Family Funk

A – Animoprhs reigned again this year as the series of choice for RJ. Barely beating out HP and the Half-Blood Prince. Here’s hoping she moves along in the new year.

B – Blogs, Blogs and more Blogs. They defined the year for us in ways I cannot even begin to explain. And I suspect they’ll be on any reflecting over 2006 list we may create next year.

C – Melissa got off the boat but TW and I stayed on the cruise in January. I don’t want to cruise again and TW doesn’t either but we oddly spent some time pondering queer family cruises and author cruises and Panama Canal cruises. Weird what cruising does to you. It’s something they put in the water or the food or something. My mom, aka sockmouth grandma, has moved part time to Charlotte to be closer to the Heir to the Throne.

D – My old Dodge Caravan no longer lives in the driveway. I signed it over to Chris when his Camry died in January and then he traded it in for a Tercel at the end of the summer. E and I miss the Caravan quite a bit. It was part of our history and it was sad to let it go.

E – A very large elephant has been purchased in the hope of having a grandchild to give it to next year. Jenn & Ronnie are officially “trying” (though have not yet succeeded).

F – Who’d have thunk Prince Joe would choose to play the flute… and almost enjoy it for more reasons than practicing has the potential to drive his family insane? Who also would have guessed his weird FCAT testing science fair project would net him a ribbon and inclusion into the regional science fair? Educational standards are weird.

G – Gamecube was purchases, as promised, when the Prince held up his end of the bargain and our lives have not been the same. Unfortunately he is no longer holding up his end of the bargain but the Gamecube remains. We need to work on that. E became Gameboy crazy, as well and the Grace Bridge is no more.

H – Homeschool or school at home? Whatever, we’re still doing it with Michelle. Speaking of Michelle, hair color and style changed and changed and changed. 2 of the 3 Hermit Crabs live on! Hazel the pink roomba has been a much loved addition to our lives.

I – My iRiver birthday gift is the BEST! 6 MP3 players entered our lives and the iRivers beat the iPods and the Samsung and the Creative hands down! TW and I enjoyed our first (and so far only) trip to IKEA in October. We need an IKEA!

J – RJ has discovered Practical Jokes, thanks to Nick magazine. She’s not very good at them but she tries hard and it’s amusing.

K – Keep, Sell, Trash! The fixation TW and I have acquired for Clean Sweep resulted in a Clean Sweep Birthday for me! We’ve not really been all that successful at following through but we’ve made some attempts and that counts for something, right?

L – Chris moved out of the house and in with his g/f and her mom in LaCrosse. We thought he would be moving back in before the end of the year but the move back home date has moved to February. The lemon tree finally produced lemons! 4 NEW laptops came into our home, 3 have survived!

M – Middle School for his highness, Prince J and magnet school for RJ and E. This means a lot of driving and a lot of pretty tough homework for all three.

N – Neopets have lost their lustre, a little. But our pets haven’t died!

O – TW got an office! With a Window! Joy!

P – Jenn and Ronnie PCS’d to Charleston and that makes me happy, happy, happy! PRIUS aka whaleyboy car! TW got me a PRIUS, for CHRISTMAS! And she didn’t really violate any Denise rules to do it.

Q – Qatar was on our radar and will be again next year.

R – Riley aka Heir to the Throne joined the family in July. I still say my sister should go back to being Childfree By Choice… and give me the baby!! The dirtbag retired after 25 years in the USAF. And, E is still rat crazy and created a rat sun bedroom to prove it.

S – RJ is still synchronized swimming. Though she seems less enamoured than in previous years. In fact, “oh man do I have to go?” is frequently heard when she’s asked to get her suit on and find her goggles and nose clips.

T – Tree work was finally authorized and accomplished. Good for the backyard and our electric and cable wires. Not so good for the front yard where the much loved tree in front is less loved because it is not so cool. Three turtles remain and are threatening to take over the living room.

U – Ulcerative Colitis is out, Crohn’s is in. Whoopeee.

V – We three women, (TW, Michelle and I), finally saw the Vagina Monologues at UF, together.

W – “My girlfriend the webmaster” is a phrase often heard around here. TW got a maddening nice new job in her department.

X – RJ’s x-rays after a skating incident led to a cast over the summer. Not so fun when you love to swim and scooter.

Y – My yellow smiely coffee mug lives on, who would have guessed it would have survived this long (10+ years).

Z – Chris is pondering life as a zookeeper, veterinarian or some other animal type handler. This means he’s going to have to go back to school, doesn’t it? And stay in, doesn’t it?

Originally seen on Underpaid Kept Woman!

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