Terra Rambler

Group Photos Redefined

2011-10-20T12:54:00.000-06:00

Can I tell you how cool this is! No longer do I need to smoosh my favorite gaggle of friends or family together in order to get a great group shot. The panographic shot has got to be the best method of capturing the true view of a group. That's PANO-graphic, not to be confused with its homophonic counterpart.

Celebrating Colby's Graduation from Police Academy

Marianne's and Jim's B-Day Party

Of course they are only good as long as they sit still! Otherwise they end up looking like an early 1800's black and white with blurred faces

The Sparrow

2010-04-23T14:18:00.002-06:00

Who will love a little Sparrow?
Who's traveled far and cries for rest?
"Not I," said the Oak Tree,
"I won't share my branches with
no sparrow's nest,
And my blanket of leaves won't warm
her cold breast."

Who will love a little Sparrow
And who will speak a kindly word?
"Not I," said the Swan,
"The entire idea is utterly absurd,
I'd be laughed at and scorned if the
other Swans heard."

Who will take pity in his heart,
And who will feed a starving sparrow?
"Not I," said the Golden Wheat,
"I would if I could but I cannot I know,
I need all my grain to prosper and grow."

Who will love a little Sparrow?
Will no one write her eulogy?
"I will," said the Earth,
"For all I've created returns unto me,
From dust were ye made and dust ye shall be."

-Simon and Garfunkel

Happy Earth Day / Arbor Day

The Jon and Ava Show.... or Our Trip to Zion 2010

2010-04-07T13:02:00.000-06:00

For our Tenth wedding anniversary, Jon planned a family trip to the only place you can camp in March.... somewhere south. We didn't go on the actual weekend of our anniversary because of a nasty bug Ava and I probably picked up at the gym, but Jon is sweet and understanding and rescheduled for the last weekend in March. So he loaded up Daisy (and planned, shopped, and packed all the food himself!!) and we headed to Zion NP through the fat, drifting snowflakes.

I've been taking a photography class to improve my skills and was relishing the prospect of great photo subjects when I learned my first lesson before we even arrived; carry your camera at all times. We stopped at a burger place for lunch and I sat in a booth across from the loves of my life and watched them bug each other. Ava was rhythmically leaning her weight into Jon and he thought he'd trick her and move out of the way the next time she came around. Of course she lost her balance and fell into table, flipping fry sauce fry sauce into the air and coating half of her face and half of Jon's shorts. He starts laughing and she's not sure what to think until she bursts into tears and cries "Stop messing around, Dad!" And I missed a perfect photo op.

We finally arrived and found a campsite and explored around the river a bit. The weather was still pretty chilly and blustery so we had some hot cocoa, skipped the campfire, and turned in kinda early.

The next day we did a few small hikes and enjoyed the cool sunshine. The little midget hiked all day and didn't ask to be carried once. I guess Jon and I are slowly learning to tone down our adventures and have fun on a smaller scale. Everyone ends up a lot happier that way; we lower our expectations a bit and she sure rises to the occasion. Camping with a four-year-old is like a dream! You don't have to carry her everywhere, she sleeps all night, and you don't have to stress yourself out trying to get in the naps. There's just sooo much less screaming from all involved parties. Plus she is still stoked to just play in the sand and throw rocks in the water all day.

Ava is such a daddy's girl and they really had a blast together. The break was nice for me; I still got to spend time with my family but without all the pressures and demands. I loved just sitting back and taking pictures of the two of them and the scenery.

After we hiked, Jon suprised us with a night in the suite at Zion Lodge. Ava slept a full 12 hours (unheard of!) on the sofa bed and I got to revel in clean sheets on the king size bed. We also had a lovely dinner and breakfast at the Lodge's restaurant.

The next morning I wanted to hike the Hidden Canyon trail but Ava said her legs hurt. I expected that after a long day hiking so she got to ride in the backpack carrier. (That's the last time she'll fit in that thing!) Sunday the weather was perfectly clear, calm, sunny and cool and we took our time enjoying the hike and having lunch on the rocks. Ava kept insisting that Jon follow her lead, even when she was riding in the pack, making sure he held on to the chain on the climbs and stepped on all the right rocks. When she walked, she made him follow the line in the sand left by the stick she dragged along. At any moment on the trip if he was out of sight, she would scold me and say "MOM, we gotta wait for Daddy!" But do you think she said that when I was out of the picture?

After the hike we were supposed to drive home but decided to camp another night. After finding another site and a quick trip for groceries, it was time to relax.

The wind howled all that night and the next morning so we packed up and headed out. Can't think of a better way to celebrate ten happy stinkin' years of my little family!!

Yeah Yeah Yeah

2009-09-24T08:44:00.007-06:00

I rarely attend concerts. The Pixies and Glen Hansard, aka The Frames, were the last bands I was lucky enough to see. But when I saw that my all time favorite punk rock garage band, Yeah Yeah Yeahs decided to grace the SLC with their presence I had to go.

Opening for the YYYs was Yacht, an indie electronica duo that have been supporting the YYY's on this tour. The girl/boy band dressed in contrasting black and white and with her bleached hair next to his black do', they evoked a ying and yang aura as they sung about the afterlife with an 80's flair set to deep bass lines. Though they only sung to the back beat, their energy on stage demanded your respect.

Yact left the stage smokin' and the audience stoked for the YYY's. Every light or sound check seemed to tease us and made the wait worse. But finally, after three years of enjoying the YYY sound and anticipating every new album release, the wait was over!

They absolutely rocked! Their setlist was more than I could have imagined. In fact after reviewing the YYY forum, I found we were able to witness songs that weren't played in other cities! The fans in these other cities hearts seemed to sink as they responed to the SLC setlist.

Karen O's performance was just as I expected; loud and obnoxiously energetic like an 80's jazzercise workout. Having explosions of Y shaped silver confetti rain over the crowd, watching Karen body slam the speaker stack and wind up her mic, spin it over her head, only to let it repeatedly crash to the stage at the end of the set (after sweaty encore) as a sacrifice to an utterly perfect and rockin' show, was euphoric.

Regardless of their rich kid-NYC upbringing the trio love their style of neo-garage punk and it showed. Look for Karen's classic voice in the upcoming movie "Where the Wild Things Are".

What Happens in Costco, Stays in Costco

2009-08-18T13:51:00.005-06:00

Mare: Ava, tell Daddy what happen at the store today.
Ava: ...blank stare
Mare: Were you kicking Mommy at the store?
Ava: Yeah. Daddy, I kicked mommy, and it wasn't nice.
Mare: Thats right! Tell Daddy what happend after that.
Ava:(After a long pause) "...then it got weird!"

32 Years and Still Cookin'

2009-07-11T10:14:00.000-06:00

Happy Birthday to my sweet Jonny; to whom all the cliches apply and none does justice. I love you!

Kool-Aid Points, the Poor Man's Stock

2009-06-24T17:37:00.013-06:00

Economic downturn knows no bounds when even the Kool-Aid man gets the axe! When 10 years ago I decided to clip and keep Kool-Aid points, for purely selfish reasons, I never would have thought that their future worth would be less than the foil-backed paper they were printed on.

Anyone who has seen the inside of our pantry knows of a little blue Tupperware box that holds tons of one square centimeter bits of paper. Their “agreed” value is pretty much meaningless since you would have needed hundreds of these Kool-Aid points in exchange for even a Kool-Aid man ball point pen. If you wanted a T-shirt, well, you would better be sweating Kool-Aid!

I knew I most likely would never redeem them so saving them was novel at best, but I recently discovered that Kraft Foods has discontinued their points program altogether! I was also surprised to see that no news channels have covered this story, not even Fox! Therefore, I have taken upon myself to get the word out!

