Toddler: "gurgle gurgle blurp fuss whine CHOCOLATE!! blurb blabber [incoherent] fuss whine CHOCOLATE MIIILK!"
Mommy: "What?"
Toddler: Blabber nonsense [incoherent] fuss "BAGEL!"
Mommy: "We don't have any bagels. How about banana?"
Toddler: "NO! Pickle!"
Mommy: "We don't have any pickels. Let's eat raisins instead."
Toddler: fuss whine (spank) sob "nummies!" (code for boobs)
Mommy: Cave.
Oh yes. Lots of fun.
Stef posted this on her blog and for lack of content, I have spent the hour-plus (over two days) to fill it out...I love to read stuff like this from other people so do it if you have time...it seems nicer posting it on a blog than forcing it into people's in-boxes.
1. What time is it? 10:52 PM
2. Name as it appears on your birth certificate: Laura Christine [Redacted]
3. Nicknames: Then: Lo, Lowly Worm (don't ask) Now: Babe (not as often), Baby, Hon...
4. Parent's names: Richard & Rosemarie
5. Number of candles that appeared on your last birthday cake? What cake? I didn't get a cake? Where's my cake?!
6. Date that you regularly blow them out: Sometime in early January
7. Pets: No, but I really hope we can get a dog someday soon.
8. Height: 5'4
9. Eye color: Green
10. Hair Color: Dirty blond, in the least sexy way imaginable.
11. Piercings: Just my ears, and those are closing because I never wear earrings.
12. Tattoos: No, I really dislike tattoos and needles and hepatitis for that matter.
13. Place of Work: my home
14. Birthplace: Sheesh! do you think the identity thieves are working around the clock writing these things or is it just a weekend gig for them?
15. Hometown: The place I call home is SF but I was raised in San Jose.
16. Current Residence: These questions are totally redundant. Someone needs to streamline this survey! :-)
17. Had the drink Calypso Breeze?: No...
18. Been in love before?: Well yes, yes I have and I definitely recommend it. :)
19. Been to Africa?: Nope
20. Been toilet-papering (rolling)?: Yes, twice. Does that make me a delinquent? I had home school friends who really wanted to be "bad" I guess...
21. Been drunk?: No.
22. Been toilet-papered (rolled)? No, I think my parents would have died.
23. Loved somebody so much it made you cry? In a sense, yes...but I am not much of a crier any more...not too much to cry about. :-)
24. Been in a car crash?: Yes, one where I was driving and one where my dad was driving
25. Croutons or Bacon Bits: Mmmm, homemade croutons (Stef, you have to try them! Garlic, cubed sourdough, tossed with olive oil and sea salt, toasted to crunchy perfection. They're a revelation!)
26. 2 doors or 4 (on a car): We actually still have our 2-door.
27. Sprite or 7 Up: 7 Up, but I don't drink that kind of soda very often.
28. Coffee or Coffee Ice cream: I'm going to say both. Specifically, coffee over ice cream...like the Italians do with Gelato. Yum.
29. Blanket or Stuffed Animal: A little Corolle doll named Charlotte. She still smells like candy.
30. Dumper or Dumpee : Officially, neither... I'm going with that answer.
31. Salad Dressing: Homemade - garlic, red wine vinegar, a big dose of Dijon mustard, fresh dill and olive oil
32. Color of socks: White, I have a major aversion to socks.
33. Number: meh...I'll say 5
34. Why?: Because October 5th was a special day...
35. Place to be kissed?: I will take kisses anywhere
36. Movie: I have to pick one? Movies I could watch over and over again: Anne of Green Gables, Jane Eyre and Gladiator. Amistad was also amazing. Like. AMAZING. I also really loved Shadowlands.
37. Quote from a movie: "Tomorrow is fresh with no mistakes in it." - Anne of Green Gables
38. Favorite Holiday: Thanksgiving. Hands down, I love Thanksgiving.
39. Foods: Lots. I like food a lot.
40. Day of the week: They all feel the same (except Sunday, obviously), but I still like Saturday.
41. Song at the moment: "Lucky" Jason Mraz and Colbie Caillatt. If I got married tomorrow, this would be our first dance.
