Tiger Boy? Tiger Boy????

1.
This is a scandalous way to start things out, but I can't help it.  It's just too funny not to share.

On the Fourth of July, I was doing something or other when I realized that my brother-in-law was turning a deep, deep shade of red as he talked to 5 year old Lucy.  So I began to listen in.

"I don't understand what you're saying, bud," Andy said to Lu.
"Basically," answered Lucy, using her favorite word, "my Daddy sometimes makes his wife call him Tiger Boy."

Andy could not look at me in the eye. 

Let me back up real quick and mention that Lucy was, in fact, explaining something about the videogame Skyrim (in which the main character looks like a tiger.  Chris went ahead and named his character "Tiger Boy" because Lucy really, really wanted him to.  In Skyrim, Tiger Boy has a wife, and she sometimes calls him by name.)

Andy, of course, had no way of knowing this at the time.  Luckily for me, I've reached the age where I find it unequivocally hilarious.  Unluckily for my barely-out-of-childhood brother-in-law, though, he probably doesn't.

2.
We found out that we are going to be audited by the IRS, our pool sprung a leak and Chris' iphone was submerged in water all on the same day.  Why is it these things always happen in threes?  At least, I really hope it's in threes because we're about as tapped out as we can get.  (And if you are wondering why Chris' cellphone is in the "disaster" category, it's because everything Chris needs to run his business is on there.  Why do we never back these things up?  Because we are lazy and stupid.  How did it end up fried? Chris left it in his swimsuit pocket and then jumped into the -not yet leaking- pool.)

3.
What the (bleep) am I supposed to do with a housefull of kids in 95+ degree weather when we can't swim?  (I know, I know, this is totally a first world problem.)  We went to the park yesterday, and after pouring out buckets of sweat we left after about an hour, leaving me with eight long hours to fill until dinnertime.  I hadn't realized how dependent I've become on the pool for entertainment.

4.
Chris and the girls have been watching a lot of pawn and antique-themed shows lately.  Claire found a penny from Nambia in the couch cushions the other day (yeah, I have no idea where it came from, either) and Beth decided that she absolutely had to have it.  Negotiations ensued, and Beth ended up paying Claire $7 for it.  I had no idea that this was going down, until Beth (proudly!) told me about it at bedtime.  What blows my mind is that I really don't think Claire (who is a year and a half younger than Beth, remember) meant to scam Beth out of money.  I think Beth was so excited to have something to barter over that she jumped at the chance and forgot to actually...you know, make it fair.  Claire is not complaining, though!

5.
Related to #4:  I've realized that the girls really have their own world going on, a world that intersects with and is irrevocably joined to my own, but completely independent.  There are times (and it is happening more and more) when I hear the back-and-forth between them and have no idea what they are talking about.  I remember feeling that way as a child, as though my life was covered in fairy dust that the adult world could not see.  I love seeing it in my kids, and I love the bonds that are growing up between them.  I am, also, kind of proud of the fact that I don't feel any jealousy about this.  Actually, maybe "proud" is not the word so much as "grateful."  For so long, I have been the center and summit of everything the girls do, and to suddenly find myself at times outside of their goings-on is somewhat disconcerting, but so far it has not been painful.  I can't chalk that up to anything but pure grace.

6.
I still don't have a camera, but here are some pictures I stole from my aunt:

7.
I had such a great time visiting with family in Pittsburgh last month!  It reconnects something in my soul to sit around and listen to that unmistakeable burst of crazy-loud laughter when my family finds something funny (and if they find it funny, you always know it really is.)  There is nothing like a party in Pittsburgh.  Nothing.  I love all of you so much!!!

Thanks to Conversion Diary for hosting 7 Quick Takes! 

Love Songs for Weirdos

Ruth has been screaming since 6:00 this morning.  Couldn't tell you why, teeth maybe.  She can be an extremely moody baby, and I'm about at my wits end.  So, when I saw one of my favorite blogs running a Love Song Link Up, I thought: Sure!  Why not spend some time thinking about the songs that have inspired the love that created this little monster who is (no joke) at this moment biting my leg.

1- Slow Show by The National

I realize that The National is not an obvious choice for my #1 love song, but I love the way they manage to convey the anguish of being in love while still somehow making it seem worthwhile.

This song has particular meaning to me because Chris always tells me that the part "You know I've dreamed about you....for 29 years..." always makes him think of me.  Lucky us, though, since we only had to dream for 19 years. 

2- Lover of the Light by Mumford and Sons

Love this song.  I just love it!  Can't wait for it to be officially released.

3- Shake it Out by Florence and The Machine

This is another less-than-obvious choice, but it couldn't be more relevant for me.  Every time I manage to shake off my own dead horses, this kind of elation is always what follows.  Unfortunately, I also like to "keep my issues strong" so the hope in this song is so, so good for me.

4- Wagon Wheel by Old Crow Medicine Show

This one is pretty self-explanatory.  I love the longing in this, plus going to our first OCMS concert marked the, "hey, we love music and need it in our lives" phase of family life for us.  For some reason, this was a fundamental element we forgot in those first few years of marriage.


5- Ode to Joy by Beethoven 

 This is really what love feels like to me.  I mean, I like the swaying, gushy feeling that comes, too, but it's the almost-too-much-intensity of joy that really gets to me.  I can't believe I am so lucky as to feel this way about another human being.

And now, since I can only ignore this teething baby for so long, I'm done.  I kind of deliberately did not put down the songs that are really, truly "our songs" because......you know:
Twere profination of our joys
To tell the laity our love

But these are all songs I think illustrate some of the aspects of love I find beautiful and inspiring.  I hope it makes some kind of sense to someone other than me! 

And check out the Love Song Link Up to see what other people are listening to!