Wild Kingdom

Two weeks ago, Sydney and I met my dear friend Melinda and her offspring at the Indy Zoo.



I'm really just friends with Melinda because she is so well-connected. Hence this behind-the-scenes photo of us and the elephant. (I pirated the photo from Melinda's Web site. Hope you don't mind!) Actually, our friendship started with an ad in the newspaper ...



Here is the same elephant getting a bath. There is a zoologist on the right washing behind the pachyderm's ear. Too cute. (Note to self: I should wash behind Sydney's ears once in a while.)


Forget animal watching. We watched these gal pals entertain themselves. Hopefully, Miss Lilly and Miss Sydney will be lucky enough to be such great friends like their Mommies.



I'll call this image: Ham meets Ham. Melinda's son Lucas is a riot. What a cute kid. And, Sydney just loved his material. Anything he did was hilarious and she imitated most of it. Perhaps there is such a thing as a rent-an-older-brother.

Ramblings ...

Like most zoos, the Indy Zoo promotes animal conservation and environmental preservation. Even the seats on the train have soundbite messages such as, recycling one aluminum can can power ## light bulbs.

I heard a story on NPR about a woman who conducted a two-week 'garbage' experiment. During this two-week period, she carried around any garbage that she could not recycle, reuse or compost. Could you imagine? I have. What would I do with the straw wrappers and straws for my occasional Coke from McDonalds (I usually recycle the cup)? My mascara containers. (How many mascara containers have I contributed to our landfills?) The annoying little plastic ties that restrain any kid toy in its packaging. The list can go on and on ... We try to recycle everything we can. I'll even tote plastic bottles home from places where recycling is not available. Just look at our recycling bins every other Friday. I wonder what our neighbors think ...

We don't recycle everything. And, I continue to deposit my mascara containers in the bathroom trash every two months. But, we do the best we can. And, we talk to Sydney about reduce-reuse-recycle. (I also believe babies are the worst thing ever for the environment, but that's another day's ramblings ...)

Bus Business

I'm backlogged in blogging ... I'll call it back-blogged :)

Sydney, like most kids, is fascinated by buses. So, we took a bus ride in West Lafayette - from Wabash Landing to campus.



Sydney waits with Brian.


Hanging on.


Cooling off at the Loeb Fountain outside of Beering Hall. Julie and I spent many warm afternoons sitting around the fountain reading/studying. Sometimes, we would be sitting there individually, look up, and see that we were sitting a few feet from each other. Life before cell phones.


Meet the Press

Losing Tim Russert saddened me, as well as Brian, and others who we work with in journalism. Of course, Russert's credentials and accolades are impressive, but I think of him most when I'm throwing something away in the large garbage cans in our garage. I read the book Russert wrote about him and his Dad. A good, simple read. What sticks with me the most are the lessons he learned from his Dad who was a sanitation worker in Buffalo, NY. The lesson I remember in particular is that his father taught him to be conscientious when he throws away garbage. Russert wrote that his father taught him to package broken glass in a shoe box, then tape it shut before pitching it. He did this so the garbage man would not be cut. 'Be accountable.' 'Think about how your actions affect others.' It's easy to see how Russert applied these lessons as a journalist.

One commentary about Russert said losing him at this time (the eve of the 2008 presidential race) is like losing your star quarterback before the Super Bowl. Russert was an incredible resource. The debates/state of the union were interesting to watch, but I was often more interested in what Russert had to say.

Happy Father's Day Daddy (a.k.a. Brian)

I Love You Through and Through

A novella by Sydney. This is based on the book by Bernadette Rossetti-Shustak, which is a story about a boy and his teddy bear. This version is about a girl and her frog.


I love you through and through.





I love your top side.





I love your bottom side.





I love your inside.






and outside.






I love your happy side,






your sad side,






your silly side,






your mad side.






I love your fingers






and toes,






your ears







and nose.






I love your hair






and eyes,






your giggles






and cries.






I love you running






and walking,






silent






and talking.





I love you through and through ...


Yesterday, today and tomorrow, too.

Love,
Amy and Sydney

Hairspray

Sydney woke up looking like this, so we turned the air conditioning on earlier than I would have liked. The upstairs front of the house (Sydney's room) tends to cook during the sumer.




Unfortunately, I don't have any photos of our trip to the water park today. I'm looking forward to our next trip.

We belonged to a community swim pool while I was middle and high school. We would go in the mornings for swim lessons, then eat lunch, then spend the afternoon playing in the pool. We (my Mom) was vigilant about staking out a prime spot under a large tree. Often our friends the Minahans andPrybellas would join us. We'd pack a lunch, but once a week we would make a trip to Little Ceasars for their Tuesday special. Lots of fun and memories.

Happy Father's Day Daddy (a.k.a. Brian)

I Love You Through and Through

A novella by Sydney. This is based on the book by Bernadette Rossetti Shustak, which is a story about a boy and his teddy bear. This version is about a girl and her frog.


I love you through and through.





I love your top side.





I love your bottom side.





I love your inside.






and outside.






I love your happy side,






your sad side,






your silly side,






your mad side.






I love your fingers






and toes,






your ears







and nose.






I love your hair






and eyes,






your giggles






and cries.






I love you running






and walking,






silent






and talking.





I love you through and through ...


Yesterday, today and tomorrow, too.

Love,
Amy and Sydney