He looked so pretty in that dress!

There's nothing like hearing a 6-foot-five-inch tall guy asking your daughter: "Can I get in your room so I can get my dress?"

Ali and her roommate, Kevin, are in town for PopCon, which is at the Indiana Convention Center - a venue I was at for a decidedly different event last week for work. Today is day two and a new costume change that entails wigs for both of them. Ali does the makeup for both of them.

My niece, Becca, is getting in on the action, too, though her pharmacy rotation/work kept her from going the cosplay route. 

The three of them came home last night loaded down with merch that one day they'll look at, shake their heads and laugh. But it'll be a good laugh with a flood of memories when they were carefree and able to be silly.

Yesterday, at the event, people were asking if they could get their photos taken with Ali and Kevin - something a younger Ali and did at this same conference when she was deep into Dr. Who.

Yesterday, Ali was dressed as Nami. Kevin was Uzui Tengen from Demon Slayer. Day two they were both Sanji, who apparently sometimes cross-dresses and is a smoker. "Don't worry, Mom, it's just for the convention; I haven't taken up smoking." 

Tomorrow, they may just go as themselves. Yesterday, Ali lasted three hours in her heels. We're giving Kevin an hour today. 

At one point yesterday, Kevin asked a woman to get a picture with him because her cosplay was part of his realm. Turns out it was one of Ali's best friends. Rinse and repeat that action a few times. 

I took them out to dinner Thursday night when they got in and Jeff grilled last night. 

Tonight they're hanging out with friends after PopCon closes for the night. Hard to tell when we'll see them again, but I'm guessing Sunday will be a late start.

It's the second weekend in a row that we've gotten to see Ali, who is spending the summer working in the research chemistry lab she's been working in since she started at Purdue.

The character, Sanji

She came home for the annual Tokash Indy 500 race party and then our annual trip down to QueenLynne's lake house for Memorial Day with Team Vielee. It was a wonderful getaway. It's always a great time down there.

I was driving and Ali was riding shotgun when we got to one of the ubiquitous work zones on Interstate 65. I didn't slow down, and Ali gave me the side-eye.

"So," she said. "Is that something only YOU say or is it real?"

"What?" I asked, knowing that she was asking about my rule that you don't have to slow down in a work zone if there are no workers. I'm pretty sure that's true. I mean, sometimes INDOT will clue you in and add the "when flashing" notice to work zone slow downs. So I take that to mean it's universal: if there are no workers in jeopardy, why would you slow down?

Alison inherited her long legs and volume permanently  set on loud from Jeff but her need for speed from me. It's a bit of a problem.

At the lake, it's always a problem to keep Ali's lily-white skin from burning because she can't stay out of the water. She's taken to using the hat we bought in California one year for protection in addition to slathering on the skin block. She and I paddle boarded and canoed, and she swam alongside Lisa and me on another canoe trip and emerged without a hint of burn. Score!

Ahead of the race events, Jeff and I took a quick trip to St. Louis because had had won a lottery and had the chance to buy one bottle of beer. A four-hour drive for one bottle of beer. He was going to go solo but I thought he needed a companion and I scored a nice hotel and dinner. Which was great because I worked most of the way over after leaving the Indiana Global Economic Summit (that work event at the convention center) and wasn't much of a companion to him.

As you might imagine, he ended up buying more than one beer, varieties that aren't sold outside St. Louis, so of course it's worth 8-hours in the car during a gas-price peak. Sure. We also discovered spam fried rice and five other equally delightful menu items at a place called YellowBelly. If you're in STL, you should stop in. THAT was worth the drive.

A few weeks ago, he and I traveled with friends down to Kentucky to execute on a Christmas gift the Captain had received. We'll go back there, too. Even for a non-bourbon fan like me, there was a ton of great stuff to see and do.

As long as we're catching up, I should give a tip of the hat to Tina Noel, who won the Showgirls Fantasy Football league title despite my best efforts. OK, maybe they weren't always my best effort, but I did give it a good go this year. Maybe I'll reclaim the trophy next year...

Also, thank you to all of you who sent condolences and sweet messages on the passing of my father-in-law and my brother - events occurring within a couple months of each other. I had a bit of a rocky moment here and there. I'm truly blessed to have you to help share that load. 💞