Conversation on Top of Slide

Mateo: Mom, you go up the stairs. I'll go up the slide. You stay there, Mom. Don't go down the slide.

Mom: Mateo, you're being kind of bossy.

Mateo: Yeah, I am.

Mom: Do you know what it means to be bossy?

Mateo: It means I get a time out.

You Look Just Like _________ (fill in the blank with any Asian actor, athlete, or TV personality)

A few days ago, while browsing flair (buttons/pins with all sorts of themes and sayings) for my Facebook page, I came across one with a picture of a little Asian girl who was obviously very upset, and the words written on the button were "but I don't want to be Asian!" I was taken aback by this and laughed but then wasn't sure if I should be laughing. Honestly, being adopted and always surrounded by Caucasians, a part of me wanted to post this particular piece of flair. It made me wonder a little about what/how I should feel about being Asian. And again, being surrounded by Caucasians, I have wondered about this quite often from time to time.

Today, as I perused the channels while Mateo was napping, I came upon a new episode of Jon & Kate Plus 8. I watch this religiously and have pretty much seen every episode. This particular one was about Jon cooking an Asian meal. His kids are "a quarter" Korean. It showed the family enjoying the meal and then arguing over who was more Asian. Apparently, they all want to be Asian! I thought that was nice and was glad that the kids felt pride in that part of their heritage. Personally, I can tell you a lot about being Finnish but not much about being Korean.

It seems that most Asians are portrayed in a stereotypical way, and in America there aren't many famous people who are Asian. I'm glad that in the past few years, there are more Asians appearing on television, etc. It is a strange and unique experience to go through life having very little exposure to others who look like you.

Both Sides Now

Question: Do you think your face has two different looks? I think mine does depending on what side/angle you see it. I have heard this is a belief among Koreans. I recently had a discussion about this with my family. They think I am a little loco. I think this may be because they are Finnish. :) So while my husband and I were taking some sample pictures with a new camera we wanted to test, I told him to take a picture of me from both sides in order to prove a point. I think, depending on the angle, my face has a definite difference and there is one side I prefer, diva that I am. I'll let you decide for yourself.

Happy Birthday to You

Happy birthday to my dear husband who turns 32 today! We just marked our 9th anniversary, and next year I’m hoping for a week in a tropical destination—a trip that if we would have taken right after we had gotten married would have been considered a pretty sweet honeymoon. Instead, we were young and poor and a three-week trip to Chicago for a radio internship while staying in a Motel 6 seemed like a romantic adventure. Don’t get me wrong, after nine years, we’re still kinda poor.

But I should get back to my point. My dear hubby. Here are a few things that I love about him: he’s kind, he’s thoughtful, he has always only supported and encouraged me, he thinks my opinion matters, he makes an effort, he appreciates my sense of humor, and he did his best to teach me how to play tennis and golf and still loves me anyway.

I love you and wish you many more birthdays and years filled with laughter and smart remarks from your favorite wife. Enjoy your day even though it will be a lot like most of the others with the exception of the annual DQ cake or log as the case may be.

Overheard

I'm lying in bed as most sane people are at 2 in the morning when it occurred to me that Mateo said three things today that are worth writing down. (Don't worry, I didn't get up in the middle of the night to do this, I had actually just gone to bed.) I get a lot of comments from people about making sure I write down some of the things he says. So, here are three that made me laugh today.

1) "Is Oscar in there?" Mateo's question when he spotted a metal trash can with a lid while at Itasca State Park.
2) "...I was watching Kung Fu Panda. And then I pooped." A true statement explained to his new friend Madison about his experience at seeing his first movie in the theater.
3) "Are those Bush's beans? I don't like Bush's beans." A question and explanation told to our neighbors (who were having us over for dinner) when asked if he would like some baked beans on his plate.



Something I've especially begun to learn over the past several months: Kids really do say the darndest things.

Stop in the Name of Love

Okay. So I'm watching The Bachelorette Where are They Now which aired tonight, one week after DeAnna's finale. The show itself was mostly footage previously aired about past bachelors and bachelorettes which made for a fast TiVo viewing. There was a total of about five minutes (or less) of actual original footage of DeAnna and Jesse talking to Trista and Ryan, ABCs golden couple who actually got married and have a baby. Anyway, something weird happened at the end. Did anyone else see this? At the end, when the credits were rolling, there was a cut to Brad Womack (the guy who dumped DeAnna) eating a sandwich and watching Jesse propose to DeAnna. I think it was meant to be funny but it was just so weird. There was no emotion from Brad at all. He was just sitting there eating this plain looking sandwich which was the only thing on his plate. After Jesse proposes, Brad switches off the TV and takes a bite of his sandwich, then the show is over. Are we supposed to laugh? I wasn't sure. It felt awkward and a little sad.

I wanted to talk to someone about this but it was after midnight so I couldn't call anyone, although in all honesty I wasn't really sure anyone I know saw it. So for any of you Bachelor/Bachelorette fan(s) out there, please add a comment if you saw this and what your reaction was! Oh yeah, and did anyone else think that Jason was one of the sweetest bachelor choices ever?!

Something I've learned this summer: No matter how many summer vacations I have, I never get tired of them!