Tales of a Shoebox Princess

Mom read Charlotte's Web to Jenni and me when we were little. Even though I could read, I enjoyed the nights Jenni and I got to crawl into bed with Mom, and be read to. Mom is a good out-loud reader. She didn't do voices, necessarily, but she did do emotion. It's an experience that I am sad to say I did not carry on. I don't know why. I did try to read to my children--the Harry Potter books--but my kids never really got into it like I thought they should. Or maybe I didn't make it special enough. Or maybe HP was too long. I don't know. Anyway, I have fond enough memories of Charlotte's Web that when I saw that Prior Lake Players was going to present it for their fall play, I toyed with the idea that I should audition. But then I decided not to because the auditions were going to be held while I was taking Hayley out to Utah. So one afternoon, I went to pick up Katie and Jackson, and we stopped for a sublime pastry at Edelweiss (drool). As we were leaving

I really do like my teenagers. I enjoy laughing with them, getting them to do things without them whining about it, not driving them places because they have their licenses to drive, etc. I do however protest that the baby of the family is getting so dang old. Matt 10 years ago Matt recently turned 17. How can that be? He's the only one left in public education. He's the only one left in seminary. He's the only one who be around full time for a little while longer. So, his birthday. The last two years, he has requested a Doctor Who cake. This year, he went a for a slightly different alien angle. The X-Files. wearing his birthday hat the X-Files cake Weird face and Seal of Rassilon cupcake (he couldn't quite NOT have anything Doctor Who related for his birthday)  Anyway, happy birthday, Matt. You can vote in the next presidential election.