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.