In finality, Kraft Foods has posted a deadline of June 30^th of this year to submit all unused Kool-Aid Points in exchange for prizes. To say the least, in memoriam, I will be filling out my official points redemption form for my first and final pursuit of Kool-Aid prizes. My goal; an official Kool-Aid Man brand plastic pitcher. Cross your fingers in hopes that it will be big enough to hold more than a cup of Kool-Aid refreshment. (for those in suspense, I will keep you posted)

So, farewell Kool-Aid points! I guess, it’s true when they say no one is safe in a capitalistic society as this was truly the poor man’s stock! Thank you for years of instilling in us all a fleeting hope for cheap prizes and also for giving us an elementary understanding of what "empty stocks" mean. I bid thee a respectful, OH, YEAH!!

In case you also have unused points:

http://brands.kraftfoods.com/koolaid/KoolSpace/KoolPoints/KoolPointsForm.pdf

Meet the Jensens

2009-06-02T10:06:00.015-06:00

Congratulations to my sister, Emily, and her new husband, Joel, on their marriage this past month. They are the perfect match and I know they have many years of happiness ahead! The bride looked gorgeous (as she always does), the weather was clear and sunny, the groom was positively glowing, and the ceremony made me cry. What more can you hope for on your wedding day?

I'm sure Jon and Ross are now relieved that they're not so strongly outnumbered among the Gibson girls. We love you Emunny and Joel!

A Lesson in Taxidermy

2009-05-28T00:48:00.004-06:00

While Marianne is living it up with friends, Manhattan style, Ava and I decided to indulge in some wanderlust and head to Wyoming. While the weather didn't quite cooperate, Jackson was the quietest I have ever expierenced it, giving Ava and I lots of space to reconnect while wandering the boardwalk town.

It is no secret however that Ava is not a shopper. She grimaces at the thought of browsing and I think I heard her mumble something under her breath when I told her we were going to walk around town to window shop. But, regardless, her charming wit had perfect timing while we walked through a store naming the several stuffed game animals on display and mimicked the sounds they make...well made, when we came to stare up at a large, shaggy moose. Without thinking I asked her what he would say (while standing there stuffed, staring blankly in a store) instead of asking what do moose say, in general. Without skipping a beat and with a bit of a grimace on her face, she growled in her best moose impersonation, "Oooo...I am not feeling too good"!
You had to be there.

The Hazards of Twirling

2009-05-13T13:55:00.001-06:00

Ava is not very girly in any of the stereotypical girly ways. She doesn't like to play dress up and prefers balls, cars and sand over any doll. But she does love shoes, painted toenails, and twirling around in circles in a pretty dress. Even if she's not wearing a dress.

One afternoon I'm chatting on the phone in Ava's room as she's twirling around and laughing hysterically as she falls crashing to the floor. Predictably, she falls in random, ingenuous ways. Sure enough, I watch as she headplants directly into her dresser and promptly punctures a hole in her forehead on the drawer pull.

While there is screaming and some blood trickling down her forehead, both the crying and bleeding stop remarkably fast and since she is normally quite the drama queen for pain I figure that it really must not hurt that bad. (She is pretty alarmed when she reaches up to touch it and sees her own blood for the first time.) Still, there is a bit of a gaping hole in the flesh; too small for a stitch but open and deep enough to leave a nice scar. So I decide that a nurse needs to at least look at it. Ava becomes much more worried about the impending visit to the doctor's office but the magic of being three means you can now talk her through most events. We walk in the door with her blaringly red juicy wound preceding us and when the nurse comes to help, Ava understates "I got an owie!" I was surprised at how grown up she was throughout the whole thing after I reassured her how nice the nurse would be. So Ava's forehead is steri-stripped and bandaged and we're on our way.

Oh and by the way, that bandage was glued on so tight that removing it a week later was more traumatic than the whole ordeal combined.

Typical Spring Evening

2009-04-29T13:40:00.001-06:00

If the weather is nice, this is exactly what you'll find each of us doing with some free time on any given evening.

Ava making sand cakes

Jon playing grease monkey

And me? I'm behind the camera, of course, practicing my photography and feeling content to see my happy family !

True Story

2009-04-07T08:48:00.001-06:00

One day, long, long ago, there lived a woman
Who did not whine, nag, or bitch.

But it was a long time ago, and it was just that one day.

The End

(Thanks Maggie, for making me laugh!)

Footloose and Fancy Free

2009-03-19T09:45:00.000-06:00

The Bean discovered the pure joy of a Hippity-Hop!

Buzz Lightyear Loves Brownie Batter

2009-02-22T10:41:00.001-07:00

Skywalker

2009-02-19T09:48:00.003-07:00

Ava: I can't reach the clouds!
Mare: You can't? Why?
Ava: I want to walk on them, they are fluffy.
Mare: They would be fluffy to walk on.
Ava: Can't reach.....I forgot my ladder. (with a scowl)

With a little whipped cream

2009-01-15T14:29:00.005-07:00

Ava: I'm small.
Marianne: Yes, but you're very beautiful!
A: Yeah. Ava have pretty hair. Mommy is tall. And Daddy is tall.
M: You're right. What does Daddy look like?
A: Daddy have brown hair and green eyes.
M: Is Daddy fat or is he skinny?
A: He's skinny.
M: What does Daddy smell like?
A: Blueberries!!

Cute Cousins

2008-11-18T14:52:00.004-07:00

Well Ava and I survived another trip to Colorado Springs and really had a great time hanging out with my sisters and her cousins. And Ava didn't even scream at all on the flight back, go figure. I guess the secret is strapping her into a carseat on the plane and not letting her get out the entire flight. .....actually I think I was just lucky this time. Unfortunately we both returned sicker than we've been all year and are just getting over it. But I can say that it was really nice that the kids mananged to get along better than ever and I'll chalk that up to them simply being 8 months older than the last time they were all together. Emily gets a gold medal for being Super Aunt all week (and always) and putting up with kid overload.

Whose kid IS that?!

2008-10-24T10:42:00.005-06:00

Dear fellow passengers of Delta Flight #3804,

I hereby express my formal and sincere apology for the continued, ear-piercing, utterly blood-curdling screaming emanating for a full 30 minutes from the small curly-haired toddler sitting in row four. I promise that I was not deliberately torturing her, but apparently sitting in a chair with the seat belt on constitutes torture to a two year old. (By the way, the contortions used as an attempted escape tactic were actually quite amazing.) Thank you for not throwing me even one single dirty look even though I know you felt like throwing us out at 20,000 feet.

Forever grateful,
Frazzled Mama

P.S. Hope you're not on the return flight next week.

Ava Can't Even Count to 30!

2008-10-23T23:47:00.005-06:00

So it begins, the climb to the top of the hill. I've been there and I know what you're thinking; somehow, for some reason, birthdays seem less and less significant, less exciting. But nothing is more exciting than growing old with my Mare.

Happy Birthday, love!

"Success is like reaching an important birthday and finding you're exactly the same."

- Audrey Hepburn

Achtung, Baby!

2008-10-22T18:49:00.007-06:00

There may not be 11:1 compression ratio or 5.0 liter pistons but she's got it were it counts, kid.

Our Volkswagen is known by a few names; the "good bus" by Ava, "Daisy" by Mare, and I am sure many fellow motorists, especially those stuck behind us as we struggled to get up the local canyons, have called it "...that, !#*@ hippie bus". As for me, after a lot of hard work whipping her into shape, nothing says reliable German engineering weighing in at around 2,700 lbs like "Helga."

