Friday, July 27, 2012
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Tales from Chris
Chris has little time for much, the least of which is keeping up with his blog. But he does have some pretty interesting experiences once in a while and has given me permission to include them on my blog. I'm retelling from what I remember, so once he reads this, he might have me change or clarify a few things.
Chris was sitting with a co-worker in McDonalds in Mesa, AZ yesterday afternoon. They had a little time to spare. As they sat and talked, the coworker began to complain about his wife, his children and how ungrateful they were, and just how sucky his life was in general. While Chris sat listening, an older, obviously homeless man shuffled in to McDonalds with a package of Ramen noodles in his hands and proceeded to rummage through the garbage cans. Apparently Chris wasn't the only person to take note of the gentleman, as another restaurant patron set a cup of soda down on the table next to him.
Finally Chris interrupted his coworker and directed his attention to the homeless man. "I think we've got it pretty good compared to others." Chris then got up and went back to the counter to order a Big Mac meal for the man. He spoke neither English nor Spanish, but happily accepted the meal. He grabbed a potato chip bag out of the garbage, stuffed the McDonalds bag inside and shuffled out the door. As Chris returned to his coworker who had watched the whole thing unfold, he remarked that perhaps Chris was right. Life wasn't so bad.
Chris was sitting with a co-worker in McDonalds in Mesa, AZ yesterday afternoon. They had a little time to spare. As they sat and talked, the coworker began to complain about his wife, his children and how ungrateful they were, and just how sucky his life was in general. While Chris sat listening, an older, obviously homeless man shuffled in to McDonalds with a package of Ramen noodles in his hands and proceeded to rummage through the garbage cans. Apparently Chris wasn't the only person to take note of the gentleman, as another restaurant patron set a cup of soda down on the table next to him.
Finally Chris interrupted his coworker and directed his attention to the homeless man. "I think we've got it pretty good compared to others." Chris then got up and went back to the counter to order a Big Mac meal for the man. He spoke neither English nor Spanish, but happily accepted the meal. He grabbed a potato chip bag out of the garbage, stuffed the McDonalds bag inside and shuffled out the door. As Chris returned to his coworker who had watched the whole thing unfold, he remarked that perhaps Chris was right. Life wasn't so bad.
Tasty Grandma
Kristen came in to the office last night singing a crazy, made up song with only two words. Anyone can learn it. It is sung to the tune of Row, Row, Row Your Boat:
Tasty, Tasty, Tasty Grandma
Tasty, Tasty, Tasty
Tasty Grandma, Tasty Grandma, Tasty Grandma
Tasty, Tasty, Tasty
She asked, "Did you think my song was lame?"
I replied, "Well, yes, pretty much."
Kristen, "Do you...?"
Me, cutting her off midsentence, "No."
Tasty, Tasty, Tasty Grandma
Tasty, Tasty, Tasty
Tasty Grandma, Tasty Grandma, Tasty Grandma
Tasty, Tasty, Tasty
She asked, "Did you think my song was lame?"
I replied, "Well, yes, pretty much."
Kristen, "Do you...?"
Me, cutting her off midsentence, "No."
Monday, July 23, 2012
Pacific Northwest - Day 12
Update on my dad: He was flown to Calgary on Friday for a noon angioplasty appointment. As luck would have it, his arteries were determined to be too narrow for the angioplasty to be effective but did have some blockage. His return to Lethbridge was a little slower in an ambulance, but the driver drove fast. He was put back on major heart, cholesterol and blood pressure medications and hoping to have his heart situation improve. The medications themselves are not fun as they wreak havoc on the rest of his body. He was released from the hospital on Sunday morning and is now home recuperating...and resting. We mentioned to our girls that he would possibly have a pacemaker put in within the next month. Misha's first response, "Like Iron Man?" See Dad, it isn't all that bad.
We all slept until 8:30 am. I think we successfully wore our kids out. That's how a good vacation should be. Grandma had waffles again at her place. Chris and I quickly packed up our stuff and then helped Grandma and Grandpa get all of their stuff loaded and down to the their car. They had mucho stuff. We had to say our goodbyes. Kristen had walked around with a gloomy face all morning long and both she and Grandma were close to tears. They didn't disappoint either as we finally said our goodbyes.
