So, sometimes we think our life is kindof boring... I think part of the problem is that we can't find the camera, and we hate to post without pictures, but for now, this is some of what we've been up to:
1. Of course, Gabriel keeps us busy. He figured out he is big enough to get over the fence into the neighbor's yard... Haven't quite solved that problem, although he stopped doing it for now at least.
2. I have beautiful mystery color tulips popping up all over the yard. Some open up to reveal ruby red, some orange, and the newest one is different stripes of brilliant yellow. The poor ones in the back yard are pretty beat up by the Gabe traffic, but they are surviving so far. At least he doesn't eat them.
(Side note--things Gabe has eaten: water hose, PVC pipe, firewood, water pump for the backyard waterfall, his name tags, dad's bicycle electronic flashing light (with batteries), the foot-cushion for our inversion table, cardboard boxes, comic books, a screen from the basement window including the frame, several plastic bins, a frisbee, the cat's scratching pad, and recently my black flats--his first ingested shoe. Yes, we do feed him, and he now has at least 5 surviving doggie chew toys available to him at all times.)
3. Also in the gardening venue, we were lucky enough to buy a house with an apple tree (see The TMM blog about thier newly planted fruit trees to really appreciate this.) We also have 'choke cherries' in the back yard, and our first fall, we figured the puny little green apples looked about as appetizing as "choke cherries" sound. Very late last fall, I decided to try one. Brent yelled "EW!! That's been on the GROUND!!!" When I picked it up, wiped it off and took my first bite of the most sugary, delicious apples I have ever tasted. Since then I had aspirations to prune the tree and 'dig about it' (we'll let Gabe do the dunging), and hopefully have a healthier harvest this year. Dad finally helped me trim it down to size several weeks ago, and I'm hopeful that it will be much healthier this year.
4. Brent is now on facebook, and he LOVES it! I never figured him for a facebook junkie. He takes quizzes all the time and made up his own the other day, "The Ontology Quiz." Wow. Soooo Brent! He is also fairly addicted to "Bejeweled Blitz." Apparently all his buddies in the Master's Program compete on facebook. He was the champ until the semester ended, but now he has some competition.
5. Nicole's internet game of choice is sudoku. Actually it's the only internet game I've ever been really into. I started out with a book--a gift from my in-laws, but now I will hardly play it except online. I like being able to check and see if I've messed up anything.
My favorite website has all kinds of great features, including pages that teach you expert sudoku moves, and if you get stuck in a puzzle, it will offer you hints to help you solve the next number. I can solve most puzzles in 10 minutes, plus 10 more if I enter the initial options myself (I usually have the site do it automatically). It really gets my mind off of anything I'm worried about, and helps me relax.
We will post pictures soon!
My sweetie made a big deal of my accomplishment and threw a party with all of my balloon friends shown above (it was an inpromptu party and my real live friends weren't able to make it, so we named the balloons after them, see if you can identify yours!). Nicole even got me candles and put them on (low-fat) ice-cream (see below). For those of you who are terribly observant, you might ask if they ran out of 2's at the store. The answer's "no" we just usually only pay attention to the last two digits of my weight and Nicole's used to her own weight range being in the hundreds... Bless her heart.
Seth's back from Ghana! He brought us a cool statue that wel'll have to post soon. We had fun the day he got back, despite him being really really really really sick still (and over a week later, he's still real sick). But sick or not, we got him back and he's still alive, although given that someone in Africa suggested he should go intern in Iraq, we'll see how true that is at the end of the summer. With that possible (him going to Iraq) and his twin brother wanting to buy a (real) sports car, my Mom called me and said I was the family's last hope to be safe and smart and to just stay in school and work on my degree. For that I have to say "Mission Accomplished" in the same sense as the former administration used the term: I have, just this weekend, finished the substantive work on my thesis!!! Now's it just off to my chair and my committee and all get a (nother) degree! I've allready done my course work for both my MS and PhD so the next two years of school should be must less intense.
Nicole had to work on Mother's Day, so she got her Breakfast in bed the next day. Out of respect for her we are displaying a picture that does not include a head shot at 5 am.
