misadventurous memoirs: mourning the loss of ed

learnin'

2012-02-02T15:59:00.000-08:00

If I were the type of person to intentionally grow a mustache (instead of what I am: the type who unintentionally grows one and diligently plucks at it by night in my bathroom mirror), I would take up John Stossle's mustache as a role model.

Watched a recent 20/20 segment of his the other night: "Stupid in America," which I can't quite seem to find to link here. But it's basically fascinating, horrifying, infuriating stuff about how broken our public education system is. Along the same lines as The Lottery and Waiting for Superman.

But at the end of the program, he highlighted some hopeful happenings. Like how New Orleans left its terribly-performing schools in the rubble and let competitive and successful charter schools spring up instead.

He also highlighted Salman Khan--a man whose math videos started merely as a way to tutor an out-of-town cousin but quickly became popular on YouTube. Bill Gates now backs him in what is now the Khan Academy, a site full of free math tutorials (among other things. They have an entire section dedicated to art history, too. So cool!!). Seeing how excited one fifth grade classroom got about their Khan-assisted math homework floored me. The tutorials go all the way down to 1+1 stuff, too. So watch out, Peeps and Lucy; gear up for a life of math loving.

The power of a good teacher (I SO thank God for all the great teachers in my life) + the internet (let's be serious, I also give many thanks to God for the almighty web ) = great things for education.

a girl and her horse

2011-12-27T06:35:00.000-08:00

Lucy's pretty obsessed with her horses. She's located every one of them here at Grandma's--a sum total of about six figurines that she needs to have surrounding her at every moment. Including bedtime. I lost track of one last night (much to both our chagrins). She kept waking up in cold sweats yelling out "my horsie!"

And that's the end of the story. Really, I just wanted an excuse to post this photo--taken with my sister's iphone in Instagram, a photo program my android phone greatly covets.

i should be doing homework

2011-11-28T12:01:00.001-08:00

...but instead, I'll post pictures of Thanksgiving. Procrastination at its most productive! Dave flew in for the weekend, which was obviously the holiday highlight. I thought we'd snap a family photo while we had the chance:

Horseback riding...

some swinging...

more swinging...

cousins!

Uncle Brent (the Energizer Bunny uncle), bouncing the kiddos for upwards of an hour. I dare any related youngster not to peg him as their favorite.

The Allreds hosted in Willcox. (Thanks, Allreds!) Maren lent me The Hunger Games, which made for a fun and quick holiday read, but, as I've mentioned, I've got homework deadlines pressing down on me. Which is why I'm thankful for the internet--where I can read trilogy synopses until I'm at my leisure again to finish off the series :)

thankful

2011-11-23T10:50:00.001-08:00

Although I think my mom only did this once, the memory so seared in my brain that I consider it a tradition: around Thanksgiving, she made a pie for each of her kids and then we chose someone we were thankful for as the recipient. I think I picked my Sunday school teacher. I still remember that delivery van ride, the surprise on that (now nameless and faceless) teacher's face. How, embarrassed, I scurried back to the van while my parents chatted with him. Or her. I really do have such a poor memory.

Anyway, I decided to carry it on this year with the girls. So I whipped up these chocolate cream beauties (recipe to come on the Humble Pie) and took our own "van" ride around the neighborhood. It's incredible what a couple of pies can do for the human spirit. Mostly my own.

Happy Thanksgiving!

cuteness for cuteness' sake

2011-10-23T16:46:00.000-07:00

lacing

2011-10-23T16:44:00.000-07:00

Something suddenly jogged my memory of the existence of lacing cards. So, I got some for the girls. Eric Carle, no less. I'm telling you, parents: this is a good solid hour of quiet *fun*

if soccer was a modern dance concert, penelope would be the star player

2011-10-23T16:34:00.000-07:00

Until yesterday, Peeps had yet to make contact with the ball during a game. I told her if she kicked the ball just once we'd get ice cream afterward. Accordingly, she kicked the ball once, threw me a thumbs up, and checked out.

pep-talk twirling...

standing aside, lest that pesky ball get anywhere near her.

Athletically, of course, she takes after me.

the city of light

2011-10-08T13:41:00.000-07:00

"I must study politics and war that my sons may have the liberty to study mathematics and philosophy. My sons ought to study mathematics and philosophy, geography, natural history, naval architecture, navigation, commerce, and agriculture in order to give their children a right to study paintings, poetry, music, architecture, statuary, tapestry, and porcelain." --John Adams (as quoted in The Greater Journey. Have you not gone out and read it yet?? Even after all my droning on and on about it's virtues? Trust me. It will become part of your essential home cannon.)

Paris was beautiful. A delight. An inspirational reprieve.

Some serious chocolat at a cafe called "The Editors"

Morning walk through the Garden of the Tuelleries

Not to rub it in, but I also visited Paris when I was 19 with a school group from Ricks. One of my favorite professors then told me about San Chapelle (above)--a hidden cathedral across from Notre Dame. Significantly smaller, but much more beautiful, she claimed. She was right. Suz and I caught a concert of violinists performing Vivaldi's Four Seasons there. The venue was small and the violinists were captivating. It was the highlight of the trip.

Luxembourg Palace & Gardens:

life really does not get better than this

Eiffel Tower from our dinner cruise

Suzy in front of the Louvre

Notre Dame Cathedral

The REAL reason I went to Paris...

Shakespeare & Company Bookstore is full of books in English. Upstairs is a library of books not for sale. You can pick one out and then lounge around on the couches up there, reading and listening to the live pianist playing in the corner.

Outside L'Hotel

Place Vendome The Beaux-Arts district. My favorite area by far.

Sad to leave...

The thing that makes Paris so remarkably beautiful, I think, is that its people--every class of its people--have been caring about art and literature for centuries. And you just can't go wrong with a legacy like that.

pookah, we are going to paris!

2011-09-20T14:29:00.000-07:00

This is me, seven years ago in Paris.

Sigh.

I'm headed back this week, riding once again on the airline coattails of Suzy. Am I excited? I'm pretty much wetting my pants.

A few months ago (after listening to a fantastic plug for it on the Diane Rehm Show) I downloaded David McCullough's latest book The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris, a historical volume about American artists/politicians/writers/medical students who went to Paris from 1830-1900. It may not sound very compelling, but it's basically been the most thrilling book of my life--driving me to the treadmill each morning just so I can get my daily listening dose. Seriously. I have a big-time crush on this book.

This trip coincides with my concluded reading (that's right: reading. I liked it so much, I went out and bought a copy so I could mark up the parts I liked as I listened. It's that amazing). And I plan on dragging Suzy around to all the sights I would never have known to care about before. McCullough even wrote an Op Ed for the New York Times on Bastille Day, which basically converted Dave to a newfound fondness for France.

So, Vive la France! And Au Revoir!

preschool

2011-08-31T19:54:00.000-07:00

Penelope started preschool this week!

She and I love it equally.

Lucy is not to be outdone.

She insisted on wearing a backpack on Peeps' first day, too!

I can't think of anything more amusing than hearing her recount what happened each day. For example, tonight at the dinner table:

Penelope: My friend got hurt today.

Dave: Did one of the kids hurt her?

P: Yeah. She was crying.

D: What did you do?

P: Nothing.

D: You didn't help her?

P: No.

D: Why not?

P: Because I just wanted to do what I wanted to do.

Ahem. We'll have to work on that.

a dad with good ideas

2011-07-28T13:51:00.000-07:00

Dave came up with the fantastic idea of creating email accounts for the girls. It's kind of like creating bank accounts for them, except instead of money (which always seems in short supply), we put in memories! I put in advice, too. Because I can't help myself.

Then, when they get all mature and grown up (or, just to be morbid, Dave and I both die in some tragic accident), we can give them the handle and password and let them delight in nostalgia. Because that notebook I got just for recording the cute things they did...that thing hasn't been updated in like 8 months.

Pass it on, parents!

museum of the desert

2011-05-13T20:36:00.000-07:00

Took the girls to the Sonora Desert Museum in Tucson today. They loved it: beetles, fossils, prairie dogs, pumas, turkeys. They even got to hold a meteorite.

