bloomin' june

not to be constantly griping about the weather, (the local news DID call the month we just had "mayvember" by the way, AND area billboards have taken to suggesting we take a break from the "sweltering 68 degrees" --with a beer, and that "who needs the sun?" because we already GLOW --when we drink vitamin water, just sayin'...) i thought it only fair to document that our struggling rose buds have finally opened. we used to have such gorgeous roses right outside our window; we quickly got used to the parade of legs, and the sight of people bending down, not to peek into our apartment, but to: stop and smell the roses. our yellow rose did not bloom at all, but there are thankfully a few others to spread the cheer...







i also tried transplanting my purple clover (that i have had for 13 years, and greg believes it is a weed simply by the fact that it is still alive). i was hoping it would take over the slim dirt garden that lines our building, but it is a struggling little patch.





in an effort to focus on the positive, i thought i would post some sunny pictures. i like to follow the sun around, so here we are catching some rays at greenlake...



around 4pm, the sun starts to dip behind phinney ridge, so it's the perfect time to catch "tea-time" at Perche No Italian restaurant (stone way and 50th). they've just opened, people don't show up for dinner til 6, so we've got the little patio and tinkling water fountain all to ourselves. the sun sticks around here til 6, so we're leaving just as the dinner crowd rolls in...



and many days, even cloudy days, the sun will tease with an appearance just in time for sunset. at home, it makes our bedroom especially inviting, and i love taking a cat-nap on our bed, with the sun full on my face. it starts at the pillow, and gradually moves across the bed...









family, friends, good food, sunshine.
and raindrops on roses.
just a few of my favorite things...

spring forward...

it's been a long time, friends. this winter has been most dreary and i've been mostly hibernating. when it came time to change the clocks, (which we forgot about, again) i was so disoriented when i woke up, over which clock was right and what time it really was, that in my morning grog i thought we were at fall back. no joke! i had to google it to see where we were. (looking out the window does no good: my brain just tells my body it is winter.)

i literally cannot believe it is june, that May slipped by right under my nose; i've been meaning to write for ages. in anticipation of summer, (i am reminded it is indeed summer, everywhere else but here. yes, it is currently raining and 57 degrees, still) i feel the need for a catch-up, before i am once again gone for a stretch. so apologies for the length, and the newsletter feel, but these are just things i meant to jot down but never managed to do so previously, and things i want to remember. so grab yourself of cup of tea, (or iced! i forget, it's hot over there) and if you have the time, enjoy the read...

january was february was march, and our april roses never bloomed. but we've been, as usual, busy with family life. we've even managed to get out of town for a few trips. (which we must do next year! breaking up the seattle winter is a key to survival, i've discovered.) and i'm become aware that i am surrounded by two northwest boys who suffer the lack of sun much less than i. i joked i was getting my sunshine vicariously on-line as i spent a better part of the winterly spring researching and planning our 3rd family summer trip, again to florida. it would seem it is becoming a habit, but we take each year individually and see what we can do. and so far, each spring has found me so desperate for sunshine and heat, that come july, florida is where we happily find ourselves. but enough about the weather...

(here's a sneak-peak of where we'll be staying beach-side for 4 days, before we head to walt disney world for 3: the kid is getting a bit old, and this just felt like the last chance to check this off the childhood list! i can't wait!)

january saw me jetting off to my parents for a mini-getaway, a long weekend with sisters. snow and babies, tea and talk; it was wonderful. contrary to some people's opinion, i do not mind the cold --in winter! i just like my seasons to be seasons, and besides, it was sunny!

my parent's house in winter:



nephew luke with his auntie rebekah, doing his new favorite thing: "becca bounce."



luke with his new wake-up call: baby brother evan!



peter and laura also joined up with us for a day at the baltimore aquarium.
family needs to see each-other more than once a year, a janurary trip is perfect.





