WABISABI

Some words just work better in another language.

We're home from our trip.
School started today.
And I am wabisabi.

What Is Wabi-Sabi?

"Pared down to its barest essence, wabi-sabi is the Japanese art of finding beauty in imperfection and profundity in nature, of accepting the natural cycle ..."

Have a good year, boys...

IN COLORADO: DAY 7 1/2

Why we come to Colorado:

Beauty.



My sweet niece is the one and only girl cousin in Colorado.
With 6 boys around even before my 3 show up, there might be times she feels a little left out.

This time we left the boys out! It was no-boys-allowed as we gave each other make-overs.

I'm not sure that the M.A.C. lady made me any prettier.
(She charged me a lot more money, though!)

Beautiful.

IN COLORADO: DAY 7

Why we come to Colorado:

Bike rides.

Everyday, some form of "we" took a bike ride. Sometimes it was Grandma, Keri, Evan, Lane, and Josh.



Sometimes it was Lane and Josh.

Sometimes it was Mom and Josh.

Sometimes it was Mom and Keri.

Sometimes it was Grandma, Keri, and Josh.

And once it was Grandma, Keri, Evan, and Josh.

Grandpa kept the bikes fixed. And we kept the bikes rode. Ridden. Whatever.
Thanks, Grandpa.

Sometimes we went to the Mall. Sometimes we went to a park. Sometimes we went Downtown.

Sometimes we just went.

We shopped. We ate. We pretended to exercise off what we ate.

The ducks ate, and didn't gain a single pound.

We venimus, vidimus, vicimus-ed.

And always looked forward to more.

A super shout-out goes to the city of Ft. Collins for their awesome --and I do mean awesome -- system of bike trails throughout the area.

IN COLORADO: DAY 6

Why we come to Colorado:

To go to Water World.
At least that was the plan...

This was the reality:

Oops.

That "oops" wasn't nearly so funny as this one:

Somehow Joshua managed to get himself knotted up in the seat-belt. Hee hee!

Just how naughty is it to sit there and laugh 'til you're crying when your son is stuck in a truck with no luck of ... un-stuck-ing himself?
Not that I'd ever do that.

But Michael might.

Buh-Bye, Denver. See you next year.
(But before August 19th, I guess.)

IN COLORADO: DAY 5

Why we come to Colorado:

I'm not sure that any place smells as good as Ft. Collins, and I'm pretty sure that's because of all the yummy food here.

My parents' house smells of chopped onions and celery cooking on the stove top. It smells of bacon and pancakes, eggs cooked to order, and ripe, red watermelon always cut and ready for the eating. It smells of homemade cookies in the cookie jar, homemade bread in the bread bin, and homemade jam to spread all over it. It smells of hamburgers on the grill and hot dogs blackened to perfection. It smells of fresh produce from the garden and Dad's never-ending supply of trail mix in the pantry. It smells like heaven.

(My parents' house also smells of Sunday cologne and Jergen's lotion. Two more smells of heaven, sometimes so yummy, I think they just might be edible.)

Stepping outside, Ft. Collins smells of fresh cut grass, open fields by the bike path, rampant cascades of blossoming flowers, and just enough sun and shade to make eating outside a celestial activity. Frequent participation: mandatory.

(Note the strawberries stuck above his lip...hilarious!)

La Luz, Young's, The New Saigon, Chick-a-Flick, Kilwin's, Walrus Ice Cream, DQ, Cinzetti's, and more...the restaurants around here are to die for. And then you really will be in heaven.

Yum!

IN COLORADO: DAY 4

Why we come to Colorado:



If your dad had all the tools
and all the know how
and all the magic patience needed
to teach your teen-age son how to use those tools



to make 10,
no 8,
how about 4,
okay, 6



sets of pipe chimes for a local elementary school
in order to finally complete Lane's Eagle Scout Project,



wouldn't you make the 8 hour drive
to make that happen?

Me, too.

Thanks, Dad.

Super Gracias-es to Helpers
Kim, Caleb, Trent, Alec, Mark,
Evan, Joshua, Spencer, and me!
And a very special thanks to Jeremy's drill press,
without which
we would be forever working on these dumb things.

IN COLORADO: DAY 3

Why we come to Colorado:

Quiddler, game 1: lost
Quiddler, game 2: lost
Quiddler, game 3: lost
Fluxx, practice game: won
Fluxx, game 1: lost
Fluxx, game 2: lost
Fluxx, game 3: lost
Fluxx, game 4: lost
SpeedUno, game 1: lost
SpeedUno, game 2: lost
SpeedUno, game 3: lost
Settlers of Catan, game 1: lost
Rummikub, game 1: lost
Rummikub, game 2: lost
Hand and Foot, game 1: lost
Cucumber, game 1: WON!!!

Like the Phoenix from her ashes,
the inner-gamer in me rises once again...
I live to play--and lose--and cry;
tomorrow is another game!

IN COLORADO: DAY 2

Why we come to Colorado:

for the annual awesomest talent show around,
of course!

There were numerous entries this year, each of them a
grand prize winner.

We thrilled over daddy-daughter duets done by proud papas and their beaming beauties,

tickled ourselves pink with the tickled ivories of grandsons extraordinaire,

learned a few fabulous moves from the studly son who performed some sort of special somersault+Billy Blanks style push up,

the studly son who moon walked with his dad (complete with one glove each, you might note),

and the studly son who had all the moves with all the ladies.

Yet another somebody's son took the landslide win for cutest baby of the night.
Maybe even the week (my niece "Claire" would be stiff competition any later than that...).

The disco babes rocked out loud and proud,

and the braniac wooed and wowed.

Joel and Jalyn took the cake (but brought the brownies),

and Dan

was Dan. (It's a good thing!)

We laughed.
We cheered.
We loved
each thing we heared.

And I, by the way, continue to reign as
"Girl Who Looks Most Like Her Mother."

Yep, I win.

Forget America, NBC: It's Colorado that's got talent!

IN COLORADO: DAY 1

Why we come to Colorado:

Six little cousins sitting on the floor.
It's so much fun, we can't wait for more!
(Cousins, that is, and friends galore.)
A whole week of fun is what's in store.

Hooray for Ft. Fun!
(P.S. we miss you, Hon.)