For my mother

my life is not interesting. i get up at 5:50 a.m. i literally stumble to the bathroom - i have hit the wall a few times now. i leave for work. i see the same man at the park throwing his ball for his golden retriever and then wish i could take my dogs outside without them running away, barking their noggins off. i drive the same stretch of freeway and have now followed the same car to the same parking lot three days in a row. i have also avoided being stopped by the same bus three days in a row.

eight hours pass.

i drive home, realizing i am driving home when i am about fifteen minutes into my drive. my drive is sixteen minutes long. i think about being productive and reading or running or cleaning or being non-catatonic. and then i stop thinking. and i take a nap.

two hours pass.

i wake up and hear my mother saying: you should update your blog. your sisters have.

so i do.

* the golden retriever i do not have and that i do not throw sticks or other pet paraphernalia for*

Points of View

My niece, Natalie, and her cousin, Jaden, were baptized last Saturday. It was a great occasion, punctuated by antics of children gone wild in their Sunday clothes on a Saturday afternoon.

Here are some thoughts I am sure floated through some of the minds of those who came:

Natalie: "OHMYGOSHTHEWATERISFREEZING. They promised it'd be warmlikeabath."

Elizabeth: "Wow. My daughter is getting baptized. She is so beaut - Cameron will NOT get a cookie if he keeps doing that."

Mom: "Was that LLOYD'S cell phone!?!"

Dad: "Oops. Was that mine?"

Rachel: "I want to hold Ave- whoa. Cameron almost made it over the wall."

Joanna: "I hate waving my arm. People know I know they know I know I have no idea what I'm doing."

Cameron: "Where is my cookie!?"

Mom: "I just want to talk and get it over with."

Andrew: "Natalie getting baptized. Makes me feel ol - what is Cameron doing!? Don't laugh, don't laugh, don't laugh."

Seth: "Cameron is a riot! I wonder where we'll go for dinner afterward. NOT Olive Garden. They just slop it dow - was that Dad's cell phone?"

Ella: "What is Aunt Joanna doing? This is not how it is done in Primary. I want my cookie."

Eric: "I'm so proud of Natalie. I'll just sit right here beside her. I'm sure Elizabeth can enjoy the other childr- was that Cameron running down the hall?"

Mom: "Why are there so many people here!? I just want to talk and get it over with."

Natalie: "Um. Was I supposed to hug Grandpa?"

Maddox: "If I breath on the glass, it fogs up."

Evan: "Maybe on the drive home, Dad will take us to one of the FOUR Dairy Queen's between here and home."

Cameron: "Just grab the top and then - where is my cookie?!"

Rachel: "I'll just keep giving away my orange mints to Maddox."

Elizabeth: "Why is he taking Ave - I sure hope she's clean."

Mom: "I hate talking in public. Just focus on Natalie and Jaden. Don't look at the girls or Seth."

Joanna: "Oh no. The closing song. THREE verses."

Pianist: "Wow. She was right. She really does not know what she's doing."

Kellan: "I can get right in front. Why is Cameron trying to get in? He has to be eight."

Eric: "Phew. Confirmation done."

Cameron, Ella, Maddox, Kellan: "Where is MY cookie!?"

Congratulations Natalie.