The story behind finding the picture of me on the phone

So I called my mom and told her to send me the picture that's in the previous blog post. She and Dad just moved and have all their photos in boxes. The idea of her finding this picture was a challenge. Another challenge was that she and my dad would have to figure out how to use the scanner even if they did find the picture. They had a scanner, they just hadn't used it. This is the equivalent of having a stove but eating your meat raw. They are somewhat technically challenged but they are gaining on it. I tried to talk them through it on the phone.

So I told my parents to try scanning any old picture just to see if they could accomplish that. If they could, and only if they could, they would look for the real picture. Below is the test version I received.



Now if you know my dad, this is pretty funny. If you don't know my dad, you're missing out. He drew characters like this all the time when we were kids. You could say he has his own style. That's me with with the purple Napoleon Dynamite hair and my mother in her maternity prime. So, the good news is that I got the real photo for a sappy sentimental post, and I got this little beauty as well. I am going to try to convince my sister to use it as her birth announcement but that conversation won't last too long.

The Smoothie

On Sunday, my mom who was visiting from Miami and I took the girls to the Des Moines Arts Festival. At some point during our time there the kids wanted a snack. I found a portable ATM machine which while portable, was also out of order. A glance into my wallet revealed all of $6. So I said to the kids, "I have $6, how about a smoothie?" They were game.

The guy at the smoothie booth (if there is such a thing) said smoothies were $6 each. I had to pause and consider the ramifications of buying one smoothie and having a 7 and 5 year old argue over whose turn it was for a sip. I declined.

"Girls, lets get something else. I am not going to spend $6 on a smoothie" I said, which was greeted by some whining, ah mans, and other unpleasantries. There groans were eliminated when I suggested ice cream. The ice cream booth (if there is such a thing) offered a variety of choices. Everything from $1, $1.50, $2 and $3. They both wanted Dove bars which were of course, $3 each. Their faces covered in chocolate proved that this was a successful turn of events.

Last night, the kids received a birthday package, in which, Bella and Caroline each received $20. As we sat in the backyard enjoying the kiddie pool, Bella and Caroline discussed the many ways in which they could spend their $20. We talked about the Arts Festival and what they liked the most about it. Doing arts and crafts topped the list, as did the Dove Bars. We talked how we could go again next year, and every year for that matter.

Bella says, "Dad, if I still have my $20 next year, can I buy a smoothie at the Art Festival? To which Caroline replied, "A smoothie? You want to spend your twenty dollars on a freaking smoothie?"