the stuff, but since he's sporting a beard and long hair, they think he looks like him. I remember marrying a clean-cut guy, which has always been appealling to me, so I'm really struggling as um, well, clean-cut is SO much more appealling to me. So, I try and grin whenever the next country-music-fan gushes to my husband that he looks "just like Keith Urban!" and wonder, painfully, how long this phase will last. This is one of those marriage things right? What I like, and what I had is gone, and now I have to embrace the "new and not-so-improved" (totally in my opinion). Sigh. The struggles of being married to famous look-alikes.

Two posts in one day?

My dad, Michael and me at the zoo.

Bret and his friend, and fellow MOC volunteer, Kathleen

Dad, Michael, and Rachael playing in the zoo's "Nile River"

Mom and I, dorcus and dorcus keeping out of the sun.

Sophie, dad and Rachael

Here's some pics of my parent's recent visit. They were here for about 30 hours! We can sure cram a lot into a visit...we just don't sleep! lol.

Back in time

My grandparents as I always remember them! Gram and Gramp!

Nancy, my "new" cousin! Standing under our common heritage! lol!

My grandfather is about 18 here, and is in glasses.

This is my grandfather's childhood home, his sisters, and parents.

This is my grandmother's family. She's about 17 here. We think it's all but one sibling, (and she had a twin that died at birth) and my gram is the second one from the left. My kids think I look like her, and I'm kind of amazed at the resemblance too.

So, I reunited with a long lost cousin (we share the same great grandparents) and it's been really cool to catch up and try and figure out the nuances of our family. Thanks to you Nancy, I have new pictures of my relatives. (and info!) My dad and I recently tried to piece together much of my grandfather's life chronologically, and it's funny to realize how much we don't know! That stoic generation of MEN, "you just don't talk about that stuff." Anyway, it's interesting and enlightening. Summer is going by, and the 4th of July is upon us. From here it always seems to go fast right into school. Bret has been volunteering with the Missionaries of Charity summer camp as a counsellor. That's been fun for him. I think he's crushing on one of the girls there. (insert eye-roll) We're getting some stuff done around the house, but trying to just take it easy before the busy fall hits again.

VBS

VBS at our parish this year rocked. 218 kids. 100 teen volunteers. A couple handfuls of eager adult volunteers. An office full of somewhat fearful parish staff, and priests...2 maintanence guys shaking their heads in disbelief. It was so fun. It was the last year for our friend Laura who has run it for the last 7 or 8 years, and is now moving on to Las Vegas. It was bittersweet for that point only, and we sent her off with a video montage of the last several years, which made most of us cry and cry. I decorated the place and then during the week, I helped in the dramas room, which is essentially like an interactive theater. We totally deck the place out with sets and props and costumes. The guy who is now running this room has access to a full theater prop room (I won't admit from where!) so we are lacking for nothing! The kids are just holding their breath to see what we have waiting for them behind our door! This week, it was the story of Moses leading the people out to the desert after the original passover experience and the plagues. How often we hear "oral tradition" but essentially, we function as storytellers in this part of VBS, so oral tradition is reborn. The kids love it. I love it. Enjoy!

Too long

Yes, it's been too long since my last post...but I was depressed! My computer crashed and I lost all my photos from the last 8 mos. Don't even get me started. Since then, let's see, Emily just got back from a week at girl scout camp, Bret is heading to camp tomorrow, and we start VBS Mon. morning. I am doing the decorations for it and we've been in the whole mindset of it for the last 2 wks. or so. I'm all about the "Louisiana bayou" and all it has to offer. I love getting the church looking all "in theme" and different for the kids to walk in and see the first time. It's like their own little mini Disney for a week. We're actually not in the church proper, but in the family life center. I do tons of painting and scavenging of props, etc. Anyway, it's fun. My friend Kim just had her 12th baby. Unbelievable. (pictured above) I started walking again. I do it every time I have a baby or some weight to lose (which seems like my whole lifetime!) so that's good. I'm trying to go 4 miles most days. Right now we're cleaning up the yard after a huge storm blew through yesterday and knocked a jillion branches into the yard. That's about all.

Ballet, graduation, and a snake

"Cinderella" the ballet, went off swimmingly. The girls were beautiful and the backstage energy and excitement were totally exhilarating. 250 little girls all twirling and sparkling in their crowns! The next morning we were up and out again, this time to celebrate Bret's 8th grade graduation. He looked so grown up in his coat and tie. It was like a glimmer into the future. I told him that night, "well son, now the fun part REALLY begins!" You know how jr. high is kind of a blur with highlights of memories? Then high school begins and the memories get more intense? And for me anyway, the fun began! I'm excited for him to move on, and at the same time, holding on (and back) to the girls and their childhood innocence. Girls and boys. Sheesh.
I got a ton of yardwork done this wknd, including mowing the lawn, isolating the berry bushes, and planting a few more tomatoes into pots. This is like a new world for me, planting in pots. It's weird to not have a big sunny patch to just plant in, but I'm hoping to be up to the challenge. Watering, that is. My planting efforts now, might net me nothing but shrivelled up stubs!
So, I also constructed a cage for my compost. Totally cool, until I poured in the big bag of Starbucks' coffee grounds and out slithered a snake. Okay, not much can instantly evoke such hostility and rage in me as a snake, and, as such, the snake didn't make it past the fervor of my rake. I shudder even remembering it. Don't ask how big it was...I mean, does it even matter? Big, small, it's still a snake! We also went to baby Eli's baptism this afternoon. Such a cutie. He's going to be one tough cookie growing up with 3 big brothers that already think he's one of the boys! lol. I also got to see my old pal from chiropractic school, Liz! She's lived in Norway most of our post-graduating life, and just moved back stateside, and then had a 45 min. layover in Memphis this morning. We got to actually see each other after 15 yrs.! How can that be?? 15 yrs.? 45 minutes? It doesn't seem fair, but it was fun anyway, and of course Liz looks exactly the same. We had lots of fun times in Chicago all those years ago, downtown, at clubs, parties, school, labs, finals, studying, cooking, in trouble, laughs, tears. Good to see you Liz!!!

Girls' recital rehearsal pics (cause we won't get any good ones at the real thing!)

So here's a few of my little ballerinas at their rehearsal plus Michael painting with paprika, one of Bret and Don at scouts, me and Michael...and I think that's it: