Zeke's Corner

Cutting For Stone

2012-02-10T16:06:00.000-08:00

Cutting for Stone, by Abraham Verghese, was first published in 2009. It's is the story of conjoined twins, Marion and Shiva, born from a secret union between an Indian nun and a British surgeon. The death of their mother and the abandonment of their father leaves them to be raised in a missionary hospital in Ethiopia. After being surgically separated, the brothers find they are mirror images of each other. They are inseparable in their younger years but face a crossroad as they come of age.

The story line is so believable that on two separate occasions I found myself double checking the genre. Still fiction. While I thoroughly enjoyed the story, I think this review should come with a warning. The book is long and there is quite a bit of medical jargon. If blood and hospitals make you squirm you might think twice about this one. Marion and Shiva's foster parents are doctors and both boys choose to continue in that profession, so understandably, there is a lot of talk about hospitals and surgeries.

I can see this being a great pick for book club and discussing with good friends.

p.s. I love you

2012-02-07T16:21:00.000-08:00

Today was one of those days where I took myself out for a run with a million things competing for some attention in my brain.

The first, the news aired this story today. Friday the 10th is wear purple day:

The second, In a Week or Two by Diamond Rio came on my ipod (it's set to random....and the playlist does get quite interesting sometimes). Which made me ponder item number one even more. Mostly about how sometimes one just doesn't know how to help. Or what to say to someone that you can clearly see is struggling with depression or just life in general. I didn't come up with a solution either. Feel free to to chime in if you have a good one!

The third, I have been racking my brain for meaningful lent resolutions. The priest mentioned we could give up something that would be a challenge and a sacrifice to us. All I've come up with so far is to quit feeding the girlchild.....not quite sure that's what I was supposed to get out of Sunday's homily.

And that's all I got. A whole bunch of "I don't knows" and that you should tell your loved ones you love them.
Today.
Just in case.
Because you never know if tomorrow will be an option.

(Did I mention we have been talking a lot about the end of times and purgatory in RCIA....bet you couldn't tell)

Tinkerbell half marathon 2012

2012-02-01T08:22:00.000-08:00

First ever Tinkerbell Half Marathon

Got our race bibs

Getting ready to start

hmmm....maybe I could chose both?

Found $40 somewhere around mile 3. Doesn't feel right to keep it...maybe I should pay it forward.

Captain Jack was pretty popular with the ladies...

I can't imagine running the whole 13 miles carrying a full sized flag

Mile 12...just a little break to say hi to Boo!

Giant green army men

The team sparkle girls. Her pirate outfit puts my pirate outfit to shame.

Tinkerbell Bling

Tinkerbell Half Marathon Weekend - Kid Run

2012-02-01T08:18:00.000-08:00

Can we go to the LEGO store now??

How cute is this kid??

Dad told me to run fast and just keep going and not worry about where he and Bobbo are at...and I did!

You know how hungry you get when you run 200M.....

This picture is so ridiculously cute...crap, now I'm going to want to buy the official one.

Funerals and caketinis

2012-01-30T16:43:00.000-08:00

One idle Saturday morning....

Okay, actually it was a Saturday that went nothing as planned. There were 57 things on the to-do list this particular Saturday and not nearly enough time to do them all in.

First item on the list, a funeral, it lasted a lot longer than I had thought it would, and on the way home from said funeral (which was a nice mass and the son gave an exceptional eulogy) it started snowing. That's when I decided that maybe one shouldn't plan 57 things on a day when you attend a funeral AND forget to bring kleenex with you. Seriously. Who forgets tissue when you know there will be tears....and so items 2 through 57 were scratched off the list.

It happened to pass that some friends were in town getting supplies for their house addition from the only Lowe's within 45 miles of their house and stopped by to say hi. As girls sometimes do, we started talking birthdays and parties and pinterest and caketinis!

Our version

The original recipe can be found here: marshmallow caketini's

Except I am impulsive so this one is equal parts store bought marshmallow vodka and cherry 7-up. With vanilla frosting and birthday confetti balls on the rim.

It was delicious and you should try it!

Just a little bit

2012-01-26T16:43:00.000-08:00

You can't have book club movie night (The Color Purple) without just a little bit of candy.

Last Year's Christmas Knitted projects

2012-01-25T12:41:00.000-08:00

Project 1

I didn't notice I had a little person mocking me til AFTER I was done taking pictures.**

My best friend requested long fingerless gloves. I couldn't find an exact pattern so I winged it and made up my own. No you can't have it. And that's because I'm saving it. It's all part of my becoming filthy rich plan.

Okay....that's a lie. The truth is that I am horrible at writing things down. And so I um...don't have it :)

After trying them on I think Timbra might be onto something here. Now I want long fingerless gloves.

** Please pay no attention to the messiness of my room....Hello, it was Christmas. And I had a houseful of peeps to love on and mother hen for.

Project 2

Despite several attempts of begging and pleading, my Sister-in-Law still refuses to join our book club. But I saw this bookmark and had to make it for her. Now whenever she wants, she can give reading interrupters the finger. Despite her unwillingness to participate in our club, she devours books at a very similar rate to me. And so I forgive her for calling me dorky and we often find ourselves on her back porch around the fire pit discussing books and trading favorites.

As cute as this bookmark is, I am holding out for one in the shape of dead rat. Seriously.

suckerpunched

2012-01-20T10:23:00.000-08:00

I took this from the interwebs

A few weeks ago we watched Sucker Punch for movie night. It turned out to be the kind of movie where I had to really pay attention. There was no counting knit and purl stitches during this one. And even then, the boy and I would look across the popcorn bowl and think...what the heck just happened??

Can you believe this is the the same girl who played Violet in A Series of Unfortunate Events?

I fell in love with the main character's look. But alas, fair skin I have not and I read somewhere that there is something like 3 sets of false eyelashes glued on there.

Me: Hey Bob, what do you think of my look? Too much?

Bob: Well....you don't really look Power Ranger-ish.

Me: That's a no then I take it?

Gluten Free Love

2012-01-19T21:36:00.000-08:00

I got a just because gift from one of my best girlfriends this week.

She gets me.

And my tummy woes.

This is way better than having to peel the breading off my chicken mcnuggets.

School Days

2012-01-04T16:20:00.000-08:00

Burrito: Mom, is tomorrow a school day for me?

Mom: No, It's a Lala day.

Burrito: But you said that next year I get to go to school and it's the next year now.

Watch out world. This guy is coming up.

Resolutions 2012 edition

2012-01-01T21:39:00.000-08:00

My 2012 resolutions seem a bit quirky this year. But that's okay, I myself am a bit quirky.

1. Go Fishing - I'm going to buy a fishing license and actually get my money's worth out of the stinkin' thing. We haven't been on many fishing adventures since the little people came into our lives. I think it's about time to dust of my lucky yellow fishing pole and get out there again. I'll be needing the husband to come along too as I've never been a good boy scout and my hook tying abilities are no-so-great.

2. Teach Emma to finger knit - When I was a little girl....oh, wait. My mother never taught me how to knit. But there is more that one fabulous lady at knitting that recounts stories of when they were little they were knitting socks by age 5. I worked with the girlchild a bit last year but she really hasn't graduated to being able to knit on her own. I think finger knitting might just be the ticket.

3. Keep on Running - Last year all the running buddies joined the 1000 mile club on facebook. And I looked at my mileage and was ashamed. Which is silly, because I more than doubled my mileage from the previous year. I'm looking to do a few repeat races and a few new ones this year. Running has been a good physical and emotional outlet for me and it's good for my soul even if some people just don't get it.

4. Learn how to whistle - I'm not sure if this one is achievable but I'm going to try. I would like to be able to whistle really loud. It occurred to me recently (while we were out Christmas tree cutting) that having a good strong whistle wouldn't be a bad thing. I found myself off on my own looking for the perfect tree, while the husband was loading firewood, the girlchild was off finding cool rocks for her collection, and Burrito was on the look out for pterodactylman**. I decided that I need a better way of summoning the minions back to the truck when I'm done freezing my butt off and want to find my way back home before dark.

5. Take more field trips: Two specifically are on the list: Hidden Caves and Berlin Ichthyosaur Park. Hidden caves because it's cool and I think the kids would enjoy it. And Berlin because it is such a big part of my family history and the children have never been there. I'd like them to go with their Grandpa before that's no longer an option.
The husband has also requested that we check out Fort Churchill. Here's the part where I sheepishly admit to as a native Nevadan, that I have never been there either. Oh, I've driven past it about a gazillion times but I've never headed out the door with Fort Churchill as a destination on my mind. We'll fix that this year too.

Happy New Year to you!

**Pterodactylman according to Burrito, is part pterodactyl and part man (duh!). Not be confused with little foot (a longneck) or big foot (a giant hairy beast). Pterodactylman chooses cotton candy over little people to eat...don't you worry.

2011 in review

2012-01-01T21:27:00.000-08:00

Last year at this time, Resolutions happened.

1. In 2011, I'm going to run a 10K.

check! Lake Tahoe 10K, under 1 hour and 2nd place in my age group.

2. In 2011, I'm going to run a half marathon.

Double Check! I ran two. The Disneyland half marathon and the Bizz Johnson express half marathon. Both times I felt like I was under trained for the event. I need to work on that. But I learned a lot (such as don't shove an entire handful of M&M's in your mouth and keep running...hello, choking hazard) and had a great time!

3. In 2011, I'm going to go back to daily reflections (because on some idle day in September, I know this book is going to tell me to clean my linen cupboard and I need that in my life).

Uh....cough.....ummm....I thought about it. I really did. I think I only got 10 days worth of daily reflections in though. And one of those daily reflections advised me to take a nap. There's always another year for this goal.

4. In 2011, I'm going to read 100 books of my choosing.

Final count for 2011 is 67. The complete list is here, check it out sometime. Feel free to leave some recommendations for me. I'm always up for book suggestions.

My Year in Books (2011 version)

2011-12-30T14:20:00.000-08:00

I set a goal of reading 100 books this year. I only got to 67 but I'm feeling pretty satisfied with that number. I enjoyed quite a few good books over the past year (in my opinion). There were only a couple I really wished I hadn't picked off the library shelf.

My recommendations:

If you have time for just one book this year - The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (By Rebecca Skloot). A true story about how science and medical privacy have been affected by and influenced the lives of the Lacks family.

The self help book that has been most referenced by the other self help books I read this year - The 5 Love Languages (By Gary Chapman). I think there's a little something for everyone in this book, whether you are happy with your personal relationships or not.

Need a gift for an up-coming graduate - A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Future (By Michael J Fox)

Looking for a feel good, girly series - Try the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (By Ann Brashares)

Two books that I was not crazy about: The Red Garden (By Alice Hoffman) and The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake (By Aimee Bender). Both left me feeling like perhaps I missed something while I was reading them. Who knows, maybe you'll enjoy them and share your thoughts with me.

