crafty andi

a co-worker of mine is vacationing in Mexico for the holidays, and he sent me this photo of a shop in town where he's staying....

(incase you can't read it, the sign identifies the store as seller of Cristaleria & Plasticos, or Kitchenware & Crafts)

christmas comes but once a year....

After a relaxing morning at the house and a leisurely walk around Green Lake, Eric and I hit the slopes at Stevens Pass (~75 miles northeast of Seattle). It was my first skiing since Karen and I went to Keystone, CO, and it was Eric's first skiing in two years. The snow was top notch (for the west coast) and we had a great time.

On Sunday, we went to the San Diego at Seattle football game -- with Eric being one of very few Chargers fans in attendance. I was very impressed at the noise level--both high and low--that the crowd produced at the beginning of each play, depending on who had possession of the ball. Funny that the intimidating man with the shaved head and tattooed scalp who was cheering right in Eric's ear while the Seahawks were winning, suddenly disappeared when the Chargers took the lead in the last 25 seconds of the 4th quarter.

I hope you all had a great holiday season and are busy working on your new years resolutions!

Zoe Anna Beth

After an extra night at the hospital, Emily and Miles brought baby Zoe home on Saturday, and got this lovely shot...


I hope to be getting down there to visit in a couple of weeks -- I cant' wait!

And for those of you who have been asking about our wet and windy status (and thank you for your concern!), Eric and I have fared just fine. We had no damage to our home, and we are one of the very lucky folks who never lost power in the whole ordeal. Earlier in the week we discovered a small leak in our roof, which we immediately patched up and have seen no problems since -- and with the 60+ mph winds and accompanying rain 36 hours later, I'd say we can safely say that our patch worked. Trees came down all around our neighborhood, including our immediate neighbor to the south, and all over town, small evergreen branches and twigs are still in the gutters and in the middle of the road -- as though someone decorated the streets themselves for the holiday season.

baby pics

move over finn, it's time for pictures of baby cricket!

oh baby!

It's a girl! Mom called me at 6:30 this morning to let me know that emily had been in labor since about 1:30am. The arrival came sometime between 8 and 10am, and was uneventful (excepting the fact that it's an event in itself!), and the baby is healthy and happy and weighs in at 7 lbs, 15 oz, with lots of browish hair and bright blonde eyelashes and brows. I will post pictures as soon as they send some. For now, the new baby, mother and father are resting comfortably. No name for the baby yet, but the new grandmother and myself have decided that we'll be calling her Cricket, no matter what.

just a fun finn photo

snow day

As of bedtime last night, we had accumulated two or three inches of fresh, fluffy, perfect-for-snowball snow at our house. Not deep enough for Finn to really play in, but enough for him to eat.

status 3

To Do:
*make cards (birthdays, get wells, holidays)
*plant garlic
*mend summer clothes
*complete finn's kennel application
*mop the floor
*quilting, scrapbooking and knitting
*add photos to blog
*paint touch-ups
*install closet shelves

Currently:
*reading…Desert Solitaire (almost done....next up is Angle of Repose)
*eating…lots of toast and not nearly enough veggies
*crafting…rediculously close to done with Jana's quilt, baby quilt also very close to done

Activities on deck:
*driving to Vancouver, BC first week in December
*having Thanksgiving at our house
*maybe going to San Diego for christmas -- not sure yet

summer's end

Visited the family in Maryland in mid-September. Our flight was so drastically delayed (for bogus reasons...don't get me started) that we missed Emily and Miles' engagement party altogether, but we did meet his family the next morning when they joined ours for a lovely crepe brunch. We all got a pic in the backyard...


Finally got Eric in to see the Capitol Building. One of my project managers' sons is the Deputy Press Secretary for one of our senators, and he gave us a tour of the building, dropping us off at the the Senate gallery. Very interesting, and it was great to be there, but it also made me sad that a gallery that was once open to the public to come and listen to their elected officials debate the day's issues has become so restricted. We had to leave anything with a battery at the check-in station outside the senate chamber. I later learned that my aunt, who visited Washington DC with my mom and cousins shortly after we were there, had to leave her chapstick outside the White House while she toured there. A very sad state of affairs we have here, and I don't know what else there is to say about it. At least they let us take a picture outside the building...


