As part of our Festibond tradition, Brent and I separately take each of the girls out on a date. Yesterday Hayley and I had our date together. She has been roller skating before, as her friends have had roller-skating birthday parties. She decided she wanted to try ice skating. I thought it seemed like a perfect winter activity, especially living in Maine.

Hayley and me at the Family Ice Center in Falmouth

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The following is a list of some things I want to learn about or master in 2011:

1. Biotechnology
2. Molecular Genetics/Genomics
3. Decomposition Process in Animals and Plants
4. Mental Disorders
5. Physiological Aging Process in Humans
6. Bread and Pie Crust Making
7. Playing Guitar
8. Speaking French
9. Skiing
10. Sea Kayaking

We had a pretty laid back summer. We didn’t go camping or do much hiking, we didn’t travel, and we didn’t have any visitors. But it was a good summer nonetheless.

Despite the abundance of rain we had this summer we enjoyed some trips to the beach and to several lighthouses. Recently we discovered how much fun it is to play catch, whiffleball and baseball. The girls caught on pretty quickly, especially Jenna. She loves it!

We went to Boston a few times and purchased an annual pass for the Museum of Science. We all love it, and we have a great time every time we go. There is always something new to learn. We’ve gone to the Children’s Museum in Portland several times. The annual pass is worthwhile. One of the girls’ favorite things to do there is to dress up and perform on the stage in the theater.

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The Dyer Library here in Saco hosted a Harry Potter Extravaganza: a film premier party for the upcoming “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.” Jenna was especially excited about it because she has been reading and enjoying the Harry Potter series. She just started the seventh and final book, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.”

The Harry Potter Extravaganza was well done, and the girls had a good time. They had their fortunes told by Professor Trelawney, played games, colored Harry Potter pictures, and made wands. Hayley dressed as Hermione Granger, Jenna dressed up as Cho Chang, and Skye as Ron Weasley. The girls even convinced me to dress up as Professor McGonagall.

Cho, Ron, and Hermione

I had an awesome year in school from September 2008 to June 2009. I enjoyed the time I was able to spend with my friends. I’m going to miss my fourth grade year but I have some great memories.

I was in the fourth-grade gifted and talented (G.T.) math and reading program every Monday this past year. The purpose of G.T. is to challenge the students who aren’t learning that much in math and reading. Mr. Reinhartsen (Mr. R) is my gifted and talented teacher. I enjoyed learning how to calculate the area of a circle and a triangle. To find the area of a triangle, you multiply the height times the width and then divide by two. To find the area of a circle, you first multiply the radius by itself. Then multiply that answer by pi. It’s very simple. Mr. Reinhartsen began putting me in fifth-grade math G.T. on Wednesdays in addition to my Monday G.T. because I’m especially good at math. It was fun to see my older friends from my previous 3rd/4th-grade multi-age class. I LOVE G.T.!

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My mother is one of the sweetest, most selfless and caring persons I know. She is quick to drop everything to help someone in need. I know her love for me is unconditional. No matter how different our opinions, beliefs, and viewpoints are; her love, support, and wish for my happiness is unwavering.

I was always quiet and pretty closed emotionally. I had a difficult time opening up and expressing my feelings while I was growing up. My mother could always tell when something was bothering me, and she would sit and wait very patiently until I was ready to talk.

I love that my mom introduced me to classical music; she constantly had it playing. I think this is how I came to appreciate it so much. I love that she was always home when we returned from school. I enjoyed cooking and baking with her, and I’m grateful that she passed to me her fervor and knowledge. I appreciate the way she dealt with my sisters and I when we bickered and fought; she would sing us, either “Love at Home,” or “Let Us Oft Speak Kind Words To Each Other.” Though we acted annoyed by this, her approach was effective.

I love my mom. She has been a wonderful example and I am grateful for her tremendous love, support, and encouragement.