The Complete 2011 list:
1. Carolyn Dufurrena - Fifty Miles from Home
2. Robert Goolrick - A Reliable Wife
3. Paulo Coehlo - Brida
4. Darrell Huff - How to Lie with Statistics
5. Eion Colfer - Artemis Fowl: The Atlantic Complex
6. Louis de Bernieres - Corelli's Mandolin
7. Stieg Larrson - The Girl Who Played with Fire
8. Kevin Leman - 7 things he'll never tell you but you need to know
9. Sarah Palin - America By Heart
10. Stieg Larrson - The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest
11. Shannon Hale - Book of a Thousand Days
12. Kristin Hannah - Firefly Lane
13. Anna Quindlen - Every Last One
14. Will James - Smoky the Cowhorse
15. Jamie Ford - Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet
16. Louis Sachar - Holes
17. Gary Chapman - The Five Love Languages
18. Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows - The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
19. Dale Carnegie - How to make Friends and Influence People
20. Brandon Mull - Beyonders: A World Without Heroes
21. Dean Koontz - One Door Away from Heaven
22. Jane Austen - Persuasion
23. Arto Paasilinna - The Year of the Hare
24. Richard Adams - Watership Down
25. Jean Auel - The Land of Painted Caves
26. Erin McKean - The Secret Lives of Dresses
27. Alan Bradley - A Red Herring without Mustard
28. Michael Scott - The Magician
29. Michael Scott - The Sorceress
30. Jodi Picoult - My Sister's Keeper
31. Paulo Coehlo - The Zahir
32. Clare Vanderpool - Moon over Manifest
33. Karen Maitland - Company of Liars
34. Alice Hoffman - The Red Garden
35. Michael Scott - The Necromancer
36. David Ebershoff - The 19th Wife
37. Marisa de los Santos - Belong to Me
38. Kate Jacobs - Knit the Season
39. Frank McCourt - Angela's Ashes
40. Todd Burpo - Heaven is for Real
41. Elizabeth Berg - The Last Time I Saw You
42. Greg Mortenson - Stones into Schools
43. Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman - Good Omens
44. Alejandro Junger - Clean
45. Frank McCourt - 'Tis
46. Tina Fey - Bossypants
47. Ben Mezrich - The Accidental Billionaires
48. James Patterson - Cradle and All
49. Charles Martin - Chasing Fireflies
50. Christopher Moore - Island of the Sequined Love Nun
51. Rebecca Skloot - The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
52. Rick Riordan - The 39 Clues Book 1 - The Maze of Bones
53. Maggie Stiefvater - Forever
54. Ann Brashares - My Name is Memory
55. Carlos Ruiz Zafon - The Shadow of the Wind
56. Aimee Bender - The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake
57. Ann Brashares - The Second Summer of the Sisterhood
58. Ann Brashares - Girls in Pants - The Third Summer of the Sisterhood
59. Christopher Paolini - Inheritance
60. Jan Karon - In the Company of Others
61. Khaled Hosseini - The Kite Runner
62. Michael Scott - The Warlock
63. Michael J Fox - A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Future
64. Philip Pullman - Lyra's Oxford
65. Philip Pullman - Once upon a time Up North
66. Ann Brashares - Forever in Blue - The Fourth Summer of the Sisterhood
67. Meg Meeker - The 10 Habits of Happy Mothers

Scenes from this Christmas

2011-12-30T10:50:00.000-08:00

Someone turned 4

Cookies were made

Little bit of fun was had

Newmans came to visit

Nerf guns happened. Lots of nerf guns.

There were very happy children

And then we ate meat pie. And it was delicious.

Cookie days of one kind and another

2011-12-28T10:40:00.000-08:00

One of our Newman family traditions around Christmas is for all the girls to get together and make cookies. It's always a fun filled day with good food, hot drinks, a lot sugar, and some face-to-face family visiting before the holiday and hectic traveling begins. Some years there are those that can't make it and they are always missed.

Kristine, Karyl, Noah, Nicole, Donna, Marsha, Kayla, Phyllis, Debbie,
Emmers and Zeke

Noah is new to cookie day this year (his birthday is Dec 24th) and we had our first ever best decorated sugar cookie contest. Emmers won....hence the ~~santa hat~~ holiday cheermeister hat.

Burrito said he'd help with the no bake cookies as long as his hands didn't get dirty and as long as Kayla hand fed him tasty bits from the leftovers in the bowl. Well played, burrito, well played.

We have been making new friends in our own neighborhood. So I shared the super secret best, ever sugar cookie recipe and we had our own little decorating party.

The only things missing this year was my favorite sister and red hots for snowman buttons.

The Kite Runner

2011-12-21T12:08:00.000-08:00

Do you know what a kite runner is? A person who chases after the kites that have had their string cut and is free flying through the sky.

I guess I need to do some reading up on kites in general. I'm from the kind of family that we used to get kites as gifts on Easter morning and after church services we'd pack a picnic lunch and head out to the salt flats to fly our new kites. They were usually diamond shaped, brightly colored plastic deals with long spools of string to let loose and send our kites high. It was fun but mostly the focus was on getting your kite up and keeping it there.

I do not quite understand this competitive kite flying. Where the goal is to cut others' strings and be the last kite in the air. Or the practice of chasing after the loose kites and keeping them as souvenirs. I assume it's like finding a stray golf ball just outside the golf course fence or catching a foul ball at a baseball game.

All kite flying aside, The Kite Runner was a fabulous book. Written by Khaled Hosseini and published in 2003. It details the friendship of Amir and Hassan, two boys from different sides of the Afghanistan tracks. It's set during the fall of Afghanistan's monarchy to the Russians, the fleeing of refugees to America, and the rise of the Taliban to power.
It's also the tale of Amir's struggles between honor and saving his own skin and how he comes to terms with the demons that haunt him at night to be good again.

I loved the book so much I'm afraid to watch the movie. What if it's not as good?
Has anyone watched the movie? What do you recommend?

Eager Anticipation

2011-12-20T15:36:00.000-08:00

A little girl hiding behind the Christmas tree (she really is the only one who can fit back there) with her diary, crayons and a letter to Santa Claus.

FOUR

2011-12-20T10:18:00.000-08:00

Me: I think we should cancel your birthday.

Burrito: No mom

Me: But you are aren't a baby anymore and that makes me sad

Burrito: Mom....babies don't even have teeth

(game over...how does one argue with that)

Inheritance

2011-12-19T07:23:00.000-08:00

This post could also be titled "Ugh! When trilogies turn into four books"

The last of The Inheritance Cycle, written by Christopher Paolini, is finally out. It's been a long wait. And you might have heard about how I feel about waiting...waiting gets my goat. Seriously.

Write faster dang-it!!

I would much rather pick up a series at the end so that I can blow through them without stopping. Unless it is something like Flavia De Luce. Now there's a girl I love to wait for. Each book is a stand alone entity. Not like Brisingr which ends practically mid-battle. Are you kidding me?? The books are great reads I just prefer they were more complete by themselves.

Eragon, the first book, was originally published in 2002. Brisingr, the was-going-to-be-the-last-but-now-it's-not book, was published in 2008.

And let's not even get started about the movie. But the husband has a good point. Now that the set is finished maybe someone will remake the first movie and do the rest up properly. They have great potential.

What is it about you ask? The short version is that they are quite like Lord of the Rings but with dragons added in. So much so that while watching Return of the King last weekend I kept mixing up my character names between the two.

Things in common:
dwarfs
vaults of souls needed to aid in the fighting
power being corrupt and needing to be destroyed before it can be restored
Men folk falling in love with elves
epic battles
creepy looking, evil bird creatures

You know...the usual.

I ended up with a few unanswered questions that led me back to wikipedia when I finished reading. While there, I realized that I should have done a refresher before I read Inheritance because there were a lot of side plots I had kind of forgotten about during all this waiting around I was forced to do.

A word of advice: Consider the audio version for this series, it's chalk full of funky spelled words and strange pronunciations. You won't be sorry you did.

The last time...

2011-12-05T15:23:00.000-08:00

The last time I got clobbered by a cold this wicked was 2000. How do I remember? Because I had just jumped onto the Harry Potter bandwagon. The moment my last scantron bubble of the semester was darkened with my trusty No. 2 pencil, I collapsed into a pile of blankets, kleenex, and a nyquil induced haze.

It was awful. I didn't go to work for a full 8 days. And I don't think I got out of bed for 7 of those days. Between wakings and coughing I read the entire Goblet of Fire book cover to cover.

Except this time, there is a job that can't keep, and little people that need snuggling, but I do have a good book to keep me company.

Someone get this girl a Globe

2011-11-28T09:42:00.000-08:00

The Girl: Mom, how do you draw South America?

Mom: Let's google it

The Girl: Mom, How do you spell South America?

Mom: You know what you need.....a globe.

I don't much care for the movie Up. It's straight up sad. The first 30 minutes I find myself crying my eyes out. And so I choose not to watch it. The boychild got it into his little head that as soon as we got home from Grandma's turkey dinner he could watch it.

Me: Did you say we would watch Up when we got home?

Husband: No, Did you?

Me: No!

And then they watched Up and I took a 96 minute bath.

First Week of Advent

2011-11-28T09:21:00.000-08:00

We are waiting, we're waiting, we're waiting.

Waiting for Christmas morning, waiting for Burrito's birthday, waiting to be old enough to have our very own horse, waiting for the sickness that has descended onto this house to clear.

There's a pretty good article over at Catholics on Call. The tale of two benches. You should go read it. My little paraphrased version here doesn't do it justice. The short version is that you can go through your life as one of two benches, a bus bench or a park bench. A bus bench is a stepping off place. We are there for single purpose, waiting on the next step. We are checking our watch, making sure we have all our belongings just waiting for that bus to roll in. We don't notice our surroundings or the people that pass, all we are focused on is getting on that bus. You don't sit on a park bench for the same reasons. You sit on a park bench to enjoy life. You take a time out from the hustle of life and deadlines to notice and appreciate the gifts that God gave us.

This is the first Sunday of Advent. This Sunday we acknowledge Isaiah's prophecy from the old testament that the messiah is coming. And we wait and prepare our hearts and find a nice park bench to sit on while we wait.

The Shadow of the Wind

2011-11-25T07:14:00.000-08:00

If I was a book quitter....I'd have quit this book.

But alas, I am not.

Even when they are a real stinker. I find myself holding out hope that something miraculous will happen and I will find something to enjoy within it's pages.

The Shadow of the Wind came highly recommended. It was written by Carlos Ruiz Safon in 2001. It became an international best seller and was translated into English in 2004. I checked this one out on audio since I am currently reading (legitimately reading...according to my sister) The Glass Castle. So, The Shadow of the Wind, 16 discs. That's a lot of listening even for me. The first half of the book seemed slow paced. I found myself daydreaming as I listened. I seriously thought about not finishing the book. But then somewhere around disc 10, I had a change of heart. Soon I was guessing outcomes, cheering for Fermin Romero de Torres the sidekick and comedy relief of the story, and booing the villainous, corrupt police officer.

For someone who half listened to the first half of the story, I was pretty proud of myself for guessing the two big plot reveals before they were spelled out for the reader. I like that.

After finishing the book I'd recommend it too. With a warning that the first part is a little slow.

Tis the Season

2011-11-24T23:53:00.000-08:00

I've been feeling a little Grinch-y this year. Neither family wants to continue the Christmas traditions we have become accustomed to and so I'm thinking of starting my own. Or just randomly making them up. I have a few ideas and a few are still stewing. A few months ago, I came across this War on Christmas article and it has been on my mind ever since. I've been silently waging my own Christmas battles for the past few years. So many around us immerse themselves in Christmas from the day after Thanksgiving until that can't possible stand it and Dec 26th all the decorations come down. Someone always asks me why the heck our tree is still up and decorated on January 4th.

The twelve days of Christmas really don't start until Christmas day. And they end at the Epiphany, the 6th of January. This year, I think I will participate in advent more and leave the anticipation and excitement of Christmas to Christmas. Having a child's birthday just 6 days before Christmas is probably a good deciding factor too. I don't want him to feel like his birthday is lost in the hustle and chaos that is the holiday season.

This year, there will be no black Friday shopping, advent will be fully embraced, the tree may not get decorated until just before Christmas. And all will be right in our world.

How the Halloween Costumes turned out

2011-11-21T16:30:00.000-08:00

Introducing......

The Yellow Knight and Gollum!

Burrito has informed me that I still need to get him a yellow feather for his helmet. Maybe I could knit/felt one for him.

Apparently I forgot to buy the magic sticky stuff to make the fake elf ears stick onto Gollum. So they are bobby pinned onto her little ears. She's such a trooper. I offered to staple them....she didnt' think I was funny.

My Just In Time Gloves

2011-11-17T15:14:00.000-08:00

I decided I needed some fingerless gloves for winter. Thank goodness they are done, there is snow on the horizon. This was my first attempt at the cable stitch. It turned out nice, but it was soooo slow going. And there might have been a little swearing every time I dropped a stitch.

I'm glad I can check cable stitching off my list. Now back to regular knits and purls.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

2011-11-15T16:40:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I pick which book to read next by browsing the stacks at the Library. Sometimes I pick something that was featured in the parenting magazine. Sometimes books catch my eye out of the weekly Barnes and Noble emails.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot landed on my parenting magazine, Barnes and Noble, and random facebook post. I suggested it for book club a few months ago but it wasn't the lucky winner that month. But I read it anyway.

I absolutely loved every page. There's still time yet, but it might just have been my favorite book this year. I don't think I made the connection that this was a true story before I started reading. And I admit that before reading this book I didn't know the origins of HeLa cells. I have dabbled in microbiology and cell culture in my scientific career but it's not something that is routine for me. HeLa cells, it turns out, have the unique ability to multiply and survive indefinitely as long as they are given the needed growing conditions. This differs from other cell lines in laboratories which have a definite lifespan. The whole longer telomeres are the key to living forever theory I suppose.

The Immortal life of Henrietta Lacks is a story both of how the cells were taken without her knowledge and discovered as well as the impact it has had on her family and her children. It also details the struggles of the scientific community in advancing research, collaborations, and tissue ownership.

