Our Little Gourd Is All Grown Up!

Happy Halloween 2008!

Halloween Prep II

I know what you must be thinking - you never read about a Halloween Preparation I, right? You are correct, Sir (or Madam...whichever fits)

This is a sequel event to an original event, held spontaneously in 2007. Well, it wasn't that spontaneous, but it might have appeared that way to some of us. (Ahem! Hint: S)

~~~ Flashback ~~~ Flashback ~~~ Flashback ~~~

Several of our friends flew and drove in on a Friday evening to surprise S for her birthday. Needless to say she was surprised - the ultimate goal. Check. Here's where the spontaneity comes in: The next day those who stayed overnight (& ultimately all weekend) drove to a local cider mill and bought pumpkins to carve (shout out to the actual cider and powdered doughnuts!). I believe SOME members of the party had never taken knife to gourd, if you can believe that. In summary, a good time was had by all, so the team decided to repeat the activity in 2008.

~~~~~~~~~ Flash forward to Present ~~~~~~~~~~

Here are some of the many photos taken during the carving contest*, including exclusive shots from the staging area, aka: the garage:

* In which there was no judging and no distributed prize - but just using the word "contest" infuses a sense of competition, mixed with a pinch of holiday sneakery & a sprinkle of suspicion.

Drew; long-time punkin' carving champion from Houston

Claim: Nobody bakes a meaner pumpkin seed than Tony the Seedmaster, from Ohio

Megan babysitting Ellena, in a designated "knife-free" area

Drew & Megan

Tony & Nicole

The final result all aglow

Lights out. Clockwise from the noon position: Megan's Wild Smile Child, Nicole's Feline-in-a-Pumpkin-on-a-Pumpkin, Anime Cat in a Box by Sheri, Loren's the Happy Squinter and Drew's dedication to The Men's Warehouse; a barbershop quartet of ghosts in tuxedos.

Anchors Aweigh!

For the records books, Ellena went on her first ever boat ride about a month ago (I think it was a month ago - hey! Don't blame me - this thing got lost in the system!). Our friends, George & Kim and their son Jacob, took us out on their deck boat, affectionately named the S.S. Ramrod.

There's actually a bit of history on the 'Ole Ramrod as you see the boat is a new addition to the family and George courageously rebuilt the transmission this summer (an unplanned event) eating up valuable sailing weather - hence the push to use the boat longer in the season.

This particular evening, there was a slight chill in the air, but we were blessed with a very beautiful sun down and, hey, it is always nice to be on a boat, right?

Here are a few shots of the voyage:

Kim & Jacob

K&J, deuce

S and E

Elle's really got a healthy set of sea legs and I think she liked the trip! Only time will tell!

Always The Optimist

I saw a greeting card once that read "When life hands you lemons, make some lemonade!"

I had the opportunity to make some "family" lemonade last week and did just that. I was returning from a business trip and when my flight was delayed significantly, it started a chain reaction in which I knew I would miss a connecting flight and so on. Instead of seeing this as misfortune, I saw an opportunity.

What did I do? I called my mom!

No, she did not call the airline and arrange for everything to work out in my favor! (although she would have tried!) Instead she, and her husband Jay, drove a few hours to meet me and share a lunch together. Even though I missed my girls terribly, it was very nice to have some extra time to break bread with family.

Side Note: I have only been to Houston a handful of times, but somehow always end up eating at a Saltgrass restaurant. This particular one has been visited by me 3 different times now. (Twice with customers and once now with family) Although this restaurant does not have any locations at home, I always look forward to eating here because a) the food is delicious and b) I never know why I will find myself there, when I will be back, and apparently, who I will be eating with!

Found: Faded Patriotism

This photo was taken, I believe, in a scrap vehicle junkyard. With the presidential election 10 or so days away, I thought it fitting to share this brief glimpse into some motorist's past efforts to display his or her feelings for this country. (probably a vehicle from Texas!)

As I look at what used to be a new shiny, gleaming bumper sticker, I can only think of how we also fade away like this. Our minds. Our personal stances. Our health.

For example, some days I am so upset at someone or perhaps I have strong feelings toward a certain topic during a conversation. Then, without warning, time passes and takes with it my feelings and thoughts. Memories that used to be crisp & fresh I now find to be sun washed and, like this bumper sticker, they flake away easily in the wind.

