An Alien Phrase

Dad sang to himself, peeling a clementine in the kitchen, “Oh clementine, oh clementine, how lovely are your branches…”

This is where I get my tendency to mishear lyrics.

“Dad, you’re not wearing that to Joe’s engagement party, are you?” Carrie eyed his old jeans and sweater.

“Yeah.”

“Dad. No.”

He just grinned and directed the attack at Joe. “You’re not really wearing that to your party are you?”

Joe spooned himself some Cornflakes, “Nope. Leopard print spandex,” and got another bowl of cornflakes.

We managed to get in Mom’s birthday cake: iced spiced pumpkin bundt, before the 2013 Family Christmas Photo, which always takes some work, especially because we had some new additions…

“Here, Dad, hold Earnest for me.”

“Carrie, I’m not holding any rabbits.”

“Where’s Snuggles?”

“Pumpkin! Gah! Hold still!”

Somehow, it all got done. And with Bonnie wearing a red and white polka-dot bow on her soft sand-ish ears.

There are some phrases I just sort of never imagined myself using, growing up, maybe because they seemed too far away and because they still seem too far away, and therefore would “never happen,” but:

I attended my little brother’s engagement party.

Vanbuskirk’s. 7:00. Crowded, loud [a happy-loud], friends, family. Four sisters took a corner table where Rose added a latte and three salted caramel truffles to her side of the square.

“I can tell which one is the working woman,” Mrs. English teased.

Puck’s Blog: Day #3

I spent the night at Nana’s. I did whatever I wanted. Well, that’s not true. Mmm-mmm. I went into that secret hideout at church. Well, I was playing with balloons with Dad. I got a little left out because everyone was laughing and having a good time and I wasn’t because no one was speaking to me and Dad wouldn’t let me speak at the table so I felt left out. I was just going to make some jokes, but Dad said I couldn’t talk at the table because everyone was talking. He wouldn’t let me talk. Then we got some caps at Cancuskirk’s [Vanbuskirk’s] in a celebration for Joe getting married. Well. I had so much fun with my parents! That’s it. I’ll think of some more tomorrow.