Words that end in "it"

FABJ has been very helpful in teaching ORBJ her letters - she would write the "letter of the day" in the morning, and we'd think of words that begin with that letter.  Of course, there is the inevitable Dr. Seuss reference: "Big I, little i, what begins with I?"

After finishing the letters, FABJ suggested we move on to sounds.  So, yesterday, she chose "it".  It was breakfast time, we were tired, we were naive, etc.  So we asked ORBJ for words with sounds.  FABJ suggested "hit".  ORBJ thinks for a second and says ,,, yep, you guessed it .. "sh*t".

Of course, my response was "What?!"  So ORBJ repeats herself.

FABJ tries to help out asking ORBJ, "don't you mean hit?"

ORBJ: "No, sh*t". (Said matter of factly, of course.)

LBJ: "That's not a nice word, so let's not repeat it."

Nothing more said.  (We were able to not laugh in front of the kids.  At least I think we were - I was pretty tired.)

I tried to blame LBJ, since she is (a) Irish and (b) a sailor, but she pointed out that she does not use that type of language in front of the girls.

In Memory of Great Aunt Reta

Today's post is dedicated to my great aunt Reta, who died this morning.  She was 100 years old, and was in great health for the first 97 years.  ORBJ and I visited her in May / June.  Although she didn't really remember me, her eyes lit up when she saw ORBJ.  One of the staff at the nursing home asked if she knew ORBJ, and she replied "Oh, yes!" with a big smile.  (Soon after, she asked if I wanted to be called Billy.  I actually thought she was making a joke.)

However, we'll remember the good times.  She accompanied my mom and sister on a visit to Chicago when I was in graduate school there in the late 90s.  We met up with friends of mine for dinner, but there was a long wait for a table.  So my friend TK asked the hostess if we might be able to get a table sooner rather than later because my great aunt was rather frail.  So he came back to us and asked Reta if she could look a bit frail in hopes of getting a table faster.  Without hesitation, she replied (earnestly), "Well, I can try."  In truth, she probably had more stamina than my mom at that point.

Aunt Reta worked for years in DC for the federal government.  She loved to travel and traveled the world, often on cruises, until about 10 years ago.  She enjoyed discussing travel destinations with my wife, and she loved kids.  She always loved seeing the girls when we visited.

For example, here are a couple of photos from a trip from March 2008 with FABJ.

Aunt Reta and ORBJ on the town

Lounging with P-Rab at Aunt Reta's apartment

Although she will be missed, we have many fond memories of her that we will cherish.

March 2009 visit for the NCAA tournament

Fortunately, cheerleading is nonexistent in Ireland

Celebrating Aunt Reta's 97th birthday - "Cheers!" (May 2010)

During this dinner, Fiona was chowing down on bread and "sauce" as she called it (olive oil and balsamic vinegar).  So I told her that I was cutting her off.  She looked at me with the most innocent eyes and asked "Why are you cutting me off?"
 

Hiking and other stuff

The wonderful weather continues here in Ireland.  It has been unseasonably warm: nearly 70 degrees, which is warm at any time of year for Dublin.  In order to take advantage of such amazing weather, we planned a hike to the hills nearby (in County Wicklow).

Mountain man in his element?

However, I had a few challenges today.  As we're driving down the N11 out of town (a main road south out of Dublin), I notice a lot of gas stations.  Finally, after the third one, I think that I should stop at the next one since we have about 1/8 of a tank, it's a Sunday, and we're headed to "the country".  Alas, we do not see another station.  The fuel light goes on.  We're getting fairly close to the desired hike, but I'm so concerned with the fuel that I cannot remember exactly where the trailhead is.  Fortunately, the reservoir is next to a small town, so LBJ smartly suggests going into town for gas.  She can tell I'm frustrated by the gas situation, but she is kind enough not to point out all the stations we passed 30 minutes ago.

Alas, there is no station in town, so LBJ smartly suggests that we pull over and make a plan.  She suggests going back into town, stopping at a newsagents (i.e. convenience store), where there is a touristy map in the square across the street (so we can also find the trailhead).

The lady in the shop is very nice and points out that the nearest gas station is only 10 km away in a touristy town right by Glendalough, a beautiful hiking spot (we took my sister there when she visited).  So LBJ suggests that we just do a hike around there - plenty of options.  So we get gas and go for an amazing hike along the "upper lake".  The girls have a great time and are perfect angels.  We have an enjoyable and leisurely lunch afterwards in the town where we stopped earlier for directions.  It turned into a great Sunday afternoon.

The secret to a happy hike - walking sticks!

Our  two little angels

Two lifelong friends deep in discussion on the trail

There's a waterfall in the background, honest