Jules: "Are we really going?!"

My sister Julie got home from school today and said "KAREN! You have do something so I realize that we're actually going! It's not sinking in, and I want it to!!" So what do you tell a girl (who's about to head out on a caribbean vacation with you) when she doesn't actually believe you're going? So I told her to pack. and asked her if she needs some sunblock, or if she has some sweet new shades (she has started, doesn't need more, and yes). I also showed her the weather report (thanks to www.weather.com) for the islands we're going to, and then pulled up some photos of beaches we're definitely going to spend some quality time at. It seemed like she was getting into the vacation mode, but I'm not sure. I'm fresh out of ideas, so let's hope she's feeling the upcoming vacation now!

Once I'm discussing my loving, happy, optimistic little sis, I should add that a big milestone is upcoming for her. She is on the verge of losing her last baby tooth!! You can see that a new one is coming in, so she's hoping it'll push the old one right out. We had a discussion about this for about an hour yesterday. and by the way, she's sixteen. Yep, this tooth has been hanging on (not that it's loose or anything, because I don't see any signs that it wants to leave anytime soon) for about 15 years. I wonder if the tooth fairy visits teenagers (who already have their driver's license)?

I am kind of pumped about something I did recently that is really un-Karen-like. This is the year I have to get a new driver's license, and of course the annual registration for your automobile is due on your happy (birth)day... Well, the usual move for me is to wait until the very last possible day and then go to the Secretary of State's office and fork out the cash for the required documents. Not this year! I did them both more than 2 weeks ahead of time!!! what a great feeling! That's probably the most un-procrastinatorlike thing I've ever done! Now let's see if I can get on a roll and do a couple more things ahead of time, and maybe I'll actually have something to talk about.

Just a couple more days, and I'm outta here! (for a week...)