We pulled out of Birch Bay around 11:20 and headed back to SeaTac. We had packed a lunch for our return trip and ate as we drove along. Now it was a fortunate thing at this point that our rental car was to be returned to the airport. It all turned out well. We arrived with plenty of time.
As the girls and I were standing in line waiting to board, one of the Southwest desk attendants walked with a man over to the line and showed him exactly where to stand. He looked quite capable, but as she turned to walk back to the desk, she looked at Kristen, well within the earshot of the man, and said, "That man needed an escort. Don't you be getting yourself one like that!" I looked at her and laughed.
Our flight was full again. Seems as though they are that way all the time now. We arrived home safe and sound. Our luggage was among the first to arrive at Baggage Claim, even Kristen's car seat, and we were off. Great trip. Great memories.
We all slept until 8:30 am. I think we successfully wore our kids out. That's how a good vacation should be. Grandma had waffles again at her place. Chris and I quickly packed up our stuff and then helped Grandma and Grandpa get all of their stuff loaded and down to the their car. They had mucho stuff. We had to say our goodbyes. Kristen had walked around with a gloomy face all morning long and both she and Grandma were close to tears. They didn't disappoint either as we finally said our goodbyes.
We pulled out of Birch Bay around 11:20 and headed back to SeaTac. We had packed a lunch for our return trip and ate as we drove along. Now it was a fortunate thing at this point that our rental car was to be returned to the airport. It all turned out well. We arrived with plenty of time.
As the girls and I were standing in line waiting to board, one of the Southwest desk attendants walked with a man over to the line and showed him exactly where to stand. He looked quite capable, but as she turned to walk back to the desk, she looked at Kristen, well within the earshot of the man, and said, "That man needed an escort. Don't you be getting yourself one like that!" I looked at her and laughed.
Our flight was full again. Seems as though they are that way all the time now. We arrived home safe and sound. Our luggage was among the first to arrive at Baggage Claim, even Kristen's car seat, and we were off. Great trip. Great memories.
Sunday, July 22, 2012
Pacific Northwest - Day 11
Chris and Kevin finally headed for their mountain biking adventure. It was Birch Bay Days so Kristen and I headed down to watch the parade on the main road in front of the World Mark condos. We met up with other cousins who had the same idea. They had staked out an area with a log fence to sit against. Yay them. After getting situated, I was a little chilly sitting in the shade so I headed back to the condo to pick up jackets for Kristen and I as well as a bag for parade treats. The parade was late in getting started but was fun once it got going. All of the kids scrambled after the candy and were mostly successful in snagging a few pieces. It was nice to see those who did get candy sharing with those who didn't.
Score!
Kristen and I returned to the condo and picked up Amy and Misha for a quick swim before lunch. The girls swam for about an hour and when we tried to scan our cards to re-enter the building we were somehow locked out. Hmm. We headed around to the front desk to find out why. Our reservation for the week was originally one day shorter than everyone else. Linda was able to snag us another night, but it was logged as a separate reservation. When Chris checked in earlier in the week, the staff member who helped him said they would combine the reservation so that we could stay in the same room. Apparently that didn't happen, and we were being moved to another room. Could you not have told us that before deactivating our cards, yesterday maybe? Our kids were a little peeved, but there really wasn't much we could do but pack up our stuff. So glad that Chris was off biking.
Amy called Grandma who came down to see what she could do to help. She emptied out our fridge for us. Thank you. We spent the next little while packing up and making sure that we had everything. Apparently I was in such a hurry that I forgot an entire drawer of my clothes. Fortunately, they knew where to find us. We left everything on the cart trolley in Grandma's room because we couldn't check in to our new room until regular check in time. At least we were ahead of the game for packing up Sunday morning.
We planned to meet up with Chris and Kevin in Bellingham about 25 minutes away on Saturday after their biking trip for an afternoon of kid games, kayaking, flying kites, and more biking. In our frenzy to pack up our room, the girls and I missed lunch. I stopped at Little Caesars to pick up a pizza. Not what I had hoped for, but it was our option. We found our group at Blodel Donovan Park and spent a fun afternoon.