that same weekend, greg and francis flew south to palm springs, for a guy's weekend: dirt bikes and desert, at the invite of our good friend chris bowden, who retreats often to his grandfather's old house in the desert, that the family has kept for getaways. the boys had a blast and greg put up a bunch of photos here. sadly, the wonderful trip ended with a scare: giving francis his first major injury: a concussion from an atv accident. he went for "one last ride" around the block an hour before they were to leave for the airport. he got going too fast, t-boned another rider and flipped the atv, which landed on top of him. it was so scary for greg, and we are immensely grateful to God that he was not hurt worse. (or the other rider either!) but it has not marred the great time they had, and they will have memories to last.

francis missed a week of school and spent the better part of february with headaches and -dr.'s orders- banned from gym, band, and basketball. his chin was banged up nice and good, which gave him some proof of injury! he got a lot of sympathy at school!



for him, it was a pretty boring february, except for the major event of turning 13!





it just so happened that on his birthday night, there was a special double-feature screening of the Raiders of the Lost Ark in the theatre, followed by Raiders of the Lost Ark: an Adaptation, a teen-filmed shot-for-shot remake of the movie, from the 80's, which was amazing, clever and funny!) so we took him and his best buds to a night out: dinner, movie, and a sleepover. which was promptly followed by winter break, where all his friends went out of town and we did not. that was rough. he actually said by the end of the (rainy! of course) week that he was tired of playing video games. we vowed we HAD to get out and do something for the next break, in spring. (which we did.)

march saw francis well enough to resume activities, thankfully, just in time for baseball season. he is now in juniors little league, with greg coaching again. he continues to surprise us, in the little things. like being so excited for his new helmet that he just could not wait to wear it...



here's a shot of francis in the outfield, which is right next to the woods of woodland park. there is a family of bunnies i have spied, that have no fear of hanging out in the outfield.



also in march, greg and i managed to get away for our (sometimes) annual march madness reunion weekend with friends in laguna beach. it was a nice dose of sun and friends.





which brings us to april: spring break! i took a break from summer vacation planning, and researched some places to go for a week long road trip, with the hopes of blue sky and sun. we looked at what was "in the area" via google earth, and decided on yellowstone. 2 days driving. 3 days there. 2 days driving back. i'm glad i did my research, because i discovered the park actually closes for winter, and had only just opened the week before, with only 2 roads in the park plowed and open for driving. we hemmed and hawed and read reviews, and in the end, decided to go anyways, and just see what we could see. it was wonderful to get out on the open road, and see new things. very exciting! also: thrilling-- apparently, there are many ways to die in yellowstone, or get seriously maimed: you can get gored by buffalo, mauled by bears, scalded by hot springs, fall into lakes of boiling water, drive off a cliff in a blizzard. there are warning signs everywhere! who could have forseen i would become such a fearful nag? i was seriously freaking out about surprising a bear any foray too far from our car. we were on trails, yes, but we were in the WILDERNESS! (oh yeah, and i was also scared of getting charged by a buffalo.) (oh yeah, and we got stuck driving in some seriously scary blizzards!) but it was amazingly beautiful, well worth the trip, and i would love to do it again. i've posted pictures of the trip up on facebook and flickr, but greg's are the really good ones. he got all the colors and wildlife that my cell-phone just can't get. i'll let you know when he posts them.











