When we got back from our road trip to Texas to see my dad, we found that Anders had almost started walking.

Michelle and Steve were able to use up all their vacation time for this month to take a break from their hospital duties and visit us for Labor Day. Anders took to the both of them immediately, and was never scared of either of them from Day 1. Maybe he knows that they are family.

We had some great food, and BBQ Master Steve was even able to convince me to get a grill. The BBQ went off without a hitch, the weather was perfect, and the food was scrumptious. We may see them soon during the next “Labor Day” in January.

Our redwood trees tell us that the end of summer has arrived. Sun-dried and wind-swept petals gather in a corner.

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. Press play below.

Next year, I expect Asians to be portrayed as not intellectual enough for American society.

	VS
Pack Rat		Materialistic Minimalist

Christine can be described as a pack-rat or hoarder; she still has boxes of memorabilia from her first job and even her notes and ledgers from her college days.

I am best described as a Materialistic Minimalist.  Although, I do have some pack-rat tendencies, I try to keep those efforts in the virtual or digital worlds where everything is neatly encapsulated in a RAID storage device.  In the real world, the less I possess, the better I feel.

Needless to say, sometimes the rat and the minimalist don’t see eye to eye.  So they made a bet.  If the rat organizes her two desks and office floor such that they are free from any loose papers or debris for two months, the minimalist will get rid of any old raggedy t-shirts or shorts that the rat objects to.  The minimalist will also be required to purchase new t-shirts or shorts to replace said items.

Oh the horror for the minimalist… throwing out perfectly functional clothes, and even worse, replacing them with new ones!

To be continued…