I have been hounding the husband to read it. I'd like to know if it is as fascinating a book to a regular person as it was to me, a science dork. He has not yet. And seeing as how he is bffs with the librarian and has a smoking, hot of the presses copy of Inheritance, I guess I'll be waiting a little while longer for his thoughts on the matter.

But you should read it. Consider it a science homework assignment.

My Name is Memory

2011-11-15T16:35:00.000-08:00

If you loved The Time Traveler's Wife I predict will devour this book. I know I did. I loved it from the first chapter and couldn't put it down. That hasn't happened since oh say....the last Harry Potter or Eclipse.

My Name is Memory was written by Ann Brashares. The same author as the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. It chronicles the lives of Daniel. Daniel is a rare soul in that he remembers all the many lives he has been born into. There are a handful of others like him in the world and he encounters them from time to time. It's also the story of his encounters with his love, who does not remember him from life to life. She has been many people, but the story revolves around her life as Sophia and present day Lucy. Their time together is interrupted by disease, war, other people.

I loved absolutely every bit of the book except that it's a cliff hanger. I wish I would have known that going into the book. Rumor on the googlebox is that it is a potential trilogy? With no titles or publication dates or confirmation from the author. I hope that there is at least another book, otherwise my imagination is going to run wild.

Take a walk with me

2011-11-09T15:44:00.000-08:00

The quirky thing about siblings is that even though we all grew up in the same family and under the same roof, we all have our own point of view of the family happenings. As childhood compatriots they share in the joys of summer, of playing in the irrigation water on a hot day, in the excitement of trick-or-treating and getting the crap scared out of you at a spooky neighbors house. In the anticipation of Christmas morning. But also in the mundane living that is life. When it seems the parents are being cruel or we are utterly bored out of our minds on an idle Tuesday afternoon at 3pm. It's part of growing up to have an older sibling stick up for you when you are having trouble at school AND to have that same sibling tell you to stay out of their room or quit touching their stuff. The bonds forged then last long into being a grown up and the spaces and distance that replace the few steps down the hall to their bed on a dark night.

Staying in touch isn't always easy. This is the same group of characters that will need to band together when we are drawing straws on who is going to take care of the parental units and the plethora of things that will need to be sorted out someday. And so, I carved out some time in a busy fall schedule to visit my brother. Because I needed it, because he needed it, because my children needed it.

This is the brother that playfully (or at least part playfully and part naughty older brother) would lift us little kids up and dangle us off the edge of the roof by our fingertips. It was fun, it was challenging to see who could hang on the longest, it was frightening when he would walk away and act like he was going to leave us there forever. This is the brother that would take my side against my older siblings during snowball fights and even out the score a little. I was glad to always be on his team.

These are the moments that Emmers will remember someday. That Uncle Steve taught her how to do the monkey bars. That Uncle Steve gave endless shoulder rides and took her to see elk one day. That Uncle Steve taught her how to use side reins while riding horses.

And Burrito will remember being pushed on the tire swing and driving the tractor and that Uncle Steve has the coolest rope swing ever in his garage.

Christmas is coming

2011-11-09T14:36:00.000-08:00

Finally chose a Christmas card for this year!

Stationery card

View the entire collection of cards.

On A Cold and Drizzly Sunday Afternoon

2011-11-07T11:58:00.000-08:00

I think the brain washing is working. I have a little scientist in training. There's even been a request for a lab coat. Please note the hot pink safety glasses that occasionally double as swimming goggles. Also, apparently NASA has won the lottery. There are rocket ships all over outer space. The girlchild said she was planning her trip to Mars to collect soil samples. The bug magnification device is set out for official scientific use. As I scrubbed dishes and washed linens the girlchild was busy labeling her earth and running up and down the hallway asking how to spell this or that.

The Girl: What else Mom?

Me: I think that about covers it. You got Fernley, China, India, New York. What else do you need? (Notice I did not suggest she write Australia...that'd take 6 days for her to spell out)

The Girl: But I still have all this space.

Me: Don't forget about the ocean. Did you know that there's more ocean that there is land?

The Girl: Good idea mom. Then I'll fill in the space with islands. Seven of them. Like Hawaii.

I particularly love that Fernley and Asia look to be about the same size.

No Shoes, Sunday Service

2011-11-07T08:45:00.000-08:00

Burrito: Mom, did you hear that?

Me: What?

B: Father Bob said Jesus is dead!

Me: I know. He died so he can open up the door to heaven for you. Now Shhhhh....people are noticing you have no shoes on.

The Husband is off on a business trip. Can you tell?

I didn't discover until we were already at church that Burrito didn't have shoes on. Not sure what the policy is on that. Glad I can provide some entertainment free of charge.

I left my heart at the Spragpole Museum-Bar-Cafe

2011-11-03T11:24:00.000-07:00

While I was up North visiting my brother, we took a short day trip to Murray, Idaho.

Seriously, the cutest old mine town ever! Well...we do have a few gems closer to home but this one is definitely in the running. It even made it's way onto the wishful-maybe-we'll-retire-there-someday list. Right next to Austin or Ely, NV.

We stopped first at the Spragpole Museum-Bar-Cafe for lunch. I had the most amazing huckleberry milkshake ever! I had to fight the milkshake coveting children off with my long ice tea spoon and honey-BBQ chicken wings. I also distracted them by making them count the deer antlers around the bar between bites of huckleberry deliciousness.

After lunch, we toured the attached museum. It was like going home again. The best part was being there with my big brother and being able to say "Dad has a forge just like this in the backyard" and "I think this is the exact some ugly troll made out of moss that is still in the front entryway at home". It was an odd assortment of wood carved animals, old apothecary jars, blacksmith tools, ivory elephants, collector edition miniature cars, and giant wooden saint statues. And it got me thinking. (LIGHT BULB.....in my best despicable me voice) We could just put out a donation jar and let people take self guided tours of Hal's house when he's gone. I kid, I kid.....mostly.

My brother was kind enough to send me home with bags of frozen, wild huckleberry. And we recreated the huckleberry milkshake, many times over, at home, possibly before we got the vacation unpacking done.

A miscommunication and a good read

2011-10-26T12:43:00.000-07:00

The work running club is working out pretty well. We have been getting in some good runs and a little visiting too.

One day, there was talk of school, and little kids, and Halloween costumes and something called Chasing Fireflies. The first hit on the googlebox was a novel by Charles Martin. Always up for reading suggestions, I promptly requested it from the library. Turns out though, that we were really talking about a website with ridiculously cute (and a bit expensive) Halloween costumes.

Chasing Fireflies begins with a suicidal woman and a young boy. She throws him from the car seconds before being hit by a train. A journalist named Chase Walker is assigned to find out who this mystery boy is who doesn't speak a word, shows signs of severe physical abuse, but can draw amazing things with a pencil and paper. The book is a mix between this young boy's story, flashbacks to Chase's own childhood in the foster care system, and the man who took them both in, Unc Willee.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, especially considering I was supposed to be looking for Halloween costumes when I found it.

When Opportunity Worms it's Way in

2011-10-25T14:51:00.000-07:00

The life cycle of a manduca sexta according to the 5 year old.

Sometimes it's nice that I work at the University and can teach my minions that Science is cool.

Rails to Trails

2011-10-25T10:56:00.000-07:00

Second half marathon this year - check

I beat my first half marathon time by 9 minutes. Pretty excited about that. I feel like I could have/should have run the course faster though. I will admit I got pretty tired the last two miles and had to push myself. But I didn't really train as much as I should have for this race.

What's that you're shouting in my ear, ghost of Coach Cole? Garbage in, Garbage out.

Yeah, I know....and I solemnly swear to practice more for the Tinkerbell Half Marathon. Mostly because I plan on stopping and taking pictures with the Disney characters this time so I will need to be extra speedy!

This course has special meaning to me. The Bizz Johnson trail is an old railroad converted to a trail for feet, bicycles, and horses. Our family has spent many camping adventures at Goumaz. I've bicycled up and down the trail several times but this was my first ever foot race there. Even with the lanterns in the train tunnel to light the way I still got a little spooked and found myself wishing I was out the other side. It's hard to run faster when you can't see the path in front of you.

I'm off, to get a few more miles under these feet today.

Triple Dog Dare Don't

2011-10-24T16:28:00.000-07:00

Whilst hiking amongst the ancient cedars I happened upon a bright orange mushroom.

So naturally I tried my very hardest to talk the boy into eat it.

He said no.

I called him a chicken.

He said no.

I triple dog dared him (I was led to believe from A Christmas Story that triple dog dares always work).

He said no.

I wouldn't have really let him eat it of course, but it was curiously, bright orange. And it made me wonder what would happen if you did. But then it'd probably taste like a mushroom and I wouldn't really like it anyway. As I am not really a fungus eater.

If I had been more prepared for the cold or the rainy day I might have stayed out in the cedar forest all day. It was absolutely beautiful.

Watch Out Blue Hairs

2011-10-21T16:14:00.000-07:00

My 'old soul' little girl

The other day I caught the girlchild playing bingo by herself. And she wasn't just playing bingo, she was playing 6 cards at the same time. SIX. And no, brother cannot have just one to use for himself.

She's going to be one tough, old lady some day.

And speaking of old souls....I'm reading My Name is Memory right now. I'm loving every word. I kind of want to lock myself in my room all weekend just so I can finish it. I wonder if the bingo crowd will miss me??

10K at the Lake

2011-10-20T22:17:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it's been 3 weeks without a post. It's been busy in my neck of the woods. There's been races and fall vacations and plans for fabulous Halloween costumes.....I hope. How does one dress a 5 year old up as Gollum anyway???

Last year I ran the Tahoe 5K. It was my first official race since hanging up my high school running shoes and shorty shorts. You can catch up here if you missed it (the race not the shorty shorts...those are not an option any more). This year, I signed up for the 10K. Well...technically I signed up for the 5K but the boy encouraged me to be brave and run the 10K instead, so I did. He's up for coach of the year award.

Can't you just see Meg Ryan on her City of Angels bicycle here

The course starts at Emerald Bay at Lake Tahoe and runs down to Pope Beach. A scenic trip through the trees and along the beach. The only goal I had was to finish the 6.2 miles in under 60 minutes. Last year my time didn't get recorded. I was pretty sure I had placed in my age group so after waiting around for the awards ceremony and not getting to stand up on the little podium I was a little disappointed. Turns out they lost my tag number. I would have gotten third. This year, I decided it didn't matter so much. I was going to go out there and have fun and try to make my time goal. If I hadn't been wearing my garmin watch I think I might not have made it. The real time pace tracker is a great motivator, I'm pretty much in love with it.

The boy ran too! Holy surprise batman!

Final time: 58 minutes. Yay! The boy finished in 1 hr 04 minutes. I'm so proud of him. 6 miles with no real training at all. Afterward we met up with some friends for brunch and frozen hot chocolate...delicious!

A few days after the race they posted the official times. What do you know, I got second in my age group. Dang! I didn't hang around for the awards ceremony this year because I thought there was no way I was up for an award. Who knew?!

You know what this means? Next year, I need a little first place medal. But will I run the 10K or go for the half marathon.....decisions, decisions.

Egg Beaters 1 - Zeke 0

2011-09-27T17:12:00.000-07:00

When I was a little girl my best friend in the whole world lived all the way across town. And I say it like that because when we used to ask for sleepovers, either set of parents would wrinkle up there noses and say,

"Maybe later, they live all the way across town."

And there would be no arguing with that because A - walking wasn't an option and B - I'm pretty sure I wasn't up to the two wheeled bike option yet.

So, on those rare sleepover adventures we made sure to get into as much mischief as possible. We tromped through the snow chasing cows or who know what we were really trying to do, in the summer we'd swim in the water trough with the mosquito eating fish, and in general just eat candy until I was sick to my stomach.

One very hot summer day we decided to make a potion consisting of raw eggs (a lot of them), dirt and a mayonnaise jar. Shaken, not stirred of course. And then left for far too long in the shed behind the wood pile. For reasons I cannot recall today, I accidentally dropped the jar and it shattered in the shed. Causing the stinkiest, most gag worthy mess that had to be cleaned up before I went home for the day.

And to this day I cannot lay eyes on scrambled raw eggs without feeling like I might toss my cookies at any moment. It has also resulted in me absolutely needing to have my eggs cooked to death before I eat them.

