Bright College Years...

Since I already threw caution to the wind and posted a picture of Two in a wedding dress this afternoon, I'm just going to go for broke and share all sorts of crazy news that isn't mine! 

I am literally bursting with excitement for my little sisters, Four and Five.  And not just because they're road-tripping through Croatia at this very moment (and we all know I think a good Croatian roadtrip is pretty close to Heaven).  No, today I am over the moon because BOTH these lovely ladies got into and decided to matriculate at my very own alma mater!  I've been just buzzing ever since I got the news.  I think I might be even more excited about it than they are.  College was such a formative time in my life; I made so many decisions about the person I am now, (the very best of which was to spend an awful lot of time with a certain witty Republican from Utah).  I'm feeling weirdly emotional about it today -- Looking at those adorable pictures of the Princess, it struck me that she is just one year younger than my baby sister was when I went away to Yale.  And that really doesn't seem like it was that long ago.  And now she's going there herself.  And then I watched this ridiculously nerdy video.  And started crying like a baby.  Because I'm SO HAPPY.  And grateful.  And old...



If you're not in the mood for 17 minutes of cheesy, musical, Ivy League propaganda, here is a slightly shorter (but equally cheesy and musical) video thrown together by a couple of Yalies.  That also made me cry....

They grow up so fast....

Guess who tried on wedding dresses this weekend? 



Do these two have style, or what?

En route to the bridal salon, the Princess let me know that she could deliver perfect behavior -- if I could deliver a 3" cheese-and-pickle sub.  Sounds fair, right?

Though she was technically there to offer moral support and style advice, Princess H fell in love with this veil and belt...  and everyone in the salon, in turn, fell in love with her!

I think I might pull this one out for the reception slide show when Princess H gets married.  In about 30 years....

I'm hoping Two doesn't kill me for posting this one!  She didn't love this dress, so I'm not giving anything away...

Thanks, girls, for a lovely afternoon!!

What to Buy in Hungary

Four and Five are in Budapest!  They flew in yesterday, and I have a hunch they're sleeping right now, so I'm hijacking the blog to offer a little unsolicited advice.... 

Now, my baby sisters are a) passionate about their heritage, and, b) ninja shoppers.  But I've got >10 years' experience on them.  And fancier credit cards. And, apparently, an excuse to share some more picture from our trip this Spring....

Don't forget to pace yourself --  I'd hate for you to wind up in the middle of Central Europe's most fabulous mall (designed by our very favorite Imi Bacsi!), with no energy left for shopping!

If you happen to pop over to Austria, I vote YES to this

...and this

...and this.

...But would probably would pass on this stuff.

The Sardines' Revenge

Behold the Sardine

If you haven't tried these little guys, I suggest you do.  They. Are. Delicious. I could eat them on practically anything.  Try them on toast, flaked into salad or pasta.  They make an excellent addition to tomato-based soups, and add a salty "ka-POW" to humble vegetable dishes.  After 15 years of adherring (heh heh) to a strict vegetarian diet, these guppies make me really glad I started eating fish.

But this is not about what I get from water-logged winners, it's what I have given back to my fishy-friends. And while on most days what I would point out is that I rarely indulge in them--and honestly, that's kind of adding insult to injury, "I only EAT you sometimes"--last Saturday I spent 20 minutes in their shoes (water?).  

With One and Two by my side, we the eaters, became the eaten. And while I think it's only fair to say we enjoyed being eaten more than fishies do, it was one wild ride.

A Broadway State of Mind...

I am posting a few hours early because I want you to see it here first.

I love prose and this is a fine example of them being .. well... used.

Prepare yourself to be entertained...

A nose by any other name....

I believe Mr. One, Groupon, and my sisters are a trifecta for the perfect weekend.  Even when things aren't actually perfect, the combination of great company, cheap thrills, and a little romance makes it impossible to be anything but happy. 

After a lovely afternoon with the sisters, the Mister and I cashed in on an awesome deal to see a new adaptation of Cyrano de Bergerac.  It was both touching and hilarious -- I love theater that makes a point without taking itself too seriously, and this fit the bill entirely. Three watched our munchkins, and Two not only dropped us off downtown, she also took us back to Capitol Hill when we realized I'd directed us to the wrong theater, (the real venue was just 2 blocks from home).  

To help start your week with a swoon, here is an excerpt from one of Cyrano's love letters.  Le sigh...

"And what is a kiss, specifically? A pledge properly sealed, a promise seasoned to taste, a vow stamped with the immediacy of a lip, a rosy circle drawn around the verb 'to love.' A kiss is a message too intimate for the ear, infinity captured in the bee's brief visit to a flower, secular communication with an aftertaste of heaven, the pulse rising from the heart to utter its name on a lover's lip: 'Forever.'"

P.S.  Speaking of love, it is never a good thing when the leftovers from Mr. One's Welcome Home Feast are still around before he leaves town again.  Either he left town way too soon, or my fridge *really* needs cleaning.  Alas, in this case, it's probably both....

Debuttoning Our Button

No, nothing sleazy is going down at Five. Unbuttoning would be sleazy, debuttoning is funny -- it's a pun. . . like 'debut'. . . get it?! . . . It's funny!

Jet lag (hello, sunrise!) has been a great opportunity to do things that I've been meaning to do before; you know when you're like 'Oh, I should do this, but I'm too busy sleeping'. Well, that's how it's been with me for the last couple of years. I've decided to spend the time that I used to fill with useless rest with more productive things, like button making! No, not legit buttons (how would one make a legit button?) -- internet buttons! Thanks, Korean Standard Time! I'm sure this is very incoherent (though I can't really tell), and I apologize for that. How about a button?!

<a border="0" href="http://www.fivetdsisters.blogspot.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1179.photobucket.com/albums/x396/nonitd/colorfive-3-1.jpg"/></a>

Please feel free to grab the button and put it everywhere you're willing. The HTML has a smaller image, which should fit comfortably in most sidebars, cupholders, etc. Two thought that maybe we should make the picture our header, but I made an executive decision that no one should be subjected to that kind of drawn-face action in any significant way. However, I think that it's quite digestible as a tiny button.

Yup. Works as a tiny button.