(insert various stereotypes here)

Helga experienced quite a bit of body work over the past year. A complete roof conversion left her easily 150 pounds lighter. The interior was was completely removed and refurbished with new headliner, LED overhead lights, wood floor, carpet and stereo. My new friend Ray Brown, worked her brakes, wheel bearings and timing over. So now she is running and handling as smooth as she was 39 years ago when she was shipped to San Diego.

And although I can envision Mare rolling her eyes as I say this, her 40th birthday will be in March next year. Hey, how many 40 year-olds do you still see livin' strong, after extensive makeovers...wait, let me rephrase. 40 year old cars, I mean, of course.

Hopefully, she will see one more camping trip before the snow falls. Anyone interested?

Adrenaline Junkie By Day

2008-08-31T10:53:00.004-06:00

This post could be considered old news but hey better late than never.

Witnessing the highly trained kinetics of the worlds best athletes in Beijing have been exciting at best. Their exhibition of strength and stamina at Olympic feats is always unbelievable. But no matter where you live, there is always a local scene, attempting similar feats, that are far more inspiring than the genetic, best-of seen in HD on the TV.

For example, Ava and I witnessed first hand a different side of Mama. A side that hides behind a kind and loving face. A side that has been chiseled to a state of readiness thanks to months of high-intensity training. A side that exploded into action during the Jordanelle Triathlon. A side that may make a man question his own masculine integrity.

Though we didn't follow Mare on all her events, I did position Ava at the transition station and the finish line. These viewpoints were strategic, I thought, in cheering her on and to boost morale, which they were, but by doing so I never thought I would expose Ava to scenes that by film standards could be considered PG-13. Broken, battered bodies, bleeding and suffering passed by us by the dozens. Several met their accidental tragedy mere feet from Ava's front row seat! Unfazed, she would mutter the occasional and indifferent "ooooh, bike fall down", or "run FASTER" as she nonchalantly laid further back in her stroller and sipped her juice.

Great, I thought, as visions of a mother-daughter adrenaline junkie team, leaving dad in the dust, raced through my mind. I guess I better get my running shoes on.

Fantastic job, Babe!

I am a Triathlete

2008-08-30T19:54:00.001-06:00

Jordanelle Sprint Triathlon, August 23, 2008

Training miles spent on the bike since April: 324
Training hours spent in the pool since February: about 42
Days spent sick directly preceding race day: 7
Doses of Zicam taken in a desperate attempt to get well: at least 30
Large fleshy things encountered in the water determined not to be human: 1
Kicks perpetrated upon my person in the water: about 10
Kicks to the ribs sufficient to knock the air out: 1
Proportion of the swim that I actually swam front crawl: ½
Change in confidence while swimming in a wetsuit versus without: +50%
Lifeboats dispatched for my assistance: 0
Number of serious bike wipeouts witnessed firsthand: 2
Increase in mph pace during bike race versus training sessions: 2
Decrease in mph pace during foot race versus training sessions: 0.85
Ounces of water I drank after race with no pee to show for it: 136
Hours spent in the pool since race day: 0

I have, of course, been meaning to write about the event for which so much of my time and energy have been sucked away. I decided that writing a blog is similar to keeping a scrapbook. I get so behind in documenting things that I avoid doing it because of the pile of things left unsaid and the escalating guilt. But I really do want to talk about my race so here I am.

The night before the race Ava slept over at Grandma’s and I cried at the thought of spending my first night ever away from her. Jon and I drove up into the mountains just east of Jordanelle and slept in the back of the VW bus. Well actually I just lay in my sleeping bag in the back of the bus all night. But at least I got to the race on time, leisurely set up my gear, and had plenty of time to sit and enjoy the effects of my stomach turning flips.

Race day was beautiful, sunny, and not too hot. The water temp was around 60 degrees and the swim felt like one big collective thrashing. After exiting the water and feeling like I was just beaten with a club, getting on the bike was like relaxing in a lazy boy. The bike route was absolutely beautiful and I breezed through the 14 miles. By the time I started running, I had nothing left to give due to being sick all week but shuffled through and finished in a respectable timeframe. I know if I had been feeling strong and well at the start I could’ve raced much faster but honestly I was just happy to be there taking part. This race was only the beginning.

Thanks to Jon, Mom, and my sisters for willingly taking Ava for many of my training sessions. Thanks to Ava for making a simple bargain with me: enduring training runs in the stroller and yelling out “faster, mama!” in exchange for a simple cup of M&Ms. And thanks to you who simply cared and supported my goal; for your phone calls, emails, and shouts from the sidelines.

Jackson Hole 2008

2008-08-08T21:53:00.031-06:00

We spent the last week in July in Jackson, Wyoming for the annual Lauder family vacation. In terms of our own personal agenda, this was the laziest vacation in our history. We always plan to do some camping or set out to hike some grandiose trail for a few days on our own. Even the last couple of years when Ava was still tiny we managed to hike far up into the Tetons and explore some Yellowstone backcountry. This year? I think Jon and I are cumulatively just worn out. The thought of being up half the night with Ava because she won’t sleep anywhere but her own bed and then having to deal with her grumpiness all day was enough to keep us firmly grounded at the condo with the rest of the family. I fear our survival instinct is growing stronger than our need for adventure….ugh, we’re becoming old fuddy-duddies.

Happily, Ava slept much better than anticipated (which doesn’t really say much considering I expected absolute insomnia hell) and I didn’t even have to share my bed with the little wiggler. Every night she kicked around in her Pack-n-Play with the whole extra inch it gave around her height. But at least she slept and only woke up crying once or twice the whole week. Huzzah!

The most blissful moments of the trip for me were spent on my 32 mile road bike trek. I was only going to go out for about an hour and headed out behind town and north to Teton Village. But when I arrived there in no time at all and saw the entrance to Teton NP right there, I decided to keep going, probably against my better judgment since I had no ID, no wallet, no tools, and no food. I had nothing with me but a couple of water bottles. The woman at the entrance station graciously let me enter for free and about 10 seconds after that (cover your ears, Jeffrey) I began wondering how my super-duper speedy lightweight road bike would perform on a rocky, holey dirt road. Looking back, I realize just how lucky I was to escape a flat tire or a dropped chain and having to walk the 15 miles back to town. So the ride was sketchy and slow there for a bit, but boy, was it gorgeous! There’s something about the Teton Valley landscape that just absolutely feels like home to me. Every rock and flower feels familiar. I sped into Moose, then headed south along the main park highway and just managed to avoid being flattened by some gargantuan motorhome.

That Saturday night all the Teerlinks attended the Jackson Rodeo. Ava just couldn’t get over the sight of the carnival rides on the other side of the arena and pitched a fit so I was able to watch all of 10 minutes of the rodeo before taking her out to the petting zoo and home to bed. But I think overall everyone else enjoyed it.

As tradition holds, everyone in the family gathers for an afternoon at String Lake. We eat lunch, paddle in the canoes, catch frogs, and jump off rocks. I bought Ava a little blowup floatie shaped like a spaceship and was rewarded with a big, beautiful perma-grin on her shining face. But mostly she just loves to throw rocks in the water and wade around in her Tevas so I’ve learned that toys are just baggage when there’s splashing to be done. We took our turn in the Keowee and Ava even let Jon paddle for a bit.

One afternoon we took a stroll on our own to Phelps lake and Ava showed her true hiking colors. She was absolutely a trooper and hiked most of the way there on her own. Her little legs got tired on the way back so she rode on Jon's shoulders and made up for it by declaring that he must jump! off every rock in the trail.

Other trip highlights included the traditional hike to Hidden "Waterfalldown" and the boat ride back across Jenny Lake and a visit to Rockefeller center. Pretty low key, lazy vacation.

