Today I Miss Winnie

Credit: Lorie

See you in five more weeks little one!

Nathan Makes It Rain... Men

I can't stop chuckling, even as I type this. Nathan unintentionally did one of the funniest things I have ever known him to do.

First, a few facts.

1) Nathan is cheap. You probably already knew that. 

2) Nathan loses things a lot. Since we've moved to England, it's been Nalgene bottles and umbrellas.

3) Nathan hates cats. He's really allergic to them and thinks they're of the devil.

4) Nathan is completely ignorant when it comes to pop culture. I'm sure many of you have heard the classic story, "Who's this Bianca [Beyonce] person I keep hearing about?"

So, Nathan went to Yorkshire Trading Company, the same place we got wellies and his grandpa hat, and he bought himself an umpteenth cheap umbrella in his usual classic black. He didn't open it until a few days later when it was raining fairly steadily. It was only then that he realized that it wasn't just solid black...

This is his attempt to look gangster (?!?!?!), but when he showed me the umbrella for the first time, I couldn't even catch my breath. I was laughing so hard on multiple levels. What was even funnier was that he didn't know that It's Raining Men was actually a song and, what's more, sort of a gay anthem. Later that night, we watched a little bit of the music video on YouTube (Creepy! I will not be posting it here - lots of men in speedos. View at your own risk.), and he said he had never heard the song in his life.

I'm not sure what he's going to do when it rains again, but it's bound to happen quite soon, and when it does, I'll be laughing wherever I am, thinking of him opening that umbrella and walking around town with it, which he insists he will do. 

He's too cheap to buy another umbrella... until he "loses" this one. :)

Daughters

When I see this picture,  I just think about John Mayer's song, Daughters. 

Fathers, be good to your daughters

Daughters will love like you do

Girls become lovers who turn into mothers

So mothers, be good to your daughters too

If I can be 1/10th as good to people as my mom and dad are to me, I will be happy.

Lorie, thanks for the pictures. They are amazing.

They also take 10 minutes to load - each - so instead of me overwhelming you with 100 mind-blowingly beautiful pictures today, you might get one for a treat once in a while.

This is Frighteningly Us

I got home from the States to find a sweet card and flowers from Nathan on my bedroom dresser. I busted up laughing when I read the card, and I just had to share. It's just US...

Minus the cigarettes.

Happy Monday.

The One Where I Show You the Rest of the Pictures from Home

I went to work last Thursday with a sore throat, so I bought some sugar-free cough drops before leaving for the big surprise. By the time I landed in LAX 36 hours later, I couldn't hear out of my left ear, I couldn't smell anything, I couldn't taste much, and my eyeballs were trying to scratch their way out of my head (my contact solution got confiscated at Heathrow and I had no choice but to keep them in until I got home). I was sleep deprived and pretty miserable after breathing the same contaminated, recirculated airplane air for too long. 

I gave my sister and June a quick hug, so as not to get them sick, and we went to the car, where I opened the driver's side door thinking it was the passenger's. We stopped at In N Out by my request, where my cheeseburger with no onions and extra pickles tasted amazing... in my imagination. The best part of the night, besides seeing my family of course, was sleeping in my sister's king-sized AMAZING bed. There is no other word to describe it properly.

The next day I was tired but felt a million times better with the anticipation of seeing friends and family at a baby shower and then my dad's party. After that, however, I struggled with the remnants of the cold (Why is it that teachers get sick the second they go on a break?) and never really got around to feeling myself. I was disappointed but okay with that for two reasons: 1) There are worse things than being sick at home with your mom and dad taking care of you, and 2) I'll be back in less than seven weeks for Christmas.

Here are the best of the rest of the pictures from my visit. Thanks to Amy for letting me borrow her camera for the week. Did it make it back to you yet, Amers?

My sister giving Winnie bunny ears, which reminds me of this picture.

My grandma and I at her new place

Ariel in her costume that my sister and Aunt Deanie made

Winnie got my mom's blue eyes.

Cupcake awesomeness

Coloring: my fave

Dad doing hair. This always makes me happy.

White bean chicken chili also always makes me happy, especially when there's avocado on top.

Friends, family, and food! 

Daughters with their daddy

The Best Part About Halloween

The best part about Halloween is seeing pictures of other people's kids dressed up on Facebook. Here are my faves this year. No surprise...

The One Where I Eat Grapes as Big as My Thumb

After I jumped out of the box, we celebrated my dad in a big way!

The party had an Italian theme, and someone donated a bajillion amazing grapes from Lamont for table decorations and pre-dinner snacking.

There was also bread, olive oil, and cheese on the red and white checked tablecloths.

The grapes were HUGE!

We had individually made pasta on the spot. These guys did an amazing job.

Cake time! We had cake from Jake's Tex Mex, the same cake that was served at our wedding. 

I think Mom, Aunt Linda, and Nancy enjoyed it!

What an amazing back yard! Thanks Tim and Linette!

Mom and Sister

Dad and daughters

The fam from '83-'92 :)

My sister's iPhone pic

Thanks to my date, Amy, for all of these pictures!