It was the wildest party I've been to for years. After nearly 10 hours of partying, my house was strewn with empty bottles, there were bodies passed out everywhere and splattered blood on the walls. And the basement ... WOW! Who knows what happened there -- what happens in the basement, stays in the basement. All I know is that you truly could not walk across the floor for the rubble.
Really it was just a baby shower for Zendina and her anxiously anticipated new baby boy. (All potential names are top secret.) But with NINETEEN small children stuck inside on a winter day, the scene was a little more like a kindergarten frat party. The empty bottles were really just seven little sippy cups (I am sure Olive took a drink from all seven) and the passed out bodies were only 2 to 12 months old. As for the splatted blood on the walls, that part is real. So is the permanent marker incident and the spilled ink cartage on the new carpet.
Thanks, Ari for introducing my kid to Twisted Sister.
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Friday, January 11, 2008
Four Zinas ... even though I know more.
I have counted and I am proud to say that I know SEVEN Zinas. I know more Zinas than Kims or Emilys. Possibly, I know more Zinas than Marcia/Marshas. (That will be a post for another day.) Even better than knowing many Zinas is seeing four out of seven in less than 24 hours.It all started with running into Zina Lee at a wedding reception. Look how much these two look alike! Maybe Zina and Zina can get together more often. The next day was Grandma Zina's 96th birthday where I got a shot of Zina Rae, Zina Sabine, and Zina Alice. Sadly missing from our celebration were the three others -- Zina, Zina and Zina.
(counting)
I have to say the high light of the afternoon was when Zina showed Grandma Zina how many three is with her fingers. Grandma Zina responded by showing little Zina how many NINETY-SIX is on her fingers. (She can also say the alphabet back-wards.)
Happy Birthday, Grandma Zina!Editor's note: This post employed the term Zina twenty times. Make that twenty-one.
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Meet the Abbotts
Meet the Abbotts. (Actually when Ben and Rachel got married last week I suggested they pick her last name, Gianni, as the new family nomenclature.) After dating on and off over the course of four or five years they finally settled down. Ben is a high school friend of Katie's and is nearly 6 years Rachel's junior. It is nice to see true love prevail despite the odds. Soon they will head for Alaska where Rachel is doing a PhD and Ben will be the kept man of a sugar mama in the frozen north. Just kidding.One of the BEST parts of going to the weddings of friends of Kate and Liz is seeing all the old faces that would hang out in my living room until the wee hours of the morning. Look, Gabe and Nora in the same picture. I am a little embarrassed by how much I enjoy hanging out with the Orem High crowd. Really, I should just get my own friends.
Kate and Liz wowed the crowd with their take on Old Time and the small children were darling and photogenic.
There was just one little hick-up that is still causing us trouble at home. Xan turned down Zina's request for a spin on the dance floor and took off with this little blond number instead. (When Zina saw these pictures she stood right up, walked over to Xan, slapped him and said that she wasn't going to marry him any more. Love is a tricky thing, darlin'.)
Thanks for a lovely party and here's to a brood of your own. Best to snuggle for warmth in Alaska!
Sunday, January 6, 2008
mitt, mormons, and the GOP
Today I take my text from the Book of Kimberly. This is not the first time I have poached a post from her, but I think she says it best. If you are out there, Kimberly, thank you and God bless you, woman.
i know some people prefer i stick to photos and silly stories, but i can't resist today.
i am really upset by the way the GOP is treating mitt and his mormonism. i think it is appalling that in 2008 good, proven leaders can't run for president. in my estimation mitt is the best thing the republicans have right now. he is a proven administrator. he is an effective negotiator. he is able to find the middle ground and build consensus. he is sane (unlike guiliani and mccain). and for the republican base, he believes in your morals. yet for some reason the GOP has decided to throw him under the bus.
it is clear that what was once the conservative coalition is becoming a disorganized frenzy of radical nut jobs. and i was upset when i felt like mitt set aside what he felt was right to what he thought would get him elected. he sudden changes in stance on abortion, gay marriage, etc. really bothered me. and he lost this wondering democratic mormons vote when he became like all the other politicians, just a pandering buffoon. but the truth is he isn't a buffoon and it is freaky that huckabee beat him in iowa.
