...to Grandmother's house we go...and back

I worked until noon on the 24th, and caught a plane at 4:30...a direct flight from D.C. to Salt Lake City. Good timing, in between storms in both places...and since the airport in Portland was closed due to the blizzard (that's right, a once in 40 years blizzard) going on at home, I was kinda grateful I was headed to meet up with my beautiful wife and my daughters (minus Missy...at least...) in Salt Lake instead of flying home. The flight was a little rough and bumpy at times, but uneventful.

We did the Christmas thing on Thursday with the fam...presents, big dinner, etc., but I missed the family photo (major sadface) and the big pageant on Sunday night.

It snowed hard there Christmas night, and was still snowing as we were getting ready to leave the next morning.

As we overslept (ooooops!), Papa got up and cleared the snow from the driveway...which I backed down to load up the Jeep. (To the gills. Including overstuffing the Rocket Box. Christmas booty, donchaknow...) I had to move out of the way when it was time for him to go to work, and he spun the wheels as he pitched their Isuzu this way and that getting up and out of the driveway. I can't be too sure, but by his laughter when he was exiting the car to tell me goodbye, I'd guess he was more having fun than he was fighting the conditions...

Then, starting about 9:00AM, we drove home...through 850 miles of ice and snow. Woohoo!!! Right off the bat, the main route (I-84 through northern Utah and southern Idaho) was closed, so we had to take the long way 'round (60 extra miles) up I-15 through Pocatello.

It was a bit slick and slow getting out of the Salt Lake Valley, but by Ogden the snow had stopped...although it was still very icy for a while...but soon we were headed north doing the limit.

By the time we got to Malad Pass (in southern Idaho), it was back to 30mph. At the crest of the pass, we saw where one of the huge highway snowplows had gone off the road, and the monster tow-trucks were trying to get it unstuck.

It got better, then it got worse: in gusty wind conditions for the 80 miles between Pocatello and Burley, driving on I-86 (which, in reality, was a sheet of ice), we watched the pickup truck right in front of us play sailboat...it got hit by a gust of wind, spun out, went off the road, flipped over, and landed in a ditch sunk in snow up to to the door handles. After we (me and a couple other drivers that had stopped) dug them out and got the door open, the couple inside was okay, completely unhurt. Amazing.

It was icy and snowy in spots after Burley, but not too bad through the Blue Mountains in Oregon...had to slow to 30-40 mph many times, but not too bad. Then it got icy again after passing through Pendleton, around Umatilla and Hermiston, but we just kept a steady pace going.

The 40 miles of the Columbia River Gorge was quite an interesting driving experience, particularly as it was at the end of the trip and I was really freakin' tired. It started snowing in The Dalles, was snowing heavily by Hood River, and raining by Cascade Locks. In the transition area, watching the semis in front of us slip and slide, looking for a wide spot to pass them without getting hit by the whipping trailer...great fun!!

(I love my little Jeep Cherokee, Paddy...so named by my girls because it is deep green, and we bought it on St. Patrick's day, 9 years and 140,000 miles ago...with 4WD and the the studded mud & snows I put on it every winter, it drove like a dream, getting us there and back safely through some hellish weather both ways. With the work I had done on it over the past year, it should be good for another 200,000 miles. And I guess my girls know that I love it, because they bought me a new stereo [with CD player, which it sadly lacks now] for Christmas!)

We pulled into our driveway about midnight, and there was still 6" of snow on the ground here. I had to shovel parts of it so we could unload the car.

Didn't do too much (well...except rest, sleep, and cuddle...) on Saturday, but I took the kids out with me that night to help me with some last-minute shopping...and that's when I stuck the Jeep.

Messing around with the kids, climbing snow piles left over from plowing parking lots...I heard the hitch dragging, and before I could stop we were sitting on it...at a 45 degree angle, nose in the air and tail on the asphalt, with the back tires off the edge of the pavement and in a hole. All of us were laughing. They went to get shovels (only two blocks from home), and when they came back we dug the nose down and got the hitch off the pavement, but with the tires in the hole it was lookin' pretty hopeless...until the tow-truck pulled in to the repair shop lot...the repair shop whose snow pile I happened to be climbing...and I gave the driver $20 to yank me out of the hole. Probably the fastest, easiest $20 he ever made...took less than 5 minutes total...

and provided a memory that I imagine will remain for years to come...

