Family Time

I've been thinking about what to post since it has been a while. I've been in a funk of late because of distress at work, running, etc. Running life has been a challenge, but I think physically I'm starting to rebound a bit. However, I'm tired of my own negativity. There are so many unfortunate life happenings happening right now, I'm salvaging the fun elements to share with the virtual world read by no one.

We received a call from brother-in-law (the New Orleans evacuee) Saturday afternoon asking us if we'd like to get together Sunday afternoon to visit with sister-in-law and their two daughters who are six and three. A trip to see them would give an opportunity to check out where they're living (temporarily) and talk more about what their plans are for the future. Sister-in-law is seeking employment locally and has promising prospects. Hopefully brother-in-law heard back yesterday that he got a job (we're not sure yet). They plan to purchase a house somewhere convenient to both of their workplaces where there are good schools for the girls. The real treat for the visit was interacting with our nieces. B-, who is six, will certainly grow up to be an entertainer or something artistic. She insisted on performing a song, which she carefully introduced mimicking that she was holding a microphone while standing on the hearth of the fireplace. I was touched that B- gave me a colored in Seasame Street scene with Ernie and Bert which is now posted on our fridge. Even better, the scene featured Ernie and Bert on a roller coaster with Bert looking as though he was about to toss his cookies with his hand over his mouth. She said she didn't have time to make one for my husband. P-, who is three, is destined to be an engineer or a truck driver. She's amazingly independent for being so young. When the time came for the six of us to shuttle off to dinner, the girls wanted to ride with us. This brief excursion was a trip. There was non-stop chatter at high volume (including B-'s rendition of the "itchy bitchy" spider - I was trying to teach "itsy bitsy", but in the chortling frenzy from B- it always came out unintentionally something like "itchy bitchy") which reached a crescendo of us blurting out Spanish phrases being repeated back by the girls. When we erupted from the car there was a torrent of "holas" and other Spanish phrases flying around. I think husband would agree with me when I say that we like children on a part-time basis only.