Finally caving in to peer pressure

I really think it was ingrained in me as a child not to cave into peer pressure. I remember when DARE came to my school and my little brother and I were both chosen by DARE team members to go up on the stage to show that we could say no to drugs. I found a photo of this recently. My mom probably took it because it was cute that we were both selected to go up on stage, but I wonder if in the back of her mind she thought such a photo might come in handy at a later date--say high school? Interesting how the very act of allowing a DARE team member to get you up on the stage could be seen as caving into the pressure to do something you might not want to do. (I probably wanted to be chosen, but then that's not news for anyone who knows me...I understood Lisa Simpson when she said, "Someone please grade me!")

So, although I have held out this long against the subtle and not so subtle "You should get a blog"s, I have finally decided to start a family blog now that we have moved away from family and many friends. I can just see Mandy, my blog-stalking former next-door neighbor, clapping her hands. I'll slowly make some links to various friends' blogs. If I don't have yours, please email me the address, because I really haven't entered the blogging world all that much.

I did just use Skype yesterday for the first time and was VERY impressed. The video and sound were really clear and I felt that I was living a Jetson world, except that I drive a car and not a ship and I don't have a robot-maid yet.

For memorial day, we went to the ped-mall in downtown Iowa City. They have a great playground (which is right outside a new library with an awesome kids' section) and fun fountains. Just around the corner is an ice-cream shop. A great way to celebrate the last day before Max really starts classes and studying. According to other PA students, we'll see him again around Christmas.