Camille
Tyler and Camille
We had little food left in from our fridge and chose to stop at the C Shop in Birch Bay for dinner. Misha even tried a bowl of clam chowder. It was especially good for her because she could eat it with minimal chewing--her mouth still hurt. We returned to our new room--204--and got things settled. Too bad we couldn't have been in this room all week long. It was close to the other family members' rooms and a nice set up. We took the kids swimming for 20 minutes (though one of the guests was quick to point out that this was adult swim time. Whatever.)
Score!
Kristen and I returned to the condo and picked up Amy and Misha for a quick swim before lunch. The girls swam for about an hour and when we tried to scan our cards to re-enter the building we were somehow locked out. Hmm. We headed around to the front desk to find out why. Our reservation for the week was originally one day shorter than everyone else. Linda was able to snag us another night, but it was logged as a separate reservation. When Chris checked in earlier in the week, the staff member who helped him said they would combine the reservation so that we could stay in the same room. Apparently that didn't happen, and we were being moved to another room. Could you not have told us that before deactivating our cards, yesterday maybe? Our kids were a little peeved, but there really wasn't much we could do but pack up our stuff. So glad that Chris was off biking.
Amy called Grandma who came down to see what she could do to help. She emptied out our fridge for us. Thank you. We spent the next little while packing up and making sure that we had everything. Apparently I was in such a hurry that I forgot an entire drawer of my clothes. Fortunately, they knew where to find us. We left everything on the cart trolley in Grandma's room because we couldn't check in to our new room until regular check in time. At least we were ahead of the game for packing up Sunday morning.
We planned to meet up with Chris and Kevin in Bellingham about 25 minutes away on Saturday after their biking trip for an afternoon of kid games, kayaking, flying kites, and more biking. In our frenzy to pack up our room, the girls and I missed lunch. I stopped at Little Caesars to pick up a pizza. Not what I had hoped for, but it was our option. We found our group at Blodel Donovan Park and spent a fun afternoon.
Camille
Tyler and Camille
We had little food left in from our fridge and chose to stop at the C Shop in Birch Bay for dinner. Misha even tried a bowl of clam chowder. It was especially good for her because she could eat it with minimal chewing--her mouth still hurt. We returned to our new room--204--and got things settled. Too bad we couldn't have been in this room all week long. It was close to the other family members' rooms and a nice set up. We took the kids swimming for 20 minutes (though one of the guests was quick to point out that this was adult swim time. Whatever.)
Saturday, July 21, 2012
Pacific Northwest - Day 10
Rain. But we had had a beautiful week thus far, so who could really complain? Chris and Kevin had originally planned to go mountain biking today but the rain was a definite deterrent. We fed our kids breakfast and then when they found out that Grandma had made waffles, they headed on over to her place for more. There was a lot of condo-hopping as Kyle had brought his paracord and was happy to teach the kids how to make bracelets, Kevin had a Wii system set up at his place, and of course, the swimming pool was open. Chris and I finally rounded up the girls and headed over to Bob's Burgers and Brew for lunch around 3 pm. I guess we were all getting tired of turkey and cheese.
Mid afternoon, we found a park for the kids to play on playground equipment and everyone drove over. Grandpa brought out his kites and the girls tried to figure out the two-handed ones. There just didn't seem to be enough wind for the kites to stay up for long.
Lovely, Kevin.
Today was the day for family pictures. Lori was our photographer. We congregated back at Semiahmoo Park on the staggered driftwood. The tide was coming in so we had to hurry and get the large family and grandkids shots in. From there we had some individual family shots, cousin shots, sibling shots. I think we about covered them all. These photos are all courtesy of Lori Burkman. (She is a photographer in the Seattle area if any of my readers happen to live there.) Nice job Lori!
We topped off the evening with a family potluck BBQ. We all provided our own meat plus a side dish. There were a lot of chips along with veggies, salad, and another birthday cake for dessert celebrating all of the July birthdays. Grandma's sister, Aunt Lori, and her husband, Keith, drove up from Kamloops, BC to join in the fun. So nice to see them.
Mid afternoon, we found a park for the kids to play on playground equipment and everyone drove over. Grandpa brought out his kites and the girls tried to figure out the two-handed ones. There just didn't seem to be enough wind for the kites to stay up for long.
Lovely, Kevin.