"Remember that Christmas when we came home through the snowstorm, and then the next day Rick stuck Paddy in the snowpile...?"

Good times...good times...

getting to papa's for the holiday

Becca, Kristen and I left on our great adventure on Friday (12/19) in what appeared to be the only window between storms. School and work had been closed most of the week before due to snow and ice, and I had been getting around only in the 4x4 Jeep (way to go Paddy!). 16-hours later, two intense white-out snowstorms, 10 degrees in Burley, snow-packed freeways and 4-wheel drive all the way through Snowville and we arrive safely at Papa's. Hoffman girls RULE!



It was an adventure to remember - one I would not like to repeat. Portland is buried under 18" of snow and ice at the moment and expecting more. The Columbia Gorge has been closed for the last couple of days with 2-3 feet of snow and ice.

Missy stayed in Portland to work and has been snowed in, her poor little car Sue-the-Banana buried. The Clackamas Town Center was even closed on Sunday due to the weather. We miss you Missy!

Rick is in Washington, D.C. until Christmas eve. He has been plotting our alternate return route, watching the Blue Mountains and the routes around Mt Hood or north through Yakima to Seattle if the Gorge does not re-open for us to get home.

Meanwhile, the household has been rocking with children and grandchildren. A brave photographer herded the clan (only missing Rick and Missy) into a big family photo in the rotunda of the Capitol building. Followed by dinner at Papa's and the Hale-Christensen-Burnett-Hale-Rolfson Players presented the Annual Nativity Play, including piano, flute and violin performances. Uncle Brad called it organized chaos, but I think he was just being nice.



Nichole's flight was canceled yesterday with the Portland Airport closed to all flights. She is rescheduled for the evening of Christmas day.

Outside, more snow. Back home, more snow. Unbelievable.

Sherri

ice, party, and random acts

The office is closed today due to the freezing rain and snow. Not that I am complaining. The girls have been home for three days now. If we can catch our break and the Gorge doesn't freeze up, we will head out for Utah on Friday in between storms. It doesn't look like much because I'm used to lots of snow, but it is a deceptive sheet of ice that is the problem.

If you read Rick's recent post, you know that he is stuck in Washington D.C. until his job finishes. I wouldn't worry too much, but he has seen some strange creatures there. He changed his return ticket to fly to SLC on Christmas Eve.

Nichole has moved into her very own apartment in Milwaukie. Very excited for her. She has been sharing living space for so long. She sounds happy. Still waiting for pics and the housewarming party invite. (hint, hint)

Saturday night Becca and Kristen threw their First Annual Christmas White-elephant party. It was a great success. Friends came. Gifts were exchanged. All the food in the house was eaten. A smaller group of girls spent the night, and there might have even been some sleep. We delivered the last friend home just before the first round of snow/ice hit the area. It was perfect.


Tuesday night we drove a set of chains down to Missy who can't get her car (Sue the Banana) out of her driveway. We picked her up at her work since her neighbor had driven her there. The Clackamas Town Center was a complete ice-rink, and we hung out in the parking lot waiting for her to close her store (Wet Seal). And entertained ourselves.


Isn't tongue curling a genetic marker?



Sherri

comedy(?) of errors

Washington, D.C.

The day before we get here, we find out that the teevees, of which 60 are supposed to be delivered daily, aren't. We get a delivery of 180 rushed instead...which creates a storage problem, but we know we can figure a way around that.

We get in after midnite and the hotel doesn't seem to know we're coming. They have no rooms reserved for us and say they're fully booked for the night. After some coaxing, they manage to find 3 rooms, so the 7 of us double-bunk and hit the sack.

The next morning that issue gets resolved...the teevees show up, the furniture shows up...but the countertop delivery we're expecting doesn't happen. Frantic, my boss calls the supplier, who calls the freight carrier, who informs us all that someone has dropped the ball and the granite is still sitting on the dock. In Long Beach, California. Mapquest tells me that's 2,686 miles away.

