we were walking to see you when jemma asked if we could go climbing again tomorrow and isabelle said she'd rather go swimming because she met a really neat orca the other day who had a new calf that was learning to leap out of the water and i didn't know which i preferred

jemma likes the looking down from up high, especially if the cliff surface is straight down, but i tend to pee in my pants with vertigo when i try to do that and i think part of the attraction for her is the look on my face when that happens and she laughs until she cries and then i get to laughing and we end up floating in the air for a few minutes because we can't hang on anymore...but isabelle always prefers swimming, i think she's made friends with about three thousand turtles and sharks and tuna...i don't see what she sees in the tuna, i remember that metallic taste when we used to eat them and i always think of that when i see their scales shining in the sun but i don't think she cares about that so much as i

the orcas always play too rough, i think, but isabelle loves to get thrown, as you well know, and the whales throw best, according to her

when Jesus is with her, playing in the surf, i think he likes to get a couple of orcas together and have them swim just below the surface so there's a nice pressure wave and then he just surfs that wave barefoot, it looks a lot cooler than it sounds because he goes back and forth and around like the jet skis used to do regardless of the direction of the waves, and of course his hair is flying out behind him and he's wearing that un-self-conscious smile he has, almost like the one he has when he's holding a newborn, and isabelle rides on his shoulders, arms out doing her little cheerleader routine and singing at the top of her lungs

i told jemma i didn't think i would want to go climbing again so soon and she said she'd ask the new family across the street because she thought the boy was cute and i said i thought that would be good and though i didn't tell her i knew the boy would agree because i spoke with him yesterday and he seemed to think he and jemma were going to be good friends soon and i thought so too because he hums to himself under his breath just like she does

i like walking with the girls when the stars are out in the afternoon because they always point out the ones they've been to on holiday with their friends and the stories they tell about the plants and animals is always so descriptive and it always reminds me how creative Jesus is, one planet was not enough, he had to make unique ecosystems all over the place, they've told me about at least fifty so far and all those in one corner of the sky

our girls are so funny together...jemma is so much smaller and so delicate but her mind is so sharp and isabelle is more about pragmatism and endurance, stubborn we used to call it, and they compliment each other so nicely when they are planning something, they never disagree, they finish each other's thoughts when they get excited and their eyes sparkle just like yours when you're feeling witty and i love that in them

Jesus is throwing a party and you're invited, and the girls have something special cooked up, i can tell, even though they haven't said anything, so we're coming to get you and show you the dress Jesus picked out for you...i think you'll like it, i know i do