Keeli had a dentist appointment today. When she got home, the left side of her face was numb, her speech was slurred, and her lip was cracked and bleeding. One of her first items of business was to pick up a photo of Elijah Wood (her heartthrob), crumple it, and toss it in the trash.

“Sorry, Elijah,” she said. “I can’t let you see my face like this.”

Keeli is by far the most organized sibling in my family. If you haven't been in her room, let me paint a picture for you: the floor is spotless, clutter is nonexistent, her barbie collection sits neatly lined up along a shelf in her bookcase, and her CDs miraculously stand in a row without touching. Don't bother going near any of them, or they will topple over like dominoes and she can definitely tell if you don't set them up just right. She prefers to have her bed made (sans wrinkles) and perfectly aligned with the wall. Unfortunately, to ensure its closeness to the wall, she punctured a hole right through it by ramming the bed against it so many times.
I am convinced that the neat-freak in her helped bring about her love for geometric art. Whenever I see her box art, I feel it represents her perfectly: simple but colorful, with more depth than meets the eye. Although Keeli has moved on from doing boxes, she currently enjoys drawing hearts. She devotes her time to filling sheets of paper with these shapes, but ends up throwing away more than she keeps because she is her own worst critic. Once she finishes a good stack of them, we will post them up for your enjoyment.
Thanks, Keeli, for making this world a more beautiful place. Click on the picture to the left to see more of Keeli's box art.

Keeli is Tawny’s youngest sister. She has Down’s Syndrome and has taught us many profound things about life (but most of the time she just makes us laugh). Although she is 24 years old, Keeli adores anything having to do with Disney and the Three Stooges. Her past loves have been 'NSync, Backstreet Boys, and 98 Degrees. Her current flame is Elijah Wood. Keeli comes to visit us each month for about a week at a time. We hope she enjoys it as much as we do. These entries are dedicated to her.

Mom was going to bring Keeli over to our apartment one day. To save her the 30-minute drive, I said I would pick her up the following morning because I was headed that direction anyway. When mom told Keeli the news, Keeli began to cry and said, “I hate that word.” Mom asked, “What word?” Her response was: “Tomorrow.”