mormons have been loyal to the republican party for over 60 years. 80% of american mormons vote. we vote as frequently as jews. we are a loyal base. so why is the GOP so confident the mormons will stay? and why don't mormons wake up and smell the postum and realize that they have been second class citizens in that party for years. and why in the world don't the dems start courting the mormon vote? i think in a time like this it is feasible that the mormons will be able to see that the GOP is never going to actually support their cause.
most don't know that mormons were once as loyal to the dems as they are now to the GOP. the the early 20th century momons voted in block for dems. in fact woodrow wilson's assistant sec of treasury was a high ranking mormon.
from what i understand mormons became republican when "cultural revolution" started. mormons wanted traditional values etc. we were second class citizens then to the GOP and i don't understand why mormons don't see that the republican party has not done them much good. in fact, republican operatives have been digging up dirt and mingling fact with fiction about much of what we believe and how we behave.
to me, loyalty should be given to people, systems, parties, organizations, who will stand for and protect your values. even in the articles of faith "we claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may." i don't think the GOP stands by this article.
mitt, i am sorry you sold out to a group who was never going to help you in the first place. i think had you stood by your beliefs you might have been able to actually be the president. you were to calculated. it made you look fake. nervous bigoted republicans slammed you on your faith. i wish you would have stood up then for what was right and told them what you believed and then told them to back off. that you were running for president and that in today's america we should be better than this. i know it is scary to speak truth to power, but you have to when you are the president. i think this is the mistake that lost you the race. or maybe it was because you decided to be a republican. in the democratic race, you might have actually come out ahead. especially if you had spoken your truth.
GOP you are a bunch of dirty rascals. and i am so glad that all of your dirty laundry is being aired. not just the larry craig kind of laundry, but this...your divisive, bigoted, dividing strategy. i hope last night was the beginning of significant change!
And, my comment to Kimberly:
Dear Kimberly,
Are you really that surprised by Iowa? Honestly, any battle in the mid-west between Mormons and born-agains is bound to start with lies and end with someone falling backwards out a window with a bullet in the heart.
i know some people prefer i stick to photos and silly stories, but i can't resist today.
i am really upset by the way the GOP is treating mitt and his mormonism. i think it is appalling that in 2008 good, proven leaders can't run for president. in my estimation mitt is the best thing the republicans have right now. he is a proven administrator. he is an effective negotiator. he is able to find the middle ground and build consensus. he is sane (unlike guiliani and mccain). and for the republican base, he believes in your morals. yet for some reason the GOP has decided to throw him under the bus.
it is clear that what was once the conservative coalition is becoming a disorganized frenzy of radical nut jobs. and i was upset when i felt like mitt set aside what he felt was right to what he thought would get him elected. he sudden changes in stance on abortion, gay marriage, etc. really bothered me. and he lost this wondering democratic mormons vote when he became like all the other politicians, just a pandering buffoon. but the truth is he isn't a buffoon and it is freaky that huckabee beat him in iowa.
mormons have been loyal to the republican party for over 60 years. 80% of american mormons vote. we vote as frequently as jews. we are a loyal base. so why is the GOP so confident the mormons will stay? and why don't mormons wake up and smell the postum and realize that they have been second class citizens in that party for years. and why in the world don't the dems start courting the mormon vote? i think in a time like this it is feasible that the mormons will be able to see that the GOP is never going to actually support their cause.
most don't know that mormons were once as loyal to the dems as they are now to the GOP. the the early 20th century momons voted in block for dems. in fact woodrow wilson's assistant sec of treasury was a high ranking mormon.
from what i understand mormons became republican when "cultural revolution" started. mormons wanted traditional values etc. we were second class citizens then to the GOP and i don't understand why mormons don't see that the republican party has not done them much good. in fact, republican operatives have been digging up dirt and mingling fact with fiction about much of what we believe and how we behave.
