For what has been, THANKS! For what will be, YES!!

Christmas coming up!

2011-12-22T22:03:00.000-08:00

Cutest Santa's helper ever!

It's so fun to have Benny and Ephraim home at last. They have both grown and learned so much in the last four months. And they certainly know how to take over our lives! Our fears for our Christmas tree were unwarranted, as the boys have been interested and touched everything, but have not moved or dropped any ornaments (They are plastic anyways!) The same can't be said for other parts of the house though.

Came home from work and found Nina listening blissfully to her book on tape.

Benny and Ephraim were equally blissfully rearranging the kitchen utensils. Half on the floor.....

the other half in the toy basket.

Julie and Nina making Christmas presents. Benny must help!!

Dinning room decorated for Christmas. A lot of work for a few weeks of Christmas, but so pretty!

Julie and I participated in another art show. Unfortunately, it wasn't well attended, and we sold very little, but we are learning a lot. Selling and painting are two very different skills!

Benny learning to use chopsticks. They are especially useful for spearing cheerios.

On top of everything else, and despite my efforts to reduce the chaos in my life, even going so far as quitting being a coordinator for exchange students, we have ended up with TWO of them in our home, Prashant and Medo, and more involvement than ever. Apparently I am SUPPOSED to work with exchange students. It was also a treat to see Asana again. Here she is (below) participating in the gingerbread house party we had a few days ago. There's a lot of creativity unleased here!

7 of at least 9 exchange students at our gingerbread house party.

Too much to post, but here's a selection of photos

2011-11-25T20:19:00.001-08:00

Not sure what happened to all the time I was going to have to do other things, but I've certainly been enjoying the stuff that's been keeping me busy...

Canoeing on the Columbia River. Bruce finds new victims, Prashant and Medo.

Katie's Mom took me riding! So cool. Only slightly sore the next day!

Hallowe'en brings out the creativity in my wonderful kids!


Ewok, Obi-Wan, Han and Leia -- way awesome!

Lieutenant Uhura from Star Trek -- Julie is so cool!

Julie continues to have fun biking. I got to play "sag wagon" and follow her along, we went through some gorgeous scenery with Mount Adams in the background.

Julie also discovers a new way to kayak, and has Dad following her precarious example.

We thought we would take advantage of the last of the fine weather and headed for Palouse Falls. Prashant and Medo joined us and we hiked along the lava cliffs and admired the view.

We want to come back in the spring and see how much more water goes over the falls then.

The Prosser Balloon Rally was fun again. Too many balloons--it was hard to know which way to aim the camera. THIS time, I connected with Julie, though she was also enjoying some of her other friends.

There was also a collection of exchange students along, so I bounced back and forth between the two groups. Nice.

Nice view looking INTO a balloon.

Deception Pass

I had opportunity to go to the coast while earning some money, so Prashant and I headed off for an adventure. It was a rainy day but for the hour we explored Deception Pass we were given a gift of sunshine. Gloriously beautiful place. We must come back and camp in the vicinity.

Ocean Shores

Icy cold wind and clouds everywhere, but Prashant enjoyed his first view of the salty sea.

Captured by an Ent

We also checked out a park in the Redmond area, where we ran into this Ent.

Snow on Snoqualmie Pass

And then, on the way home, it had snowed in the mountains and we had to stop so Prashant could experience his first snow. Really wet slushy stuff, but still throwable...

August!

2011-09-18T22:03:00.000-07:00

August was a very full month added to an already full summer. Julie and Ben had both moved in, and then spent most nights sleeping outside, since the house was a little over full. Benny was delighted to have Auntie Julie and Unka Ben available to serve his needs!

Two of my former exchange students came to visit their host families, and I got to see them too. What happy memories, and a happy meeting -- with Abdullah from Saudi Arabia, and Aika from Kazakhstan who also brought along her mother and sister, whom I was honored to meet. (It was also good to meet Aika's Host mom -- I love seeing families become international!).

Also from Kazakhstan, Albert came for one last visit before he has to leave America for good, having graduated as an Engineer (Congratulations!!!) and finished his internships. So happy to see him one last time, and sad that this IS the last time, at least for a while. We had fun taking him to see Mt. St. Helen's from a distance, and Ape Cave (a lava tube originating from this volcanoe) up close.

