It has been 78 days since LA and Nastya came home.
As of 9:30pm tonight, it will have been 1872 hours...111,320 minutes...6,739,200 seconds...but who is counting?
The easiest way to describe the last 6.7 million seconds is simple. Absolutely, positively, and overwhelmingly the best 111,320 minutes of my life!
Even though it hasn't been all rainbows and roses the entire time, I firmly believe that everyone's life that Nastya has touched in her short time with us has changed for the better. I would also hope that Nastya's life has changed for the better and that she is learning as much from her new family as she is teaching.
I want to share just a few of the things that this proud Papa has learned from this darling little 11 year old. Some belly jiggling hilarious and others rather profound and earth shattering. But good life lessons nonetheless.
In no particular order...here I go...
* The idea of taking a nap as a 37 year old Papa doesn't ring the same tune for an 11 year old girl.
* English is a really hard language to learn. Case in point...why do we pronounce the letter "W" the way we do, when it actually looks like two "V"s put together? And whoever decided that "you" is pronounced "u" and the first two letters are there but are silent?
* Its okay to laugh at yourself and have a good time, even if it means a scraped up knee and elbow from falling off your skateboard.
* Strawberry yogurt is much better than strawberry/banana yogurt and black cherry flavor doesn't necessarily taste the same as cherry flavor.
* Scooby Doo can be your hero.
* It doesn't matter what direction you fold the towels or Papa's hanker chiefs as long as you get them folded and put away, aka... don't sweat the small stuff.
* A vanilla cone with cherry dip from Dairy Queen is indeed the highlight of the summer.
* On Big Brother, why is it that when the contestants say they are going home after an eviction, they are actually leaving the home that is the focal point and premise of the show?
* Pillow fighting is cool and throwing water balloons is ten times more fun.
* Thunderstorms can still be scary at 1 o'clock in the morning.
* Picking up Daisy's poop isn't fun at all, but a necessary part of life.
* Sometimes life is hard and learning new things can be frustrating, no matter how smart or how old you are.
* In "American Football" why do you only get 1 point for kicking the ball through the 2 yellow sticks sometimes and get 3 points other times?
* Going to the pool is fun, even if you have to suffer through Mama or Papa smearing sunblock all over you.
* Live your life like a sponge and soak up everything and everyone as much as you can.
I could probably keep listing these little tidbits until I got 78, one for each day she has been with us. Now that I think about it, I could probably come up with 1872 which would be one for each hour she has been home. But for everyone's sake, I will stop on the sponge one. It seems the most profound stopping point and pinpoints the remarkable progress, joy, and love that Nastya has brought into my life.
Here's to life lessons learned and a big thank you to the best daughter in the world for making the last 6,739,200 seconds the best times of your Papa's life!
