Shall We Dance?

"There are short-cuts to happiness, and dancing is one of them."

~Vicki Baum

"Dance first. Think later. It's the natural order."

~Samuel Beckett

"There is a bit of insanity in dancing that does everybody a great deal of good."

~Edwin Denby

You gotta admit, the boy has got some wicked moves. Any time he hears a beat, he is dancing.

I love this boy.

Mall Rats

Last year I was able to make it to northern Idaho to see my mom. I love to see my mom but since she frequently has to work, I was lucky to also see my mom's roommate: Jana.

Jana was once, coincidently enough, my roommate. Jana is one of the best friends a girl could ask for. We met our freshman year of college and she has since become just like a sister/daughter in my family. She's attended weddings and baby blessings. Basically, she rocks.

So, while I was able to see her in Idaho, we had a few "Girls Day Out"s. We went with my mom to dinner and a movie and were able to spend the greater part of a day getting pedicures and shopping at the mall. Our adventures at the mall still make me giggle. It's probably all very much "you had to be there", and yet, I share.

First, we had set up appointments with a reputable nail salon for manicures and pedicures but were running late (as Jana and Brooks do...) that morning and in our haste to make it to our appointment, we rushed to the first nail salon within sight and walking distance. We noticed that the name was not the same as the one we had called, but in our defense, there was a temporary plastic banner over a real store sign and so we figured, in our laziness, that they must be in the middle of a remodel. It sure did look like it... The shady nature of the interior should have told us something, or perhaps the confused nod from the pedicurist when we asked if this was, "Q-Nails". I guess my pessimism was on a rare vacation that day... I should have figured that something called "Hi-Tek" would definitely be up to no good. I have subsequently developed a fungus under my left thumbnail. I'm sure it's unrelated...

Later that afternoon, we had lunch, shopped, and were able to find matching toe rings (yea, you wish you were cool like us...). The toe rings, both of us would later admit, were less than adequate. We vowed before ever putting them on, that we would wear them forever while we were apart. Mine lasted until I got on the plane to come home. I don't know if hers lasted that long. Now, this is not because I lack love for my Jana... it is simply because they were the most uncomfortable toe rings ever devised. I am pretty sure that had I not taken it off when I did, it would have grown into my toe and given me tetanus. I am quite attached to my toes, and wanted to keep them. All of them. It was a simple matter of survival. Nothing personal.

While shopping, we saw one of those photo booths that costs a fortune and draws your picture before your very eyes. What a great idea to preserve this wonderful memory! It took several pictures before we found one that flattered us both and then "Rembrandt" began to draw. It was beautiful and began to take shape, much to our excitement. Our excitement soon turned to confusion, however, when Rembrandt held our completed drawing up on the screen, sans noses. Hmm... I'd like to say that I didn't laugh until I nearly peed. For your peace of mind, I didn't. But it was close. A real touch-n-go.

Us in all of our "Lord Voldemort" glory:

The rest of the afternoon included:

- A good hour in the Sprint store in which "Sexy Salesclerk Dude" did everything he could, short of proposing to Jana, to get her to buy a phone.

- One or two Italian Cream Sodas each... I simply can't recall.

- A business card from the glass-blower man.

- A really awkward silence between us and the lady from Q-Nails as we confessed the truth about our missed appointment.

- One more photo booth; After what Rembrandt did, we had to renew our faith in over-priced superfluous Mall economy:

It was a fabulous day and one I am still giggling about as I sit here typing. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.

*I told you I'd get around to posting about it... I hope it was worth the wait. Notice that is 1 year to the day?! Yeah, I'm just that thoughtful...

Coping with loss.

It's always sad when you see one that you love so much nearing the end. We have been experiencing such a thing, and will probably be for quite some time as Ethan has trouble letting go. And I must say that I feel his pain.

When I was a young child, before the mere age of four, I had one such beloved friend: Blue Blankie. Blue was, as her name would suggest, blue. But not just any blue. Blue was a soft blue material with a darker blue flower print and had a blue satin binding. Blue was the most perfect of all companions. Blue was warm when I was cold, cold when I was warm. Blue dried my tears and comforted my fears. As you may be able to tell, Blue is no more.

As I mentioned before, Blue met her demise when I was four. I caught the stomach flu (probably from one of my jealous siblings, out to sabotage our relationship, no doubt) and naturally, regurgitated on her at some point in the night. My mother tells me that Blue was already in tatters. This is where we disagree. I do not remember any such distress. In my mind, Blue was perfect. My mother even argues that had she tried to put her into the washer one more time, Blue would have come out in threads. So, in order to save the dignity of Blue, she simply placed her into the garbage can the night before trash pick-up day.

I recall clearly, sitting next to the garbage can in the garage, crying for what seemed like hours. I couldn't believe that I would no longer have Blue and was so mad at my mother's refusal to attempt Blue's resuscitation. Frequently, I tell this story at family gatherings to a rapt audience as my mother rolls her eyes.

What's that they say about what goes around...?

Ethan has had his blanket (aptly named "Blanket") since before he was born. Grandma Gailey pieced it together herself. He took it everywhere from the time he was one year old.

The binding began to wear. The piece with the chicken went first. Piece by piece, Blanket began to die.

Blanket in his glory days:

And now:

My dilemma is this: Do I take his blanket from him now, before it becomes as tattered and unstable as Blue and store it away in a box so that he can look at it when he is old or do I let him have as much time with him as the fabric will allow before I am forced to accept such an undignified exit as my Blue?

I decided to let Ethan choose, which he refuses to do. Denial. Instead, he told me his blanket was fine as he put his head through the hole in the middle.

For the time being, it is in his possession, but the clock is ticking and time is short.

What would you do?

The Bachelorette Party

So, I know that you are all missing me horribly. I apologize for my extended hiatus from the blogosphere. I promise that I have posts planned, but I am too busy indoors, trying to stay cool, and keep my children alive and myself sane. I hope to return soon.

In the meantime, I have been up to a few things; this in particular. And since I was too busy/lazy to take pictures and blog about it myself, I'm going to let my good friend, Maggie, take it from here. Enjoy. The only thing that is missing is the invitation. It was darling, though.

I know you miss me. I promise to rectify that as soon as possible.