Today was the day for family pictures. Lori was our photographer. We congregated back at Semiahmoo Park on the staggered driftwood. The tide was coming in so we had to hurry and get the large family and grandkids shots in. From there we had some individual family shots, cousin shots, sibling shots. I think we about covered them all. These photos are all courtesy of Lori Burkman. (She is a photographer in the Seattle area if any of my readers happen to live there.) Nice job Lori!
We topped off the evening with a family potluck BBQ. We all provided our own meat plus a side dish. There were a lot of chips along with veggies, salad, and another birthday cake for dessert celebrating all of the July birthdays. Grandma's sister, Aunt Lori, and her husband, Keith, drove up from Kamloops, BC to join in the fun. So nice to see them.
Friday, July 20, 2012
Pacific Northwest - Day 9
So the mornings started to follow a predictable routine: exercise, return to condo, move Amy, have breakfast, get ready for the day. Our plan for today was to head to Vancouver, British Columbia. It was just Kevin and his family as well as Grandpa and Grandma again today. Each of the sister's had some passport or birth certificate issue and chose to hang out together for the day at Birch Bay.
Update on my dad: I called him at the hospital and talked for a bit. He sounded tired and discouraged with thoughts of recuperation in his future. He doesn't sit still for long and with a HUGE garden at home ready to be harvested soon, this wasn't in his summer plans. He's had heart issues for years (having had his first heart attack at 50). He was waiting on confirmation of an appointment in Calgary, Alberta (about two 1/2 hours from the hospital he was in) where they would do an angioplasty on his heart to determine the cause of the heart attack and plan for treatment. He wasn't far from my thoughts and prayers throughout the week.
Passing through the border to Canada wasn't much of a challenge, and by the third car in our party, it was a breeze. Traffic and construction however, was a whole other issue. The Trans-Canada highway was under construction and traffic was sloooow. We had a bit of a hiccup because the Neverlost (translate AlwaysLost) GPS in the Traverse did not show the exit we wanted to take to get to Lighthouse Park. We ended up going all the way to the BC Ferry terminal and then having to backtrack.
We finally met up with our group at a picnic area at Lighthouse Park. We knew immediately that they had already arrived as we spied Grandpa's car with its two bright red kayaks strapped to the top. The setting was beautiful. Misha complained of two loose teeth and was in pain because of them. I cleaned my hands and tentatively stuck my fingers into her mouth to test the looseness of a molar on the right side. All I had to do was touch the tooth, and I felt roots break away. She was NOT happy about me pulling the tooth out, Chris even heard the roots as they popped the first time. I reached in and yanked a second time; I had to pull a little harder but the molar finally came out. Lots of bleeding followed. She sat with a napkin clenched between her teeth for awhile but still couldn't eat because the molar on the other side was loose as well. No way she was going to let me have a go at that one.
After cleaning up from lunch, we hiked down to see the lighthouse. It was fenced off barring us from getting too close, but we still got some pictures. The kids had fun climbing around the rocks and exploring.
Our next stop was to meet up with Chris' cousin, Zoe. We finally all made it to Second Beach at Stanley Park and chatted for a couple of hours. The kids were happy to play on park equipment and then in the water, Amy played a Back to the Future App on Chris' iPad, and he and I ventured off for a walk around Lost Lagoon encountering two quite tame racoons along the way.
We headed for dinner at a restaurant called White Spot. If you can believe it, before dinner, Misha asked if I would pull out her second tooth. I figured I was banned from all future teeth-pulling adventures after the crusties I received at lunch time. This tooth was so loose that when I reached in to test how loose it was, it fell out in my fingers. She was starving from not being able to each much lunch, but really couldn't manage a whole lot of dinner either. She did her best to chew without her molars.
The service was rather slow, the food so-so. Our family decided to head home around 9 pm though the others hung around for awhile. The border agent didn't do much more than peek in our back seat. Amy and Misha were slumped over the arm rests of their seats, and Kristen's head was cradled in her seat belt. The border agent said to Chris, "You know those seats recline don't you?" He briefly scanned our passports and waved us on with a, "Welcome home."
Update on my dad: I called him at the hospital and talked for a bit. He sounded tired and discouraged with thoughts of recuperation in his future. He doesn't sit still for long and with a HUGE garden at home ready to be harvested soon, this wasn't in his summer plans. He's had heart issues for years (having had his first heart attack at 50). He was waiting on confirmation of an appointment in Calgary, Alberta (about two 1/2 hours from the hospital he was in) where they would do an angioplasty on his heart to determine the cause of the heart attack and plan for treatment. He wasn't far from my thoughts and prayers throughout the week.