42. TV show: The Office, I guess.
44. Word or Phrase: Deep and profound __fill in the blank (ie - Barack Obama comes from a place of deep and profound ignorance. :-))
46. Toothpaste: Crest Prohealth....my dentist gave me a sample and I like it. It's the first time I've used a fluoride toothpaste in eons.
47. Restaurant; a little Japanese place here in SF.
48. Flower: I really like peonies
49. Least Favorite Subject In school: French and English (and not because I don't like reading, I just despise all the nonsense of trying to read into what authors write...)
50. Alcoholic Drink: I haven't tried enough to have a favorite...but once I had a drink with mango rum, orange juice and 7 UP...it was pretty delicious.
51. Sport to Watch: The only sport I've watched in recent memory was the last few minutes of the Super bowl...unless you count ice skating.
52. Type of Ice Cream: These days, my favorite ice cream is called Tarmack - it's from a local SF place called Maggie Mudd's. It's deep, dark (black) chocolate with oreos and peanut butter. It's an orgy. But, the store that sells it recently raised the price from $4.19/pint to $5.59/pint. How lame is that?!
53. Zoo Exhibit: I love the meerkats at the SF Zoo
54. Sesame Street Character: I do not like Sesame Street, at all.
56. Fast Food Restaurant: I haven't been in so long...but I like the fries at In and Out.
57. Least favorite nickname: Schmoopy? I don't know...this is a dumb question.
58. Greatest memory: My first date with Bruce, his proposal, our honeymoon, giving birth to Jenna, the last days that I spent with my Grandpa...I have a lot of great memories.
59. Future pet: An english bull dog, and possibly a bird if Bruce has his way.
60. What you wanted, but didn't get for Christmas: I secretly wanted jewelry...
61. If you had 48 hours to live, starting now, what would you do?: Spend it with my husband and child...like Stef, I'd probably try to write stuff for my kids for later in life...this is a totally sad question.
62. Favorite things: The first five minutes of the morning when Jenna wakes up cheerful and affectionate and our little family stays snuggled in bed together. Being at the ranch. Lots of little things...
63. Best aspect of your life: Definitely being a child of God
64. Do you have anything you cling to from your childhood? My love of Jane Austen and Anne of Green Gables
65. Favorite jewelry: my engagement/wedding ring
66. Favorite word: love
67. Least favorite thing: People who are irrationally judgmental.
68. If you could change something in the world: I would like...revival. Mostly I think the world's problems would be considerably less if people turned to Christ and all the things I could think of that I would like to be different (less excess, more respect for the family, for marriage, for parental rights, etc), I think they would be solved by a nation of people who feared God first.
69. Dark or light(your first reaction): Light - I love sunshine.
70. Favorite CD of all time: Of all time? Are you kidding? Okay fine. This is lame. I love John Mayer's Room for Squares.
71. Best dream: That childbirth dream I had a couple months ago...I so want it to be that easy next time.
72. Favorite physical trait: Today is a bad day for self-esteem, but I do like that I have green eyes.
73. One thing you would change about yourself: Physically? My propensity towards weight gain. Mentally? That I obsess about stuff without talking about it. Spiritually? There's a lot on that list.
74. Define, in your own words "time": Going to fast.
75. What book are you reading right now: From Forgiven to Forgiving (Jay Adams), How to Win a Local Election (nerd), The Federalist Papers (bigger nerd)
76. What's on your mousepad: a mouse.
77. What's your fave board game: I always liked Scattergories.
78. Favorite Magazine: Bon Appetit
79. Favorite Smell: Jenna, Bruce, fresh, clean laundry, things baking in the oven...any smell associated with Thanksgiving.
80. Favorite Sound: The stillness up at the ranch, Jenna's laughter
81. Worst feeling in the world: Letting my family down, a guilty conscience
82. What is the first thing you think of when you wake up in the morning: Too soon!!
83. Favorite roller coaster: I have a love/hate relationship with coasters, but my favorite coaster memory is going on Goliath at Magic Mountain. It was the first one I went on with Bruce and he made me ride in the very very front. Um...that was absolutely terrifying. ("255 ft. tall, near vertical 61-degree drop" - into a tunnel underground, so you think you're going to be decapitated...). I also screamed, non-stop. Bruce is still scarred by my screaming. He brings it up randomly with a strange look on his face.
