Aunt Chelley

Last week I finally met my beautiful niece Lily when Ben's whole family vacationed in the Outer Banks. She's 11 months old now and so close to taking her first steps but not quite there. Instead she has mastered the art of the surprise trust fall. Walking is overrated when fussy aunts are there to catch you before you land on your face. I'm happy to report that even though we just met, I'm still in the running for favorite aunt.

Remember this? Phil and Elicia showed up to the beach house with Lily in tow and, upon seeing them, Ben ran outside and held out his hands, hoping to earn his title as the fun uncle, Uncle Awesome-o 4000 (yes, that's what he wants to be called - I married well). Before he could grab her though, she puked a lovely bouquet of carrots and whatnot right on his eager outstretched hands. I showed up right about that time and there she was, reaching toward me with a toothy grin as Ben ran away in disgust. I love this kid.

Aunt Chelley - 2
Uncle Awesome-o 4000 - 0

Win.

Nursing School Causes Skin Cancer

Not really. Perhaps indirectly? This past weekend Ben and I spent the 4th at his uncle's house on the Potomac River. This was the first I'd seen of the sun all summer long, and I reluctantly bathed myself in SPF 30, desperate to get a tan but unwilling to burn thanks to the various scars on my body from mole removal and Ben's insistence that I stop being dumb. We spent all weekend in the sun, swimming, tubing, and going for boat rides and both of us came back white as a sheet. It was kind of embarrassing how pasty we were. It was more embarrassing how pasty we stayed.

On Wednesday we decided it was high time we hit the beach, so we somehow managed to find a few hours to squeeze in a little R&R between studying and Ben's flight schedule. We literally spent maybe an hour in the sun and we are both now lobster red and I have more freckles than a Ginger kid.



At least it wasn't a total loss. There's now an ever so slight semblance of a tan forming. Score!