Then, the coolest part of the day (perhaps the decade):

We watched a snake shed its skin. We came upon her glass case and I noticed that her face looked a little funky--maybe some kind of snake-battle scar? Upon closer inspection, I saw that she was beginning to shed. So, we stood there watching her rub up against items in her case, not unlike a kitten on a pant leg--yawning wide to get that skin off her head and then dragging the rest off through the rocks. It was awesome.

Admittedly, Penelope was a little bored. But I made her stay and watch for the 15 minutes it took to slink off that skin from tip to tail. That providential 15 minute window that we happened to be there for. It really was beautiful. Well, that and maybe my affinity for peeling skin had some influence on my awe.

Anyway, it reminded me of a passage I'd read the night before in Joseph Campbell's The Hero with a Thousand Faces. He talks about how all of history and myth--the collective unconscious--tutors humanity in the essentialness of our own death and rebirth cycles:

"We have not even to risk the adventure alone; for the heroes of all time have gone before us; the labyrinth is thoroughly known; we have only to follow the thread of the hero-path. And where we had thought to find an abomination, we shall find a god; where we had thought to slay another, we shall slay ourselves; where we had thought to travel outward, we shall come to the center of our own existence; where we had thought to be alone, we shall be with all the world."

a gymnast in training

2011-05-05T10:43:00.000-07:00

Lucy: flexing her flexibility.

We think the girl has got to have double jointed hips or something. She can basically be found clutching one or both of these horses at any given moment of the day and/or night. She eats and sleeps with them. They are her comfort toys. Toys, I might add, that she's coerced out of two different people's homes. And we pretty much think it's utterly adorable (well, not the klepto part. But everything else).

eloise recommends:

2011-04-11T14:09:00.000-07:00

Hello, Friends! I've stumbled upon two really great gems recently and wanted to share/review:

The first is Alice Munro's short story collection Runaway. People speak of Alice Munro's work admiringly--reverently--kind of like they do with John Cheever or Anton Chekov. Except that I've never really read any of them.

Then, in school, I was assigned a few of Munro's stories to read. They were amazing. I found one of her books at a used bookstore for $1 (if there's one place I'm on high alert for divine signs, it's at a used bookstore). I bought it and talked my mentor into assigning it to me for the semester. Two birds, as it were. Anyway. It was incredible. And I don't doubt that any other story collection you can find of hers will be just as life changing. In her own words, which I've stolen from one of the stories: Runaway is "a great crippling whack in the chest." And I mean that as a compliment.

The second diamond in the rough is HBO's Temple Grandin. Claire Danes plays the autistic legend--a woman who faced autism in a time when it was wholly misunderstood (and institutionalized). She pursued her education and ultimately changed the way we think of humane treatment of animals and understand autism. It was a great/moving/superbly-acted film.

Dave cried. Just saying.

Now, read! Watch! And let's discuss.

i know my limits

2011-04-11T09:21:00.000-07:00

Lucy Goosey

2011-03-22T16:27:00.000-07:00

March is a great month, no? Lucy Marie is celebrating 2 today! We love her:

Lucy: Year 2 from Lacy on Vimeo.

a bloomsbury gathering

2011-03-21T21:15:00.000-07:00

Hey, remember Bloomsbury?? Well, last weekend we held the first official Lise Meitner Conference in Logan, celebrating Bloomsbury's first year!

There were poetry and essay readings, free writing exercises, some serious insight into the collective unconscious, and self-applied Greek mythology! Come on, you know you're jealous.

Shan, presenting the myth of Psyche.

A tasty (and beautiful!) vegan lunch:

Lining up for said lunch:

Chinese characters in a tree:

It was a weekend full of intelligent women, insights, good food, no kids, and stimulating conversation. And that, my friends, is a recipe for bliss.

from the picnic party:

2011-03-08T18:43:00.001-08:00

Bubbles + Peanut Butter Sammies = Success!

it's your birthday, peepers!

2011-03-07T06:28:00.000-08:00

It's funny, because I remember when Peeps was a baby thinking: Won't it be great when she can talk and move around and we can play fun games together??

And now that she's four, I find myself thinking: Remember when she was just a cute little baby and sat in that bouncer all day and didn't say a word? And there was only ONE of them? That was pretty cool.

Don't get me wrong, it's cool now, too. Just a bit more intense. See for yourself:

Untitled from Lacy on Vimeo.

Here's to a happy birthday for my favorite firstborn!

smoothies

2011-02-17T07:29:00.000-08:00

We've been on a smoothie kick. In today's blend:

1 cup plain yogurt
1 cup milk
5 ice cubes
frozen blackberries
banana
enough honey so that it tastes good

Enjoy!

*I also like to put large handfuls of spinach into the mix. It's a pretty benign way to get a bit of green into the day.

freedom

2011-01-26T09:44:00.001-08:00

Probably the most life-changing, practical tip I gleaned from this semester's residency was Freedom--a software program that blocks your computer from the internet for a prescribed amount of time (anywhere from 15 min to 8 hrs).

It seems pathetic that I don't have the will power to leave the internet alone when I'm writing, but even though I love to write, I also hate it. I'll look for any excuse to stop: The clothes need put in dryer! I could really go for some toast! Let's check my email for 10th time this morning...and so on. It's really just self-sabotage. Which is why I'm in need of synthetic self-control. And it works. I've been so abnormally down to business. Because once you set the time, there's no tricking it back. It's over pal. Nothing left to do but work.

"This is what I believe in, what I trust will ultimately distinguish those who want to write and publish from those who do write and publish: work."

--Bret Anthony Johnston (Naming The World)

cambridge, round II

2011-01-26T09:14:00.000-08:00

Occasionally, someone will ask me whether I'm excited to be finished with school. But I'm not. I'm dreading it. School is such great FUN! Who would have thought??

I stayed at the Mary Prentiss Inn, a quaint little bed and breakfast a few blocks from campus. They have homemade granola, an Inn cat, and tea time from 4-7pm. This is where you should all stay when you come to my graduation...

my morning raspberry tea.
Who isn't a sucker for tea cups?

Me: overly pleased with my room

Another shot of the room.
Please pardon my mess.

On my quasi-down-day, Suz drove up from New York to visit!
Another highlight.

We decided to take a drive up the cape to Provincetown.

Suz, displeased with the quality of her salmon burger.

Which we tried to mask with chocolate brownie surprise:

it worked!

Stairs to the sea!
Wouldn't this be a great place to vacation in summer?

More Provincetown

Boston was hit with a tremendous blizzard one day, which was pretty cool, except they canceled class that day. Boo. Otherwise, it was a delightful week.

The thing I love most about this program is the community. Being around writers and would-be writers, talking all day about writing makes the occupation seem inevitable, instead of unlikely.

just dance

2011-01-26T09:03:00.000-08:00

Before hitting up school, I dropped off my kids at my parents' house. Linds brought over Just Dance 2 for the Wii and we girls had a dance off. No, we had several dance offs. All of which I rocked--you know, channeling my old cheerleading days. Go Team!! Let it be noted: this was one of the most fun things I've done with my sisters in recent decades. I can say that now, because I'm over 30.

Behold:

Just like Julia Stiles in Save the Last Dance.
Except that I can't stand her as an actress.

it was merry

2010-12-30T11:42:00.001-08:00

I was sorely remiss in my picture taking this Christmas. But, here are a few shots of the merriment:

Peeps as an angel for the Nativity

Later in the evening, she decided to try out Mary...

We literally took Christmas down on Christmas, so I had no tree to take this in front of the day after. Not very Christmas-themed get ups, but still cute.
This is what they wore to church when we listened to Ralph and Marti's farewell speeches. They're off to Ukraine in a few days! And because we'll miss them, we made a blog for them as a Christmas gift. Complete with a tutorial on uploading pictures!
Check them out in Eastern Europe for the next 18 months.

Bring on 2011!!!

my christmas cinema

2010-12-16T13:33:00.000-08:00

There are certain movies--"Christmas" or not--that just spread holiday cheer all over my heart. I have a bit of a ritualistic lineup, starting with Elf on Thanksgiving day. Anytime in between then and the 25th, I watch Little Women & Meet Me in St. Louis (two epic films that do no more than brush past Christmas. But still. Can Christmas be Christmas without Judy Garland singing "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas"??).

