comments and my issues I know. comments and I are having issues. hopefully they will be resolved shortly, so that i can pay my children to comment on their momma's blog and be my beta testers.

and we can welcome aboard april properly.

it never really pays to get into an argument with a computer application unless you can afford to throw the system out the window to settle the "discussion" once and for all.

-af  ¶ 11:28 AM 3 Comments

  50 Years ago...he was a 15 year old teenage boy




no, this is not the "real" happy birthday post-but just an early lead in to my entry hopefully to be finished transcribing by tonight for him.

cause really--who can resist celebrating the life of such cuteness...sorry dad...I mean, such coolness--and at such a young age too.

happy birthday.

-af


--

you're beggin' for another shot of the man...yes? thought so:



ok-hands down-precious cute baby for this one. And I love picturing the two ladies and probably additional family members on the other side of the camera that are trying to get dad's attention to smile...or at least look up and show us that beautiful baby face.

---



beautiful ladies? you say?

indeed:




they sure loved their boy Pete.




*special thanks to Tay for his thoughtful and hard work to make these precious pics available to the masses; it's only with his hard work and generous nature that I'm able to share.  ¶ 10:18 AM

  Puddle Jumpers




Mostly because I have to redeem myself with a little January remembrance (yes, working on transcribing my scribbled notes into semi-legible thoughts on a brother for which I missed posting on his actual happy day back in Jan)

and secondly, because my thoughts this week are with him and his little family as they continue their journey across the pond for an exciting adventure. I think of them often and am virtually wishing them the smoothest of transitions for all involved.

Ry is the ultimate adventurer and has a special twinkle in his eye when it comes to sizing up a challenge and bringing forth the successful outcome.

Best of luck--on your upcoming/emerging/ongoing family adventure! [until my belated birthday installment is posted for my cool younger bro; I couldn't let the month end without a note of support for his little fam; Take a trip on the Eye in the Sky for me and the girls]

-af  ¶ 9:39 PM

  Kitten on a String


I heard a phrase for the first time this week that I'd never heard before.

"I feel like a kitten on a string..."

It was sent via text msg to me near the beginning of the week, and I have been rolling it around in my mind since then.

I would like to offer a visual translation of what it means to me:

First, I'm thinking it's not so much "kitten"---as it should be a:




TIGER. rrrwwwwaarrrrhhhhhh!!!

and not so much a "string" ---as it should be a:



LED Lighted rope!!!

translation of perception to reality is really---what it's all about. 'specially if you have a little red in you to kick it up a notch when needed. And we ALL have a little "red"...we just need to channel it to make the most of opportunity. However it presents itself.

good luck my little tiger on a LED lighted rope.

Happy Friday

-af

p.s. I don't want to ruin the surprise, but for your birthday you are getting an embossed printed direction card from embarcadero to patricia lane that will be large enough to read whilst driving AND laminated, to take with you in all kinds of weather.

  ¶ 11:44 AM 0 Comments

  To: the 1/2 Brit old lady

[03.24.09 post revised-the lady is 23...NOT 22. sheesh. not like i have a degree in numbers or anything...can ya blame me? wanting her to not grow up too fast, but at the same time--she knows way more than I did at 22...as virtual penance, I'll get real with myself and turn back on the comments for any and all that would like to...uh...comment]

on TODAY of all days!~ to commemorate the day of her much anticipated arrival (if only to get all of the siblings OUT of the cooking rotation for family dinners, and to get our MOM off bedrest and upright again!)



From: the sister (shortest) that has to twist her neck the most to get a good look up at you(tallest)

With: a written memory of parts of your birth. mostly just for dave to enjoy in written form instead of subjected while eating his sunday/birthday dinner. and a few scanned pictures from yester-year to remind you of how much your family thinks about you, and wishes you the very best of celebrations as we complete another sucessful year of K and journey to the future unknown!

first...to set the scene....



The fam. as it was without our caboose. not only is dad Pete's hair flowing softly in the breeze (betcha you forgot what THAT looked like), and boy that's a lot of red hair in one place, and it's probably the only shot sar let me physically restrain her (talk about a moment in time), but we all sorta look---less than thrilled with life in general. my guess is we were made to wait for the photographer (the lovely and endlessly talented Grandma DTH) to take the shot before we were "released" to the back yard to play the rest of the day away.

