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They're the same, right?

Our friend is being ordained tomorrow, and Steve and I are hosting the reception afterwards while both Veronica and Étienne and participating in the service. Carl is also coming home for the weekend (for another reason) and she asked if he could help as well.

Carl: Mom, Jess texted me and asked if I could help with her coronation...

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The Kids are Alright

Étienne was upset Thursday evening because he had misplaced a school folder, although he was pretty certain he had left it in his Spanish classroom.

Étienne: Do we have any Coping Ice Cream?

Me: As a matter of fact, I bought a pint of Stephen Colbert's Americone Dream today!

The next day...

Me: Did you find your folder?

Étienne: Yes! It was in my Spanish classroom.

Me: And is there any ice cream left?

Étienne: Mom, it's called Coping Ice Cream for a reason.

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Misunderstood Lyrics

Carl and I are driving in the car with his mp3 player playing.

Me: Did he just say, "I wanna kiss you in the corn maze?"

Carl: No. In the pouring rain.

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I made a tiny Hamlet amigurumi.

Carl: Mom, I really like your Martin Luther.

Me: It's not Martin Luther! Why would Martin Luther be holding a skull?

Étienne: Seriously, Mom, it looks like Luke Skywalker.

Me: Why would Luke Skywalker be holding a skull?

Étienne: It looks like a stormtrooper helmet.

Me: WHY WOULD LUKE SKYWALKER BE HOLDING A STORMTROOPER HELMET???

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Faith Like a Mustard... Sauce

(Étienne is making himself a fancy sandwich for lunch.)

Étienne: Mom, I think I’m going to write my college application essay on the art of making sandwiches.

Me: And about how thrilled you were when you found out the Sandwich Police existed?

Étienne: No, I wasn’t. Because in my heart I always knew.

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Teenage Waistline

Carl and I have just finished shopping at Costco.

Carl: Can we stop at a drive-thru on our way home?

Me:  No.

Carl:  But it’s noon, the traditional hour for the mid-day meal in Western culture...

Me:  We’ll be home in 20 minutes.

Carl: I can feel my insides twisting with the pangs of starvation...

Me:  There are lots of leftovers in the fridge.

Carl: In the distance, I can the faint glimmering of a light, beckoning to me...

Me: Stay away from the light.

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It gets dark now at 4 PM, but Veronica still wants to go running. Here she is in her safety gear - headlamp, vest, mask.

Veronica: There was applause as I ran by!

Steve: Who was clapping for you?

Veronica: I don’t know, it was dark.

I am so far behind in my posting, I mean to go back and post a bunch of  Étienne’s Instagram musings soon.

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Last night we watched “The Best Thing I Ever Ate, Sandwich Edition” and one of the chefs was from the town of Sandwich, MA, so the police cars there are marked “Sandwich Police.” (They showed a photo.)

This evidently struck  Étienne ‘s imagination and he updated his Insta, the pink/orange ones are his and the white one is from the Sandwich Police Department.

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Latest Étienne Coronavirus update from Saturday, July 18.

For the record on his “rations” comments, the background photo is the blue Mountain Dew I got him at the grocery store.

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Today is Étienne‘s 14th birthday which seems like a good time to post his Instagram story from last week, as one of his classmates just delivered him birthday cookies.

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ESAs

Veronica got a turtle necklace in her Easter basket.

Veronica: Oh! I need to snapchat this to my (college) friend X. He’s always sending me snaps of him and his turtle, Tortilla.

Me: Did you know Carl just told me his friend M is getting a hedgehog?

Veronica: What! I want a hedgehog!

Me: But you’re not allowed to have pets in campus housing, right?

Veronica. No. (sigh) But! (perks up) You are allowed to have emotional support animals! One of my friends has and emotional support snake, and a lot of the RAs have emotional support dogs.

Me: After all you’ve been through, you would probably qualify for an emotional support animal, right?

Veronica: You’re right! I totally need an Emotional Support Hedgehog!

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Friday, April 3, 2020. Veronica was supposed to do a timed track run for her workout today. All the school tracks are closed, so she did the loop at Soundview Playfield while Steve noted her time, then sent this selfie to the CLU track coach who posted on their Insta Story.

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Étienne’s CoronaVirus diary for Tuesday, March 31.

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Easter Prep

Veronica is home for the rest of the semester doing online classes because of the coronavirus.

Me: It’s April 1! I was planning on putting out Easter decorations today! Will that cheer you up?

Veronica: Maybe, but I’m just so busy! Wait, I need to put something on the grocery list because this time of year they have a candy I am quite fond of - that egg shaped candy that is like jelly beans! Will you get some?

Me: You mean jelly beans?

Veronica: No! These are different!

Me: All jelly beans are shaped like eggs.

Veronica: Hmmph! I will show you a picture!

(she starts typing on her phone)

Me: Did you just google “Egg shaped jelly beans?”

Veronica: NO I DID NOT.

(For the record, what she wants is Brach’s Jelly Bird Eggs. I.e. jelly beans.

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Étienne’s CoronaVirus diary for Thursday, March 26.

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Day X = Tuesday March 24.

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More of Étienne’s CoronaVirus InstaStories, March 17 through March 20. The first entry should actually be Day 3 & 4.

On Thursday the 19th (Day 5), the entire state of California went into lockdown, and Cal Lutheran requested students to leave the dorms ASAP rather than by the end of the month. Steve flew down to California today, the 21st, and he and Roni will drive home and complete this semester online.