Today on my honey-do list:
Buy the husband egg whites

Standing in the egg section at wal-mart I remember that I'm allergic to that eggy smell and I start to get panicky. There's a cute old man trying to make conversation about how they don't have the kind of eggs he likes and I'm speed reading the boxes of egg beaters because one is regular and one is southwest and what does that even mean?? Isn't it just eggs in a paper carton. I give the old man and half smile and book it out of that section before something embarrassing happens. All the way up to the cash register and out to the car I can feel the eggs sloshing around in that paper carton and am trying to convince myself that throwing up is not an option. I get in the car and as I'm putting the egg beaters in the refrigerator it dawns on me, the husband did not ask me for egg beaters....he asked me for egg whites....and I epic failed on that one.

You Say Tomato, I Say Tooth Fairy

2011-09-19T15:58:00.000-07:00

The girl-child has lost her first tooth.

yes...sometimes I do comb this child's hair, just not today

She's 5. Isn't that a little bit early? Is it because I have been adamantly refusing to believe that my babies are growing up and will no longer need me to snuggle them? I've threatened to quit feeding her. Didn't work. I am laying the groundwork so that I can be like that mother in Love You Forever (by Robert Munsch) when I'm an old lady. Still needs work.

The girl-child has always had a thing for tomatoes (see video):

See that. She how little and cute she used to be. Even at the age of 2, Emmers could be found red handed in the garden shoveling tomatoes into her mouth like they were actually something tasty.

Back to the tooth....the girl-child is eating tomatoes out of grandmother's garden. Why? Because the dad planted 34 tomato plants in the garden this year. Not 3 or 4, 34! I know what you're thinking. Why would anyone do that? Maybe he has some sort of massive tomato canning, getting ready for the apocalypse plan? Nope. Well, except for that metal shipping container out back, but let us not get into that. The official answer is:

So that, when I want a tomato, there will be one out there, waiting for me, no matter what.

So to recap: Girl eating tomato, girl feels like dirt is in her mouth, girl spits dirt out onto the ground, girl realizes her tooth is missing....oh, crap! And then the husband saves the day and finds said tooth because he knows that I do not need to write another letter to the tooth fairy explaining that I may or may not of caused my brother's tooth to come out and we can't find it. I'm not doing that, again.

Stones into Schools

2011-09-16T15:42:00.000-07:00

Stones into Schools is the sequel to Greg Mortenson's Three Cups of Tea. The book is written in a way that you could randomly pick it up and read without having first read Three Cups of Tea. I think you would lack the appreciation for just how hard Mortenson worked or what a long way he has come on this journey to promote peace by educating people though.
The timing of this book was completely random but I'm glad that I am reading it now, when the world is remembering the 10th anniversary of September 11th. The truth is that we are all changed because of that day. Even if we'd like to think we aren't. I find myself jumping between thoughts about this book and Charlie Wilson's War and how we got to this place. It's forgotten sometimes and worth remembering that there are people in Afghanistan that don't support the Taliban and are eager for schools and the possibility of a better life.

Three Cups of Tea detailed the difficulties of making the promise of building a school a reality. There was a lot of focus on the physical challenges of actually getting building materials to off the map places and getting the school built. I felt that Stones into Schools focused more on the political challenges of building schools in Afghanistan without the help or support from the country's ruling body. The chapters detailing the 2005 Kashmir earthquake and the Central Asia Institute's move to make earthquake-proof schools were probably my favorite from the book.

A mini vacation

2011-09-13T21:23:00.000-07:00

Also on the agenda (besides running) while we were visiting California:

The Ocean - Check

Due to some random and remote natural disaster we couldn't go swimming in the ocean because of the crazy waves and shark sightings. The kids had a good time splashing around and trying to jump over the waves as they rolled in. We even found some pretty cool sea shells.

Survive the long car ride - Check

This year I let the kids pack their own car entertainment. The girlchild's back pack was completely full of easy reader books. Burrito brought his periscope to....ummm....spy....on things??? Who knows. We also loaded up the ipod with a ridiculous amount of disney kid songs. I would have to say that this was the most pleasant trip yet. Not too much whining, no throwing up (always a bonus), the kids pretty much entertained themselves.

Hang out with Patches - Check

Everyone's favorite Aunt Jani is down to just one tortoise at her house. It's a highlight of the trip to feed him ~~small children's fingers~~ bananas and sit outside and enjoy life at a tortoise's pace.

Medieval Times - Check

I marched my children right up to the front gates of Disneyland and didn't let them go in. I'm working on my award for wicked-est mother of the year...I'll let you know how it turns out. Why? Because this family only goes to Disneyland on even numbered years. We can't be breaking with traditions here. As a conciliation prize we checked out Medieval Times instead. My kids were sold on it the second I said they were going to have to eat with their hands because there were no forks in the medieval times don't you know. Burrito was so fascinated with the show that he didn't eat a bite of his $40 dinner. Which ordinarily would have earned him a night in the stocks but we let him slide this one time on account of his absolute adorability.

And now...I must get back to trying to find a yellow knight costume for the kid for Halloween. Maybe this wasn't such a bright idea after all...

What's the matter with these boys

2011-09-13T21:17:00.000-07:00

This is the Dad in Hawaii, 2006, in his beach wear.

And Burrito, sunny California, 2011

Checkmarks and PRs

2011-09-09T15:53:00.000-07:00

Run a half marathon - check

Don't die while running said half marathon - check

Try really hard to not be the last one to cross the finish line - check

Instead of our usual Labor Day weekend plans (which involve the most amazing ribs, little people birthday parties, small town parades and oodles of candy), the boy and I drove down to Anaheim so I could run in the 6th annual Disneyland half marathon. I attempted to take pictures along the course so that the boy could feel like he got to see all the cool behind-the-scenes at Disney things I got to see. But I was so impatient to get that third checkmark up there that my feet kept running and most of the pictures were blurry. (Don't worry Husband...I'll make it up to you in January).

I did end up getting a decent one of the Sign Shop,

in the back of the park kind of behind the rivers of America.

There were so many people starting the race that the first 4 miles flew past without much heart pounding or heavy breathing, either that or I was too distracted by all the characters and fun toons blaring over the sound system.

While I was training someone told me that at mile 6 people start to hurt. At mile 8 the bottom drops out for a lot of first timers. So I made sure I carried beans with me and stopped at all the powerade stations. Miles 8, 9, and 10 came and went and I was still trotting along. I started really watching the time at mile 11. Apparently running and math aren't my strong suit. For some silly reason I decided that once I hit mile 11 I only had one more mile to go...one more mile to go. I can totally do this. And if I hustle I'll beat that 2 hour 30 minute mark so I can start in the corral next time. Just one more mile to go....

Except....I didn't really have one more mile to go. I had 2.1 and 20 minutes to go.

Damn you mile 11

If I hadn't have been up since 4 am, I might have had the foresight to take the uneaten sports beans out of my shorts first and not take my "I finished and didn't die" picture in front of the sanihuts...maybe next time.

The official stats are:

13.1 miles in 2:30:37

Overall ranking 5,319 out of 12,785 finishers

2,779 out of 8,368 women

512 out of 1,410 30-34 year olds.

I'll be returning in January to run in the first ever Tinkerbell half marathon.

New goals:

faster AND take pics with the characters

The 19th Wife

2011-09-07T16:40:00.000-07:00

Faith, I tell them, is a mystery, elusive to many, and never easy to explain.

Last year, I read Escape by Carolyn Jessop. The account of a woman who fled Zion with her children to escape her life as a polygamist wife. I was shocked by the down hearted tone of the book and the rampant child abuse. It was the kind of story that after putting it down, any mother would shake her head and think "that's just not okay". The Fundamentalist LDS' have been in the news off and on since then, as Warren Jeffs goes through trial. It's hard to imagine what a life in a polygamist community like that is like.

The 19th Wife was an easier book to read for me. Maybe because I knew that parts of it were fiction, or that in general it presented the broader picture of what life was like and how polygamy came to be in the Latter Day Saints. It is a historical fiction novel by David Ebershoff, detailing the life of Ann Eliza Young from birth into a polygamist family through her very public divorce to Brigham Young. It also combines a modern day murder mystery centered on a high ranking polygamist family. The 19th Wife was the kind of book I couldn't put down. And when I finished the last page I wanted to know more. I wanted to know which parts were fact and which were the fiction added in. I found myself spouting off "Did you know...." questions to anyone who would listen to them. For instance, did you know that Joseph Smith was only 39 when he died? And that the jail where he was being held was stormed in the night and he and his brother Hyrum were shot to death? And that is why/how Brigham Young became the leader of the church?

I think this book might make it into my top 5 favorites for this year.

Rafting 2.0

2011-08-30T16:50:00.000-07:00

Last year, a group of friends and the boy and I went rafting. It was a two day adventure down Cache Creek. We had a great time. I had a little too much fun the first day but doesn't that make for the best kinds of stories anyway. I may or may not have accidentally set the husband's sandwich bread in the river instead of on the raft as I lovingly made his sandwich for him. But don't worry, he ate it - soggy bread and all. On day 2 of the trip, I may or may not have forgotten to take the wax paper off the cheese before I made the sandwich in an effort to make up for day 1 and soggy bread sandwiches.
The rafting itself was a blast. We only got dumped out of our raft 1 time and we scored a pretty nice double barrel super soaker. It was the kind of trip where before we even got home and unpacked the truck everyone was talking about doing it again.

And so we did! Hopefully it will become a yearly tradition. This year, I solemnly swore that there would be rules! Set up beforehand and followed accordingly.

Rule #1: Sunscreen, lots of it. Applied more than once the whole trip.

Rule #2: Under no circumstances whatsoever should I drink anything handed to me by the boy's cousin. He's the devil.

Rule #3: Do not set tent up on a ginormous rock that you will regret sleeping on the entire night.

Rule #4: No tandem puking. For many reasons. Some of them being: dinner, glow stick dancing, and so that I can enjoy the giant community bowl of oreos

We had an equally good time this year. Fell out of the raft a few more times that I would have liked. And once it happened at the top of one of the harder rapids. A little bit of scary-ness later and it's back to all smiles and laughing. Still a little bit sunburned and we really should have brought an air mattress to sleep on but I'm not complaining.
I think I'll start my don't forget list for next year right now....

The first of many

2011-08-26T15:41:00.000-07:00

Growing up, my mother used to look so forward to the first day of school ~~and getting some piece and quiet from the 5 of us~~, that it was like Christmas.

There were made to order breakfasts and gifts under our pillows when we returned from school that day. Even the kids looked forward to it. Long into our college years we would remind our dear mother that school was starting and we should be rewarded for being such good studies.

This week, the girlchild started Kindergarten. As excited for her as I am, I wish I still have a few more years of school-less children to take random middle of the year vacations with and not worry about what they are missing in school. Soon she'll be reading and writing and doing complex math and I'll be saying, I don't remember how to do this or that, it's been soooo long.

A good friend told me how she took first day of school pictures with her boys so they could see how they grew and changed each year. So, here is my first, first day of school with my kids picture, many, many more to follow:

Winner, Winner Chicken Dinner

2011-08-26T13:24:00.000-07:00

One more check mark for my bucket list this year.
In an unusual-for-me lucky streak, I won two tickets to Katy Perry from a local radio station. Free! And the second best part is that I didn't have to compete in anything on-air or embarrassing.

It took a little planning and a lot of driving (thanks Hubster!) but we pulled it off in an already packed weekend. Left work early, got to drive down with some of our favorite friends, oogled the Dutch Brothers coffee shops along the way.

We sat behind a couple of teenage girls...it was entertaining. Homemade outfits, ring pops, light up bracelets, dancing. I told the boy to take good notes because soon those sorts of activities would be happening in our own house.

The Finale...

As the husband observed while we were waiting for the show to start, it was overwhelming attended by women. Hardly a man in sight. Mostly Moms with daughter and friends in tow. Someday that will be me with my girlchild....probably at Taylor Swift. Or, maybe I'll let the Dad take her.

After the concert was over we high-tailed it back to Sacramento for the 2nd annual best-time-in-your-life-ever weekend rafting trip.

Only a Little Geeky

2011-08-24T09:27:00.000-07:00

How cool is that?!

I don't even pretend to like transformers but I had to take a picture as I passed the Hasbro truck. For the boychild of course. Who loves Bumblebee and wouldn't mind a few more transformers to sleep with at night.

Worth Every Penny

2011-08-18T16:50:00.000-07:00

$3 worth of face painting right there

Did you know that if you don't have children you can't enter Fairytale Town? Don't ask me how I know that....
Fast forward a few years and two fairytale town tickets later and we are in like flynn. The girlchild is now about the age that I can force her to do things that will remind me of the good, old days of my childhood. Things like face painting, eating a whole bag of cotton candy, staying up late to make chocolate chip cookies. It's a rough life for her I know.