We also went for a couple of lovely canoe outings. The morning air was crisp and the water was calm. I could get used to such a lifestyle...


Autumn is settling in over the Pacific Northwest. Regular temperatures are in the 50s now, and I haven't had to water an outdoor plant in about two weeks now. I have to get the bulbs planted before it gets much colder/wetter. Leaves are turning colors everywhere you look. Shades of not only red, orange and yellow, but shades of purple, peach, pink and one variety of Euonomus that is so bright, it nearly glows when sunlight hits it just right. Contrasted against those trees and shrubs that remain green all year, the colors are simply striking, and I am simply not good enough with words to describe them.

I feel as though I have been acutely more aware of this autumn than I have been before. Indeed, we have lived north of the California border for four autumns now, and I always thought fondly of the cooler months -- scarves, sweaters, and a mug of hot tea with a good book -- but I don't remember experiencing these events with as much delight as I have been feeling this year.

Mom and Dad just returned to Maryland from visiting us last weekend. It was their first trip out to see the house and to meet Finn. We all had a great time -- I know they think I keep moving farther away from them, and I hope they realize that it's not intentional. I truly miss being able to hop in the car and drive the two hours from Sacramento to Sunnyvale or Arnold and see them once every other week.


While they were here, we saw the Dead Sea Scroll exhibit at the Pacific Science Center. A fantastic, thought-provoking exhibit -- I highly recommend it, if it comes to a museum near you. And I thought Mom and Dad might be tired of museums and exhibits, having been to each and every Smithsonian building by now, some multiple times. We also just hung out at the house. Dad showed us some of the technical stuff of the house (him: "where's your winterizing spigot?" us: "the what now?"). And then there was our spontaneous crab dinner (mmmm...craaaaab)...


We took Finn to Marymoor dog park, where he swam and ran and generally wore himself out.


We also had lunch with Cousin Dorothy, who hadn't seen Mom and Dad in about 25 years. At 99, her sharpness of memory just blows me away. The picture here was taken at University Village, an outdoor mall near UW -- Dorothy told us about when it used to be a swamp, and then a dairy...


We're beginning to make progress on the house -- we painted the second bedroom a nice, warm olive green, with beige ceiling and white trim. It looks great, but now I am even more stressed about how to paint the remaining rooms (what if they don't "go"?).
[photo coming soon!]

All is well here in cloud city. How are you?

And She's Back!

I didn't realize so many people periodically read this blog, so I am back in action.

I will try to update often, b/c I care.

For now, click the link below for a good time. Janie and Ben know what's up.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e580fpxMQXk

I had a great time in Tennessee. Thank you all for existing.

Visitors

How to apply

No reservation is necessary, but if you're counting on trying on kimono during your next visit to Nara City, you may want to e-mail us or phone the Nara City Information Center to confirm the date, since the Community Center schedule occasionally obliges us to change to a different Tuesday.

Nara City Information Center : 0742-22-3900

Try on kimono for free !

The ladies of Join Japan invite visitors to Nara City to try on kimono for free every month. Volunteers offer you the opportunity to experience wearing a kimono, make a simple paper doll bookmark, and participate in a tea ceremony (there is a small charge of 200 yen for the tea sweets).

worth a thousand words

I'm way behind on blog posts, but here are some recent photos....


Aunt Carolyn and Uncle Ray visited us in Seattle last weekend and introduced me to my second cousin, Dorothy, who is 99 years old, and sharp as a tack.