We did an awful lot of driving, way more than we wanted, but the countryside closer to the coast of Washington State is so beautiful!

Julie prepared an art show of her work at a coffee shop in Sunnyside. Having her living at home for this year is a wonderful opportunity and I'm looking forward to working with her as we become professional artists!
It was also Julie's birthday, and we enjoyed a lovely dinner with her and her friends at a Thai restaurant.

Benny and Ephraim continued their progress of becoming more and more adorable and cute every day. We were very conscious that they would be moving to Idaho soon, and so tried to enjoy them as much as we could. Hide and Seek was so fun, especially for Benny, especially at bedtime. Ephraim, of course, was always happy to be where the action was and enjoyed this game and many others as much as his big brother did. I'm going to have so much more time to do stuff when they are gone! And I will miss them more than I can say!

Congratulations, Eric!

2011-09-17T09:16:00.000-07:00

We were pleased, on Sept 10, to attend Eric's wedding, and see him married to Katie, a quiet, fun, sweet girl he's been courting for a number of years. Neither of them likes a big show, so the wedding was very small -- just immediate family, and the reception included extended family and close friends. Since the two of them are so private, I won't say too much here, except to say that we hope they will both be very happy, and we know they are both sensible and smart and have a good portion of integrity, so we believe our hopes for their happiness have a good chance of becoming reality!

It was a warm and welcoming reception in Katie's parent's backyard, and we were happy to see so many people we love there.

The fish pond in the backyard was quite a hit, and the koi were never in any real danger -- though I suppose they didn't know that!

I was also delighted my mother could come. We enjoyed her cheerful smiles and her new husband, George.

All in all, after an extremely busy and chaotic summer, this was a good weekend!

Congratulations, Eric!

Lots of celebrations!

2011-07-08T19:53:00.000-07:00

Of course, everybody celebrates the fourth of July, but it seems like we've been celebrating one thing or another for several months now. Graduations and birthdays especially.

We were happy to see Nathan and Nina walk and get their AA diplomas, although Nina technically graduated last year -- but at 9 months pregnant she didn't feel up to sitting through Commencement Exercises. The upside is she got to walk with Nathan this year, and that was more cool. Eric also graduated, but chose not to go to Commencement, there's this girl that is way more interesting than boring speeches....

Eric and the aforementioned girl, Katie, did join us for the annual fourth of July lazy day at the Park, where we sat around, snacked, and enjoyed Lee's fast wakeboarding boat, or our more hands-on canoe and kayak. Eric tried to protect Katie from our intrusive camera by the old watermelon-as-a-shield trick while Ben distracted us by showing us how cool his slice of watermelon was.

Meanwhile, back on the beach, Benny and Ephraim are enjoying their cousins and the water. Note how Ephraim is enjoying a full body experience with the sand, and Benny is careful and clean. We can already see that they are going to need a line down the middle of any room they end up sharing!

Dad and Ben making waves with canoe and kayak. Ben was literally making circles around the more sedate canoe.

Later in the evening, we enjoyed another picnic as we waited for the fireworks. Eric tried the old bag-of-chips-as-a-shield trick, but this time protected himself from the camera. Zixu and a couple of his friends also joined us for chicken salad or tuna sandwiches and donuts. As usual, the fireworks were gorgeous. (Also, we must have chicken salad sandwiches more often!

Yes, a good time was had by all! Yay!

couple of interesting activities

2011-06-26T20:19:00.000-07:00

In an effort to do something I love AND earn money at it, instead of merely doing something I'm good at to earn money, I went to a workshop in Spokane to learn about the Why Try program that helps at-risk youth find know how and confidence to make a good life for themselves. Anyone who wants to can look up the Why Try program on the internet, so 'nuff said, but I also enjoyed Spokane a bit, I checked out the cathedral at Gonzaga University. I am such a sucker for stained glass windows and soaring architecture that points to God.

Also fun was visiting Missy and her menagerie -- husband, five boys, 1 exchange student, chickens, ducks, turkeys, goats, and a stray turtle. Isn't it funny -- I almost (not quite, but almost) see Missy more often now that they are living near Spokane than when they were next door. Sad that it should be so...

Ali seems to have enjoyed his stay at our home, and couldn't resist giving Dad a card with a sinking canoe on it -- he's not sure he ever wants to canoe again, but he sure appreciates Dad having taught him to swim!