The carrier promises to find a tandem driveteam to get it here by Saturday. On the worst weather weekend nationwide so far this winter.

It gets delivered Monday. By a solo driver that doesn't speak english.


On the plus side, the late delivery gave us an unscheduled day off. I got to hang out with Sherri's cousin Jim and wife Stephanie, which was fun. We did some whirlwind sightseeing and had dinner at their place...and that was so infinitely much better than restaurant food. Their kids Liv and Theo are cool, too. Good food, good company, definitely a plus.

On the minus side, unscheduled days off strain the production schedule and push us hard up against the completion date. At that point, I'm hoping that maybe I can push production so I can still make my flight to SLC for the family picture.

I start cutting the furniture Monday afternoon, and it's a decorative shape that involves a more detailed cut than usual. Slow going, and no rushing it.

One of the more volatile members of our crew got into an in-your-face shouting match with the hotel's Chief Engineer at the end of the day today, and is likely canned for it. Being down one guy sure isn't going to help this get finished faster.

At this rate, we'll be doing good to get out of here by Christmas Eve...

the children are wondering

why would someone have a secret stash of vanilla?

really, just why?

Random thoughts from the road

Well, from my head, actually...I don't know that roads think.

I am traveling again...left San Diego, came home for three days, and am now in Santa Fe. I'm leaving Tuesday for Washington, D.C. I fly from there to Utah on the 20th for another chapter in the saga of Hale family picture adventures...which have been a part of my interaction with them since I joined up. lol

It was actually before I joined up, because Sherri and I were only engaged at the time, and I'll never forget her mother's admonition to me about not backing out now that I was in the family picture! (Like that was gonna happen...) I'll also never forget Sherri seeing the picture for the first time, and wondering how I appear to be taller than her in it. ;)

So, Christmas with the fam, then we drive home on the 26th (which will hopefully not be too much of a challenge, over the river and through the woods...and mountain passes...in late December), then second Christmas with the local chapter of the Hoffman family, then I leave again for a job starting on January 5th in Beverly Hills.

I feel kinda like a jet-setter, all this travel, all these fancy hotels. I'm in a Hilton right now, right off the historic plaza in downtown Santa Fe. Amazing art and shops and museums and food, all within a stone's throw. In fact, there's a huge art auction at the hotel here tomorrow, by Altermann Galleries. Some amazing stuff...all well out of the range of my pocketbook...

I get Sunday off and will spend the day wandering the neighborhood, do a little shopping and a lot of sightseeing.

I like it here, even though it's sooooo dry. One of the guys on the crew was complaining about trying to acclimate to the altitude (7000'), he keeps waking up from dreaming that he's running and can't catch his breath...and he cracked me up talking about the (lack of) humidity, he said it was so dry his boogers cut his nose.

Now that's dry.

So here I am. I miss my beautiful wife, and I miss my kids, and I miss my home, and I miss my friends. But I'm okay. And I'm making lots of money, so that makes it better, yeah?

Ehhhh...not really, but I'm okay.

Most of you reading this are probably well aware of how cool Sherri is...but there's so many little things that I know and appreciate that I know you don't know. And I guess that's the way it's supposed to be, since I'm the one married to her...

But what is probably the thing about her that amazes me the most is the depth of her love. For her children. (ALL of them. Yes, you.) For me. For her siblings and her parents. And for the rest of the friends and family that are part of her and have touched her life.

She is tough as nails when need be...and when her guard is down she is softer than velvet, and mushy and tender. I am so grateful that she came into my life, and that I get to see that side of her...probably more than anyone else does.

Sorry, baby...'cause maybe that's ratting you out just a little, and I know you hate that. I just love you. I think you're the coolest, and the best, and I don't care who knows it. In fact, I want to tell the whole world.

So I did.

proof that the girls watch basketball

Ha.

The Momgoose

how to keep the girls from kissing any boys

Let them get their lips pierced.