Passing through the border to Canada wasn't much of a challenge, and by the third car in our party, it was a breeze. Traffic and construction however, was a whole other issue. The Trans-Canada highway was under construction and traffic was sloooow. We had a bit of a hiccup because the Neverlost (translate AlwaysLost) GPS in the Traverse did not show the exit we wanted to take to get to Lighthouse Park. We ended up going all the way to the BC Ferry terminal and then having to backtrack.
We finally met up with our group at a picnic area at Lighthouse Park. We knew immediately that they had already arrived as we spied Grandpa's car with its two bright red kayaks strapped to the top. The setting was beautiful. Misha complained of two loose teeth and was in pain because of them. I cleaned my hands and tentatively stuck my fingers into her mouth to test the looseness of a molar on the right side. All I had to do was touch the tooth, and I felt roots break away. She was NOT happy about me pulling the tooth out, Chris even heard the roots as they popped the first time. I reached in and yanked a second time; I had to pull a little harder but the molar finally came out. Lots of bleeding followed. She sat with a napkin clenched between her teeth for awhile but still couldn't eat because the molar on the other side was loose as well. No way she was going to let me have a go at that one.
After cleaning up from lunch, we hiked down to see the lighthouse. It was fenced off barring us from getting too close, but we still got some pictures. The kids had fun climbing around the rocks and exploring.
Our next stop was to meet up with Chris' cousin, Zoe. We finally all made it to Second Beach at Stanley Park and chatted for a couple of hours. The kids were happy to play on park equipment and then in the water, Amy played a Back to the Future App on Chris' iPad, and he and I ventured off for a walk around Lost Lagoon encountering two quite tame racoons along the way.
We headed for dinner at a restaurant called White Spot. If you can believe it, before dinner, Misha asked if I would pull out her second tooth. I figured I was banned from all future teeth-pulling adventures after the crusties I received at lunch time. This tooth was so loose that when I reached in to test how loose it was, it fell out in my fingers. She was starving from not being able to each much lunch, but really couldn't manage a whole lot of dinner either. She did her best to chew without her molars.
The service was rather slow, the food so-so. Our family decided to head home around 9 pm though the others hung around for awhile. The border agent didn't do much more than peek in our back seat. Amy and Misha were slumped over the arm rests of their seats, and Kristen's head was cradled in her seat belt. The border agent said to Chris, "You know those seats recline don't you?" He briefly scanned our passports and waved us on with a, "Welcome home."
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Pacific Northwest - Day 8
I woke up around 6 am this morning and headed off to the fitness center to exercise. It was empty but maybe that was because the temperature was set to 82*. I tried to reset the temperature, opened up all of the windows, and turned on an oscillating fan. The breeze helped. When I returned, I roused Amy once again and moved her to Misha's vacated bed in the second bedroom (I did this every morning but that was why we put Amy on the Murphy bed. She slept through a lot and easily went back to sleep.) We had a pretty lazy morning with plans to stick around Birch Bay for the day. The sisters headed back to Deception Pass, but it was a long drive again, and we had been there last October.
Chris met up with his brother, Kevin, for a morning walk after breakfast. Amy and Misha didn't really want to do anything on this overcast morning but sit and watch tv, so I took Kristen and we headed for the beach. The sky was perfect for taking some great pictures. The tide had gone out and Kristen immediately began looking for shells. She's an enthusiastic kid and I love that about her.
I love this picture. I think I'll have a canvas made of it.
As Chris and Kevin returned from their walk, we chose to have everyone come and play down at the beach as the tide had receded; Kristen and I returned to our condo to grab a bag for the shell stash. Grandma had sand toys in her trailer, and they were quickly put to use. Chris and I walked out about a quarter mile to the water's edge and met up with Kevin, Candace and their youngest, Joseph. The shells out this far were more numerous and in much better condition. I picked up a cool one to bring back to Kristen.
Joseph
Jonathan
Kevin found this funky sea weed thing that was long enough to be a whip or jump rope.
Jeremy
Grandma and Grandpa joined us after their lazy morning and brought frisbees with them...
