Kansas
I've been staying with the Risch's for the past couple of days, which has been very nice, though I wish I could have spent more time with Anne! I'll probably be back next week, though. I just never have enough time to do anything in Kansas because my parents live just that far enough away, and I would rather live with them than my grandparents (though my grandparents are super cool).
On Tuesday afternoon my three sisters, mother, and I went to visit Grandma Nellie. She just recently turned 95, and she has a sharper memory than most twenty years younger. She's old enough to be the mother of most people at her retirement home, where she has lived for almost ten years (and really loves it-- it's a nice place). I love being able to say that I can e-mail my 95 year old great-grandmother. It's so much fun.
After that I went maternity clothes shopping with my sister, who is four months along and due November 2nd. It was such a shock when Jayna walked into Grandma Nellie's room, because the last time I saw her she wasn't pregnant and now she has the most adorable baby bump. I almost cried! She looks so beautiful! We found her a cute pink dress and a pink bathing suit. I also bought an Old Navy flag tee to send to Emilie in France. She gets such a kick out of anything that seems really American (especially action movie trailers, which I can no longer watch without bursting into laughter), so I was going to send her an Independence Day package. What else should I include other than the t-shirt? Unfortunately I think fireworks are out of the question...
And at the Risch's, I've just been hanging out, making puppy chow, watching So You Think You Can Dance, and playing with the new kitty, Jack! I've never really had the opportunity to play with a kitty very much because everyone in my family are dog people. It's fun!
Being home has been wonderful. I love having my dog sleeping on my bed, my daddy grilling burgers in the backyard, hanging out with my sisters and playing Wii Fit with them (SO addicted to the hula hoop game!), and reacquainting myself with all of the things I took for granted before but didn't have while in France: toilet seats, fast WIFI, cheaper cell phone rates, and more than the same five shirts, three pairs of pants, and two pairs of shoes to wear! I'm really missing France, though... I have a feeling that will really hit around the time school starts. I want my bakeries and my little town and my friends and my SNCF train that takes me to Paris whenever I want! But being back in the United States of America is wonderful. There are things that I appreciate about this country now that I took for granted before going to France.
Dad grilling burgers and Taffy helping
My little bird on the family tree that my great-aunt Sue made for Grandma Nellie's birthday.
Grandma Nellie telling a story about when the bank she worked at was held up! She was tied up and dragged across the floor by three masked men!
JACK/Professor Snuggles!
On Tuesday afternoon my three sisters, mother, and I went to visit Grandma Nellie. She just recently turned 95, and she has a sharper memory than most twenty years younger. She's old enough to be the mother of most people at her retirement home, where she has lived for almost ten years (and really loves it-- it's a nice place). I love being able to say that I can e-mail my 95 year old great-grandmother. It's so much fun.
After that I went maternity clothes shopping with my sister, who is four months along and due November 2nd. It was such a shock when Jayna walked into Grandma Nellie's room, because the last time I saw her she wasn't pregnant and now she has the most adorable baby bump. I almost cried! She looks so beautiful! We found her a cute pink dress and a pink bathing suit. I also bought an Old Navy flag tee to send to Emilie in France. She gets such a kick out of anything that seems really American (especially action movie trailers, which I can no longer watch without bursting into laughter), so I was going to send her an Independence Day package. What else should I include other than the t-shirt? Unfortunately I think fireworks are out of the question...
And at the Risch's, I've just been hanging out, making puppy chow, watching So You Think You Can Dance, and playing with the new kitty, Jack! I've never really had the opportunity to play with a kitty very much because everyone in my family are dog people. It's fun!
Being home has been wonderful. I love having my dog sleeping on my bed, my daddy grilling burgers in the backyard, hanging out with my sisters and playing Wii Fit with them (SO addicted to the hula hoop game!), and reacquainting myself with all of the things I took for granted before but didn't have while in France: toilet seats, fast WIFI, cheaper cell phone rates, and more than the same five shirts, three pairs of pants, and two pairs of shoes to wear! I'm really missing France, though... I have a feeling that will really hit around the time school starts. I want my bakeries and my little town and my friends and my SNCF train that takes me to Paris whenever I want! But being back in the United States of America is wonderful. There are things that I appreciate about this country now that I took for granted before going to France.
Dad grilling burgers and Taffy helping
My little bird on the family tree that my great-aunt Sue made for Grandma Nellie's birthday.
Grandma Nellie telling a story about when the bank she worked at was held up! She was tied up and dragged across the floor by three masked men!
JACK/Professor Snuggles!