All in all, a MUCH better vacation than last year's Jackson trip simply because we all felt happier. We finally learned to lower our standards. Maybe we'll get braver and actually try camping again someday.

Just kick that boatman in the teeth

2008-07-09T22:13:00.001-06:00

Ava often likes to play with our jar of spare change; dumping it all out, pointing out the image of "Jesus" on the face of the pennies, and slotting it into her little piggy bank. One afternoon I left the room as she was counting her money and returned a few moments later. This is the sight I encountered...

I know she asks for black cereal in the morning and is fascinated with skeletons, but I had no idea she was this morbid.

On Drowning and Muddling

2008-06-26T08:37:00.004-06:00

I’m innocently reading my Harper’s magazine the other day and I come across this little excerpt from an article about a couple who search for drowning victims.

“Drowning, it turns out, is not difficult. Once someone falls overboard, especially if the water is cold, he gasps for air, the way one gasps when a shower runs suddenly cold. He inhales water, then coughs and inhales more water. From Dr. Jeff Kalina, at the Methodist Hospital in Houston, I know that one inhaled breath is sufficient to cause drowning. The integrity of the small pockets in the lungs through which oxygen is absorbed depends on a coating called surfactant. When water dissolves the surfactant, the pockets collapse, and oxygen can no longer be absorbed.
Drowning can also be initiated by a response called laryngospasm. When the larynx detects water entering the lungs, it closes, leaving a swimmer unable to breathe. Two tablespoons of water could stimulate laryngospasm.”

ACK! Two tablespoons! I’m pretty sure there’s more water than that in Jordanelle Reservoir. I promise you, I do not search out this information but apparently it’s still finding its way into my consciousness.

On a related note, my training has been going really well the last month. I’ve actually made the time to train six days a week and feel like I’m slowly getting stronger, especially in the pool. And then WHAM, I got sick last week: Intestinal distress and a fever and chills and all. Was this because I’ve been training too much? Because my diet hasn’t been absolutely sugar and junk free? I can’t begin to tell you how frustrated I am right now. So last week I only got in two workouts and this week so far at least I got onto the bike and into the pool. But I feel really tired and my arms and legs fell like lead. At least I've learned my lesson (knock on wood) about my diet. Help me, internet world! How can I be ready for this race and not kill myself in the process?

Nice Mane, Dude

2008-06-24T08:13:00.006-06:00

Last Saturday we attended the Venture Outdoors Festival in Canyon Rim Park. Among the vendor booths, live music, and kiddie games, there were some people demonstrating how to ride a mountain board down a grassy hill and over a pink wooden ramp. Ava was enchanted and stopped to watch for several minutes. As we were sitting there, she pointed to a guy standing near us with a hairdo similar to this....

....and exclaimed "Horsey!" I could definitely identify with that viewpoint. I laughed and wished that he had heard her creative interpretation of his carefully constructed social statement. Then the next morning as we were playing with her barn, Ava's reality suddenly struck home with me. She was more right than I imagined.....

NOW it feels like Summer

2008-06-16T21:21:00.004-06:00

A Glimpse of the Desert

2008-06-10T15:50:00.004-06:00

After a camping trip with friends was cancelled last week, we decided we’d still take a trip of our own. Jon took Friday through Tuesday off of work and we headed out the door with the car packed by noon on Saturday. We drove down through Torrey and Capitol Reef NP and found a dispersed camping site all to ourselves a couple of miles east of the Park border. From the moment we stepped out of the car, Ava was running her hands through the sand; I just knew bringing a bucket and shovel was a good idea.

We absolutely love the Fruita campground but thought that we needed to have some space far from others just in case Ava put up a stink around bedtime. Whoever coined the term “parental instinct” absolutely gets it. Boy, that girl sure did wail. I did finally coax her to relax and go to sleep but she woke again in the middle of the night and for several hours we catered to her every whim- giving her light sticks, snacks, drinks, and a bed to lie between us. Finally she passed out again but only on Jon’s shoulder and the rest of the night was rough for him.

The next morning, Ava and I got up for breakfast (not such a happy camper for that as you can see) and then drove back into the Park to let Daddy sleep for a bit. We took a walk to see some petroglyphs but mostly ended up checking out the plethora of tent caterpillars that fall like rain out of the trees this time of year. A caterpillar fell onto the front of her shirt and she let out the funniest squeal of both delight and disgust and did a little wiggly dance until I got it off.

Later that day we took a miniature hike with Ava in the pack but she didn’t want to have much to do with that, either. So we headed back and of course she fell asleep right as we approached the car. Not about to disturb her, we let her sleep in the pack in the front seat of the car.

We actually had a great time the rest of the day, letting Ava play in the water and mud in the river, having homemade pie at the Pioneer House, and stopping for a burger and ice on the way back to camp.

However, when it was time for bed, Ava wasn’t about to have any of that nonsense again. She wouldn’t even go near the tent without a fight, let alone get into her crib. We both tried laying with her and anything else we could think of but since she was near hysterics and we’d just have to pack up in the morning after another sleepless night, we cried uncle. This wasn’t the first time we’ve driven home from camping in the middle of the night- at least this time it was still light while we broke camp. We made it home at 2 a.m., slept late that morning and had the rest of a fun vacation at home. We spent a great day at the park flying a kite, eating lunch, and fooling around. Looks like our family camping days will be more of a challenge than we feared, but call us crazy, we haven’t given up yet.

I've always been very talented

2008-05-08T07:23:00.003-06:00

ambigaguous (am-bi-gag’-yu-wus) adj. Able to choke on pool water regardless of which side you are breathing on

The Swell Season

2008-05-06T09:49:00.004-06:00

Friday afternoon I got a call from Jon saying, “Get ready for a fun night… It’s a surprise…” He came home with two tickets to a concert at The Depot with The Swell Season; a concert that almost immediately sold out months ago. But leave it to Jon to make the right connections at just the right time and come up with tickets the day of.

Anyway, I won’t mince words… hands down the BEST concert I have EVER heard. How can you not love Glen Hansard, a man who sings with his soul on fire, a man who still plays his first guitar, into the front of which he has passionately worn giant holes. And Marketa Irglova was subtly amazing. The music was utterly transcendent and I left with my soul on fire.

The Perfect Morning

2008-05-02T09:29:00.005-06:00

Step 1: Eat a bowl of Cocoa Roos and leave the residue on your face to taste later.

Step 2: Take off all your clothes (including your diaper).

Step 3: Put on mittens and Crocs shoes.

Step 4: Relax on the couch while watching a Winnie-the-Pooh show.

Can you think of a better way to start the day?

To Do List

2008-04-27T19:18:00.003-06:00

Life long "wish-lists" (aka. affluenza side-effects) for me are over-rated. I enjoy a pretty wish full-filled life as it is. Smart and sexy wife. A beautiful and witty daughter. And being lucky enough to have not become house-poor in the current housing down-turn etc., are just a few rarities I now enjoy. But, I ran across this video clip and have decided that there may be a few extra things out there I would like to witness with my family and friends.

I remember in the early 80's, the infrequent coverage of televised space shuttle launches made it a special event. My brothers would watch the launch before we went to school and
the video excellently portrays why we were intranced.

So, therefore I add a pre-dawn shuttle launch to my obligatory "wish-list"

But I'm not hurting anyone but myself....

2008-04-22T15:02:00.006-06:00

I came across this article, thanks to a link on Marry’s blog, and it’s stayed with me ever since so I decided to share an excerpt with you. Viewing our consumer-based culture through the lens of addiction hits the nail right on the head. What better way to celebrate Earth Day than to boil our environmental situation down to its root cause.