On my birthday week (which just so happens to be this week), I watch Julie & Julia. A tradition that only started last year. Because that's when the film came out. Christmas doesn't even happen in that movie, but I've linked it with the holiday because Julie turns 30 in that movie and I turned 30 last year when I watched that movie and it just filled me up with the kind of hope I think I'll need this decade.

To top things off, I watch It's A Wonderful Life on Christmas Eve. That's my favorite movie tradition of all. Dave and I usually stay up till 1am to finish it because we start late and it's a long movie. But it's my favorite. Because it is a wonderful life. And humans are basically good and kind. Especially at Christmas.

So, to all you basically kind humans that I know and love: Merry Christmas!

*What's your Christmas movie lineup??

suzy joy tied the knot!

2010-11-15T12:12:00.000-08:00

Suzy and I met when we were, like, 3 years old. Our exploits include things like stealing handfuls of brownie out of the Home Ec room, roasting Sweedish fish on the heater grate in her car, catching scrawny crabs out of a Santa Barbara pier (and attempting to eat them), flying over Provo Canyon in a 2-seat katana (with the directive that if I got too air sick, I was to throw up into my overalls. Yeah, I used to wear overalls), and rooming together in a one-bedroom apartment in midtown Manhattan.

Then, the other day, she got married in a lovely church on the upper East side by the same priest who'd married the groom's mother and father 30 years before. I'll admit--I cried. She was lovely and so was the wedding.

Then we spent the next five hours in the top floor of a Little Italy restaurant, dancing and eating. It was awesome.

Typically, in posting about a person's wedding, you put up a picture of the bride and groom. Instead, here's one of me and the bride. Because it's my blog and I'll make a last ditch effort of holding on to the good ol' days if I want to.

Also, because you can just check out the rest of the pics on facebook.

Cheers to Suzy! Love you!

the girls in october

2010-11-15T11:52:00.000-08:00

playing w/Grandpa's new i-pod

new pj's

a halloween princess

crafts at a random halloween carnival...

posing next to this pumpkin was the carnival highlight for Lucy

my little wild animals!
Seriously, though, have you ever seen a cuter giraffe??

girl power: mormon edition

2010-10-16T21:10:00.000-07:00

Have you seen The Mormon Women Project? It rocks.

From the site:

"This digital library will show that among the 7 million women currently members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, there is stunning diversity and strength that may not always be recognized."

Project founder, Neylan McBain, shares some insight into her motivation to begin the undertaking. You can read the entire interview here, but in case you're too lazy to click over, I've pasted some highlights:

If left merely to the impressions of the media, one might understandably think that a woman with my background couldn't possibly be affiliated with an organization that -- as it is so often presented -- funnels its women into wifely and motherly servitude and has some sort of relationship (no one's quite sure) with polygamy. But Mormonism's best kept secret is that intelligent, engaged and proactive women are legion in our culture. Why does no one know about us?

Part of the problem is many Mormon women themselves don't recognize that these intelligent, engaged women are in our midst. Many are afraid to admit they are one of these women. "If I were a 'good' Mormon, I wouldn't have gotten my master's degree. I wouldn't be working, and I wouldn't want to work so much. I'd want to be a mother and have kids and stay home," one young filmmaker said to me recently. How did we get to a point in our culture where our free agency -- the ability to choose that our doctrine holds as the most ennobled quality of our human condition -- has been disparaged to the point that a young, talented woman feels ashamed of her pursuits?

The importance of marriage and motherhood is never in question among faithful Mormons, but my own youth was filled with female role models who remain true to themselves, their talents, their interests and their families. With the help of prayer, faith and a hard-won understanding of our unique missions in life, this balance is not only possible, it is demanded by a doctrine that celebrates individual worth. But this balance is not widely practiced: as I've grown older, I've seen many Mormon women feel ostracized and sometimes leave our church altogether because they're not sure how their choices fit into "the mold". These experiences have prompted me to share some of the role models from my own life and search out others who have made thoughtful, considered choices about who they want to be.

new pics

2010-09-22T22:26:00.000-07:00

This summer, we visited my bosom-buddy friend in Colorado Springs. She just so happens to have taken some superstar pictures of the girls that you can peep here.

summer swim

2010-09-05T20:06:00.000-07:00

Swimming 2010 from Lacy on Vimeo.

Year two at Karen's Aquatics! Go Peepers!

triptych

2010-08-25T22:14:00.001-07:00

My artist friend, Lisa, painted this triptych of a tree for our living room wall. I'm loving it! It's sized like that giant canvass of oranges in Peeps' room. Check her out. She's amazing.

a condensed summary of what's been happening in the time since I last blogged

2010-08-25T21:37:00.000-07:00

a monsoon:

a Durango, CO reunion:

a departure:

a teddy bears' picnic:

a piano lesson:

a haircut (and a return! I'd know those stubby hands anywhere!
Welcome home, Lex!):

a masterpiece:

a 60th wedding anniversary:

a new nephew(!):

Cooper Ralph Allred
Aug 21, 2010

THE END

lesley

2010-07-04T14:51:00.001-07:00

So, for the last ten days I've been at school--this magical place in Boston where my fellow students talk books and poetry and overuse words like visceral. Pure joy.

I'm overwhelmed and overloaded--you know the old adage: the more you learn the more you realize how much more you need to learn. Something like that. I returned humbled, inspired, and fired up to write (and revise and write and revise and write...)!

I stayed in the dorms on this street near campus:

And already I feel such a great sense of community:

hooray for an MFA!

Side note: Dave rocked the stay-at-home dad scene.

on the concord

2010-07-04T14:09:00.000-07:00

Last year, during a long-winded tour of the North Bridge in Concord, I looked out to see some canoes on the river. Right then, I wanted nothing more than to join them.

But I couldn't.

Because we were on this pre-packaged tour and because Lucy was only a few months old and because no matter how you try to dice it, taking an infant on a canoe is just irresponsible. So. I didn't go. But I've thought about ever since.

In the few hours I had before the first day of school, I caught the train to Concord, walked to the boathouse, rented a kayak, and had the time of my life. See below:

definitely a tradition in the making

Here I am, absolving you of any doubt you had of my being a complete dork.

something still remains undone

2010-07-04T13:41:00.001-07:00

Last Sunday, I strolled over to Longfellow's house before class...

and found this right across the street:

Those lucky Cambridge Mormons! Except, not really. The building was closed. Apparently, it had caught fire.

Back to Longfellow's then.

Knock, knock!

A bunny stirs.

But otherwise, I have the garden to myself.

Which frees me up to take timed pictures of myself.

I'm actually not all that familiar with Longfellow's poetry. But I do have a fondness for the man. Mostly because my mom owned this green leather-bound book of his poems. I used to swipe it to take down to the church, where we'd use it for a kind of holy book as we played "sacrament" on the steps.

What could be more natural, then, to spend my Sunday reverie in Longfellow's garden?

first day of summer

2010-06-22T19:36:00.001-07:00

Okay, so maybe it's the third day of summer...anyway, here's what we've been up to:

A little yard work (we now have grass!! Pics to come)

a little R&R

swim lessons

a birthday for Dave

quality daddy/daughter bonding

cousin time

Stay tuned for another probable picture hiatus....

eddie spaghetti

2010-06-10T21:26:00.001-07:00

My cousin's recent post reminded me of how much my own daughter loves spaghetti. Not the actual food--just the word "spaghetti." If I ask her what she wants for lunch: spaghetti! What's the name of her baby doll? Spaghetti! What did she play at the park? She played spaghetti!

It's pretty silly. And it reminded me of this classic bit:

Eddie: "What are you, some kind of weirdo??"
Captain Vegetable: "Do I look like a weirdo to you?"
Penelope: "You look like spaghetti!"

templo

2010-05-05T23:48:00.001-07:00

There's a new temple in town. Of sorts; it's two hours away. Kristen and I packed the kids in her car and took a road trip for the open house.

Gila Valley Temple

Penelope wanted to buy the gigantic chandelier inside.
This is her way of saying she liked it.
She wants to buy all kinds of things.
Things we already own. Things that are not for sale...

On the drive up:

On the drive back:

jones

2010-04-19T07:11:00.001-07:00

My sister Syd's photo got onto a Jones Soda label!
It's as exciting as as a Golden Ticket hunt!

