The Swedish for shock is:
"Omygodit'smondaymorning!"

So we're having a great autumn. Jen even got some new fashion wear for the season.

And Malaren found the virtues of hats.

Malaren Cassat
18" x 24" Oil on Canvas $25,000,000

Hollywood Malaren
Jen: I wish I could say that the affection you see in the picture series below was due to
my being behind the camera. Not so. Instead, due to the swivel of the awesome camera
Annie gave us, Malaren is looking at herself in these pictures. Eh . . . should we
encourage this or sent her straight to therapy?

Some more pictures of Halloween at the daycare. The princess is the alpha-competition
in the classroom and Malaren was not pleased that she had to be a witch.
I can just hear the Little Princess: "Oh, what a quaint costume you have there, Malaren.
Too bad I had to wear this silly little perfect princess gown..."
Jen: Malaren could care less about frilly pink dress. She just hated the hair, the cape, and her boots.

Rebecca Cook hald a festival for Haley's 4th birthday. Lots of fun, game, food and face paint.

Jen's elephant ear plants are flowering, They're not supposed to. Any botanists out there?

5th Wedding Anniversary. I'd forgotten all day. I talked to Mom at the end of the day (Oct. 9)
who congratulated me on five years of marriage. "Oh, shit!" and she laughed because she knew
I'd forgotton. So on the way home, I stopped at a few stores and got candy, flowers, and a card.
Smooth as silk I walk in the door and say "Happy Anniversary!" And Jen said, Happy Anniversary!" right back
like she had the words on the tip of her tongue all day and was just waiting for me to mention it.
Well, she had forgotten and had been reminded by Annie! So I win!
Jen: I would call that a draw. I had planned a surprise trip to Tennessee, but Ivan
took care of that. Then, through the week I forgot. Thanks, Annie, for the reminder.

I'll let Jen talk this one:
Jen: Okay, Friday afternoon I was talking to my girlfriend Marzia and even more feminine
yet male colleague Jami. I mentioned that I had planned to color my hair the following morning.
Jami, said, "Oh my Goooad NO, have someone else do it for youua! That way you
have someone else to blame when it looks awfulll!" Well, I have colored my hair for ages and
it had never really backfired on me. Sure, there have been bad color choices, but they
come out as expected. So I blame Jami jinxing the process this time. This is supposed
to be a beautiful Spicy Ginger, not Neon Carrot/Pumpkin. Two rescue efforts later I
was able to go out in public. Still, I had lunch with the VP of Academic Affairs the following
day. The seating arrangement placed me right across from him with the bright light
from an entire wall of windows bouncing straight at him through my red highligts. I
totally understand why I looked away more than at me . . . Oh well, it hasn't seem to affect
my position so far. In fact, the Provost (my boss's boss) said he thought the color offered me
the extra boost of luck I needed for the VP to use my application for pre-approval of an
out-of-discipline doctoral degree to make a complete shift from institutional tradition. I
received this pre-approval this week and the VP has offered to be an academic mentor
and cheerleader of mine through my studies. Now we are waiting for November 19 to see if I
got into the program.