Merry Christmas, Welcome to the Tower

It's December, the Saints are undefeated, and there is a slight possibility of snow
{I'd even settle for sleet} tomorrow.

So why haven't you heard anything from me?


I'm tucked away in my cozy carrel in the Tower studying like a methodical maniac. So yes, I am still alive, but no, you probably won't be hearing from me until December 17. Actually, make that December 18, because I plan on PROMPTLY hitting the hay following Crim Law on the 17th.
So until then, please enjoy the holiday season and know that I appreciate your thoughts and prayers.


And this Christmas might be the best ever!


HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!!

All I want for Christmas...

IS A SUPERBOWL WIN!!!!!!!!!!
{and super 1L grades}
In the spirit of the season, here are some genius mashups of NOLA's favorite topic and traditional Christmas carols.

A little story for ya:

Twas the month before Xmas and no sign of snow.
But New Orleans doesn't care cause the Saints are 11 & 0.
Dickens scored a touchdown, Sharper intercepted a pass
and the WhoDat Nation cheered when Brady was sacked on his a$$.
Sunday the Redskins, to Washington we will go,
and when the Black & Gold get finished we will be 12 & 0!!!

A little Jingle Bells:

11 & 0, 11 & 0, the Saints are on a Roll.
Last night the Boys shut Brady down,
its time for the SuperBowl!
Throw that pass, whoop some a$$, Patriots fell to their knees.
New Orleans is the place I love, Drew Brees for Mayor PLEASE!?!

A little Frosty the Snowman:

Win-ning the trophy was an awfully lofty goal.
With a revived team but failed playoff runs and no experience of a Bowl.
Brees and his Santos were a fairy tale they say,
We all scream GEAUX but inside we know world champs we’ll be one day!

There must have been some voodoo in that old dome which they play
For when they storm onto that field no team stands in their way!
O the Saints of New Orleans are alive as they can be,
As the locals say, they can win today, they’re the best of the NFC.

Who-who-who dat, Who-who-who dat, look at dem Saints go.
Who-who-who dat, Who-who-who dat, off to Miami we go!

And last but not least, a little Jesus, O What a Child of Mine [Mariah Carey]:
{the parts in parenthesis are sung with soul and are in the background}

Breesus, OH Breesus, Breesus, Oh what a Quarterback!
You don't father out of wedlock
Baby, you just make plays that rock.
Hail Marys, Quick fakes and superbowl rings
Are the presents that you bring!
Breesus (OH BREESUS BRESSUS), Breesus (BREESUS!!!, Breesus (AAAAAHHHHH),
Oh What a Quarterback!

I think they should get a move on recording these, at the very least get them on youtube with all the Saints rap accolades. Brilliant work TM, AM, D'R'L, and SS!

Reverse Reverse

Oh how the tables have turned: those who were once deemed the workers in our house have bypassed the management level and are now royal.

If you are not aware of the former worker/management delination of our household, no worries, all you need to know is that my daddio was selected to be KING OF THE MARDI GRAS MARATHON this year!

How exciting is that? He and my mama are coming into town so he can run the marathon with me and now they will be feted and VIPed all around town for Marathon Weekend! So fun!

Now there's just a little bit of pressure for me to not slow him down as he takes his victory lap of a marathon around town!

I'm sure he'll make a splash as King and be sure to check out the article about him in the race program! Love you Daddio!

Ouchie but AWESOME

A summary of today's run:
number of tshirts soaked through from the rain {and maybe a little bit of sweat}: 2
number of blisters created: 3
bliss of runner's high: PRICELESS

C is for Commitment

I am officially running the NOLA Mardi Gras Marathon February 28, 2010.

She really, really did it!

Miss Tulip did it! She graduated from beginner puppy obedience! It was a very exciting moment in all of our lives. While she is not the best behaved dog I have ever encountered, she is actually pretty good most of the time. She sits all the time, including sometimes when you just look at her and she thinks you maybe want her to sit. She lays on command AND will stay laying for up to 30 minutes [mostly without protest]. If you had the [some maybe would say dubious] pleasure of meeting Tulip before puppy school, you know this is progress indeed!

Still no retrieving of tennis balls and she has developed a pogo stick habit which can be annoying and is quite difficult to curb, BUT I received the nicest compliments about her last week. First, she and I were walking to the park and she stopped and sat at the corner like she's supposed to before we cross a street. A woman was crossing the street towards us with her dog. Instead of creating a dog-dog introduction in the midst of Mag, I decided to test Tulip's patience and obedience. The dog approached, came all the way over and sniffed Tulip and she STAYED LIKE A CHAMP! Her little bottom bones stayed glued to the ground and while her tail was mightly protesting, she stayed sitting and just gazed up at me the entire time, waiting upon my release command. The woman with the dog exclaimed 'Wow-your dog is so good! That must have taken a lot of work!' It did, but it was worth the compliment!

Then, the next day, 2 of the hairstylists from the salon next to our house were sitting on their stoop. I was walking with Tulip and the girls stopped me and said 'You know, she has gotten so good! We used to die laughing everytime you walked by because she was such a tiny little thing pulling you so much it looked like a comic come to life. Now she just strolls along next to you and even sits and waits next to the car while you unload groceries or books!' Now this was seriously high priase because they really did laugh at us all the time. And rightfully so, because the sight of a baby Tulip pulling me around would have made me laugh too! And considering they see us walking/running with her at least twice a day, if not many more on the way into the car and such, they are pretty good judges of her improvement!

That said, she is still her lovely minxy self, still causing trouble at every possible turn!

Thinking outside the box and off the palette

This artwork was propped up in the hallway where I did my week with the LA Green Corps. I found the piece beautiful to begin with and loved that it was made with paint chips. Yep, the kind you get at the hardware store. The artist used them as the medium. It's like an entirely new approach to impressionism and pointillism. You can't tell but the piece was actually nearly as tall as I am and about as wide as a standard door-frame. I especially love the blue sky :)

So fresh and so green [green]!

Ladies and Gentleman, please prepare yourself, it's one of the best weeks of the year again...HOMECOMING!!!!

This year is sure to be a blast: Ratch and Rek are heading up the marketing of the festivities and everyone is ready to go! The Court is all set: 2 XO's maintaining the legacy, 3 Admissions Interns, 3 Orientation Leaders, 1 HC Court legacy [may the Moss family forever live on at Tulane], 1 of my FIJI babies, 1 FIJI baby girlfriend who is amazing, 5 USG Senators, and a lot of Tulane spirit and involvement (and yes, I am aware that my previous numbers do not add up to 10-some people fit more than one distinction). Who will win? Only time will tell as the winner is revealed at halftime on Saturday. I hope this Court has a wonderful week enjoying the honor. I am glad the game returned to the Dome so the winners will march across that astroturf and feel an intangible bond to this city, this wonderful place that has so changed us all. And most of all, I hope the court laughs as much as we did.


Happy Homecoming!

My ode to Henri (which must be pronounced en francais, of course)

Dear Henri,
Please do not come into the Gulf. I would so appreciate you avoiding this whole region like the plague. Now I am aware this plea is counter to those I have sent up to the hurricane forces that be before. But I have a few claims I would like to level against your plan to pay us a visit:

1. I know, you are probably feeling neglected by the lack of attention on hurricanes this year. I, however, was not one of the "out of forecast, out of mind" legions. No, I actively cheered on and hoped for a little mild tropical disturbance to come our way over the summer and beginning of school. All through those long, hot months of June, July, and August I waited. No hurrication. The school started and I was even hopeful then of a weekend away.

2. Your time has come and past. Practice exams are in 2 weeks and I barely have time to sleep, much less pack up my, Em, and Tulip's lives and vacate for a week. No time at all.

3. Law school is stressful enough, thank you very much, without you lurking out there in the Atlantic. Your menacing presence is not helping me out, and hurricanes are really only fun when they help you out: when they are strong enough to get classes to cancel, but too weak to cause serious harm and damage. And a key component of hurricane fun is when they either delay school or get you out of exams/assignments, etc. The only thing your visit, dear Henri, would do for me is guarantee Saturday classes for the rest of the semester. And maybe some night ones as well. And since I am already doing school work at those times, I don't need your help in this matter.

4. And you would really throw a wrench into the sailing schedule if you paid a visit.

All in all, I appreciate all of the good you and your kin have done over the years: Gustav was great last year and Ivan was fine too. Both were perfectly timed at the beginning of the school year or just a few weeks in. Both caused little damage to NOLA. Neither were during my 1L year.

So you see Mr. Henri, this just isn't a good time for you to come around. Maybe next year, around the middle of August? Everyone likes a break from the heat and summer grind 'round about that time.

Truly,
Your number #1 fan cheering on your turn up into the Northern Atlantic

Right now, at this very moment

It is 90 degrees outside and according to weather.com feels like 103. And here I was going to put my 'feels like' index at 95...never underestimate yourself, or the heat index. So now I have a good reason for not running today, right? Too hot? Dangerous conditions? Hmmmm, while my cool sheets were definitely safe, the real reason I didn't run this morning was less about the heat [which frankly, I did not even contemplate as it's October and thus should not be too hot to run at 6am...even though it kind of is] and much more about getting in some last zzzz's after my long closed memo-reviewing night. Anyways, if you are stuck someplace winter has visited too early this year, feel free to visit NOLA, where summer is sticking around for all she's worth!

The anatomy of a dog treat

[top row: yes, bottom row: no]

So after much research and investigation, before we brought little Tulip home, Em and I had decided to feed her as naturally as possible, with as little processed food as feasible. now don't get me wrong, we aren't feeding her a raw diet or anything, she gets kibbles; but nutritious and delightfully good for the environment and her tummy kibbles. No junk carbs or filler for our munchkin. This philosophy extends to her play toys and treats as well, mainly in our avoidance of rawhide bones/processed parts like pigs ears and animal products which can harm the dog, such as hooves, joints and actual bones. Now, one would think that finding rawhide free treats for dogs would be relatively easy these days considering the amount of research that has been published on the harmful [and frankly pretty nasty] effects on dogs. Not so. It is in fact quite difficult to find a non-rawhide/greasy pressed animal product for a dog's enjoyment. We have found a few, most of which arrive to Tulip's doorstep via shipment from her g-marm and the amazing pet stores in the great OH. Pizzle sticks, dried achilles tendons, antlers, and dried sweet potato chews have been our findings in the past 7 months of dog ownership. So this weekend, when I came across a pet store that not only sold bully sticks [not as high quality or diversity as the OH options, but still, available!] AND had a product I had never seen next to the bully sticks, I was intrigued. I inquired as to whether they were processed/rawhide and was assured they were not. Then, I decided to check the salesperson's actual knowledge of the product and inquired as to what part of an animal it was...Her reply "Oh it's a cow esophagus." I determined that Tulip would ADORE these products and purchased a few.


And then I chuckled all the way home because the items in question were clearly tracheas...those cartilaginous bands don't lie, be they in a human or cow!

And in case you were wondering, yes, Miss Tulip thinks her trachea treats are divine :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY EM!

Happy Happy Birthday!

Tulip and I are so glad you will be home in time to celebrate with us! We love you!


PS-you might want to check the fridge when you get home...Tulip has been slaving away in that kitchen and won't tell me what she made for you but I'm sure it's delish :)

A few things I am loving...

1-Law school. You may have heard from me that it is sometimes completely overwhelming [and if you haven't heard this from me, it's probably because I am currently too overwhelmed to call], but I absolutely love and adore it. I love learning and discovering something new every day. I love that there are many possible interpretations to problems presented and in order to 'win' you don't have to prove you are correct, you just have to prove you are more correct than the other side! And I really, really love being immersed in school and really and truly actively being engaged in the process again.

