Christmas

Traveling home to western Michigan is always an adventure. A great comic book idea would be that in their secret bunker beneath the Amway the city ghouls unleash pyramid schemes, Blackwater mercenaries, and general sorcery while plotting to keep West Michigan locked away like Skull Island. Flights are scarce, trains hardly run, and the roads are usually bad due to weather or neglect. This time home it was the weather that slowed us down. We spent twelve hours in the Minneapolis/St. Paul airport with a very tired and sick infant. Luckily, a friend had taken the same flight as us and was able to help throughout the day. We spent much of our time there walking around the airport mall, listening to ipods, people watching, and sleeping.

Being home was incredible. We were snowed in for the first few days, but still managed to get around enough. Thank you to everyone that made it out to visit. We love you and miss you.

Most of the people that I've talked to since I have been home (NV) always ask with a look of concern, "you were in Michigan? How was it?" I then put on my blue Civil War Union hat, grab my UAW wrench and scream, "Michigan will rise again, by God! Michigan-will-rise-a-gain!"

Snow

This Christmas season has gone by fast. It's nice to stay away from the malls and Walmarts as the holiday fun ruiners and joy thieves shop, shop, shop, themselves into an unyielding and unforgiving wilderness of credit card debt. Gwen and I spent last weekend at some community Christmas event. There were "sleigh rides," train rides, carolers, and free hot chocolate with cookies. It was good to see students working face painting and other service booths.

Today it snowed relentlessly from 8am until about 3:30pm. It made me homesick watching the chunky snow fall past my window. It was surreal watching it all collect on the palm trees. I also felt bad for all the vacationing Midwesterners that had attempted to flee the cold.

After school, I headed home and grabbed my camera, heavy coat , and some boots, and headed to Red Rock Canyon. I hiked about two miles and took too many photos.

The day ended for me at a Lowes, where a mid-1970s Elvis impersonator helped me buy the proper equipment for my shower.

It was a good day today.

Lola's 9 month check up

No shots at this appointment! Lola is now 18 lbs, 10 ounces and 29 inches long. She is a tall, skinny girl. She has cut her first two bottom front teeth and is handling it like a champ. She has her occasionally fussiness, but still sleeps through the night. She is still sweet, clam and happy. She learned to sit up by herself at 8 months and continues to roll everywhere. She is not attempting to crawl or pull herself up yet or walk. She still naps 3 times per day and eats really well. She wears clothes in all different sizes which makes it to buy her clothes. Her personality really started to come out around 8 months. She often laughs for no reason, simply talks to hear herself talk, and squeals in delight. She is a lot of fun to be with. I had no idea that a baby could be so much fun. Either I need to get out more or this is one of the joys of being a parent (I hope its the latter). We look forward to our visit home in a few weeks when everyone gets to see her again and some for the first time. We feel so blessed to have this precious girl in our life and so thankful that we can share her with our friends and family this Christmas.

Spring Mountain High

Today we drove into the mountains with Lola and took pictures in the snow. Gwen insisted that we listen to holiday music throughout the journey. Feliz Navidad has been blasted into our heads and the image of Gwen dancing in the front seat with a huge, toothy grin is now a permanent Christmas memory. It was a perfect 70 degree day with blue skies and beautiful scenery. We encountered deer, eagles, hikers, and snow. Once in the mountains, we had breakfast at a little lodge which consisted of bacon, waffles, potatoes, cheesy scrambled eggs, avocado omelets, and coffee. After a leisurely meal we got back into the car and went to higher altitudes. We found a short trail head near the ski slopes and took Lola for a short walk where we took more photos. For me, this was a perfect beginning to the holiday season and a family ritual that I look forward to continuing. Usually, Mr. Hanky, the Christmas Poo (South Park character) gets the two of us ready for the Christmas season. Mr. Hanky is a little turd that hosts a Christmas special.