The 2nd Happiest Place on Earth

2011-08-18T16:49:00.000-07:00

Joe's Crab Shack just might be the 2nd happiest place on earth.

Reasons why it makes me happy:

1. Crab, Duh! And lots of it.

2. My children will willingly eat whatever they are served there

3. It is so boisterous inside that no one can tell that my monsters are being wild

4. Tasty and delicious drinks that come in mason jars

5. Dancing in aisles and if you poke the girlchild with a crab cracker long enough she will hop up and dance to Love Shack too

6. There's no crying at Joe's Crab Shack!

My Sister's Keeper

2011-08-12T11:50:00.000-07:00

When I was in high school we had to write a paper on nuclear energy. The pros and cons of using it as an energy source versus the hazards of storing the waste. It's a tough debate, even today.   I was pro- Yucca Mountain at age 16...for the record.

When I was in college, we discussed the medical ethics of stem cells and bioengineering. You can do great things with science. But should you? My Sister's Keeper would have fit in nicely as assigned reading.

I honestly enjoyed every page of this book, it was the right mix of humor, family drama, and serious decisions. In it, we meet a family that decides to bring a third child into their world in the hopes that her cord blood will save her sister's life.  Kate was diagnosed with leukemia at age 3. Several relapses and marrow transplants later, Anna is encouraged to donate a kidney in hopes of again saving her sister. But where do you draw the line? How do you choose between two children that are both your own. What would you do if you were the one choosing?

Naturally, after reading the book, I wanted to see the movie. I can't believe how different the two are. This is most definitely a don't judge the book by the movie situation.

A Polliwog's Tale

2011-08-04T16:37:00.000-07:00

This is a story about a little girl who graduated from preschool a couple months ago and her pet polliwog.

Studying polliwogs was one of the last lessons they did before summer break. And don't even think about calling it a tadpole....it will be a good ten minutes before you will be able to get a word in edgewise.

On the last day of school, the girlchild comes home with said new friend in a sandwich bag with strict instructions to feed it fresh boiled lettuce everyday.

Boiled lettuce. Everyday.

Oh, really. Over the course of the next 6 weeks I meticulously boiled lettuce and fed it to the polliwog a grand total of zero times. The tadpole managed to survive just fine on goldfish flakes. We kept the creature on the kitchen window sill so that ~~we could remember to feed it~~ we could watch it's ever changing, and metamorphesing body.

As a free range child myself, we used to catch tadpoles...because back then they were called tadpoles....by the thousands and keep them in a mayo jar in some non-disclosed location. I can't honestly remember if we ever really fed them or what, but every so often we'd take them out of the jar hold them in our little muddy hands and then put them back. And then one day my favorite sister of all got sick. Really sick. Beaver fever sick. And so tadpoles were banned from my childhood. I can honestly say that they never captured our attention long enough to pay attention to their teenage-tadpole years.

Fast forward some uncalculated years and I have a polliwog sitting on my kitchen counter. Turns out it was pretty fascinating to actually see the shrinking tail and emerging legs. Did you know that they actually form their front and back legs under their amphibious skin and then one day they just pop out fully formed? I did not. And now you do too.

After the changing was done and the creature could be identified as a frog, the inevitable question came. "Mom, can I keep him?? Please!" And while it was pondered for a nanosecond it wasn't to be. Because after all, where would he live? He can't share a house with pinchy the crawdad. Because he is currently doing jail time for massacring the goldfish. And Wally the welfare fish would eat him in a heartbeat.

But isn't he just the cutest little thing?

So we set him free to find his own way in the world.

The Land of Painted Caves

2011-07-20T15:27:00.000-07:00

The Land of Painted Caves is Jean M. Auel's last book in the Earth Children series. This historical fiction series started with Clan of the Cave Bear first published in 1980. I'm kind of glad that I wasn't old enough to read the books as they were published. I am quite the impatient person and the relatively short amount of time I waited for the Land of Painted Caves to come out was grueling.

I'm not sure who pays attention to these sorts of things but I think this has to be in the running for the longest running series from start to finish:
Clan of the Cave Bear - 1980
Valley of Horses - 1982
Mammoth Hunters - 1985
Plains of Passage - 1990
Shelters of Stone - 2002
Land of Painted Caves - 2011

The Land of Painted Caves starts out where The Shelters of Stone left off. Ayla, Jondalar and Jonayla are living together with the ninth cave. The story follows Ayla as she finishes her training for the Zelandonii. I felt like the book focused more on the social interactions of the group than on the physical demands of living as hunters and gathers. While still good, I also felt like the book repeated so much of the previous ones (the memories, songs, rituals) and could have done without some of the redundancy. The plot also paralleled so much of the Mammoth Hunters plot that I thought "are we really going to have this drama again??"

Even with my complaining, I'm glad to have read Land of Painted Caves. I'm still in love with Ayla and all the knowledge she has of being a hunter and gatherer as well as her skills as a medicine woman. Reading the books makes me want to take a wilderness survival class or grow more herbs in my garden....or maybe I would already know these things if I hadn't have gotten myself kicked out of girl scouts as a child. Dang, I should have thought that through a little more.

Anyone for a game of Pooh Sticks?

2011-07-19T16:35:00.000-07:00

Dusk - July 15th

New Car Coasters

2011-07-14T09:02:00.000-07:00

The husband and I decided that after living in our house for 8 years, it might be time to actually get a bed frame and quit living like college kids. Because really, how long can one live with their mattress on the ground?

8 years apparently.

The thing is, getting nice furniture is like getting a new car. You try to keep it as like-new looking as long as possible. Translation: NO unprotected cups on the wood finish!!

So, one short round trip to Sacramento and back and I now can have my water and sleep with it too.

Now....I just need to install the pigeon spikes to keep the cats and children from using the headboard as their personal stage.

Three

2011-06-27T10:12:00.000-07:00

How many 800 M sprints does it take to get to your best friend's house on an idle Sunday morning?

Three

The boy followed behind with the kiddos so we could all have a play date and snow cones together.

Hay Down

2011-06-27T09:54:00.000-07:00

June 23rd

A running good time

2011-06-23T09:52:00.000-07:00

A friend at work asked if I wanted to be on her Reno-Tahoe Odyssey team this year. To which I said "Heck Yes" of course. This is the race's 7th year running and I can't tell you how much fun it was. I'd do it again. Right now. Okay....maybe I'll let my blisters heal a little first.

It took our team 27 hours 44 minutes to complete the 178 mile course around Reno and Lake Tahoe. We finished 129th out of 204 teams. I finished the race (tired of course) but motivated to train harder and be speedier next time.

Team #32 - Disco Velveeta

Finishing my first leg

My favorite leg of the race was my night run. This was my first ever night-time running. It was a great experience to be out under the stars, hearing the frogs croaking in the woods, with the faint smell of fireplaces burning in the night. I had a bit of a climb but I finished the 6.2 miles in 1:05 which makes me happy, especially since I ran most of it with one shoelace untied (no way was I going to let anyone pass me).

It takes a real man to wear pink

There was so much camaraderie and team spirit and just plain, old silly fun. It was infectious. The boy came out on the second day and cheered our team on. We even let him buy a round or two of bloody mary's at the Bucket of Blood in Virginia City.

Our Cheering squad

Checking this one off the bucket list....but don't worry, I'll be back next year for sure!

chinese tradition

2011-06-11T07:55:00.000-07:00

So...I was reading this book recently and it starts out at a Chinese funeral. In it there was basket with white envelopes that contained a hard piece of candy and a nickel. The candy was meant to be eaten during the funeral service as a symbolic way to sweeten the sadness of the day and the nickel was meant to buy another sweet on your way home.

I found myself thinking that that was a pretty nice tradition. I'm not chinese, but I hope someone does that for me someday. And then I found myself thinking, what candy would remind people of me most and put a little smile on their face when they eat it? Peppermints? Butterscotch or cinnamon discs? Teriyaki beef jerky.....mmmmmm jerky.

Candies that remind me of my loved ones (both here and gone):
Canada Mints - My Mother
Black licorice - My Daddy
Butter mints - My Sister
Chewy Sweet Tarts - My Husband
Peppermint Discs - Harold Rogers (the best cute old man I ever got to sit with at church)
Nips - Grandpa Jerry

If you could be remembered in candy what would you be?

What's Behind the Door that is One Door Away From Heaven?

2011-05-23T09:37:00.000-07:00

Any guesses? Well I'm not going to tell you. You'll have to read the book to find out.

Neener from bunco got up on her soap box, rang her cow bell, and said that everyone, absolutely everyone, should sit down and read One Door Away From Heaven by Dean Koontz. That it's the kind of book, once you finish it, that makes you sit down on the couch and think "What am I going to do with the rest of my life?"

So of course, I read it. I really enjoyed it. It is more suspenseful than the books I usually choose. Which is good and bad for my poor little heart. Here's the part where I also tell you that I am kind of a weeny. A weeny in the "I only watch scary movies with the lights on" kind of way. I had to make sure that I didn't read this book too close to bedtime or it would keep my mind awake all night.

It is the story of a young, physically handicapped girl and her life with a mercy-killing stepfather. He is on a mission to prove that extraterrestials exist and get Leilani Klonk cured of her physical ailments. Except Leilani is pretty sure she is destined to wind up in a shallow grave in the woods along side her currently alien abducted brother.

Watership Down

2011-05-18T14:20:00.000-07:00

Have you read Watership Down by Richard Adams?

Did you know that it is Penguin books' best selling book ever? (According to wiki anyway)

And that oodles of high school aged students around the world have had to read it or suffer the consequences?

How did all these nuggets of information escape me for so long? I jumped on the every one's read it bandwagon and I'm glad I did. At first I thought this was going to be another Animal Farm type story, but the introduction quickly told me I was over thinking it. That this was just a little story invented to keep the author's children from driving him to madness on long car rides out to the country. Except if you listen to the critics they will tell you that this story has all kinds of great literature undertones (Homer, Odyssey, Aeneid, Troy, Robin Hood).

It's a story about a group of rabbits that follow Fiver, a future-seeing rabbit, away from the home they grew up in. He predicts the end is near. They make their way across the countryside to find a new home for themselves. Along the way, they encounter a rabbit farm full of traps and a militant compound that want to make them prisoners.

So, if you haven't read it, you should. You're 10th grade English teacher would have wanted you to. And I won't make you write a report on it.

Just passing it along

2011-05-08T08:00:00.000-07:00

Happy Mother's Day to all those who are called to that path in life. I'll be spending the day with my two favorite kids and my better half.

~Zeke

I took this from here:
(It was too good to trust that you'd follow the link)

When you thought I wasn't looking

by Mary Rita Schilke Korzan

When you thought I wasn’t looking
You hung my first painting on the refrigerator
And I wanted to paint another.

When you thought I wasn’t looking
You fed a stray cat
And I thought it was good to be kind to animals.

When you thought I wasn’t looking
You baked a birthday cake just for me
And I knew that little things were special things.

When you thought I wasn’t looking
You said a prayer
And I believed there was a God that I could always talk to.

When you thought I wasn’t looking
You kissed me good-night
And I felt loved.

When you thought I wasn’t looking
I saw tears come from your eyes
And I learned that sometimes things hurt—
But that it’s alright to cry.

When you thought I wasn’t looking
You smiled
And it made me want to look that pretty too.

When you thought I wasn’t looking
You cared
And I wanted to be everything I could be.

When you thought I wasn’t looking—
I looked . . .
And wanted to say thanks
For all those things you did
When you thought I wasn’t looking.

Are We Having Fun Yet

2011-05-07T06:51:00.000-07:00

2nd bloody nose in three days...I was told it was MORE humid in Illinois

You say Potato, I say Tomato

2011-05-07T06:39:00.000-07:00

"Just because I am wearing cowboy boots, it does NOT make me a cow girl, Brother!"

p.s. The girl-child is already plotting ways to knock off the old mama so she can have the entire collection of precious moments. Her name is practically crayola'd in on the bottom of each and every one.

I do what I can

2011-04-21T16:30:00.000-07:00

Burrito: Mama, I'm a little bit sad.

Me: What's up buddy?

Burrito: Every time I wake up my wish doesn't come true.

Me: What wish?

Burrito: My wish to be a kitty cat.

Me: I don't know, you look a little furrier today. Maybe if we add some whiskers....

How do you like them whiskers??

Today on my run I saw...

2011-04-19T15:39:00.000-07:00

(And by today I mean last Sunday....)

