The PNW

I love that the weather here in Seattle is sunny and gorgeous while it is rainy and cold in L.A. =) What, you say? You're traveling again? No, I can't believe it either. Sort of just worked out this way. This has been the Spring of crazy for us, but thankfully it's generally all been pleasant crazy. All things pre-planned some time ago that ended up converging within a 70 day period. Steve has a conference in Vancouver next week, so we took advantage of Steve's part of the trip getting covered, as well as having relatives in the PNW. We are with my sister and her family until Tuesday, then Vancouver through Friday, then back to Seattle until Monday the 1st.

Out my sister's back window is, you know, a real live forest!
My sister's home is so amazing... she has this unbelievable way of making it both artistic and homey. It's such a beautiful place to just be.

Okay, priceless.
Outside the Experience Music Project (museum) by Paul Allen.

Does that make you sad or what?

No more monkeys jumping on the bed!

The Darwin Award for Wednesday

This was too good not to share. Other post titles considered were:
* When my brain left my body...
* It's only been 16 years since high school chemistry and physics...
* Ka-boom!
* Sacrifices for the Culinary Arts
* How to reverse a good hair day in five minutes flat.
* How to make your house feel like Fresno in the summer.

Okay, so right after Lucy went down, I started working on the bread that I've been raving about (Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day). Had the oven all pre-heated, ready to toss the first decent looking loaf into the oven. Did okay putting the loaf on the baking stone--it folded over on itself at first, but I managed to re-shape it quickly. Next step: create steam inside the oven. I had accidentally left my (nice) baking pan in the oven while pre-heating, so it was already in the oven. Here is where my brain left my body. I poured the hot water into the baking pan--did I mention the pan was glass??? CRACK! SPLOOOOOSH! Tinkle-tinkle... (Not sure how to re-create that lovely glass-shattering noise.)

The rest, I will sum up with this: Thank goodness for shop vacs and band-aids, and the ability to laugh at myself!

Happy Birthday, Dad! Happy Mother's Day, Mom!

Of my nuclear family, today only Bud doesn't get honored. =) He was a gracious honorer... he bought me a mother's day big fat cookie. Yum Yum!!! And Steve did a fantastic job of giving me a restful day where I felt loved and appreciated. That is all I could want or ask for. Love you, babe!

A very, very happy Mother's Day to my mom, who continues to be my best friend. How could God have known that we would love each other so much??

Today, however, is also my Dad's 60th birthday! I'm sure he's glad that I'm broadcasting that... =) My big project for the last few months has been putting together a book for him to be printed via Kodak. I asked many people from his childhood and from his work to contribute. I am bummed that I missed a few people, and I'm not sure how, but I think it still did what I'd hoped to do, which is honor my father. I see his life as such a story of grace. My dad's mother died when he was five months old, and he was raised until he was 8 by a very special aunt and uncle. That time of his life gave him an incredible foundation of godliness that I see in his life today. To hear people that he respects talk about how they respect him was a gift to me. I learned of people I've known forever who came to know the Lord, not because my dad preached at them, but because he lived his life in a godly way. I've attended two funerals recently, and it drove it home to me that I want these things to be said to the people who are special to me during the fullness of their lives, and not after they are gone. I am so proud of my Dad, and so grateful that we are such incredibly close friends!

Anyway, I'm babbling a bit, but I just wanted you good folks to know how appreciative I am of both my parents. I don't know why God chose to bless me with them, but I am grateful every day that he did.

This was when my mom was pregnant with my older sister. How is it possible her legs look that good while pregnant?? =)

Scrubs, eat your heart out. This is the real deal. My mom says my dad came out of his first day of surgery rotation as a student, and they really made him work. He came home and told my mom, "This is absolutely what I want to do." My dad has touched so many people through his work as a doctor. Not only is he consistently the best doctor in the large group in which he practices, but he is the most caring doctor I've ever met. He does it because he loves people and cares about their health and lives.
Don't you totally love the 'stache?
Mom, you are just too cute!!
Not my best picture ever, but I will sacrifice because everyone else looks so cute. We have really been a close and happy family. I always hear people say they don't want their kids to be far apart in years because they won't be close, but my brother is five years younger, and my sister is three years older and we are all close. I think that is because my parents were so deliberate about creating an environment where we could be close. I'm so thankful for that.

Pieces of Flair

Story hour was AWESOME. I never thought I would say something like that. The lady at the other story hour I've been to, well, I get the feeling that she likes the idea of kids more than she actually likes kids. I never feel like we really belong there. The Fullerton Library was just awesome, awesome, awesome. Lucy loved the stories, songs and nursery rhymes, and was intensely focused on it with this sweet little smile--the kind where she didn't know she was smiling, but couldn't help it. She's shy in that kind of environment, but I knew she liked it when I'd hear at the end of a song in this little voice, "Ah do da-gain!"