84. How long does the phone ring before you get to it: 2
85. Chocolate or Vanilla: Chocolate
86. Do you like to drive fast: No, but then I haven't driven in about 3 years.
87. Do you sleep with a stuffed animal: Negative.
88. Storms--Cool or Scary: Cool
89. What was your first type of car: The bane of my existence - my parents' station wagon. Clunky and huge and totally embarrassing.
90. If you meet that one person, dead or alive, who would it be: I'd really like to meet one of the Founding Fathers...maybe Alexander Hamilton (he was a little liberal for my taste), or Patrick Henry.
91. What would you ask him/her?: I'd like their opinions on the current state of the country.
92. Favorite color: I'm partial to green.
93. What is your zodiac sign: Totally irrelevant. In fact, I tend to write off any sentence that begins with a reference to one's zodiac sign.
94. If you could have any job you wanted, what would it be: Mom, but I imagined I'd be better at the whole house keeping part than I am...
95. If you could dye your hair any color: More blond...
96. Half empty or half full: I hate to admit it, but I am often known to be half-empty...at least about myself.
97. Lefty or Righty: Righty
98. Full Name: Laura Christine [redacted]
99. Family stats: ? Husband, one child, two parents, two parents-in-law, four siblings, two grandmothers, one grandfather...?
100. First job: Laura's Cookie Catering - splendidly cheesy right? I shilled my baking around the ice rink to pay for ice skating lessons.
101. Currently in CD player: Some kiddie praise-song CD
102. Most annoying habit: A lack of good habits.
103. What was in your bag the last time you left Target: Plastic storage bins, diapers, a toy for Jenna
104. Best gross out story: I don't have a good one...the closest would probably be puking in the car during an attack of kidney stones? Or maybe that time I shredded my knee while on my bicycle...
105. First album you remember buying: I have no memory of the first CD I purchased. But one of our family's first was the soundtrack for Little Women.
106. Goofiest thing you believed as a child: I was quite scared during the year 1994 because I somehow knew that Harold Camping predicted Christ's return that year and I was scared of the tribulation. I was ten.
107. Thing you can't do to save your life: keep the house clean...
108. Best advice you've ever given: The best advice I've ever given? I have no idea...as the people to whom I give advice...but I think it's always a good idea when getting married to know your expectations. Expectations are relationship killers.
109. Worst trouble you got into as a child or teen: I was an angelic child.
110. Most incredible date: Bruce and I drove down to Carmel, I packed a picnic and we ate at Lover's Point, then we prayed together and talked and walked along that cool path that goes by the coast...and then we drove into Carmel-by-the-Sea for dinner and ate dinner at this really cool bistro. Sigh...it's good to be in love.
111. Best way to make you laugh: Bruce makes me laugh, especially when he's geeky. I always worried that it was too easy to make me laugh, I laughed a lot in high school and always thought I was weird...maybe it's because I was sheltered.
112. If a movie were made of your life, who should play you? Someone of fair-to-middling talent and attractiveness, with marginal social skills and an excessive love for babies.
113. Best dish you can prepare? Dessert or Main course? If I was having company, I'd make roast chicken with thyme and garlic, roasted beets and probably either pasta or garlic potatoes. For dessert, I'd make apple crisp, or cookies.
114. Pet peeves: I really don't like when Bruce doesn't put his laundry in the hamper (but he almost always does, after four years of marriage, hurray!). Also, I get really irritated when people try to use the Bible to justify obviously unbiblical standards for people...
115. Food you refuse to eat: I would like to think I'm at a place in life where I'll try anything once...but I can pretty much guarantee, I won't be eating fois gras, raw quail eggs, or beef carpaccio or tartare anything.
116. Most memorable concert experience: I've only been to two - but they were both great...David Crowder Band was probably the best.
