Canadian Bacon

Loki: Stella had her pen pal friend come and visit her a few weeks ago. (Like any of you didn't already know this!) I must say that Stella makes a very good vacation planner. I think she had a very good plan... (I tried spelling itenarary..but spell check didn't even understand what I was trying to say...) of relaxation, exploration and fun. I hope Tan knows that it was because she was here and not because you do such activities all week long. I mean, I am sure you would if you had endless dough, but who wouldn't right? I always think I could plan much more exciting activities for myself and Blue... But of course, when you are entertained with a paper towel, and I am entertained watching her with a paper towel, there is really no point. Even though I was not necessarily partaking in all of the planned events, it still felt like a fun week for me! Of course, I must say that I felt replaced or maybe not as important this past week... But that happens. I will not whine about it. I am sure Bess was not whining as she was not made to work out 3 times a day. My MIL (did we name her yet?) asked me if Stella was a personal trainer...as in for real, working on getting her license or whatever just by what Bess is always posting on facebook... what with all the Bob Harper quotes and her complaining about Stella "making" her do this or that. Personally, I think Bess is getting just as bad. I would like to say that I am impressed with Stella making the time to go on her runs this week with company and all.

Stella: Yes, I couldn't give up my big run... Especially with how much food I had been eating... Well anyway, I guess it's my turn to tell you about my pen pal visiting. Let me just begin by saying I was very nervous to meet and entertain someone I've never met before for 5 days! Sure, we've written letters for years and years, but you don't know exactly how they are going to act in person! I really think I was more nervous than she was about the visit, even though she was the one travelling alone all that way and coming to stay with a house full of strangers. I want to cry at the idea. I don't think I could ever be so brave... I never go anywhere alone! But... I think we got along just fine!!!! It was really a fun experience! 

Betty Lou put us on the spot one night when we went out to eat sushi and said, "So what do you guys think of each other?" We both said, "UH..." Actually, I'm sure Tan said "hmm. " or something not quite as stupid sounding as my "UH...." But after some thought it was decided that Tan was actually more talkative than what I had imagined, while she thought I was less outgoing than what she had imagined. Funny, right? Well, of course when you are writing you are free to say all the things you want to say... Like I do on the blog of course! And maybe in person I am a little more thoughtful... quiet... Okay, I can still be shy... Especially in front of people I don't feel completely comfortable with. And of course the first night was probably the most awkward... making small talking... disecting each other's mannerisms... But I think by the end of the week I felt comfortable enough to just talk as I normally would... And it probably took that long for Tan to catch on to my very dry, sarcastic sense of humor as well... (Or maybe just the fact that everything I say is sarcastic. I've gotta work on that...)

I also daily tortured Tan with my picture taking. She is not a fan of posing in front of the camera lens as I am, but she was a good sport and was not brave enough to turn me down so we did get some good pictures of her visit. (I tried very hard to not take too many and annoy her so I am proud of that.) All in all, I think she was very brave to come and meet a bunch of people and to tell the same stories about herself and her job and family and town over and over and over...

And I hope she was not too intimidated with our large family. I mean, you get Batman, TMC and Computer Man together and they're a weird enough bunch to start with... Although I think Computer Man is the weirdest one. He presented her with a Cox "Digiman" and she looked at him like he was crazy. I probably had the same look on my face except I really do believe that man is crazy. (Have you guys heard of how he hides these stuffed little Digi-people around our house? So so weird... and embarrassing.) Then of course, Batman sang the part of the cowardly lion in "The Wizard of Oz"... "If I were the king of the forrest!!!!" Which was a huge fail... since Tan has never seen that movie. (I got that part on camera though.. It's quite hysterical and might be appearing on facebook soon.)

 Then she got to see Choc Chip, Curls, Saucy, Loki, Bess, Gma Mod in action so that was a sight as well.. I have always said we're a close family so I'm sure she knew we all got along nicely, but maybe she wasn't expecting us to all be good friends talking to each other at the same time with 5 different conversations happening at once and WHEN LOKI AND BESS ARE THERE YOU KNOW THE VOLUME IS THIS HIGH!!!

We also went down to Norman one night and saw Miranda Lambert at the Lloyd Noble Center, which she thought was very "loud." On the other hand, I was amazed at how TINY the place was. I really enjoyed doing that together as I am just a concert-lover, even though I dont know if she so much enjoyed the angry-country-girl-you cheated on me and I'm gonna beat you up- and tear out your heart- kind of music that I do... But it was a good time.

She also brought some videos that she made of her home town & those were so neat to watch. She also played the piano for us (you know, the one my mom is saving until she's 90 and then she's gonna practice playing it again.) And we looked through her scrapbook & the box of her letters and pictures that I had saved. That part was really cool. She had a picture of me in the 5th grade where I'm sitting upside down with a book in my hand with a Jumpster t-shirt on like the little nerd bomber I was. I was like, "Hey! That's ME!"

Then there was the time Bess pawned off her copy of "Lady in Waiting" on her, the book that I despise with all of my heart because I had to sit through it during bible study as a 14 year old with a bunch of older teenage girls who were probably dying to have sex at the time and meanwhile, it was nothing but pure torture for me. So while we were busy handing out literature, I grabbed up this book called "20 something" and gave it to Tan to read as well. Bess was very offended since she purchased the book for me back in my youth and I had never read it. I told Tan to send me a book report on it.

