fit is go

Much to the joy of... well... everyone in my life, we have finally bought a new car. With air conditioning. And power windows. And airbags. It is awesome and black and a Honda Fit. Joey tried to do this great finagling scheme that his brother does, and it would have worked wonderfully if we weren't buying a car that everyone and their mother wants right now. So we went through Costco instead and saved a small chunk o' change. Wahoo for family businesses that lovingly retain you on their Costco membership. We needed something that wrestling a child into and out of would not cause severe neck trauma (although we apparently have chiropractic coverage with Joey's new health plan -- wahoo!); and that would not break down anytime I drove it alone without a cell phone (the Jeep really has it in for me). We can only praise God for continuing to provide for us and place encouraging and supportive people in our lives. And so... drumroll please...

The Fit. It still needs a name.



Also, tonight was the first night in a while that we were able to sneak a couple of quiet hours just for ourselves (and I mean two) to have dinner and work on projects before the busy evening takes off. We've been eating all of our meals outside on the back patio because it's just so lovely, and grilling most of them because it is too stinking hot in the house. Our post dinner activities: Joey catching up with his Pops and me catching up on my Garrison Keillor while working on a new Sunday School promo for the church (a very awesome, inter-generational, story/Jesus-based sharing time).



Welp, I have to run down to camp to lead a small family group, then it's back up here for a Day Camp Boys hair-dying party. Fun fun fun. Someday I may be able to do my own laundry, but I might be getting a little to eager. Hah!

Mostly Good, Some Required

For you: a pictorial history of the last few weeks.

Nephew Number Two (soon to be Kaden the First) is on the way. I flew down to the desert and saw The Other Family who I adore.





The peas are growing better than anything else. I eat them every day as I walk past. We shelled some a few nights ago and mixed it in with organic white chedder macaroni and it was delicious. Would have been better with panchetta though. Next time.



Camp is back, along with some wonderful, wonderful girls. Nova and the Gidge are mine this summer and it makes me happy in my bones.



The littlest brother has graduated. He is smart and funny and responsible and has taken care of so much more than he even is aware of right now. It will be years until he realizes how remarkable he truly is. I love him quite a lot and am so very proud of him.



This is the Man Wing of the Hansen clan in all its honesty. We celebrated the smallest one.



Sophocles the Snail has passed away. He was a shy snail. Quiet, but friendly and sweet. I am sad to see him go.



I've been teaching loads of Red Cross First Aid/CPR classes to the camping folks. The mannequins are creepy, but you realize that plastic lungs and foam faces are maybe not so bad. And it's fun to show cheesy videos full of random acronyms and carefully placed joviality.



These are the books I'm reading. Mostly good, some required. There is a theme to many of them... which brings forth our fun news. We've begun the process of adopting from Ethiopia. It's a year to two year long process, and we're about 1 1/2 months into it. Very exciting, very time-consuming, very challenging, and very much a God thing.



We are happy. We are tired. It's all good.

of mums and days that start with s

My mum is one of the most remarkable people I know. I flew up to Oregon a few weekends ago to surprise her and to get some much needed face time. There are few people in my world that I can have conversations free of qualifiers with, and she is one of them. She is honest and real and raw and so very beautiful. I have always know that we belong to one another, in that very unique young mother and daughter way; and it is her that I will always call first with my wonderful terrible world-changing news. Obviously I adore her.

Part of why I haven't been posting lately is because I cannot seem to find the charger for my camera. Which means no pictures. Which is quite crippling for a visualist such as myself. Bah is what I say to this.

Important things which have been going on:

Girls Weekend '06: Favorite people, good wine, wonderful food, rich conversation. God is faithful and brings much hope. We are messy and beautiful. I will continue to burn at the beach because I am a white-assed americana. These are all good things. I created are invitations for this year's weekend as you can see here:



Yuba: Went to see Chafer and Roxanne and our favorite un-niece and nephew. There is something so wonderful and peaceful about being with people who know you quite well and are just, well, EASY. Settlers of Cattan and dark beer with pretzels and chocolate chips are soothing on so many levels. Even when the childcare ladies at Ikea are a less than comforting.

Memorial Day: The backyard is now freaking AWESOME. Seriously. You should be sad that you weren't over for the meaty barbecue and strawberry shortcake celebration that took place after a day of hard labor. I wish my camera had a magic battery so that I could share. Don't worry, pictures will come. Along with the s-l-o-w-l-e-y growing grass.

Now I am going to sleep. Because I have way to much laundry to fold to finish my clean house project. Hope you had a lovely long weekend!

right now

1. I lopped off my hair. Like a bunny.



2. I've been on a lot of drugs. Not like a bunny.



3. All of my organs are the right size and are relatively in the right place. This is good news.

4. There is a ping-pong ball sized alien chewing on my ovary. We're hoping he just goes away since he's been beaten into submission by the aforementioned barrage of drugs. It isn't as scary as it sounds. Well, maybe it is for him.