this april was our 14th anniversary. our gift that's been a year in the making was to once and for all, and finally, get a new bed. after 14 years of marriage, our first bed. we shopped for mattresses most of the fall. it seemed like every date we had while francis was at youth group, was to go lay on beds. it was not anything i want to do again. so stressful! i'm totally content sleeping on an old hand-me-down bed, but once you're going to commit thousands of dollars on something, how do you choose?? so we chose. and it was too soft. i mean, sinky like a couch soft. we were "required" to give it the 3 month test, so we slept/sunk on this bed for most of winter. then we returned it and had to start the process all over again. and chose. and it was too hard. and we could not return it. aahhh! we went back in to talk to the salespeople after a few months, knowing we couldn't return it, but asking for some advice. the lady there suggested buying a foam topper, which we did. and to march around on the bed every day, to break it in. (that was a sight!) and to do this: for 6 months!! i've been a little ashamed that my mind has been so occupied with bed woes, while the world has been going thru so many devastating events, but it's the truth. our bed is just now getting comfortable, which is good news. but the main reason i wanted to write about the bed, was to share that our friend nathan haase built our bed frame, out of old reclaimed barn-floor fir, and if you're looking for some locally sourced and hand-crafted furniture, check him out! it's gorgeous and we love it. thanks, nathan! (cell-phone pics just don't do it justice.)













so with may sweeping by, june is proving to be even busier. my to-do list that's been neglected for so long is now rearing it's head urgently. why do i always wait til the last minute? i have a goal of so many things to get checked off by the time francis is out of school on the 23rd. and after that, it's just a short time til we fly east for vacation for a month! another week at wildwood, nj with my whole family this time, sibs and spouses and babies all! i can't wait and i've been counting down as a general rule of survival. also: a girls-getaway to nyc with 3 dear friends: we haven't all been in the same place at the same time since my wedding i think! and of course, the nyssen adventure to florida in the july heat. it's all coming up, and i'll try to write and post some while it's occurring and not make you wait til december! i've been on a bit of a health kick, too, in preparation for summer. i call it my pre-detox. (i couldn't commit to a full detox before trying it out first, in waves, so that's where i still am.) (danajill has been helping keep me accountable, she serves me green smoothies!)



so if you made it this far, cheers!
and i wish you all a wonderful summer! xo

a little office space...

january always equals clean slate. a new year. a fresh start...

so i'm tackling my post-it note problem, my lack of creative progress, and my general "not having anywhere to put things" problem, with making greg's kitchen corner "office space" into MY office space. i have claimed a dusty little corner as mine, and i'm hoping that some inspiration strikes!



apparently, posting them all over the wall didn't result in actually getting things done. so now i have a pile of post-it notes that i have to work my way through. i'm thinking one a day? maybe one a week is more realistic? convert them all onto one long list? it will be a scroll! sigh...



also, just wanted to show off the poster by mark ovenden (--a small confession of fandom: i googled him, then emailed him via his website, saying we loved the design and asking if the poster was for sale in the usa. he responded as quick as the time difference would allow, a very kind and humble letter, and also informed me that it is only for sale at the london transport museum, for now...) that i bought greg for xmas, that was really a "for our hallway" present. i first noticed it in the book Transit Maps of the World, that, incidentally, i also got greg last xmas! haha. can't quite tell by the pic, but it's a re-imagining of the world map in the style of the london underground. so clever!

i'm also quite tickled by our new kettle. and by "our" i mean, the kettle i bought greg for xmas to replace the lovely red ceramic one he ruined a year ago, by heating the wrong burner and scorching it to death. i used to have an electric kettle years ago, so i am happy to return to it. plus, it's just so chipper, it can't help but brighten my day! tea, anyone?



ok. i'm off to tackle something on my list. i think the fridge is next...

and so it begins: another new year

am i still eating boxing day meatballs? why, yes i am. and am i still drinking leftover mulled wine? happily so. (though not at this moment) and is it gray and raining outside? why, yes it is! (though to be fair, we just had some gorgeous rays that lasted for a few days.)

and so begins another year. we put away our decorations last night, the main reason being we are expecting the delivery of a new bed this week, and need all the space we can get. our place seems so much bigger when the tree and decorations are put away. (even if it was a little tree.) i do get so excited to have them up, but then, i do get so excited to take them down. start fresh. clean slate. we had a lovely relaxing christmas day, and my missing of my family was greatly appeased by skyping with the whole family, all at the same time! if you are wondering if a 6 party skype is possible, well, it is! and so much fun. the whole 2 week vacation was chock full of fun: (and i just posted some xmas pics on flickr) favorite movies old and new, (francis got to see his first gremlins!) making cookies, eating cookies, visiting friends, a trip to greg's brothers for an overnight with cousins, a very merry christmas day, our bi-annual boxing day party, some severe vegging, a harry potter marathon, games, and a new year's eve downtown with good friends. many late nights. monday morning's back to school was rough. on all of us.

