tribute to nanni pan

this post is in honor of my kid-sister. she's the best friend a girl could ask for. we are very different: she can order snake-skin heels from Harrod's for $30. she can work out at 6am at Curves. she can take care of three babies, and still find time that same day to go to the grocery store, get a nap in herself, and cook a healthy dinner for the family. She thinks Colin Powell is still in the Cabinet.

i on the other hand, can't even confidently buy a decent new pair of jeans when i've got holes all in the favorite pair. i roll out of bed at 7:45am in time to nurse the boy, stick him in the exersaucer, and run out the door to work by 8:30. I can solve the political ills of the world in a 30 minute conference call, pump while reading the press clips, and eat a lean cuisine with my free hand. I can read National Review, but not Cooking Light.

but somehow, some way, she loves me just the way i am. And takes extra measures to give me glimpses into the parts of the day i am missing while at work. Like this phone call yesterday: "Dan, Red wanted me to call you and tell you to please buy him size 4 diapers. No child should be told to 'suck in' when the velcro tabs are fastened... it's getting a little out of hand." And she invites me to eat dinner with the Fisher clan every Monday night. And she calms my troubled heart when i'm trying to figure out how the heck my 'schedule' is going to work this summer. If someone had told me that this is what our lives would look like 6 years ago, i would have laughed. But God in his infinite wisdom knew i needed Nanni with her cute butt and her surprising personality. i love you Nan.