Better than money

You know in your gut that:

1. A happy marriage is more important than money


2. Commuting is a soul-sucking, deadly experience


3. Friends and laughter are essential
   

And today, in his NYTimes column, David Brooks provided all the data to back it up.

Here's my favorite quote:

"If the relationship between money and well-being is complicated, the correspondence between personal relationships and happiness is not. The daily activities most associated with happiness are sex, socializing after work and having dinner with others. The daily activity most injurious to happiness is commuting. According to one study, joining a group that meets even just once a month produces the same happiness gain as doubling your income. According to another, being married produces a psychic gain equivalent to more than $100,000 a year."

Drew's singing

It seems Drew has been singing and whistling his whole life.

He sings so unselfconsciously. He makes up songs all the time.

He sings to himself, to me, his friends, the dog.

He must sing around the halls of school too, because last year, in 6th grade, the 7th-8th grade music teacher invited him to join the 7th-8th grade a Capella group...and then submitted his name for State junior districts where he sang with other song-meisters from around Massachusetts.

This year Drew is actually in the middle school...and he just keeps on singing. But now, he has even more great ways to do it.

Here he is as Samuel in Pirates of Penzance:



(He was quite a hit with the girls, too.)

And this weekend he performed at the Junior District concert for his second year.



This will be his last year as a Soprano - his voice has officially changed and hitting those high notes was tough!

Bob comes from a long line of singing Welches. And he's always told me, whenever I wished for a little quiet and got frustrated with Drew's constant singing and whistling....

"Mol, only happy people sing...only happy people whistle."

Bob's right.

Snap, Crackle, Oscar

I held my third annual Oscar party this year.

I wore my trusty thrift store dress. Ann wore hers too. Mari wore her new California stack heels. And yet, all I seemed capable of doing was taking pictures of the most honored guest....Oscar.




Patty is world-renowned for her sculptural expertise in the medium of breakfast cereal.

And she out-did herself this year. Presenting us with an anatomically correct, such as he is...Oscar.


We couldn't keep our hands off him.


As the night heated up, and the food and laughter and awards and cries of Oscar Bingo were heard, his marshmallow gave and he did start to tilt.

So, well, it was Ben that took the first bite.


And then...we ate him.

All that and the first woman won Best Director for Hurt Locker.

Great night all around.

Pitching Pi

Dylan and his friends created this video for a Pre-Calculus Project. Kills me.
I can't believe how different school is now compared to when I went.

Jim and Mini Jim

Awwwwwwwwwwww!