She's on the Black Cherry Zilch flavor. It hit stores last week...

Here's the shot up close. So you know what to look for. Let me know if you find it because we have yet to secure an actual bottle for posterity.

success!

2010-04-07T13:48:00.000-07:00

Remember how after a visit to Boston last fall, I decided I wanted to move there? Well, now I'm going to!...18 days a year.

Before I explain, let's back this boat up to 7 years ago, when, newly home from my mission, I set my heart on getting an MFA degree in creative writing. It had actually been in the plans for ages: I would graduate college, go on an LDS mission, return and get accepted into a graduate program to study fiction, become a beloved author, make a few million, and then die at some point (okay, really, the part after grad school was more of a loose outline).

So, I applied to four schools...and got rejected from all of them. It was gut wrenching, to say the least. But I eventually got over it, kept writing, and moved on with my life. And then a few months ago, I got the bug to go again. So, once again, I went through the intensive application process, applied to four schools...and got accepted to all of them! If it sounds like I'm bragging here, I'm not. I'm actually gloating. Come on! Remember that horrific rejection from seven years ago?? I need a paragraph or two to bask in long-awaited success!

Anyway, what could be simpler than picking the university in Boston?? This program follows a low-residency model--meaning, that I study with a mentor online and then go out to the campus twice a year for a 9-day stint of intensive workshops and lectures. I can't wait!

And you, dear blog reader, will clearly be subjected to hearing all about it.

someone's turning thirteen

2010-03-21T19:58:00.000-07:00

Lucy turns 1. Peeps turns 3.
What's a parent to do but give a double party??

Too windy for candles to stay lit.
We had to pretend to blow them out.

You choose a caption:
"Shhh. This is my fourth cupcake." Or, "I'm one now."

To ensure party fun, we rented a jumping castle

It did not disappoint

Dave & Lucy

Peeps & Jaylee

Me & Jen: short hair rules!
(well, hers does, anyway. I'm actually desperate to grow mine out these days...)

This is my party coordinator (and son).

Yahoo! Presents!

Lucy & Bella
For the record: No, they could not be any cuter

The Party Princess struggles to keep her eyes open.

Happy B-day, girls!

bloomsbury

2010-03-17T20:18:00.000-07:00

Round about a hundred years ago, Virginia Woolf and her pals formed a little group called Bloomsbury, where they basically got together and discussed the good stuff: literature, philosophy, politics, food (Virginia really did dote on a good meal).

Then, round about ten years ago, my friend and I ripped off the idea and formed our own Bloomsbury, of which we were the sole members. It was a beautiful thing.

And then, a few months back, we had the idea to share Bloomsbury with the masses. We wrote up some articles of incorporation and became an official non-profit organization.

Let me pause my narrative here to say that ever since I was 12 years old, I've felt 12 years old--a proverbial and perpetually awkward preteen. And then, suddenly when I turned 30 (which, to keep things in perspective for you, was like three months ago), I just felt 30. I felt like a legitimate adult. It was kinda cool. Anyway, so then when my hater-voices crept in and asked me what I was thinking, starting a non-profit organization?? And that that's what real adults did and didn't I know that I didn't do things like this? I was able to inform them that I was old now. In a good way. And I can do whatever I want. And then I stuck my tongue out at them.

Anyway, so...yeah. Now I'm part of a new-founded nonprofit organization: The Bloomsbury Foundation. Go check it out. See if it might suit you. Tell me what you think. And, if you feel so inclined, go ahead and donate to the cause. I dare you. :)

suffering

2010-03-15T10:48:00.000-07:00

Yesterday at church, one of the teachers asked why we might have collectively "shouted for joy" at the thought of coming to earth. I offered up my theory: Like any big and as yet un-experienced event (getting married, having a baby, etc.), we didn't quite know what we were getting into. You know, how buying miniature pink headbands can be fun, but staying up all night with a screaming baby for nights on end can throw one into shock.

My answer was a bit tongue in cheek. Still, life can really draw from a deck of horrific cards, can't it?

I heard one Rabbi's excellent take on suffering--where a merciful God fits into it all--on an NPR series last week, The Long View. Many of you may already know/believe this stuff. But you know how sometimes a new phraseology can just strike you? That's what this did to me. So, in case you are, were, or will ever be in the earth-shattering dumps, have a listen.

a ride

2010-03-04T08:31:00.000-08:00

After dropping the girls off at my mother-in-law's today, I suddenly decided I would go for a bike ride. Because the weather was nice and because I haven't gone on one in, like, three years.

So, I went. And it was lovely--as liberating as Meg Ryan's character undoubtedly felt careening down the highway before being struck by that semi truck in that horrible City of Angels movie.

what indeed?

2010-02-27T19:36:00.001-08:00

The other night, we took the girls out for dinner. The restaurant was crowded. After a few minutes, Peeps turns to Dave and asks over the general din: "What's everybody talking about?"

see jane

2010-02-12T20:18:00.000-08:00

This year marks the 50th anniversary of Jane Goodall's groundbreaking work with chimps in Tanzania. How could anyone help but absolutely adore Jane Goodall? Her story! The chimps! Her accent!

In an NPR Science Friday interview today (listen to the full podcast--you won't be sorry!), she talked about how she first became enamored of primates at age 11, when she read a second-hand copy of Tarzan of the Apes. She decided what she really wanted from life was to go to Africa, live with wild animals, and write books about them.

"Everyone laughed at me except my mother, and she would say 'If you really want something, and you work hard and you never give up and you never give up, you’ll find a way.'"

At this point in the interview, I'm tearing up, because all of this came in response to this 13-year-old fan who'd called in.

Two things: 1) Jane Goodall is the bomb--living proof that we can and should follow our dreams and 2) I want to be that kind of mother to my daughters.

the best book i've read in 2010

2010-02-10T11:47:00.000-08:00

...also happens to be the first book I've read in 2010. No matter. It totally changed my life.

Mostly, because it led me to Women for Women International--a place where, for $27 a month, you can "provide your sister (living in a war-torn country) with the financial assistance to aid her in learning new job skills and rights awareness, while also giving her hope and emotional support to rebuild her self-esteem and her life."

The authors highlight a lot of other fantastic organizations and ideas. This was just my favorite.

A while back, I posted about an NYTimes Magazine article based on the book. A sort of Half the Sky Cliff's Notes. I actually recently learned that my Dad forwarded this article on to his sportsline subscribers, which sort of surprised me. Maybe it shouldn't have.

After all, "empowerment is contagious, accomplished person by person and spreading village by village...challenges are insurmountable only until the moment that they're surmounted."

Pass it on!

don't let these pictures fool you

2010-01-31T14:31:00.000-08:00

My kids are wild and crazy. Emphasis on wild. Anyway, here are a few recent moments:

Our attempts to swap nap time for quiet time fail dismally most days.

Bathtime, or, Lucy's daily drowning endangerment

There's nothing quite like hair full of pureed sweet potatoes...

Peeps takes a break after a rough day in the sand box;
Deacon stands guard.

We'd meant to go to the zoo, but showed up just as it was closing.
So we went to a nearby pond instead.
Luckily, in the mind of this girl, ducks are just as cool as elephants!

Lucy still isn't crawling. But here she is displaying her best-honed trick: eating a cracker.

in case you haven't heard

2010-01-26T12:19:00.000-08:00

I have a new sister-in-law! Meet Autumn, who eloped with Dave's brother in December. (I have always wanted to elope. Also, I've always wanted to be a nun...of course, a husband and two kids sort of puts a wrench in either of these romantic inclinations).

They came down to S.V. for a little celebratory brunch. Below is Kristen and my attempt at Martha Stewartism:

And then we made them give a toast to each other. You know, cuz we didn't get to be at the actual wedding. And their tributes were sweet, so I'm glad we forced the idea upon them :)

Congrats, you two!

double dipping

2010-01-24T15:14:00.000-08:00

So, I just made this my facebook status, but what the hay?? This calls for an over-announcement! Masterpiece Theatre is showing a new version of Jane Austen's Emma tonight on PBS. See for yourself:

I will likely miss this, as I don't really have a T.V. Still, I'm excited about the prospect of another (ninth? tenth?) adaptation of this novel. I just can't help myself. I heart Austen adaptations! And if I were more techno-savvy, I'd make that into a flash button for my sidebar.

