Belated Shout-Out

A little while ago I was tagged by two different friends, at about the same time. As I'm sure you are aware, I haven't been the most prompt blogger of late so it took me a bit of time to get to them.  I happened to click on Tara's link first (in no particular order, I SWEAR) and answered her blog.  If you are not already one of the hoards of people who have read it you can do so here, 'cause it's fascinating stuff.  Really.  Fascinating.  It can waste up at least 2.3 minutes of your day.

Anyway, then I went to answer Malea's tag only to find out it was the same as Tara's.  At the time I was fast sliding down the slippery slope of sleep deprivation (take that high school English teacher--there's an alliteration for ya) and never got back to noting Malea in the credits of my first tag.  So--here's a shout out to Malea.  Check her out.  Mother of four monkeys, world traveler, and high school buddy extraordinaire.  In honor of her I will add one more thing to my list of Random/Surprising facts:

• My family (the one I grew up in) derives about half their dialogue from movie lines.  So here's one for you:  

Baa, Ram, Ewe.

Baa, Ram, Ewe.

To your breed, your fleece, your clan be true.

Sheep be True.

Baa, Ram, Ewe.

Ha ha ha.  It's so funny.  Any guesses?

Steven

HAPPY BIRTHDAY STEVE!

Today is my brother Steve's birthday.  He's my older brother by two years and the first to come along in the family.  The rest of us really lucked out, especially me being the next one down. He's the kind of older brother every kid deserves.  He's the older brother who walked to school with me and who was waiting at my door when kindergarten was over.  He taught me how to work my bike lock and for the better part of a year met me on the playground after lunch to put my very weird retainer back in.  He pulled me up into tree houses to avoid rabid dogs (at least I was sure they were) and boosted me up onto our elementary school roof so I wouldn't be left behind when he and a friend found a new Saturday play place.  Then when the bikes that had carried us to our new play place were confiscated by a grumpy Saturday-working teacher who heard our heavy tread on the roof, he bravely confronted Mr. Grimshaw and apologized for all of us to get them back (while I hid behind him).  He's a supreme pillow fighter, hide-and-seeker, and checkers player.  He perfected the up-the-fence-onto-the-roof-down-the-tree move for our neighborhood kick-the-can games.  Steve is fearless.  He climbed to the very top of trees during gusty windstorms, never hesitated to tickle sleeping parents uncovered feet, outwitted burly assailants on the streets of Prague, and snuck up the back staircase of Neuschwanstein castle.  A hero for any girl.  I followed him through elementary, middle school, high school.  Always two years behind, always met with accolades when I announced whose sister I was.  College saw us together for a year as his mission to Hungary put him two years back.  A year I shared his car, his friends, his chemistry class, and his company.  

Now Steve's married and advises me on things like how to make good spaghetti and razing three monkeys.  Advice I still long for, treasure, and love.  Happy birthday Steve.

Just so we're all clear, although Steve is mostly perfect he does have a few vices.  He hates to loose, he thinks cheating is part of the game, and if you don't pay attention at the breakfast table--he'll steal your bacon.

love you Steve 

Angie, Steve, Tabitha, Simon, Thomas, Atticus

Anticipation and Reward

Fellowshipping

My dear friend Tara is concerned that I'm becoming inactive in my blogging.  She is taking it upon herself to gently remind me of the blessings I am missing out on (keeping-up long distance relationships, making new friends, informing grandparents of important happenings, etc.), sweetly discuss with me options for better budgeting my time to make room for blogging, and in her first effort to coax me back into the fold has "tagged" me on her blog.  Oh, it all looks so innocent.  I will go along for now.  So here is Tara's Tag of Threes:

3 Joys:

1. The three monkeys I live with; uh, make that four.
2. A warm summer evening, sprinklers, and watermelon.
3. The attention the lost sheep gets when returning to the fold.

3 Fears:

1. The dark.
2. Heights/steep cliff edges--this didn't really develop until the monkeys showed up.  Now just looking towards the edge when they're with me makes my stomach drop.
3. Perhaps the lost sheep really hasn't been missed and gets no attention at all.

3 Obsessions/Collections:

1. Putting "the seat" down--it's a 1.7 second job, seriously.  Come on, Monkeys.
2. Currently the preview for Australia.  I watch it on my computer more often than I care to admit.  
3. Sheep.

3 Random/Surprising Facts:

1. I paraded through University Mall once dressed like a cotton ball.
2. I have an Akubra cowboy hat just like The Man From Snowy River.
3. I uesd to wear that hat to heard sheep.  

There you go.  I tag my sweet sister-in-law Lindsey, my newly reacquainted friend Leslie, and Wooly.