Industrial civilization -- and its end product, consumerism -- has disconnected us from nature, the cycle of life, our communities, our families and, ultimately, ourselves. This unnatural, inorganic, materialistic way of living, coupled with a marked decline in society's moral and ethical standards -- what the French call anomie -- has created a kind of pathology that produces pain and emptiness, for which addictive behavior becomes the primary symptom and consumption the preferred drug of choice.
What most of us experience when it comes to addiction," says Erickson, "is a pattern of continually seeking more of what it is we don't really want and, therefore, never being fully satisfied. And as long as we are never satisfied, we continue to seek more, while our real needs are never being met."
“Addiction in one form or another characterizes every aspect of industrial society,” wrote the social philosopher Morris Berman, and dependence on substances or corporeal pleasures is no different from dependence on "prestige, career achievement, world influence, wealth, the need to build more ingenious bombs or the need to exercise control over everything."
“The patterns of behavior endemic to consumer society are so much more dangerous than substance abuse, because they are perpetuating a culture that is literally eating itself out of house and home.”

We can all go out and buy hybrid cars and take re-usable bags to the grocery store and I applaud every green effort. Yet even the "greening" of products and practices all around the world is coming close to propaganda in itself. To truly solve environmental problems, we must stage a cultural intervention, get to the root of the issues, and recognize that virtually everything must change. Overwhelming is an understatement. But we won't care for the Earth until we learn to care for ourselves and each other.

So here's where you start. Spend your daily energies connecting with yourself, your family, your community, and the place you live. If you’re a parent, it is absolutely paramount that you take your kids outside to play. Teach them how to connect with who they are and how great it is to truly connect with another person. I promise that they will show you how to embrace the beauty in your own backyard.

Earth Day Purism-ism

2008-04-22T08:19:00.005-06:00

Having a few moments before the day began, I wandered the web reading as much Earth-Day related material as possible. I have come to the conclusion that ultimately, I believe many more people are catching on and starting to celebrate environmentalism in their own ways. Which is great. Overall, at this point, I think that as long as more people understand that ecological activism is much more than a radical, "Tree-hugger" movement, practiced only by dread-locked hippies, we all win.

Practicing good stewardship over our natural resources, in order to protect the environment for our children is the ultimate in utilitarian ethics. Anyone, who loves to experience the serene beauty nature has to provide, is by definition, an environmentalist. If you love watching wild animals in Yellowstone, or recreating in Grand Teton National Park, and even enjoy a simple day in the nearest forest, you are environmentalist. If you advocate open or park space in your neighborhood, you are an environmentalist. If, in the city where you live, your favorite street just happens to be richly tree-lined, you have an innate connection with our natural world, and therefore, I believe we all have an innate connection with the land and should take part in trying to protect it.

What is most interesting, is to question why are more and more people taking a part in greening their lives. Ultimately, it may be due to mainstream media tracking the current trends of pop-culture. I never pursue pop-culture news, but have noticed a rise in reports of stars who are greening their lives in some way or another. Even Paris Hilton drives a hybrid although its a Yukon that gets only 20 or so miles per gallon. Leonardo Dicaprio, after producing the movie "The 11th Hour" is getting more publicity for his environmental efforts. Overall, since we as Americans are more intune with mainstream media, this Eco-Pop movement, however minimal their actions may be, is being noticed as socially acceptable form of lifestyle.

But, no matter the lifestyle, whether it be of the dirty, desert-rat hippie who will never deviate from his purist environmetal ideal, or the multi-million dollar pop-star who is trying to assert themselves by publicly deviating from current unsustainable trends, any attempt to change our current reliance on unsustainable means will ultimately save the earth.

P.S. Turn off your lights!

Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes… Well, more like head, elbow, knees and knees and a bunch of bruises

2008-04-21T10:02:00.006-06:00

So, how is my triathlon training going, you ask? Ugh, life just seems to get in the way. Jon had to spend four days in Moab for a work conference at the end of March so before he left I thought I’d get in as many workouts as I could. Well, I did, including a 5:45 a.m. spinning class after a hard run the previous evening and sleeping a total of two hours that night. Then I was at the pool at 6 a.m. the next morning still very sleep deprived. Needless to say, it was a bit much on my body and I ended up fighting off a cold and feeling like complete crap for almost a week later. And then the crappiness culminated in the worst migraine I’ve suffered in the past two years, including the requisite puking. Anyway, onward and upward since then.… well mostly.

I’ve also been suffering severe knee pain during my runs for the past few months and finally decided I should get it checked out. In the past when my knees started to hurt, I knew it was time for a new pair of running shoes. But Jon bought me a great new pair for Christmas and the pain still wasn’t going away. I stereotypically followed the pattern that most other injured runners do: 1. Ignore the injury and run through it, 2. Quit running for a while and pray that it will go away, 3. Attempt self-treatment, then 4. Seek medical help. So here I am, almost finished with three weeks of physical therapy for patella-femoral syndrome, which is really just a polite way to say that my genetically defective knees, plus an imbalance in quad strength versus cardiovascular strength, equals one gimpy runner. I always knew this before but now I live religiously by it… strength, flexibility, and cross-training and lots and lots of ice.

Since I’ve had to take my knees out of the action during therapy I have been swimming with a floater between my legs and pulling with just my upper body. I was actually fine with this because I could focus more on my stroke for a while. But being the klutz I am, I wasn’t used to how off-balance I felt at the end of the lap and I smacked my elbow into the concrete… yup, it’s still sore a couple weeks later.

THEN, last week I got the green light to do some biking. So I hungrily installed my new clipless pedals, which Jon gave me for our anniversary, onto my freshly-tuned bike and slipped into the accompanying shiny bike shoes. Of course I knew I needed to practice clipping in and out so I did a few turns on the lawn and then cautiously headed down the street with only one foot clipped in. I slowed down to practice clipping that foot out but the other foot had stealthily clipped in. So yes, I took the obligatory “Buck Bybee” tumble into the pavement with the bike still attached to my body. Everyone has to do it once while learning to clip out, so my turn’s done now, right? RIGHT?? At least I didn’t land on my knee.

Despite all this, I actually am getting in some good training time and really learning (maybe the hard way) how to balance everything. But apparently I need all the help I can get.

EARTH DAY!!

2008-04-16T21:05:00.003-06:00

Earth Day is April 22nd! Celebrate and go buy a CFL light bulb, ride the bus instead of driving, use no lighting during the daylight hours and visit these sites!

www.18seconds.org

www.rustletheleaf.com

www.globalcool.org

www.energystar.gov

VW Update

2008-04-16T19:27:00.013-06:00

Well, contrary to what my contributions to our little blog site may reflect, I have had time here and there to work a bit on our Volkswagen Westfalia. Even though I haven't documented any progress,“Daisy” has seen quite a transformation since last year.

Once upon a time, about September of last year, Marianne started receiving some rather inquisitive remarks during her normal Sunday meetings. The good sisters were referring to the seemingly growing fleet of Volkswagen buses in our driveway. This due to my acquiring yet another VW bus, a 1968 VW from a local property owner who was ready to send it to the junkyard and eternal demise. Ultimately this find was a godsend, since I planned to remove the rather bulbous fiberglass topper on Daisy, and replace it with a closer to original canvas pop-top, which this donor bus had, and the ethic of keeping vintage cars form decaying in a junk pile is a cause I contribute to. Consequently, I suckered my brother Jeff into helping me tow the motor-less donor, speckled with years of unsightly bird art, from its lowly driveway spot to its new spot, in our lowly driveway. It was, to say the least, not an improvement to the neighborhood’s property values.

