This week’s theme is “Dirty.” I present to you my children (in OSU Buckeye outfits) and two of their friends. You’ll notice that those children are dressed in outfits with “dirty” words on them! I can’t believe their parents let them go out in public with that word on their shirts!

*edited to add: It totally slipped my mind that so many people from around the world would be visiting my Photohunt. Here in Ohio State University country, Michigan is our biggest rival in college football. They don’t like us, and we don’t like them. Sorry for the confusion!! Tomorrow’s post will have a full explanation of the situation if you care to check back.

For more “Dirty” pictures, click here: PhotoHunt

Technorati Tags: photohunt

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Shauna over at Up in the Night, has bestowed a blogging award on me. Funny it should come mere days after a rant post. Apparently she was able to overlook that. Here it is, all shiny and new:

It is now my pleasure to pass this award onto some of the nicest people that I know.

Of course, my number 1 pick would be Mary…..as she is always there for me, good times and bad. She always has a kind word to say and can lovingly slap some sense into me if it’s warranted. Seeing as she doesn’t have a blog, she can just print out the picture and hang it on her wall.

My next victim honoree would be Matty over at Running on Empty. This woman is amazing! Even though she’s going through a very tough time with her grandson right now, she’s staying positive and giving praise where praise is due! I’d like to think I could be as together as Matty if I were in a similar situation, but in actuality, I’d be crying and kicking someone something.

And last, but certainly not least, I’d pick any one of the girls over at Pink and Blues Girls Blog. Come on down, Sharon, Audrey, or Jane and accept this award. The three of you just ooze niceness!

You know me, I read 30 blogs. I keep coming back because all 30 of those blog writers are nice. Any one of those bloggers are more than deserving of this award. Some of you already have it, and I’ll bet the rest of you will get it soon. Ok, the orchestra has started playing, that’s my cue to stop blabbing.

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Who are these children? Supposedly they are mine. I vaguely remember giving birth to them, but genetically they don’t seem to belong to either Mike or me.

You see, my kids never get homesick. That’s right. This year they both skipped off to church camp at unfamiliar places with kids they barely knew, and they never looked back. They both professed that they’d miss the cat more than they’d miss me. Or Mike. So either we are horrible parents that they just cannot wait to get away from, or we’re doing something right and raising strong, confident kids. Of course, my paranoia believes the former.

This is so unlike Mike or me as children. I was the little girl who would always volunteer my mother to be a chaperone for various field trips. That way I was never without family nearby. What? The Brownie troop is heading 2 hours away to Columbus to have a sleepover at COSI? My mom can drive! What? The high school is having a 2 week trip to Spain and France? My mom can chaperone!! And she did. I never had to worry about being alone, because my mom would always come through and stay with me.

Mike tells me about his childhood. Like the time he went to visit his aunt in Canada. He was supposed to stay several weeks. Instead, after just a few days, he called home. He was extremely homesick. His stepfather and uncle hopped in the car, drove all night, and picked him up. He was also very much a homebody.

So watching my kids walk away from me with nary a tear in their eye or a look back is a new thing. I don’t know how to feel about it. Should I feel proud that my kids are so well adjusted that they don’t need me every waking moment? Or sad at the loss of being needed? Or should I be embarrassed by the fact that even at the age of 17, I didn’t want to spend anytime without my family? Or that even after getting married and moving 2 hours away, I missed my family?

Maybe there was a mix-up at the hospital and I got someone else’s kids.

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Last fall we travelled to Florida on vacation. As part of our visit, we spent time with Mike’s mom and her husband. They showed us the sights around north-central Florida. One of our excursions was on a huge lake by the city of Mount Dora. We all boarded a pontoon boat and set sail across the lake. On the other side of the lake, we slowed to a crawl and began to navigate through narrow channels of water. It was as if we were in the Everglades or a mangrove swamp. Trees and plant life were sticking up through the waterways. Animals and birds were everywhere. It was quite an adventure.

We had a very knowledgeable guide on this journey. He was an elderly man who seemingly knew everything about the native plant and animal life in the area. He could recite not only common names of what we saw, but sometimes the Latin names. He had a sharp eye and could spot the tiniest things of interest and point them out. He knew the history of the area like the back of his hand and frequently told us about the changes that have taken place over the years. It was a very interesting adventure.

He only stumbled once. He was telling us about an amazing bird which he referred to as the butcher bird. This bird takes large insects or small lizards and impales them on a thorn or the barb of a barbed wire fence. It will eat the meal then or store it for later consumption. Our guide told us everyone refers to this bird as the “butcher bird” which is its common name, but actually it is called the…..

the….um…..

And that’s where he apologized. He had drawn a total blank and could not remember the actual name of this bird.

He seemed off after that, like his mind was still trying to dig deep and find the information he needed, but was unable to come up with.

About 10 minutes later, I noticed Mike was doing something on his Blackberry. He turned the screen towards me and showed me he had Googled “butcher bird.” He then slipped his phone back in his pocket and politely said, “Excuse me, Sir.” The guide looked at him. “I believe the name of the butcher bird is actually loggerhead shrike.”

The guide looked startled, amazed, overjoyed! He introduced Mike to the rest of the people on the boat as “this very knowledgeable young man.”

Cough, Splutter, Gag.

Knowledgeable my foot. He just had internet access in the middle of a Florida swamp!

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I did this tackle late last week as I prepared for our Chicago trip. Of course, you all know me…..I must have a clean house when I leave on vacation. This time it included using a yard stick to coax out all of the dust bunnies living under my refrigerator. As “before” and “after” shots don’t make much sense, I thought I’d show you a “during” shot.

I think my fridge is breathing easier already.

For more Tackle It Tuesday posts, click the graphic above.

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