ode to my brudder

My little brother just turned (ha...I originally typed turded...subliminal message?) the Big Two Two, and will be graduating this May from Washington State University with a degree in Kinesology. For all of his great accomplishments, I give you, MY DORKY BROTHER, DAVID:

-When David was a wee David, we had a secret language. This was before he could talk and we lived in the Wisconsin house (so I was younger than three, making him less than one). Looking back, I'm not entirely sure if we could communicate, or if I just really loved my new little brother. The only think I remember was "avah" was "hot."

-When David was in preschool, he loved dinasaurs. I think he still does, on some level. But one of the cutest memories of him was when we were driving to Minnesota and he was listening to his Wee Sing Dinasaurs tape and singing along. He didn't think we could hear him, and he sang horribly, but my mom and dad and I got to share in the secret smug smiles and collectively think "get a load of this kid!?, where did he come from?"

-Since I had to go to David's soccer games, I decided to make the most out of it by trying to embarass him as much as possible by cheering really loudly and saying stupid things. I almost got kicked out of a game by yelling at a kid who was clearly faking being hurt.

-During my senior year, we went on a school overnight leadership retreat. At the end there is all this cheesy "oh you mean so much to me" stuff and hugging. Usually, I don't really go for that kind of thing. But David was there, and he had just started to become an interesting person (instead of the useless dolt he had been since he was 5), and I realized how much I was going to miss him when I was going to college in a few short months. So I succombed to being huggy and told hime that I loved him and hugged him. Sniff. He was a trooper and hugged me back, though he probably thought I was going soft in the head.

living on the edge

Check me out: I'm going to pick up a friend's daughter at piano lessons (something I'm excited to do for Birdy one day) and deposit a check. BUT I'M NOT TAKING A DIAPER BAG FOR BIRDY.

What will happen? Stay tuned.

what you write about isn't what you think you write about

Make your own Wordle at http://wordle.net

hold the phone, sister

Delicious, thy name is Haagen Dazs. Behold my new all time favorite ice cream flavor in the whole world (until they come up with a funnel cake flavor).

how to test a grass allergy

1. Get idea to take pictures outside.
2. Decide "almost naked is surely best" in regards to specimen attire.
3. Go outside.
4. Put specimen on grass
5. Take tons of pictures of aforementioned specimen.
6. Go inside.
7. Do not notice any rash until giving specimen a bath.
8. Wonder if they make benadryl for babies.
9. Find no evidence of such medication.
10. Chalk this one up to "lesson learned."

We did get some great pictures of Birdy today, and the tummy rash was worth it. Along with the rash on my forearms.

Brandon and I tripped ourselves on up to Spokane yesterday to spend money on Birdy and visit our friends Shelby and Joel. It was a good time, and our other friends Jason and Randi (The Croyles!) had a good time keeping Birdy company back at home.

I also want to wish my good friend Anita HAPPY BIRTHDAY! :-)

it's funny because it's true

special thanks to the allman brothers band

Soulshine

When you can't find the light
That guides you through a cloudy day
When the stars ain't shining bright
And it feels like you've lost your way
When those candle light of home
Burn so very far away
Well you got to let your soul shine
Just like my daddy used to say

He used to say the soulshine
It's better than sunshine
It's better than moonshine
Damn sure better than rain
Hey now people don't mind
We all get this way sometimes
Got to let your soul shine
Shine 'til the break of day

I grew up thinkin' that i had it made
Gonna make it on my own
Life can take the strongest man
And make him feel so alone
Now and then i feel a cold wind
Blowin' through my aching bones
I think back to what my daddy said
He said, boy, in the darkness before the dawn

He used to say the soulshine
It's better than sunshine
It's better than moonshine
Damn sure better than rain
Hey now people don't mind
We all get this way sometimes
Got to let your soul shine
Shine 'til the break of day

Sometimes a man can feel this emptiness
Like a woman has robbed him of his very soul
A woman too, god knows, she can feel like this
But hey, when your world seems cold
You got to let your spirit take control

He used to say the soulshine
It's better than sunshine
It's better than moonshine
Damn sure better than rain
Hey now people don't mind
We all get this way sometimes
Got to let your soul shine
Shine 'til the break of day

He used to say the soulshine
It's better than sunshine
It's better than moonshine
Damn sure better than rain
Hey now people don't mind
We all get this way sometimes
Got to let your soul shine
Shine 'til the break of day

only 107 days until christmas!