On the flip-side of this, sometimes things I wish I could remove from my trunk, like a worn out bumper sticker, never quite come off clean. Try as I may, there is always some residue left behind.

Saving Lives - One Walk At A Time

We recently set the alarm, laced up our best walking shoes, scored some lattes and headed out to the American Cancer Society Breast Cancer Walk. We even bundled up our little E as it was a wee bit chilly here with Fall upon us now.

We were blessed with a beautiful Saturday morning. The leaves were many shades of happy and the air felt good in our lungs.

Here are the ladies, ready and raring to go!

Little E was warm and cozy in her outdoor jumper, which resembled a sleeping bag-like material (in cute little girl pink!). When we took her out of it after the walk, she was almost sweating! Believe it or not, she kept her sunglasses on all morning, which invited a few photographs and comments about the "movie star" and her hired help.

It was a great time and always nice to get out. From what I understand, a record-setting crowd answered the call of duty this year, providing for a record-setting donation total! Congratulations and Thank You to Angela (LwH fan and loyal reader!) for leading the GM team as the Making Strides Captain!

10/30/08 UPDATE:

• Total Donations to date = Over $308,000.00 (first year the walk raised over 300k)
• GM donations to date = $38,770.00
• Pacesetters = Out of the 11 Pacesetters (walkers that raised over $2000) at the Ann Arbor walk, 7 of them are part of the GM TEAM!! Awesome job ladies!!

See below for Official and Unofficial team photos:

Halloween Preview

Here's a sneak peek at what our little Elle will be disguised as for her first Halloween:

Editor's Note: Apologies for the somewhat blurry photograph. LwH has a very strict non-blurry policy that was waived due to, and I am quoting the submitted paperwork here, "absolute cuteness with rosy cheeks".

Getting Back On The Horse

I have learned a few things about myself through all of this casual blogging. One of the things I have learned is the longer I wait to post, the harder it is to actually perform the task. I know it sounds crazy but I think about the blog non-stop. While brushing my teeth. While on my commute. In meetings. I say to myself, "Man, if only I had a little bit of time right now, I'd..." And then, as though a miracle, chunks of time fall in my lap and I either piddle them away or sit and stare at the computer screen and accomplish nothing.

I was recently asked if it is hard to "remember to post". Ah, good question, but it is quite the contrary. It is actually NO problem remembering. And believe it or not the problem isn't the ideas either. I have a small pad chock full of blog "to-do's". When we started, I would read about one of the typical problems with new bloggers; they run out of topics to blog about! Not here - no way! The problem is the exact opposite - I never know what to write about first.

So, I recently put some more thought into this and decided to clear my head (without any meditation or yoga!). I thought I'd scribble a list of the major priorities of this blog. What is our purpose? Why invest this time? Here is the result, almost in this order of priority:

1. Share family news, information & goings-on with family, either in-state or out of state - this free web log has proven to be much more effective at communicating that we can be with the phone calls never make, with the cell phone reception we never have



2. Document family activities for the 3 of us - Days and weekends seem to fade into each other all too easily and someday these tidbits will serve to be reminders of what we did "way back when life was simpler"



3. Provide Ellena with a glimpse into her past - Almost everything I do is geared toward future accessibility and this blog is no different. I envision our little sweetie digging deep into the archives one day. Imagine for a second if we could all do the same and read a few paragraphs our ancestors actually typed. What did they do? What vocabulary did they use? Where did they spend their free time? What moved them? Now imagine if you could read a web page about yourself, as captured by your family. A picture of you with cake on your face. A short video of your courageous efforts to ditch the training wheels. It gives me goosebumps. Friends of mine know my camera is "always rolling". Go ahead, sign the waiver.



4. Sharing with friends - Thoughts, web links, found photos - it is very enjoyable to share these things with friends. I have so many to add, but when it comes time to post, my priority usually resides with family matters. I often ponder starting another site, just for the purpose of moving ideas and taste-testing other web features.



5. Other (Hobby/Venting/Enjoyment) - There is actually a handful of other reasons, but the fact of the matter is posting is actually very calming for me to do. It has that feeling of creating something - sort of like when you walk into the room you recently painted, cross your arms, smile and nod as if to say "Yeah, I did that." No I haven't used this site to "vent" just yet (usually I calm down from what ever has heated me up WAY before logging in!), but perhaps someday I might. I have definitely thought of it!

