Hotdish & Hallelujahs:

House Tour

2012-02-08T12:53:00.000-08:00

We moved into our first house back in October and Jimbo posted a few pictures from our initial visit. It seems like it's high time to take you on the tour!

I consider the house "furnished" but not "decorated." You'll notice lots of bare walls. As much that blankness is bothering me, I'm taking the decorating projects slowly. Thank goodness for mountains of inspiration on Pinterest! I thought it might be fun to give you the "before" tour and then unveil decorating projects as they are completed.

The Front Room - complete with Jim's beloved Steinway and a big front window for Sugar to monitor the cul-de-sac.

Looking from the Front Room into the Dining Room (and the Kitchen beyond that).

Entry & Hallway - we love the cut-outs opening to the Dining Room on the right.

Kitchen - glass block windows on either side of the stove allow more natural light.

Kitchen "view" (complete with a dirty soup pot) into the Living Room.

Living Room, Patio, and Backyard

Living Room

Pantry!! One of my only finished spaces...I couldn't resist painting it a wild color.
This is "Jack-O-Lantern" from Miller Paint.

Laundry Room - VERY exciting for us =)

Guest bath

Guest Room! Come and visit!

Office (Nicole's side)

Office (Jimbo's side)

Master

Master (and some legos...)

We (and by "we" I mean our dear friends Karen, Jen, Jonathan, and Spencer) did a lot of painting prior to moving day so we're happy with our wall colors. Now that you've taken the tour, feel free to schedule your visit and start sending in your ideas for decor!

2011 Holiday Greetings!

2011-12-14T19:33:00.001-08:00

Time for a look back at 2011...We vowed it would be Year of Nothing, but we sure crammed a lot in!

January brought actual snow!

Bigger than the news of snow was the start of Jim's new job as Director of Oregon State University's Glee Choir. Between 75 and 100 students have enrolled every quarter and they are a big hit around campus.

OSU Glee

Jimbo hit the big 3-0 in April. His best friend Lucas turned 30 a few days later so we rolled the whole thing into one big birthday shindig (complete with matching novelty t-shirts) at the Kennedy School in Portland.

Soon after we celebrated another friendship - my 20th anniversary with my bestie Brenda Lee. We'd been promising ourselves to celebrate milestones (10 years... 15 years...) but never managed to pull it off. So we went big for our 20th and flew off to Puerta Vallarta, Mexico.

Jim and Thatcher came along to..."supervise"...and we had a fantastic time!

April included one more special celebration - showering our girl, Erin, and anticipating the arrival of her sweet baby Aiden.

My pals from grad school got together in Las Vegas in May. We had a fantastic reunion, including a Cirque du Soleil show and a special baby shower brunch to celebrate Nikki's little guy, Oscar.

In June, I joined a group of OSU colleagues to run our Hawaii orientation program in Honolulu. Thanks to an unused companion fare, Jim was able to tag along. Of course he was put right to work and learned a lot about academic advising and online registration!

July found us in Charleston, South Carolina, helping our dear friend Amanda move. A few days later we'd gotten her settled in Columbus, Ohio. We got to see a few new states and try out the Piggly Wiggly.

I dig the Pig!

We traveled back to Montana in August and had a nice relaxing vacation. We spent time with my Mom and Fred in Missoula, and took a camping trip with my Aunt Sandy and Uncle Dean.

Four days with no internet, no cell phones, and nothing more pressing to attend to than getting the boat in the water? Hello Vacation! I finally got good at towing/backing/parking a trailer. I think I'll add that to my resume...

We squeezed in a day trip to introduce Jim to Glacier National Park.

Just as we returned from Montana, I had my last day at OSU's College of Pharmacy. It was hard to say goodbye after 8 years, but opportunity knocked for me and I took a new job as Assistant Director of Undergraduate Programs for OSU's College of Engineering. About a month later, Jim was offered a position as Choir Director for the First United Methodist Church in Corvallis. Glee and the church keep Jim happy and busy, and we both feel so fortunate to have found such fulfilling work this year.

Knowing that we are happily settling into long-term jobs in Corvallis, we decided to take the plunge and buy our first home. We looked at 10 houses and fell in love with number 11!

We moved in to our new digs in October, and have been enjoying "fancy" amenities like the dishwasher, a garage, and a real yard for Sugar. It's a big step up from our 850 square foot rental!

Thanksgiving found us at my brother's house in Spokane, Washington. It was a nice low-key weekend with my family and included a benefit dog-walk for the Humane Society.

And now it's time for Christmas. It will be our first in our home, and Jim's family will come to celebrate with us. As we count our blessings - family, friends, good health, meaningful work, and the world's greatest dog - we wish you all the best. May all your days be filled with joy!

Happy Holidays from Jim, Nicole, and Sugar

DIY Ornament Wreath

2011-11-27T20:41:00.001-08:00

There are gobs of cute ornament wreaths all over Pinterest, and I finally got around to making my own!

I followed a very nice tutorial from Andrea, and there are plenty of others out there so I won't bore you with the repeat here. I found these fun silver ornaments at Winco (of all places!) and they were even cheaper than the dollar store options. I used 70 ornaments total. The best part? The globe snaps into the hook on the ornament so there was none of the tedious gluing required on the other tutorials. I think Winco is also called Cub Foods in some areas (wink wink Minnesota girls!).

Our door is super tall so standard over-the-door wreath hangers weren't working. We found a really nice decorative metal Command Hook at Home Depot and adhered it to the door. It's sturdy, but removable so I'm not worried about damaging the door surface.

Come knock on our door! We are super festive!

ETSY Find: Self-Inking Return Address Stamp

2011-11-22T10:29:00.001-08:00

Buying our first house gave me the excuse I've been needing to order a return address stamp. A little hard to justify when we were renting, but absolutely essential to home ownership!

There are a zillion options on ETSY so I didn't bother looking elsewhere. Since I was a liberated woman who didn't change her name the day after the wedding, all the really cute monogramed stamps were out. Bummer! Honestly, that's my only regret about keeping my name...not having a monogram. And, if that's my only misgiving, I suppose I made the right choice.

So, anyway, back to the ETSY selections! Eventually I settled on this one from Savethedate Design's shop.

Cute. Simple. And solves the mis-matched last names issue by eliminating them all together!

About a week later our fancy new stamp arrived in the mail.

She packages her stamps in little fabric drawstring storage bags - a nice touch. Obviously I covered up our exact street address (you all know it anyway!) but you get the idea.

My excitement over this swell new self-inking delight (combined with a couple sick days at home) motivated me to finish up our holiday cards early. Now that's an amazing stamp =)

Pinterest Project: Glittered Light Bulbs

2011-11-19T08:46:00.001-08:00

I finally made something I found on Pinterest: Glittered Christmas Bulbs! Though the instructions were minimal, the project was easy, inexpensive, and fairly quick. The gratification was big =)

What you need:

* Old Christmas bulbs
* Glitter
* Modge Podge or Decoupage
* Paintbrush
* Paper plate
* Cookie Sheet
* Waxed Paper

Both Recollections and Martha Stewart make Extra Fine Glitter. It was perfect for this project - good coverage, and not as chunky as regular glitter.

Each bottle is $4-$5 each, but I hoarded Michael's 50% off coupons and spent $6.50 total. I do love to save!

Martha's glitter was more expensive, but I didn't really see a difference in the quality. Both lines have awesome color choices.

Let's get this show on the road! Remove the bulbs from their string. I scooped up this set at a garage sale and paid 50 cents. Again with the savings! Of course, they were grimy from life in someone's garage so I had to wipe them all down first. Still worth it.

Using the paintbrush, apply a medium layer of Modge Podge over the colored surface of the bulb. I chose to leave the metal base exposed.

Working directly over the paper plate, shake glitter over the bulb. It was easy to miss the pointed tip so I had to go back and catch those little bare spots.

Still over the paper plate, tap the excess glitter from the bulb, allow it to dry just a bit.

Lay them on your wax-paper covered cookie sheet to dry completely. I left them overnight just to be on the safe side.

Return the remaining glitter to the jar. Covering 24 bulbs used very little glitter so I have plenty left over for other projects.

And that's all there is to it! I'll be exercising a lot of restraint to keep these in the closet until after Thanksgiving =)

Holiday Card Photos

2011-11-12T10:54:00.001-08:00

We're ruling this one out.

Fast Freddie's Balsamic Vinaigrette

2011-11-05T08:28:00.000-07:00

Need a good recipe for vinaigrette? Just so happens I swiped one from my step-dad, Fast Freddie. It's quick and easy, and goes together from ingredients you probably have on hand.

You need:

*Olive oil
*Red wine vinegar
*Balsamic vinegar (optional, but so good!)
*Basil
*Lemon juice
*Salt
*Pepper
*Garlic
*A cute bottle for your finished product
*A blender

The ingredients are not measured exactly, so you can make as much or as little as you'd like. My bottle holds about 2 cups of dressing so I use a 1/2 cup for each "part" in the recipe.

In the blender, combine:
3 parts olive oil
1 part vinegar (I do mostly red wine, and a little balsamic)
minced garlic (I like garlic - two cloves for me)
basil (a bit less than a tablespoon)
salt (to taste, maybe a teaspoon)
fresh ground pepper (to taste, about a teaspoon)
1 shot of lemon juice

The next step is really key to getting good dressing. First, fail to notice that your blender is switched to the "on" position. Next, ensure that the lid is off. Better yet - place the lid far down the counter so it's nowhere near your blender. Now lean over and plug the blender in. Do all of this while on the phone with your mother so that, when the s**t hits the fan (literally...sigh) you can squawk in her ear about "olive oil everywhere!" and drop your phone in the sink.

Awesome! Once you've cleaned up your mess, changed your oil-splattered clothes, and called your mother back to ensure her you weren't nose-to-nose with a burglar, you can blend up your dressing and get on with your life.

Confession: there was a moment here when I considered pitching this whole mess and starting over so I could have nice tidy pictures for this post. But then I realized two things. First, that's wasteful! Secondly, I am SO not the gal with the picture perfect life, coiffed and spit-polished for presentation on her award winning blog. I make messes and screw things up and think that pulling the covers up counts as making the bed. So I'm keepin it real. This is how I make salad dressing. Go ahead and judge me, Martha. My counter is cleaner than your criminal background check. Oh snap!

Now you have a tasty bottle of homemade salad dressing and a freshly cleaned kitchen. Enjoy!

Your dressing should be stored in the fridge, and you'll notice the olive oil and vinegar separating. Not to worry! I usually take the dressing out of the fridge while I'm making dinner so it can warm up a bit and then give it a good shake. Got your buns in the oven? Set the dressing bottle on the stove and it will warm up nicely.

Welcome to Monica & Chandler's!

2011-10-31T13:08:00.000-07:00

We made it! We're IN our new home! Thanks to the world's greatest friends our new place is painted, every last thing we own has been schlepped, furniture's assembled and beds are made. It's a pretty exciting time here at Hotdish Central. Every day one of us turns to the other to say "can you believe we own a house?" Our first mortgage payment isn't due for a whole month so we are love-love-loving home ownership!

Do you know what that means for you? In addition to our here-and-there ramblings about cooking, crafting, choral music, and canines, we'll have all sorts of home improvement and DIY projects to trot across the blog. For our debut project, I'm only showing you the front door. =)

If you run in our circle of friends, chances are good that you can quote episodes of Friends like it's your job. Seriously, if some struggling cable network ever works up a Friends Trivia Hour our people will be the champs! Move over, Ken Jennings, we've got the game show domination thing in the bag. We spent the last couple years bringing Jimbo up to speed by rewatching the entire series, so it was his proud graduation from the Friends Academy when he suggested we frame our peephole.

Genius! Why didn't I think of that? For a quick second we googled "Monica's Door Frame" and found that you can buy replicas online for upwards of $30. Are you kidding? I can do better things with that $30! Perfect opportunity to do it ourselves.

Enter the cheapo frame from TJ Maxx:

This gold finish did NOTHING for me so I took a page from Mrs. Lovely's book and ~~bought~~ sent Jimbo to Home Depot for my first can of spraypaint. Even better? He also picked up this swell plastic trigger. Now my spray-finger won't be sore or covered in paint!

One coat of Rust-oleum Colonial Red, a little double-sided adhesive tape, and done!

Mmmmmm....shiny & red. These are good things.

Never one to be left out of the action (but easily bribed with a biscuit to do what I ask of her), Sugar volunteered to show you our entry. I once heard that your photos should always have someone in them...

Welcome! Can't wait to peer through that cute peephole at all our future visitors.

PS - you can have your own swell rug (in a few other nice colors) from Costco =)

PPS - I'm hoping to provide better photos (not taken with my phone) soon. It's a long story for another time, but my camera took a swim this summer and I just got a replacement. So glad Santa came early so I can really document important things like spray paint triggers!

The Height of Rudeness

2011-10-13T13:26:00.000-07:00

I have been rude. I'm mortified. And here's why...

In the process of packing up our house this week, I stumbled across two envelopes that had fallen behind my desk. They were thank you notes from our wedding. The one that happened nearly a year and a half ago.

They are written, sealed, and stamped.

Just never mailed.

Hence my mortification.

Martha Stewart should have me flogged.

Quick & Easy Brown Rice

2011-10-10T12:48:00.000-07:00

We eat a lot of rice and, about two years ago, we switched to brown rice to be a little healthier. The only problem is that cooking brown rice takes 2-3 times as long as cooking white rice. Throwing a quick stir-fry together is nearly impossible when the rice requires an hour to cook! For those nights when we'd really like a quick side of rice, and don't have an hour to let it cook, we started buying Trader Joe's Frozen Brown Rice.

The box holds three microwavable packets - each with about two servings of rice. Perfect for the two of us! However...at $3.50 a box, the price of convenience seems a little steep. So, we came up with a great cost-saving DIY solution. Want to hop on board the frugalista bandwagon to make your own? Read on!

Here's what you need:

Long grain brown rice (I purchase in bulk. Cheap, cheaper, cheapest!)
Bouillon of your choosing (we like Knorr's chicken or vegetable)
Quart-sized freezer bags. Regular sandwich bags don't hold up as well for this process.
Rice maker {or a saucepan to cook your rice on the stove. Stove-top cooking instructions can be found at the end of the post}

For our small rice cooker, I use two cups brown rice and one bouillon cube. Knorr's cubes are double-sized, intended to be used with two cups of liquid. If you are using smaller traditional buoillon, you may want two cubes. It's really a matter of taste - I like a little flavor, but don't want it to overwhelm the main dish.

Add four cups of water. Brown rice requires more water than white...keep your water-to-rice ratio at 2:1.

Pop on the lid and let this handy-dandy appliance do it's job! An hour later your rice will be ready.

Allow the rice to cool a bit so you don't burn yourself (or melt your freezer bag!)

Divide the rice into 3-4 servings, putting each serving into a freezer bag.

Flatten the rice a bit so it fills the whole bag with a fairly uniform thickness. This will make it easier to stack your bags in the freezer and will allow the rice to defrost evenly.

Place the bags in your freezer. When you are ready to use them, open the zipper about 1 inch (to allow the steam to vent) or just puncture the bag with a fork. Microwave on high for about 4 minutes, and enjoy!

{Stove-top instructions}
1. In a medium saucepan bring 2 cups rice, 4 cups water, and one bouillon cube to a boil.
2. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook 55 minutes.
3. Remove from heat and fluff with a fork.

So Long, Pharmies!

2011-10-05T08:06:00.000-07:00

In keeping with our commitment to making 2011 the Year of Nothing {HA!}, I made the decision to leave my position in the OSU College of Pharmacy in August. I spent eight great years as the Academic Advisor for the Pre-Pharmacy students, and had an outstanding experience. But then opportunity knocked, and I was offered a position in OSU's College of Engineering. So I took the leap and left the comfy job where I totally knew what I was doing and dove headfirst into the world of Engineering as Assistant Director of Undergraduate Programs. I think it's gonna be awesome, but I have NO idea what I've gotten myself into. Hello, steep learning curve!

The hardest part of leaving Pharmacy was definitely saying goodbye to my students. Because it takes 7-8 years of school to become a pharmacist I had been advising some of those students for a long time. I raised a few of 'em from pups! I was touched by the outpouring of kind notes from the Pharmies when my departure was announced, and had to break my "no crying at work" rule a few times. Those stinkers.

Last week marked my first full month in Engineering, and I got a surprise visit from a Pharmie bringing me the most wonderful gift. The students had collaborated to make me a beautiful hard-bound photo book.

About 40 students submitted photos and letters remembering our time together and describing the impact I'd had on them. Well cue the waterworks because I was wrecked! Only a month into the new job and I'm already crying at work. Those stinkers.

I have absolutely loved my career as an Academic Advisor, and this is why. I have the privilege of being invited along on the college journey with some awesome people who are in the process of deciding who they are and where they belong in the world. There's never a dull moment. And most importantly, there are moments like this one where I can see that I've made a difference.

(source: Pinterest)

Napping with Sugar

2011-09-12T07:07:00.000-07:00

My wife said to me as we were about to pickup Sugar, "She will not be allowed on ANY furniture!" For the most part, this has stayed true. Sugar got up once on the couch and after being scolded and having chairs put on the couch for two or three days, she never touched the furniture again. It was less than a month however that I caught the two of them napping on the bed on a Saturday afternoon.

Nicole and Sugar napping on a Saturday

This dog loves to nap and most of all, she will do anything to make sure she is as close as possible to the person she is napping with. She is quite the cuddler and we quickly realized that if you want to sleep in on Saturday morning, just let Sugar into the bed and she won't move until both humans are up and out of the bed.

The other day a strange phenomenon occurred. We napped as usual and upon waking up Sugar rolled over on her back and continued to sleep fully sprawled. Her lips and jowls going where gravity desired contorting her face in the opposite of it's naturally occurring direction.

I, of course, fully amused took a picture and proceeded to laugh hysterically which didn't seem to bother the dog...she continued to sleep. Showing the picture to my wife, she joined me in the hilarity until she turned the phone upside-down and we encountered this image:

Now that I tell you is a happy dog.

~jim

The Best House Yet

2011-08-29T20:29:00.000-07:00

Dear Loyal Friends,

As some of you know, we are seriously considering settling down in Corvallis and have began our search for our first home. Below is a show and tell of the house we really like!