New England is awesome. I love all the history, culture, and architecture. We live less than two hours from the amazing city of Boston. I appreciate the liberal and progressive mentality of the people here. The climate is perfect with wonderfully diverse seasons. Autumn is my favorite, and the foliage in New England is spectacular!

I especially love being a Mainer. I enjoy watching the ocean vessels and watching the lobster men work. Rockland, Maine is the lobster capital of the world, hosting an annual lobster festival. Now that is something to be excited about! I used to hate seafood (I grew up in the Midwest). Now I love it. Gilbert’s Chowder House in Portland serves wicked delish seafood chowda!

I enjoy the camping here, as well as the wide variety of hiking trails–ranging from the marsh, the woods, and to the coast. I never tire of going to the rocky coast with the many different lighthouses, the gorgeous view, the fascinating geological rock formations, and the sounds of the crashing waves and seagulls. I find it quite therapeutic. I like going to the sandy beach in the summer to relax. It’s the perfect place to read, observe people, hang out with my best friend Brent, and watch the girls play.

I love that there are so many towns in Maine with their own unique and authentic character and charm; they haven’t been overtaken by suburban cookie-cutter homes and big-box businesses. The entire state is beautiful with the many lakes and mountains. Even the drive on the turnpike is lovely, lined with tall trees and an absence of billboards (Maine, Alaska, Hawaii, and Vermont are the only four states which ban billboards). I am still waiting to see my first moose.

[audio:kirsten_jenna.mp3]

Kirsten: Where is your favorite place to go to visit in Maine?

Jenna: Trails in the forest.
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Members of a family have a history together and a bond. No matter what happens, there will always be that connection and love for each other. We have the benefits of giving and receiving support. We share every joy and every grief. We challenge each other and help each other to become better. We are constantly discovering the uniqueness and value of one another. I love how we are each individuals with unique qualities to offer, and we’re also a team.

I value the close relationship that Brent and I have with each other. We have something special that no one or nothing could take away. As parents we want to provide our girls with appropriate ways to accumulate the experience and education they need to be able to make good decisions. We try to create a loving environment of acceptance and trust, so that the girls will feel able to talk with us. Open communication and honesty have been so beneficial and vital. I am thankful for the great fulfillment and joy my brings me.

I always wondered why cutting up raw onions makes me cry. Why does it make me so sad?

How Stuff Works provides a good explanation:

When you slice through an onion, you break open a number of onion cells. Some of these cells have enzymes inside of them, and when they are sliced open, the enzymes escape. The enzymes then decompose some of the other substances that have escaped from sliced cells. Some of these substances, amino acid sulfoxides, form sulfenic acids, which then quickly rearrange themselves into a volatile gas.

The gas reaches your eyes and reacts with the water that keeps them moist. This changes the chemical’s form again, producing, among other things, a mild sulfuric acid, which irritates the eyes. The nerve endings in your eyes are very sensitive and so they pick up on this irritation (this is why our eyes sting when we slice onions). The brain reacts by telling your tear ducts to produce more water, to dilute the irritating acid so the eyes are protected.

It is these same sulfur compounds that form the nice aroma when onions are being cooked.

There are various methods for preventing eye irritation while slicing onions. Among them are to stand as far away from the onion as your arms will allow, and breathe through your mouth (which reduces the airflow through the nose and into the eyes). Cooking the onion before you slice it will minimize the release of gas because the change in temperature alters the compounds in the onion. You may also slice the onion under water; however, you will wash some of the aroma out. Another way to avoid irritation is by not cutting off the root of the onion, or by doing it last, as the root of the onion has a higher concentration of enzymes.

Some suggest that placing a slice of lemon under your top lip, holding a sugar cube between your teeth, or holding a piece of bread (a quarter slice) between your lips will absorb the gas before it reaches your eyes. This makes me think of those “hiccup cures.”

Then again, you could risk looking silly and wear goggles. My personal preference: omit the onions.