People across the internet have started auctions to raise money and support for Stephanie (Nie) and Christian Nielson, the blogger and her husband who were badly injured in a plane crash on August 16th.

If you would like to support them through buying absolutely fabulous gifties and crafty things, there are several sites organizing and holding auctions. More can be found here at the Benefit Blog.

bird on the lawn
Today's Creative Blog
One More Moore

words of wisdom

If you scoot your eyes over to the right hand side of this blog, you might see a link to Catherine Newman's blog. Prepare to have your mind blown: She has two. The other is on Wondertime.

I love her kids, and mostly I love Ben. Ben is funny, kind, and the kind of quirky you can only be when you are 8. This week's blog on Wondertime has Ben talking about asperations and kids around the world, and it hit especially close to home for me:

We still read Children Just Like Me all the time — that awesome DK book that profiles kids around the world in a really beautiful, non-intrusive way — and Ben is newly amazed by it. Maybe it's because most of the kids are 8 or 9 ("Those children are just like me!" he always cries, comically), and Ben is identifying with them anew. "Wow," he says, "the kids always want to grow up and go into politics, to make the world a better place. They're so amazing. I always picture the page about me in the book, and it would be like, One day Ben wants to own a sandwich shop where he can only serve lunch so he won't have to work too hard." Self-ironizing is a past-time that seems to come early in my house. "I want to want to be president," Ben sighs. "But it just seems so tiring. And like I should probably leave it for someone who really wants it." I like how he makes presidential candidacy sound like it's the last waffle on a plate.

And it's true, at least for me. I want to be the guy that owns a sandwich shop open only for lunch. I like to have lofty goals because they sound so impressive, but in the end I just want to enjoy my life and my family. I feel like hard, demanding work (like the presidency) can really be a drag on my ultimate goal of doing nothing, like Peter in Office Space.

I just re-read that, and it appears that I am a blob who grunts at the slightest thing I need to do, like shower.

And I just re-read that, and I realized that I have said on numerous occasions that I would shower everyday if it didn't take so long.

So please scratch all you just read, and understand that I am 100% on board with Ben's sentiments, and that being who you are is a good thing, even if people have the mistaken impression you are a lazy SOB.

heather the bunny

For those who don't know, I used to have ideals, moral convictions, and a strong sense of right and wrong. This meant I was a staunch party line Democrat.

I was also a teenager, and such things go along with common teen-age angst.

Part of the angst I worked so hard to cultivate included being a vegetarian. A lacto-ovo vegetarian, to be specific. If you've read The Jungle, I think you understand. I maintained my vegetarian status until my the end of my first semester of college, where I ate salads twice a day and proceeded to weigh 148 (!!) pounds at Christmas break. That was when I became sick of aforementioned salads, and renounced my angst-ridden veggie-loving ways.

But I've been thinking. And I'm thinking I might try to be a vegetarian again. It's healthier, I'll be forced to eat my veggies, and I will need to be more intentional about what I'm eating.

We'll see what happens.

finding an oasis

It's easy to forget how blessed our lives are. We can get bogged down in things that frustrate us (you are hungry! I have a bottle! For the love of GOD, EAT!), the things that annoy us (it's called a blinker, buddy, use it), and the things that bring us down (I'm always washing baby bottles...isn't it his turn yet?).

We forget how lucky we are that we have someone who needs us to feed them, the ability to travel around, and the fact that we have someone who can help us out when we need it. NieNie is someone who never seemed to forget blessings and who cherished the grace given to her and her family every day.

On August 16th, Nie and her husband were seriously injured in a small plane accident (the flight instructor with them has passed away). Christian, her husband, has burns on 35% of his body, and Nie has burns on 83% of her body, and is currently in a coma. What is amazing about this is the support that has been given to them across the Internet. Nie blogged on the NieNieDialogues about her children, her husband and her life. She has quite a following, and those who read her blog have raised over $100,000 for their hospital bills. I encourage you to take a look at her blog, and either give prayers or monetary support to help their family in their time of need. Updates and more information are available here.

I also hope that you recognize the joys and blessings of your families, and know that any frustration is greatly out-weighed by the love and joy that's in your lives because of those who love and care about you.