[Antsy kids + surly teenagers + all being made to hold still and say "cheese" + no little K to distract the attention so the adults would give up with their efforts to get a family picture - a digital camera that would have got a better image of all of this = what our family looked like...at some point...on a holiday...or just holding a flag to keep ry still ... before March 1986]

which brings us around to Mid-March--El Camino hospital in Los Altos, CA early on a saturday morning in march 1986. A young father (41yrs old) and mother (38yrs old) leave their four youngest children in the waiting room to chat amongst themselves while they go about the business of getting the baby out, or--as we saw the morning before us: "making us wait" .

It was a different world back then my friends, even as I write this tonight from my recollection and notes, I think back to the "mood" in the waiting room (read: the vinyl bench outside the delivery room; probably just far enough away so we had to sit and entertain ourselves without mom and dad, but close enough that Dad could probably hear the screaming and fighting the four of us were bound to engage in as time passed whilst we "waited")

how old were the youngin's outside?

by my count we had an older redhead brother that was 12, watching his younger sisters (10 yrs old and 6 yrs old) and trying to not kill his little brother (8 yrs old). those boys knew how to get on each others nerves at LIGHT speed. and yet---also on the flip of a dime, the boys could be each others best friends. cause really--pickins were slim, it was either get along with each other or face the alternative of having to play with icky girls (and their sisters!!! no less) to pass the time.

and so we all waited

like silent little angels

or at least we didn't break anything. probably.

and split a box of oatmeal cookies in between us for our morning meal. which was probably proceeded by LOTS of discussion on fairness/quantity/splitting/bargining and overall--having to share with siblings when you're "waiting" was like beYOND difficult for us kids. (of course it was...or how else would my recollection be so vivid with a vinyl couch and oatmeal cookies!!!)

moving on

Mom labored

young kids died from boredom. we didn't quite "get" why it was taking so long to get that baby out. cause if we were at the hospital, couldn't THEY just make her come out?


what's with all the waiting???

and our older brother and sister were like so lucky and got to go to their soccer games and THEN drop by the hospital--the first born son (15 yrs old) and miss J (13 yrs old) had soccer games AFTER (read=they did NOT have to wait the longest on the vinyl) or it could have been before the baby came that they stopped by. they were in and out in my memory. and whatever--I KNOW they didn't have to wait as long as the youngest four did. typical. and the youngest four(for a few more minutes) shall lead them....

Well---i'll leave out some additional details, since I really haven't got my releases of information in order for all family members that were involved, but...at some point...before...dark....the G-fam caboose made her arrival.

I still recall the tiny-est little bit of nothing that I've ever held when I got my turn to hold the baby (unnamed) for my whole time; protecting her as only a sister could--i'm sure they had us hold her in turns. had to protect her from boys on both sides. i tried to channel as much sisterly love as i could while i held her and wondered...


and then floated on clouds afterwards.

and so? the caboose had arrived. all the siblings breathed a sigh of relief. Mom looked pretty good, and now we got to take home a baby to play with!

we tried to not notice the fact that she was the only non-redheaded girl (daughter) in the fam, but...we figured we could always color her hair with a sharpie or something. I figured. yes. it was me---correcting the blonde to the red didn't seem like TOO much of a challenge.

but....

my dad and mom were so not buying the "just name her afton too!!!!" request that it occurred to me, my newly expanded family unit may have come upon our first major challenge with this baby.

she needs a NAME

the following is an reenactment of the brilliant naming ceremony that was held shortly after mom and dad got home with the new baby girl. yes. i know i've taken some liberties with my memory and recall--but really--it reads a lot better if I remember it THIS way....

me, as the middle child on this momentous occasion, have nearly forgiven mom and dad for NOT naming my baby sister Bridgett or Megan; I’m sure if they would have offered up “k” initially, I would have totally supported that name, and I wouldn’t have had to tax my 10yr old brain to come up with the suggestions that they ASKED us for! Like they had run out of ideas!!!! Too many children to name...tired mom and dad….Siblings to the rescue!!!…name the unnamed baby!!! After all the work that I’m sure we (didn’t) do as kids….soon came the morning announcement shortly after her birth:

Dad Peter (calling the rowdy bunch of his sons and daughters gathered in the family Sitting Room to come to order):

“ The purpose of this morning family meeting is to go over the kitchen garbage emptying requirements and rotation order! That tall kitchen garbage should be emptied each and every NIGHT!!!"

wait

sorry

wrong morning...ah yes ...here it is...