...and Amy finally joined us. Amy was in a funk and chose not to come out and play until later when we were finally wrapping things up, but the rest of us had fun.
It was lunch time and we were packing up.
Chris had bought a package of chocolate chip cookie dough on our first grocery trip; I sliced up the dough after lunch and popped them in the oven. The girls invited Kevin's family and Grandma and Grandpa over for snacks and we ended up hanging out at our condo for the afternoon eating cookies and popcorn, playing Rummikub, looking at Kevin and Candace's potential house plans, touting the benefits of an iPad to Candace along with Pinterest, and having an enjoyable afternoon. Joseph, who could sleep anywhere, fell asleep in the hallway mid playing. We moved him to our bedroom. It was fun to just hang out.
Our evening included plans for a bonfire at the beach at Semiahmoo Park (no joke, that's the name). It was about a 15-minute drive from the condos but perfect for riding bikes, kayaking, building a fire and roasting marshmallows. Once we realized we were going to stay for the entire evening, Kevin and Chris returned to the condos to pick up dinner for our families. Jenni, Lori, and Becky along with their families returned from their day's excursion and joined us bringing more bikes and scooters, tennis rackets, and cousins. And a replenishment of marshmallows and chocolate bars. Canada wasn't too far off on the horizon.
Ashley (Kristen's cousin twin)
Thanks Kevin with your axe. I was just trying to take a nice picture of Grandma.
Jenni and Camille
K, obviously I didn't take this picture. But my camera did!
To top off the evening, Christopher found a perfectly whole sand dollar for me. It wasn't even on the beach but laying in the grass. He got a big smooch from me much to my daughters' disgust.
Chris met up with his brother, Kevin, for a morning walk after breakfast. Amy and Misha didn't really want to do anything on this overcast morning but sit and watch tv, so I took Kristen and we headed for the beach. The sky was perfect for taking some great pictures. The tide had gone out and Kristen immediately began looking for shells. She's an enthusiastic kid and I love that about her.
I love this picture. I think I'll have a canvas made of it.
As Chris and Kevin returned from their walk, we chose to have everyone come and play down at the beach as the tide had receded; Kristen and I returned to our condo to grab a bag for the shell stash. Grandma had sand toys in her trailer, and they were quickly put to use. Chris and I walked out about a quarter mile to the water's edge and met up with Kevin, Candace and their youngest, Joseph. The shells out this far were more numerous and in much better condition. I picked up a cool one to bring back to Kristen.
Joseph
Jonathan
Kevin found this funky sea weed thing that was long enough to be a whip or jump rope.
Joseph again. He was fun to take pictures of.
Jeremy
Grandma and Grandpa joined us after their lazy morning and brought frisbees with them...
...and Amy finally joined us. Amy was in a funk and chose not to come out and play until later when we were finally wrapping things up, but the rest of us had fun.
It was lunch time and we were packing up.
Chris had bought a package of chocolate chip cookie dough on our first grocery trip; I sliced up the dough after lunch and popped them in the oven. The girls invited Kevin's family and Grandma and Grandpa over for snacks and we ended up hanging out at our condo for the afternoon eating cookies and popcorn, playing Rummikub, looking at Kevin and Candace's potential house plans, touting the benefits of an iPad to Candace along with Pinterest, and having an enjoyable afternoon. Joseph, who could sleep anywhere, fell asleep in the hallway mid playing. We moved him to our bedroom. It was fun to just hang out.
Our evening included plans for a bonfire at the beach at Semiahmoo Park (no joke, that's the name). It was about a 15-minute drive from the condos but perfect for riding bikes, kayaking, building a fire and roasting marshmallows. Once we realized we were going to stay for the entire evening, Kevin and Chris returned to the condos to pick up dinner for our families. Jenni, Lori, and Becky along with their families returned from their day's excursion and joined us bringing more bikes and scooters, tennis rackets, and cousins. And a replenishment of marshmallows and chocolate bars. Canada wasn't too far off on the horizon.
Ashley (Kristen's cousin twin)
Thanks Kevin with your axe. I was just trying to take a nice picture of Grandma.
Jenni and Camille
K, obviously I didn't take this picture. But my camera did!
To top off the evening, Christopher found a perfectly whole sand dollar for me. It wasn't even on the beach but laying in the grass. He got a big smooch from me much to my daughters' disgust.
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