The garden has been fantastic -- we've been munching on more tomatoes than you can shake a stick at (four cherry varieties: red grape, green grape, sungold and yellow pear, as well as regular sized early girls), as well as green beans, corn, an artichoke, carrots, zuchini, and blueberries. We have a three-tiered fruit basket hanging in the kitchen right now. Throughout the summer it has held fruits and veggies from our own garden as well as pears, peaches, apples and garlic from co-worker's gardens. I love it!

And of course, a bunch of FinnFotos.

We took him on a hike up Mt. Pilchuck a few weeks ago -- he did spendidly on the 5.5 miles.


During our latest brew party, we found out that Finn loves soccer/basketball.


must. get. all. milk.

The News You Have All Been Waiting On...

I am flying to Tennessee October 11, 2006 at 9 AM!!!

I fly out of Austin and into Nashville...then I will spend a 1 1/2 days in Jackson, the weekend with the fam (their stipulation, since it is in their joint effort that I get the tickets), then I will be at church and flying out of Memphis at 7:45 pm.

Mark your calendars and don't plan on going anywhere.

This is the best news I've heard since I found our I won't be going home for thanksgiving.

Thanks to AirTran and Southwest for providing cheaper flights.

An update is forthcoming....

Until my next update of live in the Lone Star State, I will tied you over with a picture and some questions.

The picture:
Me at move-in day. This is obviously a before picture; it was so HOT that day...triple
digits are still rampant here in Texas.

The questions:
What is the purpose for Higher Education? and Did your Alma Mater accomplish this?
Is Higher Ed a means to an end or a means in it and of itself?

There are no wrong answers...I hope you will comment your perspective.

Love you all...

Date Nite: Take 2

As you already know, every Tuesday is date nite for us in Waco, mainly due to 50 cent tickets at the local theatre. (I think any movie, no matter how terrible, is worth 50 cents.) Well this week we added a new friend to the mix: Tiffany (making her blogspot debut in the 2nd photo). Tiff is also in our cohort, and her GA is in University Ministries. We like her outlook on life; she is very honest, but accepting. BTW, she is hilarious.
This week the same as last: Tuesday nite Tacos at Rosa's and an exhilarating 2 hours of The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift. Every week this theatre is PACKED OUT: old people, teens, toddlers, children, and babies. This makes for an interseting viewing experience; there is never silence. I love it, because it is so ridiculas.

The beauty of these movie nites should seemingly come in the fellowship shared with my peers and the inexpensive entertainment. While I do appreciate both these things and others for obvious reasons, there is something else about these experiences that satisfies my heart, or rather stirs it. When I am standing in the lobby of this theatre waiting for various friends to return from the bathroom or complete purchases from the snack bar, I am confronted with the vast cross section of individuals that come out of the cracks of my new community for a cheap movie nite. I am reminded that beyond the bubble of Baylor is the 16th poorest city in the United States. I am convinced of ample diversity (in race, socio-status, thought, even religion and denomination) that infiltrates the city of Waco. These movies nites hold me accountable to my call to be a global neighbor and to fight for social justice. I love Clarksville and Jackson, TN and I long to be a part of the body that resides there, but I am also called to this community, here and now. Waco is my town.

If you are in the habit of praying for me, please continue to do so. I am searching for a church and having to grasp many new things for my job. I am responsible for fostering the type of environment that allows 50 college freshmen to discover their holy discontent and provide them with resources in order to become life long change agents in whatever context that needs to be.

This is exciting and scary, whatever it is, I know is is right. I have confidence the Christ in me.

Long overdue Pics

Here are a few pictures from the sacred time that Stefi spent in Texas, or should I say, "God's Country?" Starting with the first pic: THat is my roomie Lyndsy in the apartment; me in the apartment; Stefi and I at the airport; the rest are explanatory. That week was very refreshing and carefree. I am grateful to have a good friend to sacrifce time just to spend it with me.

First Da(y)te Nite

So, last nite was "date nite" w/ my new triangle of friends. We went to Rosa's Mexican for Taco Tuesday (2.99 for 3 taco dinner), then we went to the dollar theatre for half price nite. Jonathan paid. (big spender) We watched R.V., which was fairly decent. I laughed a few times and didn't feel a complete waste of time. Date Nite turned out to be an excellent idea.

