Chicken Blog

Children are growing up and graduating and making plans, and I'm still picturing them as small, young, and collecting Beanie Babies or wearing Mary Janes. We received two letters in the mail this week that prove that though I am not aging, or really even maturing for that matter, our cousins are most decidedly heading out in to the world.

First we opened a letter from Ashley, she was our sweet little flower girl not so long ago, and it seems she has enrolled in a program that will send her to Albania. She is working with her church to go to the home of missionaries, and once there she will be teaching English and helping the missionary family with home repairs and other projects. Zounds! She is yet another child that proves home schooling can be very effective.

From Tennessee we opened a graduation announcement from our cousin Jess. Enclosed is a beautiful picture of her, and she looks very little like the girl I remember doing water balloon tosses on Grandma's front lawn. Last Summer family met in Salt Lake City to see her compete in a national volley ball tournament; her team was competing for the second year, and they took home silver medals. Her success in school and especially volley ball means a choice of top schools and scholarships for college.

Even when I am a close up witness, children's growth and development can still seem so accelerated. Max and Nicholas rattle off complete sentences, though they are the "babies" around here. Now the actual babies are the ones from the two Gabe cousins, in Wisconsin and Colorado. My own first born towers over me, my Alex cutie reminds me daily about the count down to his 9th birthday, and the things Max thinks to say are a constant reminder that he is on the fast track.

Meanwhile I am as young and hip as ever. I still listen to the cool music; B-52's, Talking Heads, Oingo Boingo, and I can kick butt at "Star Wars" Trivial Pursuit, my roller skates are in great shape, and I am even considering learning to play "Discs of Tron." Totally with it. Totally.