Welcome to Mir week

It’s officially Mir week!  To avoid confusion, this is not the celebration of some defunct Low Orbit Soviet space station.  It’s the week we celebrate Miranda’s first triumphal return from Free Will Baptist Bible College in Nashville, Tennessee.

As part of the celebratory procedures of the week, each family member has been assigned a task by Miranda herself.  I have been given the honor, the privilege, to write a blog entry about my “wonderful niece.”  It’s a very difficult task that I embark on, and with no small amount of trepidation.  Where do you start on such a momentous undertaking? 

Do I speak of intelligence that outshines the others in her class?  What about athletic ability that comes so natural?  Maybe I should spend time expounding on her beauty and charismatic personality or maybe her mellifluous voice.  The longer I pondered these thoughts, the more I came to realize that it was impossible to complete my task.  As selfless as her request may be, it just doesn’t seem fair to devote a whole entry to Alexandra Parish when in fact we are celebrating Miranda’s return.  I’m sorry, Miranda.  Considering its Mir week, I’d rather use this space to write about you. =)

Miranda holds a special place in my heart, since she’s the first niece I ever had.  She is solely responsible for my introduction to Barney.  So hooked was she on this purple monstrosity, that she named everything after it (her cat, stuffed animals, the tree in the back yard…).  I remember one time I was so fed up with it that I gave her a stuffed bear and intentionally named it before she had a chance to attach the usual moniker.  I named it Floyd after the barber on Andy Griffith, fully expecting her to slip a name change in on me.  She never did.  And years later, when her stuffed animals had to be confiscated for allergy reasons, she refused to give up Floyd.  I had no idea that this little teddy bear would become such a special thing to her.

But now, she’s moved on passed Barney and bears and is off at college, preparing for the rest of her life.  We’re very proud of how well she’s doing and how thoroughly she is applying herself.  I’ve seen some of the pictures of her study time, and the intense look on her face tells the entire story.  I remember my years of college at the School of Engineering, and can honestly say that I don’t ever recall being so bent out of shape over my assignments.  Keep up the good work, Miranda!

I can only hope that her rigid study practices don’t detract from the real reason she went to college…to find a man.  It does scare me that she’s off so far with no one to help guide her in the “man-selection” process.  I say this because not long ago, we all went on a vacation together, and she ran across her ideal guy.  He was the quiet type, tall, dark, and handsome, with rugged features.  He turned out to be a wooden Indian.  So, I’ve got to say that her husband hunting method is a little suspect.  Here’s a picture of her and her cousin, Karinda, with it.  We worry about Ren, too. 

So, to help with this effort, I encourage any eligible, attractive, interested bachelors to send me a photo of themselves as well as a resume complete with earning potential and the number of orphans you’ve personally saved in the past year.  If you turn out to be above the high bar that our selection committee has placed, we might contact you.  Don’t hold your breath.

Well, I think I’ve done my part to get this special week jump started.  We can’t wait to see you, Miranda (at least those of us who bothered to even be in town…Kendal)!