During its time in our driveway, the operation of surgically removing essential parts began and it was time consuming yet fun. But, when the time came to use my angle grinder to cut into the pristine 30 year old, vintage sheet metal, I sweated every detail. This critical piece of metal was pivotal in the restoration of Daisy’s pop-top roof and I have been called many things, but professional Auto-Body Technician was not one of them. Therefore, I scoured old photos of VW buses to estimate the location of my cuts. I measured twice, three, even four times, only to back off as I second-guessed myself. I even ventured onto a couple of Volkswagen-only websites to search their discussion forums for any sign that maybe another, out-of-his mind sucker had planned, conquered and documented this territory. No such luck, I was on my own. In fact several people from the VW purist end of the spectrum laid into me, heckling what I was proposing as an abomination to the VW scene.

Whatever. Feeling as though I have to sail, rather than drive, my VW down the freeway with that huge piece of fiberglass above me is an abomination to my scene.

Anyhoo, I took a deep breath and sliced out a rectangular piece in a dimension I thought should fit Daisy. Afterward, as I placed the metal aside and I was pleased with what else I had scavenged from the donor bus, I pryed the white bubble-top off of Daisy's roof and fitted it to the donor bus. What I didn't anticipate was encountering extensive rust around the rim of Daisy’s roof. This was a problem. One that I wasn’t happy with but was true to the roller-coaster of highs and lows of the car restoration experience.

After the dust settled, the neighborhood heaved a sigh of relief as I had the donor towed away as part of an agreement with another local VW nut, in exchange for the welding and rust repair I needed. Which pretty much brings me current. Next will I post details of the pop-top install and removal of all the interior furniture, cabinets and paneling in order to sound deaden, insulate and lay new carpet and wood floor.

Trip to Colorado Springs

2008-03-17T10:19:00.003-06:00

During the week of Valentine’s Day, Ava and my mom and I flew to Colorado Springs to visit my sister, Christina, and her house full of boyness. (Jon had to be in Wendover for a conference during the same time so he didn’t get too lonely.) It also happened to be Christina’s birthday while we were there.

Ava generally enjoyed the flight over, except for the part where the doors were shut and the plane was aloft. She kept crying and saying “Out” and pointing for the door. I’m sure it didn’t help that we were on a commuter jet, making things feel even more enclosed, and also the fact that it was past her bedtime. Heck, we survived, and without the bonus of rotten tomato smears from other passengers. The flight back actually went much more smoothly, probably owing to the fact that she was able to sit in her own seat and put M&Ms in the little cup thingy on the tray table.

Anyway, I think Ava and I single handedly managed to throw the Gleason household into even MORE chaos during our stay. Clayton (age 4-nearly 5) is such a sweet boy and absolutely adores Ava. He calls her his little A-V-A. He always wanted to play with her and could hardly resist constantly hugging her, much to Ava’s chagrin. In this era of her life, Little Ava’s personality contains a chunk that inexplicably causes her to run and scream at the approach of any other child, regardless of whether that child is ignoring her or smothering her with affection. I have seen her delightedly run up to gigantic furry dogs and then come screaming back to me when she realizes that the dog is accompanying another kid on his walk. Seriously, Ava. Her reaction to her other cousin, Samuel (age 18 months), was similar. Sammy could really care less about playing with her, but they are close enough in age that they like the same toys. Ava never gets aggressive, takes toys from others, or pushes kids away; she just grips her toy with desperation and runs in terror. So you can imagine the scene every time Sammy showed his cute smiling face.

However, once the kids were adequately corralled, we adults managed to enjoy each other’s company. We made an aborted trip to Outback Steakhouse for Christina’s birthday dinner; I’m sure we made the other diners’ experience more authentic to the Australian outback than they would have preferred. But hey, we tried, and the meat was just as tasty back at the Gleason kitchen table. We all exchanged Valentine’s gifts and had a blast doorbell ditching each other. We had lunch out one day and Clayton, Ava, and Grandma painted some lovely garden rocks.

The weather was nice enough one afternoon that we even made a trip to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. The highlight of this zoo is the giraffe habitat, where an elevated boardwalk allows you to wander through at giraffe eye level. The kids had a blast feeding them crackers, never mind their long purple tongues. We counted at least 15 giraffes, including several babies. There was also a budgie display, meerkats, tigers, and Ava took her first ride on a merry-go-round.

So all in all, really a great trip for us, thanks to Christina and Ross for being so accommodating and just so friggin’ awesome.

Eight Stinkin' Years

2008-03-10T13:43:00.005-06:00

Today is our eight year wedding anniversary. Congratulations to Jon for putting up with all my crap for this long. And me too for putting up with his crap, I guess, although I've always had strong suspicions that the scales are tipped far in my favor on that one. Seriously, I couldn't ask for a more selfless, fun, brilliant, sweet, sexy husband. And as it turns out he's not a bad daddy, either. The last eight years have been full of laughter, adventure, many more good days than bad, and more lovin' than I could possibly deserve. I love you too, Jon.

My very own sweet Jonny, to whom all the cheesy cliches apply and none does justice. I'd marry you again in a heartbeat.

We're In!

2008-03-04T12:31:00.002-07:00

This morning I officially registered for the Jordanelle Sprint Triathlon! There's nothing like a deadline to get the motivational juices flowing. So if you want to see me drown in Jordanelle Reservoir come on up the morning of August 23, 2008.

Now I just have to stop eating cookies for lunch.

The Tip the Coach Forgot

2008-02-29T13:19:00.000-07:00

For my triathlon training plans, I signed up for a triathlete swimming clinic. The clinic is 6 sessions, taught every other saturday morning by a private swim coach with 30 years experience. I took swim lessons as a kid but have never had much interest in swimming. Consequently, I could basically keep myself afloat but didn't even know how to swim a proper lap. Ergo, part of the challenge appeal of competing in a triathlon. Luckily, most of the people in the clinic are in my same boat (har, har); they are athletic and therefore familiar with pushing their bodies' limits but swimming is just an anomaly. So far the clinic's been really great and I feel even more confident after the first two sessions than I thought possible.

After the last session, I came home and jotted down some of the drills and pointers the coach told me to work on and left the notebook out on the table. A few days later I dug it out to review and found some advice my coach had neglected to share...

Three Fabulous Snow Bunnies

2008-02-26T09:14:00.009-07:00

Saturday was my first day out skiing this season, thanks to the generosity of one sweet Marry Stewart. And boy, you couldn't ask for a more perfect day: crisp mountain air, radiant sunshine, fluffy powder, and most of all the giggles and isolated time with two of the best women in existence.

I was 20 before I even learned how to ski and never really got very good. During seasons that I skied a lot I comfortably negotiated most blue runs. But the last few years I've only gotten out once per season and every time it practically felt like starting over. By the end of the day I was starting to get my groove back. Maggie hadn't skied at all in over 12 years and yet she was like a beauty queen making her turns. And Marry rips it up at least once a week and has her "bellybutton technique" down pat. So thanks to Maggie and Marry for putting up with my pokey-ness, tolerating a lot of green runs, and making me smile for an entire day- something else I haven't done in a while.

House of the Bizarre

2008-01-25T09:56:00.000-07:00

Wednesday night…. Jon and I are asleep in bed, and have been for a couple of hours, when suddenly, about a quarter after midnight, loud music is blasting from the kitchen. We bolt up, look at each other and say, “What is THAT?!” I run into the kitchen where my I had left my iPod on the countertop hooked up to some small, portable speakers. Sure enough, Moby is rocking out. So I turn it off and get back into bed more than slightly disturbed. For those of you versed in the dynamics of iPods, when you power it up and hit the select button it automatically selects the last choices that you made. My iPod was playing my running playlist, the first song of which is Moby. That was NOT the last thing I had listened to earlier in the day, nor was it automatically selected when I powered it up later that morning. (Cue creepy music….which I guess for me is now Moby, Play)

In other weird goings-on… For the last few days I have noticed that every time Ava sees a depiction of a Koala, she makes the sign for “fish.” Am I missing something? Are the planets all out of whack?