5. But I still get to live here.

si se puede.

this is beautiful to me.

oi.

Tonight I made a lemon meringue pie for one of our best friends. I learned the following:

1. Trader Joe's Pre-Made Crusts pre-made for crappy-ness. The first one shrunk. SHRUNK!!! And the second one lost its lips. Yeep.

2. Boiling sugar goop is hot.

3. Sealing the baggie you are using to "frost" the pie with is kind of important.

4. So is setting the timer.

5. And remembering to pre-heat the oven.

6. When you are short, it is wise to use a stool to put away heavy jars of vanilla. Or to move the pie out from under the fall-pattern.

7. I should have added some lavender.

Sheesh. I hope it's still a little delicious.

one hundred

There are so many things I have to blog about right now, so many pictures to load, etc. So instead of doing that and telling you all about the wonderful awkwardness that is my actual life, I'm going to share one hundred random things about myself with you. Enjoy.

1. I haven't had my actual, natural hair color since I was 15.
2. I know what it used to be, but I'm not sure if it's even that color any more.
3. That color was a muddy, dishwater blonde.
4. Ten years ago.
5. I had my first perm in first grade.
6. Also in grades 3, 5, and 7.
7. It was never really a good look.
8. But I come from a long line of hair-dressing aunts.
9. We call them the amazon women.
10. I did not inherit any of the Danish height from that side of the family.
11. I am 5'3".
12. But at my last physical I measured 5' 2 1/2".
13. It was a dark day.
14. I tend to bake in the middle of the night.
15. Sleep has always been elusive.
16. So I read.
17. And re-read.
18. I do not brush my teeth before bed.
19. I hate taking showers.
20. Mostly because of everything you have to do afterwards.
21. And I'm really lazy.
22. I am mildly afraid of cows.
23. The lowing scares the crap out of me.
24. I am not opposed to other domestic animals.
25. I like the Simpsons.
26. Lisa is my favorite.
27. I have an unhealthy attachment to my laptop.
28. Raw almonds with raisins are my favorite snack.
29. Also with pretzels and chocolate chips.
30. There are usually 2 giant cups of water next to my bed.
31. They each have about an inch of water in them.
32. I sleep on my back.
33. With my face exactly half-covered by at least a sheet.
34. I am afraid of the dark.
35. Mostly.
36. My favorite color is orange.
37. My favorite number is 4.
38. I have a tattoo.
39. It isn't small.
40. I don't enjoy shopping.
41. Because I'm cheap.
42. Mostly.
43. I have 6 pairs of red shoes.
44. I have 5 pairs of shoes that I hold onto for sentimental reasons.
45. I haven't worn them in years.
46. They're they only thing I haven't been able to donate to the goodwill.
47. Other than the purple dress and blue sweater.
48. I resent commercials.
49. I love the smell of ocean fog.
50. I cannot tie a tie.
51. My favorite poet in 4th grade was Langston Hughes.
52. I am a pisces.
53. I am married to a pisces.
54. I have no idea what that's supposed to mean in our astrological universe.
55. Maybe our babies will smell fishy.
56. I am currently watching Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
57. It ranks somewhere in the mid-teens in my Lifetime Top Twenty Favorite Movies list.
58. I do not know how to barbecue.
59. My first car was a Dodge Shadow.
60. It was Superman themed.
61. I now have a Hyundai accent.
62. It is theme free.
63. I have spent significant time in 5-ish countries.
64. I hate checking my voicemail.
65. I forget that we have an answering machine.
66. Sort of.
67. I can shoot a gun.
68, And swing dance.
69. But not at the same time.
70. Well, maybe.
71. I've never actually tried.
72. I love children's literature.
73. My favorite book is "The Little Prince" by Antoine de Saint-Exupery.
74. It is full of beautiful, quiet truth.
75. Much like "The Alchemist."
76. I have 12 scars on the back of my right hand.
77. They are mostly miscellaneous burns and old chicken pox scars.
78. Ewwww.
79. I rarely paint my nails.
80. I love to do event make-up and hair as a gift for people.
81. If I wasn't such a chicken I'd paint more pieces as gifts for people.
82. If I wasn't such a chicken I'd spend a lot more time creating.
83. I need to stop being a chicken.
84. Speaking of chickens.
85. I only like to eat cage free eggs.
86. Because I figure they're less stressed out and therefor less toxic than the other chickens.
87. I'd like to have chickens.
88. But I'd rather have my neighbors be my friends still.
89. I have the greatest neighbors in the world.
90. They are family.
91. We borrow eggs from each other.
92. I am excited about our vegetable garden.
93. I am also very skeptical of it.
94. I don't want to get my hopes up.
95. See, I really love vegetables.
96. And I am really, really cheap.
97. And I try to be "green."
98. But I have a black thumb.
99. Carrots have always been my favorite vegetable.
100. I ate them with ketchup when I was little.

Way to go if you made it this far! Hope you're all have a fabulous day and that you have been duly distracted from your actual life. Love, love!