They are adorable. A little sore, but adorable. Eating Thanksgiving dinner should be an adventure.

The Momgoose

red vs blue

The colors that divide our family. Here we go...kickoff.

END OF GAME--WHOOO HOOOO!
48 - 24. Utah!
Unbelievable game. Truly.

I think I saw Papa and Grandma storming the field at the end....

midnight movie

If you know anything about popular culture, you know about Twilight and the hoopla surrounding the movie release yesterday - at midnight. 12:05 a.m. to be exact. Which was the show time on our tickets at Cinetopia, the only HD big-screen theater in the Portland/Vancouver area. I bought tickets online over a week ago for me and the Three Musketeers: Becca, Kristen and Ian.

For the record, it was a really fun movie. The story is engaging and the characters are interesting. Filmed in Washington all along the west coast near the Hoh Rainforest at the Queets river (where we all camped last summer) and here in Vancouver, it has some sweeping cinematography including shots of the Columbia Gorge and our northern forests. Two thumbs up from The Momgoose.

Favorite characters (in order): Edward Cullen, Jacob Black, and Alice Cullen.

Favorite scene: the baseball game.

Favorite song: Supermassive Black Hole by Muse.



Really proud of Becca and Kristen for getting right up and going to school this morning since we didn't get home until around 3 a.m. after our opening-night adventure.

If you weren't aware of our nerdiness before, you just haven't been paying attention.

(postscript) But wait - there's more.

Just for perspective, I also launched my new work website last night. I was hired by my company 9 months ago specifically to design and manage this project, so it is kind of a big deal.

The last 10 weeks have been insane as I have been working through my evenings and weekends just to stay even close to deadline. On Thursday morning, after a grueling 12-hour work day the day before, I woke up with inflamed tendons. I worked all day with an ice-pack intermittently strapped around my right wrist. Yee-haw.

This is just Phase I of the new design and the launch went off flawlessly last night from 8:00 - 10:30 p.m. I couldn't be more pleased. And relieved.

Phase II is already in progress. Launch deadline: May 1, 2009.

So here it is, the new design. All shiny and new:
www.psoriasis.org

Sherri

amused

So...while working at a hotel in San Diego last week (I'm in Oxnard as of last night...which probably deserves its very own post on odd place names and mental images that life would be better without...), the buzz all around was that Playboy would be doing a photo shoot in the hotel. You can imagine the grins of anticipation on the faces of the male hotel staff, not to mention the crew of assorted rowdies I work with.

I was...indifferent, really. Not that I am blind to attractive women, far from it... a fact that I know my beautiful wife would readily attest to, and I am truly grateful that she remains unthreatened by that and that we can share our respective opinions on the topic without causing harm to each other or to Us.

But I just find the whole Southern California ethos to be generally unimpressive. As an example, I picked up a copy of San Diego's local weekly paper (similar to the Willamette Week) and I'd be willing to bet that some 75% of the ads in it were related to the sole pursuit of looking good: diets, cosmetic surgery, gyms, liposuction, chic clothing, cosmetic dentistry, spa treatments, hair styling, hair restoration, hair removal...ad nauseum. Oh, and a plethora of "get your medical marijuana card here" ads as well.

So all this time and effort (and money) spent on an eternal search for youth and beauty by selfish, self-obsessed, empty, plastic people... and that's the lifestyle. Apparently augmented with copious amounts of reefer.

Whatever.

And, having been born there, all that causes me to wonder who I'd be if I'd remained in Southern California. Thank God I left early.

Monday night, a couple of big buses and several large vans enter the parking lot of the Mission Valley Sheraton Hotel. Out of the front of the vans come the roadie-looking guys, with backstage-looking passes hanging from lanyards around their necks, and out of the back they unload what must amount to tons of lighting and equipment.

Tuesday morning the girls start showing up. One early trip in the elevator I was alone with a woman wearing tight jeans and a t-shirt proclaiming, "I posed for Playboy today." I asked her if it was fun. She gushed, "Yeah, it was...but it was also nerve-wracking and I've never done anything like this before." I wished her luck, and she thanked me.