Yesterday was my first official day on the job. It was a great day on the whole, except that I found out my boss's boss wants me to change my hair. My boss cried when she had to tell me.

I love Becky, my imediate supervisor! Everyone in my office is great, but Becky is who with which I will be working the closest. She is very interested in social justice and community reform, a point on which we bonded. She took me on a tour of Waco, which is the 16th poorest city in the U.S. I was fascinated to learn about all the initiatives she is taking in the area. I am looking forward to the next two years with her, because she talks about creative freedom and making me her right hand girl.

Today I was left alone in the office to find things on my own to do. This was hard at first but very liberating to realize that I have responsibility and control over decisions. This position will be very challenging at times, but I am excited to do it...and equally intimidated.

In the morning we are going to start our departmental retreat and I have to report on a couple chapters of a book. This should be fun, but I can't wait until I have my bearings on things.

Some closing reflections: Baylor is bigger than Union...obviously.

I cannot forget to skip my coffee in the morning.

I will never know everyone in Waco.

Make new friends, but keep the old...

This weekend was super encouraging. Stefi, Lyndsy and I drove north to Dallas (where we dropped off Lyndsy at her aunt's) Stefi and I hung out at Mark and Alexis Isbell's house (friends of mine from high school). Mark is a youth minister at Baptist church, and he was preaching in the big service, so I told him we would spend the nite and go to church with them the next day.

That nite, an old college friend (Jon Blair) came and hung out. Spending time with old friends who know and love me reminded me that my new friends could love me even after they get to know me. It was just an affirmation of what I already know.
We all went to church and it was lovely. Very Baptist, but insightful nonetheless. There is a possibilty for me to minister to one of Mark's youth girls, because she is experiencing some of the pain that I have been through in the past. I'm open to that if that is what the Lord wants.

We dropped Stefi off at the airport and said goodbye to her through tears. She was such a blessing to have. I hope that I have to opportunity to do for someone else what she did for me.
Even so, it is time to see Lyndsy and I do what we do. I'm excited about that.

Email me or see Pookie for my address.

In the photos: Jon Blair and Stefi, Lyndsy and I in Dallas in front of my new car.

status 2

To Do:
*walk Finn
*train with Finn
*mend Finn’s toys
*clean and organize the garage
*clean the house for houseguests this weekend
*quilting and scrapbooking
*laundry & ironing
*hang stuff on the walls

Currently:
*reading…The Handmaids Tale
*eating…veggie whenever possible
*crafting…emily’s quilt, jana’s quilt, another baby quilt (all equally pressing, and all getting equally dusty), about 3,000,000 baby craft ideas for emily…is it a boy or a girl???

Activities on deck:
*CK & Ray coming to visit in September
*then we go to Baltimore later on in September
*arrange for puppy-sitting for said trip to Baltimore
*brewing

finn's new friend

We took Finn to Marymoor Park in Redmond yesterday, where he had a play date with Atreides, the dog of a co-worker of mine. Finn had a blast, and I think it really helped him to be around one dog for such a long period of time. He actually played and chased tennis balls with Atreides, and even other dogs. I think he’s turning a corner in his dog socialization skills.

We had a little picnic lunch before the park – our hidden camera caught Eric feeding Finn from the table!


Finn loved the tall grass at Marymoor -- the white tip of his tail makes the perfect locator system for when he’s bounding through it.


There was a great dane play "convention" there that Finn got immersed in (he had to jump to sniff them!). [Tangent: we get asked quite a lot if Finn is a dane puppy. But then, we get just as many people asking if he’s a beagle. Once a guy told me that Finn looked like a pit bull-lab mix. I told him no, he’s a boxer-border collie mix. The guy acted like no, I was wrong, he’s definitely a pit bull-lab. Whatever.]


My dog and me....