A Movie with Real Bite

I just returned from seeing Let the Right One In and it is an incredible movie. I am too tired, uninspired, and lazy to write a quality review. Basically, the film is about a bullied twelve year old boy who unknowingly befriends a vampire that has been twelve for a long time. It is a horror movie and will keep you guessing and uncomfortable throughout. The relationship that develops between Eli (vampire) and Oskar (mortal) is touching. The cinematography is also beautiful as it is shot in some sleepy, wintry suburb in Sweden. This is a foreign film and these typically do not do well in American theaters and have a tendency to disappear after about a week. Go see this. I understand that many are thinking, "that's all good and well, but all of my vampire voids are filled with the Twilight machine (books, posters, dolls, candy, stickers, t-shirts, magazines, etc.)." Do yourself a favor and check this movie out.

A Hiking We Will Go

On Saturday morning, I kissed the baby and wife and walked out the door to travel a glorious 5 minutes down the road to some mountains on the other side of the highway and into the canyons with a friend. After about a fifteen minute walk we finally passed the teenager party pits with the charred wood, beer bottles, and bullet casings and into a place that looked as untraveled a place I have ever seen. We found a interesting geologic formation where we could pull rocks out and find fossils. We found all kinds of interesting fossilized critters. With each piece of limestone that I jarred loose I couldn't help but wonder how old the dust was that I was breathing. It reminded me of a sci-fi story where I would unwittingly release some long dormant strain of nastiness that would wipe out or alter all life on earth. Let's go mutants! We then hiked up a mountain with no trail and found more fossils in the exposed rock. It was one of the more challenging hikes that I've been on lately, but also one of the more interesting. There were signs of sheep everywhere. I plan on exploring further into the canyon this weekend.

The Twilight Series

Absolutely loved the series. It only took me a few weeks to read and I am not the best or fastest of readers. Once I started a book, it was hard to stop. When I wasn't reading them, it was hard to concentrate on much else. Sounds dramatic? Yes, I know, but anyone who has read the series understands why. The movie? Go see it but READ THE BOOKS first. I can't wait for the next movie to come out and it better. The obsession? Read them and find out why. I personally love a good love story and the story line is amazing. Each book in the series is a page turner, all 600 plus pages. When I first saw how long each book was, I almost decided they were to long
(remember - not the best or fastest reader). Enough of my rantings. Go and get the books! There are worth every penny and every minute of your time.

Yesterdays

I was not sure what to expect with this years birthday. I was born November 14, 1977 and my grandmother passed away November 14, 2007. I remember getting the call from my mom. It was early in the morning and I had just gotten to work. I knew that my grandma had been in the hospital for a few days and I really was not surprised when she passed away. She was weak and tired. My first thought was that I should be with my mom in GR and hated that I lived 2000 miles away from home. My second thought was that she was alone, which thankfully, she was not. There was no question that I would be at her funeral. I was pregnant with Lola and saddened that she would never meet her great grandmother. I had become close to my grandma as I got older. When I was growing up, we took a family vacation to Iowa every year and every time we went, I would groan and ask to stay home. You see, my grandma put me to work doing chores that I did not like to do and we had to go to church on Sundays, which I hated because I was on vacation and wanted to sleep in. Grandma had rules and thou did not disobey Grandma. As I grew older, we would write letters back and forth and I would look forward to her letters in the mail. Every birthday, I would get a card and maybe $5. I have to admit that I was worried that this years birthday would be darkened by her passing, but it was one the best birthdays I have had in a long time. I miss the trips to Iowa. I miss the letters from Grandma.

Proud to be an American

Last night we gathered together with friends and watched with anticipation and hope an amazing moment in our American History. Some had tears in their eyes and others were smiling with excitement as our newly elected President Barack Obama came on stage to deliver his acceptance speech. The feelings in that room were among relief and more importantly hope for something better than this. I am not the most political person, but I have felt impacted by this election and the possibility that the United States can be better than what is has become. I know that not every one who reads our blog feels this way or even voted for Obama, but as he said last night, he is our President and it is time to unite together and begin to repair this country.

That is it for my political rant.

Mc-Splosion

My friends, "Our long national nightmare is over."