It's located in a small subdivision in SW Corvallis. It's adjacent to a retirement community and the Corvallis Country Club (no Dad, we can't play unless we're members)

The entryway is right next to the first living area that has a great dining area framed in by this low wall.

Of course there is a great Sugar window that looks out on the street.

Nicole's must is a separate laundry room/mud room. This stands right off the entry way and connects to the garage. Perfect for dog doors to the back yard.

The kitchen is divided by the other living area with this great little bar.

We're pretty stoked about the layout.

Huge pantry (including spices and a pencil sharpener).

Then there is a little hallway back to the bedrooms.

Here is the guest bath.

Two bedrooms mirrored with great closet space and a cool nook above.

And a nice big master bedroom.

With connected bathroom including TWO sinks! Oh ya.

Great skylight, don't need the light at all during the day.

And of course, an amazing walk-in closet!

The negatives are a small yard, close proximity to neighboring houses and a pretty small front yard. It does however have a little porch! The kicker is that all the lots share easement through the back yard for a stormwater system and this yard has three manhole covers that give access to that system. All and all the benefits outweigh the negatives. A great neighborhood close to friends, stores and campus. An awesome house with high ceilings and a wonderful layout. Now if we can get the low price we want, we might just be moving up in the world. Goodbye 900 square feet and no garage, hello 1786 with a two car garage. We won't know what to do with ourselves!

~jim

Big Sky

2011-08-14T15:27:00.000-07:00

We've spent the last week on vacation in Montana. This was last night's sunset from my parent's house. That "Big Sky" thing is not just a slogan ;)

I love these ears

2011-08-14T15:24:00.000-07:00

A Good July Day

2011-08-14T15:20:00.000-07:00

It seems like forever ago now, but we spent a pretty great July Saturday with our pals Dante & Jenn. They introduced us to the deliciousness that is breakfast at Gathering Together Farm in Philomath. We knew the farm from our Farmer's Market, but had never visited. It's a must for a leisurely locally grown breakfast.

Stuffed to the brim, we headed out to the coast to let Sugar and her BFF Tynan run.

We headed back to Corvallis to catch Bobby McFerrin and the Yellowjackets at DaVinci Days. Pretty big stuff for our little town!

A perfect summer day spent with great friends. Yay!

I Heart the South

2011-07-04T09:28:00.000-07:00

Having spent a grand total of 36 hours in Charleston, South Carolina, I can confidentially say that I heart the south. Here's why:

Being addressed as "y'all."
Sweet tea.
Better yet? Sweet tea vodka! Best yet? Mixing it with lemonade. It's like an Arnold Palmer that knows somebody.

Palmetto trees
Palmetto bugs (I don't actually like the bugs. I just think it's the nicest way I've ever heard anyone refer to a cockroach).
Seer-sucker suits with bow ties. I was so taken with this gentleman that I pretended to be futzing with my phone just to discreetly(?) snap his photo. I sure hope all ya'll appreciate the kinds of sacrifices I make for the blog.

Calling your purse a "pocketbook" even if it's the size of a suitcase.
Front porches with rocking chairs. Arnold and I could pass many happy hours that way.
The Piggly Wiggly. If I had stayed three or four more days I think I could have legitimately started calling it "the Pig." As in, "alright ya'll I'm fixin to pop over to the Pig for some more lemonade. Anybody seen my pocketbook?"
Trees that look like they're straight out of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.
Manners: people use them and it's so pleasant.

There it is! On the anniversary of our country's independence, I publish my declaration of love for the first state to secede from the union. Woops.

Aloha June!

2011-06-26T08:58:00.000-07:00

June has been busy! But busy in a lovely tropical kind of way, so we're not complaining =) As soon as the graduates hung up their mortar boards we headed to the Aloha State for OSU's Hawaii orientation program.

All the new Beavers from Hawaii converge on Punaho School (where President Obama got his start) to start their "Beaver Nation Migration." (Yes, we really call it that but I swear it wasn't my idea). These are some of my favorite colleagues from around campus and we made the most of this tough assignment.

Thanks to an unused companion fare, Jimbo got to come along and join the ~~fun~~ work. He probably learned more about OSU's academic programs than he ever wanted to know. But we bribed him with shave ice very effectively.

Poor Sugar did not get to go to Hawaii. Instead she got to go on vacation at her grandparent's house. I honestly think it's her favorite place to be...thousands of square feet - much of it carpeted, another dog to pester, doting Mimi & Papa, and all the rawhide she can eat. Needless to say, she didn't miss us very much.

In keeping with our Aloha-themed June, we attended a Lu'au housewarming party for our friends Dante & Jenn. They kept it real, digging a pit in the backyard and roasting a whole pig overnight. Kalua Pork FTW!

We made it up to Sugar by taking her to the party, sporting her finest Lu'au appropriate collar.

Sending you warm aloha!

Vegas Baby BFF!

2011-06-03T17:04:00.000-07:00

Though we scattered across the country after graduation, the gals from grad school hold an annual BFF gathering to keep the fun times going. This year we were also celebrating Nikki's baby shower, and what better place to do that than Vegas?

That's why they say "Vegas, Baby!" right? =P

Part of the BFF tradition includes matching t-shirts, and we take turns designing them each year. This was Nikki's turn and she went all out in honor of our outlandish location. Here she is modeling the back of our shirts:

Yes, those are iron-on rhinestones and sequins! For a little added pop she bedecked the collars with feather boas.

We're nothing if not subtle.

So we trooped all around Vegas in our matching shirts, eating our fill of decadent food, enjoying a few adult (and responsible-mother-to-be) beverages, seeing the sites, laying by the pool, and even catching a Cirque du Soleil show! We crammed a lot of fun into a long weekend, and it felt just as good as ever.

Viva Las Vegas and Viva La BFF!


Nicole, Jill, Nikki, Tracy

Shower for Erin & Baby Aiden

2011-05-29T08:59:00.000-07:00

In April Jessie and I went to Phoenix for a super-special shower for Miss Erin and Baby Aiden. Erin's mom and sister were the creative masterminds behind the shower, and these gals really outdid themselves!

Martha's got nothin' on these gals! A highlight was the chocolate mousse dessert in baby food jars. So cute, and not too difficult to pull together.

Of course the best part was time with my best girls. As usual, we didn't take nearly enough group pictures, but we got a couple good ones of a very cute preggo girl.

Big loves to Miss E and the baby-to be!

Apparently I Have a Lot To Say

2011-05-25T19:21:00.000-07:00

My job involves a lot of email. It always seems to be just on the verge of getting the best of me...my inbox feels like that last five pounds you can't shed no matter how much you exercise. But I take comfort in the fact that this seems to be a universal truth among my colleagues. Sometimes I feel like our position descriptions should read: Go to meetings. Write email. Repeat.

Today I had a complete meltdown when Outlook started sending me nasty-grams about my mailbox being over its size limit. Not only does it flash these insulting little warnings in the corner of the screen every minute or so, but it stops letting me send messages! And when you can't send email you can't get a darn thing done. So I was rendered useless at 3:30 on a Wednesday afternoon.

But there were only 40 messages in my inbox. No drafts. And I emptied my deleted items. So what gives? Sent mail. The only possible explanation - everything's piling up in my sent mail. And I am certainly not deleting that! You know what happens when you delete your sent mail? You can no longer CYA. Know what that is? Cover Your A**. And Lord knows that working with college students in a public educational institution requires all kinds of...coverage.

"This is why I have auto-archiving!" I wailed. I was a good kid and I did the right thing and I auto-archived like it was goin outta style but I'm getting the nasty-grams anyway and I can't do a darn thing and I've been rendered useless at 3:30 on a Wednesday afternoon!

Dagnabit.

So I call in the cavalry: The Tech Guy. But The Tech Guy didn't respond to my skype (cause that's how you get The Tech Guy, ya know. That, or set up a World of Warcraft character resembling you and e-wander into his neck of the magical forest to challenge him to a duel). So I went old-school and left The Tech Guy a voicemail.

After 30 minutes and a whole lot of gnashing-of-my-teeth, The Tech Guy arrives to find me sanitizing the office. Seriously - that's all I could do while rendered useless by that blasted sent mail. Three clicks later he surmises that my auto-archiving stopped. On November 20, 2009.

Well NO WONDER! That alone could have brought on the rapture.

So the Tech Guy rips open his shirt to reveal the super-hero insignia emblazoned on his chest and fixes it. He archives everything from November 20, 2009 to December 31, 2010. Roughly a year's worth of messages.

And then he showed me just how many messages there were. And I died a little inside. And then I felt the early-onset carpel tunnel which will surely be the end of me.

...
...
...
9490

Nine thousand, four hundred and ninety.

Just shy of ten-blessed-THOUSAND emails.

Lawsie mercy.

And I was out of the office for at least five weeks last year!

Though you may have started to doubt it, there was actually a point in my telling you this. If you are a loyal reader it means you are probably also my friend and, as such, send me emails from time to time. And you probably know that I am rotten about responding. My replies are day-late, dollar-short if they even come at all. I have guilt about this. It's not the kind of gal I want to be, but it just happens. And now I know why! By the time you send nine thousand, four hundred and ninety emails for work there's just not a whole lotta steam left to whip open the gmail when you get home. So from now on it's probably best to sent me a text.

Or Skype me.

Or set up a World of Warcraft character resembling you and e-wander into my neck of the magical
forest and plunk down on a toadstool.

Wait. Is World of Warcraft a card game? I'm pouring a glass of wine.

Resurrecting and Old Laptop (Jolicloud)

2011-05-24T08:22:00.000-07:00

As technology turns over making something you purchased last week obsolete you start looking for ways to get some more life out of the stuff you have. Here's a great way to resurrect an old laptop.

The Spects: HP Compaq nc6000, Intel 400Mhz Processor with 30GB hard drive and 512ram.

1) Download Jolicloud (http://www.jolicloud.com/download) and burn to disk. Jolicloud runs a modified version of Ubuntu which is great for nerds AND laypersons because not only does it work out of the box but you can open up terminal and start adding all sorts of fun features.

2) Stick the disk in and follow the instructions, you can leave a copy of windows but starting fresh and deleting everything is probably a better way to go here.

3) Make sure you go and setup an account at Jolicloud.com from your main computer. This will sync Jolicloud with all your computers and even the Jolicloud app on Chrome (have not found a use for it yet but seems like a nice feature). It's also how you log into the computer.

My experience: At first I thought Jolicloud would end up being way to limited for the tech work I usually do. The system started bogging down when I had more than one tab open. I was a little discouraged and I stuck the computer back on the shelf.

Then in a fit of genius I poked around online for some extra ram. I offered a guy $5 and said I'd pick it up. We met at Safeway and I slipped him the cash for the goods. Two screws, a metal plate and a click of the ram later I had 1GB of ram on the laptop and SHAZAM!! I have a fully functioning Linux computer that is easy to use for all my web work.

After about 4-5 days of regular use it's obvious anything more than a few tabs will bog the system down. As long as I stick to checking emails, writing lists or reading google reader, it runs quite well. So, get on with it, see what computers you can pull out of that closet! (And if you don't want it anymore, let me know.)

~Jim

YON Update: Takin' Care of Busines

2011-05-22T18:31:00.000-07:00

Things are getting done around here! That may be the hidden benefit of our prolonged rainy season. Lord knows there’s not much else good to be said about the winter that wouldn’t quit. We’re sufficiently soggy.

Progress on the Year of Nothing list:

3. 20th Anniversary Celebration. 2011 marks the 20th year that Brenda Lee and I have been BFFs. We told ourselves we'd celebrate on our 10th anniversary, and then we didn't. Our 15th came and went before we knew it, so now we need to go big for our 20th!

And “go big” we did! With husbands in tow, we spent the first week of April in sunny Puerta Vallarta. I highly recommend sunny vacations with your bestie. We played tennis, took up our share of space in the pool, enjoyed the local tequila, and attempted to eat our weight in avocado.

5. Organize & consolidate our finances. Between the two of us, we had a ridiculous snarl of accounts, cards, banks, investments, etc. It's time to bring order to the chaos.

Due primarily to my darling husband’s affinity for number-crunching, number 5 can be crossed off the list! Pre-consolidation we had eight or nine checking and savings accounts spread over four different institutions. Now we’re down to our online bank and the local credit union, and accounts that can be tallied on just one hand. The best part of the whole process? Getting to kick Chase Bank (and their constant solicitations, pushiness, and ridiculous fees) to the curb. We don’t miss them a bit!

13. Welcome Jimbo to adulthood. The Dish Fairy hits the big 3-0 this year, and continues to insist that birthdays are no big deal. I just can't tolerate that kind of attitude and will be mandating birthday hoopla.

Hoopla Accomplished! Like me and my Brenda Lee, Jim and his bestie Lucas were born 10 days apart. I guess guys don’t say “bestie” do they? “Brotha from anotha mutha”? Can I even say that? Certainly not without sounding ridiculous.

Anywho, these two are truly cut from the same cloth so it seemed only appropriate to celebrate their collective 60^th birthday (complete with His & His novelty shirts) together.

16. Take dance class. While Jim was away at school we often talked about what we'd do when we lived in the same zip code and this one came up over and over.

Checkity-check-check! We took a 10-week Social Dance class this winter, and even convinced our friends Dante & Jenn to join the fun. This is where we confirmed that Jim is the better dancer, and (while I can hold my own) I can’t foxtrot my way out of a paper bag.

To sum up: We danced our way into Jimbo's adulthood with tidy accounts and frequent flier miles to spare. I love the power of a good list!

Viral Videos and the spread of Horrible Music

2011-05-16T08:58:00.001-07:00

Let me lay out the timeline of events that leads to this very opinionated rant:

Viral Video by ARK Music Factory "Friday" showcases the 13-year-old Rebecca Black singing a very simple and down right horrible song written and produced by Clarence Jey and Patrice Wilson produced as a vanity release paid by her parents for $4000.
Video garnishes mass criticism and spreads like wildfire.
Everyone is tortured by the video at least once and I assume I am done dealing with such a poorly written and executed song.
A student posts a link to the Glee (the TV Show) video of "Friday" in the Oregon State Glee Facebook Page (Ugh)
I finally watch the Glee episode that includes "Friday" performed during Prom.
I see a post from a very musically talented undergraduate at St. Olaf who says he loves the song "Friday" and that it's "relevant to his life."
I Listen to MPR's midmorning and hear a story entitled "Songs about me: Narcissism in Popular Music" where she plays less than 10 seconds of "Friday" and says she can't listen to anymore. (Thank you Kerri Miller)

First of all, when does a 13-year-old singing about cereal and the days of the week in complete auto-tune ever become anything more than something to laugh and marval at? Have our musical expectations of Pop Culture dropped so low that a computer fabricated song garners more attention than musicians who spend their life perfecting their craft?

How about an 8-year old with talent - why hasn't this kid hit viral...even if you don't like banjo music you gotta appreciate these boys (fiddler is 12 and guitarist is 13)! Talk about someone working hard to make music.

The Midmorning discussion resonated with me because it's true. What we are force-fed through the Music Industry and Viral Videos tends to be narcissistic junk that although catchy really has little substance. I admit, the majority of the songs that I enjoy from pop culture are about relationship loss, longing or desire and are almost always in the "I" perspective. We seem to value this music that does nothing but get our toes tapping and feed our ego centric desire to hear about someone else feeling the same way we do all day long.

Of course the segment of the population that drives the popular culture are Teens and College students who are just coming into the ability of abstract thought. They follow the group mentality as if their life choices should be made by the masses and not through deliberate decisions.

There is nothing redeeming in the song "Friday" and I challenge anyone to prove me wrong. The world is full of junk like Friday but Glee has to go and jump on the band wagon insuring this piece of junk will stick in the repertoire and get covered by everyone and their mom. I want to believe there are musicians out there still writing popular music with good life lessons like my friend Nick and his Brave Chandeliers. (Shameless promotion)

I realize the Big Three (Universal, Sony and Warner) and viral videos will always choose that which is either controversial or straight up catchy but oh how I wish we could buck the trend. What if the Music that became popular and spread like wildfire through the internet had real substance? What if talent defined who won on American Idol? What if Glee did more live performances and focused on the rehearsal aspect and less on the performance?

It's all wishful thinking, I know. Heaven forbid that we get musically educated and realize the value of live music and it's power in the world. How about the positive life lessons that evolve from participation in a musical group? If you think uniting over a cause through facebook has worldly implications, what would happen in the middle east if you started choirs in every town?

We underestimate the power of music and when money comes short it's the first thing to go from personal budgets, churches and schools. We hunker down and hope and pray things get better. Then when things get really bad we turn to it for hope, for encouragement and something maybe a little bit deeper. You always hear the stories about the Alzheimer's patient who can't seem to remember anything but can sing an old him if prompted. The stroke victim who can't speak but can remember words to favorite songs.

On our death bed I doubt we will be singing a song about Friday and Partying. The people facing flood waters and devastation of their homes probably aren't sitting around singing Poker Face. We turn to songs with substance, with meaning. Something we clearly need more of in our culture of instant media streaming and viral videos. With so much popular music though coursing through the wires what happened to the old standards that everyone used to know?

Maybe we need more of the cheezy well crafted oldies...

Off to buy me a set of bagpipes and start arranging.

~Jim

YON Amendements

2011-05-09T14:48:00.000-07:00

No sooner than I clicked “Publish” on the Year of Nothing list did omissions come to light. Isn’t that always the way those things go? Because I like to keep things complete (and because, let’s face it, anything I don’t write down gets forgotten all together), are my YON amendments:

20. Go to the Farmer’s Market. An absolute necessity, right? The Farmer’s Market is one of the things I love best about Corvallis – they really do it right. We might live here for the rest of the year or the rest of our lives, but I’d hate to miss out on the market either way. And then there’s the deliciousness to consider…nom nom!

21. Welcome Baby Benaim. In keeping with the current trend among the ladies in my life, my darling Schmerin has a bun in the oven. And what a cute oven it is! She’s one of those gals who carries her pregnancy like she’s smuggling a basketball under her t-shirt.

22. Welcome Baby Lovely. That trend I was referring to? It’s no joke. Nikki-6 is sporting her own baby bump, due within a week of Miss Erin. I wonder if this will slow down her running, canoeing, biking, hiking, or DIY home improvements? Probably not!