I've pretty much liked all of the Austen movies. Except Masterpiece Theatre's most recent Persuasion. It was all that loud breathing of Anne's. And maybe the fact that perhaps my most favorite movie of all time is the 1995 version of the same. Anyway, I'm borrowing this from an article I read, but what are your favorite Austen adaptations? * Let's discuss!

*Jeff, save yourself the soapbox: We all know your views on Laurence Olivier.

committed: one woman's compulsion to buy all things elizabeth gilbert

2010-01-07T20:48:00.000-08:00

Without doubt, the best time to make a Target run when you've got two kids under three is between the hours of 9-11 pm. This frees one up to peruse the women's clothing and linger in the book section. And tonight, between said late shopping hours in said book section, I came across Elizabeth Gilbert's new book: Committed. For 30% off.

I'm pretty sure I blogged about how much I adored Eat, Pray, Love. I know. It's all new-agey and stuff. And maybe that's why I loved it so much. All I know is that it was my favorite book of 2009. It spoke to me. And when a book that speaks to me presents a sequel to itself, well, I buy it. In hardback. Because patience wasn't on my list of resolutions (neither was this book. But remember that bit about the karmic power of books to find me?).

So, even though I had a shopping list that I'd vowed not to waver from, I put this book in the cart. And then everything else I bought after that was miraculously on sale. Which I obviously took for a sign.

Thank you, 2010.

guys and dolls

2009-12-30T10:50:00.000-08:00

One of Peeps' little friends likes to play with dolls. He wanted one for Christmas. Santa, however, put his foot down; he’s got a stringent code against giving boys dolls.

I come from a house (and extended family) full of girls and have two myself, so the aversion some fathers have to their boys playing with “girl toys” eludes me. My one brother and I used to interchange Barbies with Ninja Turtle figurines. I think he even had a plush doll.

I have no problem with my girls playing with “boy toys” (that actually sounds quite twisted, but you know what I mean). I wouldn’t stop them from fiddling with plastic tool sets or pushing around dump trucks, nor am I afraid these things will damage their femininity. And anyway, who said tools and trucks were exclusively reserved for boys? Or that dolls are for girls? (Probably the same people who make it impossible for me to find dinosaur pj’s in the girls’ section).

Anyway, I see much less parental resistance to girls playing with toys out of their stereotypical genre, but don’t more men grow up to be fathers than women to be dump truck operators? Isn’t this taboo a bit backward then?

Do/would you let your boy own a doll? Why or why not? (I know. This sounds like a discussion point straight out of a junior high social studies textbook. Still, let’s discuss).

fantastic

2009-12-29T21:06:00.000-08:00

You know, I haven't had a bad Christmas yet.

another happy holiday down...

secret santa

2009-12-29T20:53:00.000-08:00

We came home yesterday (after a breezy 13-hour car ride) to some great mail. Christmas cards, mostly--don't you just love Christmas cards? Also in the pile: the first of what seems to be a year-long subscription to the Smithsonian magazine and Home, this book by Marilynne Robinson I've been wanting to read for a while. Neither Dave nor I have any clue where these things came from.

Was it you??

If so, thanks! And Merry Christmas!

recant

2009-12-29T20:42:00.000-08:00

I have to admit that I've come to regret my hug post. A lot of people have brought it up. My own dad refused to hug me over the Christmas holiday. Let me clarify: it's not that I don't like to hug. I do. I just don't like to hug old men I don't know. Also my old-man neighbor. That's what the post was really about.

And then today, as if to spite me, said neighbor brought over my mail (he picks it up for us while we're out of town, which would be great if we'd actually asked him to) and went in for a hug.

a few of my favorites under the christmas tree

2009-12-21T10:07:00.000-08:00

Christmas is coming...and everyone's excited. Peeps keeps lugging around her wrapped presents and playing with her Little People nativity (To her, Mary and Joseph are "Married" and "Joseph Smith" but, whatever). Lucy is biting her own arms hard enough to leave marks and refusing crawl. Dave and I are basically finished with shopping. We can't wait to see everyone!

Also, yesterday I turned 30. We stretched it out into a three-day extravaganza--a day for each decade! Marti watched the kiddos, Dave and I partied it up in Tucson and ran a 10K with our friend Jamie. Then yesterday it was cake and the obligatory "say one thing you like about Lacy" moment, which I obviously loved. :)

So now I'm old. And I'm actually feeling pretty good about it. I'm in a good place, feeling good about the upcoming places. So cheers to 30. Thus far, it's not too bad.

hugs

2009-12-13T14:09:00.000-08:00

At our commissary, it's customary for the bagger to take your groceries out to your car. They're not necessarily being polite; they work for tips only. Anyway, yesterday, my bagger was this 78-year-old man who went in for a "happy holidays" hug after all the bags were loaded into the trunk. And I couldn't help but feel creeped out. Nor could I help but feel obligated to hug him.

He didn't strike me as the "creepy old man" type, but I really do hate a non-relative random hug. Especially from men. I almost feel like it's a bit of an abuse on their part. Who's going to turn down something as harmless as a hug (where, incidentally, my body is pressed up against yours)? And yet I'm constantly looking for a socially polite way to do just that. "Actually, I don't hug. Avian Bone Syndrome."

Not that this post is intended to ward off all affection. If you are a man and related to me, or have known me since I was a kid or something, go on and solicit a hug! But if you're the elderly bag boy or my creepy 0ld-man neighbor (who really does try to hug me every chance he gets) then DON'T! Just don't.

appendix a

2009-12-11T08:41:00.001-08:00

Every new year, I like to assemble a list of "to reads." I call it Appendix A of my Resolution statement. I usually only get through about half of the list. Probably because I'm not too rigid about it. I believe in the karmic power of books "finding" me. So I have to leave room for providence.

Still, I saw a great list of books on Salon.com that's given me all sorts of ideas for 2010!

just had to share...

2009-12-08T20:44:00.001-08:00

sometimes I want to strangle my child: don't judge me

2009-12-06T09:09:00.000-08:00

Lately I've been so frustrated with my kiddos. Okay, really just with Penelope. I think it's just a phase. A phase where she takes every chance she can to pull Lucy's arms out of their sockets and poke her in the eyes. A phase where she daily erupts in a screaming and crying fit. A phase where she asks me for things over and over until she gets them:

Her: "Mommy, Mommy, Mommy, Mommy. I need some milk! Milk! Milk! Milk!"
Me: "Okay."
Her: "Mommy! Milk, milk, milk milk!"
Me: "Did I say you could have some milk?"
Her: "Yes."
Me: "Okay then. You need to stop asking. I'm getting it for you right now."
Her: "But I need some milk!"
Me: "Sigh" (I'm editing here. My responses at this point tend to be a bit more aggravated)

My alter ego, Monster Mom, has been rearing her ugly head with greater frequency. She's basically on the verge of a personality takeover. Peeps is a great kid. No question. I just need a better coping method.

So I ask you experienced parent-readers. How did you survive toddlerdom with your kids? What are your secrets? Favorite parenting books? Words of wisdom? Don't hold back; I'm open to anything.

let's hear it for the boy

2009-11-24T15:21:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday, Dave biked 35 miles in El Tour de Tucson.

My in-laws on the tandem

Sam rode too.
Steve's not pictured. That's because he went for the 66-mile course.
Biking isn't really my thing, but after seeing people of all ages and ability levels (Dave said at one point he was passed up by a 9-yr old on a mountain bike), I think I'll give it a go next year.

a less commercial christmas

2009-11-23T12:44:00.000-08:00

I subscribe to the CCFC (Campaign for Commercial-Free Childhood) Newsletter. They're constantly engaged in the battle to end inappropriate marketing to kids (aka PG-13 movie figurines in Happy Meals, etc.) and they've been taking a lot of credit for Disney's recent Baby Einstein refund (oopsie, we guess our movies aren't so beneficial to infants after all!).