Halloween

A Day At The Races

I spent a few hours this afternoon at an Obama rally on the football field of a local high school. The line to get in extended around the block but people were friendly and the weather was perfect. There was only one sighting of the soon to be unrepresented American fringe of the right wing variety which was only about 4 people strong- "Barack Hussain Obama! He's hiding behind his race! This is a Christian nation! He's a socialist!" Other than that brief encounter with the oily, sinister underbelly of America, thousands of people filed into the stadium and waited for the address. The two things that struck me immediately were 1. the diversity of the crowd and 2. the overwhelmingly positive feeling. There were elderly people, young people, families with kids, disabled people, and people from all racial, religious/non-religious, and ethnic backgrounds. On my right was an elderly Black woman, on my left was a White single father and his daughter, and in front of me was a middle aged Hispanic woman with a teenage daughter. When Obama came out on stage the elderly Black woman standing next to me had to wipe her tears. If he wins this election it will be due to a repudiation of 35 years of fear mongering and intentional divisions of the electorate. If McCain wins, his victory will be due to race baiting (That One/The B Story/"He doesn't look at America like "we" do"), terror baiting ("he pals around with terrorist"), and the outdated red baiting (he's a socialist). This may well be the dismantling of the Reagan coalition and the Goldwater arguments. It's too bad about the route modern conservatism has taken. Gwen and I both have some conservative values but find no representation in the current GOP.

If you're tired of the political posts, don't fear. There are only ten more days to go and lately I have immersed myself in this election. After next week, it will be back to business as usual (unusual?) with family updates and witty stories.

Czeching In

Warm days, cool nights, pleasant hikes, and festivals abound- we love October. Our October is similar to a warm May in Michigan. It is a time to open windows, turn off the air, and enjoy the outdoors until late December-January when it starts to get a little cold. We took Lola to "Bite! of Las Vegas" this past weekend. She wore a yellow dress and a bonnet. It was a perfect day to be outside. Lola seemed to enjoy it about as much as I enjoyed my pita with hummus and pulled pork sandwich. We love to take her places. She is an easy baby and never seems to be crabby. She loves to hear herself talk and regularly yells and says dadadadadadadadadadadadada.

Gwen has been busy working and going to the gym. Her dedication is incredible. She looks amazing and I know that I don't always show or tell her how much I truly appreciate her. She is an outstanding mother and wife. I am grateful everyday for her presence in my life. Her patience and support humble me.

I've been busy with meetings, helping students organize a holiday food drive, and putting together another Europe trip for this August. My students are really looking forward to going to France, Germany, Poland, and the Czech Republic. I love that I took the semester off from UNLV. Compared to this time last year, it's as if I have all the time that I could possibly need. That feeling should come to an end in January as I get back to work and head toward graduation next December.

We're excited to come home for Christmas. We'll be home with Lola in less than two months. Gwen just bought her a coat last weekend and is talking about getting her some little boots. Poor Lola has never even worn shoes.

Wonderful Day

To one of my favorite people - HAPPY BIRTHDAY JEN! I wish I could celebrate with you, but I am there in spirit. Love you!

Values Voters

Talk about it at Videocracy








Talk about it at Videocracy


Talk about it at Videocracy


Talk about it at Videocracy

We've Got Magic To Do

It is a beautiful thing

Today as I blogged searched, I came across a music video (thanks Jen) courtesy of YouTube. I never realized what a beautiful thing YouTube could be. To this day, I do not have cable. There was about a 6 month - 1 year stretch of my life when I did have digital cable and it was wonderful. I would drown in cable. My own life would cease to exist with all those channels to surf everyday. As you can see, this is why I do not have cable. I would literally rot away in front of the TV. My point is that I did not grow up with MTV and have never seen the music videos of my favorite songs. Thanks to YouTube, I will be rotting in front of my computer today!

I am not sure how to post YouTube videos, so here are the links.