The more experienced Bunnies seemed to show up later, and by noon the lower portion of the hotel was packed with women (girls?), most of them wearing high heels and short silk robes with probably (kinda obviously) nothing more than a thong on underneath.

California, condensed.

I don't want to sound too harsh...they really are beautiful women, strikingly so. But they are just sooooo not my type that I found it difficult to be anything other than impressed by the utter vacuousness of the entire extravaganza, and amazed (and amused) by the reactions it created.

Last elevator ride of the day, headed out after finishing the job, having showered and packed for the train ride from San Diego to Oxnard (there's that name again...). My boss and I get on the elevator at the 8th floor with two of the previously described scantily clad lovelies who have obviously come down from the scene shoot going on in a suite on the 14th floor.

As the door closes, I look at my boss, and he's...twitterpated. Then I notice the very powerful scent of perfume permeating the elevator air. I comment, "It smells verrrrry girlie in here." They giggle. One of them responds, "But that's a good thing, right?" I say, "Compared to riding the elevator with six sweaty, smelly guys all day, you bet it is!" Then she says, "Six smelly guys crowded into this elevator, that doesn't sound like any fun at all...but it'd be kinda fun if it broke down right now..."

I think I just got flirted with by a Playboy Bunny.

And I remain...amused.

girls at home

While Rick is off working in California, the girls are holding down the fort. So to speak. We've had rain (4" so far for November), raccoons in the yard, frost in the garden, coyotes singing under the full moon, school, work, and some sleepless nights.

Yesterday, Becca got to see the doctor, who diagnosed strep throat even after the quick test came back negative. He seemed convinced by the lovely pus in the back of her throat. It was quite impressive - I saw it. Penicillin seems to be helping already, and she is feeling better today. Kristen and I have been trying not to get breathed on - so far, so good.

Missy came over for a minute, dinner and a hug. And Nichole called to say she would come for Thanksgiving.

But for tonight, we venture over to the girls' art school for a play. Metamorphoses: from the myths of Ovid.

Of course the Utah/San Diego game is at 5:00 p.m. One more game to hope for a win before the final red-and-blue. Perhaps the Seattle clans should come down to watch...

Sherri

later that same day (update)

Worst sportscaster joke of the day: During the UNM/CSU football game, the announcer says "The receiver is hit by Karaoka." The other announcer says, "At least he isn't hit by karaoke. Then it would be Hit Me With Your Best Shot." Oy.

not in washington anymore, toto

Rick not only sent me a text today (xoxox - i love you), he also sent a picture. A monumental feat of modern technology and personal achievement, this from the man who refused to even own a cellphone for forever.

And if you can't tell from the skyline, he's not anywhere near our lovely home - San Diego for a week, and then Oxnard until Thanksgiving.

Here at home, it's cheese soup and toast, and the at-home girls are dying their hair, perhaps in early anticipation of the upcoming Hale family photo next month. Talk about a monumental achievement - the Hales have increased to a staggering crowd. Papa definitely has his basketball team now, although its players seem a bit spread in skill and age. We will collectively test the cat-herding skills of some poor photographer.

Expecting more rain tonight. Other than missing my darling husband (already after one day), all is well on the homefront.

Sherri

christmas gift suggestions

Our annual Cabela's Christmas catalog arrived today. So I thought I would post a few choice items to consider since the holidays are right around the corner.

Broken Silence Turkey Alarm Clock. Need to launch those children out of bed in the morning? There's no better way to start the day than with sounds of the hunt. When this alarm goes off, you'll hear an owl hoot, a hen cutting and then a gobble. Push the snooze and stop the gobbling with a shotgun blast. (Seriously, I could not make up details like that if I was Chuck Palahniuk)
Only $44.99. [click to order]

Camouflage Crib Collection Your little hunter is sure to have sweet dreams of the outdoors when you adorn their room with a complete crib set of camo. The only downside is that your baby may be effectively hidden from you. Only $59.99 for the complete set. Perhaps the two Amys will want to coordinate Susanna's and Jayne's rooms since there are also regular sheet set sizes available and surely our babies could never outgrow this exciting decor. [click to order]

