Boston Tea for Two Party

Thanks to some good friends willing to take our kids, Jeff and I just returned from a fun jaunt to Boston for a work conference. Highlights include:

1. I got to finish three books I'd started, when usually I can't get through one a month.

2. I remembered that long ago I used to be a fast walker before motherhood, and enjoyed going through town at my old pace. (It was so fun!)

3. The food! Ah, I ate some very tasty carrots in a horseradish dressing at a French restaurant...I'm inspired to try to make my own.

4. I had the most spectacular moment on my solo flight home. I found myself feeling unusually joyous sitting all alone in the airport eating cheesecake. Simple pleasures.

5. I had the distinction of staying in the very hotel where the Craigslist murder occurred.

Kickin' It in Kauai

I didn't think it was possible to feel more relaxed than living in Hawaii, but we just spent our Spring Break in Kauai, and came home feeling VERY relaxed. Here are some highlights of our trip.

Glass Beach, Kauai

This was one of the highlights of our trip to Kauai for Spring Break. It is a beach made entirely of glass fragments washed in from a nearby dump. Backed by huge gasoline tanks, it's not the loveliest setting, but it is the most incredible thing to see. We expected to find some sea glass washed onto the shore. We were amazed to find that the shore IS sea glass of varying sizes.

Brain Power...or, the Poisonous Secret:

Did you know that Secret deodorant is a health hazard? Aedan informed me that a friend told her that Secret has aluminum in it, which "kills your brain." As a Secret consumer, she checked the contents, and indeed it does contain aluminum.

I had to know: what's up with the aluminum? Apparently, it's linked to Alzheimers, breast cancer, and brain disorders. Am I the last to hear about this?

"So have you stopped wearing deodorant?" I asked.

"Yeah. I figured that with the HSA this week (state standardized test), I didn't want to risk doing bad on the test."

I'm happy to report that although I do feel more and more brain dead as the days go by, it is not on account of my deodorant: I'm aluminum-free!

Special Needs

Trevor is a handful in Primary, stirring up trouble on the front row. Another teacher separated him and another boy by having Trevor sit by her.

"Why do I have to sit right here?" he asked her.

"Because today I want to feel special, and you make me feel special when you sit next to me."

After a few moments, he turned to her and said, "I'm done making you special, I want to sit by my friend."