So I'm updating the full YON list and charging ahead to enjoy each little item to the fullest!

Our Moms are Better Than Your Moms

2011-05-08T06:41:00.000-07:00

Or maybe we're just biased?

Either way, Jim and I hit the jackpot when it comes to moms (and mothers-in-law).

Happy Mother's Day to the matriarchs. Long may you rave!

MugRug: How Did I Live Without It?

2011-05-05T10:22:00.001-07:00

Do you know about MugRugs? Suddenly they're everywhere as those crafty gals who sew are whipping them up out of scrap fabric. As a birthday gift, I received my very own MugRug custom made by KnittyBitties.

Knowing that the rug would get the most use on my desk at work, I requested something appropriate to life in Beaver Nation. Isn't it cute?

Even the back is adorable! Though you can't tell from the photo, it's quilted too.

Now my water bottle (with its tendency to sweat) and my beloved Starbucks traveler have a nice tidy, spirited home on my desk.
This is not my first KnittyBitty creation. My magic apron, coffee coat, and beautiful table runner have all come out of the little ETSY shop that could. I love crafty items that are fun AND functional and this one hits it out of the park!

Happy Easter!

2011-04-23T20:44:00.000-07:00

10 Reasons....

2011-03-31T12:57:00.000-07:00

Why My Wife Rules.

'nuff said.

2. Lists. They even keep me in line...some of the time.

3. Her wardrobe is organized by color.

4. She rides a red scooter when it's nice outside.

5. She loves gerber daisies the best (yay for cheap flowers).

6. After a long day of work bringing home the bacon, she still enjoys cooking dinner. (Don't worry friends, I do the dishes!)

7. Laundry Fairy.

8. Sultry Alto Voice.

9. She lets me drive her to work in the jeep, even though there "isn't enough room for my stuff!"

10. And finally,

This is sugar. My wife's her mama. That makes her my "Sugar Mama." Oh ya.

Wedding Reception Photo Booth - BRILLIANT!

2011-03-24T18:13:00.000-07:00

At the risk of sounding incredibly Bridezilla-esque, I had one really awesome wedding planning idea. The best part is that it actually turned out as well (or better?!) than I'd imagined.

Behold the Photo Booth:
Okay, so it wasn't my own original idea...I saw it on the wedding blogs first...but I tweeked it my own way so I'm claiming it. The PB was a cheap way to liven up the reception and ensure fun candids of something other than cake-cutting.

In truth, it wasn't a booth. It was a wall. We found a big piece of red fabric at a discount warehouse in Minneapolis and taped it to the wall. We set up our own tripod and digital camera (since the last thing on my mind that day was snapping pictures) and took a few test shots to ensure the lighting was okay.

Behold the test shot:
I raided my costume bin and that of an equally well-provisioned friend, and then added about $14 of silly stuff from the party store.
I grabbed a couple cheap frames from Goodwill and spray-painted them black (ala Mrs. Lovely).
And tossed in a couple cheap dry-erase boards (lots of people were using chalkboards for this on the fancy wedding blogs).
But the best part comes to us from Her Royal Craftiness, Martha. Her Moustache-on-a-Stick idea (with a few modifications) won the day!

(This *may* have been their family holiday card)

We made the moustaches out of thin stiff felt (found at Michael's) and hot-glued them to small dowels (also found at Michaels).

Good times had by all! And these are going straight into the guestbook =)

Saved for last, my favorite PB shot:
If you've ever met my crazy step-dad this makes all kinds of sense. Sometimes I look at it just for a good laugh.

YON Progress Update: #12 Craft

2011-03-15T20:21:00.000-07:00

I made a little progress on the Year of Nothing list! Today I can report finishing two craft projects...both of which have been sitting patiently for quite some time.

First, a mini-book from my bridal shower way back in April. The girls started this little book for me as a shower gift, and I finally finished it up!

I added my copy of the invitation (since it was a work of art ala Erin).
To keep it simple, I printed photos and adhered them back-to-back to make their own pages.

We had shower games that were actually fun (who knew?!) and I saved them in a vellum envelope. It's pretty funny to read back over them, even now.

I saved a tag leftover from the favors. Needless to say, the M&M's didn't last...

When the girls started the book, they printed a bunch of these little fill-in-the-blank prompts. Each shower guest filled one out, documenting how long we've known each other, where we first met, their favorite memory of our friendship, and some relationship advice. I paired them up with photos of each gal.

And finally, I had one leftover thank-you note to include as well.
So...this project came to the finish line in just barely less than a year. Sheesh! The good thing about being behind on the project was the joy of reliving it over the last few days.

What took even longer (TWO years and 16 days to be exact) was finishing my Happy Book from the day we got engaged.

This one sat half-finished for over 18 months. Long enough that I even notice changes in my style from start to finish! Again, it was a fun trip through the special memories and I'm so HAPPY it's complete ;)

Year of Nothing?

2011-03-09T21:31:00.000-08:00

At the close of 2010: Year of Awesome, we determined that the new year should be 2011: Year of Nothing. Now that we've tried YON on for size I can safely say that I'm not cut out to do nothing. So it's really morphing into Year of Want To (as opposed to Have T0). Would anyone be surprised if I told you I made a list of all the Want To's?

In no particular order, I give you things I want to do (and a few things that just really need to get done):

Picnic. We received three different picnic kits as wedding gifts and they're all different. Clearly it's a sign that we should be dining al fresco. A lot!
Family Camping Trip. Nearly a year ago we promised my aunt and uncle that we'd help them break in their camper and boat. Sounds like tough duty, huh?
20th Anniversary Celebration. 2011 marks the 20th year that Brenda Lee and I have been BFFs. We told ourselves we'd celebrate on our 10th anniversary, and then we didn't. Our 15th came and went before we knew it, so now we need to go big for our 20th!
Close probate on Dad's estate. It's not fun, but I really want it finished.
Organize & consolidate our finances. Between the two of us, we had a ridiculous snarl of accounts, cards, banks, investments, etc. It's time to bring order to the chaos.
Remember how to read. Though I haven't regressed as far as illiteracy, my post-graduate school moratorium on reading has gone on too long. I downloaded the BBC Book List and will be reading my way through it. I'm not reading everything, though. The Hobbit is just creepy, and I'm the one person I know who doesn't like the Chronicles of Narnia. This is not a forced march so I'm skipping the weird stuff. My progress on the list will be a post for another time.
Spend time with my girls. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: friends don't get better than my girls. I don't want to turn in to one of those married ladies who doesn't spend time with the gals.
Get Dad out of the closet. We need to spread Dad's ashes this summer. I'm sure the office closet was not his first pick of final resting places. Everybody will be happier when we "out" him.
Golf. At least once with the Davidson fam.
Learn about home-buying. I have a LONG way to go in that particular realm. If I don't start educating myself now, our first home will be a retirement home!
Paint my nails a dark color and leave it for a week. I already confessed my inability to get past pale pink on my digits so this will be an interesting experiment. Just for funs.
Craft. Thanks to Year of Awesome, I'm more than a year behind on scrapbook and photo projects. Must make & do!
Welcome Jimbo to adulthood. The Dish Fairy hits the big 3-0 this year, and continues to insist that birthdays are no big deal. I just can't tolerate that kind of attitude and will be mandating birthday hoopla.
Play tennis. OSU's new courts are nearly finished and I'm about to forget which hand swings the racket.
Spend less time at the Vet. We're seven months into Sugar's epic food allergy investigation, and have had a few other mishaps along the way. I think we're finally making progress, and am hoping it won't be long before our disposable income goes to something besides hypoallergenic kibble and steroid injections.
Take dance class. While Jim was away at school we often talked about what we'd do when we lived in the same zip code and this one came up over and over.
Do something with the wedding photos. They are beautiful and precious and intimidating. I don't even know where to start with the framing and albuming and scrapbooking but I don't want them to gather dust in the closet with the golf clubs.
Figure out how to cook steak. As a recovering vegetarian, I'm really good with chicken and flummoxed by beef, pork, and a fair amount of fish.
Go to the coast. Even if it's just for a day of kite-flying.
Go to the Farmer’s Market. An absolute necessity, right? The Farmer’s Market is one of the things I love best about Corvallis – they really do it right. We might live here for the rest of the year or the rest of our lives, but I’d hate to miss out on the market either way. And then there’s the deliciousness to consider…nom nom!
Welcome Baby Benaim. In keeping with the current trend among the ladies in my life, my darling Schmerin has a bun in the oven. And what a cute oven it is! She’s one of those gals who carries her pregnancy like she’s smuggling a basketball under her t-shirt.
Welcome Baby Lovely. That trend I was referring to? It’s no joke. Nikki-6 is sporting her own baby bump, due within a week of Miss Erin. I wonder if this will slow down her running, canoeing, biking, hiking, or DIY home improvements? Probably not!

This list has been formulating for awhile, so I already have some progress to report. I'm relying on ya'll to keep me accountable!

This message was typed by fingers bedecked in Quarter of a Cent-Cherry.

Things I Cannot Do

2011-02-19T14:49:00.000-08:00

Beth and I have a lot of schtick. One of our best not-too-slapsticky bits:

N: "Know your role."
B: "Play to your strengths."

This exchange usually follows decisions about who's going to do what (or who should have the good sense to step aside to let the experts whip up the cocktails). Years into "knowing my role" and "playing to my strengths" I think I can also clearly sum up all the things I should never be called upon to do.

* sit through an episode of "Scrubs"

* foxtrot

* apply false lashes

* touch a picture of a snake

* tolerate a messy office

* roll my tongue

* drink Dr. Pepper

* remember a damn thing

* win a video game

* throw a ball without bringing shame on myself and my family

* paint my nails anything other than clear or pale pink

* calculus

* back a trailer

* pull an all-nighter

* confidently order in French

* remember the proper use of a colon vs. a semi-colon without referencing "Rules for Writers"

* label the countries on a map of Africa

I humbly submit these to our loyal readers in the event that we're ever faced with a Foxtrot-related emergency. However, should you need something color-coordinated and cross-referenced by zip code in time for the Happy Hour, do feel free to give me a jingle.

Monday Musings

2011-02-14T17:12:00.000-08:00

Lacking anything content-rich for the blog, I give you Monday Musings. Do with them what you will =)

* I like Michelle Obama - especially her JCrew cardigans.

* I've become one of those people who's ridiculous about their pet. I guess there's no going back so I'm just going to start owning up to it.

* I can't foxtrot worth a darn. Honestly, we just spent two weeks of our dance class on foxtrot, and it's already left my brain. I sure hope I'm never in a life-or-death dance off.

* You can have my blueberries 'cause I don't like them. You can have my blackberries, too.

* I'm ready for the OPB fund-drive to wrap up. I bet I'm not alone. I wish I had lots of money to give them so we could all get on with it.

* If I had lots of money, would my first stop be a public radio donation? I bet I'd buy a few JCrew cardigans first. Now I feel shallow.

* I just answered "What is Voice Over Internet Protocol, Alex" to Jeopardy and made my husband proud. I got a fist-bump.

* We rent. I'm itching to own a home the way that most women my age are itching to have a baby. I walk by new construction and coo things like "don't you just love the way they smell when they're brand new?"

* All my blog-worthy ideas come to me when I'm at work or falling asleep. You would think I'm a much better blogger if you were just rattling around in my head all the time. It's funny in here, I'm tellin ya.

* Did you ever notice that, right after you learn a new word, you hear it/see it frequently? The word "nascent" and I have been playing this game for about three weeks. I think my new subscription to TIME magazine is partially to blame.

* I like TIME magazine.

* I like Lady Gaga.

* I don't know how to reconcile the last two statements.

* I tried to make these for my valentine last night. Martha sure makes it look easier than it is. I think I'll just buy my ice-cream sandwiches from here on out.

Happy Birthday Mom!

2011-02-08T18:32:00.000-08:00

Today is my favorite Mom's birthday! I tried to be responsible and call her, but she was out having birthday fun and didn't answer her phone. So I'll leave my birthday greetings here on the blog and, sometime in the next week or two, she'll figure out that I didn't actually forget her on her special day. This kind of emotion is ripe for a made-for-TV movie.

Reasons my mom is rad (in no particular order):
* Single-handedly keeping the Post-It company in the black.
* Has an iPod loaded with classical music.
* Her philosophy on aging: "Every decade is better than the last."
* Frequently walks into a room, forgets why she's there, and wanders out again. Doesn't seem bothered by this.
* Will try anything. We taught her "Just Dance" on the Wii at Christmas and she showed us all up.
* Strategically places chapsticks in places where she needs them. At last count there were 14 chapsticks placed around the house and car.
* Cooks the tastiest healthiest tastiest food. Nom nom!
* Has an impeccable list-keeping system for everything but misplaces the list...
* Let's me win Scrabble every few years.
* Plays trombone like it's her job. I have yet to see her meet her equal.
* Her philosophy on parenting: "Let's just sit back and watch her and see what she does."
* Sings everything in solfege. EVERTHING.
* Is in better shape than I am, and probably always will be.
* Rides the bus because she thinks it's fun to figure out the best home-aerobics-Albertsons-home route.
* Doesn't sweat the small stuff.

I could go on and on, but I have to go to dance class (where I am failing miserably at Foxtrot, but having a lovely time doing it).

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOM!!! Love you =)

The Great Christmas Letter War

2011-01-27T18:49:00.000-08:00

Like so many others, my parents (mom & step-dad) send a Christmas letter. In addition to newsy tidbits about their hiking, gardening, and tromboning, there are updates on the kids - myself and my step-brother, Ben.

Let me give you a little context: when our parents married, Ben was 21 and I was 12, so we didn't "grow up together" the way other siblings do. Ben came home from college in the summers, but we never had the share-a-room-fight-over-the-phone-hair-pulling kind of sibling relationship. We like each other, we like to spend time together. We're cool. In fact, I admire him because he's a really awesome person. No spats. No rivalry. No nonsense.

Here's the problem: Ben's exceedingly proud papa is the author of the family Christmas letter. And it shows. Anyone reading the letter gets all kinds of updates on all the ways Ben is overachieving and/or saving the world this year.

Ben bought the most beautiful historic home.

Ben is restoring that beautiful historic home himself. Impeccably.

Ben is the President of a fancy community organization.

Ben gives trombone recitals to benefit aforementioned organization. No one has ever played more beautifully.

Ben hiked here and there. More miles than anyone's ever hiked before.

Ben summited Mt. Rainier. Uphill both ways in the snow. WITH MONO.

Ben qualified for the Boston Marathon. They will surely award him a key to the city.

Ben negotiated peace in the middle east.

Ben single-handedly found a cure for cancer. On his lunch break.

Ben walks on water.

Ben is better than Jesus.

And Nicole? Oh...right...yes, she's there too. If I'm lucky, I get three lines about how I'm still related to them. Sometimes my information isn't even accurate! One year the letter said I work for the University of Oregon. THE HORROR!

Needless to say, the annual Christmas Letter Disparity has been a hot-button issue for this unsung youngest child. Last year I finally pointed it out to Ben, who found it hilarious and not at all problematic! Punk. He even hassles me about it. "I'm gonna take the trash out - betcha it'll be in the Christmas letter!" Har-dee-har-har.

In March, everybody was gathered at our parent's house, and the wine had been flowing over dinner. Ben passed the salt and his wife muttered under her breath about how that would probably be in the Christmas letter, and that was the end of it. I took the opportunity to call our parent's attention to the epic inequity to which I'd been subjected. I politely pointed out that I would be getting married this year and maybe - just maybe - that would give me equal billing in the Christmas letter. I also reminded them that I was marrying a fellow named JIM. A little accuracy, people.

And then, in December, the dreaded Family Christmas Letter arrived.

Just unfolding the letter put me into fits of laughter. Most of the letter is written in teensy-weensy 8 pt. font. But Nicole's update? 24 pt for the win!

And my paragraph came before Ben's.

And my paragraph was totally 100% accurate.

And I have never loved or savored the Family Christmas Letter more. This sucker will be immortalized in my scrapbook: The Year I Won the Christmas Letter War.

I claim this victory in the name of the underrepresented siblings of the world! We shall overcome!

Love,
NICOLE

P.S. Later I discovered how this miraculous missive came to be. My Mom wrote the letter this year.

P.P.S. I also found out that I was the only one who got the special large-type format. But I'm okay with that. I put it on the internet so it will live on forever.

P.P.P.S. This will surely be my first and last victory in the Christmas Letter War. Ben got a new job this year. And he's running the Boston Marathon. And he's probably on the short list for a Nobel Prize.

Really?!? Really Verizon?!?! (WARNING: NERD CONTENT!)

2011-01-13T20:18:00.000-08:00

"iPhone. The phone that changed everything. Coming to America's most reliable network." - Directly from VerizonWireless.com

Really?!? Really?!? Sucks that it changed everything WITHOUT you and now...well, it might help your bottom line but you have to change your whole business model just to make it work. Really?

5 Reasons that Verizon (although a more robust network than AT&T) sucks.

1. Verizon forces all it's own firmware on phones they release. They want you to pay them for EVERYTHING. It costs $2 for visual voicemail! There is an audio file somewhere waiting for its recipient to listen to it...why can't they just digitally download it and store it on the phone so it could be listened to that person wants and in the order that person wants? Why should you have to go through the voicemail system just to hear your message when it's all digital anyway? OH I see, cause you can just tack on extra charges for data that the person ALREADY PAYS FOR! I am sure that Verizon will make its iPhone users do the same as Android Users. At least Apple forced Verizon's hand at letting them control the firmware.

2. The greatest thing about my iPhone 3G is the Data. I can look at the maps, get a website, check my mail, calendar, etc. no matter what. Why do I want a phone that cuts off the Data when I answer a call? So when I'm lost, trying to find my way I can't just put them on speaker phone and look at the map? Totally negates the iPhone in my book.

3. GSM....It's a worldwide network so my phone works just about everywhere. Why would I want a phone that I can't use when I travel places? (Sure it costs me an arm and a leg to use but hey, IT WORKS!!). All you nerds out there probably will point out that CMDA really is a more powerful and solid network that works better in America over the great distances and space we have. GSM does lack in that manner but hey...I'll take some drop calls for an international standard, especially with the rate of growth of all the networks towers.