117. Most prized possession: I would be very upset if something bad happened to my laptop...
118. Best gift received: Salvation goes without saying...other than that, a good husband, the gift of motherhood, those awesome glass prep bowls Bruce bought me for Christmas one year
119. If you were an animal, what would you be? I would be a rabbit...how's that for personality?
120. You've been made president of the United States for the day, what are you going to do? Haha Stef! Drill for oil, reinstate the ability of the CIA to assassinate certain foreign leaders, recess appoint awesome judges to all the open seats...
121. Dream car: One with wheels and four doors...I don't have a car, I'd be pretty easy to please.
122. If you could swap lives with someone for a day, who would it be? I definitely want to be Jenna for a day. I want to see things from her perspective.
123. Future plans: More children Lord willing, home schooling...maybe buying a home, hopefully moving out of San Francisco.
124. Collections: Are you kidding? I so don't have the space for anything.
125. Last video rented: Chaos Theory and The Other Boleyn Girl (both good)
125. Movies that make you cry: Jane Eyre, Dumbo (come on - separated from mommy? "Baby Mine" - how can you not cry?), The Passion of The Christ
126. Best practical joke played on you: I don't remember at the moment, I'm sure there have been a few good ones...
127. Vacation spot: Bodega Bay, Cazadero, Lake Tahoe...
128. Bible character: Ruth, Esther, Peter
129. Scripture: Books: Psalms and Proverbs, 1&2 Timothy, James...
130. Pizza: Chicken apple sausage, artichokes, tomatoes, garlic, spinach...no cheese...
131. Hymn: Be Thou My Vision
132. Favorite City: I do love San Francisco...
133. Breakfast cereal: Healthy: Wheat Chex, Sugary: Lucky Charms or Cocoa Puffs (weakness!)
134. Favorite drink? Water or a latte or mocha from The Beanery in SF.
135. What color is your bedroom's carpet?: light tan, possibly a mistake with a baby...
136. What was the name of your childhood blanket? No blankets here.
137. How many times did you fail your Permit and/or Drivers License Test? I don't know about the permit, but I passed my DL test on the first try.
138. What do you think of Ouija boards? Creepy and not worth the time...and also obviously not consistent with a Christian life because, hi, communing with the dead?
139. Where do you see yourself in 10 yrs? In most ways, the same - wife, mommy, hopefully with a few more babies and better housekeeping habits, homeschooling my babies...I'd also like to be a lactation consultant, but we may put that on the 20-year plan. :-)
140. Who is the last person that you got mail from before this one? N/A
141. Have you ever been convicted of a crime? No.
142. Which single store would you choose to max your credit card? Probably Target since they have a bit of everything...
143. What do you do most often when you are bored? Play Lego Star Wars or some other DS game...or waste time on the computer. It's a problem, seriously. But I'm not bored that often.
144. What words or phrases do you overuse? "No Jenna!"
145. Name the person that you are friends with that lives the farthest away? I have friends all over...in the US, Olivia is probably farthest removed geographically (Boston)...my cousins live in France, though.
146. Most annoying thing is: People who drive like jerks.
147. Best thing: I think I already answered this...mornings in bed with baby and husband. Also, there are some moments in pregnancy that top many other things in life - feeling your baby move is amazing.
148. Bedtime: too late!
WHAT KIND OF ___ DO YOU USE---
149. Deodorant: Dove cucumber something
150. Shampoo: BedHead or something from Walgreen's
151. Conditioner: same as above
152. Soap: Yardley Lemon Verbena or Victoria's Secret Love Spell body wash
153. Shaving Cream: Kiss My Face Peaches and Cream (it's fantastic)
154. Toothpaste: repeat.
155. Floss: Whatever Bruce likes
156. Toilet paper: Cottonelle
157. Who will respond to this fastest? I would have said Stef, but, she already did so...probably no one. :-)
158. Who is the person you sent this to that is least likely to respond? busy people
159. Who will definitely NOT respond: me
160. What time is it now? 8:35pm the next day. :-)
And that's about it...
I've been reading Kendra Fletcher's incredibly helpful and encouraging blog, Preschoolers and Peace, for quite awhile now. She just recently gave birth to her 8th child, a little boy.
