straight to winter

From summer in Utah to winter at home. A new home. We bought a house in August and moved right across the street from the old house. It was unexpected but such an opportunity that we couldn't refuse. We moved in and then Rick left for his latest work on the road. He was gone from mid-August to early November. I am so happy to have him home for Thanksgiving and all of December. He will leave again after New Years to return to Orlando and then possibly up to Georgia and Maryland again.

Nichole at the Art Museum in D.C.

Nichole was accepted into an amazing environmental program through her work that I think is with the Smithsonian Institute, and she spent ten days training in the woods in Maryland. I know she has spent a lot of time working to get into this particular program, and she said it was so fun, she didn't want to come home. While she was there, she also got to spend a couple days with Jim, Steph, Olivia and Theo, and they took her out on the town. We have such cool family in all parts of the country!

Olivia and Nichole out on the town.

Big hair left from the Tartan Princess.

Merissa has been uber-busy at work. She was promoted at her retail job to manager, which is so great. She also had an all-day modeling job with MAC cosmetics. She was the "Tartan Princess" and I have to say, those Tartans sure had big hair back in the day. She also just moved into a new apartment in Milwaukee not far from her work and school.

Becca seems to be happy in our new house, mostly because she gets her own "little" house - she moved her room into the studio out in the back. The only drawback is the hike into the house to the bathroom. Apparently, not enough of a drawback to motivate her to move back into the main house. She has her own TV, all the video game systems, and a little pellet stove to keep her little house warm and cozy. She is working at Old Navy at the mall and busy-busy for the holiday shopping rush.

Becca setting up her studio.

Ryan and Megan are still on the hunt for the right jobs, but they are happy and healthy. Trey is doing well in school so far - he spent a few days at Outdoor School and loved it so much he wants to be an Outdoor School camp counselor when he grows up.

Speaking of school, in September, I was accepted into the MFA Creative Writing program at Pacific University. Classes start in January. I am so excited for this particular program and have to admit I was surprised to be accepted - it's a really great program. So surprised, in fact, that I saved the first voicemail from the acceptance committee-person on my phone and played it a couple times over just to make sure. Yeah, I'm a nerd like that.

After being out of work from March until August, I also got a new job. I'll be able to work there while I go to school, so it seems to be ideal. The only drawback is the drive north to Longview, WA every day. A bit of a drive, but still better than the commute south over the bridge into Portland, but I still drive 80-100 miles per day.

Pumpkins with Ellie, Jayne and Batman Diego

Halloween and Thanksgiving both have come and gone and were happy occasions. We've had James up to stay with us a couple times - he is such a great kid and an amazing racer. We've also been able to spend some time with the Christensen Clan up in Redmond - love all them little rascals, too!

Happy Halloween at the Christensen's!

Rick and I are so grateful for the opportunities that have opened before us recently. We are grateful to both be able to be working in this sketchy economy and that we are both healthy.

Rick and I drove out to Long Beach yesterday and walked on the beach where we had one of our very first dates. It was late afternoon and the sun was already low on the western horizon. An older couple was clamming, and the woman showed me how to catch a clam (amazing - I never knew!).

We walked to the edge of the waves and got our shoes wet in the surf, touched the salt water. And held hands and kissed just like we did that day almost 15 years ago.

"We're so lucky!" Rick said.

I think we are.

Sherri

and again

Back to Utah for another week. And what a busy week it was.

There were hairdresser appointments, nurses visits, dog medicines, dinners, movie, shopping, zoo, lunch. I got to grocery shop, chauffeur the dog, run errands, clean carpets, pack boxes up and down the stairs, bake some pie. I might have even worked out on purpose once or twice.

Girl's night was dinner with mom, Aunt Marilyn, Ann the Fabulous Neighbor, and Grandma Farrell. Lori had us all over for dinner one evening. Jamus got to tell us about catching his first fish. I also got to play volleyball and soccer with him, see the Five Greatest Fight Moves (that's not quite what he called it, but I can't remember), and read many books. Caleb wasn't feeling his normal happy self, but Peter was crazy busy. And Jamus ate almost the entire giant piece of lemon meringue pie that mom had cut for Jeremiah. That's my boy!