I love that Lucy loves books. She quotes books all day long, and she's started to inject herself into the stories. "'Oh!' said Lucy, 'It's a hat! Hooray! Now I will not be cold!'" (Adapted from Little Bear.)

So I'm all face-booky these days, and I'm totally acting like a teen-ager with it, rather than adult-like and networky. =) Here is my "pieces of flair" board. This kind of thing reminds me of when I used to write on my binder in school, but looks way cooler. =) Please let me know immediately if you know what the monster in the bottom right corner means... you and I will need to have more frenzied discussion about something else!

Go to bread

See, bread is everywhere in blog-land! Angry Chicken just posted about an oat loaf that I MUST make. It just looks all chewy and aeromatic and oooooh, just yummy. Her comments were, "It's the kind of bread that would hurt someone if you threw it at them."

Which reminds me of high school.

I dated a guy in high school that got arrested for breaking a school bus mirror with a sandwich. Apparently, that was my "bad boy" phase. If anyone knows where to find Andrew Prieb, I swear I will send him two slices of the oat bread for responsible sandwich making.

Other musings... I was so proud of the craft blog world backing up a friend recently. Someone posted some nasty accusations that were clearly false, and then the beautiful world of encouraging crafters came to her aid with so many kind words. I'm so proud to be a teensy part of it. It is an odd feeling to be involved in such an encouraging community that does not have Christ at the center of it specifically. But then as I pick up more about individuals, I see that an enormous part of this community really does have Christ at the center of it. It causes interesting ponderings for me. Wish I could have a cup of coffee with Jamie Pipher and Amanda Witt (would love to meet you someday!) to chat about it.

I also have had some really sad thoughts recently. Found out about an old friend choosing a very sad life for himself. Just learned of some friends who may be going through a miscarriage. Just aching for some people. Wish I could go "sit shiva" with the latter, and wish I could know just the right thing to say or do for the former.

But on we go with our days, and off to Story Hour for us.

What I asked for for Mother's Day

Because I think I'm the only one remotely crafty who doesn't have these two books... and because the my libraries carry neither of them.

Serenity Now!

So where are those kitchen photos, you ask? I would say soon, but I've stopped saying that word to myself. Rather, I have adopted a new attitude toward the kitchen: "Hey, Nonny, Nonny." The countertop is being installed as we speak, but I daren't hope for a working sink by tonight.

Back up about 20 hours. We had a very, very smooth trip home. Got great seats on the plane, all together. We've adopted a new attitude toward security check-in. NO more scrambling, no more apologizing. We have a kid, we're going to take a little longer to get through the line. Sigh and look impatient all you want. The 20 extra seconds you may gain by intimidating us is not worth it. Instead, we will smile and be gracious and enjoy the fact that we too have paid for the privilege of laying bare our possessions under a microscope for scrutiny, and we will take all the time we need to have it baptized by the TSA.

Lucy closed her eyes within minutes of getting buckled in on the plane, and slept for THREE hours. For the first time EVER, I did not get out a movie on the plane for Lucy. She was a little angel through everything. The bus ride back to the long-term parking lot, the car ride home. Then, 10 feet from the door, she fell to pieces over not being able to pick flowers outside at midnight. Finally got her calmed down (decided to let her go back out and pick the flowers...wasn't worth the battle.), in her jammies, and snacked-up. Thought she was ready to go down. She finally was at 2 a.m. And up at 6:30. Very considerate... she decided to switch back to CA time immediately. What a gal!

So we are running on fumes a bit today--and I do mean that literally, in the sense that countertop is being sawed, so we are inhaling some yummy fumes from that. But while I know I've come off as complaining, All these things are a privilege. They are because we are getting a new kitchen, and because we had a vacation--gifts from God and others in one way or another, and I am very, very grateful for them all.

Looking forward to more sensible posting soon. No more kitchen/displacement whining from me!

Lucy really became a Daddy's girl this trip. So sweet! However, Daddy didn't seem to hear her calling for him in the middle of the night... Hmmm....

Can you believe it? We got all the cousins together!!
The Sugar Cane Train
The aquarium. We were really impressed with this aquarium. Packed a lot of punch for its size.

Yes, that is a CLEAN fly swatter. Lucy's toy of choice.
Our last evening with the family all together.

Don't the clouds look like little fish following each other? I'm really impressed with my little point-and-shoot camera. The nice camera didn't even get as good a picture as this!