Some of you may already have heard but I just wanted to post it here so we can all pray. Her new little baby was rushed to the hospital on Thursday, because of his symptoms he was transferred to a more advanced children's hospital and has finally been diagnosed with enterovirus. It's caused sepsis throughout his body (multiple organ systems) including his brain.
Please pray for baby Joe and Kendra and their whole family!
I know, she looks like little orphan Annie-look-at-how-my-evil-mother-makes-me-work-for-my-bread. BUT, she actually loves helping with dishes now. She doesn't do actual work, you know, just makes more mess for me, but it's fun to have her next to me while I clean. :-)
This morning started with a somewhat demanding toddler asking for chocolate! (rice milk) and pancakes! (porridge? eggs? "No! Pancakes!").
Much more than last year, I've been measuring the day by what was happening this time two years ago. Two years ago, my June 19th morning started out sitting in an exam room being told that I needed to be induced because my blood work and blood pressure were getting worse. In all my exposure to pregnancy and childbirth and all the classes we took, I still hadn't fully prepared myself for that one. I was by myself at that appointment and hearing those words felt a little like getting hit by a 2x4. Basically the way things were presented to me was - your condition could stay the same and you could wait and have a normal delivery *or* they could rapidly get worse and you'd have to have an emergency c-section which is much more dangerous for both mom and baby.
So...despite my misgivings and feeling like I didn't have enough time to really make a good decision, we went in to the hospital on June 19th, 2006. God was very gracious in sparing me from pitocin, which I am sure would have totally derailed my plans to labor naturally without an epidural. It was hard enough as things were. :-) Jenna was born healthy and complication-free after 13 hours of labor on June 20th, 2006.
The nostalgia hit hard last night (I wondered where that was) as I played play-doh with Jenna. She talks a lot, but usually I'm the only one who understands what she's saying (beyond single words). She's become so animated and expressive. She's usually a very happy child.
She's had a bit of an intellectual explosion the last couple weeks, alphabet (hello, she sings the alphabet song! L-M-N-O-P might sound like "eminemopeee" but the concepts and the order are definitely there), numbers (she can count and read numbers 0-10), shapes! colors! (pink and green are the ones she most consistently gets right).
She loves her collection of puzzles. Our favorite brand of toys has become Melissa and Doug, mostly because of their awesome wooden peg puzzles. She loves being read to (Harry the Dirty Dog, Goodnight Moon, Make Way for Ducklings, Bedtime for Francis and Froggy Goes to Bed are her current favorite books) and she likes finger paints.
She is learning, slowly but surely, to sit through church. Last week we went to morning service (which we don't usually do, but are trying to get back into the habit) and she sat through the whole thing without having to be taken out once! We came back for evening service and she survived that as well. She does *not* get the whole concept of voice modulation, so when she does make noise during service, it's not exactly a whisper. People in our church seem to be very forgiving of that, I am so glad!
We've been trying to teach her The Catechism for Young Children, so far she readily answers "God!" when you ask her "Jenna, who made you?" but when we say "What else did God make?" she also shouts "God!" so...we'll get there. :-)
Some of her favorite foods are: avocado (still!), sushi rice, avocado maki rolls (snob), salmon and pasta. Oh, and pancakes. :-) She has some odd tastes too, like she'll eat raw onions (gross).
She still sleeps with us and while the night nursing has improved dramatically (for the most part), I believe I have finally crossed over into the world of patchouli-sniffing, broomstick-skirt wearing extended breastfeeders. I will probably post about this more in the future, mostly because I can talk endlessly about birth and breastfeeding and never tire of the subjects. For now, we'll just say the relationship works for us and will probably continue as-is until one of the three of us changes our minds. :-)
It's been a crazy two years. I see pictures of Jenna as a baby and can hardly remember her being that small. Of course, I remember the feelings of having one that small, the newness, the snuggling, the sense of wonder at every burp and gurgle...but it still seems crazy that she was ever 6 lbs or that there was a time when she was content to sit quietly in my arms or in her bouncy seat (man! it was so easy back then!).
Any longer and this post will definitely cross over into the realm of outright absurdity. Happy Birthday sweet, firstborn child of mine. You are my constant reminder that God's mercies really are new every morning.
It as forgotten me.