I shall keep you and call you Charlie!

This cute little wild baby. I thought about smuggling him home in my short's pocket but then I remembered I was wearing a skirt that day. Dang it! Plus I already had a Louisville slugger and two giant playing cards tucked into my camelbak straps. Next time...or maybe next time I'll just remember an apple.

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet

2011-04-06T13:50:00.000-07:00

I do believe that historical fiction is fast becoming my favoritest genre ever.

I liked Alice I Have Been by Melanie Benjamin
I was enchanted with Corelli's Mandolin by Louis de Bernieres
I wished for a minute to be included in The Red Tent by Anita Diamant
I still dream about being as cool as Ayla in the Earth Children Series books by Jean Auel

And now, I have officially put The Panama Hotel on my things to see someday list.

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet (By Jamie Ford) is the story of an unlikely friendship. A Chinese boy, Henry, and a Japanese girl, Keiko, find themselves the only non-whites in their prep school during World War II. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor the Japanese are removed from Seattle to internment camps farther inland. It is the story of a forbidden friendship that is also strained across time and distance.

The Panama Hotel was a familiar landmark for Henry his whole life, traveling past it often on his way to visit Keiko or to listen to jazz music in the back alleys. When the Japanese were forced to leave the city many stored their belongings in the basement, hoping one day to be able to return and collect them. Forty years later the hotel is sold and the new owner finds a whole basement full of unclaimed belongings. Henry, decides it's time to try to find a long, lost jazz record he once had and maybe more.

Spring and things

2011-03-31T16:56:00.000-07:00

A perfect sunrise on our sleepy street

The photo above doesn't do the sunrise justice. It really was awe inspiring. Inspiring enough that I absolutely needed to scoop the boy-child up (toothbrush still in his mouth) and hustle him out into the yard so we wouldn't miss it.

Other news around the yard:

There are fresh cut daffodils on my mother's table

The hyacinths are nearly blooming

The entire backyard is a slippery, slimy mud puddle....don't even think about going out there

Group runs have begun to gear up for the Reno-Tahoe Odyssey (did I mention this run was on my bucket list)

I started knitting a pair of fingerless gloves, judging by my current pace they'll be ready just in time for next winter

I've been reading some pretty good books

Swim lessons are in full swing

Corelli's Mandolin

2011-03-10T11:41:00.000-08:00

Corelli's Mandolin written by Louis de Bernieres (1994)

A historical, world war II novel set on the island Cephallonia. It is the story of the native Greeks and the German and Italian occupation of their island. At least in my education, this part of the war was glossed over. I don't recall anything about the massacre of Italian troops by the Germans in 1943. It was interesting to me to read about other countries' involvements in the war (other than the Americans).

The main characters are:
Dr Iannis, Pelagia's father, and the unofficial island's Dr. He spends the majority of his life trying to write the history of the island but his views and personal opinions keep sneaking into the manuscript. In the end, Pelagia finishes it for her father.

Pelagia is not the average island girl. She is well educated and has hopes of being a doctor someday. The book details the two loves of her life, Mandras and Antonio Corelli.

Perhaps one of the more famous monologues from the book is Dr Iannis' attempt to describe love to his daughter. The difference between love and lust.

Love is a temporary madness. It erupts like an earthquake and then subsides. And when it subsides you have to make a decision. You have to work out whether your roots have become so entwined together that it is inconceivable that you should ever part. Because this is what love is. Love is not breathlessness, it is not excitement, it is not the promulgation of promises of eternal passion. That is just being in love which any of us can convince ourselves we are. Love itself is what is left over when being in love has burned away, and this is both an art and a fortunate accident. Your mother and I had it, we had roots that grew towards each other underground, and when all the pretty blossom had fallen from our branches we found that we were one tree and not two.

I enjoyed this book mostly because it had the right mix of humor and tragedy. War is hard. It seems in times of war, people life more fully and passionately, since you never know what tomorrow will bring. I might not re-read it as often as To Kill A Mockingbird or Brave New World, but this book is definitely going on my favorites list.

p.s. The movie was good, but I felt like it lacked the majority of the emotional ties of Pelagia to her father, Mandras and Captain Corelli.

My own personal coach

2011-03-04T12:08:00.000-08:00

I can't tell if Shasta is cheering me on or mocking me.

I must say that staring into these reflective eyes is starting to freak me out. And more than once the cat has tried to walk across the top of the treadmill, lost her footing, and got tangled up in my feet as I ran.

That shelf was NOT built just for Shasta. It was special requested for a little fan to keep me cool and to hold my amazing 3rd place running trophy from Lake Tahoe last year.

I am trying out a new training schedule this year. It has me running three times a week. I'm hoping to get a consistent number of weekly miles under my belt and speed up my pace a little.

I've got a couple of good, organized runs in my future that I'm pretty excited about.

I love to hate the snow

2011-03-01T13:25:00.000-08:00

When it starts snowing outside and I'm sitting at my desk at work, chances are I will start to cry. Not really. But I want to. I will spend the rest of the time alternating between looking out the window praying the snow will stop or checking my email to see if they've called a snow day yet. It makes me wish I had my own personal driver who would shuttle me to and from work so I don't have to worry about slippery roads, four wheel drive, or other crazy drivers.

Truth be told, I enjoy the snow. I enjoy it most from the warmth of my favorite Nintendo chair parked by the fireplace. But, I do enjoy playing in it as long I have the appropriate warm, waterproof gear on.

Excited enough to dive over the hand rail just to get in the snow

We took the kids to a little hill in Truckee for some good old-fashioned, free exercise and fun.

The boy at the bottom, Bobbo climbing back up

After a while, the children claimed they couldn't possibly make it back to the top of the hill because they were so so tired. Good thing we brought the Daddy!

The Lost Posts

2011-03-01T13:14:00.000-08:00

I have been slacking on my knitting updates. Truth be told, I've been slacking on my knitting. I have a couple of projects in mind and can't wait to get started on them. Until then, here are a few I have done in the past couple months.

The first thing I've ever crocheted....Yoda

Booties for my nephew. I wanted them to have little duck button on them but I couldn't find any like I had in mind. I kind of like the frogs though.

We made washcloths for the librarians for Christmas. This one was mine.

And the reason I have been such a slacker lately is that the sister-in-laws and I spent 6 months making a crazy quilt for our mother-in-law. Here it is, not quite finished.

A Reliable Wife

2011-02-25T15:36:00.000-08:00

A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick

This was just a story. A story of people, of Ralph and Emilia and Antonio and Catherine and the mothers and the fathers what had died, too soon or too late, of people who had hurt one another as much as people can do, who had been selfish and not wise, and had become trapped inside the bitter walls of memories they wished they had never had.

I bought this book for one of the prizes the month that I hosted bunco at my house. But the I got nervous and worried whether the person who won it would even be a reader or not like the genre or just plain think it was a sucky gift. Such things happen.

Since I was reading something else at the time, I let my sister-in-law borrow it. She told me it was the worst book she ever read. That struck me as odd since it came so highly recommended from the Borders sales girl the day I picked it out. She told me that everyone (the employees) were reading it right now and everyone was loving it. Since I bought the book I felt obligated to read it even though the sister-in-law's review was -3 stars. I personally thought it was like a sex, drugs, and rock n roll story set in a different time. Or that it was a love story in the way that Wuthering Heights is a love story (only I liked the end of this one a lot better).

I didn't get very far into the book before I came across this passage:

I'm the kind of woman who wants to know the end of the story, she thought, starting at her face in the jostling mirror. I want to know how its going to end before it even starts.

And I couldn't help but think, now there's a girl after my own heart. I am queen of plot-spoiling and looking up book summaries online while I am still mid-way through the book. I just need to know that I'm going to approve of the ending.

I say give it a try. It is after all, on the book end cap at Raley's right this very minute. You may like it or hate it. Such things happen.

And I leave you with this, from the author's interview at the back of my book:
Life isn't fair, and it can fill you with joy or break your heart, all because of choices we make, all because of the unforeseen consequences of actions we take without thinking.

Isn't that the truth.

~Zeke

A Public Service Announcement

2011-02-15T16:50:00.000-08:00

This is the post where I admit that it took me 6 weeks to figure out how to use the nike+ chip with my new nano.

6 weeks!

Isn't that ridiculous?! I think it is. And I'm ashamed to admit it. I got the new nano for christmas, the one that has a touch screen. But then the weather was bad. Then, the weather was fabulous and I assumed it would be as easy as plugging the sensor in and hitting the open road. I ran 5 miles. And in that 5 miles, I tried to calibrate my sensor by 1 mile increments, 5 times. Five times. Five times I ran the mile only to get a calibrate unsuccessful message.

So I shelfed it for a week begging the task off to and thinking I needed to read the instructions. The next weekend I decided to give it another try on the open road. Afterall, you just plug the sensor into the ipod, walk around to recognize the chip, choose calibrate on the menu and press stop at the end of 1 mile.

Fail. Again.

So then I decided that I really did need to read the instructions. And I learned absolutely nothing from either the nano instructions or the Nike+ instructions. (except that's not really true because I did learn that I can change the direction of the screen on the ipod by putting two fingers on the screen and twisting).

After some extensive and random google searches I came across one on one of those answers websites that says the chip has to be attached to your shoe nike swoop up.

Swoop up People!

I should have known?
I should have guessed?
I had a 50:50 chance and I got it wrong.

So. If you are having trouble, check your swoop.

That is all.

I am off to run!

I went to the beach and didn't put my toes in the ocean

2011-02-10T16:10:00.000-08:00

View from my hotel window

The boy and I took a well needed vacation (work related, but no children) last weekend. Aside from crazy, ridiculous delays and missed flights at the airport it was a nice get away. We literally were this close to the beach but never ventured down to the water to put our toes in. I really am okay with that. There were quite a few surfers enjoying the waves. It was entertaining watching them try to catch the perfect wave all while I was happily eating breakfast and sipping coffee. Don't worry, I kept my eyes peeled for sharks. No sighting to report.

Summary of the weekend:
All the lobster, clams, oysters, prime rib, pizza, hot dogs, s'mores, brownies, etc any person could consume
A ridiculous percentage of Left Center Right wins against unsuspecting gamblers (only $3 to play people, $3)
20 fingers and 20 toes pampered, scrubbed and polished
4 spicy, yet tasty bloody marys thoroughly enjoyed
2.5 books read during said airport fiasco
1 impulse airport buy
0 wins from any of the 3 superbowl pools we participated

And then right before we had to leave for the airport to come home, The Boy saved my $4 chocolate strawberry from a greedy crow....one of the many reasons I love that boy.

~Zeke
oxoxox

p.s. Completely unrelated to this post - Relyn always has the best lists. I love this one.

Could you hear the crickets chirping from my corner?

2011-02-07T18:37:00.000-08:00

Hello. Hello. Hello.

Echo. Echo. Echo.

Anybody home? Anybody home? Anybody home?

So...you noticed I haven't been around here lately, huh?

Sorry for that.

Aren't I too young for a mid-life crisis? Please tell me I am. But I have been feeling like I'm having one. Is it because I'm 29.5 years old this month? That's right, this is the big 30 year. Except it shouldn't matter because I am standing firm at 25 for as long as I can get away with it.

But, I had a rough patch there. And I lost my funny and entertaining there for a minute. I'm still here. Not dead yet. Feverishly working on my happy. And I have been stockpiling posts in my head, reading some good books, spending some much needed time with those people I hold nearest and dearest to my heart.

Should you feel like giving me a pep talk about the ups and downs of life or a stern talking to about straightening up my attitude, go for it. I probably need both.

Today

2011-01-07T16:21:00.000-08:00

Today is not going on my list of best days ever.

1. I was startled awake by the alarm clock this morning thinking, "It's Saturday, why did I set the alarm?"
(because in fact, it's NOT Saturday it is Friday....sadface)

2. I had to go the ~~alternate~~ long route to work. The freezing fog caused a 7 car accident including two tractor trailers and they shut down the freeway. (freeway shutdown....sadface.)

3. There were no elevator rides in the rickety, old FA elevator to the 3rd floor, because there is in fact no one left to entertain me up there.
(Being the Biochemistry Department forgotten step-child...sadface)

4. Not finding out until 4pm that I will indeed be working both Saturday & Sunday.
(The boy's going to be so cranky about this...sadface)

But tomorrow is another day right?
right?
And it really is Saturday.
And it's going to involve birthday dinner for the boy and some FSIL time
And I'm pretty sure if I get this on my lunch break it will cheer me up.

