Ode to Bobcats, and the men who drive them

For any of you who have visited the dangerous and untamed mole and rock retreat that was once our backyard- you are in for a little visual shock. Our bishop/landscaper came over the other day and braved the disgusting conditions to transform our hideous and seemingly hopeless jumble of random crap into a beautiful flat plane.


When he finished I came out and exclaimed, "WOW!! It is incredible!"
He, a professional landscaper, looked at me pitifully and replied, "Well, I don't know if I would say incredible, but at least it is an improvement."
I tried to describe our dread each day as we looked out over the daunting task, knowing that soon the rain would subside- and at that point we would be left with no excuse for doing nothing about the eyesore. Truly, to us, the transformation was nothing short of miraculous.
He laughed, "Yeah, when I got here this morning I was searching for any possible excuse that this wouldn't work because I really didn't want to do it. I hoped maybe the bobcat wouldn't fit."
Well- lucky for us, it did fit. And now all of our wildest dreams have come true.

The Changing Nature of Parties

Elementary School: I remember wanting more than anything to have my birthday party at McDonald's. I sent out invitations with a juicy (non-McDonald's) burger on the front and my recollections of the event tell me that it was as sweet as I had imagined.
The fun? McDonald's, of course.
Middle School: I hosted a huge blow-out at a park in my neighborhood,hoping upon hope that when the party finally came, my mom would change her mind and let us dance at the party. Didn't happen. I had about 15 girls spend the night afterward that split into two groups, becoming arch enemies for the night. The conflict?- one group wanted to go to sleep while the other would declare war on any individual to do so.
The fun? DRAMA.
High School and College: The fun was usually all about doing something crazy...typically irresponsible, thoughtless or spontaneous.
The fun? ummm, I guess maybe it was the moment. We were invincible then.
As Parents: A few nights back we celebrated one of our best friend's birthdays. While we had a great time talking and hanging out- the stark differences between this and parties of old was not lost on me. Our conversation centered mostly around funny or gross things that our kids are doing, whether or not they are sleeping, eating, teething, talking, walking, etc. The big hit of the night was when Lucy took a few steps for all to see. At that point John said, " Hey Rod, I'll bet you didn't know that your birthday party was actually going to be a big playdate."
The fun? Enjoying a new element of life, a new stage, new era. The big deal is poop, not glam; joy, not just fun.

GPS Gizmos Can change Your Life-It Has Changed Ours!

So on Saturday we had an hour to kill before we had to go to the airport to catch our flight from Houston. There we were, in the fourth largest city in America, not wanting to waste time but also being totally unaware of what was to find. No problem, says I. I'll find something to do.

So I push the "where to" button on our GPS unit in the rental car. Then I push the "attractions" button and choose "landmarks" from the several choices. I scrolled through several bland destinations until I found one that really caught my eye: Battleship Texas!

Before Mamie knew what I was thinking I had selected "Battleship Texas" and we were obeying the soothing voice of the woman inside the GPS box as she deftly guided us to our unknown (to Mamie) destination. As it turns out, the battleship Texas was next to the San Jacinto Monument, where Texans fought their decisive victory against Mexico!

After our Texas trip, we borrow the sentiment from the Tupperware customer in Napoleon Dynamite: "I waunt that!"

Happy Birthday Lucy

Today our sweet little chubby cherub turns one year old. How did we ever even enjoy life without her? Without that fiesty but oh-so-cuddly personality, or those funny scrunch faces, or the sweet sound of her voice, gurgling out serious and very determined converstion?


Just the thought makes me weak with joy and gratitude.

So, are you dying to know what we got Lucy for her birthday?

....WE GOT THE HOUSE!!!....

Feast your eyes on this little birthday gem, and thank you so SO much for all of your prayers and faith on our behalf. We beat out our competition. Really, though, we owe so many thanks to the Man Upstairs for the incredible bounty he is pouring out on us. Thank you, thank you, thank you for your faith and prayers.

WE GOT THE HOUSE! AHHH!

