- Sifu noticed that Kerri has grown much taller since she first signed up for Kung Fu last August. It really is amazing that it has been a bit over 7 months now that Kerri is enrolled in her Martial Arts class. And Kerri went from wearing a size 5 to a size 7 (in clothing) in that short time.
- Grandpa visited us for three weeks last month, and we really miss him. Kerri loved seeing him every day. Pookie moped around for a week. Grandpa left a sweater behind for his next visit, and Pookie sniffs at it from time to time.
- The weather is finally starting to change! Temperatures are slightly rising (it is currently sunny and 50 degrees!) and our flowers are starting to come out. And today we saw seagulls in our yard. I still have a little bit of snow left in the back yard though.
- Kerri is in a school play (a modern version of "The Three Little Pigs"), and she is a brick vendor. She is so excited, and studying her lines. My little drama queen has found a wonderful outlet for her acting talent!
- In Girl Guides, Kerri is busy selling cookies. Last Tuesday, we went door to door for the very first time. Kerri sold all her cookies in less than an hour. And she managed to get invited into almost every home we went to. There was one home that refused to buy, and instead of saying thank you, Kerri rudely blurted out: "What, you don't like cookies?". We had to have a little talk after that, but the home owner did smile and was gracious about it.
- Kerri is currently raising money to help get clean water to villages in the Kumbo region of Cameron, through the OK Clean Water project. If you want to help, you can get additional information at the charity's website at www.okcleanwaterproject.org.
- After a routine check up, I had to go back to the dentist to have some repair work done. As much as I love our dentist, I really cannot stand the sound of a dental drill. I think I left nail marks on his chair. And why do they ask me questions when my mouth is full of cotton stuffing and dental tools? All I can say is "Aaahh ahhh aaahhh". And somehow, the dentist understands me. I don't get it. We had an entire conversation about Key West while he fixed my tooth.
- We have new neighbors! They are a very young couple, and they are quickly realizing that they need to have children if they want to fit in. Yesterday, all the neighborhood kids and Moms were in my front yard. The kids played, the Moms chatted, and the neighbors came out and looked baffled. One Mom told them "Get used to it". I had to laugh, because as soon as summer is here, the pools will be out and the children's laughter and chatter will be a daily occurrence.
- I am breathing a sigh of relief this tax season. I was meticulous about keeping receipts, and it paid off. Thank goodness we don't have to pay any more taxes this year! What a difference a year makes. I have a great system: I have a large folder on my desk, and all year long, I throw any tax deductible receipt or paperwork in there and forget about it. Come tax season, I spend about an hour going through them all and organizing them in chronological order, and listing them for the accountant. If you have a better system, please share, especially since we have three tax returns to do every year (in two different countries, no less)!
Life with Kerri is back on track.