We all went to the bird show at the zoo one morning. And went to see the new Twilight movie. After Uncle Rulon's funeral on Weds in Groveland, Cousin Lee joined us for dinner and a raucous game of Mexican Train - I'm quite sure grandma and mom were totally cheating. Breakfast one morning at Eggs in the City with cousins Marne and Lee. It is Em, Sophia and Gwynie's favorite restaurant because, as Marne said, "How often do you get to eat a place that has part of your name?" Especially when it is Eggleston.

Linda came up on Friday and took us all out to lunch at Ruth's Diner. Good to spend some time with her as well.

Saturday I drove to Willard to see my old high school friend, Edela Murray Irvin. Alas, I forgot to take any photos. But we caught each other up on life, had breakfast, swapped photo albums, and laughed a lot. Our next visit will not be after another 27 years. Geez.

Papa came home from Ghana on Saturday, and we celebrated by going up to Park City to the Windy Ridge Cafe. Brad was on call nearby and joined us for dinner, and Susan was able to carve out a few minutes for dessert. It was beautiful and unseasonably green in the mountains for July. We drove back through East Canyon via Jeremy Ranch to avoid a massive traffic jam going back into the city, a nice drive despite the porcupines and deer on the road.

Flew home Sunday and slept a full 12 hours that night. Nothing like a Utah visit to stir up a whirlwind. I was saddened at the death of Uncle Rulon. Mom continues to recover from her surgeries. Grandma told me some amazing stories. Grateful to have been able to visit so many dear family and friends. Grateful to be home in the end.

As it should be.

The Momgoose

world cup

We're cheering for Ghana in the World Cup. Cheering. Cheering.

End of regulation. Tied.

End of extra time, and it's still tied. Oh, and it's breaking our hearts, every second that ticks off the clock, the failed strikes, so close.

Final shootout. Ghana misses the third.

Uruguay misses the fourth.

Ghana misses.

In Ghana, they've shut down all business. Closed the shops and markets. Diverted electricity to accommodate every single television in the country. They're all watching.

I almost look away during Uruguay's fifth penalty, invested in the outcome for the state of an entire people, the hope of a continent, collective held breath, hearts laid open on the line.

Both teams are in agony, hands to their faces or held out in an entreaty of prayer.

Ah.

Ah.

Papa is in Ghana on this day. We are here, so far away. Bound for a few short hours to the hope of an entire nation.

The Momgoose - fan of World Cup

world's biggest pizza

To celebrate my birthday, mom ordered a bit of pizza from The Pie, my favorite pizza place back in the day when I was a starving student. It was the biggest pizza ever. The 3' square pizza box took up the entire kitchen counter.

Amy Hale made birthday cake. I think darling Suzanna helped with the frosting, or at least the tasting of the frosting.

I flew home that night to have Missy pick me up at the airport and be home with Becca and Miss for the last of another great birthday.

Sherri

there and back again

So my darling husband was home for a week to attend Becca's graduation, mow the lawn (twice), catch up on his sleep and BBQ duties. He's back in Indiana now, heading for Ohio, Georgia, and then California before he comes home at the end of July. Of course, he has some amazing stories of places he's been - Churchill Downs, Louisville Slugger Museum, Annapolis waterfront. I'm sure you all get tired of my sleepless-night postings when he is gone from home, but dang it all, I'm tired, too.

Becca and Kristen were both darling graduates. Ryan, Megan and Trey joined us at the ceremony as well as Missy, Chantz and Lindsay. I am thrilled to have all my little ducklings through the public school system. On to the next phase.

But before the actual graduation, I dropped over to SLC for a bit. Mom had another surgery on her knee, and Grandma Farrell was staying there at the house. Seemed like a good time to head over, walk the dog a few times, play chauffeur, pick up a few groceries and some late-night Häagen-Dazs for the household. Bonus points: got to see Brad and Susan and their darling Hale-mob as well as Lor and Jer and their own little Wangsgard-mob. Scott and Amy even showed up, Amy with the kids first and then Scott from his interview in Washington D.C.

I also had the opportunity to spend much of my birthday with Grandma Farrell. We took her little dog to the groomer and then went by her house to pick up a few more of her things and some clothes. She took me to lunch at Sandy's for my birthday, and everywhere we went, she would introduce me and tell people it was my birthday. She told me all kinds of stories about her and Grandpa, about her friends and people she knew, about living in Ohio and traveling in the military. She is truly an amazing woman, and I enjoyed every minute.

