Albertus Swanepoel Hats

Oh my! You must all run to your local Target store and try on these hats! Albertus_Swanepoel makes the cutest hats. I could barely choose, but the one I liked best (and that my husband also thought was the cutest on me) was so wonderful that I bought two of them, so that when my daughter has to have mine, I will have a spare. When he gets back in town. I'll have him take a picture to show you.

I have been meaning to write a little about my husband, mainly for our kids who haven't known with him as long as I have and who will be surprised at how many different things he has done. They know about his education, which would have been cut short by Vietnam service, (his birthday was #12 in the lottery), until his draft board surprised him by telling him his knees were too bad, and even if they weren't, his blood pressure was too low, as was his heart beat. In those days, they didn't understand the power of exercise (marathon jogging), to reduce blood pressure. And the reason why he started jogging was because he was told that if he lost weight, his knees (damaged by high school football) wouldn't hurt as much. So he did, probably 80 to 100 pounds, which he has never regained. He is a very disciplined man. He used to model for the local Seattle Courrèges store, very high end French sportswear, until it went out of business, just for fun. This was when he had his black, European style beard. He decided to shave off his beard and took his young sons into the bathroom with him, so they would know it was still him. I should have gone too, since it was a total transformation. Still handsome, with a cleft chin that I had no idea was there. He was a master at the Yo yo, giving demonstrations at the local grade schools. He was quite the piano player, (I have heard from tons of people that he was really good) but the only reason he had lessons was as a cover for the fact that the Piano player at the bar at the Washington Athletic Club was dating his mother. Since the lessons weren't his idea, after they ended, he stopped even touching the keys. Not the only time I've heard of the phenomenon. He was a chess champ in middle school, being sent to play the only guy at the University of Washington who ever beat Bobby Fisher, and beating him. He modestly explains this feat, by noting that his was one of 8 games being played by this guy at the same time. Although he is an only child, he is a surviving twin. And one of his feet is 1 1/2 sizes bigger than the other - that's why not having a Nordstrom store (where they will split two pairs of shoes for him to fit both his feet), in Tulsa is so sad. OK, that's enough for now.