The Baskin Robbins Year

2011-01-04T21:42:00.000-08:00

THIS GUY

turned the big thirty-wonderful years old today

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU HUSBANDMAN.

(Sorry I never have the appropriate numbered candles)

in 2011 I'm going to.....

2011-01-01T19:46:00.000-08:00

In 2011, I'm going to run a 10K.

In 2011, I'm going to run a half marathon.

In 2011, I'm going to go back to daily reflections (because on some idle day in September, I know this book is going to tell me to clean my linen cupboard and I need that in my life).

In 2011, I'm going to read 100 books of my choosing.

in 2011, I'm going to work harder on the letting go of things I can't control. Life's too short to be worried about that kind of stuff anyway, right?

Catching Fire (The Hunger Games Trilogy)

2011-01-01T19:34:00.000-08:00

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins has been getting a lot of publicity. We discussed reading it for book club several months ago and it got vetoed. The description of the first book made all of the new moms cringe with horror. A survivor-type fictional reality games scenario that sends children (12-18) into a battle to the last living didn't sound entertaining to anyone.

But then the boss told me even he had read the books and loved them.

And then a girlfriend read the series and said it was worthwhile. So I decided I'd give the trilogy a try.

I really enjoyed the first book. The book details the 74th hunger games. I thought the contestant deaths would be hard to read about, and while some were harder to read about than others, the book made up for it in plot and conflict resolution.

The 2nd book, Catching Fire, details the 75th Hunger Games, because it is the 75th games, the game makers decide to make it a best-of-the-past-winners challenge. A game, which previously meant any winner was set for life, now means something completely different.
And if you haven't read the series you should quite reading here....unless you are the type of person to read the whole wikipedia summary before you finish the book...as some people (cough) I might know have been known to do.

My favorite part from Catching Fire is the internal dialogue Katniss has with herself:

The Berries. I realized the answer to who I am lies in that handful of poisonous fruit. If I held them out to save Peeta because I knew that I would be shunned if I came back without him, then I am despicable. If I held them out because I loved him, I am still self centered, although forgivable. But if I held them out to defy the Capitol, I am someone of worth. The trouble is, I don't know exactly what was going on inside me at that moment.

The Final Book, Mockingjay, picks up at the end of the 75th hunger games and carries through the districts revolt against the Capitol. I must admit that while I was cheering for Peeta over Gale the whole series, I was disappointed in the quick gloss over of Gale at the end.
My favorite excerpt from Mockinjay is (from Katniss again):
I think that Peeta was onto something about us destroying one another and letting some decent species take over, because something is significantly wrong with a creature that sacrifices it's children's lives to settle it's differences. you can spin it anyway you like, Snow thought the hunger games were an efficient means of control. Coin thought the parachutes would expedite the war, but in the end, who does it benefit? No one. The truth is, it benefits no one to live in a world where these things happen.

Blue is the new white

2011-01-01T19:17:00.000-08:00

This year, blue is the new white in our house (because I couldn't find any white tea lights). And straight is the new round. I haven't had the advent wreath out the last couple years due to a small group of little people who can't keep their mitts off it. But I got a new one this year. I love, love, love it.

First Sunday of Advent is the prophecy candle, it is a reminder that Jesus' coming was prophesied before he was born. The candle is purple as a symbol of his royalty as the King of Kings.

The 2nd candle is the Bethlehem candle, reminding us that Jesus was born in Bethlehem. It too is purple as a sign that the King of Kings was born in a manger.

The Third Sunday is the Shepherd's candle. The candle is pink and represents God's love and faithfulness. We are reminded that God send the angels to proclaim his arrival to common man and that he still uses ordinary people to spread the good news.

The fourth candle is the Angel's candle. The Angel's candle is also purple reminding us it was a King's birth they were announcing. As we light this flame we are reminded of the Heavenly hosts that proclaimed Christ's arrival by "Behold, I bring unto you good tidings and great joy!"

The last candle, a white candle, is lit on Christmas day. A reminder of the birth of our Lord. As the prophets promised long ago, you have come to us once again; and with the shepherds we are filled with wonder and amazement.

And let us all pretend that I posted this educational post sometime closer to Christmas than I did.....But you know....I'm a slacker.

Reflections

2011-01-01T18:59:00.000-08:00

This is the one where I tell you how I did on my 2010 resolutions.....

1. Take better care of myself....Umm, who let me start with this one, I say yes so yes!

2. Become a creme brulee master....Let's see: I ate creme brulee at every restaurant opportunity I got, Lawrence made creme brulee in my kitchen while I sat at the counter and took notes, but I still don't technically have my own ramekins or torch yet....

3. Run 100 miles total this year.....drum roll please.....and the number is....182 miles.

My Year in Books (A review)

2010-12-31T11:14:00.000-08:00

I had a lofty goal of reading 100 books in 2010. I didn't quite make it. There were some lengthy books in my list this year so I don't think I'll be beating myself up too much over falling short. The sword of truth books come to mind first off.

I've been working on this list all year and I'm really happy I was keeping track. Looking over it now, there are some books I had forgotten I'd read and some I really wished I hadn't read at all.

I think I'm going to make 100 books in 2011 one of my resolutions this year.

The Reading List:
1. Alan Bradley - The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie
2. David Cristofano - The Girl She Used to Be
3. Robert Munsch - The Munschworks Grand Treasury
4. Jean Auel - Shelters of Stone
5. John Jeavons - The Backyard Homestead Mini-Farm
6. Dan Brown - The Lost Symbol
7. Terry Goodkind - The Pillars of Creation
8. Peter D'Adamo - The Genotype Diet
9. Jason Wright - The Wednesday Letters
10. Terry Goodkind - Naked Empire
11. Heidi Ayarbe - Freeze Frame
12. Scott O'Dell - Island of the Blue Dolphins
13. Khaled Hosseini - A Thousand Splendid Suns
14. Nicholas Sparks - The Notebook
15. Alan Bradley - The Weed that Strings the Hangman's Bag
16. Nicholas Sparks - Dear John
17. Terry Goodkind - Chainfire
18. Anne Tyler - The Amateur Marriage
19. Alan Bennett - The Uncommon Reader
20. Don Piper - 90 Minutes in Heaven
21. Michael Scott - The Alchemyst
22. Eoin Colfer - Artemis Fowl: The Eternity Code
23. Terry Goodkind - Phantom
24. Catherine Gilbert Murdock - Princess Ben
25. Brandon Mull - Fablehaven: Keys to the Demon Prison
26. Cesar Millan - A Member of the Family
27. Paulo Coelho - The Witch of Portobello
28. Anita Diamant - The Red Tent
29. Terry Goodkind - Confessor
30. Sarah Gruen - Riding Lessons
31. Alice Sebold - The Lovely Bones
32. Kathryn Stockett - The Help
33. Stephenie Meyer - The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner
34. Eoin Colfer - Artemis Fowl: The Opal Deception
35. Ann Brashares - The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants
36. Melanie Benjamin - Alice I have been
37. Rebecca Stead - When You Reach Me
38. Cynthia Lord - Rules
39. Rick Riordan - The Red Pyramid
40. David Dosa - Making Rounds with Oscar
41. Elizabeth Hasselbeck - The G Free Diet
42. Margaret Mitchell - Gone With The Wind
43. Eoin Colfer - Artemis Fowl: The Lost Colony
44. Eoin Colfer - Artemis Fowl: The Time Paradox
45. Stieg Larrson - The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
46. Elizabeth Berg - Home Safe
47. Mitch Albom - Have a Little Faith
48. Jeanne DuPrau - City of Ember
49. Maggie Stiefvater - Linger
50. Jeanne DuPrau - The People of Sparks
51. Jeanne DuPrau - The Prophet of Yonwood
52. F. Scott Fitzgerald - The Great Gatsby
53. Jeanne DuPrau - The Diamond of Darkhold
54. Frank Bruni - Born Round
55. Sara Gruen - Ape House
56. Charlotte Bronte - Jane Eyre
57. Lewis Carroll - Alice in Wonderland
58. Lewis Carroll - Through the Looking Glass
59. Rhoda Janzen - Mennonite in a Little Black Dress
60. Kate Jacob - The Friday Night Knitting Club
61. Christopher McDougall - Born to Run
62. Philip Pullman - The Golden Compass
63. Philip Pullman - The Subtle Knife
64. Philip Pullman - The Amber Spyglass
65. Suzanne Collins - The Hunger Games
66. Chris Cleave - Little Bee
67. Kate Jacob - Knit Two
68. Voltaire - Candide
69. Ayn Rand - Atlas Shrugged
70. Suzanne Collins - Catching Fire
71. Suzanne Collins - Mockingjay

Christmas Cookie Tradition

2010-12-27T11:16:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite Newman family Christmas traditions is our annual cookie day. We gather, have lunch, catch up on family news and bake cookies until we all have reached our maximum sugar tolerance for the season. The star of the cookie show is hands down the sugar cookies! By the end of the day we each have our own tins of fudge, chocolate chip cookies, rice crispy treats, sugar cookies, and pecan sandies.

It is usually a girls only affair. The boys are sent off to buy us presents or have a sushi date or buy guns...you know, the usual boy stuff. Since Bobbo is still a small, man-child he gets to come still. Plus he needs to put some miles on his 'boy apron'.

Decorating sugar cookies

We were short a few of our usual attendees this year and they were noticably missed.

Bobbo, Me, Karyl, Kayla, Nicole, Nancy, Emma & Donna

Six Days

2010-12-27T10:45:00.000-08:00

My little guy was born six days before Christmas. Six days.

This time of year holds memories now, not just of the anticipation of Christmas and the joy of the season, but also blurry memories of late nights, round the clock feedings, snuggling by the fire and watching the Christmas tree lights twinkle with a sleeping baby tucked gently in the crook of my arm.

This is Bobbo's first ornament. I might need to keep it for myself after he's grown. It's hard not to look at it without getting teary eyed and wishing for babies brand new all over again.

"How delightful," Said Pooh, To be so brand-new"

"A Baby is always doing something brand-new," said Piglet.

"I suppose that's what makes a baby so special," said Pooh. "That and being so huggable and sweet."

p.s. Nat the fat Rat puts that feeling into words so much better than I do, here and here.

Oh Christmas Tree

2010-12-15T08:17:00.000-08:00

The 2010 Christmas Tree Adventure

Waiting for Mitch to fix his 4-wheel drive

There was snow this year!
Not too terribly much but enough to sled for a while and have a snowball fight.

Emma requested a *small* tree this year

The Boy picked out, cut down, and loaded the tree all by his lonesome this year. But I secretly love him for that because pokey pine needles make me cranky.

The Christmas card reject

It has come to my attention that the Woozies are short one fabulously cute family photo to grace the surface of this year's Christmas card.

So in lieu of us standing outside in our bikinis.....we took a million dorky pictures of us in our snow gear.

This one didn't make it past the cutting room floor.

What girls do when boys are playing with chainsaws

Two of my favorite people: Andrea and Sheri.

Roasting Marshmallows

The major difference between my childhood Christmas tree adventures and the current ones is the campfire.
I must admit, I'm a fan. Warm hands, burnt marshmallows, roasted hot dogs....

All told, it was a good day. Except for Mitch's 4 wheel drive not working properly and the one Christmas tree casualty we had on the way back.

and p.s. Middlegate has the tastiest Bloody Marys ever! They need to be on every body's to try someday list.

Little Bee by Chris Cleave

2010-11-27T09:45:00.000-08:00

"We must see all scars as beauty. A scar doesn't form on the dying. A scar means, I survived."
~Little Bee

The back of the book reads:

We don't want to tell you what happens in this book.
It is a truly special story and we don't want to spoil it.
Nevertheless, you need to know enough to buy it, so we will just say this:
This is the story of two women. Their lives collide one fateful day, and one of them has to make a terrible choice, the kind of choice we hope you never have to face. Two years later, they meed again - and the story starts there...
Once you have read it, you'll want to tell your friends about it. When you do, please don't tell them what happens. The magic is in how the story unfolds.

So....What do you say about that?

I admit that I didn't like the book when I started it. But my sister-in-law was adamant that I read the book because she loved it. I would have put the book down if she wouldn't have been so insistent and the fact that I can't not finish a book once I've started it. My ONE fatal flaw I suppose...

But then I absolutely needed to know how the story was going to end. And I read 2/3 of the book in one day.

So. Should you read it? YES. Will you like it? Maybe. It will leave you thinking for sure. Last night I would have told you no, I didn't like it. But after sleeping on it, I think I'm changing my mind.