No place like home

Well, I guess it's about time to make our big news known. And big news it is, indeed. Remember how we talked about living in Seattle for at least five years? Yeah, well it seems our proverbial (space-) ship has come in a little earlier than expected. John, the aspiring rocket scientist, has accepted a very humble position with Boeing working as an engineer on the International Space Station Program, Life Support Systems group. Is he excited? Only if by excited you mean bouncing off the walls and talking a hundred miles a minute to anyone who will listen about the spacey derivation of every street name in South Houston. "Oh, Gemini, yeah, that's blah blah blah." "You see that building right there, that's where they used to house the blah blah blah." He has said a number of times that he feels like we are moving to a giant theme park.

Hog heaven, baby. Hog heaven.

Congrats to our favorite savvy and driven space nerd. We love you!


So here we are looking for homes in Houston, the armpit of the great state of Texas. How did it get this notorious nickname, you ask? We'll let you know as summer draws near. Our short sojourn in Seattle will be over in just 1 1/2 short months, and then we'll be back in Texas where we admittedly belong. I have a feeling we'll be missing the rain and moderate temperatures of Seattle when we go.



Our little cowgirl is easing into her roots just fine, don't you think?

Only in Texas

Lucy's hotel breakfast...Seriously, how many of you have ever seen a waffle iron in the shape of Michigan?

Prunes and Loneliness

So my darling wife is off to Texas to celebrate her brothers triumphant return from 2 years as a missionary in Zimbabwe. I'm glad that she can be there for his homecoming, but now I have to prove to her that I really don't fall apart when she leaves. Last night, as we spent the evening with our good friends the Stratton's, she said to them: "If you see any funky posts at our website, please invite John over to save him from himself." Well, only 24 hours later, here comes that post.

I took Mamie and Lucy to the airport this morning and then came home and chatted with family on the phone well into the morning. Finally, around 10, I got started on my online math class. Every couple of hours, I would make some meager attempt to feed myself. I had an egg sandwich, a spoon of peanut butter, a slice of bread... but nothing was really jumping out as something that I could really munch on to take my mind off of my hunger while I did my math.

Then I picked up the bag of Prunes. Tasty... Filling... Healthy... Whats not to love?

I'll spare you the details, but let me say first of all, the FDA is really dropping the ball allowing 3 pound bags of prunes to be sold to the general public. Second of all, the bag that I have doesn't even say "prunes" on it, but "Dried Plums." That is blatant mislabeling of a potentially dangerous substance. I don't see any hazardous chemical symbol on it either.

In any case, I started munching on these prunes without even thinking of it. Needless to say, when the Strattons did invite me over for burgers tonight, I only had one. My stomach was feeling just a touch out of sorts.

Mamie, don't worry. I love you. I promise not to eat only prunes or peanut butter or anything else exclusively while you are gone. And if I do feel like doing that, the Strattons said that I can just head on over there.

Our little climber

Nope, she's not really walking yet. Lucy is more of an "adventure mover" if you will. She is not too interested in taking steps on her own, I imagine it is just too conventional for such a daring little individual. Climbing has become a favorite pastime- into drawers one at a time, opening each one just far enough to make it a step to the one above; onto the dishwasher platform so that she can see above the counter top; and on top of any other raised surface that allows her chubby leg to mount. Take a look: Or here is the cleaned up version (the living room, that is) for those of you worried that our house always looks slobbish:

Family Home Evening at the Lake

Last night, as Mamie was picking me up from work, we noticed how beautiful the by the factory looked with the sunset. We pulled the car into the park and walked out on the dock as geese and sea gulls glided around our heads. Lucy was in heaven. She giggled as we chased around some ducks on the dock.

The sunset was beautiful. We walked around the large loop that the dock made into the lake, and cut across a lawn where about a hundred ducks were all heading together. Lucy laughed again as they all made a dash for the water. It was beautiful. We had a FHE lesson that I gave by giving the highlights of the seminary lesson that I had taught earlier, and headed home. It was really a beautiful experience.

Here are some more recent photos of Lucy. I know that's the only reason any of you good people still come visit this blog, even withstanding our regular lack of substantive posts. Thanks for your forbearance. A quick Lucy update: Instead of systematically pulling each book from our book case, she now prefers to climb each shelf and then dive head first back down. Most disasters, as yet, have been averted. She climbs up onto the sofa and onto the baseboard heaters in order to scream emphatically out the window at the neighbors' cats. She loves to walk through the dining room pushing around the kitchen chairs or her high chair. He vocabulary is growing quickly. Some favorites include "hi", "ducky", "dad", "hot", and "teddy". She also loves to imitate the sound of a sneeze. Annoyingly, "mama" is only preferred when she is sad or otherwise whining (oh, the injustice). In the last few weeks she has sprouted three big new top teeth, and loves to hijack the phone and make random phone calls to innocent recipients. Still, her very favorite daily ritual is when she calls daddy at work in the early morning. When she hears his voice her eyes light up and she gleefully greets him, "Hi dad."