Father's day turned out to be windy, so we went and flew a kite! Two actually. What a pleasant way to spend a few hours on an afternoon!

Ali tells us this is a favorite activity in India.

Ali also likes to tease Benny , but Benny is getting harder to fool!

There's nothing like wide open spaces, a brisk breeze, warm sunshine, and kites! Ephraim loved it too -- and showed off his new walking skills, staggering like a little drunk all over the field -- so proud of himself!

Busy, as usual.

2011-06-07T18:47:00.000-07:00

Being an exchange student coordinator is a mixed bag. I was sad that Ali's placement with his host family didn't work out. On the other hand, it's nice to have a student in the house again. Ali is an awesome cook, although he claims he's never cooked before. We are liking Indian cooking more and more. He's working on teaching Benny soccer. He enjoys sharing jokes and has the quick wit and sense of irony that is necessary for survival in our home. His mom in India has very good taste and for Mother's Day Ali gave me this outfit she had sent, saying now I look like a real Indian mom. Nice! But this embroidered tunic, pants, and scarf are way too beautiful to clean the kitchen in!

Speaking of cleaning the kitchen, I now have TWO helpers! Benny is busy emptying the fridge door for me, and the baby is checking out the vegetable drawers. It only took me twice as long as usual to tackle this chore!

But Benny is adorable and sweet and just too cute for words. He has a way of waking me up too early in the morning, calling "Amu, Amu" (his variation on the German word for Grandma - Oma, that we've taught him to call me -- Dad is "Apu"). When I finally answer him, he looks at me earnestly with his shining innocent eyes and whispers confidently, "Chocate samidge". What can I do. He gets his Nutella sandwhich before I do anything else!

He MUST be involved in all we do -- to be left out is unendurable. Look at his deft little fingers helping his Uncle Ben fix the radio controlled airplane. Ben worked fast to keep Benny from taping the wrong thing together!

In the meantime, his little bother is starting to walk. 5-10 steps before he crashes back to the ground, or does a controlled sit -- all the while looking at his for the cheers and smiles we so willingly give!

I watched in horror the videos all over the internet of the Tsunami in Japan. What can one do in the face of such overwhelming disaster? But the Japanese community in our area came up with the idea of making origami paper cranes to aid in collecting donations for the Red Cross in Japan. One of the sisters in our ward is Japanese and got the Relief Society involved in making these cranes. They are so pretty -- and after they fulfill their role in raising money, they will be sent to Japan with our names (anyone who helped) on their wings to give hope to the people as well as financial assistance. Anyone want to know how to fold a crane?

Anyone who knows Bruce, knows that a large part of him is a water rat. Every year he wears out a batch of exchange students with his enthusiasm for canoeing, and is always glad for new victims.
This photo ---> is the final end of one of his canoe explores. They got across the Columbia once, but the current was so strong they didn't want to risk being swept too far downstream recrossing the river, and I got to rescue them. There wasn't opportunity to unload the branches and torn up linoleum before I picked them up in the borrowed pick-up. Hey Ho! A riding through town we will go!

But for all that, this was really Zixu's month. Finally, after four years of hard work in a language that is still not completely comfortable for him, he graduated, cum laude, from his University. As the elected and hard-working student body president. He made the front page! The local news came and did a story on him, and his family that came to be at the commencement exercises. So exciting. To our surprise, a lot of people recognize US now after this article.

It WAS exciting to have visitors from China! Communication was just as frustrating for us here as it was when we visited them there last summer, but it was good to feel their spirits, and to show them OUR home and country. Alas, we have nothing comparable to the Great Wall or Forbidden City! But Pike's Place was nice, and the Space Needle, and a few other places in Seattle.

At home, the whole family got to learn how to make dumplings, and we at lots of Chinese food. I had hoped they would enjoy American food more, but when they didn't even like food from restaurants a whole lot, I was grateful at least the problem wasn't my cooking. Of course, Zixu's mother really is an excellent cook! I don't blame them for preferring her meals!

The whole purpose of coming was to see Zixu graduate, and seeing as they came such a long way, AND their son was Student Body President, they, and we, were invited to several dinners and receptions. We are so happy to have been able to be part of Zixu's life! We are so impressed with everything he's accomplished, and in a foreign land at that. The downside for him is that now he has two sets of parents. Very different sets of parents. That can't be easy!

