:: Tomorrow night, Ryan comes. I am so excited, and I can’t wait for Jameson to see his daddy again. We’ll be back here a week from Monday.

:: My haircut is easy to wash, easy to style, and actually looked totally fine when I rolled out of bed this morning! I went right into work clothes today and started turning sod for my mom. I was drenched with sweat and covered with dirt in no time, but I couldn’t help but notice how much cooler and cleaner I felt with shorter hair. Nice.

:: Last night, after a bit of a spicy dinner, I had some contractions. Crazy: I’m really going to have a baby. That’s all I could think! Well, I also thought, boy is it weird when muscles in your body contract, and no matter how much you want them to relax, they won’t!

:: Jameson and I joined the Paladin clan for another day at the beach. Beautiful sky, beautiful trees, beautiful lake, and a beautiful drive home: this area is just breathtaking in the summer.

We had a busy weekend full of Potsdam Festival, cousins coming to play all day, a shortage of naps, and evenings with just two special boys.

(After their bath, enjoying marshmallows and a viewing of Lawrence Welk — the Saturday evening tradition growing up, which I was happy to introduce to Merrick and my little man.)

And yesterday, both Carina and I finally got up the nerve (fueled by boredom on my part) to really cut my hair. Of course, anyone who knew me when I was 15 knows this isn’t that short, but it will do for now. After growing my hair out for three years, living through awkward afro stages and generally looking like a total hippie, I’ve been hesitant to do much more than trim it. But you know, you gotta live a little. I’m sure someday I’ll want to grow it all back out, but I’ll cross those awkward afro bridges when I get there. :)

:: Jameson loves bonfires.

:: Watching Federer lose on Sunday was very sad. *sigh*

:: We all enjoyed this movie.

:: High temps and heavy humidity drove us to the beach yesterday. What fun was had.

:: A baby in my belly is kicking and somersaulting like crazy. Strange and amazing.

:: A more thoughtful post may be soon forthcoming.

:: Mom’s gardens are bursting into a symphony of color. The vibrant yellow of evening primrose is, obviously, the trumpet line.

:: After a week of very cool weather (during which I was sick and didn’t really care), we’ve managed some absolutely perfect days. Blue blue skies and green green trees. Almost too much color.

:: A few sweaty days of turning sod and weeding has made me feel awfully happy. I just love that stuff.

:: Some things about this crazy family of mine will never change. Other things take me by surprise. Like my dad sitting in the corner at 10:30pm, rolling sticky rice into strips of dried seaweed for an evening snack. Umm, what??