Girls Gone WILD!

After much delay, procrastination, stalling, and more delay I bring you a brand new post. The following promises to thrill! Get ready for crazy wild animal action! With nudity!

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Early last week my mom flew in to Wisconsin to spend some time with my sister, her kids, and my rag-tag family. I was so excited to have them! I love my mom, adore my sister, but what I was really jazzed up about was the chance to see Leila, my 2 year old niece.

Also, I haven't seen my newest niece, Allison, since she was a few hours old. She certainly has plumped up since then!


Lookit those cheeks!

One of the first items of business was to go to the zoo. Leila's heard about tigers, monkeys, snakes and things, but do they really exist if you haven't seen them with your own little eyes?





(Lion! A little modesty, please!)





Here comes the Tiger!



(Isn't that crazy that I caught him licking his chops!?)

We had a wonderful time. It was only 137 degrees outside with 95% humidity, so there were some tense moments. How is it that your mother can be one of the most beloved people in your life and also one of the most annoying? I wonder if mothers say the same thing about their children.

Leila was a perfect little lady at the zoo. Never fussy. She liked the way the flamingos stood on one leg, and the giraffe. Our only wish was for an elephant. Doesn't everyone wish for an elephant...in dreams?



Everyone was so hot and tired when we got home. I suggested we let Leila run around in the buff for a little bit so she could cool off before nap. My sister thought otherwise, but I pushed for it, being a bit of a nudey-pants myself.

Leila pooped on the floor. She wasn't out of her diaper 5 minutes and she let it fly! In the future I will always trust my sister's instincts when it comes to all things baby.

Good thing I have tile floors.

Up next: The Children's Museum and Ella's Deli

Thanks a lot, Michael Jackson!

I was going to post some really great pics of my niece during her visit to Madison. I was going to, that is until Michael Jackson had to ruin it for me by dying! Dammit!

And, dammit if I can't get The Girl is Mine out of my head! Michael Jackson is haunting us all with his catchy hooks!

I will report back after I have exercised the pop demons. Also, if either of the Bowen sisters are reading this, (highly doubtful) I am so sorry for your loss. Shannon and Kathy Bowen were THE two biggest MJ fans in Stevens Point, hands down. I'm thinking of you girls, and I raise a sparkling gloved fist in honor and solidarity.

"If you wanna make the world a better place, take a look at your self and then make that change." -Michael Jackson

So true.

Summer Reading Update

I recently picked up Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates because some literary magazine claimed it was the greatest American novel that no one knew about. (Until, of course, the film came out.) As I began to read I fell instantly in love with how richly each character was developed. It seemed Yates was able to intimately capture the isolation and emotional quicksand that the male character, Frank Wheeler, lived and wallowed in each dreary day. The character of Frank's wife, April, was also portrayed with narrow precision, but without the fiery intimacy. Perhaps this was a reflection of the character's emotional distance. April Wheeler is, I think, meant to be held in the reader's mouth, like a pearl rolling around, smooth and cool.

The third most character in the novel was their environments. Both the office Frank camps in each work day, and the house that April keeps -the very neighborhood- are written to feel like villainous monsters that slowly consume the Wheelers.

I won't get into lengthy plot descriptions, only to say that things kept moving at a nice pace throughout the novel and there was room for the unexpected. In the end, I was left with a sense that there could have been so much more if there were a little less. Every aspect of person, point, and plot was spelled out in elaborate, beautifully crafted detail. There weren't any conclusions to draw or spaces to fill as a reader. There was nothing left to the imagination. I suppose being spoon-fed throughout was Yates' way of reflecting the era of conformity that was the 1950's. If so, well done.

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I should develop a rating system for these literary adventures I go on. But what will be the ruler? There are so many treasures out there.
I could say, "I give this book 2 Caufields, 3 Anne Shirleys and a Dolores."
Or, maybe I could rate it like bowls of Total. "It would take 4 Arthur Golden's to stack up to the literary prowess of this author".
1 to 10?
A to F?
I'll get back to you on that one.

The wedding

We missed out on the wedding ceremony. But the reception was beautiful and very, very fun.

Here's the pics.

window, originally uploaded by Darwin's Daughter.

The reception was at Bellini's in Madison. It's an old church they made into a wonderful restaurant.

Here's one of me and the lovely bride. I started the evening shooting black and white, but it was a pain, so I went to auto mode. (Where for art thou, Nikon D40?)



The first couples dance. Doesn't he look proud?

The father daughter dance was Bob Seger, Like a Rock. There's a beautiful story behind why she chose the song, which I won't share because it's not mine. Did I mention I'm a crier? And I have a couple of "daddy" issues. I almost lost it completely. I had to excuse myself for a little while.




Then the party got jumpin'!




You make me wanna SHOUT! Kick my heals up and SHOUT!




After that it gets fuzzy. Did I really see a guy in a kilt?




I guess so!