We have been meaning to report that we have finally hung the map of the United States that Grandpa Charles and Grandma Connie gave Joe for his birthday. We tackled the big four first: Minnesota (where Joe lives; also: Mommy, Daddy, Clara, Berenice, Graham, and Marco), Pennsylvania (where Aunt Kate, Uncle Scott, and Cousin Nick live), Illinois (where Grandpa Charles and Grandma Connie live), and Arizona (where Grandpa Tom and Lynn live). We are now expanding into states built on more complex and thus, rockier, shoals of knowledge. For example, Julie just heard Ted showing Joe Texas again, where Mommy was born, and where she spent many summers with her grandparents. Joe said, "Grandparents?" Julie felt like this whole set of circumstances may have rocked his little mind! Mommy? Grandparents? Wha. . .? His finger has also wandered to Washington, which we explained was where Sanne and Todd, Elsa and Anja, and Carrie and Paul, and Wyatt and Gavin live. He asked if we could go there. We said one day! Julie has been thinking that when holiday cards arrive, if they are of the picture variety, we can tack them on to the states where their senders live.(We should also add that this map is bordered by the mottos of each of the 50 states. So it is also a handy reference tool for the crossword puzzle set.)
Nick still has the huge laminated map of the U.S. That Ted acquired as a perk of some internship or some such during his UMich days. It has been stickered with tiny sticker dots for all the places he has been, including most recently South Bend, IN, Rockford, IL, and Madisin, WI!
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