2-da Saints. I think this is going to be their year. And even if it isn't-cheering, yelling and screaming at the top of my lungs for four straight hours every other week or so isn't a bad release of law school stress. Those boys carried the weight of a city on the brink-now they are proving that they have what it takes

3-Tulip. Particularly the new, somewhat better mannered version. She is such a delight and joy. Always there to cuddle, snuggle, play, or get me out the door and on a run, or at least a trip to the river. And she is just so darn cute.

4-My primary kids. They are as adorable as can be and have truly taught me so much over the past year. It really is amazing what going back to the basics can do. And they make me smile and laugh with them. And they put on an awesome program-those 4 rugrats sure make me proud.

5-Law School. The never-ending hilarity of it all: the cases we read, the professors, and mostly the students. Oh the things that are said and shared. Filter, people, filter what pops into your mind before you share it with 90+ of your closest new frenemy classmates please! Or, maybe don't so I continue to be entertained by you

6-The return to Weaver/Davidson. Yep, that's right, law school is a return to the past. Between the lockers and all the classes being in one building to the clear class/age level hierarchy TLS is totally interchangeable with either Weaver/Davidson. Except here all the cool kids hang out in the library :)

7-The departure of 'the cougher' from my area of the library. As we enter October the carrels are filling up. But thankfully, my coughing space invader has departed from my area. He must have gotten the message behind my scathing looks

8-Fall. Even though you wouldn't know it from the 80+ degree and humid weather, it is FALL! That wonderful time of the year. And last week it was even not very humid for a few days, which made it feel cool, which made it seem like Fall

9-Special Birthdays. And no, I'm not talking about my own 1/2 bday which just passed and put me one step closer to that older demographic. My lovely roomie and sister's bday is TOMORROW! Which means not just celebrations tomorrow, but for the whole month to come! And I hear a cousin of ours, also with an October bday is coming to NOLA to celebrate HER big day, so it should be quite the birthday month!

10-Halloween decorations. I never cease to marvel over the decorations that go up here in NOLA: St Patty's, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Fourth of July, Easter, Halloween, Mardi Gras. True celebrants the citizens of NOLA are, and the abundance of cobwebs and ghostly ghouls hanging in trees these days is certainly a testament to that spirit

11-Tulane. How 'bout it: back on the front page of that pesky ranking service, Katrina numbers considered, 2-2 in football [which is a big deal for us-see the BYU game footage if you have any question over the awesomeness of a 2-2 record for us], killer application numbers [and a little bird told me that celebrity sibling interest has risen recently]

12-Homecoming. Such a fabulous time of year. Alums and parents gather around campus. Traditions are revived and continued. New friends meet old friends. Hopefully we win the game. New Homecoming Court members join the great legion and are fete-ed and paraded. Windows are painted, green waves are decorated, commemorative beads are tossed, tailgating numbers are at a season high and a new King and Queen are crowned. May the newest members of Tulane Royalty be as surprised, delighted, and honored as those who have gone before

13-Sailing. So fun and carefree. So much more athletic than I ever considered

14-Service. Helping people you believe in work towards their goals and dreams

15-Snail Mail. Best ever.

Dear Black Sheep,
Thank you for coming home safely. My anxiety level will now decrease by about 75%, and I shall feel free to delete Doha as a daily weather check location. I'm so proud of you for your service to our country and SOOOOOO happy you came back alive and in one piece. I expect to be on your schedule around Christmas because you will definitely be on mine.
Forever yours,
White Sheep

Never forget, Never lose hope

Four years ago today my life changed. Four years ago today I watched as the city I had begun to love was decimated by a storm and then destroyed by the aftermath.

Then, something crazy happened. People came back. I came back. We rebuilt this city we love and now love it even more. We have not forgotten those lost and we have not forgotten the wrongs inflicted. We have determination. We have strength. And most importantly, we have hope.


Four years ago today I thought I was losing something I just barely loved. Instead, I gained something so much greater than what I previously had.

