Ch-ch-ch-chaaanges...

Hello, friends. I'm feeling listy today.

1. My office moved. Just about everybody moved somewhere. My new office isn't really any further away and I now share with only one person instead of two. Tyler and I will get on well, I think. We've already made a joint dorm fridge purchase on Craigslist to store Diet Coke, and...well, that's probably about it. I will miss the Eastown bus stop out my window, however...some days more than others. Let's just say that.

2. We've had some financial fallout from the whole condo thing...on top of losing a $500 deposit (which we were fine with), we've learned that when you apply for a mortgage, lots of people come out of the woodwork. Two in particular who say that somebody owes them some money for certain utilities they utilized while living in Allendale, MI at some point in their young adulthood.*

3. I just got a paper cut opening an envelope from one of these woodwork-type people. And it bled.

4. We're meeting on Thursday with some people about an intriguing possibility that is increasingly looking likely come January. I won't go into details just now - mainly because we don't know too many, and also because we haven't had enough of the important conversations yet. Let's just put it this way - this possibility involves shelter for the Mikrut Party of Two, and it does not include purchase OR rental. Nor does it involve a cardboard box (as I know this is your next question). If you've read Diane's blog recently, we are indeed some of the people she was referring to when she said, "Over the last few weeks I've heard many crazy stories from my friends on how Tiger is meeting their needs in such crazy and nonsensical ways and we wonder, in the end, why it's always a surprise." Yup. You'll know more when we feel we have enough info and certainty to share it.

5. For the next week and a half, we are On A Mission. We're going to create the most bizarre meals, as we are going to use only What We Already Have. I'm having a vision...I'm thinking oatmeal with a side of beets. For Lunch. Maybe.

6. Oh, and also, we're both determined to get healthier, so we're making changes simultaneously to help motivate each other. It's pretty great. Today I ate FIVE servings of fruits and vegetables. Ooops, that reminds me - I forgot to take me vitamin.

Right. Bedtime.

*Laura has NEVER been a resident of Allendale, MI.

Tell Josh congrats...

...and say hi to Lainey while you're at it.


This may look like a random assortment of Roman numerals, but I assure you, friends...it is not.

It's report card season again, wOOt wOOt!

The new chalkboard announcement tells us that Josh got the certificate of merit for his Civil Procedures class. For those of you who are not Eliina, this means he got the highest grade in the class, beating out 39 other people. This is a bigger deal than it might seem...he gets an actual certificate and gets to make a note of it on his resume. The boy's in shock, he's really not sure how this happened but golly is he joyful.

Now, if I could only remember where I put the "Josh" confetti...

Happy Birthday, Nate!

Josh's little brother Nate turns 17 today. Here's a few interesting things about him:

5. Nate is child #5 out of six. Nate is also fortunate enough to be one of the only Mikruts with his Very Own Birthday (see earlier posts).

4. When Nate was confirmed, he had to choose a confirmation name. He chose Paul. This makes his full name Nathan Paul Paul Mikrut. He's hilarious.

3. We haven't seen Nate's eyes in several years due to his flowing tresses.

2. Josh and I frequently comment that Nate is a very good kid.

1. Nate borrowed my car for his drivers license test a few months ago. The check engine light has been on ever since...but at least he passed.

EEEEEK! I forgot!

I fell off my birthday list wagon! How could I forget? Certainly, I didn't forget the birthdays themselves, but in the wild joys of the early days of my vacation, I totally forgot to post. My apologies to the boys who helped me prepare for the trials of living with THE boy.

First, on the 25th, we have my illustrious brother Steve, who turned 26:



10. People often ask where Steve gets his red hair, as my parents and I all have dark brown hair. In reality, both sides of the family are blessed with that recessive gene - mom's mom has red hair, as do three of my dad's four siblings. In fact, Russell is a Scottish (and French) nickname for redhead.

9. When we were little, I had a friend over, and she and I made up a song to tease Steve that went, "Stevie Wonder's gonna get hit by thunder." I remembered the lyrics but forgot which friend it was. I was later reunited with Kim in college when I befriended her best friend Tanya - she remembered it too. Mystery solved.

8. When we moved to Lansing, six-year-old Steve got his hands on one of those Graphic Street Guide books (i.e. "For Walnut St, see page 37, coordinates A-9") and the kid memorized it. He also told my parents how to get around town.

7. Steve remembers the birthday of everyone he's ever met. He's going to be a big hit at his high school reunion.

6. As a preschooler, Steve's most treasured companion was an old, tattered Sears Christmas catalog.

5. Steve was once an ardent admirer of Cookie Monster and owned several related items, including this one.

4. Give Steve any date in history, and he will tell you what day of the week it fell on.

3. Steve is an accomplished public speaker; he once performed a solo act on one of our high school mission trips that had an incredibly funny punchline about a blue-light special.

2. Steve works in the library of the Lansing branch of Josh's law school.

1. Steve just moved out into his first apartment and we're all very happy for him!

Daddy-o then turned 66 on the 27th (because the Mikruts aren't the only ones who can pile up birthdays on top of each other) -


10. Dad was a honeymoon baby. I figured this out when I was about 11, and as his 50th birthday was approaching, I realized, "Hey, wait a minute...we just had Grandma and Grandpa's 50th anniversary party...nine months ago?"

9. His middle name is Sean, although my Grandma has always insisted that it is pronounced "Seen," which she claims is the Scottish pronunciation.

8. When I was a kid, Daddy and I always got up early together on Saturdays to watch The Muppet Show and the cartoons that followed. One of his favorite ways to get my goat was to insist that he and Gargamel were the best of friends.

7. Being the jokester that he is, Dad once painstakingly crafted gag Christmas gifts for some of his co-workers. I remember him retrofitting a string of Christmas lights, four lights in length, to plug into a co-worker's outlet. The lucky recipient was apparently very vocal about how much he hated Christmas lights.

6. I remember Dad working hard on preparations for one of my birthday parties; he got a book of kids' games from the library and my favorite of these was a shuttle relay in which we had to carry a golf ball on a spoon and hand it off to the next person without dropping it.

5. When my mom was nearing the end of her pregnancy with Steve, Dad was very insistent that 40 was too old to be welcoming a new child into the fold. Steve was born two days before Dad's 40th birthday, and Dad has been most appreciative ever since.

4. Dad has always been handy and creative in the area of woodworking. He has spent many Saturday afternoons in front of the TV watching Bob Vila on PBS, though now his interest has shifted to gardening.

3. Only my father would purchase one of those faces that you put on a big ol' tree.

2. Papa was a sailor in the Navy. He loves boats, books about boats, books about wars between boats, and all things Tom Clancy. He and Josh get along so, so well.

1. My father is one of the only people I know who does not like Mexican food. Poor guy - doesn't know what he's missing, I say.