It has once again been a while, hasn't it (my last post was last year)? Doesn't seem that way on the surface, but upon further review weeks have rolled by since my last post. I'm too young for time to be flying this fast. Well, let's get to it then. What has been going on since my last show 'n tell? Oh! First thing first - I mentioned in the last post that we went to Reading for Dad's Christmas present. So you probably would like to know what it was since Christmas has now come and gone. It was a tattoo! Mom and Dad were both going to get theirs, but scheduling conflicts keep getting in the way of Mom's ink job. Don't worry, she'll get hers soon enough. So here's a picture of Dad's tattoo:
It is an "Aum" (or "Om") symbol from Devanagari, the Sanskrit written language, and books have been written about its meaning. On a basic level, however, it signifies the sound of God, and it represents the long-awaited missing link in Dad's spiritual philosophy that includes the sound he was able to use to find God, the path towards balancing the spiritual world and the material, and even the scientific reconciliation in things such as String Theory (where tiny strings vibrating at certain frequency form the basis for everything in the universe!) for which he has been searching since high school. I guess it makes sense it would take a place of importance on his left forearm. But enough about Dad's Eastern mysticism, let's talk about me :)In December we had some more visitors. If you'll recall, Grandma and Grandpa Vogt visited us around Thanksgiving. As Christmas approached, Grandma and Grandpa Dunham paid a visit, as well. With them, we got to spend an afternoon in Lancaster, where the Amish population becomes noticeably more pronounced. We got some fresh meats and cheeses, and Dad and Grandpa were even able to peruse a record shop (I have a strange feeling I may never buy CD's - I may only ever own vinyl or digital media). After Lancaster we all ate some sushi with Jay and Hallie. Well, everyone but me ate sushi, but I guess that is rather obvious. Then I heard them talking about whether or not to go over to Jay and Hallie's for a while, and I decided to make their decision for them. I was inspired by the Volcano rolls Dad ordered and had an eruption of my own that made such a mess there was no option but to go to Jay and Hallie's to take care of it. I'm good at getting my way - I like hanging out with Jay and Hallie. Mom, Dad, Jay, and Hallie were able to get the old Rock Band back together for a few sets, and they now even had an audience in Grandma and Grandpa Dunham from which to take requests. Fun times were had by all.
One day Grandpa had to go to Philly for a meeting, so I went with Mom and Grandma Dunham to King of Prussia. We never got to actually meet the king, but we did get to shop in the East Coast's largest shopping mall, so that's something. I think they might have been shopping for me at some point, so that is quite alright in my book. Another day, I went with Mom and Grandma Dunham to help Hallie with a crisis. She was getting a tattoo, but Jay got stuck at work and couldn't accompany her in the process. The tattoo she was getting was something best inked with the confident backing of other opinions, so she was in a bit of a pickle. Fortunately, we were free to come down to Reading to her avail. For the second time in my life, I hung out at a corner Chinese restaurant in downtown Reading awaiting an ink job. If you need someone to wait in a Chinese restaurant while you get tatted up, it seems that I'm your girl! Also, while Grandma and Grandpa were here, we got to celebrate Grandpa Dunham's birthday. It was quite an eventful trip for them. Here are some pictures of me at a couple of my favorite activities - reading and napping:
Not to give anything away too early, but I got a lot of clothes for Christmas. The exciting side-effect of this is that I also got some new clothes before Christmas. And with all the running around we did this holiday season, I got to show off many of these fun new outfits. Below I've included some pictures from an impromptu fashion show Mom set up on our couch. The holiday season also brought many other fun novelties. One of them was snow. We didn't get a lot of snow overall, but there was one night in particular that it created quite a blanket. Dad was able to capture the holiday spirit of this white blanket in the shot below. Silent night, indeed. Perhaps next year I'll be able to frolic and play the Eskimo way in a snow like that. The last and tastiest (so I've heard) novelty was sugar cookie baking and decorating. Mom and Dad had talked about a gingerbread house but decided last minute it would be much more fun to get a box of fun toppings (like sprinkles, frosting, and edible glitter) and become cookie artists for the night. They created some pretty impressive pieces (and some not so impressive ones, but you can't hit a home run every time you step up to the plate).
Every family has their own traditions when it comes to the holidays. Unfortunately, our family is too new to really have any long-standing traditions. Back in Oklahoma, many of those traditions are still strongly in place, but out here in Pennsylvania, we're kind of winging it. Some of the joy of winging it comes in the form of the freedom to experience new traditions. Mom and Dad have been able to take part in some of the traditions of many of their new friends in Pennsylvania, and this year was no exception. Hallie invited us all to her parents' house, where we were able to eat dinner with her parents, her brother and sister, her future sister-in-law, and her grandparents. It was a traditional Welsh spread, complete with fig pudding and crackers (not the food kind, the paper kind that you pop open to reveal fun little gifts and hats). For such a special affair I got to wear a fun new outfit (pictured below). Also pictured below is Hallie's attempt to visualize me with long, dark hair like hers. Mom thinks my hair has been getting lighter and redder lately, however, so possibly to Hallie's chagrin I may end up with reddish-blonde curly hair.