Never forget, Never lose hope.

Just out of my first class of law school and I LOVED IT!

Peace and Tranquility

I barely knew you and I seriously doubt you would even remember you ever met me. But attending your class was a huge part of my decision to go to Law School. Next week I really begin that exciting journey. I was hoping I would be in your class. Now, no more law students will ever take your class. I hope it was quick and painless, the way I hope everyone passes, even though I know that many do not get that last gift in life. You will be missed. I am sure of it. And even though you likely wouldn't know who I am, you made a difference in my life. Thank you, and may peace be with you and your family.

Morning Warrior

Early morning runs. So lovely. So peaceful. So much {ok, slightly} less humid. So freaking hard to get up and go on sometimes. Went this morning. Loved it. Love feeling accomplished and already having a major item on my to-do list checked off before work. Love feeling refreshed and as though I can take on the world before 8am. Getting back into the habit of early morning runs. Off to join my fellow morning warriors!

Tulip gets a...

We had our first puppy school class last night with Miss Angela and Tulip was the STAR!!!! I'm so proud of her {and us}! Now I genuinely want all of the dogs to succeed in the class, don't get me wrong, and while I am a little teeny tiny bit happy she outshone everyone else, I am mostly thrilled for her because we really have been working a lot with the her and she does genuinely try hard. Last night all of our hard work was redeemed when Miss Angela turned to Tulip and said "Tulip's over this, she's ready for the advanced class"! So exciting!!!!!! So Tulip gets the gold star of the week and extra time to practice sitting and staying in an effort to continue her good work at school! Way to go Tulip!

I bought this book on a complete whim in an airport bookshop. Did I need it? No. I already had 2 books and a few magazines in my bag. Was I inexplicably drawn to it? Yes. Probably something to do with the colored drawing of the brain on the cover, so like all of the images I have studied and emblematic of all of those theories I have learned over the past 5 years. Is the book fascinating? Well, I can't really tell you. Why? Please, allow me to explain.

The book was written by Jill Bolte Taylor, Ph.D; she is a top neuroscientist specializing in schizophrenia research and she suffered from a stroke. Because of her training, she was able to understand, analyze and interpret what was happening to her brain as it shut down system by system. It has taken her many years to fully recover and be able to elucidate and share her stroke experience, but her expertise, combined with the rare type of stroke she suffered have afforded neuroscientists an unprecedented look into the mind of a stroke victim as they are experiencing the stroke. My Stroke of Insight is her story, a powerful combination of scientific knowledge, personal experience, and her struggle to recover.

Apparently this book is one of the very most fascinating items to see the person sitting next to you pull out of their bag. Particularly while on an airplane. Note to my fellow airplane passengers out there: I have a book out because I want to read it, not because I want to explain the premise and complicated science behind it. Additional note to my fellow airplane passengers: if I have a book out and open, and my ipod out, and my headphones in my ears, I really don't want to talk to you. I just want to read my book. Maybe if you let me read my book, then I will be more inclined to explain it to the next person who asks about it.

So, so far I am only 3 chapters into the book, just reaching the morning of Jill's stroke, and I can't tell you a whole lot about it yet. But the first 3 chapters have been great: a layman's introduction to the brain and it's functioning as we currently understand it that frankly everyone should read, learn, and know. What more practical knowledge is there in the world than how your brain works, interacts, and forms the thoughts and feelings that make you, you? Alrighty, I'll get off of my neuroscience soapbox now, but seriously, I recommend reading this book-I think it'll be a goodie. And once you are done with it, please let me know how it ends, 'cause I probably won't be through it yet due to interruptions.

Happy Summer Reading!

Craft night

Tonight, in addition to being BINGO night, is also craft night. For our craft we are making homemade oreos. As you may recall, I am slightly obsessed with the Il Posto version, so I am super optimistic about our efforts this evening. It would be so exciting if they turned out well! And incredibly exciting if they were done before I have to leave for BINGO and was able to sneak them into the Palace. Sounds like the best snack I could think of for daubing. Well, I will probably still need a Sprite-BINGO just wouldn't be BINGO if I didn't have a Sprite, right T?

