Another Weekend, Another Adventure

This weekend, we're in Salt Lake. I discovered that Lezlie and I cannot go to the mall together if we want happy husbands and money in our bank accounts. But I did find the perfect dress and shoes at Dillard's to wear at Marlo and Ty's wedding.

We took the kids up to Donut Falls for a short hike. In all the years I lived in Salt Lake, I really didn't take advantage of the beautiful hiking trails. It was wonderful to smell the pines and feel the coolness of the stream as we hiked. Sadly, I did not climb all the way up to the falls. That was a mistake I will not make again!


After the hike, it was good to get into the pool and play around. I won the cannonball contest.




Dinner was at a little Mediterranean restaurant on 33rd South, Cafe Med. It was delicious. As part of our ongoing efforts to teach our kids that there are foods out there much more delicious than taquitos from Costco and Lipton noodle soup, we had everyone try hummus, kabobs and baklava. These are foods that I first tried when I was in grade school, but for a moment, you'd think that we were asking them to eat pickled eyeballs or monkey brains. Once they got up the courage to try it, they were pleasantly surprised. Thank you so much, Mom and Dad for having us try a wide range of foods throughout our lives, and especially Mom for being such a great cook and encouraging us to eat healthily.

It's been hard to really figure out my role as "mom" in J, K and M's lives. I'm coming into it when they're at the developmental stage when kids are starting to pull away from parents. I had a different upbringing and different opportunities than their other parents, so there are things that I would like to give them the opportunity to do, or encourage them to have the desire to do.

I look back on my life and see how I limited myself (and sometimes still limit myself) by my fears, lack of understanding of the world and others, and a lack of faith and testimony. My parents did all they could, but there were things about me that they couldn't change. I had to grow and want to change them myself. It bugs me when I see the kids being timid, and I worry that they are limiting themselves and missing out on really feeling joy in their lives.

We are hoping that we can make some changes within the next year that will bring us closer to the kids, physically and in my case, emotionally. I need to be around them more and get to understand and love them for who they are, not for who I think they should be.

Anacapa Adventure

No pictures yet, but I had to update for those who were wondering if we survived our camping/kayaking trip last weekend.

Overall, it was a good time. I loved being with Rowdy, the Bachs and the Wiggers. Eighteen-month-old Katelyn Bach was a really good camper. I was quite impressed. Of course, it's always good to stretch oneself and try new things. Kayaking had its not-so-fun moments, but exploring the caves and tunnels was cool. We also saw some seals and sea lions in the water with us when we were paddling. And thank goodness for the scopolamine patch! I was only seasick on one kayaking excursion, and not enough to make me boot.

Anacapa itself, well...when the boys took their mancation there a couple of years ago, it was mid-to-late September. Right now, it's the end of the breeding season for seagulls. The boys didn't remember having any bird issues on their trip, but this last weekend, there were literally thousands of seagulls on this little island with us. You better believe it was stinky, poopy and noisy. We were the only campers who stuck it out for the whole weekend.

A good thing about being the only campers was making friends with the ranger. He took us on a tour of the lighthouse, which is usually off-limits. The guys remember the lighthouse's signal going off every 20 seconds as being the big drawback to their trip last time. This time, the gulls drowned it out, and we barely ever were aware of the signal.

So, yeah, we're home now--sunburned, tired, sore from kayaking and carring our gear all over and happy to be sleeping in our own bed.

Shake-n-Bake

I was sitting at my desk at work today, thinking about packing up and going home, when suddenly, the floor started to wobble. And then my chair wobbled. And my computer monitor wobbled. It stopped several seconds later, then there was a smallish aftershock.

Knowing the kids were at home without an adult, I called to see how they were.

Max: Hello?
Me: Hi, Max! Did you guys just feel that earthquake?
Max: Nooooo...there was an earthquake? When?

It was a 5.4 earthquake, but not one photo had fallen from the wall, nor had any books fallen out of the bookcases.

The kids were making some home movies--Jaws 5, The Two Burritos, a James Bond installment, a remake of Little Shop of Horrors, and Robin in the Hood. When we put it on youtube, I'll post a link. They're pretty hilarious and clever, especially Jaws 5.

Also today, I introduced Jordan to the joys of the Nordstrom personal shopper. We got her some darling things for school, and I bought something to wear to the upcoming wedding of our friends Marlo and Ty.

Which brings me to the "bake" part--"steamed" is more apt. Can't anyone make modest but attractive cocktail-type dresses? The other thing that I'm burned up about is my stupid laptop. I'm getting ready to take it into the repair shop for the third time in two weeks. It lasted all of thirty minutes after I picked it up today. Dadgumit!

Fun Friday Night

We were invited to a barbecue last night at the Ocean Beach home of Brian and Nicole. How Brian reached male adulthood without knowing how to grill is a mystery, but his first effort turned out very well. I met a fellow IR, and was once-again reminded that I don't eat, sleep and breathe my career. I like it and all, but there's more to life than reading journals.

The was followed by a bonfire at Fiesta Island with Tyler, Christy, Jen, Jeff, Andy and Tracy (and Jerome the Pug). Tyler and Christy needed to get rid of their old bedroom suite. Who knew pressboard could burn so brightly? It was so fun to sit with everyone and talk about whatever.

Lingua Pater

Last week, I started taking Swedish lessons. It's pronounced completely differently than I had ever imagined. Take for instance "i", which means "in". Take your tongue and put it against the inner aspect of your teeth. Open your lips slightly and then stretch them widely to the side. Now make an "l" sound. And then there's the word for 7, "sju". It's pronounced something like "whew!". "Tjugo" or 20? Shoo-go. Which is not to say that I'm not having fun taking the class, it's just much different from taking Spanish.

Memory Tag

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you. If you don't want to play on your blog, or if you don't have a blog, I'll leave my memory of you in my comments.


Thanks, Jen Young!

Recommended Reading

Before I leave for work today, I have to post this link:

UTAH VISIT THRILLS RUSSIAN ORPHANS
Thousands of miles from their hometown, five orphans and two of their teachers oohed and ahhed at the architecture in Utah's Capitol.
FULL STORY: http://deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,700238789,00.html

(Sorry, you'll have to cut-and-paste it. For some reason, I can't get it to link.)

My friend, Stephanie Haynes, visited this orphanage with her mother in 2004. This short visit made a huge impression on her. Much like Greg Mortenson and his drive to help the people of Pakistan, Stephanie has been driven to help the children of Sovietsk have opportunities for education, growth and personal happiness and peace in their lives.

In 2005, I was able to go with Stephanie and her mother, Eva-Maria, to Sovietsk. We taught the kids to knit, played volleyball, sang songs, danced and went for walks in the woods with them. Though I don't speak Russian, and they didn't speak English, we were able to build friendships and enjoy each other's company. These children deserve the opportunity to grow beyond the limits that are placed on them by their situation, and I'm so glad that this group of girls and their teachers were able to come to the US and see what possibilities the world holds for them.