to me, loyalty should be given to people, systems, parties, organizations, who will stand for and protect your values. even in the articles of faith "we claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may." i don't think the GOP stands by this article.
mitt, i am sorry you sold out to a group who was never going to help you in the first place. i think had you stood by your beliefs you might have been able to actually be the president. you were to calculated. it made you look fake. nervous bigoted republicans slammed you on your faith. i wish you would have stood up then for what was right and told them what you believed and then told them to back off. that you were running for president and that in today's america we should be better than this. i know it is scary to speak truth to power, but you have to when you are the president. i think this is the mistake that lost you the race. or maybe it was because you decided to be a republican. in the democratic race, you might have actually come out ahead. especially if you had spoken your truth.
GOP you are a bunch of dirty rascals. and i am so glad that all of your dirty laundry is being aired. not just the larry craig kind of laundry, but this...your divisive, bigoted, dividing strategy. i hope last night was the beginning of significant change!
And, my comment to Kimberly:
Dear Kimberly,
Are you really that surprised by Iowa? Honestly, any battle in the mid-west between Mormons and born-agains is bound to start with lies and end with someone falling backwards out a window with a bullet in the heart.
Andria & Jeff ... & Whitney?
Last week I got a call from fabulous Whitney. She invited me to the wedding of Andria, who is half Indian, and Jeff, a Scottish surgeon who is one of 8 children. His whole family flew in from Scotland to wait outside the temple in 20 degree weather for 5 hours. But that is another story.(I is always a bit of a shock to the non-LDS family when the bride and groom emerge NOT from the large beautiful doors of the temple - where they were waiting and watching, but from behind them. These doors look more like they lead to the parking valets waiting room. Oh well.)
The family was full of colorful aunts,
the lovely Scottish wee barns,
and even one Paul McCartney impersonating brother.
The wedding party winded their way up the canyon to Log Haven for the dinner and reception. I heard more than one wedding guest say they thought the icicles were manufactured in a Chinese factory in July and flown to Utah especially for occasion. Hmmm.
Of course the best decoration of all was the mere presence of Whitney and her magic touch! Until we meet again, Whit ...
Thursday, January 3, 2008
My inner-space child
Meet the new characters in our favorite bed time stories, Eosinophil, Monocyte and the bad guy, Virus. Ever since visiting our good friend Nate in his medical lab, I have been telling micro-tales of cell vs. cell. How many melodramas can one mom create using the words neutrophil, nucleus, granules (Xan calls them grand-jewels), DNA, replication, cocci, cluster cells, lymphocyte, anti-bodies and irregular nucleus? I will tell you ... legion.
Xanny stuck his head to this microscope for hours and still asked for more. What five year old wouldn't love the story of the evil virus vs. the anti-bodies. Not only is his interest in growing up to be king of his own laboratory, ever since he saw the candida yeast eat the lactose sugar he has given up sweets and candies almost completely. He doesn't want to feed sugar to micro-bad guys in his blood.
My five year old can identify four different types of white blood cells based of the shape of a nucleus and the proliferation of granules. He likes to tell the story of when Marco, as a three year old, had the misfortune of suffering a "sublexation of the radial head." Last night he made me dissect the chicken heart to count it's chambers before tossing it into the boiling pot. All the while he sang "Eating chicken soup, chicken soup with rice." Yeah, I think he will be ready for kindergarten by September.
Of course the most motivating factor to become a microbiologist ... the gloves. It's all about the gloves. Thanks, Nate. Just so you know, Xan is constantly reminding me that we missed checking out the urine samples. We'll be back.
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
New Year's Solutions
This post is dedicated to two people, Isabella and Kirsten. Belle is my 9 year old niece who has coined the term "New Year's Solutions" instead of resolutions and Kirsten is the kind friend who brought me this box "Fix Butte" tea from Germany. I am sure it means something else in German but I still thought it was a positive way to greet the coming year. My solution to my resolution? Never mind that I followed my piping hot mug of tea with a frozen chunk of left-over cake. Maybe I should ask Kirsten for stronger German tea.
Happy New Year and here's to two-thousand-GREAT! The year of the bling and glass.
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