I Was Sigfried! I Was Roy! I Was Sigfried! I Was Roy!

In the first year Rob and I were married, we attended two poetry slams in San Francisco. If you're not familiar with a slam, it's competitive performance of your own work: 1-2 dozen poets each performing a work of 3 minutes or less (sometimes there is a tiebreaking round -- Sudden Death by Haiku). We were young and unwrinkled and life was easy and we had no idea it wouldn't always be that way. We couldn't have forseen that we'd remember several of the poems 13 years later.

One of those was called "What I've Done Since High School Graduation" by Phil West. It was a poem-as-answer to that dread question at reunions, and he responded with a whimsical fantasy of the places he'd been and the things he'd done, but also the people and objects that he had been (501 jeans, flannel shirt, antibiotic, narcotic, prophylactic . . . ). The refrain was "I was Sigfried! I was Roy! I was Sigfried! I was Roy!"

It has become a part of our family lexicon. In Rob and MA parlance, this is what you say when you have had a crazybusy day or when you've mastered the to-do list that would choke a pig. It's an invitation to enumerate all of your legendary and random accomplishments. So in the preparation for our Study Abroad 2011, here's what we've been doing (instead of blogging):
Celebrated Father's Day with family. Roasted marshmallows and sang around the campfire.
Will got four teeth pulled, one cavity filled and two front teeth gussied up. Maddie had her bite realigned.
Sebastian attended Chinese and computer summer school.
Got three passports, 11 London transport cards, 9 London passes, 5 haircuts, and 6 backpacks.
Tried to relax after a long day of chores and unhappiness. 2 minutes into playtime at the park and Joss ran screaming to us with a huge bump right on the bridge of his nose. It has morphed into a great little superhero mask between the eyes.
Rob threw his back out. He was down for two days (and only two days because his brother-in-law came by and worked him over for an hour or two). It was nice to have a forced rest. Here he's watching Sendung mit der Maus with Joss.
Will participated in a Kodaly choir camp through BYU. They did some lovely pieces and I wish he could do it all year long.
We took down a third of our cherry tree. This is actually after we filled the truck to the brim once.
What. Don't you cut down trees before you leave on a trip?

The tree took down some of Rob with it.
Sebastian and Joss took a session of swim lessons and loved it. This was the huge breakthrough -- Sebastian can now breathe while he's swimming! YAY! Before he'd swim 10 feet then get up and tread water to catch his breath.
Joss had a blast. It was pretty much time to blow bubbles and impress the lady folk.

And on the last day you get to go down the slide. Oh joy!

We also replaced our trampoline; repaired two toilets, a kitchen light and a closet door; washed all the walls, the bathrooms and windows; saw Rio; went on a bike ride; hiked Battle Creek Falls; ate more restaurant food in the last week than we have in the last year; got a pedicure (me!); went to girls' camp (Maddie); had three doctor appts. and five prescriptions; did a million loads of laundry; enlarged and planted our garden; weeded and mulched the yard; ordered a ton of tickets for Study Abroad; downloaded books, TV shows, and games for iPod and iPads (including the much-touted app for public restrooms all over the world -- Will calls it "iPee"); were fed and pampered and helped in myriad ways by all our friends and family; and packed and sweated and weighed our bags.
We were Sigfried! We were Roy! We were Sigfried! We were Roy! Stay tuned to see what we are next!
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Comments

Ann said…
I can't wait. God speed!
Zina said…
It's weird to me that lists like that not only make me tired, but also a little envious. So this means you're on your way? How exciting! How exhausting!
Anonymous said…
Bon Voyage!
Love, Grandma & Grandpa

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