Break In

Elisabeth went to dinner with a friend last evening. When she returned to her car, she noticed something on her seat. It was her car registration from the glove box. Something was amiss. Sitting on the dash was an empty hole. Her car stereo was missing. Items from the console were strewn about.

It was 7:30p.m. when she came out of the restaurant. It was daylight. The area of town she was parked is a busy, active place. People coming and going, standing around. Nobody saw anything unusual. This is the same car that was attacked 3 years ago. And the same driver.

This was tough for Elisabeth. It felt like another personal assault.

Thunk!

Am I the only one who shakes my head in confusion as to why closer attention isn't paid to grammar/spelling/proper English when marketing a product in the United States? I understand that much of what is shipped here, comes from countries where English is not their native language. How difficult would it be to have someone proofread an item?

Or what about a sign that is printed and posted at a business with misspellings? Does the printer not notice the error and ask the purchaser of said item? Having a sign printed costs money, do those buying the item not care if it is printed incorrectly. Did they notice?

I've decided to post photos under my Thunk Awards. Here is the first one:

P.S. Just because this grammar thing on signage is a pet peeve, I do not claim to check my blogposts for spelling/grammar/proper English errors. But if I was selling a product, I'd hire an editor.

Six

Six is such a nice number. A half dozen. Lots of things come in a pack of 6, like soda. And who doesn't think six-pack abs are nice? Six Flags Amusement parks are packed with fun. But the very best thing about the number six happens today. Today is Ethan's 6th birthday. We celebrated yesterday.

I do believe this was his best birthday ever. Ethan blew out his candles for the very first time. (Well, at least 3 of them.) I had no idea he'd acquired this skill.

(This video is only 16 seconds.)

I attempted to order a Transformers cake, but the bakery didn't make any without milk. I could bake my own cake and they agreed to decorate it. Great! Did they have icing without milk? ButterCream wouldn't work, but their non-dairy whipped icing would. Upon further inspection I realized the non-dairy icing contained milk. But the buttercream icing contained no butter. I decided to make it all myself.

Hilary came to the rescue and decorated the cake for me.

Ethan was one excited 6 year old. Transformers ruled the day.

Happy Birthday to my favorite 6 year old!

After Birthday Post

After reading His Girl's "shallow observations" on Christopher's birthday post, I decided to upload the video his sister's created for him. She might see things differently. (I have no idea why my kids do what they do. I don't make silly faces, but maybe I wear ridiculous hats.)

Happy Birthday Christopher!!!!

Happy 24th Christopher. This is the last birthday you will celebrate as Christopher. Next year it will be as Mr. & Mrs.

Over the next few days, I'm planning to share your birth story. I don't have much time today. I'm taking your sister to her college orientation, like you and I went, just 5 short years ago.

How did we get from here:

to here:

running to here:

biking to there:

zooming past 6th grade to here:

Ooops, I mean here as Uncle Chris:

and landing here:

and staying here:

I'm out of time, but I want you to know how proud I am of you son. You have one terrific future wife and she has an amazing soon-to-be husband. May this birthday find you radiating with the knowledge of how very much you are loved. I appreciate your thoughtfulness, your kindness, your work ethic, the way you encourage everyone around you, and your positive attitude. I could go on about your many good qualities, but I gotta run. Happy 24th Birthday Christopher. Love, Mom

Falling

Whenever I hear about an older person falling, it scares me. I worry about my inlaws falling. My dad wrenched his ankle recently going downstairs. A couple of years ago, my mom stepped off a curb, fell, and tore her rotator cuff. My grandmother fell taking out the trash. She never recovered and that fall cut short her life.

I watch a baby takes her first steps. She tumbles more than she stands, but bounces back to her feet. Sure she gets an occasional bump or bruise, but mostly it is no big deal. Adults do have farther to fall, but as we age, we no longer bounce. It is more like a thud.

I fell almost 2 weeks ago. I'm not quite sure how it happened, but I lost my balance and came crashing down. I continue to have a residual headache which causes me to feel out of it almost daily. Last week I blamed feeling like this on having workers in my home, but I think it was the headache that made it difficult to deal with their banging. I've been especially forgetful.

I missed meeting with an online friend who was in town. I didn't remember the date.

I feel old.

Ethan's EEG Results

Ethan had his neuro appointment. Christina liked the new nurse practioner. No seizures were seen on his EEG, but it did show abnormal brain activity. This was interpreted as: the medication is keeping the seizures in check, otherwise he'd be having lots of seizures throughout the day. Good news? Bad news? I'm taking it as good news.


One of the reasons for the latest EEG, besides that he was due for one, is his OT wanted the information. She is excited about a new therapy she recently learned about at a conference. She feels Ethan is a perfect candidate. She has used this new technique with him twice, with amazing results. But in order to take it further, it was imperative to know whether or not he was having seizures. Hopefully, the latest results will not hinder him from receiving this promising therapy.


We had a rather quiet 4th of July. My inlaws were here for dinner, as were Christina & Ethan. Just 6 of us. Oh so quiet. Ok, quiet is not really the right descriptive word, as Ethan can be oh so busy. Independance Day is a day for celebrating. We have much to be thankful for in this country. Fireworks, Family, Fun, Food. Sounds Fabulous to me.

Here are a few photos taken after Sarabeth arrived home from work.









Ethan loved the sparklers. This was the first year he really got into fireworks. He clapped, cheered, & kept signing please for some more. If I'd had any idea, I'd have bought more. Next year I will. And maybe, more than 2 of my kids will show up.