Then came Christmas! Apparently this Santa fellow came to visit. I haven't quite figured out the Santa story. I watched some of the animated movies telling about his rain deer (which seem to have more to do with snow than rain) and his elves, and I even watched a documentary called "Elf" about the holiday spirit energy crisis currently jeopardizing Santa's mission. But I've also heard a lot of music and History Channel investigations discussing how evil Santa is and how he was a fallen angel and tries to corrupt mankind in mockery of the God that spurned him. So which is the true Santa, and what is he really all about? One thing I do know is that he held true to the whole present delivery thing. When we woke up Christmas morning and came downstairs, I had stuff in my stocking (like this cute little panda pictured below). That was pretty cool, and very much to my liking. Although, as I said, it is an absolute mystery to me still, especially since we have no chimney. Then I got to open a bunch of presents - toys, books, and clothes from so many people I've almost lost track. So I offer a blanket "Thank You" to all my loving family for an amazing first Christmas. I have enough to wear, play with, and read for many months to come. One of the more exciting gifts, however, was the technological marvel known as the "teleconference". Using this, I was able to "visit" with Cousin Lily, Uncle Greg, Aunt Karen, and Grandma and Grandpa Dunham. That was quite an interesting experience. I can't wait until later this month when I get to see many of you in person once again. I also must admit that one of my favorite new toys on Christmas morning was the pretty paper covering the boxes. Oh man is that fun to put in my mouth! Dad was excited about his new liquor collection that included some top top shelf Tequilas and Scotch. And Mom was actually part of the shopping process for many of her gifts, so her surprise level was not as high as mine. Santa did visit her, however, and surprised her with a way to massage her back while at the same time holding me and a way to record my voice digitally so that she can share some of my fun new noises with everyone back home. Plus, as I noted earlier, her tatoo will be coming soon. An amazing first Christmas in every way. The last picture below is from our trip to Kevin and Michelle's house where I got to meet their daughter Kenna (who is only a couple months younger than me). I found a shiny bottle to latch onto while surveying their countertops (don't worry, I don't drink - I just love shiny bottles).
Next came New Year's Eve. This holiday made sense to me, as it was the Eve of the New Year. Christmas would make sense to me in this way if it was simply the Mass of the Christ, but there are trees and presents and Santas and stockings and yule and lights and all this other stuff involved that confuses this issue. Some say all the rest of the stuff is pagan-related, and some say the rest of the stuff just came from places like Wal-Mart, but whatever originated it, it is hopelessly tangled together now, so I'll just have to sort it all out later. It's like gum and hair. One is natural and one is produced in a factory, but when they come together in the right way you can't remove one without removing the other. So back to New Year's. Many people go to parties and lose themselves in a Dionysian celebration of togetherness and hope. New Year's Eve represents a renewal - things left undone in years past can be initiated with renewed vigor. A baptismal rebirth awaits all those who dance under the fountains of sparkling wine at the moment of conception for the new year. It is something primal and exciting, like the wicker man burned in days of yore, the dropping ball can wash away the regrets of years past in ten envigorating seconds of revelry. But we stayed home this year. I was feeling a bit under the weather, and the snow had once again started covering the roads. Not a good time to drive somewhere, drink some spirits, and drive back. We had a quiet celebration with sparkling wine and Flaming lips. Every year The Flaming lips perform a New Year's Eve show in their hometown of Oklahoma City. Mom and Dad attended last year's freak-out. This year, after midnight, they performed their version of Pink Floyd's 'Dark Side of the Moon'. Since we couldn't be there, we tried the next best thing. After midnight, Dad played their 'Dark Side of the Moon' downloaded from iTunes over the top of the Disney movie 'Tron'. It came from something Wayne Coyne said in an interview about their new album maybe going with 'Tron' the way 'Dark Side of the Moon' went with 'The Wizard of Oz'. I fell asleep shortly after it began (having stayed up to welcome in 2010), but Mom and Dad said it worked amazingly well. So well that they are actually going to try it out again this weekend with Jay and Hallie. Dad said it may become a new phenomenon he dubs 'The Dark Side of the Screen'. Anyway, it was a quiet but extremely unique New Year's Eve. I definitely felt welcomed to 2010.
As you can see, there has been a lot going on lately. Is it any wonder I've gotten behind on updating the blog? I'll try not to make it so long next time. Some of you I may see this month when we journey back to Oklahoma with Jay and Hallie. If I don't see you, however, I'll try to keep you updated with any interesting things that happen. Until then, I think I'm going to get some rest. Growing up is hard work.
Until next time,
Azja
