liirogue, yes to both. We want to host another exchange student, but we’re going to have to take care of some things first, around the house and ourselves. Then we’ll give it another go.
Off and on today, I’ve been sifting through what she left in her room, the stuff she said she didn’t need us to send on. It’s illuminating, especially since I almost never went into Izzy’s room when she was here. A handful of times when she was sick, and once when she wanted to discuss something without Mr. Rilch hearing. He went in once, to fix the overhead light, and that’s the number of times we crossed her threshold. Although I did get glimpses regularly, when her door was open.
Do you remember a few weeks ago, Olivia Rodrigo hosted SNL, and did a pre-taped sketch where she sang about her perfect bedroom*? Izzy didn’t have the lava lamp or fuzzy throw rugs, but it was the same flavor of super-sweet teenage girl frou-frou. NTTAWWT! That’s actually my point – her tastes are way different from mine when I was a teenager in the 1980s, and now I feel a bit more tuned in to what’s happening now.
Anyway, she left some clothing, a pair of shoes, some…I won’t call it junk jewelry; the plastic jewelry I wore in the 80s was junk. But I mean that dainty stuff she and her friends wear; five to ten dollars, and you wear it until the chain breaks. I’m going to give her friend first crack at it, and donate whatever she doesn’t take. Oh yeah – the friend who went with us to the airport will probably be doing yardwork for us this summer. Another bonus! And I’m keeping some stuff, like a bath set; I remember who gave it to her, and I understand why she would leave it behind. And an empty perfume bottle that will be a lovely suncatcher on my windowsill.
And one thing I found kind of rattled my slats. Broken pieces of something ceramic, something yellow with a black zig-zag. Asked Mr. Rilch: “That was a cookie jar that Izzy ordered for you, for Christmas. It showed up broken, but she still had time to get you [other Peanuts-themed thing].” Ouch. I never knew that! Then I found the lid to the jar, and that was in one piece. Snoopy is eating a chocolate chip cookie, lying on a bed of chocolate chip cookies. So now I have that on my Peanuts shelf! Honestly, I’m happier with than than I would have been with yet another cookie jar.
Meanwhile, Izzy has presumably spent today catching up with her friends! Her mother sent us video of the airport reunion, and Izzy sent photos. All good!
*The hook was that she was actually in a cage at the zoo on a planet where insects were the dominant species.