piquancy /n./ agreeably pungent or stimulating to the taste; exciting, agreeably interesting or attractive; an interestingly provocative or lively character. punch. spice. allure. charisma.

piquancy /n./ 1. Our dinner conversation has taken on a delightful piquancy in the last couple of years. It seems the older my kids get, the more fun these conversations become. Most nights David and I are all eyes and stifled giggling, secretly sharing the humor and piquancy of our children over our water glasses. On Tuesday night Caleb announced, "Yesterday was National Corn Chip Day and we didn't do anything to celebrate." Guess we should have broken out the "picante" salsa.

piquancy /n./ 2. In desperation today, I cut my bangs too short. I am trying not to dwell on it too much...I just keep telling myself that it adds a certain piquancy to my face that only increases my charm.

piquancy /n./ 3. I've had several comments asking how I choose the word of the week. When I started my blog I started seriously thinking about words again. Just words. They would roll around in my head and I found that each one was a kind of little magic. Amazing all that one word could convey. Amazing how just one of them could describe a moment, an emotion, an experience, perfectly. And each carefully chosen word could add the piquancy, the punch, to what I was feeling. When this all started I was in love with "mollify." That word rolled around inside me for a few days...I don't know why...and it started me thinking that I would like to celebrate words for just what they are, a perfect idea wrapped in a few letters.

Most of the words I use for the word of the week, I find while I'm reading something. Though, I came across "lugubrious" while watching a program on PBS with my husband. He asked me what it meant and I thought, "Word of the week!" Most of the words I know, or have a vague idea of what they mean, but I also love finding a word I've never used, like "charily."

And most of the word choices are not premeditated. I keep a running list of piquant words that catch my attention, or that I don't know, and then choose them at random. The post at the end of the week ("Use the word in a sentence and it's yours forever" kind of idea) is just a fun way to wrap up my week and remember random bits of my life.

piquancy /n./ 4. On Saturday night we went to a production of La Man of La Mancha in St. George, Utah. Don Quixote's piquancy pulled me in and made me want to leave my own reality for a bit and dream. Thank heaven for the poets in our lives. It was a charming play and the music was fantastic! How can you not get chills when you hear "The Impossible Dream"?

piquancy /n./ 5. The reason we drove to St. George was to celebrate my Grandma Olga's 94th birthday. I hope I have as much piquancy as she does when I am her age. She just barely gave up her driver's license...not without a fight...and it is not unusual to find her mucking out her curb, waxing her garage floor, or hauling dirt to fill flower pots on top of a retaining wall. She is a witty wonder besides. She always has humor and a clever comment...when we began singing "Happy Birthday," she started belting out, "Happy Birthday to Me!" She wears her testimony on her sleeve and has lived a life dedicated to her family and her God. Plus she is a brilliant writer and an inspired poet, two of my favorite qualities in a person.