Have you seen your family?...

Yup. That is what my sister just said. As I sat here, I said, "Boy, I have nothing to blog about. I used to blog and blog and blog". Her reply? "There's plenty to blog about...have you seen your family?" OK, so what does that mean? I thought we were pretty normal. Well, I know "normal" is a relative term, but comparitively, I really did think we were normal. Well, having just asked Terri what she meant, the only name that came up (over and over mind you) was Adam. Fancy that.

He is our wild child. Always has been. His pendulum does NOT ever rest in the middle. He is either WAY happy or WAS upset. This morning...it was the latter. He went to bed late, which equates to whine and cry mornings. To the point where I actually took him into the office and spanked him. I haven't spanked him in like a year (hhhhmmmm....maybe there is a correlation....need to ponder that one). He can't find his belt, he hasn't eaten, we're gonna be late, he didn't take his medicine...he DID take his medicine. Now let me see if I can type it the way I hear it....(remember to raise your voice 3 octives when you read it)..."I caaaaaan't find my belttttttttttt...I haven't eeeeeaaaattttteeeeeeennnnn....wwweeeeeeee'rrrrrrrrreeee gonna be late...I diiiiiiiiidn't take my meeeeeedddddiiiiiccccciiiinnnnneeee....I DDDDDDIIIIIIIIDDDDDD take my mmmmeeeeddddiiiicccciiiinnnneeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And on and on it went. I was upstairs the whole time and could feel the reverbiration of the whine all the way up there. The more I write the more I realize this isn't even funny. In fact, it is annoying. Then after he composed himself, Terri told me on the way to school they had a talk. About the whining you ask? No...about a beach/boardwalk we found yesterday. I said it is too expensive to go. Even if we were conservative we would drop $200. So Terri came up with an idea. She suggested to the kids that they save their money and then we can go. Adam's response? "Where are YOU gonna get money". Terri said "Let me worry about that". Then Adam asked if Aunt Terri thought if he paid for his rides and games would I pay him back! There is the mindset of my wild child. Answer to that one.....a resounding NO!

Quite the car ride I would imagine. I just thankful I wasn't there. She is a kid like them and when I am in the car I have to reprimand them ALL....yes....that includes Aunt Terri. Living with extended family is quite unique...sister....mother....kids....husband in the middle of it all....Lord bless his soul!

Until next time...

Face. (huh?) FACE...You know, Face...Face (hhhmmm)

And that is where I started thinking I have to remember this conversation to blog when I get home because this one I can type. Typing what I hear come out of my cambodian sisters mouth is sometimes a tall order. You figure out how to type an american word that was hammered by her sweet cambodian mouth...it ain't easy! But this one...now this one I can type.

We were driving to the surgeon for a 6 week follow up with my shoulder...My doc. adores Victoria and so I thought it would be fun to go together. On the way, we were talking about stuff and she began to say how we just need to have "face" to go on with our lives. Getting old...wrinkles...kids growing (= growing problems)...husbands...illness...you name it. We aren't getting any younger. But for the life of me I could not understand why she thinks we need face. I mean, speaking for myself, I could do without that face that stares back at me in the mirror each day that I cannot even recognize. I mean, why so many wrinkles and grey hair and who's neck IS that anyway! I have been contimplating using that neck exerciser (as seen on tv - lol) to make that chicken neck go away and hope for the return of my OWN neck. Anyway, she kept saying we need "face". I would repeat her..."Face?". She would repeat it..."face". "Vic, why do we need face? I'm not getting it". She says, "No, FACE" as if I heard something different that time...Still hearing face. OK. "I don't think we need face. Afterall, Vic, face is the problem". She says, "No, face is NOT the problem. Face is the answer! Without it we are done!". Now at this point I am laughing out loud cause I KNOW she MUST be trying to say something other than face. And usually by this point in our conversation the word that she is trying to say is wrong (like OY for oil) and I finally get it because there IS no word "oy"...but not this time. She knows I am not getting it and she knows she cannot say it. And now we both are hysterical. She keeps saying face and I keep laughing. Finally she stopped and with the SLOWEST, most painful look on her face (ha! face - lol) she says, "FA......(and sticks her tongue between her teeth to make sure she doesn't mess this one up - as a Cambodian, that motion of the "th" sound is NOT native to her tongue. There is NO like sound in Cambodian, so imagine the effort it took to say this word) "TH". There. She said it. FAITH! I get it. We need FAITH!

....which is why when I cut her hair short and had sweeping bangs, she liked the back of her hair to "poo". "No, Vic, you do NOT want your hair to "poo". You want it to "Poof (emphasis on the f)". Again, no cambodian sound of "f". This ranks right up there with 'th". I gave her lesson after lesson how to say "poof" and she got it once. It was just as slow and just as painful as was "faith". But Victoria is my sweet cambodian sister who I sometimes have NO idea what she is saying...but in the end, if I keep "FAITH", I eventually get it. And she eventually makes it into my blog. Love ya Vic!

Until next time...

Anonymous Needs a name...

I was going to blog about a car ride I took with a friend, Victoria, but I will have to save that. I wanted to make sure I hadn't started a post and left it unfinished (how unlike me would that be!) but in fact, I hadn't. So I noticed that there were some comments on my blog....all signed anonymous. Now, not for nothing...but who is anonymous! One mentioned tootsie brennan (a friend's dog) but I am pretty sure Kristen doens't read my blogs...next? My school friend Dianne Lifrak. I was pretty sure that was it but the mention of Tootsie threw me. So I went thru a few blogs with comments and they are all anonymous. So, Anonymous. Here is the scoop on my shoulder. Much to my dismay, I have this sling ANOTHER 4-6 weeks and still NO driving. I can say that I am having to learn patience being driven everywhere but clearly need more practice. I have been obedient with this thing cuz I am sick and tired of wearing it and just want it off. Today it feels great, but that after three horrible days (for no reason)...doc says that is normal. OK, so Anon...I am slowing down. I am listening to doc. I AM wearing that stupid sling...I AM going back to PT this week and yes, anon, I am reading what you are writing, I just don't have a clue who you are.

Until next time...

And I was going to write about Victoria driving me to that doctor appointment...about a conversation we had about "face"...I mean, "faith"....depends on who you are talking to. Next time...