Bridger Mountain Man Coyote Fur Hat. Relive the era of the mountain man with this authentic full-body coyote Mountain Man Hat. The hat drapes down in the back for added warmth and protection of those heads that might be a bit sparse on top. The classic styling and authentic coyote hide make this hat a conversation starter at any school or church event. The perfect gift for those fashion-conscious teens and environmental enthusiasts. Rated 4.7 out of 5 by satisfied customers. On sale now for only $199.99. [click to order]

And finally, one of my most favorite items considering all my vegetarian children:

Tur-Duc-Hen. Picture this - chicken stuffed with your choice of five dressings, stuffed inside a deboned duck that is stuffed with more dressing. Then put those two birds inside a turkey filled with even more stuffing and you have a 15-lb. delicacy known as a Tur-Duc-Hen. A unique dining experience that will have your holiday guests raving. Arrives fresh and ready to cook. A real deal at $129.99 for this specialty meat...er, meats. [click to order]

We can hardly wait to see the entire Hale family in Utah for Christmas! That hasn't happened in years. Now...whose name do we have? Ah. Brad and Susan. Excellent.

Sherri

awe

I haven't been able to stop crying yet. I am awestruck. I had lost my faith in the political system years ago while I was working in politics, disillusioned by the reality of what I witnessed behind those closed doors of the ivory towers, what the political rhetoric translated to for those elected officials who said they served the people, those people who did not walk their talk, officials for whom their message was only words.

2001 happened.

2004 happened.

The message of hope and change began small and I dismissed it as campaign hoopla. But it continued to grow. It was pervasive. I listened with a cynical ear. I heard it in person in the packed Portland Coliseum - cried at the weight and substance of Sen. Obama's message, cried at the pain of not knowing if we could dare to hope that such a man with such a message could reach a place of leadership to actually make a difference.

As the last months have escalated in intensity, as the negative response from the extreme right has become louder, my dread has increased. How could such a simple message calling for change and hope hold against an entrenched system? I have never been afraid to be an American before - embarrassed, yes, but never afraid. My early childhood was in a military setting on foreign shores - I did not know that every movie theater in the world did not play the American National Anthem before every movie. And now, to hear the anger and the hatred coming across the airwaves and in the news from parts of our own country whipped up into a frenzy of campaign drama, I grew increasingly afraid for my family, my children and their children. And for a future that might embrace that negativity. My only hope became for Sen. Obama to succeed.

I am so relieved. I am so moved by the message that has remained steadfast and clear. I am so awed by all the greater implications of the outcome. A little piece of my faith is restored, and my little scrap of hope carries it forward.



Sherri

added by Rick:
Spontaneous "Star Spangled Banner" breaks out in Pioneer Courthouse Square
by Michael Rollins, The Oregonian Wednesday November 05, 2008, 9:53 AM

A crowd gathered last night at Pioneer Courthouse Square Park. At 8 p.m., when television stations called the race for Barack Obama, people broke out in an a cappella rendition of the National Anthem.


www.oregonlive.com

Sleepless in Connecticut

Wow, that was original, wasn't it? An echo of an old movie, echoed in my beautiful wife's earlier sign-off...

Yeah, so the absolute worst thing about working away from home is the inability to sleep without Sherri by my side...or underneath me...or on top of me, as the case may be depending upon where we are in the nightly tango (tangle?) that is our way of sleeping together. Oh, except boys don't like to cuddle, so forget I just said all that...

I'm grateful that cellphones have become so inexpensive to use, and thanks to the benefit of that modern technology we remain connected on the facets of everyday life. I can't quite imagine what it would have been like in the time from not so long ago to forever back in human history where that was simply not possible, and for the married man who had travelled 6,000 miles, coming home must surely have felt something like trying to re-become a person he once was, while returning to a person (and a life) he once knew.