and now it's a new year.

i do not make new year's resolutions because i do not need any reminders of how many times i fail. but i make lists continually, almost daily, so... on my list for things to do this week is: organize my list!! it has swamped me. i have little lists for things that need immediate action, then i have far-reaching lists of things to do someday, and lists of pertinent things to do at a later date. it is all rather out of hand. for our boxing day party, we cleaned up the "office" portion of the kitchen, meaning: put all my papers in a box to hide in the closet, and i took down all my post-it notes that were all over the kitchen. i have talked about this before. how they become so familiar a sight that the urgency drifts away. they become yellow checkerboard wallpaper in my kitchen. and how strange: things are not getting done!? so. that is top of my new list.

already in this new year, we are dealing with brand new things. one big thing is: the kid finally got his own set of digits! he got his first cell-phone for christmas. we held out for a long time, i do believe he is the last of all his friends. and already: we have had to tackle the discovery of his lacking cell-phone etiquette with -- rules--. no, you are not allowed to call your friend's parents (while they are working, mind you) to serenade them "don't stop believin'". (sorry, rob!) discussions on pranking. but, yesterday marked the first time he texted me: "the 5 just came" (he takes the city bus home from school and it was very late, the main reason we got him a phone in the first place!) and i texted him back and it struck me: we have entered a new form of communication. so i hope for good things.

and along with communication comes another big thing we are dealing with right now: R rated movies. alot of his friends are watching them. monster flicks. zombie flicks. horror flicks. it never even occurred to us. it was not even on our radar. we do not think we are especially strict, as he has been watching many PG-13 movies well before he was 13, and has been allowed, (albeit, begrudgingly) to play Halo for a long time now. but this caught us completely off guard. this is a whole new territory, he has no idea. with R comes language, of course, much more graphic violence, and very likely: sex scenes. how we found out about it is: remarkably, francis told us that while at a neighbor's house, the group of kids wanted to watch the new Predators and francis spoke up to the mom and said he wasn't allowed to watch R rated movies. so then the mom announced "sorry, kids, you're gonna have to pick another movie: francis isn't allowed to watch R rated movies." horror of horrors! needless to say, francis hasn't been invited over to watch any more movies. and now we are put on the spot with having to decide over his mental well-being vs. his social well-being. i would greatly appreciate your thoughts on this matter, for or against. are we being too harsh? isn't that the rite of passage for junior high? --sneaking adult content? i can still remember junior high slumber parties and leaving the room if they were going to watch a horror flick. i guess it's easier for a girl. i don't think it would go over so well with a room-full of boys. i've never liked gory movies and i still don't. but i have friends who love them. even as a kid. did your parents let you? did you sneak them? shoot me an email if it will be long(as i have personally discovered that blogger comments have limited space). so far our status is: we have made a pact: if he will come to us with the movies he wants to see, we will not just say no. he is to make a "movies i want to watch" list: we will assess each request, and if we can accommodate him with a tv version, we ask in return that he accept our judgment. (the list has already started, and at the top is Aliens.) we will try to be most fair, knowing what is at stake. and if we say no for now, it is because he is only 12 (ok, almost 13) and that we may be open to it in a few years, say, when he is 14 or 15. this all sounds so formal, but basically it came down to: let's keep the communication lines open, ok? and to kick it all off, as a show of good faith, we let him watch (the tv version of) Die Hard. he... loved... it...

so there's another thing added to my list: watch Predators. i guess it's time to see what all this hoopla is about...