"I'd like to thank you all for your naming suggestions, your mother and I appreciate your love and concern for the baby, and we would also like to offer some feedback on some of the "input" we received from you

First off, Sar, we won’t be naming her black beauty OR the black stallion….and no Ry and Tay—even if you double up your “voting privileges” , she won’t be called princess leah OR smurfette

Further, J, we think she could be teased a little if we name her after any member of the Duran Duran group (mostly cause they’re all boys) and lastly, A, yes, we know you are the first born son, but we are NOT naming her after your girlfriend Genevieve.

[readers note-I left out myself…since I am SURE that my suggestion was the only legitimate one that was discarded]

your mother and I have decided on the following name by which she shall generally, [for the majority, please don't give her too many strange nicknames-(too late)], be known—

here’s her name [K -and-then-some-extra-loveliness + the perfect fit of a middle name=new family member's name!].

and this shall be her nickname [K]. *for all the brits out there, it rhymes with Simba :-)”

Dad gets to the end of his speech, glad that the bad news/good news situation is now over--and now, a little Q & A, and then we can commence with the day!!!

but. he's met with silence.silence? but all the children are in one room??!?!? and it's the nicest room in the house!!! the one where they usually make the MOST noise and start the most FIGHTS over NOTHING!!! what the....(dad...loves his children--but knows that complete silence from 6 G kids...can only mean..."issues" building before the storm of words and "discussions" on love at home)

[sibling processing silence and thinking internally in the same collective mental space]

Uh--Huh… we all looked around at each other…siblings caught the eyes of the other siblings…as we processed this announcement and slowly clicked into the fact that none of US were given names AND nicknames at birth…and from LEANNE!!???!??!!…whose sketchy on names as it is….a name AND a nickname…

reality of the NAME/NICKNAME combo sets in. for us all.


well, if she has to be raised with at least EIGHT people telling her what to do…I suppose she’d better get all the upfront individuality she can. Name AND nickname. Ok. Fine. Yes—she may need the extra leg up ]




Naming rights and opinions aside, we needed a baby to practice taking care of, taking responsibility for

...and it HAD to be a child that would be made of pretty sturdy stuff; and sturdiness is present in the form of our K, it has been there since the beginning;

sometimes it’s tricky for her to remember—since she’s so humble and things—but if you remind her of how she’s a solid girl and how she always keeps moving forward and pushing herself and those around her towards excellence, which is the only TRUE measure of sturdiness of character.

we know. we all got lucky 23 years ago in that hospital. We got the caboose to the family that we never knew, we always needed.





And now? just cause I can....a few snaps:




I know little K, you're THRILLED!


---




how bout--I PROMISE to never wear my hair like this again if you PROMISE that you will try and match your polka-dotties. (but, can't deny that you DO look stylin'!! even if you ARE only picking up your older sister from girls camp drop off; who knows WHAT got my expression so serious. but...this snap captures the polka's--don't miss the secondary one, even though the primary focus is a little...mesmorizing...AND if you look close? you'll note that K even has a matching purse....[collective--aahhhwwwwhhhhh!!!]


---




and I PROMISE to only be your teacher on stage. in a hoop skirt. two days before your birthday...1993. but look how straight your back is!!!! and betcha you can't even tell that we're sisters--cause we're ACTING...and we're THAT good!!! (and our only time to share a stage? yes. i think so)

----


I also promise to keep posting pictures where I get to revise the historical context for my own amusements, and as I find it necessary to make a point.

speaking of which...









Voice of responsible adult working the bribe for smile/picture combo that is always a winner...a flash of brilliance on how to best engage three kids under 3 occurs, and the visualization is offered for their expressive faces to ponder on and then reflect back at the photographer---

"ok little cousins...sit there on the front steps and visualize your potential future...some day...far far away...auntie K will house you in London during your year abroad to find yourselves; your parents will miss you. But you'll have an adventure with K!!!"

"and she'll also teach you spanish cause that's how she found her british man!"



"ok. maybe we should have the british man do the espanol education, but he can still give it to you while you find yourself abroad!!!"

:-)

but they look so HAPPY ~~~dreaming of their visit to England...someday...

well, probably a more accurate observation of their expressions:

-Elisa will believe it when she sees it,
-Amy is totally psyched, but she has no idea why exactly...
-and then there's the lovely Miss Wav, our gentle smiling realist-optimist and ray of sunshine that pulls off the wining-est expression of joy and happiness--at visualizing her year abroad (she must be an adventurer at heart; her parents have raised her well!)

*sigh* sweet little "can't resist it" faces...and they sure do love their Aunt K.

Thinking of you on your day,


Happy Birthday K!