A little bit of time and work can go a long way

If you take this

and work it and baby it and thin it out and have friends hold it so it doesn't get sticky or clumpy or fold

and feed it through these teeth

you end up with this!

A Checklist of the Evening:
pasta made from scratch, check

pasta sauce made from scratch, check

parmesan butter, check

maximo's salad with parm curls, check

farmer's market fresh peaches, check

angel food cake {not homemade after the Tahoe cake incident}, check

whipped cream made from scratch, check

table cloth on the table, check

riveting episode of SYTYCD, check

well behaved puppy, 3/4 check

{She was really quite good: charming, well-behaved, polite, until the whipped cream came out. And who can really blame her for wanting some of that deliciousness?}

Happy Pioneer Day!

I am always so impressed and awestruck when I ponder the struggles and sacrifices of the pioneers.

Pour ma meilleure amie

Bon anniversaire

nos voeux les plus sincères

que ces quelques fleurs

vous apportent le bonheur

que l'année entière

vous soit douce et légère

et que l'an fini

nous soyons tous réunis

pour chanter en choeur

BON ANNIVERAIRE!!!!!

Last night was momentous in the Bingo world

My partner in crime T almost had a regular bingo and was getting very excited. And they really did almost call the 71. Instead they called some other number and the lady behind us BLEW A WHISTLE {instead of yelling BINGO!}. It was crazy. Usually people yell win then win, some people pound on the table to let everybody know, but the whistle lady took it to a new level. And she didn't just purse her lips and whistle, she full-on pulled a whistle out of her shirt and blew into it. Serious whistling.

Then, during the crazy double bingo/wildcard round {which apparently we still don't understand/know when it's coming-bingo is way more complicated than you probably think it is...it is really a life-long skill, like golf or bridge} I was 2 numbers away from the DOUBLE BINGO! And then T nudges me and shows me that he is one away. I recheck all of my cards and discover that I too am one number away from the DOUBLE BINGO!

Now, winning the double bingo is almost the pinnacle of winning in BINGO. The blackout round is definitely THE pinnacle, but the double bingo is right behind. Some of you may recall when T got a bingo, called it out, and was promptly shut down by the entire non-smoking room because he didn't have the double bingo required {by this time we had been going to bingo for several weeks-just goes to show how complicated the game is. and how there are absolutely no instructions given and they just correct you when you mess up. which for us is a lot} Like I said, double bingo is serious. Then I look over T's card more carefully, checking to make sure he had correctly daubbed all of the numbers and not gotten overzealous {obviously an effort to save him from his embarrassing false bingo experience, never to be ultracompetitive and win before him. obviously} Then I recheck mine. Hmmmm. Then I check his again. Interesting. WE BOTH NEED A 24 TO WIN DOUBLE BINGO. Now this is super crazy. I tell T and we agree that we are definitely going to win. And once we both win the double bingo we will never be coming back to our current bingo hall and will need to find a new one because we will probably be chased out of the place!