4. Shutting down your "New Every Two" days before the iPhone comes out? One of the greatest thing about Verizon was your ability to be rewarded for bellying up to the bar and renewing your 2 year contract and getting a new phone at reduced rates. Really? And you don't even mention it in your FAQ section or anywhere on your "New Every Two" information site.

5. 3G. The term is viral and does anybody really know what it means? It seems interesting that Verizon put out their version of 3G in 2003 which really was CMDA2000 1x EV-DO. I remember seeing the 1x on my Verizon phones knowing I was digital. But when AT&T put out a True 3G network, suddenly Verizon had to start calling it's digital network 3G too just to compete mostly because the world doesn't understand any of the technical mumbo jumbo. Odd that one of the first lines in the Wiki article on 3G states that the IMT-2000 standard states that 3G has to be able to simultaneously transfer voice and data with rates at least of 200kbit/s. See 2 above.

Really people. Verizon's iPhone will draw some people away from AT&T (which I say good riddance, gives me faster data rates) and will get Apple another round of new users. But it does nothing (accept potentially releasing iOS4.3 with tethering capabilities and all the drama that will bring). Oh wait, the net neutrality rules don't apply to Mobile networks so soon Data will be parsed out based on what you visit and Verizon I am confident will figure out ways to charge you extra to get access to just about anything beyond their own services.

Rant is done. Enjoy your new iPhone 4 and it's lack of functionality on America's most reliable and expensive network. I'll stick with my old iPhone 3G on AT&T's crummy little network which I don't pay an arm and a leg for...yet.

~jim

2010: Year of Awesome

2011-01-02T20:28:00.001-08:00

Late in 2009 we looked ahead to the excitement of 2010 and dubbed it the "Year of Awesome." It definitely turned out that way, but more in keeping with the larger-than-life definition. I'm jumping on the retrospective bandwagon to take a look back at my biggest year yet.

Rang in 2010 with my Bestie. This is the only photo we managed to take.

January
Dog-sat "The Ladies" for my brother & sister-in-law (thus confirming that my life was dog-ready).

February
Spent a very snowy Valentine's Day in Minnesota (I like the juxtaposition of toting the tool-bag and guitar...)Said goodbye to my Dad.

March
Put Dad's estate into probate on my 32nd birthday.
BFF 4 in Minnesota with my grad school pals (including a suprise baby shower for Jill, and a surprise bachelorette party for me!)

One of my favorite little people turned 1.

April
Super-duper extra-fun bridal shower thrown by my best gals.

May
Jaunt to Minnesota for Jim's final concert.

Made my final trip to Minnesota for the express and joyful purpose of bringing Jimbo home.

June
Jimbo & I drive the U-Haul halfway across the country. Felt super grateful that he hadn't gone to school on the east coast.

Purchase our graduation/wedding/surviving-two-years-apart presents to each other. Meep meep!

I zip off to "work" in Hawaii while Jim & Tim drive to Montana to bring home our newest family member, Sugar.

July
Celebrated the 4th of July at the Thompson Compound for the umpteenth year in a row. Confirmed Sugar's fear of fireworks.

Enjoyed a Couple's Shower hosted by dear family & friends. (Yay for a blender that actually crushes ice!)

August
Take a "just us" day three days prior to the wedding to introduce Sugar to the coast. She puts on her party face.

Rehearsal Dinner & Treena's Birthday

Best Day Ever!
Honeymoon!

Sugar's first birthday (complete with Pupcakes ala Mimi!)

September
State Fair with another of my favorite little people (who shares my passion for soft-serve).
October
Saying goodbye to my Grandpa Vic.

Choir tour to Boston
Rad Halloween costumes

November
Said goodbye to Jim's Aunt Judy.

Super-relaxing Thanksgiving at the Coast with the Davidson's. So relaxing, in fact, that we couldn't be bothered to photograph it.

December
Celebrated a white Christmas with the Kent-Luety family in Montana.

With all that behind us I look forward to 2011, dubbed "Year of Nothing" cause we don't need a darn thing to happen. Regular everyday life suits us just fine.

Wishing you a very happy Year of Whatever-You-Want-It-To-Be!

Fluff & Fudge

2010-12-18T12:17:00.000-08:00

In September, my friend Megan married a charming man named Chris...
...and promptly moved to Rhode Island! Apparently it's a pretty big transition for a German farm-girl from Oregon to move in with a good Italian guy from Westerly. Megan's stories about life on the east coast have been entertaining and laden with references to lamé and leopard-print.

This week I received a surprise package from Little Italy's newest resident - full of items she considers distinctively Rhode Island.
Tasty Italian biscuits:

Coffee Syrup:
Apparently the coffee situation has been the toughest part of the transition. "Regular" coffee automatically comes with cream and sugar, and a strong black cup can't be found. But this coffee syrup is a hot ticket! Megan says it's used the way we Left Coasters use our chocolate syrup - mixed in milk. So, rather than dashing some milk into your coffee, folks add coffee syrup to their milk...go figure.

And finally, Fluff:
"Fluff & Butter" sandwiches are made by smearing this marshmallow goo and Peanut Butter on your bread. Health food it ain't.

While I loved the novelty of these little treats, Megan couldn't have known how perfectly timed her gift of Fluff would be. Marshmallow creme is an essential ingredient in my Dad's (practically famous) fudge recipe, which I was planning to make this weekend. As I whipped up a batch of fudge today I was awash in the nostalgia that process and those smells bring to me. As this is my first Christmas to make it without my Dad, that Fluff was probably the nicest gift I could have received.

The jury's still out on the Coffee Syrup.

Mary's Peak

2010-12-12T15:19:00.000-08:00

Today, Sugar and I went on our first Adventure together. Being that it was a beautiful December day...60 degrees with a light drizzle...we headed out to Mary's Peak to explore what we might find. Not knowing what to expect, seeing that neither Sugar or I had ever been to Mary's Peak, we packed up all the necessities; Hi-lift Jack, Shovel, Ax, Flashlight, Dog Toys (including the chuck-it and squirrel), water for Sugar, water and snacks for Jim, camera, gloves and a pocket knife.

This of course would be the first chance to get the Jeep into any mud. Sugar was incredibly excited to see how the Rubicon would fare knowing there was a good chance there might be a trail or two up on the mountain. We loaded up and headed out stopping to top off the gas tank before heading the short 15+ miles to Mary's Peak Road. According to internet research it looked like the road would be left open all winter accept the short access to the very top.

Sure enough we found ourselves winding up OR34 till we reached Mary's Peak Road. We were a little let down when (in contrast to the signs) the road was in good condition and fully paved. We wound ourselves to a high point and parked in a parking lot. Finding a trail to walk we ended up in a rather dumpy area where clearly people had enjoyed shooting their guns a little too much. The ground was riddled with remanence of TV's and propane tanks, plastic and metal objects that could no longer be identified and a slew of shells from 22's to shot guns. Regardless Sugar bounded up a gravel pile to the top and raced down a sheer face before I could even reach the top. Being concerned she might take off somewhere I couldn't see, I called her, trying to make my way back down quickly only to find that she had raced back up the sheer face and tried to meet me at the top from which I had previously called her. Crazy girl.

We headed back to the Jeep excited to head back down and explore some of the dirt trails we had noticed on our way up. We came upon a little gravel road that lead us to an even more exciting trail. The trail drove straight up one of the hills and lead us to a series of moguls that many a 4x4 before had clearly attempted to mount. About 50' above was a 60 degree rock face that posed a clear and exciting obstacle. We hit the moguls in 4 high and rocked about as we made our way up, spinning a few tires here and there. Putting it in 4 low we bounded over the second series of moguls with incredible ease.

Sugar was excited at this point so we jumped out and checked things out. She headed up the trail looking at where we might go and pointed out that this might be a little more than we had intended to find. Sure, with a friend or another rig along this would be easily surmounted but we decided to shy off and put the Jeep to the test later. Today was just exploring.

We backed our way back down the trail and headed back to the road to see what else we might find. About a mile back we found a clearly well used path off the road and bounced over puddles and through the trees till we came to a little clearing obviously used regularly for camping. Off to one side of the trail was a very small mound that had been driven over many a time leaving decent moguls that would cause anything smaller than a truck to get stuck.

We popped it back into 4 High and bounded up and over the mound with ease, spinning the tires a little as you clearly could feel the jeep teater on two wheels! Sugar was a little let down that it was that easy so we spun around for another go, pulling out all the stops. 4 Wheel Low, Anti-Sway Bar disconnected, finger on the locker button. We crawled over the little obstacle and reached the point where we had teatered on two wheels previously. The rear end spun a little so I hit the locker locking the rear end and rolling with ease once again over the hill.

A little let down at how easy it really is to get over anything in this jeep, we rolled back to the highest point and jumped out to snag some pictures. That anti-sway bar disconnect is awesome. It really does increase the travel drastically.

Even with two tires almost completely jammed into the wheel wells and the other two barely making contact with the ground this Jeep holds its own and then some. I can't wait to truly find a real trail to test it out on.

We made it home and I was quite embarrassed at how little mud we had managed to fling on the Jeep. For a lazy Sunday afternoon Adventure, we did ok though. Sugar, the Jeep and I did get muddy and had a little fun doing it. Sadly it was too foggy to get any pictures of the view but I think we had some fun. Sugar agrees and is now sleeping soundly on her pillow getting ready for the next big adventure.

'Nuff Said.

2010-11-18T14:29:00.001-08:00

...Gone Tomorrow!

2010-11-16T07:33:00.001-08:00

Here's the new hair - 6 inches were left on the cutting room floor Saturday morning. My original plan (and the reason I was growing my hair out for nearly four years) was to donate to Locks-of-Love. Sadly, I didn't check my facts closely enough. When I read that colored hair could be donated I figured I was fine. The fine print says that bleached hair (as in my pre-wedding hilight job) was not accepted. BLAST! So, I have to admit that vanity trumped charity and my unacceptably hilighted hair was swept up into the trash. I think Locks-of-Love should issue those "I tried" stickers like you get for donating blood...

Hair Today

2010-11-11T08:18:00.000-08:00

This is my hair today. It won't be gone tomorrow, but...maybe Saturday!

Reoccurring Theme

2010-11-05T09:03:00.000-07:00

There seems to be a reoccurring theme in my life that is mimicked by an abundance of specific photos in my iPhoto library.
My life has become centered around one specific, very cute and cuddly white lab we like to call Sugar.
She sneaks into pictures regularly.
Or sometimes intentionally.
She loves the tall grass.
And has a propensity to lose her orange chuck-it ball.
She enjoys chewing things...especially birthday hats her parents made her wear.
She loves going to visit her Grandparents and pestering Tommie Thomas.

She wears a cute turquoise rain jacket when it gets wet.

Bottom line we have the cutest dog in the world and thought you should know. She has stolen my heart to the point I even put up with her "thwap thwap thwap" at all hours of the night hinting that she might need to go out. Yes, she flaps her ears to make just the right amount of noise to rouse you from sleep and then stares at you from the edge of the bed, waiting for someone to stir. If she wasn't so darn good it would be easy to get mad at her but all you have to do is take one look at her and your heart melts again. Welcome to my life.

(Thank you EricJohn for getting us some prints early of our pictures and I of course must mention the reason we have the best dog ever is that Sandy and Dean trained her and loved her for the first 6 months of her life. WindRiver Tails & Trails is the best boarding, daycare and training center in Missoula so if you live there, go check them out!)

~Jim

Halloween!

2010-11-02T18:05:00.000-07:00

We were invited to a Halloween party at Jessie & Tim's house on Saturday night. As we were brainstorming costume ideas, Jim had a stroke of genius. After picking up a baby Ella at the Goodwill and printing out a paper iPad, we were all set to masquerade around as Jessie & Tim!
Jim was extra-committed to a realistic portrayal of our friends - he shaved his head. We had a great time and a few people even mistook us for our doppelgangers from across the room!

Thank you, Jessie & Tim, for being good sports =)

Willamette Valley Wedding Planning Yays & Nays

2010-10-25T19:22:00.000-07:00

We had the luxury of spending 18 months planning our August 2010 wedding. Nearly all the vendors and service providers we ended up using were great and I thought it would be worth passing along the Yea's (and a Nay) to others planning a wedding in the Willamette Valley.

First the Yea's!
Attire:
I bought my first dress on a GREAT sale at Bridal Gallery in Salem. It's a nice shop, and the employees were friendly and helpful. Their big sale took place in November (the weekend prior to Thanksgiving?) and everything on the rack was 50% off. Sadly, I realized later that I'd purchased the wrong dress for me, but that had nothing to do with the service or experience at Bridal Gallery.

My second dress - THE dress - came from Charlotte's Weddings and More in Beaverton. This was a really nice shopping experience. You get your own large dressing room, furnished with a big mirror and comfy chairs for your crew. Take photos and ideas of what you like and let the Bridal Consultants pick dresses for you! SO much nicer than sifting through crowded racks of dresses in plastic bags. Ordering my dress was easy, and it came earlier than they'd predicted. It was also reasonably priced.

We got Jim some pretty rad unconventional tux shoes at Men's Wearhouse in Beaverton. These were a big hit, and are getting some play on his conducting gigs.

Alterations:
I used Specialty Sewing by Leslie in Corvallis. Leslie came highly recommended, and I can see why. She was friendly and easy to work with. Her cost was very reasonable considering the delicate work she was doing. The best part? She also steamed my dress for only $45! The cleaners would have charged at least $100.

Fabric:
We ordered fabric for bridesmaid dresses from Fashion Fabrics Club. Turned out great!

I made my own birdcage veil, and had a hard time finding the special Russian Netting required. I finally found it (in white, cream, and black) at the Mill End Store in Milwaukie. Later I discovered that I could have ordered it (in every color imaginable) on Etsy.

Jeweler:
For over 30 years, Jim's family has been using Packouz Jewelers in Portland so there wasn't really a question about where he'd go for my ring. They helped him design a totally unique ring (all via email and phone because he was living in Minnesota at the time!) incorporating stones from both of our families. They also created an incredible necklace for me using a piece of costume jewelry that belonged to my grandmother. Jim's wedding ring actually belonged to his dad, and had seen a lot of wear and tear. Packouz cleaned it up to look like new! Our friends Mason & Greta tied the knot about three weeks before we did, and they are also sporting beautiful unique rings from Packouz.

Spa & Salon:
My girls and I spent the day before the wedding at Phiz Spa in Salem and had the best time! All our services (manicures, pedicures, waxing and airbrush tanning) were great, and the atmosphere made it such a fun place to spend the day. Online booking (through the website) is super convenient, and you receive a discount for multiple services.

Shelly Gritton at Salon Gorgeous has been my go-to gal since college so there wasn't a question who would do my hair for the big day. She did a wonderful job, and one of her colleagues did updo's for some of the girls. They basically let the six of us swoop in and take over the place - even using their mirrors and good lighting to do our makeup. They made it really fun for us!

Photography:
When I saw the photos from Beth & Adam's wedding six years ago, I knew I wanted Eric John to be my wedding photographer! (Nevermind that I didn't even know who I'd be marrying...). We acted fast, and booked Eric over a year in advance. This is especially important if your wedding will take place during senior picture season (late summer/early fall) as he books up fast. His work is gorgeous, and I really liked the way he's able to capture moments and emotions with his photo-journalistic style. Though we were thrifty on most aspects of the wedding, this was our splurge. The only downside (if you can call it that) to hiring Eric is WAITING for the final product. We were told to expect a wait of 8-12 weeks. It's week 10. Still waiting...

Venues:
Our rehearsal dinner was a casual BBQ at Rudy's at Salem Golf Club. Their outdoor BBQ area is a bit rustic, but they make it work really well. We were able to have a full bar as well as a catered menu. The best part was proximity to a really nice lawn where we played bocce ball and let the kiddos run around.

St. Paul's Episcopal Church was the venue for our ceremony. Since this is our home church we didn't shop around for other options. However, I think it's worth mentioning for anyone looking for a nice traditional church setting! The church provides a facilitator who met with us ahead of time, organized the delivery and set up of our flowers, and was on hand on the wedding day to help with all sorts of details. The organist is pretty awesome too =)

Willamette University's CAT Cavern was our reception venue. We got a nice discount as alums, but it's available for anyone to rent. We liked the fact that tables, chairs, dancefloor (and all the set up) were part of the package price. Using any of Willamette's facilities does obligate you to use their caterer, Bon Apetit. This wasn't a problem for us, but might be a deal-breaker if your heart was already set on a different caterer.

Wine:
Because it is a favorite of my family (and perfect for the occasion!) we made a special effort to bring in Amity Vineyards' Wedding Dance Reisling. It's a wine that we love, and it's affordable too (especially when purchased in quantity directly from their winery in Amity).

Paper Goods & Printing:
We wanted to send save-the-date photo cards around the holidays and ended up ordering them through Costco. They have quite a few templates available, but we ended up designing our own and uploading it with their blank template. The cards were fairly large (5x7) and came with high quality envelopes. Total cost? 32 cents each!!

I knew I wanted pocketfolds for our invitations, but was horrifed to see the $2/each pricetag. Some searching produced Paper & More where I found the same pocketfolds for 79 cents each! In addition to the great price, their shipping cost was reasonable, and the product was very high quality.

For printing invitation components, we found Northwest Graphic Imaging in Corvallis. When the cute office beagle greeted me at the door, I knew it would be good. We were on a really tight timeline, and they did great color printing on the paper we provided. I know they would have done more (found special paper, cut the pieces to size) but they were also great about doing the basics to help us stay in our budget.

Sparklers:
At the last minute I decided I HAD to have a sparkler send-off. We ordered 20" white sparklers from Sparklers Online. I knew I was taking a risk ordering 10 days before the wedding, but they made it with three days to spare. They were awesome! It was so fun for everyone and it made for some great photos too!

Thankfully, there is really only one NAY. It's nicer to focus on all the friendly, helpful, high-quality YAYs anyway.
Nay to Olson's Floral in Salem. We had quite an ordeal with them (an hour before photos started) and it was the only stress of the wedding day. To their credit, they eventually refunded our money for the ruined items, but that also required an ordeal. Just go somewhere else!

Happy Planning!

Hello Fall

2010-10-23T14:53:00.000-07:00

It really started feeling like fall around here today and we had an entire blissful Saturday with nothing on the schedule! Time to light the BIG candle and get cozy.

