Evelyn Considers the West Coast

The whole point of the weekend was to tour the campus of UC Berkeley, but she didn't actually do that until the day they left. The rest of the weekend was spent cruising around the area, enjoying the weather, the ocean, the hills, the Haight...

She loved Haight-Ashbury (as we all knew she would) and tried repeatedly for a good picture of the street signs at the intersection. Unfortunately, the light wasn't quite right.

She did admire this lovely wall of graffiti though.

The girl is halfway through her junior year, and I'm wondering where she'll venture after high school. Hopefully out here. I think everyone would agree that she has a very west-coast personality. She would love Berkeley, and I would love having her just across the bay.

Then maybe we could convince the rest of the clan to follow...

Golden Valley Man Supports Local Shoeshiner

While strolling through the delightfully authentic Fisherman's Wharf area of San Francisco, Michael Jensen was approached by a man peddling his shoe-shining skills. Mr. Jensen politely declined, but the man persisted on.

"I bet I could tell you where those shoes come from," he said. "If I get it right, will you be honest with me?"

Unbeknownst to the shoeshiner, Mr. Jensen values honesty above all else. "Of course I'll be honest with you," he said.

The man bent down to get a closer look, and immediately squirted shoe-shine goo on Mr. Jensen's left foot. "They come from your foot!" he said.

At that point, Mr. Jensen had no choice but to let the man shine his shoes. After all, they were looking a little lackluster from the daily wear, and this restored a nice, healthy sheen. When asked for a comment, Mr. Jensen chuckled.

"He got me. He got me good," he said.

Dear Evelyn,

Seventeen years ago, you were born.

I have a vivid memory of that night in '91 - it involves me sleeping in your crib because someone needed my bed. I remember really enjoying that night's rest in a fetal position and waking up early to go visit you at the hospital.

You were the cutest baby in the world.


And now you're the cutest seventeen year old in the world.


I wish I were home to give you a hug and eat your birthday cake. You're my wise little sister and I love you so.

Happy Birthday.

xoxo Fuzzy

Happy Birthday, Mr. Jensen

This guy turns a year older today. Sadly, the only picture I have of him is Christmas 2006, the year he got his first iPod. Did you ever get used to those headphones, dad?

Well, I hope you had a fantastic birthday. And don't worry, life is only going to get better each year. Just think, you have this to look forward to:


I see your future.

!Feliz Navidad!

Hope all your Christmas' were joyful. So joyful that you took off your shoes and jumped! We did. Although, this photo is from 2006.

The Jensen Christmas was delightful. Lilly made a 4-layer Devil's Food Cake and Apple Pie and Rita cooked salmon with shallots and fennel which made everyone happy and full. We watched Arrested Development and Keeping up with the Kardashians as a family and opened gifts - some of which included a baby iPod, kitchen supplies, Tiffany bracelets, a box set of The Grateful Dead, and painting classes for Poppa Mike.

It's been a whirl and I'm sad to say that it's coming to an end. Lilly leaves tomorrow afternoon, Mike & Rita go back to work and Evelyn will continue to chill with her homeslices. I will be stuck here without a car, a fluffy pillow to sleep on, or hair conditioner. But I'm okay with that.

Holiday Party

Last week we had a mini work Holiday Party. It was a splendid time - a lot of dips, dranks, charades and BOOGIE! on wii. Also, I turned into a roller skating nun! Wow!

The moment I slipped on those sparkly pink (too small) roller skates, I was transported back to my childhood. Not to the days spent playing fairies, falling out of trees or swimming for long periods of time in Lake Superior, but to the times spent roller skating in circles to The Chipettes record in the laundry room. Lil was always Brittany (the hot one) and I was always Eleanor (the fat one). I always wanted to be Brittany, but thinking back to Lil's claims at why I was "so Eleanor" totally make sense now. She ate a lot and had white hair.

The World Wide Web: My Favorites

As of one hour ago, this was my favorite Web site. My Momma introduced it to me years ago and I was immediately hooked. I'm not sure what makes it so appealing - my love for Peter Pan or for creepy weird people that make costumes and then take pictures wearing them.

Pixie Man was good, but I have found something even better. I bring you, Sugar Bush.