Sew fun

I have finally overcome my lifelong fear of sewing. Thanks to a few key catalysts (nice deluxe sewing machine with detailed instructions) and mentors (you know who you are), I have entered the limitless realm of cloth-creations. Clarissa and I are making summer dresses for our girls and as we get further along in the process, I find myself looking ravenously for new sewing projects or new ways to individualize the current ones.
Why was I so anti-sew as a child? No one knows. At least it's not too late now. Next up, piano lessons. (Don't roll your eyes, mom. You know you can only lead a stubborn donkey to water...)

We Heard Barack, Now it is Time to Hear Hillary

Yes, we can.

What's Going On

Life has been going very well for Mamie and I recently. We got a big TV from our neighbors who said it was broken (we fixed it.) and I have finally let the ice in my financial heart melt so that we can turn on the (expensive) electric baseboard heaters and stop panicking about filling the stove with wood. Mamie and Lucy now go through the whole house without winter cloths!

Lucy started standing the night before last, and she also said her first word: "Ducky!" It is a pretty exciting time. Lucy has a brightness in her eyes and loves crawling from room to room discovering new drawers, doors, corners of rooms, and pieces of furniture. Yesterday, she was crawling on my lap as I sat in a chair in her room and she climbed up and pulled on the dangling light switch. Much to her surprise, the room went completely dark. I put her on the floor, and pretty soon, she climbed up onto my lap(with a little help) and made her way back to my shoulders so that she could pull on the chord again. She turned the lamp back on.

Also, our new ward is fantastic, and the people are super nice. Mamie is leading the family in keeping the house clean (most of the time I don't sabotage that) and we also are eating better food than only frozen pizza and burritos. This week already, we have had delicious lentils, burgers, and soup.

We truly have been blessed of late. The Lord truly does bless us when we choose to draw close to him.

Hercules! Hercules! Hercules!

I just have to tout the newest accomplishment of my husband. I am seriously impressed this time. Following a series of conversations regarding Barack Obama's lackluster support for NASA's manned space flight initiatives, I had finally convinced John to simply "write a letter telling him your position." After all, I could only do so much persuading in the face of the hard evidence against him. A few days later, John informed me that the January 30 L.A. debate moderators were asking for question submissions. The most popular questions will be asked to the candidates. So, as you might expect- John took this on as a personal mission. Using contacts and network ties from all over the rather decentralized 'Space Talk' front, he single-handedly mobilized thousands of interested individuals into action. With a few thousand questions already submitted, John has now brought space exploration back into the political dialogue- of the top 25 questions on both the GOP and Democratic sides, space questions clearly dominate. Obviously all of the questions won't be asked, but at this point it will be quite hard to avoid asking at least one. What he has done, in effect, is created the opportunity to ask Mr. Obama the question, himself.
But! It doesn't even stop there. After we realized what an enormous effect his little grassroots organizing had had, John decided to take things a step further by creating a website to inform on current legislation regarding space, politicians positions on space, complete with email and contact links for people to write their representatives.
I am SO proud of what he is doing, and others are taking note as well. He is bound to make a great impression on this world.

O-bomb-a

Despite what happened last time I posted something even quasi-political, I have chosen to brave whatever scorn may come from our few vocal republican commenters. This candidate has wooed me. I am consistently impressed with his candor and his willingness to form bipartisan coalitions in order to effect balanced change. I believe that one of the things we need most right now, as a nation, is increased unity and cooperation.

Christmas

We had our friends take some pictures in front of their beautiful tree (which we happened to pick out at the lot.) Afterwards we made gingerbread houses (The pictures will be uploaded soon.) Mamie made a nativity scene, I made Stonehenge, Rod made a legit house, and Clarissa made an abandoned construction site (The roof caved in under the pressure from the licorice.) We are headed off to Dallas in only a few days and look foreword to seeing whoever is there.

merry christmas!