Congratulations,
Zixu!

After all the hustle and preparation for graduation, we planned to go camping but got rained out. So instead, a relaxing two days at home before Zixu took them to Las Vegas, San Diego, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. Afterwards, two more days back in Washington, where we joined them for deep sea fishing and some relaxing time in a beach house near Sequim. They didn't catch any fish by the way -- much like the whale watching tour I took the exchange students on. Maybe I shouldn't plan boating trips! The fishermen, however, blamed the lack of fish on the bananas I had brought to snack on, for some reason, bananas scare the fish away. It was a lovely day for being on the water however, and a gorgeous sunset. One last shopping trip in Tacoma, and they caught their plane back to China. I hope their memories of the visit give them as much happiness as it does us.

Easter

2011-04-28T13:12:00.000-07:00

Its always interesting to see what the newbies think of our strange customs....

The baby obviously has the right idea, but his inexperience is keeping him from full enjoyment of this holiday.

Big brother, on the other hand, seems to be with the program, and actually, is adept at finding candy at many other times of year, and in many places besides the garden!

Then there's Ali. He has joined our family for the last 2-3 months of his stay in America, and I'm sure that he doesn't know a whole lot about Easter either. And the relationship between Easter eggs and the Resurrection is fuzzy at best for this Muslim from India. But he knows a good thing when he sees it! Welcome to our family!

The extended family keeps growing. The nice thing about that is that there are always young folk to make the egg hunt fun and drag us oldsters into peeking around tree trunks as well. Of course, the seniors are just helping out the juniors....

Just so there is no confusion -- rabbits don't actually produce Easter eggs. Our small flock of hens (names, "Extra Crispy", "Deep Fried", and "Miss Bossyfeathers") maybe had a little something to do in that department. Although the real reason I included the photo is because I am amused that the three chickens are totally in charge of the three cats (one is camouflaged as dirt) who are looking longingly at all that tasty meat walking around.

2011-04-17T22:21:00.000-07:00

Took my students whale watching! I was so excited, and I think my enthusiasm was contagious, so we were all disappointed when this was the best we could see. Still, it WAS a wild whale, and we DID smell his/her foul breath, and I am grateful. The boys made sure I knew how much they enjoyed this opportunity and wanted to do it again -- yeah, right.

So we went to the zoo. They seemed to like it a lot more and I got to people watch. Interesting...

Having Nina and Nathan around leads to interesting activities. Nathan started this brick path to our front door just before our one and only snowfall last Thanksgiving. In February I finished the last little bit of it, and made the one flower bed nice. It looks so good! The front yard is going to be really pretty one of these days!

So happy Albert could visit! Unfortunately, with two new jobs, I couldn't very well take a lot of time off, but Albert is resourceful. He decided he wanted to try squid and octopus for dinner. The squid dinner turned out pretty good....

The octopus, on the other hand, well....

We took Benny shopping with us -- it made shopping much more fun, but it took a lot longer. He's a good kid -- in the final analysis, he did, in fact, obey us and not take the candy -- but it wasn't an easy decision.

We took Albert camping at camp Zarahemla. If you double click on this photo you will see that it was snowing! (so nice to have a heated cabin!)

But it was beautiful!

We dropped by Fort Simcoe -- the history buffs among us thought it would be a neat experience, but in early April it's not. Closed. Cold. Old porcelain and furniture seen through the windows. And no spiffy updates from 30 years ago (or whenever it was) that Dad took a school trip there. But we were happy to spend time with Albert. This may be the last time we see him for years, since he will be graduating from RIT soon and returning to Kazakhstan.

Good start for 2011!

2011-02-22T08:46:00.000-08:00

I was so pleased to have a birthday lunch with my sisters-in-law, mother-in-law, and one of my daughters. I also enjoyed sharing some other cultures by suggesting we eat in an Indian Restaurant. Now everybody knows what a Mango Lassi is, and loves them!

This area needs a German Restaurant!

Two adorable grandsons! Benny's personality is growing day by day and his vocabulary is exploding, with some interesting results. Ephraim is sitting up, has the biggest smiles, and talks with his hands. The two of them get a kick out of each other, and are going to team up on a lot of mischief in not too much longer!