I baked Old Fashioned Soft Pumpkin Cookies for a Pumpkin-Carving Party tomorrow.

These are DELISH. I recommend doubling the batch to use an entire 15 oz. can of pumpkin. Unless you have a good use for half a can of leftover pumpkin...

And for dinner, we had Southwest Chicken Soup ala Beth:

Ingredients:
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 Tbsp. canola or olive oil
- 1 1/2 pounds chicken tenders cut into bite-size pieces
- 5-6 cups chicken broth
- 1 small red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
- 1 medium zuchhini, chunked
- 1 tsp. chili powder
- 1 tsp. dried ground cumin
- 1 tsp. dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 2 cups corn, frozen
- 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup fresh salsa
- 1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Instructions:
1) In a large soup pot over medium heat, put in the oil and heat to sizzle. Add the onions and the garlic. Cook on medium heat to soften for 5-10 minutes.

2) Add chicken to onion mixture and cook until brown.

3)Add chicken broth, pepper, zucchini, chili powder, cumin, oregano, and salt. Cover and cook on medium-low heat for 10 minutes.

4) Add in corn, beans and salsa and simmer covered, until flavors are blended and chicken is fully cooked.

5) Stir in cilantro and remove from heat.

6) Serve with corn tortilla chips, sour cream (or plain yogurt), grated cheese, and lime wedges. NUM! It freezes well, too.

Happy Birthday Sugar!

2010-08-22T19:51:00.000-07:00

18 years ago today my Mom and Freddo tied the knot. Happy Anniversary!
(Incidentally, I'm fresh out of digital pictures from 18 years ago so this one from two weeks ago will have to do!)

A year ago today, we celebrated the very special wedding of our dear friends Nikki & Henry. Happy FIRST Anniversary to you!
Though we didn't know it at the time, our sweet girl Sugar was being born that same day. Today Sugar turns ONE!
(and she's thrilled about the party hat commemorating the occasion).

We've been lazing around Kauai all week and finally rolled into town to reclaim our pooch late last night. Thank goodness for Mimi who, in addition to taking care of Sugar all week long, also made her a special birthday treat - PupCakes!
Those are dog-food "sprinkles" on top - they think of everything. We decided this wasn't the year to train her to blow out candles.

Being a dainty and refined young lady, Sugar swiped the whole thing in one bite...
...and ran it out to the backyard (where all edible treasures are taken to be devoured).

Mmm, PupCake! Nom, nom, nom!

With her PupCake polished off, Sugar's patience with her party hat wore a little thin.

Happy Birthday, Sugar!! We look forward to dressing you up in silly outfits and feeding you novelty baked goods for years to come =)

Oh Neglected Blog (Wait Till You Hear Our Excuse...)

2010-08-13T11:42:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends, Family and former loyal blog readers,

We moved Jim. Unpacked Jim. Got a dog. Reorganized Nicole's house. Finished Planning the Wedding. Delegated the Wedding. Had the Wedding and said I DO! (Actually I think it was "Absolutely" and "Most Definitely"). It's official: We're Married!!

For everyone involved, thank you for making it the perfect day. We couldn't have asked for anything more. The outpouring of love and support was more than we ever could have expected, and was truly humbling. Now that life might settle down a bit, there will be lots of blogging, including an overhaul of the blog in the next months. So add us back to your reader, check in regularly, and we promise not to disappoint.

In the meantime, we're sending you a warm Aloha from Kauai!

PS - BIG thanks to our friend/shutterbug Tim Adams for getting some great wedding images (including the one above) to us so quickly!

Holy Whirlwind, Batman

2010-06-15T07:17:00.000-07:00

I guess it's official: we fell off the face of the earth. Back-to-back "where are you?" phonecalls from my mother, and some cheeky little comments to the effect of "quit snogging and start blogging" confirm it.

In all honesty, we're not ignoring you! We've been just the teensiest bit busy. Here's the rundown:

Sunday, May 30th:
- Nicole sings two jazz services, skips the last postlude to jump in the car and race to the airport. Flies to Minnesota FOR THE LAST TIME.
- Nicole & Jim stage the classic greeting-your-long-lost-love-at-the-airport scene (which we gave perfected) FOR THE LAST TIME.
- One last adult beverage with our dear friends Bekah & Matthew
- Jimbo's apartment is consolidated into a 5x8 cube painstakingly arranged to fit perfectly in the 5x8 U-Haul trailer
- We arrive home at 11pm and give the apartment one last cleaning

Monday, May 31st:
- Up early to queue at U-Haul with the rest of the college students in the Twin Cities.
- Friends arrive to help with the loading
- Collective cursing of the three flights of stairs to Jim's apartment
- Sad goodbyes with our Minnesota friends
- by 10:45am we are loaded and road-ready. Nicole's total time in St. Paul was 12 hours and 15 minutes.

- Drive 11 hours. Comment extensively on the blandness that is North Dakota.
- Stop for the night in Miles City, Montana. Had a nightcap at the Gold Dust Saloon & Casino. Classy joint.

Tuesday, June 1st:
- Drive 8 hours across Montana. Let the record reflect that Nicole drove (and even successfully parked!) the truck and trailer. Pop would be way proud.
- Saw two funnel clouds
- Played "Bury the Cows" with moderate success.
- Dinner with Mom & Fred. Ahhh...real food.

Wednesday, June 2nd:
- Drove out to Florence to visit Sandy & Dean (Nicole's Aunt & Uncle) and picked up Miss Sugar for a playdate.
- Visited Sugar's home-away-from-home, Tails & Trails
- Taught Sugar to fetch...with moderate success.
- Visited Shirley & Vic (Nicole's "grandparents")
- Drove 3 hours to Ben & Treena's in Spokane
- Proceeded directly to Benedito's for pizza and beer. Did not pass go. Did not collect $200.
- Enjoyed the evening with the fam and the brown dogs.

Thursday, June 3rd:
- Up and on the road. Drove 7 hours to Portland.
- Stopped for hugs from Jim's parents
- Drive another hour to Salem
- Dinner with the Adams' and admiration of Ella's new "walking" skills
- Choir rehearsal (with cheers and applause at Jim's arrival!)
- Drive one last hour to Corvallis.
- Collapse

Friday, June 4th:
- Up early to unload the UHaul
- Created a giant mess in the spare room
- I abandoned Jim with his pile to go back to work

Saturday, June 5th:
- Up early to drive to Salem
- Quick coffee date with Jim's best friend Ryan and his boys
- Meeting with the wedding coordinator at Willamette
- Errands at Target
- Three and a half hour jazz rehearsal
- Welcome home party for Jim at the Best Little Roadhouse

Sunday, June 6th:
- Up early to drive to Salem
- One big fancy church service in honor of the Bishop's visit
- Picking out a dog bed at Costco
- Back to church for an Evensong service and our quartet's jazz concert
- Dinner with Jim's family at Rudy's

Monday, June 7th:
- Nicole goes to work and Jim commences the settling in
- Grocery store
- Errands
- Jim heads to Portland for a little family time

Tuesday, June 8th:
- Jim goes to the allergist to confirm what we already knew: he's allergic to everything. And especially grass seed. Did you know that Corvallis is smack in the middle of the Grass Seed Capitol of the World? Jim started the heavy-duty allergy injection therapy.
- Baskin Robbins for Dante's 31st Birthday
- Explaining the "31 Flavors" thing to Dante
- More unpacking...
- Wedding invitation assembly

Wednesday, June 9th:
- More work
- Meeting with the facilities coordinator and caterer for the wedding
- Pre-marital counseling session
- Dinner with Dante & Jenn

Thursday, June 10th:
- Lunch with Kate in honor of her last day as our Graduate Assistant
- Reception at WOU honoring our friend Karen's big fancy national award!
- End-of-the-year choir party (and hand-delivering the first batch of wedding invitations)

Friday, June 11th:
- College of Pharmacy graduation ceremony! My Favorite Student of All Time gets her Pharm.D.
- Jim and I interview graduates for a video I'm hoping to create for our orientation program
- Dr. Amanda comes over for dinner and is officially adopted into our family.
- We decide to put Amanda's car on Craigslist (Jim offered to help her sell it).
- Bocce Ball
- Responding to the nine quick inquiries on the car
- Rushing to the car wash to clean and vacuum the car in the near-dusk

Saturday, June 12th:
- Waffles with our new waffle iron!
- Jim and Amanda take the car for an alignment and run other errands
- We pile in the truck and drive to Albany to look at scooters
- Jim and I purchase our wedding/graduation/long-distance survival gifts to each other
-I picked out a sweet helmet, too. The front slides up and down depending on how I want to rock the Storm Trooper look.
- Load the scooters into the truck and drive to Salem
- Unload the scooters at Lucas' garage for a little temporary storage
- Drive to IKEA to meet the first potential car-buyer
- Buyer test-drives, haggles excessively (thank GOODNESS Jimbo was handling that one...) and eventually agrees to buy Amanda's car for the full asking price! Much celebrating!
- Long decision-laden tour of IKEA (with Dr. Amanda in tow) as we pick out a new mattress, and a huge shelving unit for the living room
- Pause for some swedish meatballs
- Load the truck and head to Lake Oswego
- Pick up dinner for Jim's family
- Say goodbye to Dr. Amanda. We won't see her again before she moves to South Carolina =(
- Quick visit with family friends

Sunday, June 13th:
- Coffee at Beth & Adam's
- Back to IKEA for the cabinet we decided we need after all
- Runs to Home Goods, Target, and Bed, Bath & Beyond for all those little things necessary for consolidating our households in some kind of organized manner.
- Setting up our new mattress and wrangling the allergy barrier around it
- Moving the old bed to storage
- Jim assembles the huge shelving unit, the new cabinet, and another storage cabinet for the bathroom.
- Remove and rehang the existing medicine cabinet to accommodate the additional storage
- 6 loads of laundry
- removing old shelves from the living room and rearranging their contents
- Consolidating and organizing two bathrooms worth of stuff into one
- Collapsing on the new mattress

Monday, June 14th:
- Jim begins his battle with the blackberries taking over the backyard
- Selling the futon and loading it up for the new owner
- Finishing and mailing ALL the wedding invitations! Crossing our fingers that they arrive safely.
- More unpacking, cleaning, and organizing
- Editing the wedding website and developing a scenario to manage RSVPs
- Falling into bed at 9pm

Tuesday, June 15th:
- Driving to Portland for Nicole to attend a faculty meeting while Jim starts work on a new patio at his sister's house
- Picking up our "new" couch (new to us anyway!)
- An hour at the fabric store on wedding-related errands
- Drive home in an Oregon downpour
- More Battle of the Blackberries and weed-pulling
- Packing for the trips that we each leave on tomorrow
- Blogging.

PHEW! If you aren't up to date now, you require too much information! Thanks for bearing with us (and our neglected blog). We're looking forward to the moment when the dust settles. =)

Panda says...

2010-05-26T14:38:00.001-07:00

I just opened the fortune cookie that accompanied my lunch. You will soon find new adventure in life. Never has one little cookie so accurately understated the obvious.

In four days my whole life gets turned upside-down (in a good way). Jim and I load up the U-Haul and road trip him back across the country. We move in together. We get a dog. We climb over each other in a too-small little house while figuring out our cohabitational vibe. We get married. He finds a job. The list goes on.

If my cookie is referring to any adventures other than the aforementioned MAJOR LIFE CHANGES I think I will spit it out and pretend I never opened it.

Last Day At St. Peder's

2010-05-23T09:28:00.000-07:00

Dear Blog Readers,

Today was a tough day, my last Sunday at St. Peder's. It kills me to leave this wonderful congregation and I can't express how blessed I have been to be apart of their ministry. If you are in Minnesota and looking for a real wonderful congregation head to South Minneapolis and visit St. Peder's. They are real people, real lovers of God and never take themselves seriously. If only I could make this place my home. :-(

Rita of course wrote me a fair-well song based on Do a Deer.
Group Photo with the choir.
Annette and Rita.
Elliette, talk about a cute baby.
My Best Buddy Malcom, I'm gonna miss him and his little sister. Talk about a kid that's going places.

I will miss you all but will keep you in my heart forever. Thank you for the love and support of getting me through this period in my life (even though I wore a dress every Sunday). You have all blessed me beyond my wildest dreams.

Jim

Dear Bridesmaids,

2010-05-11T12:53:00.001-07:00

I found the inspiration for your wedding day look!

Love,
Bridezilla

Done.

2010-05-10T07:01:00.000-07:00

Thank you to everyone who made the trek to listen to and hour and 10 minutes of an anglican evensong service. If you missed out, the 15 most talented men I have ever connected to sang their hearts out. They filled one of the most beautiful places I have ever performed in with music that would make just about anyone choke up a little. It was that beautiful. And all I had to do was wave my arms like a crazy man in front of them. I am blessed.

Thank you especially to everyone who made the day possible. Having friends and family and a Fiancée who just make things happen is probably the most wonderful gift I can imagine. And now I am done with this boring post. Video's of the project will be posted soon, I promise.

~Jim

April Shower

2010-05-02T18:27:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday was one for the books - my best gals threw me the bridal shower to end all showers! We started the day with lunch at the Wild Pear - NUM!
Then we got right down to business:
One of the advantages of being the last of your girlfriends to marry is that everyone has special keepsakes to share with you. Just such a keepsake is discernible in the photo. That pink beer coozy (coozying a cocktail rather than a brewski) reads "Because I'm the Bride, That's Why." It has a black coozy partner which reads, "What Would I know? I'm just the Groom." We will treasure them forever! Or at least until August. Then we might share the love with some other couple.

A few snaps from the festivities:

This is my bestie, Brenda Lee. It's too bad we don't have more fun together.

Can you make out the detail of this beautiful fabric banner? A certain crafty gal used our engagement photos to decorate it!

And these are my best gals. Could I have five prettier friends? No. It is not possible. Shall I really make you jealous? Not only are they picture perfect, they are each wicked smart, talented, funny, loving, and a darn good time!

And they share my love of pretty shoes. And umbrella drinks. And that's what really matters.

On to the May Flowers!

Welcome May

2010-05-02T09:43:00.000-07:00

If you didn't notice yet, it's May.

I'm thankful that:
1) Under a month till graduation and the move back to Oregon
2) Next Sunday is my Project in Northfield, MN (see ad below)
3) One more paper, one last final exam
4) Mother's Day will be here soon and I can actually celebrate it with my mother
5) Spring has finally arrived

Thank you to all my friends who have helped me survive these last two years. A special thanks goes to my Fiancée who let me move out here and pursue my dreams. I can't wait to marry you and spend the rest of our life together.

If your in MN next weekend, please come down to Northfield!

"My Soul Doth Magnify"

Anglican Evensong Service with all Men's Choir

May 9th, 8:15pm

Boe Memorial Chapel at St. Olaf College

Bring It On

2010-04-24T12:38:00.000-07:00

You know those days when every turn seems to be a road block or another pot-hole? You go through your day finding yourself frustrated almost constantly. Every time something happens, you deal with it and sit back, take a deep breath and mutter to yourself, "hope that was it." Of course as soon as you do something else blows up. By the end of the day you're so warn out that nothing else could phase you. 2010 has turned into that day.

It's like the scene in Emperors New Groove -

Instead of sitting back and hoping that nothing else will happen I have decided Kuzco has it right. I'm all funned out but guess what, I bet another major challenge sitting down the line waiting to rear it's ugly head. A huge waterfall with rocks at the bottom, most likely. And that's why I say.

Bring it on.

~soundguy

The One With the Plastic Forks

2010-04-18T19:59:00.001-07:00

Since it's springtime in Oregon, I found myself wedging yet another box of allergy pills into the medicine cabinet this afternoon. Why am I suddenly outgrowing my medicine cabinet? Because it's full of expired OTC products, that's why! Oops. Please don't tell the dozens of Pharmacists with whom I work. Or the nearly 800 aspiring Pharmacists we are educating...they like to practice their "patient counseling" skills on me from time to time, and I can only imagine the lecture this irresponsible behavior would merit. I'm supposed to be the one pestering them about responsibility - not the other way around. Anyway, I dutifully purged the 2008 cough syrup and the "real" Sudafed I smuggled home from Chicago many moons ago. (Note to self: cross the border to a normal state before cold season sets in). In the process I came across a nearly-full bottle of now-expired Maalox which reminded me of a lovely tale I've been meaning to share for quite some time. It involves the Maalox, a tube of crescent rolls, a pregnant lady, and a plastic fork.

It was Friday, February 27, 2009 (right here I wish I could insert that harp-music that always plays when someone in a movie is flashing back to an old memory) and I was having a crazy-busy day at work. I was absolutely determined to be out the door on time that night so that I could head off to start birthday weekend festivities with two of my favorite gal-pals, Jessie & Beth. Not having packed a lunch, I dashed over to the cafeteria and grabbed a salad to go. A salad and a plastic fork. Dun dun DUN! Moments later I was back at my desk with about seven minutes to consume my salad, and was stabbing wildly at it with the fork. In my fervor, I broke off two of the little plastic tines. I glanced at the salad, and didn't immediately see the broken tines - sadly indistinguishable from the cafeteria's shredded iceberg lettuce. I thought to myself, "I should fish around and get those things out of there." Then, realizing that I now had only 5 minutes to finish eating lunch, I decided that I would certainly notice biting into a tine, and would just spit it out if I got one in my remaining few bites. Mmmm hmmmm. No flaws in that plan. Minutes later I'd scarfed up most of my salad (quite an achievement with a two-tined fork) and congratulated myself for not eating any part of my utensil! I tossed the rest of the salad in the trash and got back to work.

Later that afternoon I was on my way to Beth's house, eagerly anticipating a night of fun. I also seemed to have developed quite a tickle in my throat - it almost felt like the beginning of a sore throat. How could I possibly be getting sick? I'm ruthless with the anti-bacterial lotion and lysol wipes for a reason. If I could just clear my throat...cough, hack, sputter. Drink some water...cough, hack, sputter. Still really sore! And maybe a little obstructed. Swallow, cough, hack, sputter. And then, in a palm-smacking-the-forehead moment of realization, it dawns on me. Gulp. There is a fork tine lodged in my throat. Let's get the birthday party started!