Ramble On

2008-01-16T13:22:00.000-07:00

Wow, so where the heck have we been? Well, obviously not blogging but nowhere else to be exact. Our computer went on the fritz around Thanksgiving and I got tired of wrestling the Internet connection just to check my email so that's probably the main reason I haven't written. And between preparing for and recovering from the holidays, there was sickness and rivers of snot for Jon and Ava and general emotional instability on my part. But voila, now here we are, all better.

So life is good and I’m looking forward to another adventurous and challenging year ahead. Notwithstanding the more substantive realities of our life and the lives of those we care about (which no one ever blogs about anyway), here’s a rundown of the trivialities bouncing around in my own personal bubble.

Enjoying: a brand new HP computer (hence my renewed presence here) and accompanying new desk. This desk is gargantuan, especially in our tiny bedroom, but it’s especially terrific for card making. Now I don’t have to mess up the dining table with all my scraps of paper. Segue to the new dining set… we found a dining table at a garage sale back in the fall in pretty good condition and finally finished staining the gorgeous chairs I found last spring, completing our dining room just in time for Christmas. According to Jon, we now actually have some of our own adult furniture.

Craving: some imaginative free time to create more cards. I have sadly left my etsy shop in the dust the past six weeks and my right brain is getting itchy.

Savoring: the sweet, extreme soreness stemming from striving for the unattainable in Ashtanga class. Lap up the nectar of a difficult workout and feel its life-force trickle into your veins.

Cracking up: listening to Ava read the book “Go, Dog. Go!” to herself. I get little giggle bubbles in my belly hearing her talk lately and marvel at her sudden ability to label any letter or color she sees. She’s a pro at talking on the phone (as long as there’s no one on the other end) and I dare you to ask her what a rooster says while keeping a straight face.

Making: delectable dolmas for this weekend’s Return of the Sun party at the Stewart’s. Ooh, my mouth waters at the thought of all that Mediterranean food and good company.

Reading: “Four Quarters of Light” by Brian Keenan. I’ll write more on this later when I finish the book but it’s about an Alaskan journey and so far captivating and refreshingly candid, rather than deceptively romantic as so many Alaskan tales are.

Plotting: a resourceful approach to continue my training for a sprint triathlon this fall. There, I guess now that I’ve stated my goal publicly I must be committed. Given Jon’s busy (and sometimes unpredictable) work schedule and Ava’s particular temperament, it’s hard to find time to properly train. Ava is increasingly intolerant of hanging out at the gym’s daycare and I discovered the hard way that it’s just too frigid outside for her to ride in the backpack for long. Luckily, our super-duper jogging stroller has a plastic bubble to help keep her comfortable on runs, I have a really supportive Mom who sits in for some of my evening workouts, and my husband is ever indulgent of all my wishes.

Watching: Oh yeah, and Jon and I got out of the house over the weekend to see Juno at the movies. Definitely worth the 8 bucks. If you liked Little Miss Sunshine, you'll love this.

Well, there’s 597 words to fill you up if you’ve been suffering TerraRambler drought.

Not much CHEESE going on here...

2007-11-15T11:11:00.001-07:00

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

2007-11-07T09:48:00.000-07:00

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

2007-11-01T10:17:00.000-06:00

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.

Seventy One more to go...

2007-10-12T12:01:00.000-06:00

"I bet I can live to a hundred if only I can get outdoors again."
--Geraldine Page as Carrie Watts, in The Trip to Bountiful

As of 2:30 a.m. this morning, 29 and counting.

A very happy Un-Birthday to you!

2007-10-08T12:30:00.000-06:00

Ava just recently turned 18 months old and half-birthdays are pretty important when those six months constitute a third of your life. I don’t know where I’ve been, but suddenly I woke up one morning and Ava had transformed from my cute bum-scooting baby to a charming, precocious toddler. There is a lot going on with her, too much to write at once, but here are some highlights of who Ava is right now.

She has a very sweet, affectionate disposition and will give hugs and kisses to family, bears, balls, and plastic frogs alike. She has many of the social skills of a child a year older. Her hair has grown into beautiful (yet unruly) blondish-gold ringlets and I haven’t a clue what to do with them. Those curls are a hand-me-down from Jon’s side of the family so I’m learning how to tame them as I go. But for now her locks are as happy-go-lucky as she is. She’s 30 inches tall, has five teeth, and has finally broken the 20-pound mark and gets to sit facing forward in her car seat.
Ava still doesn’t say a whole lot; most of her verbal repertoire consists of onomatopoeia (favorites are beep, pop, tick tock, and any animal sound) plus “up” and “baby.” She's very expressive and our days are filled with "wow" and "uh-oh" and exclamations of all kinds. But she’s learning signs as fast as I can teach them and even making up some of her own. She probably knows around 50 signs now and by far the most popular ones are “daddy” and “outside.” SUCH a daddy’s girl, it’s unbelievable. Ava has a perma-grin whenever Jon is around and when he’s not, she’s constantly signing for him. Anytime they tickle and wrestle she signs, “More more!”
Balls of any sort are irresistible to Ava and she often tries to carry more of them than she has hands for. (In contrast, the more realistic a doll is, the more scorn it receives.) She loves to be read stories and spends a lot of time with books on her own. She likes to put things on her arms and wear them around as bracelets, like stacking rings and rubber bands. But mostly, Ava revels in playing outside. Especially in the dirt. Or sand. Or mud. Or water. She may look just like her Dad but Ava’s got her Momma’s need for sunshine and soil running through her veins. Somebody should buy this girl a sandbox.

Proof of people out there as dumb as I'd feared

2007-10-02T14:06:00.000-06:00

As you may already know, Utah Clean Energy and Governor Huntsman recently called for a one-hour “lights out” to take place on the evening of September 19th. Residents were asked to turn off all the lights in their homes between 9 and 10 p.m. Apparently, the goal was to raise awareness for wise energy use and to demonstrate the potential power (no pun intended) of collective energy conservation.

Well, Rocky Mountain Power was “unable to measure any reduction in energy use” that night. I’m sure that many people (including me, embarrassingly) simply weren’t aware of the request. (More likely, no change was detected because energy for lighting only accounts for 14 percent of Utah’s urban energy use and appliances, especially air conditioners and refrigerators, suck up the bulk of the rest.) But some people must have tried to “make a difference” and dimmed their lights on the 19th as a few darker pockets around the Salt Lake valley were noticed around 9 p.m. While these people genuinely want to help make a difference in their community, I think most people try to exude an image of conformity and political correctness when it comes to environmental issues, especially now that green ideas are becoming more mainstream. While some may actually have a basic understanding of global warming and energy crises, I believe that many people speak to environmental concerns to preserve their “trendy” image while inwardly balking at personal lifestyle changes, suspecting that these issues are all just a passing fad and climate change is some far-away abstract condition. It’s all about image, right? But I’m kind of digressing…

Then there’s people way out at the other end of the social spectrum actually working against the greater good. It appears that some people live in the world of fourth grade defiance and, to my great amusement and triumph, lay themselves bare while publicly bragging about their idiocy to the Salt Lake Tribune. Maybe the scales at Rocky Mountain Power were tipped partly because of this turd. Thank you, Mr. Christensen of Taylorsville, for validating my suspicions as to the ability of this community to think beyond its own front door.