Love those eighties love ballads! The videos are even better! And yes, I do have both of the eighties love ballad CD's.
Here's a few of my favorites:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p61Q_DOwtps

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUA0ai0XxRU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xv6AGoGGxRE

This next one happens to be one of my favorite guitar hero songs. I am actually quite good at it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuKOc_Mpumc

Another one by the same artist -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cf6k4yJyv0

One of my all time favorite bands...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ns59Bmqpms

and the classic...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siBoLc9vxac&feature=related

Blast from my youth
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JeBScjiaf34&feature=related

And last but not least...the concert I will be at this weekend. I had the posters, t-shirts, buttons, autographed photos, and every tape (I still have all of the tapes). I do have the new CD, courtesy of my friend.
Then...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTVRX7uu_2c&feature=related

Now...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25qiZy7vmqY&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xw8RBL5_auk&feature=related

OK. Enough. I could do this all day. Enjoy or don't enjoy. This was my journey into my musical past.

San Francisco

Long time-no post. As Gwen had written, we were without our desktop due to a motherboard meltdown. The "Geek Squad" had the computer for three weeks and what a weird gimmick. It's a strange joke that Best Buy committed to years ago and has awkwardly kept going. I've waited in the lines and received dispassionate and uninformed answers from from the man-boys in white shirts with black ties with dead, dead eyes that scream "release me from this creepy, imitation warehouse where I am deteriorating in a sad world of white, blue, and yellow walls all to the soundtrack of Rock Band." There have been better Best Buys. This one is Best Buy purgatory.

Gwen and I bought a laptop today from Office Depot. It's good to be here in the year 2000.

I was in San Francisco last week for the Lions-49ers game. Tailgating with anonymous 49er fans was seriously good times. We traded giant bottles of wine for spicy brats, chips, and Heineken. I'm looking forward to San Diego in December where I will hopefully get to see the Chargers take on the Broncos. Gwen wants to go and bring Lola. I told her that that was out of the question. NFL games are nasty and often violent affairs. They are stadiums filled with men and you do not find unescorted women. An NFL game is no place for a child. There's always the "family section," but we would still need to wade through the "drunk rabble" on the way out of the stadium.

Classes are excellent this year and I still love my job. Gwen and I have been following politics and have been watching the debates together. Last Friday we held a debate party here at the house with some friends.

Apologies

Sorry for the neglect in our posts, but our computer is in the shop for another 3-6 weeks. We will update as soon as we can. Stay tuned...

Politics and Hodge Podge

On average, I hear the above song at least twice a day. Which is strange because it's a few years old. I dare you to avoid getting the melody into spin cycle between your ears.

Nothing too exciting around here lately. Lola is now rolling anywhere she desires, Gwen is devouring the Twilight series, and I'm adjusting to the new school year. Labor Day weekend included cell phone shopping, book store hopping, grilling with friends, Madden '09, and reading an insane number of articles in preparation for my class without a textbook. Two ways that I like to procrastinate and avoid lesson planning are by going to movies or the gym. Within the past few weeks I've seen Pineapple Express, Tropic Thunder, and Hamlet 2. All three movies were funny enough.

Classes started last Monday. This will be an interesting year for the politics alone. I am teaching all advanced classes and many of the kids want to discuss the presidential race. I get a few emails everyday from past and present students that send me youtube clips and newspaper articles. Most of my students care about and regularly follow current events. I'm working with one group this year that is organizing a charity event for homeless teens here in Las Vegas.

I'm going to go down and help make some phone calls for the Obama campaign this week and maybe walk the neighborhoods. I haven't really volunteered with a campaign since the John Kerry effort of 2004. I realized then that Kerry wasn't the strongest candidate but it was so clear that he was the better of the two options (thanks for the big menu!). Iraq was a moral and financial failure, the level of propaganda and outright dishonesty was enough to make Nixon blush, and you would have thought that the evangelicals would have been onto the fact that they were used. I remember a political cartoon the day after the election that had a hung-over and regret ridden Uncle Sam waking up next to a sloppy elephant.