Immediately upon my arrival at Beth's place the wine was poured, and I confessed my latest shenanigan to the girls. (For the record: we poured sparkling cider into a wineglass for the pregnant lady. We did that A LOT that year). I figured we could probably come up with some kind of solution. I regaled the girls with stories of our old dog, Sunny, who was notorious for eating all sorts of things that shouldn't be eaten (shoe laces, crayons, razor blades...), as well as the charming feed-her-a-lot-of-bread-and-then-monitor-the-backyard-till-you-find-the-item-again routine with which our family became all too familiar. As we drank our wine, my problem seemed funnier and funnier. Eventually, it was suggested that I should be stuffed full of bread crumbs like a Thanksgiving turkey and then set out on the lawn. What a touching testimonial to our friendship.

Seeing no sensible solutions showing up at the bottom of that bottle of pinot, I decided to give Jimbo a jangle. What the heck? Even if he doesn't have a remedy, all my "I got carried away and ate the whole dang place-setting" jokes would be new to him. Apparently I caught him at a bad time. He was out a some loud restaurant and didn't find my predicament all that funny. Thankfully he did have one half-way decent recommendation: call his parents, the retired nurse and paramedic. I don't remember which one of his parents I called first, or exactly how the conversation went. It was all a little jumbled since they were also out to dinner at a loud restaurant, and kept consulting each other while muffling the receiver. I do remember coming away with the distinct impression that we were going to really kick this slumber party into high gear by having my stomach pumped.

Eventually, it was decided that the tine probably wasn't actually lodged in my throat (since I'd been able to chew and swallow our pizza at dinner). Apparently it had scratched the inside of my throat on the way down - hence the soreness. I got instructions to drink a big dose of Maalox as the topical anesthetic would help my poor scratched throat. But then there was the matter of at least one - and quite possibly two - sharp pieces of plastic now navigating my nether regions. If I wanted to avoid having my stomach pumped, I'd have to do something to ensure that those little tines didn't prick, poke, or puncture anything precious! Solution? Feed-her-a-lot-of-bread-and-then-monitor-the-backyard-till-you-find-the-item-again. I am now officially sorry for making fun of the dog for all these years.

So, the three of us piled into the car (this is where the pregnant/sober lady really came through like a champ) and drove across the street to the Thriftway. You read that right: we drove across the street - our pregnant lady had hit her 8-month waddle. I opted for the mint-flavored Maalox (vs. cherry...cough, hack, sputter) and a tube of the Pillsbury Doughboy's finest crescent rolls.
Nothing says party like minty-fresh vacuum-packed dinner rolls! Thankfully there were *delish* birthday cupcakes to cap off the night.
I don't remember now how many crescent rolls I made myself eat, but I'm fairly certain I mustered the fortitude to polish off two of those cupcakes. Overindulgent? Maybe. But I had a mandate: feed-her-a-lot-of-bread-and-then-monitor-the-backyard-till-you-find-the-item-again. Believe it or not, it worked! The Maalox soothed my scratched up throat, and the baked goods did their trick too. That's all I'm going to say about that. This is a family show.

I never touched that big bottle of Maalox again, and it sure felt good to pour it out today.

This story requires not one, but two epilogues.

Epilogue One:
Remember my jangle to Jimbo? He was in a loud restaurant and tried to get me off the phone as quickly as possible. Remember my call to his parents a few minutes later? Loud restaurant, muffled discussion. They were together in the SAME loud restaurant - just miles from me and my Maalox. That boy is lucky I don't have an investigative bone in my body or I would have blown his big plan for a surprise proposal the next day!
What a special birthday treat! Almost made me forget all that bread.

Epilogue Two:
A couple weeks later I received a picture text from Beth. She'd snapped it at her desk that day at lunch.

No caption necessary.

The Idiot's Guide to Losing a Parent

2010-04-13T20:25:00.000-07:00

Disclaimer: This is serious. And descriptive. And a little sad. And kind of irreverent, too. But it's really important so I hope you'll read on. I just don't want to choke anybody up at the office.

I really appreciate all the kind and supportive comments about my dad's passing - even from some people we don't know! In the last two years I have learned a whole lot of things that I never thought I'd need to know, and I honestly wish somebody would have told me this stuff. This is important life and death stuff that my fussy little liberal arts college definitely didn't teach me. Where is The Idiot's Guide to Losing a Parent? I would be underlining and writing in the margins if I had such a book. I was ranting about that yesterday, and somebody suggested that I go ahead and write it. Not such a bad idea, actually, except that I kind of have a few things going on right now... and I'm not an author. So, in lieu of my first literary masterpiece, I give you my current soapbox: three things everyone should do NOW to alleviate a lot of major stress later.

Thing Number One: Somebody Needs Power of Attorney
For those of you who like to keep score, Dad did this one right. When he was diagnosed two years ago he immediately got the paperwork in order to give me Power of Attorney. That meant that I was able to act in his stead for nearly any purpose. I could call his doctors and discuss his condition and treatment. I could go to the bank and transact business on his account. In situations where you're normally told "we can't tell you that" I was told what I needed to know about my Dad, and I had the ability to do what needed to be done on his behalf.

You should talk to your parents about who has their Power of Attorney. Sure it might be awkward if you have siblings who squabble over that sort of thing, but I assure you that it is well worth the difficult discussion it may precipitate. Once somebody has been assigned Power of Attorney, that person needs a certified copy of the document. There were quite a few times where a wave of that paper got me the information I needed.

Thing Number Two: We All Need An Advance Directive
(AKA "Health Care Directive" or "Living Will")
An Advance Directive (I'm calling it AD from here on out cause I'm lazy) is official documentation of your end-of-life wishes. It indicates whether you want to be kept on life support, what kind of pain management you want, and how your dignity can be honored at the end of your life. This was another process we completed at the time of Dad's cancer diagnosis. I sat with him while he filled it out and we discussed it. He made sure that I understood his wishes and asked me to promise that they would be carried out. It was a hard talk. It freaked me out. It was also the single greatest gift he could have given me at the end of his life.

We put Dad's AD on file in the "Choices Bank" at his hospital. They gave him a wallet-card with a unique number which could be used by any health-care provider to access his document - even at another hospital or elsewhere in the country. Ironically, when Dad was brought to the emergency room in that very hospital in February - unconscious and near death - they didn't know he had an AD. I had to tell them! Imagine what would have happened if I hadn't known?! This is why you need to have the conversation now.

Dad's wishes were pretty clear: no machines, no life support, no vegetative state, and plenty of morphine thank you very much. When I arrived at the hospital nearly 24 hours after he'd been admitted, he was hooked up to everything imaginable and he was pissed. He couldn't talk (because of the breathing tube that shouldn't have been in his throat) and he was not lucid at every moment, but it was obvious. The look in his eyes when he met my gaze clearly told me "you and I had a deal and this was not it." The doctor visited me and offered me two options: 1) allow them to perform a risky brain surgery with only moderate hope of any improvement, or 2) allow him to continue in his current state. I had to decide whether Dad should live or die. That is a horrible rotten no-good awful thing to ask a person to decide. I cannot imagine how I could have handled that situation if I hadn't known exactly what Dad wanted. What if I hadn't had Power of Attorney? I wonder how much they could have told me, and how carefully they would have honored my requests. What if there was no AD? How would I have known what to do? And how would I have lived with the decision for the rest of my life? Now you see why that conversation we'd had two years prior - and the official documentation to back it up - was so precious and important. I told them to take away all the machines and give him some peace. The look in his eyes as he slipped away was one of total relief. And I know that I did the right thing.

We all need AD's and we need to discuss them with our loved ones. You can find the form for your state here.

Thing Number Three: Have a Will
Sadly, this is where Dad did not do such a great job and we learned this one the extra-hard way. The first questions we had to answer after Dad passed were "did he have a will?" and "do you know where it is?" Oh massive planning fail. I had NO idea whether Dad had a will. But if there was one, we had to find it because nothing could happen until we answered those two questions.

I was lucky that Dad had down-sized to a fifth-wheel. At least we had one small area (with a zillion nooks and crannies we soon discovered) to be searched. We turned the place upside down. We looked EVERYWHERE. We went so far as to shake out books hoping important documents would fall from the pages. We looked under the seat of his pickup truck. Jim searched every document on his computer and every sent email for any reference to a will. When we couldn't find it we felt like we'd done our best and threw in the towel. It was at that point that someone told us that it might be in a safe-deposit box at a bank, or maybe a copy would be on file with the attorney who originally drew it up. Those were good helpful suggestions, but they made me cry. Call every attorney in town? What about the ones who were retired or had moved away? And a safe-deposit box? At what bank? And with what non-existent key should we open it? That just wasn't going to happen. We had to proceed without a will. And that's when I learned a new dirty word: probate.

I'm sure the attorneys in the crowd (hi friends!) will be correcting me all over the place, but that's why this is the Idiot's Guide, and not the Smartypants Attorney's Guide. (Aside: it has been super handy to have a Smartypants Attorney. If I was going to go so far as adding a Thing Number Four, that might be it).

So...probate. LAME. Probate is a big ole complicated process whereby I have to prove that I am the sole heir, and then get a court order to back me up. On more than one occasion I was reminded that this is the time when my heretofore unknown half-siblings just might come out of the woodwork. Wha? Once we established the "lack of heretofore unknown kin" the state of Montana (where the buffalo roam...) gave me a new title: "Personal Representative of the Estate of Dad." And like any good promotion, that title came with a heap of responsibility and no additional pay. Rather than reading the will and divvying up the fishing gear to the appointed recipients, I became responsible for every blessed thing Dad owned. It's not stuff, it's "assets." And since when is a travel trailer full of ~~fishing gear~~ "assets" an estate? Only in Montana.

I suppose I should get back on task. Being in probate means that we had to account for all of Dad's assets (right down to the silverware we donated to Goodwill and the dirty socks we threw out). Then we have to sell off all the assets, put the money back into the estate, and use it to pay off all of his bills. We have to do his taxes! Taxes for someone who is no longer with us? Wait - I can actually believe that. We have to account for the postage it takes to forward his mail to the SmartyPants Attorney. I now have an estate bank account, an estate Tax ID number, and a heap of headaches that could have been avoided if we'd had a will. PS - if anyone's interested in purchasing the actual 29-foot estate-on-wheels I have that too. The real kicker? Probate has to last at least six months. Apparently they commonly last two years. Two years of this bologna? Lawsie mercy.

So, the point of Thing Number Three is that we should all get wills drawn up. Jim and I will do ours when we get married. We aren't exactly dripping in assets but having even a simple will frees our loved ones from the big bad probate. Hear me now: nobody that I love will have to catalog my dirty socks.

Before I step off my soapbox, I want to emphasize that timing is really important. Things One through Three should be done now, while everyone is healthy and of sound mind. We tried to talk Dad into visiting the doctor about eight weeks before he died and he stubbornly refused because he wasn't thinking well. I was so thankful that I wasn't trying to get him to sign Power of Attorney or complete an Advance Directive in that state of mind. It would have been a nightmare and it probably wouldn't have gotten done.

And there it is: The Idiot's Guide to Losing a Parent. AKA: my usual irreverent blather, but on an important topic for once!

PS - Hey Mom, can we talk about Things One through Three sometime? And, if you already have a will, please give the fishing gear to Ben. I'm good.

Final Project

2010-04-11T10:29:00.000-07:00

While you are listening to this teaser, let me note that you can come to Northfield for a Free Concert (service), May 9th, 2010 at 8:15pm and join us in Boe Chapel to hear this group sing. What a great gift for your Mother (or the Mother of your children). Did I mention it was free?

Boe Chapel is quite big so spread the word, get your friends to come and share this video with everybody you know. For you music buffs, it's going to be Howells, Poulenc, Rachmaninoff, Pfeifer, Bobby McFerrin, Dawson, Palestrina and some beautiful service music.

Blessings on this beautiful Sunday!

~soundguy

"My Soul Doth Magnify"

Boe Chapel- St. Olaf College

Northfield, MN

May 9th, 2010 at 8:15pm

Free

April 6th

2010-04-06T11:51:00.000-07:00

I had a realization today, it's April 6th. Besides some great birthdays around this time of year I also realized a few other things.

In a month I will be putting together my final project.
In two months, I will be back in Oregon.
In hopefully three months, I will not only be reunited with my beautiful Fiancée but we will probably be with our dog Sugar (see above).
In FOUR MONTHS I will be at a rehearsal dinner getting ready to marry said Fiancée.

It's the final stretch, it's the end of the road, the last great hurdle, the light at the end of the tunnel... Two years of studying, singing, working, praying, worshiping, shoveling snow, avoiding tornados, losing people, losing cars, driving cross country, flying to oregon, flying to minnesota, blogging, more studying, long phone conversations, video chatting, text messages, email and IM. It's been a whirlwind but through it all, I've had her. The ChoirPres, the BestFriend. The Soulmate. The Love of my Life.

And now the best part, actually knowing that she will be stuck with me, in the same house, for the rest of her life. Not just in her earbuds or on the IM. I get to be there (with Sugar of course) when she gets home, when she wakes up. I get to make her breakfast and coffee, take out the trash. She gets to do my laundry. Oh Laundry Fairy, I can't wait to have you back in my life. I get to fix her car, keep the house vacuumed (with the Dyson that some wonderful person just might buy us from our registry...hopefully :). I will balance OUR checkbook, take the dog for a daily run, randomly buy her flowers for no apparent reason. She will do my laundry.

Oh 54 days, you will come just fast enough. I can't believe we made it this far. Thanks for getting me through it babe. I owe ya.

Here's to the home stretch.

~soundguy

You Know You're A Redneck If...

2010-03-29T20:06:00.000-07:00

...folks bring their shotguns for the family photo. L-R: My "aunt & uncle" Sandy & Dean, Pop, Jim, and me.

We had this taken on our family trip to Virginia City this summer. I've always wanted to do one of these silly photos, and it was pretty easy to talk the rest of the crew into it. My Dad and Dean wanted to be Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, and I think they really looked the parts!

Options for the ladies included some high-collar school marm stuff and a sea of petticoats. I wasn't quite sure which direction to go, but Sandy turned to me and said, "let's be tarts!" and that was that. She sure is a good influence.

And, of course, Jimbo had to be the pious one. But that's only after Pop wrestled the shotgun out of his hands. Leading up to the click of the shutter, Jim was determined to be clutching both the bible and the shotgun. Not sure what to make of that but I'll let the seminary administration sort him out.

Goodbye Roo

2010-03-29T11:07:00.000-07:00

As many of you know my wonderful parents purchased a truck for me during my sophomore year at Willamette. It was a great rig but once I graduated and got a job that required me to wear a suit, I realized climbing in and out of a muddy truck wasn't exactly a genius move.

Being that I was making money for the first time in my life I decided to upgrade and buy something that still could haul things, have the greatness of four-wheel drive but might also have things like power steering, cruise control, air-conditioning and seating for more than 3.

Into my life came Roo. My father actually found the car. He has a propensity to keep things inside until he knows for sure that he is right. Then he will mutter it under his breath. Things like, "I really don't know why you don't just date that Nicole girl," or in this instance, "you should've made an offer on that white car in the front of the lot." Of course this always happens about two years after he comes to the

realization or later that night at dinner.

There it was, in the first row, my white Subaru. Of course Dad had seen it and let me blast right by. As we sat at dinner I ask him, "what do you mean the white one, which was that?" He goes into all the reasons why the car was right, on year old, 9k all wheel drive with room to haul stuff. I called Carr Subaru and asked if the car was still there. They had loaned it out to a "special" customer. I said it was in their interest to get it back. I test drove it the next morning and bought it.

I ended up moving in with a close friend (and later my best-friends wife). She owned a full-size Subaru Outback and when they were parked in the garage together, we realized it was totally the mom car and the baby car. Not sure who said it first but Kanga became Trica's car and Roo became my car. Not only were the outback connections abounding but the Winnie-the-Pooh reference was genius.

Roo treated me well and through the support of my parents, I was able to keep it through my Boston excursion. Roo went anywhere. I swear I could have four-wheeled with that car and out done some of the rigs on the trails. Snow didn't faze the car either. Even with the nice sporty tires it made it through some precarious situations.

I loaded up Roo in 2008 and drove it out to St. Paul, MN. Roo made it through two winters and a second road trip back and forth to Oregon. In February when we found out about Earl I jumped in Roo and hit the road. We made it to Missoula in record time. Besides hitting some drifted snow in North Dakota and driving sideways for a few minutes, the trip was pretty eventless. I did hear the engine more than normal and was trying to figure out why.

Turns out the piston on one of the cylinders was wearing out. As I was almost across Montana on my way back home she went. Piston Slap as they call it is when the piston starts wear smaller than the cylinder and move horizontally instead of vertically. What I had heard on the way out was the piston wearing and when it finally went, my car lost all power and sounded like I had blown a rod.

The above picture is where I ended up. About 80 miles from the ND border and about 33 miles from Glendive Montana. Glendive turns out to be just that, a dive. About 6000 people, it's a lot better than the middle of North Dakota but not by much. Wouldn't you know it though, God shows up in the strangest places. Three older gentlemen go on a yearly ski trip to Canada. They were hit by a blizzard and cut the trip short, dropping down into Montana earlier than planned. In the storm a semi swiped the front corner of their car and they were stuck in Glendive, towed by the same people who towed me. They left the car to be fixed and headed home. Home, as it turns out was about 10 minutes from me in St. Paul. I was able to drive their van back to Minnesota for them. Coincidence?

After serious discussion and decisions we decided to just sell the car to the really nice autobody who towed me into Glendive. I am sure someone else will get a chance to have some more fun with Roo but I know I will miss it something fierce. I put 105,000 miles on that car personally, which is a lot of time in a car.

While we figure out if we are going to get another vehicle I have been blessed with the Vetsch family who offered me their 1985 Honda 150 Elite Deluxe Scooter. I'm getting 90 miles to the gallon and having a bit of fun too. It's no Roo but it'll do. Now, if I could only hit 66mph I might get the flux capacitor to kick on...

Thanks Earl for the memories and that one last road trip. Everything it seems is going to plan. Not sure if I like the plan but I will continue to accept it and see where it leads.

