6.16-6.22

 Monday morning initiated an intrepid Lia, Gwyndelin, Elinor, Gabriel, and Miriam into the mysteries of the Intermountain Suzuki Strings Institute, ISSI for short. As she tried to pick up registration materials for one child, herd three others, and field a phone call from a missionary daughter, Lia ran into our good friend from Connecticut-now-Cottonwood-Heights, Becca Lloyd. Becca is a nine term veteran of ISSI and proved an excellent guide in navigating many of the mysteries, and there were other helping hands along the way. 

Sometimes helping hands came in just commiserating mothers. Another mom bobbing an infant up and down in the hallways became a fast friend, though her next youngest was eight and actually in the classes. When asked what Lia's high of the day was at dinner that evening, she responded, "My new friend, Jessica."

Tuesday was a repeat of Monday, but with not so early a start time. When asked what Lia's high of the day was at dinner that evening, she responded, "My new friend, Jessica." "Mom," corrected Katharine, "that's what you said yesterday." Lia could only bury her face in her plate. "Did I?" she queried, with an exhausted voice from inside her mashed potatoes.

At home, Katharine and Abdiel had fended for themselves. But on Wednesday Abdiel tagged along to ISSI because he had declared life at home so boring without his mother and younger siblings. He quickly declared life at ISSI just as boring. At dinner, though, he identified scooting around Juan Diego Catholic School as "interesting" and told Katharine that for only $20,000 she could attend there. "Holy!" she exclaimed. "But I think Anna goes there." "Who's Anna?" asked Abdiel. "She also takes from Elliott [Katharine's cello teacher], and is 12 and is so cute, and she must go there because she learns Latin at school. Also, her dad is German and doesn't speak English very well, but he's really nice." 

"Yeah!" enthused Elinor, "like Rocky! He doesn't speak English very well."

To which Gwyn scolded, "Elinor! Don't make fun of Rocky! He's not even American!"

Eventually the week ended. The Lord celebrated by handing an uncharacteristically quick drive home to the family so they could miss only the first short bit of a showing of Wicked at the city library. Since Miriam wasn't being that behaved anyway, Justin and Lia snuck off to Panda Express for dinner with a third wheel. Miriam sat in a high chair at the end of the table, protesting all the while, but soon discovered that if she kicked her legs hard enough, she could make the chair scoot whithersoever she listed. 

We list to put the week of ISSI behind us.