So what else did I learn from my visit with my Canadian pen pal? Well, the first thing I learned on Night #1 was that in Canada they refer to beanies as "tukes." I find this to be the single most important fact I learned. Hah. Also, she does say "aboot" and "oout" and "hoouse" EVEN THOUGH she says she doesn't. She had a very charming accent and as everyone in my family will tell you, I began to mimic her more and more the longer I was around her. All the sentences go up at the end... And it just sounds nicer that way... Too bad you can't hear me talking now... But it was quite fun. Betty Lou & I went to the movies after she left and I pretended to talk Canadian. (It was funny at the time.) Anyhow, she was very prim and proper, unlike little ole me, who growed up out here in d'em sticks with my hilly billy folks worshin' my britches and fetchin' water from that there yonder stream. Ha. Okay, I'm not THAT bad, but doesn't everyone whose not from Oklahoma seem that way?!

She also said, "Oh, okay..." a lot. Bess and I decided that it was because she didn't say "Yeah..." after everything the way we do. We say "yeah" after EVERYTHING! Now that I have pointed this out you will start noticing too. But she said "okay" instead, which of course, sounds nicer as well. We did have to teach her how to say "fixin to" and to order a Coke and then say which kind you want like a real Oklahoman.

Tan also had to learn how to interact with a 4 year old during the week, which I'm sure was a huge learning experience in itself, on top of the fact that you are not dealing with just any 4 year old! Bella really is such a character. She cracked me up the way she followed Tan around & kept wanting to go into Tan's room to see what she was doing.. or to ask her a suddenly-urgent question! After all, she had been hearing about Tan's visit for quite some time and was very excited to meet our first house guest! Bella even helped me get Tan's room ready and dressed up a little teddy bear for Tan to sleep with that she put on the pillow for her. I think she thought Tan came all the way from Canada just to sit in her room and play with her. haha. Tan did such a good job playing with Bella though. She wasn't exactly sure how to play dress up with the dolls and bears (not used to being around any children at all)... but after a few days, she was a pro! (And of course on the first night, Bella whips out the "American Girl" doll magazines and gives her a 30 minute lesson on who all the dolls are and what outfits are new...lol... lol ... lol...Yes, this is me laughing at loud at the little monster I have created.)

One of the funniest things Bella did was after she turned on the radio in her own room, she went into Tan's room to check with her to make sure that Tan could hear her own radio... and to let her know that she could turn her music down if Tan needed her too.. So considerate. I doubt she would have ever done that with The Man Child. Speaking of the devil, TMC gave up his room for the week and stayed with Batman and my, oh my, did little Bella miss him so. But she missed Tan too... After we dropped her off at the airport and walked back out the car, I was like, "Gee! This is weird... I feel strange not having Tan here with us." And Bella said without missing a beat, "Well, you still have me to play with, Mom!" She is sure a sweet little girl if I do say so myself.

Also after Tan left, I had to tell my mom to PLEASE stop pointing things out to me. She had gotten in such a bad habit of trying to point out all these "sights" all week that she just kept pointing out all the things she could have told Tan about to me. (You know, Bess... these "sights" were things like this.. "Oh, I went there once like 14 years ago." or "I had a friend who said they went to that place one time and said it was nice." And yes, even, "When I first moved here to Mustang, this wasn't here and this wasn't here.. and right there used to be an old... " You get the gist of it. I won't bore with the rest. Even Bella began to sound like a tour guide, but that's just because she was mimicking us as usual.) But it was nice to have ole Bess along and she pretty much accompanied us on a lot of the things we did.

There was a lot of things I would have liked to have done instead of something else we did or that might have been more suited to Tan's interests, but ah well. I think we did enough things that I actually enjoy doing.... Eating at Big Truck Taco... You know me! I dragged her down there first thing! Shopping at the mall & Target, sitting around eating pizza with family etc. Plus we did some things that I haven't actually even done yet like eating at Toby Keith's. We didn't make it to the Cowboy Hall of Fame... We forgot to stop by the Memorial downtown... so we missed all of the Oklahoma tourist-type things. We also got a pedicure for our birthdays.. had cake and such for our birthdays as well... She brought everyone gifts (for me, my parents & for Bella) and was even sneaky enough to leave TMC a $20 bill for giving up his room for the week. How nice is that?!

I was just glad she liked to eat! Because if she was a picky eater or even just ate like a bird then all our plans would have gone down the drain. You know how my life revolves around food & all. Well, okay... I hope that was enough details for the blog. I made a book on Shutterfly of her trip here and sent one to her and kept one (for those of you who do not regularly stalk my pictures on facebook you may view.) Perhaps one day I shall visit Canada... Maybe when I have a man to escort me...Or have had more practice travelling. Haha. It's probably more likely that she'll have to come here again. I promise this time to taker her to an art museum this time...

P.S. Are you still playing with paper towels?

Canadian bacon is really not bacon. It's ham. Just sayin.