December
2007
Dear
Family and Friends,
Ah,
the joys of the holidays! The colors! The smells! As this year’s holiday missive goes to press, Jimmy Franklin is locked
in the bathroom evacuating every orifice, sharing some vibrant holiday colors and even more powerful smells. This is what
happens when your teenaged son slams down a combination of those traditional holiday staples: crab meat sushi, Doritos and
barbequed “Wings of Fire”.
While
this is going on, Joe and Nancy are reminded of Jimmy’s spectacular meltdown on the Grand Canal in Venice, Italy over Christmas, 2006. While walking through the storied sidewalks and courtyards
of this spectacular city, they can still remember Jimmy’s plaintive wailings of “Why can’t we…just
stay home…and not be in some…foul-smelling hotel…with…cheesy holiday decorations…and strange
food?” If that boy ever emerges from the bathroom, Nancy
is going to gently remind him that he was PRETTY MUCH DESCRIBING HIS OWN HOUSE AT THIS EXACT MOMENT!
The
Franklins started the New Year touring central Italy
with their good friends the Krasnoffs. The logistics of moving 4 teenagers and 4 adults together through the Tuscan countryside
is like herding feral cats through a dog kennel. Suffice it to say that traveling together is a true test of friendship. An
even BIGGER test is keeping the promise that you will never speak to anyone about what you’ve learned of each other.
In
Florence, Nancy had a “religious”
experience. It wasn’t Michelangelo’s David, although several parts of him were very inspiring. No, Joe had his family spend the night at a convent. With nuns. And orphans. This was a
cross between a Charles Dickens novel and “Madeline” with World War I hospital beds. And although Nancy was expecting her bed to burst into flames, she got the best night’s sleep she’d
had in several months. Jimmy and Taylor, on the other hand, discovered that God works in mysterious ways. When their prayers
to be left in an internet café went unanswered, they discovered the toilet paper stuck to Joe’s shoe and proceeded to
enjoy a goodly portion of a walk through the Renaissance-inspired streets watching their father dragging the offending toilet
paper behind him.
Taylor, now 15 has turned into quite the little trash-talking sports enthusiast. She and her AYSO soccer teammates subjected
their parents to six grueling months of sitting in lawn chairs next to gopher-infested soccer fields in two counties. Shouts
of “You wanna go, Bee-ATCH?!” or “Bring it!” from girls in full make-up and clearly suffering from
hormonal overload must have scared the other teams because the “Z-Babes” ended up third out of 600 teams. Taylor entered high school this year, and has already discarded her
brain like a “so last year” designer handbag. When asked about her first day of school, Taylor replied “There are really cute boys in high school!” Never has having
an older brother added so much potential to her little world.
Jimmy,
16, is now a sophomore in high school. He played Junior Varsity football this year and the stadium became a church of sorts
for his parents who prayed regularly (“Please, God, don’t let Jimmy fumble the ball!) and had the health insurance
cards laminated. Jimmy was first string “Special Teams”, and while his parents have always felt he was “special”
enough to require protective head gear anyway, Jimmy learned just how “special” he was to the opposing tacklers
when he happened to be holding the ball. Jimmy did manage to score a touchdown in a hotly contested game (41-0) by hanging
onto the ball and falling forward through a series of plays and, eventually, into the end zone (48-0). The JV team went 10-1
this season and won their league.
This
year, Nancy looks worse than her driver’s license picture,
a close resemblance to Nick Nolte’s DUI booking photo. She continues to enjoy the challenges of consulting for a wide
and diverse healthcare clientele and enjoys repeating often and loudly “Well, you might want to TAKE my advice. After
all, it’s what you’re PAYING me for!” Nancy
also decided to start karate lessons this year. She figured “wax on and wax off” a few cars, then go home and
beat the snot out of her surly, hulking teenagers. There’s a certain amount of ritual and deference involved in karate.
When done correctly, it’s a beautifully choreographed representation of ancient fighting principles. When done by Nancy, it’s a cross between spastic ballet and someone trying
to ward off a swarm of angry bees. You hear “Osu” a lot in karate. It’s pronounced “Ohsssss”
and means “I give my instructor much respect” or “I understand” as in “I give you much respect,
Sensei, when you tell me it’s okay that my Caesarean scar will burst open as I hold this position” or “I
understand that you want my bones to explode into dust, Sensei”. With a dream of acquiring color-coordinated belts to
go with her business suits, Nancy is advancing through her
classes with the dogged determination of one seeking Prada shoes on sale. Her deadly hands can now chop straight through streams
of tap water and tautly-held toilet paper. However, that’s still not enough to defend her against the deadly flatus
expelled by her husband and teenagers.
And
speaking of Joe, he continues to amuse his family with his trip planning. The Franklins again
spent time in Seattle this summer. The Krasnoffs, apparently
having no recollection of Italy and remaining
brain dead, accompanied them. Joe thought it would be fun to “hike around Mt.
Rainier.” Nancy
would like to make it clear that there was no tearing down of curtains to make matching lederhosen, but the hills were certainly
alive with the sound of whining. The hills were also alive with all manner of insects, crawly things, robber birds and, oh
yes, bears. It’s enlightening to learn that everyone, including someone’s husband, children and 77-year old mother,
will hose you with honey as they leave you in the dust to be eaten as a party appetizer. While Joe can’t answer that
age-old question about bears s****ing in the woods, he can answer the other question about which adults and which children
s*** when they run into a bear.
And
so, once again, the Franklins give thanks for a year in which
their hardships were few, their blessings bountiful and their friends many. And for the new, tank-less water heater and new
copper pipes that are finally allowing Nancy to have a hot
shower! May the New Year bring you all much joy and happiness!
The
Franklins
Joe,
Nancy, Jimmy and Taylor
P.S,-
If you can’t get enough bad newsletters, visit www.mirthquakes.com and click on “Christmas Newsletters” for back copies of the Franklin’s
Holiday Newsletter.