My biggest challenge on this brief trip to the east coast has been the result of the three hour time differential. Between that and the aforementioned lack of my cuddle partner, I've been falling asleep between 3:00 and 4:00 AM, then waking up around 7:00 to go to work. Woo-hoo!! I don't think tired begins to describe the way I feel. I'm glad the "daily commute" involves no driving, only stumbling down the hotel hall, headed for the pre-work meeting in my boss' room with a mug of hot tea in my hand.

Even in the midst of my exhaustion, this is a wonderful life to live. Our friend John (who is also Sherri's business partner, of sorts) was good enough to come across town last night to pick me up and take me to an A.A. meeting close to where he lives, after which he gave me a tour of his home, and then we just kicked it for a bit and shot the breeze with his wife Sheryl before he drove me back.

(Now...A.A. isn't the 12-Step fellowship I'm most comfortable in, but it'll do as a substitute... {/inside joke} )

It is nothing short of amazing to me that Sherri and I have friends that live all over the world. Freed from the depths of the misery, terror, and pain of our addiction, we walk among a community of friends that quite literally spans the globe.

As someone I am very fond of would say, "It's a fucking miracle", and I will print that here even though C.A. would not let that particular word past the editor of its quarterly newsletter in an article she was requested to write for it.

~~~~~~~
Today we entered the room of an elderly woman (and her cats) who is living here at this hotel. As we removed her 10 year old tv to replace it with a new 42" flat-screen hdtv, I commented that I imagined it looked a lot different than the first one she ever saw. As I left the room she began to tell a story about that first set to another member of the crew who was in the room completing the installation. He later made a comment which revealed he considered her tale a lot of boring chatter to endure.

Which left me to wonder if all our marvelous technology has done humanity any good at all.

halloweeeen

Oy. Remember when it was all just a mad party? Well, some of you will remember. Big turnout this year, maybe an entire dozen trick-or-treaters. Our neighborhood doesn't have sidewalks or many streetlights. The heavy fog is probably the biggest deterrent tonight. But I'm not really complaining. It is Day 3 of a series of migraines that make my eyes burn and I'm about maxed out on Advil.

The at-home kids got non-scary movies for the movie marathon - Labyrinth and Roger Rabbit. At the moment they are traipsing around in the fog even though I told them they would miss the basketball game...pretty sure my own child scoffed at the idea of watching basketball. I know - it's quite shocking. And I'm totally sure she is my child.

Missy and Simeon stopped by to eat the leftover cheese sandwiches and grab some candy and water bottles on their way to Seattle for a big party there. Nichole is already there with Mike and the gang. Missy swears she is dressed as a gangster - she says she looks just like Ronnie or Kartoon from Compton.

Nichole and I made her costume on Monday. It took a couple hours at the fabric store and then came together rather quickly. She looks adorable - and vaguely reminiscent of one of her early costumes, perhaps not quite so pink as Princess Jasmine. Of course only Missy could have pulled off Rajah the tiger. And the baby bat is priceless.


~ the ever adoring Momgoose

shaking up the home front

Rick left this morning for a job in Manchester, Connecticut. He should be back sometime mid- or end-of next week. Just long enough for me to adjust to him being gone and finally be able to sleep. Tonight, however, is doomed to be the first of a few, long sleepless nights.

The weekend was definitely eventful. Becca and Kristen went to the coast with Ian and his father. They stayed at their grandmother's beach house in Manzanita and hiked all around, jumped over the fences and ran around the edges of large unsecured cliffs and rock overhangs. I hear Kristen fell in the ocean at least once, but not from any cliff, just sometime during their wave-jumping adventures. Manzanita is always lovely, no matter the time of year, and of course, Becca caught the sunset. They all came home quite sniffly and only Ian went to school today because both girls were sick...or just sluffers.













Meanwhile, Rick spent the first part of the weekend preparing chicken bento for 90 friends and the second part cooking it at a 4-band party over at our friend Gene's warehouse. Despite the fact that our friend Ronnie said it was nothing like Vanilla Ice, the bands were great - 2 blues and 2 metal. With the perfect balance of skill and volume.