I usually mean to sign some of the petitions they push, then get lazy and hope some other activist will pick up the slack for me...so far that's been working out quite nicely. Anyway, they just came out with a Guide to Commercial-Free Holidays. Good stuff. So, if you find yourself disgusted with store isles' instant transition from Halloween to Christmas, check it out.

family photos

2009-11-18T12:14:00.001-08:00

The only photo we have of the four of us was taken the day of Lucy's birth. We're all sitting on the bed. I think I'm wearing one of Dave's t-shirts. Let's just say, it's less than flattering. So we commissioned our friends to knock out some portraits. They did a fabulous job. My favorites are as follows:

looking for books

2009-11-18T11:51:00.000-08:00

In a town as small as mine, if you don't do your Christmas shopping early (and online), you're out of luck come Christmas Eve. Because our tiny Target only has so much to go around. My favorite gifts for the girls are books. I like them. They like them. And unlike toys, they're usually made in the USA and will more likely contribute to some sort of intellectual actualization.

My favorite finds of late:
When I was Young in the Mountains, by Cynthia Rylant
Poppleton, by Cynthia Rylant (I adore any book by this woman)
Wild Girl, by Chris Wormell
Each Peach Pear Plum, by Janet and Allan Ahlburg

Penelope's tastes vary. Right now, she's obsessed with Horton Hatches an Egg, which I bought purely out of nostalgia when she was an infant. She's also favoring Gila Monsters Meet You at the Airport--a book she wanted exactly nothing to do with for a year after I bought it. So, you just never can tell. Like veggies, sometimes all you can do with books is leave them out and hope that the kiddos take to them.

And now Santa wants to know: what are your favorite children's books?

balloons

2009-11-17T07:46:00.000-08:00

I remember waking up at the crack of dawn to watch a similar balloon festival when I was a kid. We went with my grandparents; it's one of the most vivid memories I have with them.

There's nothing like giant balloons to etch an event into the memory.

hair

2009-11-07T09:31:00.000-08:00

You know how in the 50s if a girl got pregnant in her teens, her parents would send her to one of those hidden homes to gestate out of the public eye? I sort of wish they had a house like that for me. For my hair. I've decided to grow it out and it's manifesting itself in extreme stages of hideousness. Right now it's the mullet (known in Utah as the "schmelby"). Ugh. Even with my meager sense of dignity, it's embarrassing.

Random hairstyling note: there's this salon in town called In His Image. And I just don't get it. Plenty of things can be Christian themed. Like churches and schools. And maybe bookstores. But hair parlors?

check it out!

2009-11-05T18:54:00.001-08:00

I'm on FMH! They're doing a series called A Mormon Feminist Image and selected a picture I submitted. You've seen this photo on my blog before, but hey, still pretty cool.

keep on truckin'

2009-11-04T19:19:00.000-08:00

I'd have to say that one of my favorite jobs was working as a TTY tech like nine years ago. I was the go between for hearing to deaf (and vise-versa) phone conversations. Basically, I got paid to eavesdrop, which, let's be serious, is one of my favorite pastimes.

Coincidentally, I met one of my favorite people at this job. We're like a decade apart in age (not that I'm throwing your age up in your face, girl, I'm just trying to illustrate a point!) but we totally clicked. Like two giddy schoolgirls.

Sadly, we lost touch until a few weeks ago (via facebook--is there even another forum for reconnecting these days?). I was delighted to say the least.

She now travels the country as a (not your typical) truck driver. Still as funny and fantastic as I remembered. Allow me to pass along the delight by introducing her.

the pumpkin post

2009-10-29T18:49:00.000-07:00

Went to Apple Annie's Orchard today...

P.S. Planning on making these for a Halloween shindig tomorrow. Should be a hit! Thanks for the tip, Aunt!

self taught

2009-10-25T13:52:00.000-07:00

Before we left on our series of trips, Penelope started showing more interest in the toilet. But I thought: nah, we'll just wait till we get home. Because who wants to be potty training during a 13-hr car ride? But then she just started to wake up dry. So we'd take her to the bathroom. And then we just would take her every few hours and she'd basically stay dry. This continued while my mom watched her and now she's pretty much a go--complete with big girl panties (not featured above. This is actually a diaper cover of Lucy's, but I thought it went along nicely with today's theme). So, good job, Peeps! You little potty-training-prodigy you!

how i know i'm officially old

2009-10-21T13:09:00.001-07:00

Besides the fact that I'll be turning 30 in December, I came to this epiphany when Dave and I started a diet together this week--involving things like salad and mashed cauliflower and ricotta cheese for dessert. You know, the borderline-gross, self-depriving stuff my parents used to eat when they were on a diet. And that's when it hit me! This is SO something old people do together! Eat baked squash for dinner, buy newfangled exercise equipment, get a prescription for Fen-phen...

So here we are. A couple in their 30's. Grasping at the latest diet discovery (South Beach, for those wondering). Weighing ourselves daily. Warning each other that too much sugar-free Jello is cheating.

Sigh.

i love the planet

2009-10-20T20:15:00.000-07:00

I'm constantly feeling guilt for neglecting things on my should-do list (I should take Deacon for a walk, I should sweep the floor, I should call my grandma, I should bathe Lucy more often...)

But now that we're official recyclers, I'm giving myself a bit of guilt reprieve. Ever since we moved here, I've noticed the blue recycle bins out on the street and thought: hey, I should call and get me one of those. But I didn't. Because I'm lazy. And I thought it would cost extra on our sanitation bill.

And then, a few weeks ago on a guilty whim, I called and asked how much it would cost to start recycling. Nothing, the lady on the other end tells me. I'm already paying for it. What?? Then why don't you just give a can to everyone? Of course, I didn't think to ask this until I got off the phone. But I intend to find out. Probably it will take me another three years to call back though, because as you can see, the should-do list is awfully long.

Tomorrow is the first pick-up day. And for some reason I've taken especial relish in flattening all my cardboard and rinsing out my milk jugs. I'm like a classic token environmentalist. Recycling makes me feel good. Like I'm balancing out all the times I let the faucet run or how many candy wrappers I've gone through in my life. Like I'm finally doing my part. It's mostly an illusion, I know. If I were really to contribute, I'd put my kids in cloth diapers and catch gray water in the shower. But let's be serious--I can't even bring myself to sweep more than once a week (and Dave will tell you that I'm eggagerating here. I sweep much less than that).

So. Babysteps.

Go ahead--pat me on the back.

boston, or, the place i totally want to move and live forever

2009-10-16T14:36:00.001-07:00

Boston by night

Boston by boat.

No, by THIS boat:
Duck Tour! Classically corny, yet informative.

Me, through the plastic window.

Dave

My absolute favorite part of the trip was the visit to Concord. On our way to Walden Pond, we saw the most quaint pumpkin patch, a Waldorf school, and five nineteenth century authors' houses/grave sites. This is when I realized I needed to live here. The date on that move is TBD, obviously.

Marti & Ralph

Walden Pond

Thoreau's cabin site

Me, pretending to be Thoreau

Lucy, pretending to be Thoreau

House where Louisa May Alcott lived when she wrote Little Women.
(embarrassing confession: I've never actually read Little Women. For shame, I know)

Trinity church
(totally cool random fact: in church on Sunday, they announced that they were holding stake conference at Trinity Church. Who doesn't love that?)

Suzy drove up from New York to see us.
Here she is pinching me so I'd laugh in this picture.
Some things never change.

Lucy loves Boston, too.
Penelope likely does also, except that she didn't get to go.
She had a fun vacation with Grandma Penee instead.

Plymouth Rock.

Steve and Dave reenact the Mayflower Pilgrims' disembarking...

Boston Temple

plane ride home (Lucy should be sainted for this)

rapid city

2009-10-16T14:15:00.000-07:00

So, approximately seven years ago, I was in Rapid City, serving a mission for the Mormon church. I was there for nearly a year (yeah, it was the first of my two (count them!) two areas) and it was awesome. I meant to scan an old picture from those days and then juxtapose it here, but it's not going to happen. Sorry to disappoint.

A sisters' vacation! In the frigid cold. Again, totally awesome.

Lucy agrees

Custer State Park is rife with wildlife.

