happenings of the metal kind

so yesterday was a big day in our house. annie got her braces on. she was excited until yesterday morning, then she let me know that she'd like to change her mind if she could. but she was a brave little chica and went ahead with the procedure. it was supposed to be quick, but she had a few of the brackets pop off while the wire was being installed, so two hours later, she finally had her own set of railroad tracks. can you see how chapped her cheeks are? she had her mouth all pulled away with that fancy contraption thingie. i didn't take pictures. i'm really grateful that my mom didn't take pictures of me in such a state, i refrained.

we found that beans and rice make for a very healthy meal for the brace wearing folk. i have this REALLY yummy chicken recipe that we had last night, but the beans and rice definitely out-trumped the chicken.

i let her stay home today. when i had braces, my friends at school would say, "goodbye, we'll see you in two days," when i would go get my braces tightened. i was a wimp. it hurt. my mom was really nice and let me stay home the day after my appointments. luckily i was a good student and it didn't affect my grades. my sister just reminded me that i would sit on the couch, read, and eat little debbies. i don't remember being THAT pampered, but i trust her memory way more than i trust mine. i have a very spotty memory, not because of anything tragic, it's just how i am. kind of a family joke...