Blessings -

~soundguy

Goodbye Earl

2010-03-23T22:16:00.000-07:00

You've probably noticed the "silence" around this blog lately. We're mourning a loss and it's been easier to be quiet than to talk about what happened. One month ago today (February 23rd, 2010) my dad passed away. What I find therapeutic today is to tell his story - complete with the irreverent humor and the shoot-from-the-hip honesty that characterized my Pop. I don't know whether our readers will find this of interest (or think I'm crass and tacky), but I'm really just doing it for me.

Pop was 61 years old - too young for dying - and lost his life to melanoma (that's skin cancer to the non-oncologist crowd). Melanoma is one of the nastiest cancers. There is no cure. Chemo doesn't touch it. Radiation wouldn't matter. There are a handful of experimental biochemo treatments available, but the success rate is about 5% and it is horrible to endure. When confronted with those options, my Dad opted for no treatment at all. Our goal was quality of life, and making the most of the time he had left. Considering that he had been given 6-12 months to live in March, 2008, it's pretty remarkable that we got nearly two years with him after the cancer metastacized. Pop would certainly have attributed that success to a commitment to doing whatever he darn well pleased, and a his favorite pain-killer, Jack Daniels.

The day after he was diagnosed, Dad quit his job and "retired." Shortly thereafter he bought himself a brand new truck and a fifth-wheel trailer. The very first accessory purchased for the trailer was a customized vinyl decal:
And that pretty much sums up the attitude Pop adopted toward the melanoma. He didn't waste any time compiling his Bucket List and checking things off. Drive to Alaska? Check. Catch a 30-pound halibut, fly to the Arctic Circle, ride a dog sled, ferry down the Inside Passage? Check. Jim and I joined Pop for a week of his Alaskan adventure, and helped him celebrate his 60th birthday.
After a summer in Alaska, Pop's next trip took him south. Zion National Park? Check. Alien-watching in Roswell? Check. (And I got the care package to prove it). Decorating a cactus for Christmas with the snowbirds in Arizona? Dipping a toe in the Rio Grande? Fishing any lake they didn't kick him out of? Touring air-craft carriers in the Gulf of Mexico? Check. And finally, the big destination: Mardi Gras! CHECK.
We got a box of trinkets when he checked that one off the list, too. But I think I'll save that for another time. Pop's gift-giving is...well..."renowned" to say the least, and is certainly deserving of its own post.

And still the Bucket List went on. Jack Daniels Distillery (hallowed ground)? Check. Pop even called me that day to tell me he could die a happy man because now he'd seen heaven. Double check. Non-geographical items made the list, too. Sleeping late and fishing all day? Check. Eating all the chocolate you want without worrying about the consequences? Check with hot fudge on top. Saying exactly what you think? Che...oh, wait...he'd had been doing that all his life anyway.

And then there was the matter of a girlfriend. Someone who would always attract attention for her good looks...someone who would be a loyal traveling companion, and who wouldn't nag. Check. Meet Sugar:
Yes, it is completely ridiculous for a man who has already exceeded his life expectancy to adopt a puppy. But the thing about exceeding your life expectancy is that you learn to do what makes you feel good, not what makes sense. Pop loved labs. LOVED labs. We had a sweet chocolate named Maya when I was a kid. After she was hit by a car Dad would joke that he'd trade me to the gypsies if he could just have another dog like that. So, when he started talking about wanting a puppy, I knew it would make him happier than anything else. We told Dad that we would be willing to take care of the dog if and when we were needed. He was on his way to pick up his puppy the next day. (And I'm happy to report that I have not - to my knowledge - been traded to the gypsies. Phew.)

In the end, no amount of puppy love would change the fact that Pop's days were numbered. The last six months were long and hard for him, and for us. Though we didn't know it, the melanoma had metasticized to Pop's brain. When faced with the option of a risky brain surgery that may or may not have helped matters, I went back to what I knew about my Dad. He had no interest in lying in a hospital bed, and he definitely didn't want to spend a minute doing anything that wasn't worth his precious time. So we let him go. We gave him the gift of peace, and relief, and eternal rest.

And so my Pop is "on the road again" leaving me with no doubt in my mind about his love for me, and with gratitude for the blessing of a devoted dad. May light perpetual shine upon him.

And may the fish keep biting.

A Little Hope

2010-02-21T18:08:00.000-08:00

February is always the time when I start to grow weary of winter. And as other stresses and challenges keep demanding time, energy, and mental space I feel it more than usual this year. I don't like to use our blog to bemoan life's bumps and bruises, but it gives just a little context to yesterday's specialness.

Yesterday was Day 99. The little ticker over on the sidebar - measuring the days until Jim graduates and finally comes home - rolled into the double digits! When you consider that we started with 652 days, hitting number 99 really feels like coming into the home stretch!

Interestingly, the lone daffodil in my front yard chose yesterday to open its bloom. I love this daffodil. It's bold. Every year it sticks its head out when it's still "technically" winter, and it gives me hope that spring is on the way.
And so I'm reminded that, no matter how weary we may grow of things like winter and waiting, there is always hope. Isn't that nice?

LENT

2010-02-18T19:10:00.000-08:00

No, I did not loan anything to anyone and I didn't mis-type lint (like the stuff I keep finding in my belly-button). It's that time of year again were the high-churchy types like to talk about depravity and fasting, remove the A words and sing lots of sad minor songs. Really it's supposed to be about inward self-reflection but I think most of us get caught up in the idea of trying to give something up.

Of course my Lent had to start with a cold on Ash Wednesday. I want to send out an apology to everyone I have coughed around, sorry. Although this one isn't half bad compared to my last couple colds/flus it's still a bummer. It's definitely my body telling me to slow down and I think I better take heed. This up-and-coming spring of awesomeness 2010 has in store a great deal of stress and lots and lots of late nights in my future. I am going to use this Lent to get myself in gear and ready for the on-slot busy-ness that exists in these next 101 days.

Part of that will include a weekly fast. Now don't freak out like everybody does with that word. Fasting is something we do on a daily basis. "What?" you say. "I don't fast intentionally on a daily basis." Well you go to sleep don't you? Unless you eat right before bed you will typically fast 12 hours every day while you sleep. You break your fast every morning with...get this... BREAKFAST! Hehe, I crack myself up. Ya, you're smiling admit it. You probably thought about that once before but it never stuck.

"OK," you say, "so what does this fast of yours entail then?" It's quite easy and once you do it a couple times, you might actually enjoy it. Fasting is a healthy way to "reboot" your system. By taking out what we are constantly shoving into our body, we give our digestive system a moment to stop working and maybe even clear some of the gunk it builds up. Admit it, Human Bodies were never expected to always have food in its system. We are hunters and gatherers whose bodies were prepared to go for a while without food when times were hard or we couldn't find it. Our technologically advanced society doesn't factor that in and instead we over eat...no wonder America has a weight problem!

Key's to a healthy 24 hour fast:

Don't fast unless you are feeling healthy and have no other potential health issues!
It never hurts to start eating less rich foods the meal before your last, you'll get hungry sooner but your digestive system will have less of a hard time adjusting, try starting with a lighter lunch than normal.
Then eat a very small meal at the beginning of your fast (try eating a light dinner of salad or some veggies, something really simple and small)
When you wake up in the morning, get a water bottle that you plan on using for the rest of the day, drink a bunch of water for breakfast and try to avoid spending time in the kitchen.
When you start to feel hungry, drink water. Plan to drink 2-4 times more water than you normally do in a day, this helps clean your system out and makes you feel better.
Avoid TV, advertisements and places that smell of food. It just helps keep your cravings down. It becomes a mental game and by mid-afternoon you will be going crazy trying to not think about it.
By dinner time you will start to get used to just feeling hungry. The first time your stomach will be growling loudly but it will typically shut down fully before you reach the 24 hours.
To end, get some fresh fruit and slice it up, break your fast slowly with fresh foods and don't just get a burger or other rich food. You want your stomach to have a easy restart. Stick with salads, fruits, veggies and eat a medium size portion.
You made it through a 24 hour fast, it's really that easy.

"But how will I feel?" Good question. Fasting can actually have the oposite affects than most people think. You will start to feel euphoric, energized and much more focused. The first time you fast those feelings will be overpowered by the hunger pains. The second time you fast, you will have trained your body what you are doing and it will adjust much quicker. 24 hour fasts don't typically mess with your body as much as longer fasts do. Get some literature on Fasting if you are thinking about exploring an extended fast.

Now remember, fasting is not a diet, it is not a way to loose weight! Actually, it will have the opposite affect. If you try to loose weight by not eating, you will just regain and gain more once you start eating again!

I think if Jesus could make it 40 days without anything, I can make it 24 or 48 hours with lots of water. Plus, I just feel better after. (Ok for you biblical scholars, 40 days is the old way of saying a long time, I'm sure it was much longer than my wimpy fasts!)

There's your weirdo post for the month. See you in March.

~soundguy

p.s. I realize this post is going against the Ash Wednesday readings that say to fast in private. I am not telling you WHEN I'm fasting, just cluing you into how one fasts! (sorry about all the ! in the post, I'm just excited for no reason at all!)

Need a Chuckle?

2010-02-02T12:03:00.000-08:00

I've been looking at this picture for a week, and I snicker every time!
Princess EllaPants is living up to her name already. ;)

Church Hopping

2010-01-26T12:30:00.000-08:00

As you know, besides being a soundguy and a total nerd, I love Organs...the ones you play...you know the ones with pipes and wind and a keyboard that you find IN CHURCHES. Geesh, glad we clarified that.

When your mentor comes to town then, what do you do? Well you go Church Hopping of course and find other nerds who have the same passions of church music and Church Organs. Just so happens I have made some friends with a lot of church musicians so when Paul and I returned from South Dakota (another post to come) we did what any sensible church musician does. Make some phone calls and go sneak onto the organ bench anywhere you can.

Our first stop was the Basilica. I am sure I could have gotten us on that organ but it would have been a push. Just walking around the building is enough to drop your jaw. Right next door though is the Episcopal Cathedral. We were informed the Music Director likes to seclude himself so we found the organ with the key in it and started exploring the instrument. It's a hodge-podge of organ builders and has some serious power. Of course Paul was in heaven...so was the college kid who was working on a film project. He got some free music to go in the background.

Paul on the Console at St. Mark's Cathedral in Minneapolis, MN.

Notice anything odd in this picture?

We then had the joy of joining up with David Cherwien for lunch. David has taken over the Mt. Olive position in Minnapolis, home of Paul Manz and birthplace of the hymn festival. David is of course one of my teachers and directs the NLC which I currently sing in. He was happy to let us jump on his newly rebuilt instrument. It's a joy to hear and play.

You can see Paul Manz' signature on the plate. Paul was in heaven sitting in his idol's church making beautiful music. Downstairs is a framed copy of E'en so quickly Lord Jesus Come manuscript in the Paul Manz Choir Room. Pretty amazing place.

We also headed down to Northfield and I got him into Boe Chapel to play that beast along with going to St. John's the epicenter of Choral Music and where F.M. Christiansen was Choir Director and started the St. Olaf Choir. The instrument there is a beautiful small Dobson about the same size as St. Paul's in Salem. Paul was right at home.

Finally we went and saw the huge Fisk at House of Hope in St. Paul but were unable to get on the instrument because the Organist was in a meeting and they had the thing locked up tight. I never have seen a Presbyterian Church look so Anglican. I gotta go back and see that thing again. We ended up hanging out with Phillip Brunel at Plymouth Congregational and playing his Holtkamp.

Beautifully built instrument.

The room is fasinating but all the wood work doesn't let that huge organ sing. Still a fine instrument and Brunel is a treat to spend anytime with. 42 years of service at this church and no intentions of leaving anytime soon. That guy has way too much energy.

Thank you Paul for a wonderful time and thank you to all the Churches who let two crazy guys in to poke around your churches and play on your organs.

Blessings to y'all - stick around for the postlude every chance you get (best live music you will ever hear, every week, free of charge) and make sure you thank the organist and shake their hand.

~soundguy

Dear Blog,

2010-01-21T11:25:00.000-08:00

Hey! Remember me? I used to take care of you. Apparently I've taken a turn down dead-beat lane. Just thought I'd drop you a note to let you know that I think of you often, miss you dearly, and even plan to give you attention one of these days.

Don't give up on me, Blog! We're in this thing together. You and me! And SoundGuy. And the loyal readers. And the lurkers (hi lurkers!). Just one big happy, moderately functional family. It warms my heart. Hallmark should make a card for this sentiment.

XOXO,
Well-meaning Slack-tastic CP

Haiti

2010-01-15T07:34:00.001-08:00

As everyone is quite aware, there is a horrible disaster happening just south of Florida. I have to admit that I knew very little of Haiti before the media blitz. I knew very little of the history of the country either. I am apart of a seminary who has been sending people to Haiti regularly for quite sometime. Many seminaries send missional outreach and Wartburg Seminary in Iowa lost a student in the earthquake who people here at Luther Seminary knew. It drive things home when a disaster thousands of miles away reaches into your community.

Of course, many people are keenly aware of this comment on the "700 Club" by Pat Robertson.

PAT ROBERTSON: And, you know, Kristi, something happened a long time ago in Haiti, and people might not want to talk about it. They were under the heel of the French. You know, Napoleon III and whatever. And they got together and swore a pact to the devil. They said, "We will serve you if you will get us free from the French." True story. And so, the devil said, "OK, it's a deal."

And they kicked the French out. You know, the Haitians revolted and got themselves free. But ever since, they have been cursed by one thing after the other. Desperately poor. That island of Hispaniola is one island. It's cut down the middle. On the one side is Haiti; on the other side is the Dominican Republic. Dominican Republic is prosperous, healthy, full of resorts, et cetera. Haiti is in desperate poverty. Same island. They need to have and we need to pray for them a great turning to God. And out of this tragedy, I'm optimistic something good may come. But right now, we're helping the suffering people, and the suffering is unimaginable.

How does anyone who calls themselves a Christian miss the clear and dry statement made in Luke 13:

¹Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. ²Jesus answered, "Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? ³I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. ⁴Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? ⁵I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish."

Now, set aside the Repent or Parish issue for a moment. Lets focus on the clarity of the statement Jesus makes in Luke. "Do you think they were more guilty than all the others..." Regardless of the realities of Haiti, the fact that there are other religions besides Christianity (heaven forbid), even Jesus Christ himself poses the question one should ask Pat Robertson..."Do you think the people in Haiti who died were more guilty than the others in Haiti who lived?" "NO!" What theology drives you to draw a connection to some voodoo and a countries ability to win a war? How can you say the actions of a few will lead to the death of thousands and imply that maybe those that die deserve it because of the few?

Death is an inevitable reality of life. Both good people and bad people, Christians and Voodoo, Muslims and Atheists, etc. will die somehow. Lots will die prematurely do to war, famine, natural disasters, cancer, car crashes, disease. There is NEVER a reason no matter how good, how bad, how religious or unreligious a person is. The death toll in Haiti reached 50000 today according to the web. I am sickened by the thought of what people down there are going through, the rubble and bodies they are walking over everyday. The sheer loss of life a people already struggling now face. Nobody should have to deal with that.

My personal theology is one that doesn't believe in Old Testament Judgement where God punishes people. I think the NT makes that pretty clear. Instead, God comes down, walks with us and suffers along next to us. Sometimes we want the magical fix or the miracle cure. Even worse sometimes we want to jump in and fix someone we love's problems but in reality, we just need to be with them, mourn with them, cry with them. Luke's gospel goes on to give the Parable of the fig tree which I highly suggest reading.

I hope you take a moment to think about the people in Haiti. If you can, make a donation to a worthy cause you know will support Haiti right now, even if it's 5 bucks. Most of all, pray. Don't pray for miracles or magic fixes. Pray for the people and for the strength they need to rebuild. Pray for the people trying to help them. And pray for the leaders of the world so they work together to do the best for Haiti and not fight over who is "in charge." I think Haitians need the world to morn with them over the loss they just incurred, not judge them and try to distance ourselves. Just my thoughts.

This is an interesting article to read:

http://www.blackandchristian.com/articles/academy/gelin-10-05.shtml

This is a barebones collection of what Voodoo is according to the collective mind:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haitian_Vodou

I highly suggest you do some research and help stem the stupidity of statements like Pat Robertson. Remind anyone who is inclined to agree to read Luke 13 and actually listen to what Jesus is trying to say through him. They might realize the stupidity of their accusation.

Blessings and prayers to Haiti -

~soundguy

Welcome to 2010 Awesomeness

2010-01-10T13:40:00.000-08:00

Sit back, put this in full screen and get ready to be blown away.

The Third & The Seventh from Alex Roman on Vimeo.

Welcome to CG and worlds that do not exist. I still am a little dumbfounded. Might have to watch this again. Wow.

~soundguy

That's All Folks

2009-12-21T07:24:00.000-08:00

Many of you know that this fall I chose to take on just a little too much in regards to my schedule. Not only did I make it into the National Lutheran Choir, I had the joy and privilege of auditioning for and making it into the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra Choral conducted by Dale Warland. Both of those choirs have had a huge impact on me but it was really the full-time school work and four additional part-time jobs that thrust me into stress level 10. This last Friday I sent in my last exam for the semester. Saturday I flew to St. Louis for the NLC's last Christmas Concert for the Fall. On Sunday my church choir was amazing and added to a beautiful song service at St. Peder's. And today...

I AM DONE.

Sure, Christmas services are around the corner but my choirs know the music and I am ready to conduct them. I have no books to read (accept the bible), I have no papers to write, I have no music to learn (at this moment) and most of all, I don't HAVE to do anything.

Of course I am going to go tune some pianos, finish a sound system bid for a church and drop off some equipment from the trip. But that's stuff I LOVE to do so who's complaining. I'll leave you with some pictures from the Trip.

Beechcraft King Air 350 (amazing!)

The inside.

Welcome to the St. Louis.

The amazing alter at Christ Church Cathedral

70 Rank 1965 Aeolian-Skinner

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! Enjoy the break.

~soundguy

Cold

2009-12-09T20:04:00.000-08:00

My mom stuck me on a Ski Bus when I was in junior high. I remember packing a duffle bag with extra layers that I would start to throw on as the bus got close to Mt. Hood Meadows. We usually left the rainy 40 degree valley and climbed up into the cascades so you would roast if you wore all your gear on the bus. Instead, as we watched the trees fill with snow the excitement on the bus would build and everybody would scamper to get bundled up.