New missing features on my paid-for typepad service: font selection. Now I can't choose my own font, and I get to pay for it. Can you say "sucker?"
Jenna turns 2 on Friday, I'm just giving you fair warning in case I go all squishy. So far I am slightly less nostalgic than I thought I would be. Of course I have moments of absolute shock where I think that two whole years cannot possibly have gone by this fast...it does feel so fast. But, I have been thinking of her as "two" for at least a month now and I think some of the shock has worn off. That's not to say I'm not sad about this whole business of passing through babyhood with our finger on fast-foward.
We are having a small party on Saturday with family...I am making a cake in the shape of a turtle. Beta Turtle (1.0) was such a visual disaster that I didn't even bother to take photos. Beta 1.5 was better in concept but still no pictures. Thursday I'll start attempts of the real version, hopefully it will be better. :-) In my head it seemed like such a good idea, I'm afraid my skills are not nearly in step with this particular creative vision.
And now for some pictures: The first couple are from our swim date with her cousins last week, one is from a recent trip to the zoo when I managed to get her to actually look at me and one with her favorite collection of bath toys and her small birdie, "fluff."
A *REAL* Rocket (from Little Einsteins - oh the commercialism) - she loved it so much they let her take it home.
So, finally, I'm determined to start (and finish!) a real post.
*One hour later - I finished it! Historic! It's way more vociferous and way more cheesy than I ever intended...but I hate editing. :-)
As I mentioned, we spent about five days up in the country last week. Krista, to answer your question, Bruce's parents own a house on the ranch property, it's a co-operative ownership between several families that goes back to the early 1920's. Bruce spent most of his summers there as a kid so it's got a lot of nostalgic value for us.
It's tucked quite a ways away from "civilization" in that it takes about 30-40 minutes to get to the nearest Safeway and the closest you can get to internet is a VERY slow dial-up connection. BUT, the house has satellite TV and hot water and a dishwasher, so we weren't roughing it, at all.
I cannot even begin to explain how much we needed to get out of San Francisco for a few days (hey, permanently is starting to look like a good deal too). The minute we turned on to the road that takes us to the entrance of the ranch, we rolled down our windows and just drank in the crisp country air. Sometimes up there, it feels like breathing for the first time. Things are so busy and hyperactive here in the City, even the air is anxious. If it weren't for the fact that I had an appointment last Friday, I think we might still be up there. :-)
Bruce's parents were there for the first couple days, in time to experience (and fix! go Grandpa L!) the water heater breaking. Thankfully, my father-in-law was able to go buy a new one (I know, pretty great, right?) and put it in before they left. It was broken for a little more than a full day and I have never been more grateful for a hot shower - how city-girl is that? Seriously, what eeked me out more than no showers was no hand washing or dish washing. It's pretty funny (read: sad) how many luxuries I take for granted.
Every seems to feel better in the country. Food tastes better (like, 2lbs better :-)) and sleep is definitely better even in a smaller, unfamiliar bed. And I think these aren't just the ruminations of a city girl who finds the country "quaint" and "charming." Five days without the internet and I was sure I'd be having crazy withdrawals. Surprisingly, it was delicious to be away from the computer. I did *have* my computer with me but the fact that it took, you know, 10 minutes to load a single page was a good deterrent to me sitting in front of a blue screen all day. And you know what I discovered: nothing happened. The blog world didn't explode, we didn't lose any major cities to nuclear attacks, the price of oil still kept rising...Shocking, I know. It may explain my reticence to start blogging again. I've been trying to continue staying away from my computer, especially after turning on chat our first morning back in the city and getting into a stressful and unproductive "discussion" with...someone.
Of course, there are some things I was very happy to get back to in the city, our king size bed being at the top of that list. It's nice to be able to walk everywhere I need to go, even if "everywhere I need to go" happens to involve 20 blocks each way. I like that, despite our insistence that we won't "be here forever" we do have roots here. We have family history here (Bruce's family, five generations of SF natives), we have a church here and (some) friends here. The people at all the stores I shop at, they know me. They know Jenna (incidentally, the nice lady at Walgreens asked me during my 10:30pm run for diapers why she wasn't potty trained "You save lots money on diapers!"). The lady behind the deli counter at our favorite grocery store has been making the same turkey sandwich for me since I was pregnant with Jenna. It's nice to have ties like that in a crazy city like this and sort of shocking that we do have them. You always expect SF to be so anonymous and mostly, it is...people don't talk to each other on the metro (thank goodness! ;-)) and rarely greet each other when passing on the street, but somehow there's a bit of a small-town feel after living in the same place for four years.