Here comes the next ball {please I24, please I24, please I24} hmmmm O67. Okay, not the number we wanted but that's fine. Then, we hear it. The dreaded ripping. Somehow, everyone in the bingo hall {besides us} has this crazy sixth sense of when someone has bingo'ed and they start ripping the papers off. BEFORE THE BINGO HAS BEEN CALLED. And it's not like they are sitting next to the winner and talking: 1, there is no talking in the bingo hall and 2, sometimes the winner is in the smoking room, which is completely removed from our non-smoking room. T and I are completely befuddled by this sense, awareness, knowledge...whatever you want to call it, it's crazy and we don't understand. So we hear the dreaded rip and our high hopes sink. And then the current ball is moved and the next ball is put up, B24!!!! But alas, someone had bingo'ed with the previous O67 {it's a complicated bingo rule but you can only claim your bingo once the next ball has been pulled. I personally don't understand at all, but T can explain to you. along the way he'll probably point out that there are a lot of aspects of bingo I don't understand. this is totally and completely true. it's extremely complicated} So we didn't win the double bingo, which would have been terribly exciting.
BUT, there was still another exciting bingo moment. So, in case you were wondering, T and I don't really fit the profile of the average bingo player at our bingo hall. And by average, I mean we are completely and obviously not like anyone else there, in age, appearance, concentration level, giggling level, focus, etc. Now, people at bingo don't talk. I mean, hardly ever besides to call out "BINGO" or "Last Blackout" have I heard a person in the non-smoking room speak. On the rare occasion where speaking does happen, it certainly doesn't involve us. {that said, we whisper and giggle a lot to one another and any guests we may have with us. but the other bingo players odn't talk to us. EVER. except that one time when T thought he had a bingo, called it out, and then EVERYBODY talked to us to inform him he needed 2 bingos. besides that, nobody has ever spoken to us} Then, last night after our bitter defeat at the double bingo T was such a gentleman and very chivalrously went in search of a sprite for me. While he was gone the woman at the table next to me leaned over and spoke to me! And then, the lady at the table next to her leaned over and also started chatting. It was practically our whole row chatting! And then I think they saw T returning because they stopped chatting with me and didn't say anything else the rest of the night but it didn't matter to me because we have so been accepted! {well, I for sure have. I think they are still on the fence about my false-bingoing friend...}

I have a project

i am starting out with this {except mine is not red} ...

...and hoping to end up with this {except with veggies instead or flowers. or maybe in addition to flowers, that detail is still tbd}.

welcome to the bathtub garden adventure project. it's commencing this weekend, and if you are lucky enough to live near us, and we are lucky enough to actually have produce grow, expect a produce delivery in about 2 months. hopefully :)

{loans of green thumbs to the project are greatly appreciated!}

Someone's special weekend...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRANDMA!!!!!

You are the classiest, most divinely lovely and wise person I know. You are everything I think of as good: kind, gracious, elegant, composed, fun, funny, thoughtful, talented, driven, loving, adventurous and so smart. I strive to be more like you ever day and can only hope to be just like you when I grow up. And did I mention you are beautiful? Because you are, stunningly so.This weekend we are all gathering together to celebrate Y-O-U and how much you mean to us. I am so excited to see everyone and enjoy Tahoe, but mostly I am excited to see you and spend time basking in your glow.

And I can't wait to go white water rafting with you. Hopefully our ride will be like this...

...not like this!

You are the only Grandma I know who would go white water rafting with her grandchildren, like I said, you are the best ever!

I love you more than words.

The nugget is growing up

This morning, Miss Tulip went away to summer camp. Sleepaway summer camp. She was THRILLED and nearly wiggled and jiggled out of her skin she was so excited. I, on the other hand, felt a little nauseated at the thought of leaving her for 5 whole nights. But I know she'll have fun. She loooooves Miss Angela and other dogs, I know she will romp away her days and dream of her purple place all night-just like summer camp is supposed to be. Packing her up last night reminded me of all the times I/my mama packed me for summer camp. I loved summer camp and thought they were the absolute best way to spend the summer. Here are some photos from one of the summer camps I went to over the years, Camp Akita.

These are the cabins you stay in, bunked up 3 to a column, 20 in each side. Note the swimsuits and towels drying on the railings-wet items are no good at camp, yet they always happen!

This is the lake where 95% of time is spent. We played a game with the high board: when your feet leave the board the lifeguard asks you a question, you have to answer by the time you hit the water. Very fun and endlessly amusing!

Craft time is always a fave :)

The high adventure complex-ropes course, climbing walls, ziplines. Basically, amazingness suspended 50 ft from the ground!

And on one very special night, the counselors set up the giant slip-n-slide which ends in a mud pit. So basically its muddy slip-n-slide, which quickly turns into mud wars while sliding down a giant sheet of plastic. As you can imagine, totally awesome!!!