Christmas is Beginning

For our first Christmas gift to you all: Pictures of our house!

Yesterday was the first of December. We went down to IKEA and bought a beautiful fresh Christmas tree (It's still in the garage), and had to change the alternator in our car (what a nightmare!) Then it started snowing. Hard. How fitting for December 1st. The previous owner left us 5 cords of wood, and we are going through it fast. Mamie and I are really getting into the Christmas spirit, and the stockings over the fire and the trash can full of egg nog cartons prove it! Merry Christmas everybody!

Looking out of our kitchen to the grill in the backyard

Living room

Kitchen from dining room

We just got internet. It's been over one month without connection and I admit I have been desperate for any link to life outside our home bubble as a result. When one of my close girlfriends came to visit, she remarked that she tried to watch the news for a little while before coming over so that she could let me in on what's happening in the world.
In fact, I had begun to keep a list of topics that I would research as soon as we got connected. So yesterday instead of posting immediately, I spent hours looking up things like the statistical efficiency of hot water baseboard heaters and what it would take to win tickets to see the Santaland Diaries in Seattle this season.
Well, here we are- back online, back to posting photos and videos of Lucy. Get settled in.
As some of you may know, Lucy is now her own lady-
feeding herself:

crawling around:

smiling like a champ:

and, my personal favorite, has learned how to eat and tap dance simultaneously:

Lucy and I have temporarily escaped the rains of Seattle for the brighter (and more humid) skies of Texas. We are having a ball introducing Lucy to her sweet and adoring cousins, aunties, grandparents, and random others. Lucy is basking in the attention- gratefully learning to love the social side of life rather than clinging to me at all hours. Tomorrow we will head north to Dallas where she'll get to meet and love more cousins, aunties, and uncles. It is such a fantastic feeling to be close to family.

From the bobble of last month to the more stable sway of this- little Lucy is sitting up on her own.
On August 10, 2007:

On September 15, 2007:

It's hard to believe that six months have already come and gone with Lucy around. To be honest, I can't really remember what life was like without her. I had way too much sleep back then, that's about all I know. She is my favorite little human; she makes everything in my life more enjoyable and rich.

We were so lucky to have the renowned Editor, aka Nana Benac, in town for a visit a few weeks back. We absolutely loved having her here! This particular photo is from the Spirit of Washington Murder Mystery Train.

Cana Dana Dana Da! or Canadia, if you will

Mamie and the Peacock

Mamie is determined to make a trellis like this whenever we get into a home

Lucy's First time to sit in a highchair at the Cutting Board restaurant in Hope

Standing on an old railroad bridge above a twisting river canyon

Lucy all tuckered out on the railroad hike

In front of the Bed and Breakfast

The street of the Bed and Breakfast. Check out those mountains!

Mamie and I went to Canada. It was great. Maps.google.com showed us a little town named "Hope" north of the border on a river and surrounded by forests. When we googled the name of the town we found out that is has some cool railroad tunnels, a municipal pool, some gardens, and Rambo was filmed there 26 years ago. It sounded good and Mamie needed a break so we packed up the car and the kid and headed out. It was my first time to Canada. We picked up a hitchhiker along the way, stayed at a beautiful bed and breakfast, saw the gardens, and otherwise relaxed as we started reading "Don Quixote." On Sunday, we made some friends from church and ended the day spending it with the Reno Family and their parents.

Baby cock fight

Lucy the Little throws down on the Gymboree Chicken.

Lucy and her friend Teah have a good time together. That is, until 10 month old Teah tries innocently to poke Lucy's little dolly eyes out. I figure it's good for her to get the kind of exposure to other kids that she will invariably dish out to a younger sibling one day. Maybe it will make her more empathetic and thus more compassionate. Then again, maybe it could create callous and meanness within her. Chances, chances. I guess we'll take ours.

Who does she look like? Vote in the comments!

Here are a few pictures of Mamie and I below. Who do you think she resembles more?

Joy of toys

Pirate festival

We had fun at the Alki Pirate Festival, although we became somewhat disillusioned after the pirates stormed the beach, only to be knighted as if being a pirate were something truly noble. It was one of those moments where you look around and are suddenly surprised at how endearing and acceptable pirates have become. I'm sure you are all familiar with that realization. Anyway, I guess plundering and stealing is back in.