I will always remember that moment when you climb off the bus into the cold crisp air. The crunch of the snow under your feet and the winter wonderland waiting on the other side of the lodge. I would always take a real deep breath and fill my lungs with the fresh mountain air.

The return of winter and the snow outside in Minnesota for me is a return to the mountain. It's 3 degrees outside with piles of snow everywhere you look. I probably will not be happy to see those same piles in April but right now, sitting in the warm apartment protecting me from the winter wonderland outside but knowing I can cool off at a moments notice makes me happy. I don't think it's that I like being cold. Just like Oregonians don't like being wet but we love the rain. Braving the elements between the apartment and the Seminary is simply refreshing and wonderful.

The crunch of snow, the bitter cold wind bitting at your exposed face and the silence that permeates the air. It's a welcomed and drastic contrast to the 110 degrees this summer in Corvallis. Now if only there was a mountain to ski down I'd be in heaven.

~soundguy

Culinary Conundrum

2009-11-29T06:05:00.000-08:00

I think it's safe to assume that all our loyal readers have, at one time or another, shopped for a gift from a wedding registry. And, in reviewing the selections on all those registries, have you ever seen one without a KitchenAid stand mixer? Me neither. In fact, I really think it should be added to the standard "So, you're getting married?" line of questioning:

"So, you're getting married?"

"And when is the big day?"

"And where are you having it?"

"Have you found THE dress?"

"And for what color KitchenAid will you register?"

And therein lies the source of our current culinary conundrum. The age-old question: what color will your KitchenAid be? What could possibly be more definitive of our lives together? Okay fine. Wedding vows, and then the color of our KitchenAid. But it's still right up there! These suckers last forever, so you have to LOVE the color you buy, and you have to promise yourself that you will still love it in 30 years.

So we find ourselves in a quandry. What color mixer will enter into this lifetime partnership with us? Though I am almost always the first to default for something colorful over something plain, I initially answered this question in the most practical way possible:

White. It's classic. It goes with everything. It will disappear into any kitchen decor we ever dream up. And you just can't get sick of white. White was the practical choice. I even talked SoundGuy into it long enough to zap it with the scanner at Target.

But the more I think about it, the less enthusiastic I've become about boring old white. (And, in fairness, SoundGuy has been against it all along). Why would we choose white when these things come in the most delicious colors? I'd hate to mosey out to the kitchen for my morning coffee only to be confronted with the fact that, when given the opportunity to be interesting, I chose to be boring. ACK! Thirty years with a boring mixer? Perish the thought! I'd sooner beat my cake mixes by hand. *swoon*

So we've entered into the delicate process of discerning what color suits us best. It's created some pretty interesting conversations with our married pals, and I think it's safe to say that there is a story (and an act of compromise) behind everyone's mixer. It's been a hot topic among my grad school friends lately as Nikki & Henry made the big purchase (Blue Willow) - to the point that the girls' KitchenAid colors have become their handles. Example: "Dear Blue Willow, Granite here! Just checking in to see if you have heard from Pistachio about Erik's job offer..."
You can see why it's super-important for us to get this figured out. I'm still "Nicole" in these emails. That's almost as boring as being the girl who chose the white mixer.

Loyal readers, we need your help! We've narrowed the pool to four colors, but we're stuck at an impass and can't make up our minds.

SoundGuy has weighed in as an advocate for Granite:
The more this thing starts to resemble a power-tool, the more he likes it. If we choose Granite, I'm pretty sure my husband will grunt at it every time he walks through the kitchen. It already happens when we pass a lifted 4x4 on the hiway, but that's a story for another time.

We both like the Empire Red:

It's so classic! And red is my most favorite color. Our current microwave happens to be red, and the coffee pot we have on our registry is a little bit red as well, so there's a "matchy-matchy" arguement to be made for the red.

And then there's Cobalt:
Also a classic, yes? It doesn't really go with anything we have, but it's just a nice color. And what's wrong with a nice cobalt mixer jumping out at you from amongst the decor?

And, finally, there's this quirky Ice Blue:
I'm really drawn to it's retro feel and the "I don't match a darn thing" quality that comes along with it. But will I always feel that way? Over the course of 30 years it will go from retro to "so last year" to "they make nice quilted cozies to cover those, ya know" to "remember when I used to bake" to "hip" and back to "charmingly retro" all over again. I don't know if I can endure it.

Weigh in, friends! Cast a vote for your favorite. While you're at it, tell us what color your mixer is and why. Those are usually pretty good stories ;)

Hump Day

2009-11-28T09:43:00.000-08:00

On the off-chance that anyone besides SoundGuy and me is actually watching the little countdown ticker over on the sidebar, I think it's important to point out that today is "Hump Day". Day 183. Half-way through the 365 days the ticker was set for. That means that we're officially half-way through the year. Half-way to SoundGuy's graduation, and half-way to the end of this journey. You know what feels even better? It's really the 75% mark because we are now half-way through year two.

75%. That's a C. That means we're passing! Now if there is just a curve at the end of the term...

Some days I'm inclined to look at this whole thing "by the numbers." In a way verging on the all-too-familiar MasterCard commercials.

Number of plane tickets purchased...

Number of minutes spent on the phone...

Number of highway miles logged...

Number of emails exchanged...

Number of tears of frustration shed...

Number of elated greetings and hard goodbyes...

Number of lines Instant Messaged...

Number of frequent flyer miles accumulated...

And then 182 doesn't seem like a very big number at all.

Yes, there are still 182 days to get through. 182 more phone calls instead of face-to-face. 182 more days till this blog starts being about something besides the adventures of long-distance love. But when you compare it to the 730 we started with, 182 is nothin! We've got this thing in the bag.

Hello, homestretch. We're happy to see you.

PW at MOA

2009-11-21T15:34:00.001-08:00

A trip to the MOA (Mall of America) anytime is an adventure. Today, as ChoirPres already pointed out, I decided to actually go for a reason. PW (thepioneerwoman.com) was signing books and well, I just couldn't miss the opportunity to get out of the apartment and venture to the land of crazy shoppers and bloggies.

There is one thing that is for sure, PW has a huge following and EVERYBODY is nice. There must have been a baby with 1 of every 5 people in line but it wasn't a mad house. No crying, no fussy annoying babies, even older kids were behaving.

This little guy was with us most of the way. The worst he got was trying to run through the crowd. Mom later passed him off to g-ma and when he returned he simply pooped out in the stroller. About that time I was thinking how nice it would be to grab a nap myself!

The line was so long that I started right up at the front only to slowly wind and twist my way to the back and ultimately up to the front again. PW came on stage with a full entourage of camera crews and photographers. One photographer actually fell off the stage! I found it odd though because I noticed that the camera guys were following the Security Guards around more than they were Ree.

Of course Marlboro Man made his appearance with the boys. He was mobbed and I saw a good number of middle age woman swoon.
By the time they arrived I was literally standing behind the stage and the boys walked right up to me, worn out cowboy boots and all. They put on a good show fighting in front of everybody. Brothers, what do you expect?

Of course Marlboro Man snagged PW's camera and took pictures of everyone taking pictures of him. Quite amusing.

They ultimately ended up around the corner signing at their own table. The boys were quite tired by the time we got around to them.

Marlboro Man of course was signing pictures of himself...including pictures of his own butt. I think we have done it...the full turn around and now we have the objectification of men. Sigh, he didn't seem to mind. I did have the joy of meeting Mike and Mary Mraz. Mary is thecakepanlady.com and had a huge boost from PW a while back and how is selling her pans all over the country! Great people and Mike of course picked my brain about seminary and all that jazz. I really enjoyed meeting them and especially enjoyed the Caribou Mocha Mike bought me.

There were some cute babies surrounding us and of course I had to snag some pictures. Where is my old 35mm when I need it! Should have thought about that.

Seriously, look at this guys cheeks and full head of hair. You're making me look bad little man. As we got to the front of the line it came clear what was actually happening with all the cameras. They were not there for Ree, they were actually filming a TLC documentary!
Seriously, Mall Cops: Mall of America? Oh ya, I had to sign a release because I was on camera. Lets see if I get my big debut on TLC in the near future. Stay posted.
The Barns and Noble people were great and took pictures for everybody. She even got a couple action shots of Ree signing the book.
Well there you have it. Thanks Ree for sitting in the MOA for HOURS and HOURS just to sign your name and meet us crazy Minnesotans. You really are an angel and keep us all entertained on a daily basis. If you don't read PW now, you might want to add it to your reader or spend some quality time catching up on her website.

~soundguy

p.s. she is putting out Black Heels as a book soon and the cookbook really does look great!

Look Where SoundGuy Is!

2009-11-21T11:28:00.000-08:00

SoundGuy is about to have a brush with fame. Never mind all the brilliant "famous" (well, famous in our twisted weird world) musicians he's been rubbing elbows with, today he hits the big time!

My future husband - the hairy-chested, car-repairing, pseudo-macho love of my life - is currently standing in line at the Mall of America with zillions of other crazed fans to get an autograph from a famous woman. An autograph on a cookbook. This is why I love my SoundGuy. He will always keep you guessing.

So who's the starlet? It's one of our favorite bloggers, The Pioneer Woman. Ree Drummond has just released her cookbook and is touring around doing signings.
Of course she made it to Minnesota just five short days before my visit, and I'm a little bummed to miss it, but I'm getting play-by-plays from the Mall all morning. Including photos of PW's cowboy husband "Marlboro Man" (no, he doesn't smoke - she just calls him that) and two of their kiddos:
So, if you're a Pioneer Woman fan, this might be fun for you. If you're not, then I suggest you add her blog to your list of "things I look at to procrastinate and/or escape from my life." She's good for that.

And now I'm pretty sure I know what I'm getting for Christmas ;)

Happy FIRST Birthday, Miss Addison!

2009-11-20T17:01:00.000-08:00

This is a very special day - one of my favorite little girls is celebrating her very first birthday!
One year ago today, my girl Frankel brought Little Miss Addison (AKA: Addi-Bear) into the world. Now she's rocking six teeth (which her Dentist mom gleefully examines) and a vocabulary which includes the word "car." However, it comes out "caw" so I'm convinced she's either a raven or from New Jersey. And just in time for her first birthday she took a few steps this week! Addi is quite a gal and we adore her!

Is it Full Moon?

2009-11-20T10:27:00.000-08:00

I receive a lot of email at work - some of it bordering on "strange." Every now and then I get a real humdinger, and I couldn't resist sharing the one I received this morning.

Hello!
I'm majoring in ***** with an emphasis on *****. I'm thinking
***** College is where I'll end up to finish my four year degree. Beta Carotene from carrots. A French fry is a cooked potato. Potatoes contain starch. Rice is also a good source of starch. Niacin is one of the active ingredients of what we call a turnip, as I've heard. Diets high in
turnip consumption help damaged nerves to heal, I've heard said. Welcome to the fun filled world of Food and Nutrition 201: Dietary Pharmacology; the Chemistry of the Kitchen. Here is where we actually study the biochemistry of foodstuffs we ingest. Here is where we have a deeper understanding of what's been provided to us, and in what combinations these items we eat help us heal from disease. Tobacco is said to be a helping hand to people who suffer from allergies and/or black lung disease. Modern Science has promoted a death row inmate, posthumously, to the level of the current model for all of medicinal thought. I don't think Modern Science passed Botanical Pharmacology! And, if you didn't, perhaps you shouldn't comment so much on tobacco use and it's effects on a healthy lifestyle.
Sincerely,

Huh...I'm not even sure what to do with that. I'm tempted to go back to my days as a Psych student and investigate the stream-of-consciousness action...

Any suggestions for my response are welcomed!

Happy Birthday, Nikki!

2009-11-13T10:45:00.000-08:00

Birthday greetings are going out to our girl, Nikki, today! Nothin' luckier than a Friday-the-13th birthday, right? We love this gal for all her brassy no-nonsense banter, her affinity for good beer and pizza, and for her brilliant recycled crafts. Check it out - her project made THE COVER of Green Crafts Magazine in August!

Kick up your heels and have a swell day!!! Duluth will never be the same ;)

6 Weeks

2009-11-09T16:13:00.000-08:00

I seem to be living my life in 6 week segments. It has become a very strange routine that I have finally become mildly comfortable with, of course in a couple hundred days (see to the right) it will all be over. In the end, I will remember my Luther Seminary Experience by two things:

First, the season and Second, between which two visits of the girl did something happen.

For example: I remember last fall from when I dragged ChoirPres around Cross Lutheran while Joshua and I tried to electrocute ourselves. She was running around with the camera taking pictures like the one on the right. So cute. So cute. I of course was on a 25 foot ladder (thanks for holding it Joshua) installing a new light fixture and had no clue what she was up to until the pictures got downloaded to the computer.

What happens in between those trips gets pretty blurred together with lots of reading and paper writing and singing and conducting. It all is fantastic and if you happen to be in MN this Advent Season, come to Luther Seminary on Dec. 13th at 2:30pm for a great Advent Service conducted by the MSM's of Luther Sem. Midline ad...oh ya. More on that later.

I will forever remember the time between the October and the Thanksgiving visit as the time when this guy decided to show up early in Oregon and break his leg not a quarter mile from my dad's favorite golf course (I am convinced he saw a hot women in the parking lot and was trying to hit on her and turned too quickly). Had he done it in Arizona or Alaska he would have been in some serious trouble.

Luckily firemen like cute puppies (see picture) and the Davidson's know all about springing into action. Of course, had I been

around the fiasco might have been a little less stressful for everyone involved but in the end, 5 screws, a bolt and two of the most amazing angels in the world later (thanks Sandy and Dean) he's back in MT safe and sound only a little worse for the wear. And the cute little puppers you ask? She keeps breaking my heart via blog posts, emails and pictures while leaving what looks like quite a few messes and messed up sleep patterns by those who have jumped in to take care of her. I think ChoirPres enjoyed the walks with Ms. Sugar but the peeing on the floor and the high levels of energy gave her a little pause about wanting a puppy sooner rather than later. That or she'll just wait for my presence so I get to chase the fur children around while she cuddles and loves on them. Needless to say I am anxious to meet Sugar (beyond anxious actually...if she showed up on my door step tomorrow I might be satisfied but really, I want to play with her NOW...toddler temper tantrum ensues...)

A few minutes later I recomposed myself, reminded myself that my apartment is not puppy ready and that I can barely afford food for myself, let alone a growing puppy. Speaking of, this segment of time brought my beautiful parents out to visit. Not only did they bum around with me in MN and check out the things that needed checking out, they heard two of my concerts, paid for a Costco run and hooked me up with some NEW CLOTHES (according to unnamed friends my wardrobe was needed a little attention). Seriously, I have no clue how to thank them properly for being constantly involved and apart of my life. I love you both Mom and Dad...thanks for giving me the world.

Of course this all just leads me back to the fact that I sit here squarely in the middle of this six week segment still. It is about this point the apartment feels really empty, sunsets are just reminders of the fact that the ChoirPres isn't here and all I can do is dive back into the studies hoping that Thanksgiving comes quickly.

This all just makes you appreciate what you have. Earl, thanks for keeping things lively even at long distances...keep sending and posting puppy pictures. Thank you to family and friends who still stay in touch (Matt Hoffman, this is a major hint). Thank you again to my parents and sister for keeping tabs on my fiancée and keeping me sane, fed and clothed. And one big final thank you to ChoirPres for putting up with my crazy dreams. I love you and hope to keep making you proud.

soundguy out

iPhone and The Car

2009-11-04T13:25:00.000-08:00

My love for the iPhone is pretty simple. Today however I figured out something pretty simple yet also awesome and thought I'd share my find with the introtubes of the world.

First, I am quite proud of my little 2002 Outback Sport (nicknamed "Roo"). For an All-wheel drive I get between 22 and 26 MPG (if I drive nice). It made it through a Minnesota winter without giving me problems and has been an all around great car.

I also installed a Alpine CDA-9887 Deck that gives me ipod control through an iPod cable. With the Scosche Passport Adaptor, the iPhone both connects AND charges through the deck. When on the 3G network I don't hear any interference and can listen to whatever music is currently synced with the iPhone. (Edge network is another issue but seriously, a little noise disturbance to have 16GB of music at your fingertips, I'll deal.)

I plug it in using a Kensington Car Mount so that I can setup the GPS (before I start driving) and easily track the traffic and the route I am taking. Next mode should be "Driving" so you can't receive calls or texts or email removing the temptation to just glance and see who's bugging you.

Today I figured out that if connected and in iPod mode on the Deck, I can open and play Slacker through the deck without having to connect the AUX cable. Playing music through the internet while driving down the road on my own deck is "Rad" in the words of my beautiful Fiancée.

Next thing, augmented reality using the camera so the iPhone gives you information and directions on the fly, through your personal deck, while driving through the city. Ok, that might be a push but admit it, you think it'd be cool too.

Happy Gadgeting! Just remember, don't answer the phone or text while driving and make sure you take off the faceplate whenever you leave the car.

~soundguy

In Memoriam

2009-10-29T09:42:00.001-07:00

Paul Manz passed away yesterday. My wonderful friend Rita Juhl introduced me to him just last spring. Paul was a gifted Organist, Composer and Church Musician who made the Hymn Festival what it is today. His improvisations and introductions to hymns are epic and influence almost all church organists. Now everywhere I look there is something floating around by him or a person remembering the amazing gifts he brought to the world of Church Music. To quote from the MorningStar article:

The esteem and respect with which Paul Manz is regarded can be seen in the many honors he has received. He has twice been named one of the "Ten Most Influential Lutherans." He has served as National Councilor of the American Guild of Organists and is listed as one of the "101 Most Notable Organists of the 20th Century."

Having the chance to meet these men and women who have directly influenced the world of music in their lifetime is an honor. Most of them never intended to leave a mark as they have but instead through love and a drive for excellence they simply did what they believed they were supposed to do. Out of that dedication and love you find the real impact that moves in waves far beyond anyone else's expectations. And when a simple person like myself gets to shake their hand, they are truly interested in who I am. I think that's what make them great. Love and passion for others. Being a fine musician/organist/composer is just a bonus.

Guess the moral here is be good at what you do, but most of all, love the people who find their way into your life. Thank you Paul Manz for your wonderful gifts you have given us and may light shine perpetually upon you. We will remember you in song and heart for generations to come.

In Memoriam