I love my family. When we were all little, family was sometimes all we had. Sibs. Cousins. Grandparents. Maybe that's what made our bond that much stronger. I think it comes from the combination of our nomadic moving, and Papa and Grandma's clear and often exuberant dedication to the family structure. Oh sure, we've always scrapped with each other, hurt each other's feelings, drifted. But faced with a challenge, we have proven to come together for each other. Time and time again.

My hope is that my own children, all of them, feel loved like that. I know that I felt very loved throughout this latest visit to Utah. And I know that I feel loved here at home. Family love crosses state lines and is also wireless. And having Rick out of town just means that we have to hang out on the phone for the entire hour of Deadliest Catch so that we still get to "watch" it together. That's what I'm talking about.

Sherri

Becca and Scott are graduates!

Becca decided late last summer that she wanted to graduate a year early. I told her if she did all the footwork, I would support her. She has done an amazing job, and on June 18, she will graduate from the Vancouver School of Arts and Academics - a full year early. She has taken college classes before and after her regular high school day in order to double her credits this year, and it has required tremendous focus and sustained effort from Becca.

I am so proud of her.

On Wednesday last week, Becca presented her project to an open group and then to the school panel and defend her thesis. Missy and I attended. Becca was nervous, but I doubt anyone could tell - I could, but I'm her mother. She did a fabulous job. She was clear, her ideas were concise and detailed, and she smiled and answered the questions directly and with concrete examples and explanations. I almost cried, and I'm not much of a public crier.

Becca's senior project began as a research paper about darkroom techniques lost in the "progress" of digital photography. The final art component is a series of 15 portraits, three sets using various darkroom manipulation or printing techniques - one of which involves fire and may have set off the school fire alarms judging by the response from her faculty advocates when she talked about that one. The final show is on display at the school.

Literally as soon as she was done, we jumped in the car and drove to Seattle to pick up Uncle Brad at the SeaTac airport and get to Amy and Seth's house. Uncle Scott defended his PhD thesis on Thursday at the University of Washington.

At the university, Scott appeared calm despite the full gallery. Except that his pointer beam danced all over the screen for the first 10 minutes of his presentation. We learned all about Tolerance Induction in Peripheral CD4+ T cells through RAG-dependent TCR Revision. And if you ever have any questions about bi-transgenic mice, Uncle Scott is your man. Plus, now we can call him "Dr. Fatty."

The post-presentation reception was packed. Either graduate students were really excited about all those RAG-dependent T cells, or they were really hungry. Actually, I think they all just liked Scott. I met some very nice students and faculty who spoke highly of my little brother and his

work. He appears to have made a positive impact on this place at the university. To honor him, those geeky scientists made ice cream using liquid nitrogen poured right into the mix to freeze it. And topped it off with Scott's favorite root beer. How cool is that?!

After a brief campus walking tour, we all went out to dinner at Ray's Boathouse in Ballard. Excellent seafood. And chicken, for those of us who don't eat fish (Becca). The restaurant overlooks the Locks of Seattle, so it was a veritable parade of boats during dinner, and one sea lion.

In the company of my family, we ate a lot of food, told a lot of story, and at one point, I laughed until I cried. Brad says when his kids introduce him, they say, "This is our dad. He's never had a serious day in his life." And I believe it.

Mom did extraordinarily well considering she had major knee-replacement surgery just over a week ago. She even let Brad and Scott wheel her around the UW campus in a wheelchair. I think we wore her out a bit, but it was good to see her recovering so well.

I am proud of both my daughter and my brother and love them dearly. Congratulations to them for all their hard work.

The Momgoose

Longboarding on the Switchbacks

My nephew James raced today on the Switchbacks in Washington Park, Portland. Rick, Missy and I went to watch, and it was cool and amazing and sometimes a little bit terrifying. James got cut from the first heat (oops, Missy says it was the 2nd heat), but it was a great day.

Bonus: after the race, James mowed the lawn for Rick. How great is that?!


the Momgoose

mother's day

Waffles were the order of the day on Sunday, Mother's Day. And espresso and flowers. I either saw or heard from all of my darling children today, and I love them all dearly. I even got to talk to my own mother during her busy day in Utah between doctor guests and grandkids.

