The Hearty Whites

Yesterday as Claire and I were coming home from school I told her about our busy upcoming afternoon. We had a few precious minutes once we got home to get dressed in nice clothes and head to our family portrait appointment. Since I wasn't sure how late we'd be getting home, I told Claire she could have a hearty snack. (Usually she gets a small snack, so she's more likely to be really hungry for dinner--no matter what it is.) She then asked if she could have two bagel halves (instead of her usual one), since dinner would be later than normal. "Yes, Claire, that's what 'hearty' means--bigger, more substantial," I said.

After a moment of thinking, she said, "So why do you call them the Hardee-Whites?"

Stifling a small laugh, I replied, "Miss Amanda's last name before she got married was 'Hardee.' So she and Mr. Alex together are the Hardee-Whites. It'd be like people calling us the Taylor-Morgans."

Claire interjected seriously, "But no one would do that because it doesn't sound good."

"Yeah," I agreed, "but we just started calling them the Hardee-Whites as a joke and it kinda stuck."

"Well, I don't get the joke," Claire said, "I mean, Miss Amanda and Mr. Alex aren't big or anything."