This wasn't intended to be a silly reflection on city vs. country life, but I guess coming back from the country and feeling like every part of me (or, almost every part) is screaming to go back, it's been on my mind a lot lately.
The best part was just watching Jenna play in such vast surroundings. She hardly knew what to do with herself at first - having that much space to roam. The house itself is a veritable mansion compared to our small apartment and we became the most relaxed version of ourselves as parents, letting her crawl and run and explore pretty much to her little hearts' content. She did finger paints for the first time (away from my carpet) and had her first Popsicle and ate lots of food that wasn't organic (shocking, I know). She went in the creek with us a couple times and discovered that there is nothing in the world quite as awesome as throwing every rock in site into the water. The last day we were there Bruce's brother came up with his two boys (who we haven't seem in a year, it's shameful). Tyler is four and Tristan is three weeks older than Jenna. This was their first real play time together and let me tell you, I had quite a misty-eyed moment watching them chasing each other all over the deck. I have video, I will post it soon. In that little sun-shiny moment, it was basically impossible to deny that there are few blessings on earth greater than your children.
Sort of.
I know, it's totally lame and inexcusable to leave a blog un-updated this long. But, there it is. I am lame.
While I try to steal a few moments to write a real re-cap of the last couple weeks, here's a picture. We spent a few (like five, delicious, marvelous, too short) days up at Bruce's parent's ranch (where we got married) up in Cazadero this past week. Jenna especially had criminal amounts of fun and first experiences. :-)
Two more things:
First off, it is a strange world indeed, my friends, when I am rooting for Hillary Clinton. Obama is smugly pretending like he's already won the nomination and ignoring the fact that those pesky fly over states are still pretty hacked off about his phony elitism. Watching Hillary preside over a massive win in W. Virginia, I almost felt...what is this feeling? fondness? Oh dear no. But yeah, I guess that's kind of what it is. I'm rooting for Hillary. Not because I agree with her or want her to be President, I just want her to teach a lesson to Obama, who is neither hip nor with it nor even remotely prepared to be leader of the free world. Hillary isn't either, but it would be nice to see Obama get his comeuppance so publicly. Wrong, I know. I shouldn't be vengeful.
Secondly and most important, today I watched a tribute to Jimmy Stewart on PBS. I've always loved Jimmy Stewart movies, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, It's a Wonderful Life (which I actually hated when I was younger), The Philadelphia Story, etc. This was such a cool tribute. It was interviews of him, clips from his movies and reflections from people who knew/worked with him, including (sigh) President Reagan. I had no idea Jimmy Stewart campaigned for Reagan! That makes him like 80% more awesome in my book. More importantly though, I just remembered what an honorable, good American Jimmy Stewart was. He was a great actor, but he was also a great man. He was drafted (drafted!!) to serve in WWII and when his weight was too low during the physical examination, he told the doctor to change it so he could serve. He was a fighter pilot and led many missions in Europe during the war and even after it was over, he continued to serve in the Military. In one of the interviews, Johnny Carson asked him how he coped with all those "scary" missions, he said "We were all scared. I prayed a lot." He married at 41 and adopted her two young sons. They also had twin girls together. At 24, their oldest son was killed in the Vietnam War. He was a big supporter of the Boy Scouts. And when asked how he wanted to be remembered, he said as a guy who believed in love of country, of family, of community and of God. Our country would be a lot better off with more guys like Jimmy Stewart around.
Watching the tribute reminded me of my grandfather and made me miss him so much it hurt. There were a lot of similarities between the two guys, including their
fondness of airplanes in general and, specifically, building model
planes. My grandpa wasn't an actor but he was a pilot and a soldier and a good, Jimmy Stewart kind of guy. I wonder, is there any hope of raising men like that in this day and age?
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