Rick climbed Mount St. Helens with the Mazamas. He served as the assistant on the climb and had a great climb and reached the summit. Traditional dress for the climb on Mother's Day is a dress your mother wore, so you'll see some of they guys in lovely gowns. Rick says his mother never wore a dress, so he meant to take his Hawaiian shirt because that's where she was born, but in his rush to get out the door, he left it on the rocking chair by the door. He's still adorable. And he's my hero for chasing after his dream of climbing mountains and succeeding. There he is, at the top.

I love my family.

The Momgoose

is it spring?

Lately, the days are a schizophrenic mix of downpour rain, hail, and brilliant sunshine. Tonight, there was a swirling dark cloud to the east that looked like it could easily drop a house out of the sky, kill a witch, and swoop us off over the rainbow. Nothing so dramatic as that happened, but it was weird and impressive.

There is a frost warning tonight. I am hopeful that the flowers that have survived the hail storms so far will survive the cold tonight.

This afternoon, Missy and I saw these birds at the feeders on the back porch. I think they are Evening Grosbeaks, and even though this is not our photo (we couldn't get a good shot before they flew away), they looked exactly like this. Only more of them. They were beautiful and super cool looking.


Yup. It's spring.

Sherri

more Orcas Island pics

We were there for five days.


It could have been five months. It was beautiful.

Sherri

riding on the ferry

Rick and I took our little Paddy Jeep with our canoe across the Puget Sound from Anacortes to Orcas Island. Brad's little one Matthew was worried that if you put a car on a boat, it would sink. So we took lots of pictures and emailed them to Brad since he would be getting to the ferry two days later.


No sinking.

Sherri

Orcas Island for spring break

Rick and I went to Orcas Island for spring break. We rode the ferry over mid-afternoon and got to the resort just before sunset. Debs and Brian, Hannah, Megan and Alex met us later in the evening on that first day. On the second day, Scott and Amy, Susanna and Andrew joined us. On the third day, Papa and Grandma, Amy and Seth, Sam, Ellie, Jayne and Jacob (Diego Batman) arrived. On the fourth day, Brad and Susan, Maggie, Jonathan, Katie, Ben and Matthew joined us. On the fifth day, we rested. Oh, I mean we had a birthday party for Alex (Happy Birthday, Alex!!) Generally, it was a party the entire time.

It rained. There was intermittent sunshine. One day the wind blew and blew and a transformer on the mainland in Anacortes blew out, leaving the entire island without power. We heated the cabins with firewood, bought some drinking water since the wells were electrical, and played cards and Bananas (a game of speed Scrabble) in the cabins. There was a raucous Easter egg hunt on Sunday. I'm sure West Beach will never be the same.

One of the highlights for me was a whale-watching trip to look for Orcas with Outer Island Expeditions. It is not the season to find the whales, so we mostly expected to see the sea lions, maybe some dolphins and the harbor seals. Just as we pulled out, our whale-boat Captain Beau Brandow got a call saying the BC ferry had spotted a pod of transient Orcas. Beau told us that it was a needle in a haystack, but that he would make every effort to find the whales if we wanted to give it a try. After a bit of debate, Papa said yes, let's find the whales.

Beau was amazing. He drove us 45 minutes deep into Canadian waters, circled back along the tide that he figured the whales were following, and swept back in a plan to intercept the whales that he calculated were moving along a string of islands toward us. And there they were.

There were five whales altogether. Beau said there were three adult females, one young whale, and a baby whale that looked to be 6-8 weeks old. The pod circled over to us and seemed to be playing and showing off not too far from our boat. Then they suddenly lined up and took off to the north at a pretty fast pace. We followed them in the boat, and they swam really close to the shore of one island, close enough that the campers spotted them and went running down to the beach. The whales went on past the island and straight out into the open Sound.


We ended the whale watching by a circle around a small island and saw some lazy-looking Harbor seals, a huge flock of cormorants and gulls. As we pulled up to the West Beach pier, the bobbing heads of all the Brad-and-Susan cousins had arrived and came running down the beach to greet us.

I would live there in a minute. Island and all.

Sherri

Transformers vs Peeps

We know you've been waiting for it.

(I would have loved to see what photos these were...sorry, my old Flikr account has been lost)

Rick has had way too much time on his hands this weekend.
Sherri

spring in February?