…My son and I turned on all our outside lights around the house [on Sept. 19],
including all the headlights on the four gas-guzzling cars we have parked in our
driveway. We also turned on every light in the house, along with all the radios
and TVs.
I hope this will send a message to the governor and the rest of the
world – and to some of our liberal neighbors – that my family is not going to
believe nonsense and become a family of global-warming zealots….
…My family
is more than happy to unscrew any lights not working and screw in new ones
ourselves, then keep them all burning ‘till hell freezes over.

Um, nice pun. I’m so glad that he’s teaching his son these life lessons. I’m sure he’s also the type of father who blows cigarette smoke daily in his kids’ faces and then rants to the paper that HIS family has no need for silly healthcare.

The knots are tied

2007-09-26T12:13:00.001-06:00

Congratulations to my Dad and Sallie Anderson on their recent marriage. The wedding was beautiful and these two make a great match.

The groom with me and my superstar sisters

The bride and her sons, Grant and Eric

Sorry Dad, but you came in second for the best looking guy there. Whoa baby! Ladies, he's mine.

I know that Dad and Sallie have many happy years ahead. You guys can get married any day, just so I can have more of these....

Officially Shunned!

2007-09-25T14:12:00.000-06:00

It's amazing how karma works itself into your life; as quiet as a mouse, yet as painful as a slap in the face. I will explain my karmatic sting...

For years I have been a Chevrolet fanatic, boosting the Camaro's brute power over any other model from the "big 3" or any other import ricer. I still am a bit nutso, except for the fact that I now have found interest in older Volkswagens. Currently, I am in dire need of some help in finishing a welding project on the old Volks. I have sent numerous emails and left several voice messages with many seemingly skilled welders in the valley. I have received some response, nothing promising, the worst being an answer to an email I sent off a few days ago.

I sent my inquiry to a local classic car body shop asking for a quote on the welding job I needed. I noted the year, type of car and added that though it may not be one of the classic muscle cars they so haphazardly plastered across their terribly designed website, it is a classic nonetheless.
An email flashed in my inbox yesterday; I opened it and was stunned and a little taken aback to find their simple response. "We only work on American cars here."

Speechless, flabbergasted, shocked, stunned, astounded! It immediately reminded me of the old Star Wars scene when R2D2 and C3Po tried to enter the cantina in Mos Eisley when they were confronted by the slob of a bartender: "we don't serve your kind here.."

I did not know what to say. But after mulling it over for a few days, I figured hey, karma sucks, times change, muscle car rednecks do not, and life goes on as I continue my new found hobby, officially shunned from the world of American muscle cars.

"Don't call me a mindless philosopher, you overweight glob of grease!"

What's YOUR aroma?

2007-09-25T11:51:00.000-06:00

“Maybe if I had more money, I would embrace nirvana, but I doubt it. Money can mask your smell, but it can’t change it. Underneath, it’s always the same stink coming from your pores.”
--Karen Mockler, HCN

Blog Shmog

2007-09-20T11:05:00.000-06:00

When Jon mentioned that he had created a blog for our family, I admit I did a bit of a mental eye-roll. I’ve always thought that personal blogs have the tendency to be self-seeking (and therefore inherently dull) and I don’t want to join that crowd. Nor do I want open myself up to all kinds of criticism.

Then I realized that hey, we could make our blog whatever we want, right? So here’s our effort to document our family without being boring or pretentious -- so that you get a sense of who we are and why we love living on this green Earth. I like the idea of Jon documenting his bus restoration project here. Also, as much as I’d like to keep Ava for us, I realize that she is a member of a larger family and community and she is too fantastic not to share. It just wouldn’t be fair. And of course, I will probably end up using this page as my personal soapbox from time to time. I am apt to get on a roll with my rants about various aspects of life. I will try my hardest to avoid offending anyone that I care about so you’re not allowed to take my opinions personally.

Well, it will be what it will be. With any luck, you won’t be too bored or insulted to share your comments. So don’t just read and run!

New Door Locks on the Bus

2007-06-14T13:21:00.000-06:00

So, first things first. The bus had some issues with security when I bought her. The key would not move the lock on the driver's side door; it would only lock using the inside latch. The passenger side door didn't even have a lock cylinder at all, but could also lock from the inside. So, I ordered two new shiny door handles and locks from Wolfsburg West.

As I waited for the new handles to arrive, I tore into the door panels. After removing all the hardware, I carefully pried the aged and brittle door panels off to reveal the nastiest mess. Dirt, leaves, dust, old foam, liquor receipts from a previous owner, and even a couple of hornets nests! The factory plastic sheeting and foam insulation just fell apart in my hands, so that will have to be replaced. But once I got the door locks removed via a couple of screws it turned out that all the mechanisms were so full of crud none of it worked, thus the reason the locks wouldn't work. After hours of scrubbing and soaking the entire units in good ol' WD-40, I finally got them working. I replaced all the hardware and snapped the door panel back on.

When the handles arrived, I fitted them into the door and screwed them in. After a few test runs the interior door locks loosened up and now we can leave our junk in the bus and head out for a hike! Next on the security list is Ava's seat belt install!

It Has Begun!

2007-06-03T18:03:00.000-06:00

There are times in your life when serenity prevails. For some it comes during a sunset while in the solitude of mother nature, for others maybe from a drunken stupor. But in my case, by the good nature of my patient wife, serenity is working on a classic car. For years, thanks to my great grandpa's jalopy genes, I have nursed a love/hate relationship with cars. When the accumulated grime and general funk caked on an engine mix with a potpourri exhaust and carb cleaner, oh man, I am in my element. Give me a wrench and I will gladly bust my knuckles till dawn (ask Marianne). Alternatively, nothing infuriates me more than watching car after car go to one destination with only a single driver behind the wheel. Our American passion with cars has also become the catalyst of our environmental deterioration. Driving a car is a privilege, granted by both government and environment. But, I digress...

After semi-restoring two other cars, a third project has found its way onto my driveway. After having the above-mentioned epiphany, I no longer desire the chest pounding power of a muscle car. A two-seat coupe definitely will not accommodate Ava's car seat, nor will it take us and all our gear to our off-road destinations while keeping fuel economy in mind. Yes, after a few years of searching I have my quintessential family car:

From what information I can gather, we are the fourth owners of "Daisy", a 1969 VW Westfalia Camper. She came to Utah from So Cal and she is clean for her age; low on the rust scale, and high on originality. She is approximately the 175 thousandth 1969 bus to come from Deutschland.

Since this bus is nearly 40 years old, the first step is ensure she lasts another 40+ years and make her safe for the whole family. But aside from some general mechanical, engine, and aesthetic work, she is good to go! Nicholas would be proud.

In the Beginning...

2007-06-03T17:14:00.000-06:00

We have officially grown up.

Now, this isn't to say that it's all over. Life is still unfurling its twists and turns for our family. For example, Ava added a whole new chapter to our lives. No longer are we carefree and determined to spend our lives living from a tent. Our little girl is fast approaching 15 months and is growing as fast as she can. Any day now we will be racing to child proof the whole house. She has graduated from relying on two hands in order to walk her cute stiff-legged Frankenstein walk to only needing one of our fingers to tread up and down the trails....mayhem is upon us and she has her mom's big sparkling eyes.

Therefore, it's time to document, record, and archive our life as we go along. Since we are living in an increasingly digital age, so must be the record of the fam. Here you will find accounts of our crazy lives and trips, recent photos, and a place to share your thoughts with us. So add those comments!!!! Let's keep in touch.