I love being at home with my family. No sooner do I finish the previous, very serious post about conservative thought, then I walk out into our living room and find my two youngest sisters, Lillian and Madeleine (ages 11 and 13), sitting on the couch and talking comfortably. I sit down next to them, drape my arms over their shoulders, and join in. The next thing I know, I've sent Lillie scampering for paper and pens, and we're all three writing down lists of characteristics for our "Ideal Man." Then we exchange lists and read them out loud; theirs are quite thoughtful. I fold mine up, tape the edges, and place it in my backpack, "To Be Opened Upon Receiving An Offer of Courtship." Maddy does the same, only hers proclaims, "Open When Someone Pops the Awfull Question." She surrounds this sentence with warning signs and underlines it darkly. Lillie, on the other hand, carefully examines our papers and adds several more items to her own list. She suggests that she and Maddy put theirs in our family's combination safe and take them out when they are 18 years old. I think it is an eminently sensible idea.

And of course, all this time I should have been finishing my ISI reading. I leave Thursday morning, after all. :P  ¶ 11:11 AM