Not much CHEESE going on here...

A couple of weeks ago I hired a friend in our neighborhood to take some pictures of our family. After just a few shots, Ava realized that she was supposed to look at the camera and therefore would rather run and play and NOT be held. Which actually isn't too far from normal, I guess, except she wouldn't look up. The photographer brought a big, bushy, colorful duster to help get her to smile. Well, Ava did smile, as long as she was actually holding the duster. Otherwise you'd think that that ball of fuzz was the essential oxygen her lungs were craving and that we were absolutely torturing her by withholding it. Between that and my eye blinking, it was a wonder that we got any decent shots. But of course Jon, being the rock of the family, looked dashing in every single photo. He would.

Power of Election

Working in city hall, I had the great opportunity to witness first hand civic duty in all its glory. En masse, citizens flocked to the poll, seemingly coming out of the woodwork! And during this time many of the good citizens rediscovered how vital their role is in our free society. After voting, many took the time to walk around city hall. Some reviewed the massive redevelopment plans, others grabbed some literature and left, but there were a few who stopped to discuss the direction of the city and to voice their concerns as to how this or that should or should not happen.

But what really moved me was one man in particular. He strolled through the front doors dressed in dirty, tattered clothes with huge fro-like unkempt hair and a massive, greasy beard. The type you may see panhandling on the street or passed out under an overpass. The people standing around him made the usual gestures you may expect. One woman in particular was covering her mouth as she whispered what I'm sure weren't exactly complimentary remarks the person next to her.

I approached the man and he told me he was there to vote. I don't know why I was a bit surprised at this. Since donning the rank of public servant, I have been astonished and sometimes even flabbergasted at some of the personalities I have encountered, but nonetheless, I was quite proud of Bert, as he introduced himself. He went on to describe in great detail the aspects of each ballot measure and just how he was going to vote on them. Many of his points were very enlightening. So much, in fact, that they altered some of my perspectives on some of the issues this election. It just proves that no matter your background or whether or not you have hundreds of thousands of dollars to throw at a particular referendum, it all comes down to the point of view of even the lowliest of citizens, who, as I have witnessed, are very informed and extremely alert when it comes exercising our power of election.

Halloween Festivities 2007

Saturday night we intivited our families over for spaghetti dinner, cookie decorating, and pumpkin carving. We even played some really old, really bad "scary" movies. Nana and Grandma both came plus James, Jordan and Melanie, Jeff, Emily and Joel, and Erin. I ate too many cookies and Ava basked in the limelight so all in all a good time.

Then last night Ava dressed up as a bumblebee for what I'd hoped would be her first trick-or-treating. However, she refused to nap all day and came down with a cold that morning so obviously she didn't feel up for much. But we made the rounds to show off her costume and one tootsie-pop lasted with her the whole evening. She actually loved the costume and went buzzing around as soon as I put it on and she ran to look in the mirror. Considering her mood and what a busybody she is, it's a wonder that I was able to get any pictures of her at all. (Note the crappy job I did with her face paint! This kid never sits still.)

Erin was dressed as the unstoppable Harry Potter and Jeffrey was the Mario half of the Mario Brothers. He even had these great white gloves which unfortunately didn't make it into the picture.

This was the first year that neither Jon nor I donned any costume. Sigh, parenthood makes us tired.