  ¶ 10:13 PM 1 Comments

  "Dancing, we must have more dancing!!!!"

here's to the one --->



that always had the courage to dance--anytime. anywhere. and for any reason;

the original creative-dater and dance ask-er out-er in our highschool;

the clown that found a way to earn a little cash making people laugh;

and the magician that matched his performing skills to his audience and always stayed one trick ahead;

my own first and best tutor on comedic timing and delivery (he probably doesn't know he has such a title, but he does);

the tireless and adventurous chef that got me my first and only cash reward at a cooking contest (using his recipe);

and is the only person on earth that could have inspired the entire G-Fam to learn the South African national anthem and sing it in front of an audience.

Optimism, creativity and the never ending ability to keep moving forward were built into this guys hard wiring. He is a gift to all around him-and...

today-is your day...thinking of you-


Happy Birthday!

03.16.09 update:

I'm adding the photo I originally was hunting for--the night I wrote this post for his birthday--because I FOUND it! Ta-Da!!!



after abandoning me for my senior year of highschool (to attend college, but what EVER--school was never the same for the fro without at least the visual of tay in the grade just ahead of me; I'm still sorting through my feelings...self centered and shallow they may be....how could my older brother abandon MMMMMMEEEEEEEEE!!!!)

Ok. Fine. But, tay did return to home for the summer and in time to be my photographer at my highschool graduation. These two pictures are from an angle off to the left of where Tay was standing. Any other shots of me walking up to and off the outdoor stage are not NEARLY as interesting as these two--which are my favorites.

In the top shot, you'll note the happiness of my expression overall--even as I am getting ready to shake the principals hand;

yes, the same principal, whose last words of encouragement to us before getting to the reading of the graduates names--just happened to be "congratulations to the class of 1963!!!"

yes. he did SO say 1963. but it's ok. we all knew the man had issues. this just made us triple glad to be leaving him behind. On to the real world where there were no idiots allowed!!! wait.

well...

moving on--

the bottom shot catches the expression of a candid mini-celebration for two siblings that had spent nearly their entire school years together (bookend abandonment for his solo year at kindergarten and for me as a senior) meant that we had finally made it! it's easy to see why I was a lucky little sis to have such a brother, and why this is one of my favorite sequence shots of that day.

Even without tay as the photographer, sent up to the front lines to get a "live" shot of me in action, it still would have been tay that I would have sought out and celebration-hugged first as it was--the extra gift here, was that someone else~

(I SO wish I could remember who took this shot so I could thank them properly or at least give them credit where credit is due)

~catured that moment in time.

excuse me while i sing a little whitney houston to cap off my Monday.  ¶ 8:31 PM 0 Comments

  the half brit and her MAN


NO, I didn't go looking for a "post" or something to write about. not that that's bad---i just think it rarely happens to me!!???!

although, tonight....

THIS is what i found



LOVE, written on the faces of two very dear souls

and i had no IDEA she was posting updated photos (of her life and such; my bad)

but am SO happy I could also see the expressions of adventure, love, admiration and hope for the future they promised to build with each other, present on their faces tonight... just cause...

and, as for me???!??? as a sister (yes, I'm aware it caries no weight)

I couldn't be more proud

(wow, what a strange sentence to type. but i went through various edits, and none seemed to fit the sentiment. so--therefore...miss-K...would you be so kind...as to sign on to volunteer (paid position...of course) to edit the book that my mind is currently writing. cause really---you're the only one for the job. jest and all :-)

my publisher will be in touch. some ideas must be allowed to stew and further experience life--before they are ready for the sharing. read: don't worry--you have time...to do what you must do...and BE what you must be....)


your fro of a sister is here. and will be. slumdog connection or no--i'm all for the miss K. cheerleader for life :-)

your sis,

-af




yeah. that's a senior in highschool...giving a hug to the baby girl that she'll soon say goodbye to...for at least a college years worth of time...a hug and a "photo-op" ...
and "little K" is the name she will call her firstborn by for at least the first year and a half of her own life-yeah. i totally GET that it was odd...I just couldn't HELP the hard wiring of my own brain.

amy and i KNOW...there's no rhyme or reason...but fact of the matter is..when i got tired or serious..out came "kimber...BEHAVE...now!!!!" throughout 1998-end of 1999.

no, no...reflection upon miss K as a person. it just was...what it WAS.

man i miss my Kimber. I just do because I do because I do. but I am so lucky to be her older sis. for what it's (not really) worth. just cause----we get to SEE how it's done...my british sis :-)  ¶ 10:03 PM 1 Comments