Liz: Good night! Karin: Good night! Liz: Sleep tight! Karin: Sleep tight! Liz: See you in the morning! Karin: See you in the morning! Liz: Olive oil! Karin: I lo—*pause* Liz: No? Oil of Olay? Karin: *rolls eyes* Liz: Hmmm…what was it again? Eulalia! Karin: *patiently* No, mama Liz: Oilily? Karin: *suspiciously* Are you doing this just so you’ll have something to write about on your journal? Liz: *giggles madly*
Karin competed in her first karate competition today. She was in the 8-year-old girl’s group, competing in kata, which is a short, choreographed series of karate moves. She was pretty nervous about it, but thought it was a lot of fun, and she came in 3rd place! Not too shabby! 🙂 She got a huge 3rd place trophy along with her participant medal and a new t-shirt. Read Karin’s summary of her accomplishment.
Does jetlag get worse as you get older? Or is it just my crazy life that has eaten away the foundation of my stability and left me unable to balance evenly? Nearly a week since my return and I’m still waking up at 4 a.m. every morning…of course that could be the fault of the BRIGHT SUNLIGHT streaming in at an ungodly hour and the fact that still, after nearly 6 years in this house, the windows in our bedroom remain shade- and blind-less. Wednesday was choir (first practice in 4 weeks—croak!) and yesterday my husband celebrated a birthday. It’s...
My brother and I are talking on the phone last week. It’s evening but I am working, as I have been doing every evening when I don’t have plans or previous commitments, for what seems like, and is, in fact, months. I’m grumpy with it and also with PMS and the fact that in the war against the inanimate, I am losing daily skirmishes—the windshield wipers on the car have, for instance, achieved strategic victories not once, but twice in the past several days. I can’t remember now what day it was that we talked, as every day has blurred...
The best part of taking down the Christmas tree: Photo by Anders Ek
We bought loft beds for the kids this summer, after checking and re-checking and triple-checking that loft beds were what they really wanted. YES, they declared most emphatically, YES WE WANT THEM. And we thought they would be great, as they would provide so much more space in the bedrooms by lifting the beds up off the floor. Martin loves his. It’s a little fort, a magic treehouse, a hidey-hole and cozy nest where he can lie and read for hours until I come in and yell at him to put the book down, for godsake it’s after 11 and...
Fighting off a cold makes me want to burrow under as many blankets as I can pile on the bed. The summer-weight king-size thin blanket that really needs to be put away now that it’s so cold in the bedroom The 80’s comforter in teal, burgundy and cream that I can’t bring myself to part with, though it’s starting to look a little ragged. It was the comforter that I bought myself when I moved into my own place in Chicago. The heavy winter duvet that I still haven’t put the duvet cover on because it’s such a pain in...
Karin *attempting evil laugh* MOOHAHAHA! Liz *giggles madly* It’s MUAHAHAHA! You’re not a mad cow! Karin *glares* I’m nearly done painting the porch furniture. Yesterday, Anders laid plastic down to cover the porch floor…did I mention that we now have a porch?? Before we had a deck that went under the back of the roof on one side. Anders has enclosed it with sliding glass doors and 2 screen ones. He’s not quite finished with the paneling on the inside but it’s nearly done and I can stand inside and mock the flies: HA!, I say, Nah nah nah nah...
Someone got skulls and things made out of rubber and motorcycle stuff for her birthday. Guess who? Speedy Quick Super Fast Birthday Wishes to karinek!
What in the hell is the matter with me and damn writer’s block? It’s not like I have anything earthshattering to say. Welcome to the journal of the notorious Fitzandstarts! I’ve been editing last year’s journal entries (the 3 previous years are long-done and getting impatient) and geez louise, I posted something nearly every day! What energy! Where did my energy go? *looks suspiciously under the desk* A colleague at work the other day told me she didn’t understand a friend of hers who didn’t like to go anywhere or do anything on vacation, and then was shocked when I...