Sibling alliances, sibling diplomacy, sibling translation

Recently I was irked with our daughter.  She was speaking and acting disrespectfully toward me during our out-of-state trip which required us to rent a minivan, of which we had our pick (being value-minded Taiwanese-Americans, we chose the top-of-the-line American model available to us, the Chrysler Pacifica).  Our selection was replete with leather seats, premium audio with satellite radio, Bluetooth cellphone connectivity, motorized sliding doors, motorized back hatch, rear A/C controls, heated seats (which we "threatened" to use on them in the hot muggy Colorado summer weather if they misbehaved)... all foreign features for kids whose family cars are 14 - 22 years old!

Anyway, as we were driving I had gone on and on about how Evanglina needed to be more respectful to her parents... namely me at the time.

After some time of silence, I heard Evangelina comment in what I thought was a sarcastic tone, "I really like all this lecturing."

"What????!!!!!!"  I nearly blew my top, and was about about to lay it into her afresh!

Thankfully, Jadon intervened in a rather calm and matter-of-fact way: "Dad, Evangelina meant 'luxury' when she said 'lecturing.'"

Deflated from my narcissism, I couldn't help but thank him for his effective "Mina-ese"-to-English translation. 

I love you, warts (and solar lentigines) and all!

The age spot on my face -- likely a solar lentigo -- has been ever so slightly growing at my left temple over the decades.  Recently, perhaps partly out of vanity, partly out the realization that it might easily be removed (an in-law our age told me he recently had his frozen off), and partly in order to rid myself of something that I worried might transform into skin cancer down the road, I decided to attempt to remove it myself with liquid nitrogen cryotherapy available at my work.  (Wincingly applying the stinging remedy to oneself while trying to avoid spraying it one's own eyes is another story in itself... it's just begun blistering.)

After I had applied the treatment and my temple was still swollen, I told Evangelina what I had done and why.

To my surprise, she responded with a pout, "Awww, I really like your brown thingy. Ever since I was born I saw it there and I like it and I got used to it."

This healing's got me reeling!

As we read the Bible tonight from Mark 5, Evangelina and I were reminded how complicated language (especially English?) can be, even with proper grammar and word order.

D (reading the chapter heading): "Jesus Heals a Man with a Demon"

E:  Awww, why did He have to use a demon?