So what's the story? It's the story of a person who throws one washed up starfish back into the ocean. Does that make a difference in the world? It does to THAT starfish.

Born to Run by Christopher McDougall

2010-11-24T10:28:00.000-08:00

I'm thinking about trying to catch a deer with my bare hands.

NO?

You don't think I can do it?

You really should have more faith in me than that.

I just finished reading Born to Run by Christopher McDougall. It really and truly has got me thinking about trying to out run a deer. Do you think it was really possible back in the hunter and gatherer days? If a deer can't sweat and run at the same time...and it would get overheated in just over 6 miles.....

I can totally run 6 miles...

Okay. Maybe I will work on my strategy a little bit more first. But it's got me thinking. Just like I've been thinking lately that if I could be any fictional character ever I'd be Ayla from the Earth's Children Series. I'd like to rock the tone, gorgeous, hunter/gatherer body AND know all she knows about medicinal herbs.

But that's another story. And this story is about Born to Run. Born to Run is a mix of history about the Taruamara running tribes, good running advice, and stories about some of the more famous ultra runners from the US.

Before reading this book I didn't really know anything about ultra running. I guess I thought you run marathons and that's it. I ended up changing my bookmark half way through to a piece of paper just so I could jot down things I wanted to google later. Like Jenn Shelton. If I can't be Ayla in another life then I would like to be just like Jenn Shelton someday.
Anyone who is any kind of recreational runner would enjoy this book I think. The following is my favorite part. Which will someday find it's way onto an index card and be thumb tacked to the wall in front of my treadmill right next to the list of the 1996 Churchill County Cross Country race times. That Katrina Flanders....she was fast. And I aim to catch her someday.

Caballo's Lesson #2: Think Easy, Light, Smooth, and Fast.

You start with easy, because if that's all you get, that's not so bad.
Then work on light. Make it effortless, like you don't give a shit how high the hill is or how far you've got to go.
When you've practiced that so long you forget you're practicing, you work on making it smooth. You won't have to worry about the last one - you get those three, and you'll be fast.

His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman

2010-11-22T13:56:00.000-08:00

His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman is a trilogy consisting of The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass. They have been on my TO READ list for a while now, but I kept putting them off.   I had heard they were chalk full of controversy and on the Church's banned book list. I'm not sure why I cared about it being on the boycott list by the Church, they don't approve of Harry Potter either and I didn't care. I really kind of feel like a book is a book is a book and at the end of the day I have to be responsible for my own beliefs where ever I acquired them. And besides, I'm not the kind of person who believes something just because some one told me to.

As I was reading I made a mental list of all the possible reasons the books would have been on the do not read list. Here's what I came up with:

Fallen Angels
An Angel who poses as the authority (God)
a plot to kill God
Witches
Alternate, Parallel Universes to ours
Talking animals
Portraying the institution as corrupt and inherently evil
Passages to other worlds in the air
Souls existing outside people as daemons
Original sin appearing as dust that gathers around people

Maybe if you are good at the whole drawing implied references out of fiction you would have taken more offense to the storyline. But I think I already established that English wasn't my strongest subject. The story at face value was really good. Good as in I liked it like I liked Harry Potter or The Chronicles of Narnia or the Percy Jackson books.

What I learned from wikipedia is that the trilogy was written to be somewhat a retelling and an inversion of John Milton's Paradise Lost. (crickets chirping) Which means I guess maybe I should add that to my TO READ list as well now.

In the Golden Compass, we meet Lyra and discover what the Authority has plans to do by way of severing children from their deamons. Severing this bond releases a large amount of energy that can be used to open up doors into other worlds. Lyra also finds the golden compass (the elithiometer) and learns how to read it. It is a truth telling device that will answer any question you ask of it if you know how to use it properly. We also learn that there is a prophecy about Lyra. That she is meant to do something great but she must not know about it ahead of time.

Its not until the Subtle Knife that we learn that there are a large number of parallel universes to ours and it is possible to use the Subtle Knife to cut a door from any world into another. The Subtle Knife is a continuation of Lyra's mission and the book where we are introduced to Will. He will also have a significant role in Lyra carrying out the prophecy.

In the final book we learn what exactly the prophecy about Lyra is and see it be fulfilled.

My Favorite Characters:
Lorek Byrnison  is an armoured bear. He has been tricked out of his rightful role as king of the bears and Lyra helps him to regain it. Afterward, he is instrumental in Lyra fulfilling the prophecy.

Lee Scoresby is an aeronaut from Texas. I loved him because he is good hearted deep down but extremely blunt (as in has no people skills), if it doesn't directly help him out then he's not for it. He loves Lyra like a daughter and would protect her with his life. There is also something about strong-willed Texans. I liked Lee Scoresby just as much as I liked Richard from Texas in Eat, Pray, Love.

Serafina Pekkala is a witch that is all at once old and young, and extremely knowledgeable. I saw her as a mother figure to Lyra. Serafina in the beginning is the only one who knows the prophecy about Lyra.

Marisa Coulter, turns out to be Lyra's mother. She wishes to destroy Dust and thus Original Sin.  Mrs. Coulter seems to switch sides regularly and the whole time I was left wondering if she was truly good or evil at the core.

Now, I am off to find Paradise Lost at the library.

The Friday Night Knitting Club

2010-11-17T11:27:00.000-08:00

The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs

Is knitting making a comeback in the younger generations?? Some would argue yes. There are two or three of the 20-30 age range who go to the library knitting meetings regularly.

The Friday Night Knitting Club offers a glimpse into the everyday life of single parent, Georgia Walker, and her daughter Dokota. Georgia runs a knitting shop in New York City. What started as a costumer here and there staying late after shop hours to discuss knitting projects or life in general evolved into a weekly gathering of a handful of funny, caring, you-are-gonna-love women who come to depend on each other for more than knitting and purling advice.

I really liked the novel. Even if you aren't a knitter if you like Chick Lit I predict you will enjoy The Friday Night Knitting Club. One word of advice though: It has a interesting twist very late in the story, so don't go reading the back of the sequel (like I did) before you are done with the first. I was sad I ruined the ending for myself.

What I learned to make at my very own Saturday-Afternoon-Knitting-Club...

NEWS FLASH

2010-11-15T15:11:00.000-08:00

Umm...did anyone else just realize it's the middle of November already.

How did that happen???

It's been busy over here at the homestead. Let's see, since I posted last, Halloween happened, an unfortunate dog-tried-to-eat-one-of-the-chickens incident happened, voting happened, a baby shower happened, 15 jars of jalapeno jelly and 12 jars of stewed tomatoes happened, another baby shower happened.

Here are some of the highlights:

Me and Andrea at the Halloween party

A Butterfly and The Cowboy

Baby showers are for girls...and sometimes cowboys

Hopefully the next few weeks will slow down and there will be a lot of fires in the fireplace, movies on the TV, and sweet things in the oven.

You CAN teach and old dog new tricks

2010-11-14T14:58:00.000-08:00

So I'm reading this book right now (I'm sure you're going to hear about it at some point), it's titled Born to Run. It's is speckled with tales about some of the greatest ultra-runners in the world.

(SIDEBAR: Ultra-runners make marathoners look like beginners)

It's got the wheels spinning in my head right now.

This year has mostly been made up of 3, 4, or 5 mile treks around the neighborhood. But last week my running buddy asked if I wanted to try 8.

Ummm....sure. I think.

We started off and she kept pace with me to keep me motivated. A few miles in, Trina stops me and says "Let me show you a different form".

No arms at 90 degree angles, no long strides, no heel-to-toe strike. It felt strange at first. But then I noticed my heart rate was lower, my breathing was slower, and a smile had crept back onto my face.

At the end of 8 miles I felt amazing and could have turned around and run the route again.

I've been running with the same form I learned in 7th grade up until now. I never knew what I was missing!

Now, if someone could just teach my dog that chickens are friends not food, THAT would be awesome!!

I owned it

2010-10-25T16:33:00.000-07:00

(my being sick, that is)

GE Wicked Race in Minden.
I ran it.

Can you spy me in bright yellow (NOT the banana)

Got a pretty slow time for me.

Did I mention I had the stomach flu last week....

But it was fun, and my buddy Trina went with me.

Oh, yeah. Did I mention....

She got first place!

I love her for letting me live vicariously through her!

The 5K winners

Who's Kid is that Anyway?!?!

2010-10-18T12:24:00.000-07:00

Ummm....that would be Burrito, drinking out of a stranger's drink!!!!

Except he's not really a stranger. Sort of. That's big Al. And just a few minutes prior to that he was doing this:

Slicing up apples and sticking them on people's thumbs then proceeding to cover them in sticky, deliciousness. And once you've shared something like that....what's a little apple cider between friends.

The Apple Hill Gang. Or at least the one's who got their faces painted. Minus Burrito. He was off drinking other people's drinks.

p.s. We did visit other places at Apple Hill besides this one, but Denver Dan's is still our favorite!! Its not anyplace that you can share some home grown cider with Big Al.

I Took a Little Run in the Woods

2010-10-14T10:29:00.000-07:00

I have officially competed in my first post high school 5k race. I didn't die. I made it in under 30 minutes. And those were really the only goals I had. Oh, and one I added mid-race....to finish in front of the guy with the beer belly and the crazy tattoos. Which I did. By, all of 5 seconds or so.

Finish Line

I brought two of my favorite boys to cheer for me. Can you tell how excited Burrito is to be up at the crack of dawn NOT watching cartoons in our comfy, old living room.

Apparently, I was such a blur at the finish line that they forgot to record my time. I missed out on getting to stand up on the awards block and accept my cut little 3rd place age division trophy; but I do currently have it in my possession. Minus the $3 in my pocket I had to pay for shipping. My official (caught on camera by the hired photogs) yet unofficial time (not recorded by the organization) was 28:22

I'd like to get a few more 5ks under my running shoes and then it will be off to bigger and ~~better~~ longer races. I poked around on the 10k time records and I would have finished 113th or so with my pace. Little fish in a big pond I suppose.

Note: Fashion takes backseat to warmth on cold, running mornings...

And then there was beer and Lake Tahoe. Of which I participated in drinking the first and not swimming in the second. Because after all, I'm crazy - but not that crazy.....at 9am in the morning when it's 38 degrees outside.

Any given Saturday (aka the knitting projects)

2010-10-12T12:45:00.000-07:00

The Yodas

My first ever crochet projects were these Yodas. They definitely have some mistakes but I am proud of them! Pattern is from here.

And the Christmas stocking project is finally complete. They took me soooo long - its a good thing I started them in March. Its the same pattern but one I knitted on straight needles and the other I did on circulars. I still haven't figured out how to do heels properly (or the name embroidery). I don't think sock knitting will be in my future. I also tried to do the bobbin thing on the Boy's so I didn't have to carry the green all the way around, but his tree turned out rough looking. Maybe I will add some ornaments to cover it up. BUT, it is a lot bigger than the current stocking which was the goal. Now I can load it up with all kinds of goodies. And mine is finally big enough to fit a small puppy or a kitten inside.

The Joys of Potty Training

2010-10-07T12:15:00.000-07:00

Little bits of comic relief such as pants on backward almost make up for all the extra loads of laundry.

Almost....

A Week in the Environment

2010-10-06T09:07:00.000-07:00

Sometimes, if you stand on the bottom rail of bridge and lean over to watch the river slipping slowly away beneath you, you will suddenly know everything there is to be known.

~ Winnie the Pooh

This year, the Fall family vacation was camping in California. We woke up to this lovely sight every morning. It was a nice break from work and chores and time lines.

The Boy and the monsters were SO SO SO excited to get the camping fun started that they left without me. This is what two children who have been camping alone with their papa for three whole days look like.

Burrito will truthfully admit that he's only into fishing for the sunflower seeds. Oh, and the buzz lightyear fishing pole of course. He needed his big sister to put the worm on his hook, take the fish off his hook, and liberate the ones who were too small for eating.

He did however eat an entire bag of jalapeno salsa sunflower seeds (shells and all)....

A big thank you to Annabell who willingly let Burrito use her tail as a tow rope when he was too tired to continue on our hiking adventure.

Grandma volunteered to tow thing 1 and thing 2 in the bike trailer the 10 miles we road up the Bizz Johnson Trail. I'm pretty sure we'd still be out there if the task was assigned to me...

My favorite part of the bike ride is going through the train tunnels!

A completely unscripted act of sibling love

No one was eaten by bears, we had delicious campfire dinners every night, and the children are more or less cleaned up now.

Off to do some laundry now.