4th of July

Lucy had her first ferry ride. We went with Bill and Kelsey to Bremerton where we enjoyed a nice, however unexpected, picnic at the Church of the Nazerene, followed by a visit to the home of their friends. The ferry featured stunning views of both Seattle, Mt. Rainer and everything in between. In the evening our little family headed back to Renton, where we met friends for dinner and fireworks. Lucy was unfortunately NOT ready for fireworks, and so needless to say the even was a bit stressful. Still, it was beautiful to see all the lights over Lake Washington.

Lucy's First Swim

Lucy had a fantastic first swim at our apartment pool with cousin Will and Bill and Kelsey.

I Got an iPhone!

Well, it took a lot of convincing for my wife to let me do it, but I finally got my iPhone. It's beautiful, sleek, and quite a status symbol. Mamie and I compromised and I didn't get the top of the line model. Shucks... it doesn't surf the net, play music, or even make a phone call. But gee, no one else knows that and it sure makes me look cool walking around with the hottest gadget since they came out with food!

Things Bush Has Done in the Last Few Months That Bug Me.

He said attorney General Gonzales "went up and gave a very candid assessment, and answered every question he could possibly answer, honestly answer, in a way that increased my confidence in his ability to do the job." after Gonzales embarrassed himself and the justice department in front of republican senators who couldn't get a peep out of him when he testified before congress.

He is exercising "executive privilege" and refusing to comply to congresses' subpoena for the legal justification used for his warrant less wiretapping after refusing to comply with multiple other requests for the information.

He vetoed Congresses' war funding bill that had timetables for pullout of Iraq, conflicting with the desire of the majority of Americans and their elected legislators.

When the senate wanted to question former White House counsel Harriet Miers about the firings of the federal prosecutors, Bush offered to make Miers available for a private interview, which would neither be recorded, transcribed nor conducted under oath. What kind of garbage is that?

These things are lame.

I know. It’s not that long of a list, but I feel kind of frustrated about it.

Thanks to the Madabushis and the Poons for such cute new duds for Lucy. Here's a shot of her in the darling dress a la Mary.

New Developments

Lucy has learned to grab things around her. She is quite partial to this little pup.

Hanging at the crib.

Congratulations to Lucy, who turns 3 months old today.

We owe a huge THANK YOU to Amber for these beautiful new family pictures. We will post the lot of them once we get photobucket linked to our site. She also created a fantastic composite that can be viewed online at fifephotography.com. Thank you Amber, we love you.

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A week and a half shy of 3 months, at 13 pounds and 24 inches. We just can't get enough of this baby.

Grandpa Bill's visit

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We loved having Bill visit this last weekend. He came virtually straight away from his long overseas adventures and still maintained a remarkable level of energy and enthusiasm. The Benac boys toured the largest building in the world and we all enjoyed sumptuous meals in classic Benac tradition.

Connecticut vacation

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Lucy and I took a vacation to Litchfield to visit the Jones' home. My Mom, Margaret, Monica and I went out to help Mel get their house ready to put on the market ( I was no help at all). I will be so envious when all of my sisters are together in Texas, but maybe I can coax Richard into moving northwest to live close to me when he gets home. Adrienne took special care of Lucy while we were there, often remarking, "I just love your little baby," and singing to Lucy that she is "the best best baby in the west west west."

Our first family hike

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Like I said, she is good to go for hours in the bjorn. We were out for about 4 hours on this hike with Bill, Kelsey, Will, and their friends the Burgesses. These Washington forests are quite incredible.

Forget tummy time

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Tummy time has been a disaster. When lying face down on the floor, it takes about 30 seconds before Lucy is totally over it. I don't blame her. Who wants their head shoved into a blanket if they don't keep it straight up? Enter Bumbo chair. Simple, dignified- makes any baby proud to hold up her head.

Going Out

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Lucy loves her Baby Bjorn. At first I couldn't get her to stay in for 5 minutes without screaming, and then Beth suggested that I try facing her out. It was magic, and now I hardly separate the two. She's with me through dishes and vacuuming, long walks and even trips to the W.C. when circumstances are extreme. The only problem is that it is the oldest and ugliest hand-me-down bjorn ever manufactured (no offense, Margie). Faded denim and gingham...yikes. So we always disguise its unsightly face with a blanket and save our pennies for the next deal on craigslist.

We're back!

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