Mile high.

So, a few weeks ago I went to Denver to be with my peeps. There are not nearly enough redheads in New York, so sometimes I start having withdrawals. Luckily, a visit to the Hill household filled my quota and then some.


Sarah outdid herself cooking delicious meals and fantastic desserts (do you think a frozen key lime pie would mail well?). I outdid myself eating everything in sight. The kids kept me busy with paper dolls, stomp rockets, and quality time on the trampoline. I learned that Dono's favorite question is, "What should we play now, Wor-uh?" Sarah dragged me on a couple of early (for me) morning runs, thinking that between my having just run a half marathon and her being acclimated to the high altitude, we'd be about equal. (She was right.) She also found me a couple of great running tank tops on clearance at Target (which came in handy last night when I went running for the first time since, um, my trip to Denver--I was inspired after watching Run Fat Boy Run over the weekend). We had family over on Sunday and I got to catch up with my cousin Lisa and see her adorable little boy for the first time. My record skyrocketed in Wii Bowling, and I discovered a new favorite Cold Stone Creation (thanks Sarah). Ainsleigh was sick for a lot of the weekend, but still looked cute wearing an ice pack as a hat. Gemma crawled out of her pants, and I still laugh thinking about it. Dono learned how to do a flip on the trampoline:



It was delightful. And at the end of the long weekend, they sent me back to New York with a 100-degree fever. But I guess that's the risk you take when you visit a house that's crammed full of fiery redheads.

More pictures (with a shockingly high kid-to-adult subject ratio) can be found here.

Confidence.

When I was younger, I remember my dad telling us about an idea he'd had for a movie while he was driving home from work. I won't divulge the details of the film (which I still remember to this day, including the title) because someone would undoubtedly steal the idea and make millions off of it. But I vividly remember thinking it sounded like the greatest movie I'd ever heard of. At the time, I told my dad he should make the movie, and he laughed and dismissed the idea. This utterly baffled me. Because in my mind, my dad could do anything. Why shouldn't he become an overnight filmmaking sensation?

As far back as I can remember, my dad has always been able to inspire that complete confidence in his knowledge and abilities. He has a seemingly endless store of trivia and history knowledge, he knows the best solution to any problem, and he has an excellent vocabulary. I may never know how he got to be so smart, but I will definitely enjoy continuing to reap the benefits.

Happy Father's Day, Pappy.

Rx.

Tonight's grocery list:
NyQuil
tissues
chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream

Tonight's entertainment:
So You Think You Can Dance

All together, I'd say that's definitive prescription for any illness. I totally should have been a doctor.

Bacon.

You guys, I promise this is the last of the birthday posts (until, um, August).


I'm heading to the airport in a little bit to go spend a long weekend in Denver at a veritable redhead convention. But there is one very important member of the redhead brigade that will not be joining us, unfortunately. So, what can I say about Becca that I haven't already said? When she came to visit me in New York, she stopped by my office one day and met some of my coworkers. At one point, we both laughed at something, and Brian just looked at us and said, "That was creepy. You guys laugh exactly the same." And that pretty much sums us up, I think. Becca and I are very different in a lot of ways (though people often claim we look like twins), which made sharing a room for the first 14 or so years pretty interesting. But she has been and always will be my kindred spirit and best friend. She is crazy, loud, thoughtful, big-hearted, and spirited, and she turns 22 today. Happy birthday, little girl!

Half marathon.

10 weeks of training
a 5:30 am wake-up call
3+ hours on the subway (round trip)
one wicked blister
3 cups of Gatorade
13.1 miles
one tired girl

This is what victory looks like.

Dave.

I remember having a conversation with Allison once where she joked that the reason she and Dave got married was because no one else would "get" either of them. While that may be true, it's great to be around them and see how much fun they have together. Dave shares Allison's mellowness (it's a word) and love of being silly. He can seem quiet and reserved but also has a weird sense of humor that presents itself at opportune (and inopportune) moments, with hilarious results. Dave made me grits the first time I met him, and though I may have never eaten them again since that time, I've always found him to be an excellent addition to our family. Happy Birthday, Southern Dave!

Memorial Day weekend.

"So I just landed, and now I'm like... trafficking? Is that drugs or is that planes?"

The girl in the seat behind me drawling into her phone was the perfect start to my stay in Charlotte. The night only got better as Allison picked me up and we headed straight to Bojangles to get some fried chicken and biscuits. And of course, the rest of the weekend was equally fabulous. We relaxed, we played, we laughed, and we ate until I began to wonder if I'd ever feel hungry again. It was nice getting out of the city and enjoying country roads, huge grocery store aisles, and greenery everywhere. Emaline was in top form, finding ample opportunities to butter me up for future birthdays and Christmases ("Aunt Laura, I'm so glad you came to visit me!" "I'm going to be so sad when you go back to the York, Aunt Laura!"). We had a great time reading books and drawing and running around, and I was sad to leave. But we consoled ourselves with the knowledge that we'll be seeing each other again in August when the whole fam goes to Disneyworld. And while Emaline might not actually understand what that is, she definitely knows it's something to get excited about.



More pictures can be found here.