Rick is home from Kansas and brought the Kansas City Great Gomboo - that is the official medical term. He was through the worst of it earlier this week when it was down in his lungs, but it seems to be ramping up again for a second round today. Hopefully another couple of days of rest and fluids, and he will be better. He had a good visit with his sister Michelle and her daughters, Aimée and Kimberly, while in Kansas. His next round of work out in the world is still a few weeks away, and then he anticipates another 14 jobs that will most likely take him into July.

Nichole's birthday was on the February 8. She is in the process of moving out of her apartment and into a house with Michael and another friend, so there is that whole shift of stuff and packing and changes going on for her. I know she was looking for a home for her snake in all the up-ended chaos; apparently snakes don't do well with a lot of changes. Nichole is coming over tonight for some curry and birthday cake, so perhaps we'll get to hear more about what is happening.

Merissa has been "discovered" by a modeling agency, and she is busy working to put those pieces together to see if she can dip her toe into that world. It is a reputable company, and they initially contacted her earlier last fall but she didn't make the initial cut at that first call. She came away with a better idea about what they were looking for, and worked with a trainer at the gym to see if she could make some changes without turning her whole body on its head. The call a couple weeks ago resulted in a contract. All a great adventure, and it could be a great opportunity for Missy at this time in her life.

Becca's plan to graduate a year early has required an enormous amount of dedication to her schoolwork and the additional college classes in the evenings. Her focus is admirable, and she has accomplished a phenomenal amount of work: essays, research papers, lab experiments, classwork and core projects. The result is that she remains on track to graduate in June - a full year early. I suspect she is looking forward to the summer with more than a little anticipation.

My 1-year term contract with WSU is up the first of April, and it will not be renewed. After all that has gone on lately, I find that I am neither surprised nor disappointed. It has been a learning experience, and now I am looking forward to what comes next. Just this last week, I have updated all my online resources and my resume; yesterday I sent out the first batch of applications. For the dicey economy in our area, there are jobs out there. Change shakes up the routine, but in the bigger picture, that's not so bad.

Every day is an adventure.

The Momgoose

just nichole

When Nichole was in Kindergarten, she brought home all her assignments with the name "Nichole Stephanie" written at the top. I thought perhaps that she had mistakenly brought home another little girl's work. But at parent teacher conference, her teacher told me that I should be very proud of Nichole's enthusiasm and the effort that it took for her to learn and write out her first AND middle name on every assignment. Except that she doesn't actually have a middle name.

And before that, soon after Merissa was born and Amy came to stay with us for a bit to help out, Nichole was so enamored by her aunt that when I would call her by name, she would ignore me for awhile. And then correct me. "I name Mimi," she would say.

Also famous for saying, "I do it I-self!"

So here's some old and some new pics of our little Nichole. Love you - tones and tones (as she used to write on notes to me).

Love
The Momgoose

It's a new year

It's a new year and already we've been a busy family. It snowed during the week after Christmas - a whole 6" shuts down everything in P-town and surrounding areas. The commute home from Missy's work was looking like a 4-hour trip, but she waited until after the initial panic began to clear and the road crews got out with sand. Then she drove home in about 40-minutes, not much longer than a regular drive. Good job, Miss.

Rick filled his camping cooler with snow before the rain came in and melted it all away. Then on New Year's Day, he made ice-cream with the snow. He swears the snow is twice as good - saves having to crush the ice. We had blackberry-cinnamon ice-cream for dessert after a turkey dinner.

Rick and I spent New Year's Eve at our traditional hockey game. A bunch of our friends always buy a block of tickets together in a group. This year, there were 70 in our group, called "Friends of Thor." Ryan, Megan and our grandson, Atreyu went with us this year. And the Portland Winterhawks won 6-0 against their arch-rivals, the Seattle Thunderbirds. Our seats were at the visitor's goal for 2 of the 3 periods, so we got to see most of the goals scored close-up. Very exciting. Plus we all got free Winterhawks' hats, although it looks to me like an angry duck.

I've had time off work since Christmas eve. We are taking the tree down today, and Rick flies out to Arizona tomorrow for his next job. I am terribly sad to have to return to the real world on Monday.

Hope all of our friends and family had a wonderful holiday wherever you may be. Much love from the Hoffman Clan.

The Momgoose