Conveniently, a bar mitzvah the night before left all their decor, including the light show on the dance floor and orchid centerpieces on the tables. Quite fancy for the head-banging crowd. But there was fun for all, best costume prize went to the headless guy, and the food was fabulous.

And if you can't quite tell from my stellar cellphone-photos, that's an octopus up in the rafters.

Quite the gig.


Earlier on Sunday, I also went to a wedding shower for my friend Tina who is one of the graphic designers at my work. And I totally won the draw-the-bride-on-a-paper-plate-on-your-head game. I know - I am completely without honor when it comes to wedding shower gaming.

And "highlight" of my weekend - dyed my hair. Ha.


Reading The Wapshot Chronicle by John Cheever. Hoping to reach some tipping point into sleep soon...

Sherri
- sleepless in Vancouver

I must be getting old

So...my first foray into the blog world will be reflective of two things that have been centerpoints of my life recently: my birthday, and the upcoming election.

I must be getting old, because this video made me laugh, and I think you have to be about my age (or perhaps a little older) to really appreciate it.

(i wonder what video was so funny to me that day....more lost media)

fog

I love the fog in the morning. It makes everything clean and soft-edged. So I'm driving to work yesterday all amazed, and I cross the Fremont bridge and the fog is still as thick as something solid.

To appreciate where I was, the Fremont bridge is the the second longest steel tied arch bridge in the world, after the Caiyuanba Bridge across the Yangtze River in China. It is a double-deck freeway bridge, accommodating I-405 which circumvents the downtown area.

It is also the tallest bridge in Portland. I once heard a man tell a story about not being able to jump off the Fremont to commit suicide because when he got there, "It was too damn high." (Although, come to think about it, he may have meant him.) The bottom deck at center point is 175 feet above the Willamette River, and the top of the center arch above the top deck is 381 feet from the water—the good Lord willing and the creek don't rise.

So I drive across the bridge on my way to work. Amazed. And I believe just enough in seizing the moment and am just enough of a nerd that I turn around, drive back across the bridge east-bound (lower level), turn around, and drive across the top deck again - so I can take pictures with my cell phone over the steering wheel.

I embrace my nerdiness.

I love fog.

Sherri ;-)

love song from my husband

Rick sent this to me. I adore him completely.

(another lost youtube link *sigh*)

Sherri

real football

Halftime CSU @ Utah and the score is good. Mom has probably spilled her popcorn jumping up and down in the stands, and since they are ahead, Papa probably hasn't had to call anyone a dunderhead.

We are looking forward to the traditional Thanksgiving Red/Blue battle (early this year). A couple years ago Amy, Seth, Amy, Scott and all the kids were here at the house for that game - since we were the only ones with cable. That was the year Papa and Grandma had hiked up to some remote cabin above Aspen, Colorado, with Debs and Brian, Brad and Susan and all the cumulative gang. Scott did a fabulous play-by-play on his cell phone to all the hikers and tried not to startle little baby Suzanna with his cheering.

Right in the middle of 3rd quarter, a red-tailed hawk swooped down in front of the big picture windows and snagged a mourning dove off the back porch. It was an explosion of feathers. The hawk hunched over its meal down in the grass until all of us peering out the windows must have made it nervous, and it took the dove and flew away. And of course BYU won that one in a fluke, zero-time left Hail-Mary play. Random luck, really, nothing like real skill.

Oh, yeah. This family allegiance is RED.

Go Utes!

Sherri

Girls in the house

Becca and Kristen are the most adorable teenagers on the planet. Pics to prove.







--the Momgoose

52!

Rick's birthday was celebrated with much brownies and 52 lighted candles! Thanks to Becca and Kristen for the first batch.

The entire clan gathered on Sunday for turkey, 15 lbs of mashed potatoes and more brownies (thanks to Becca again for the next batch). There were many manly presents, laughter and a scathing game of Mille Bornes thanks to the exuberance and persistence of Atreyu.

Rick seems no less worse for his 52 years. Still young as ever.

And still with a great set of legs.

(Still incorrigible, also, I see.)

Welcome to the Clan

I keep getting these requests from the distant family to post pics and update the interesting details of our everyday life, so here it is. I'll make an effort to keep you up to date. And maybe we'll even get something from Rick. So it begins.