I heart South Dakota!!

big sky

2009-09-19T20:51:00.000-07:00

Remember how I've been writing a novel for, like, the past seven years?* Well, now I'm writing a new one. And I wanted it to be set in Montana. In my mother's hometown of Melstone. Full of all the great stories and characters I've heard she and my grandma churn over for ages. And since the last time I'd been there was when I was nine, I obviously needed to take a research trip.

You know that discontented married rich lady in Breakfast at Tiffanys who acts as that writer's benefactor and funds his lack of traditional employment until he throws her off for Audrey Hepburn? I too have just such a benefactor. It's Dave. Except he's not a discontented rich lady. And I have no plans to throw him off. Especially because he thinks trips like this are a good idea. Which is why I love him dearly.

So last week, I met my mom (my guide) in Billings and we drove the two hours to her old stomping grounds.

Melstone! (population: 100ish)

We stayed with my Great Aunt Virginia at her ranch house.
As you can guess, there are no hotels in town.

The Musselshell River

Me, posed like a freakshow near some hay.
Yes I have seen hay bales before, but I thought it would make a good photo op. And then I didn't know how to stand. And this is the unfortunately awkward result.

Colored glass in the Mussleshell Catholic Church window

Sunset.
And then later that night (not pictured), I realized just how many stars I'd never seen before.

stark, stark rural-ness. It was great.

More hay.
(I'm sure people though I was some chick from L.A. who'd never seen a cow before or something. But really, I wasn't there to gawk. Just to soak up the flavor of the place).

I took along little Lucy (Peeps stayed with her other grandma).
She was a great traveling companion!

We stopped by my grandparent's old "river ranch" for a bit of nostalgia and learned that the place is for sale. For 2 million dollars. So, as soon as I come up with that cash, we'll have a lovely summer-reunion-vacation spot!

My Aunt Virginia asked me on our last night if I'd gotten enough material. Yes, yes, yes. And thank you! Most especially to Penee, who was really the highlight of my trip. What can I say? I heart my mom.

*What about that first novel, you ask? Well, I'm just sort of done with it. It's done and not done. Needs some more work, but I'd rather give it a rest, take what I learned from writing it, and start something fresh. I'm not abandoning the thing, you understand, just letting it simmer. Perhaps indefinitely.

bummer, dude

2009-09-15T14:13:00.000-07:00

Got home from an internet-less trip to Montana with my mother (to be posted about in detail later) to the following in my inbox:

EVENT CANCELLED: We are sorry to inform you that we will not be able to hold the Monumental Challenge 2009 marathon, half marathon, relay, 5K, or kids run this year.

That's it. No explanation to go along with said cancellation, which they at least had the decency to inform us of less than a month in advance and after I'd booked the rental car, hotel, and flight on Hotwire, of all places, which means I've got no hope of a refund. Thanks, guys!

So, we're just going to take the trip anyway. I've been wanting to get back to Rapid City for ages so it's not a total loss. Just completely disappointing. But I'm determined not to let my training be a total loss, either. I think there's a half marathon in Marana in November. Not as cool a place as Mt. Rushmore, but a hopefully more reliable one...so I'll set my sights on that.

good karma abounds

2009-09-03T13:58:00.000-07:00

Earlier this week, I put my Netflix mailer on the roof of the car as I loaded the girls up. I forgot about it, of course (why do we never learn that the roof of cars = a black hole??), and drove off. I thought I'd certainly have to pay for the film (Angels in the Dust, by the way, a really touching/tragic documentary about orphans in Africa) when miracle of miracles, today I was advised by e-mail that Netflix had received it! Thank you, good Samaritan who dropped it in the mail for me, wherever you are.

Then, at the farmer's market, they randomly had this book on sale for five bucks! It's been on my "to read" list for like two years.

Happy, happy day.

a three minute video that took me three hours to make:

2009-09-02T14:11:00.000-07:00

swimming lessons from Lacy Mayberry on Vimeo.

a little something for the teeny boppers

2009-09-01T20:59:00.000-07:00

You know that texting-while-driving video that's been circulating on the internet (that really graphic one that's popped up all over facebook and in your inbox a dozen times in the last few weeks)? Today on the radio I learned that it was initially intended as a Welsh public service announcement to teen drivers.

And then it made me remember how one day during high school drivers' ed, the class was hauled down to the local train track to watch the drama kids reinact a train wreck, complete with makeup-enhanced abrasions and bloodied McBeth dresses (well, okay, maybe they weren't exactly in costume, but this is just how the drama kids always appear in my memory), wailing things like: "Oh my Gosh! Sean isn't breathing! I think he's DEAAAAAAAAAAADDDDDDD!"

Don't get me wrong, train wrecks aren't funny. They're not. But really, really, this was.

Which is why I'm glad for technological advances such as YouTube and videocameras that can step things up a bit. Make the kids pay attention. Because reckless teen driving is no laughing matter. Unless you attended MVHS in the late nineties.

repentant

2009-09-01T19:40:00.000-07:00

I've developed this nasty little habit of stealing the New York Times Magazine from the gut of NY Times Sunday paper every week when I go to the library. It's just that I can't possibly justify using my time in that blessed establishment reading. I'm busy soaking up silence, trying to write, and doing other productive things...like blogging. So I have to take it home. Like leftovers. Save it for later.

Anyway, last week, the magazine featured women. Specifically "Why Women's Rights are the Issue of Our Time." I loved this article so much that I wanted to share. But how could I, in good conscience, ask my readers to go out and steal from their local library? I mean, I'm pretty sure there are like 30 of you. Such a kleptowave certainly wouldn't go unnoticed.

Solution: I googled the article. Turns out, NY Times Magazine is online. All of it. So I've been sullying my soul for no good reason. Anyway, all of that for this. Here's the link. Go and read it.

(I know, I know. Solution #2. Subscribe to Sunday's paper my/yourself. But come on, we're in a recession! (or just about to be out of it, or just about to really get into it...or something)).

oprah and i have something in common after all

2009-08-24T22:08:00.000-07:00

Once, I heard about an author who spurned Oprah's invitation to include his book in her book club and so of course I had to go right out and read it. Notwithstanding it was a terribly pretentious pick (The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen), I have nothing but respect for someone with such principles.

I just finished reading (well, technically, listening to) Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert, which I learned halfway through was a pet book of Oprah's.

And yet I was unmoved.

If you've talked to me within the last three weeks, I've undoubtedly already recommended this book to you. For everyone else, I'm recommending it now. It was fantastic.

for the love of craigslist

2009-08-20T09:04:00.000-07:00

Peeps has been launching herself in and out of her crib, so we found a used toddler bed online. This is her on her first night--completely thrilled. So far, there have been no issues with her staying in when she should be sleeping. Of course, this may be linked to the fact that she can't open her door.

Little Lucy Bug is sprouting two teeth on the bottom.
So, we bought her this exersaucer. Another craigslist special.
She doesn't quite love it yet, but I think she will once her grabbing skills improve.

Peeps started swimming again. This time she's in the water without mom. Pretty much the only one in her class who doesn't cry. Here she is with Miss Karen.

Shannon & Andrew came down for a few days from their new home in L.A. They left this morning :(
Thanks for the visit!

home

2009-08-05T15:01:00.000-07:00

So, we went to Utah last week. Mostly because I can never stand to go a summer without experiencing my parents' backyard.

We blessed Lucy
(in what I thought was my old blessing dress, but actually turned out to be Miley's...)

had a cookout

and a picnic in the canyon (in spite of my dad's great objection to both activities).
The girls saw a horse poop in the parking lot and couldn't stop talking about it for days.

This picture pretty much tells the story of the Peeps/Canyon dynamic. Penelope inadvertently smothered her cousin most of the time, which was really funny to everyone but Canyon.

Anyway, for all my youthful determination to leave my hometown, I'm finding now that I sort of wish I lived there...

my own personal women's lib movement

2009-08-05T14:45:00.000-07:00

I cut my hair. And though it may not be my most flattering style to date, it has certainly been the most liberating--an outward manifestation of some brewing inner rebelliousness.