Many of the anti-Obama crowd fall into one of three catagories:
1. "He won't manage the US in that he will weaken the military and abandon our "interests" overseas." These folks seem to forget that some of the most notorious war wagers were Democrats. Who knows, maybe Obama will pull an LBJ on Iraq? Maybe he'll "Truman it up all over Iran?" My personal hope is that he pulls troops out of Iraq and finds competant policy and oversight in Afghanistan. Maybe he'll even help put us back on a track were we don't torture or use secret gulag type prisons.
2. "He's a Muslim/anti-Christ/un-patriotic/etc." I really don't even know how to approach these arguments. Seriously, I think that the people that say and forward things like this are the reason that we had 8 years of G.W. Bush. These comments say too much. There is really no excuse to be this misinformed in the modern era. I understand that we're all a little crazy and most people get their information from one of the three or four major media conglomerates that control the flow and and type of information, but the statements above are frightening and potentially dangerous. These are the same people who believed (still believe?) that we are in Iraq to get back at "them" for 9/11. When people talk about these things it's embarrassing for most within earshot. The really sad thing is that these comments and emails often come from intelligent and humane people. The comments also seem to be rooted in a weird combination of blood lust, hatred, and fear.
3. "I just don't believe him when he talks about "change" and "hope." I fall slightly into this category. Change? Seriously? Is Vice President "I've been in the Senate for 30 years and helped rework bankruptcy law in favor of the credit card companies" Joe Biden, "change-y" enough for you? Change and hope aside, I'm voting against the party that dominated all three branches of the federal government. I'm also voting against my Democratic state senator that enabled the disasters of the early 2000s.


We've been trying to get tickets back to GR for Christmas. Prices are outrageous and flights are inconvenient. We will be home for Christmas.

Way over due

Sean has been asking me to update the blog for weeks. I have attempted a few times over the last week, but every time I try to do this, I end up blog surfing and reading a few of my favorites (don't judge, many others blog surf too!). Blog surfing is similar to those who have myspace or facebook and other peoples' lives seem much more interesting than mine. Anyway, with that said, here is what is new with us.

We recently went to Big Bear, CA, which I have seen advertised on TV several times. It was not what I expected. Sean and I thought it would be similar to Saugatuck, MI, but it is an actual city with a lake in the middle. It took longer to get there than planned and we did not get to do as much as I had hoped. We rented a cabin home for the weekend that was pet friendly, so Cruiser came along on the family trip. Lola did fairly well in the car, but did not forgot to remind us when it was time to eat. She slept for most of the car rides back and forth, as did Cruiser. I had hoped to go to the lake, the zoo, snow summit, and the village. We managed to go the the village...twice. We had some good food at Peppercorn Grill, which I highly recommend. The village is about 3 blocks by 3 blocks and surrounded by Big Bear City. It was nice to get away from Las Vegas with the sweltering heat, but not really what I had expected. With an infant, it is hard to rent jet skies or hike a mountain trail. I was glad to go on our first family vacation (not including our trip to GR on Memorial Day)



Lola started day care this past week and so far, so good. It is a licensed home that is a few blocks from my work (and home). Lada (easier for the kids to say, real name is Linda Jane) absolutely loves Lola, who is the only infant and only girl. It is too soon to tell how Lola will do there, but she is eating well and sleeping some. She is not used to the noise of 3 little boys to keep her up. She is 6 months now and eating cereal. We started veggies and started with squash, which she does not like as she makes funny faces when we put them in her mouth. Next, we will try sweet potatoes! She has decided to sleep on her tummy and there is nothing we can do to change this. We've tried to roll her onto her back, just to find her on her tummy in the morning. She seems to sleep better on her tummy. She still can not roll over onto her back and does not even attempt to. I am trying to teach her how to do this. She babbles a lot, makes bubbles, and says mama (just kidding about the mama part, but I am trying to teach her this too!). She is still a delightful little girl, full of smiles and giggles. We hope to come home for Christmas when she will be 10 months old! She is growing and changing so fast.

I am still at Silver Hills as a social worker, working a 4 day week. Sean reported back this past Wednesday and starts teaching on Monday. He may or may not go to UNLV this semester.