Pen-Elayne on the Web

Jonny Be Good

Have I ever mentioned how amazingly proud I am of my godson? Well, you're going to hear it again. Jonny did great yesterday at his bar mitzvah. And my mom gave the family one of the best presents they could have -- she came back east early. Nobody but us three "kids" and our spouses knew about this, and more than one relative told me they couldn't believe I'd kept the secret for so long with nary a mention on this blog! But you see, (a) as conversational as Pen-Elayne might sound at times, I'm really not very Dooce-like; and besides (b) I know family members check in here and the secret wouldn't have lasted very long had I breathed word one. The expression on my aunt's face when she saw her sister unexpectedly sitting in the pew was worth the price of admission alone. Jonny remembered my Dad in his speech, which touched me more than I can say. He's so totally remarkable, in large measure due to parents who have raised him beautifully. He saved some of his highest regard for his teachers, and was excited to tell everyone about the animals he's adopted from the Saint Louis Zoo. And right after the bar mitzvah, he and brother Daniel had their annual head-shaving appointment in support of St. Baldrick's. Are these amazing, other-directed kids or what?

And yes, Rob took the "obligatory" Sibling Picture in the car park afterwards. Here you go, click to embiggen:



I hear my mom now, "Embiggen isn't a word." Welcome to the 21st century, Mom, where anything can be a word if you put it in your blog! For the story behind the Sibling Pictures (and to see past Sibling Pictures), click here. I think this is the first proper one we've had since '05.

It was a lovely day, but for whatever reason (probably allergies) we've needed about a day and a half to recover from it.