A lot of people have termed the haircut "brave" or "fun," which mostly I take to be code for "yikes!" Still, I absolutely love it. And, let's be serious, as a girl who pulls her hair back 99 days in 100, from the front it looks pretty much the same as it always has.

just because i happen to produce seriously adorable offspring:

2009-07-20T14:16:00.000-07:00

illiteracy

2009-07-15T14:18:00.000-07:00

I put Penelope in a parent & tot swim class recently. She loves it; so do I. It sort of makes me feel like an illiterate parent giving my daughter a book--I know it's quite possible and even commonplace to read the words in it, but I can't help feeling a sense of wonderment when she actually does.

Yeah, so, I can't swim. I get apprehensive when the teacher asks the parents to demonstrate blowing bubbles in the water. But Penelope can go underwater and glide to the side of the pool. She can climb out and jump in. She can do a back float. It's all quite impressive to me.

Last weekend we followed Dave up to Phoenix for his drill training so we could take advantage of the hotel pool. It was delightful. Especially because while there, I got to see my old boss (I love calling her that, because it makes her seem so authoritative), Diana, from my Wildcat copy editor days.

She's full of good conversation and a fantastic friend besides. As evidenced by the picture below. She made Lucy this quilt:

And titled it: "An Explosion of Pink."

Appropriately, I think. I love it. Especially because quilting is yet another of my areas of illiteracy.

something's happening here

2009-07-08T15:43:00.000-07:00

Only lately have I started to feel normal again--like I could nix my obsessive longing for naptime and begin to think once more about working. So, I've begun to wake up before the girls each morning and have also resurrected my office hours, in an attempt to stir up my inner life. So far, it's working wonderfully. Of course, I've been at it less than a week.

Anyway, for the sake of good karma, I wanted to share two things:

1. A site my friend turned me onto: Duotrope. It's like a literary magazine search engine, for those trying to find their perfect publishing niche.

2. A talk on creativity by Elizabeth Gilbert (author of Eat, Pray, Love, which I haven't actually read yet. Although years ago, I read her short story collection "Pilgrims" and was compelled to write her a fan letter. It was that good). Anyway, for the even remotely creatively inclined, very worth watching.

boom

2009-07-06T15:06:00.000-07:00

This weekend we threw a party for Dave to mark his 30th birthday and graduation.
We invested in a Wii to ensure party fun...

Sam, Brent, and Dave rock out with Rock Band.

We went to the city ball field to watch the fireworks

Peeps kept saying "Boom!" as the fireworks went off.
At some point in the evening, she reached over to pat me on the shoulder tell me not to worry. Thanks bug!

Kristen and Owen. Thanks for all your party-help Kristen!
We can't wait to be neighbors!

Ralph & Marti

Dave's cousin Elise & her fiance, Jeff

Grandpa & Grandma Elrey

Brent & Autumn

The fam (while Lucy was sleeping)

Thanks for coming, everyone!

back up and running

2009-06-30T12:49:00.000-07:00

Me and the marathon blog both. We've set our sites on a half marathon at Rushmore: land of my mission! Land of four heads carved into the mountain! Land of Black Hills Gold (which I've always actually considered to look pretty tacky)! Check out the blog. And then, if you want, join up. It will be the bomb.

pls lol

2009-06-26T13:39:00.001-07:00

Recently, Dave and I went like 2 years without cells phones. Como es posible? Well, I can't really remember, especially since he and I are now completely addicted to texting (eachother, mostly. Even if and especially when we're in the same room).

I've been meaning to post about this since I heard it on NPR (this is why I love NPR. It's the news of the people, people!). The National Texting Championship. Watch the video at the bottom. This is why I love America. Because teens have the freedom to get freakishly good at irrelevant pursuits like mastering the QUERTY keyboard.

geeks

2009-06-25T07:56:00.000-07:00

I always thought that if I were a character from The Office, I'd be that freaky mom Hannah from season three, who used her breast pump at her desk and dressed her boy in pink. Turns out, though, that I've found quite a lot in common with Dwight K. Schrute in the form of Battlestar Galactica, which Dave and I have been Netflixing since April. The other day we got impatient for the next installment and I went to Blockbuster.

Me: I'm here to pick up Battlestar Galactica. (yeah, I'd called ahead)
Blockbuster dude: (shouting to another Blockbuster dude) Battlestar Galactica?
Blockbuster dude #2: Battlestar Galactica season two, right?
Me: (really wishing the title didn't sound so geeky) Actually, it's season 2.5, disks two and three.
Couple behind me: snicker, snicker, snicker

Seriously, though, it's been a fantastic (if slightly racy) series--well worth such humiliations. We finished up the first half of the final season last night. The last eleven episodes come out on DVD next month and you'd better believe I'll be lining up outside of Blockbuster to conclude the human/cylon saga.

proof

2009-06-24T13:02:00.000-07:00

(see preceding post)

already off the charts

2009-06-22T19:00:00.000-07:00

Today was Lucy's first doctor appointment (it was also her three-month birthday. What can I say--it's taken me a while to get on the ball, plus she sees dr. grandpa practically every Sunday. Anyway...) She is 95th percentile in height and weighed in at 16 plus pounds. Which puts her over the growth curve. That's right: she's like 110th percentile if there were such a thing.

Mommy is so proud!

a visit

2009-06-19T12:31:00.000-07:00

The Walkers added my house to their many-faceted trip to AZ, which obviously delighted me to no end. We are sort of (ok, really) out in the sticks--a lone voice in the wilderness, calling for company. And so an out-of-the-way visit such as this just makes me feel loved. Plus, I got to do things like watch Lance grab a handful of cactus, hear Candy's philosophical musings (to be stitched on a pillow someday: "life is full of irony and ambiguity"), and see Kenz as a cute mom with an equally cute daughter, whom Penelope took to calling "Cupcake."

Cate & Peeps have a tea party and then hit the pool.

Later that weekend, we got to welcome Chad home from his mission in Germany. Here he is in a ever-so slightly disturbing pose:

Take notice of the pin. My favorite was seeing Pam sport this at church. She really is the happiest woman alive right now.
Welcome home, Chad!
(p.s. don't forget your half-marathon commitment!)

thirty years ago today...

2009-06-15T12:59:00.001-07:00

this guy was born!

We love you, Dave!

11 year high school reunion

2009-06-10T09:38:00.000-07:00

It seems like whenever I make it back to Utah, I only ever really have time to give to family. So when my old friend Becky said that she'd be coming to Scottsdale, I invited myself to crash her vacation!

The kiddie pool was amazing. Penelope thought of it as a giant bathtub and pretty much sat in the same spot the whole time (note the ducky crocs--classic!)

It was good to see you Becky! Peeps is still asking where Marlee went...

a play by play of some dental work, for the truly desperate reader

2009-06-09T14:48:00.000-07:00

A few months ago part of my tooth broke off. I didn't do anything about it because it didn't hurt at the time and I was pregnant (somehow I have it filed in my book of wives' tales that you're not supposed to go to the dentist while pregnant, even though I'm pretty sure there is no factual basis for this), and I have a raging fear of dentists, which I'm pretty sure I've discussed multiple times over the blogging years. Anyway, the point is, it inevitably started hurting and I needed a root canal. Which I got yesterday.

I always brush and floss before a dental visit--hoping that it might do some good--even when most dentists seem as silently scornful of badly kept teeth as I am of a poorly misspelled letter. But the dentist (actually, he was an endocrinologist (that's a dentist for people with really bad teeth)) was this nice old man who apologized for the pinch of pain that came with the five shots he had to put into my mouth and who considered me a "poor thing." I really felt that he was sincere in his empathy--he wasn't patronizing me like some professionals who take to calling me "sweetheart," which, by the bye is my biggest pet peeve. Hello! I'm practically 30, people! These sorts of nicknames just make the people who throw them out sound like perverts. ANYWAY, the point is, it wasn't as bad as I'd anticipated. And I'm grateful for that. And then, one of my more thoughtful friends just brought me over some pudding in case I couldn't eat solid foods. And I'm thankful for that, too.

four years

2009-06-05T11:54:00.000-07:00

Dave and I went on a picnic to mark our anniversary.

We also got to swing...

and overlook the town. Sounds pretty simple. And it was. But somehow it was my favorite wedding celebration to date.

the girls

2009-06-05T11:46:00.000-07:00

anniversaries are a great excuse to air out old wedding photos

2009-06-03T11:04:00.000-07:00

Happy Fourth Dave!