Kids Can Do It, Why Can't The 'Rents?

Are you the type of person that can sleep anywhere? At any time?

Direct to you from the Department of Irony, here is a humorous video montage of kids sleeping in a world where WE, the parents, just cannot get enough!


What if we could sleep whenever we thought it was the right thing to do? The world would be much different than we know it now.

Trader Joes Nabs New Consumers - Cheap Wine Approved

After many attempts, I was finally coerced into making a big visit to our local Trader Joes grocery store. We were in the area and had a little bit of time (sometimes very rare), so we stopped in. It was...different, but refreshing.

E missed the whole thing because she was sleeping - with a FIRM grasp on her Republican rattle (thanks Matuzas!)

Here is a photograph of Ellena, in her usual spot in a store, the shopping cart. Notice that TJ's carts are so itty bitty, her car seat took up the ENTIRE thing! We had to have a hand basket for our goods - but that was probably a good thing because it kept us from going cRaZy!


Oh, and we definitely approve of the 3 buck Chuck!

Indecision '08

We could all use a little humor after watching Tuesday's Presidential nominee debate (number II) between Senator Barack Obama and Senator John McCain.


Hmmm...who to vote for....the smooth talking newb with the uncanny ability to dodge direct questions or the robotic veteran with a limp. Is Ron Paul still available?

Do us all a favor - take a moment and pray for this election, and the future of our great Country. Then kick yourself for not voting in more of the primaries.

You Reign

Lord,

As we look around our environment today, it is easy to observe many frightening things all around us. From natural disasters like hurricanes and devastating flooding to the uncertainty of Wall Street, our national & now global economies and the housing market, it is easy to feel mortal & helpless very quickly. It is easy to feel overwhelmed, powerless and scared. It is more important than ever that we continue to build our faith in these uncertain times.

We ask only one thing from You, Lord. And that one thing is not that You snap Your fingers and "fix" these desperate situations. That one thing is not that You would protect or insulate us and our families and friends from the hurt that others are experiencing. That one thing is not even that You would help us feel safe and secure.

The one thing we ask of You is that you would continue to allow us to learn to place our trust in You at all times. As a human being, it is very easy, and sometimes natural, to feel as though we have complete control of a situation. Help us to realize the reality of these assumptions, Lord. The reality that we do not have control of anything. We need to learn to trust that You are in control. Help us to place our trust IN You.

Also, help us to realize that it is not all about us.

We know that You use painful situations to change people - to change perspectives - to change priorities - to change thought patterns. We know you use scenarios to provide opportunities for us to think about others. We ask that You would open up our hearts and minds and switch the gears in our minds from a "Hope that doesn't happen to me" gear to a "How can I help someone out" gear. We need You more than ever, God. Please soften our hearts, clear our minds and allow us to hear Your voice and see Your guiding light in these troubled times.

Amen.

A Leafy Family Promise

Yahoo - Fall is here! The sun is shining and the high is supposed to be 53 today! What a great time of year this is, especially if you can take the time and go on a leaf sightseeing tour! Every year I say that I will plan a trip for us and every year I find myself remembering that promise when the leaves begin to change. Oops.

Well, this is it! I am putting my foot down (not too hard - the baby is asleep!). I am planning a tour for us next year! Mark the calendar and save this post, because next year I am taking the family out on a weekend getaway. Now, mind you, with a baby on board it may not be the original all-weekend-long-drive-the-perimeter-of-our-state kind of trip, but even an afternoon out would be nice, right!

I feel great today, which is very ironic because I am fighting a cold and stayed home from work today. I'm running the gamut, fever, headache, stuffy head, hotheadedness, congestion, but feeling great! On the inside that is.

Here's what drives me to feel positicve and heal: I just feel like we have so much to be thankful for. My thank you prayers to God could fill an entire day! (They usually fill an entire commute to work in the morning!) I look at my wife and daughter and just feel a sense of calm and mixed wonder. I truly am the luckiest husband around. These are some of the the things that give me hope today. Hope that tomorrow will bring us a renewed faith and hope that we will enjoy today, while its here!