Feeding the missionaries sometimes leads to unexpected activities. Elder Denny from Australia was smitten with the fabric of my pillows and commented that a tie made of that fabric would be awesome. So I made one. There wasn't quite enough fabric, and I have never done this before, so parts of the back of it look *interesting* and the smaller end had to be quilted together, but it turned out amazingly well. Elder Denny was delighted, and I'm going to make more (different fabrics as well) and see if they will sell.

Chinese New Year. Of course, we don't celebrate it as lavishly as they do in China, but we decorated the dining room and invited some of Zixu's friends over and had a fun evening making filled dumplings and lots of other food. It was, all of it, totally delicious! The symbol to the right means "happiness". But, not realizing, I hung it on the wall upside down. Not to worry, however, when it's upside down it means "coming." So it's actually a good way to hang it (upside down it means "Happiness Coming" -- at least in the context of New Year) . Just the same, I'm glad I didn't hang it sideways!

I have a lot of fun taking exchange students around. For them everything is new. We made our annual trip to Seattle in January this year (the roads over the mountain passes were not too snowy) to take advantage of Muslim Day, when the Muslims in Washington State march on the Capital and speak with representatives, for the purpose of showing the positive things Muslims do in this state. My Indonesian and Indian students were excited and enthusiastic about the energy. My Macedonian student was not. There are problems between Muslims and Christians in his country and he did not feel at all comfortable and kept his distance. At least he saw some of the process. Since the march on the Capital was our last activity, he did enjoy the other things we did, as did they all, including the Palestinian girl I invited along because I know her host mom. We visited the Space Needle, the Science Center, the Museum of Flight, the Aquarium, and took a tour of the harbor. We would have done more, but after watching a 3D IMAX movie with them (something about "extreme waves") I realized I didn't feel so good, and when it got worse after we left the theater, I realized that it wasn't the movie, it was me. I was sick! So the group was forced to slow down a bit! But they still saw a lot and had a good time. I was able to leave the two Muslims in the care of a lady from the local mosque, and took my unhappy Macedonian home early. My achy body was glad to get away early too!

The students are also supposed to do at least 20 hours of volunteer work during their year here, so I took them to serve food to hungry people at the Union Gospel Mission. Being who they are, they boys (and their friend who joined us) had a great time. I'm getting a pretty good education too -- there are so many people who help others and in such a variety of ways.

We got to host our monthly extended family gathering. I was pleased and impressed that we managed to fit 35 people into our home, with (almost) adequate seating (a little less than half are in this photo). It was good to do something together! I am glad everybody got to see how nice our remodeled home looks, and I am especially happy we are keeping our comittment to get together more often!

December

2011-01-23T22:22:00.000-08:00

After the fun of building the snow fort, it seems nobody ever entered it again. I did, however, document its demise as our White Thanksgiving melted into a green/grey/brown Christmas!

The warmer weather did give us some beautiful fog some mornings!

Inside was a merrier scene. The rest of the Christmas decorations went up! Christmas music streamed off the internet.

<-- Tree 1

Tree 2 -->

And we mustn't forget gingerbread houses. Sadly we were having too much fun doing other stuff when family was around (like cooking really yummy food) that we never did make them. These delectable samples were created by exchange students!

Finally, Christmas day! The stuff leading up to Christmas gets more and more fun every year, but opening presents with family around is still something to look forward to.

God bless us! Every one!

Busy weekend!

2010-12-07T06:32:00.000-08:00

No day, and certainly no week, is complete without some time with Benny and Ephraim. They are growing like weeds, but a lot more fun.

"Arting" together with Aunt Julie! Benny may have some talent -- he's really really good at drawing little squashed spiders! He loves "dawing"!

We enjoyed a fun Christmas party with the White Bluffs Elementary School Steel Band. They were good! The Limbo was fun! (But just the same, I'm glad of the excuse of back problems so that I could just watch!)

We had the priviledge of a visit from my supervisor at PAX, and did some fun activities with her. Spokane was our destination so we could also see Missy and Lewis and their student Pahmie. It was awesome to see them, even just for a short time, and the scenery was beautiful!

We stopped by St. John's Episcopal Cathedral in Spokane -- I love stained glass windows, and they were here in plenty. Learned a bit about stained glass artists, and the masons who built the cathedral, and some of the planning and symbolism that went into building it. Even though I've been in a few huge European cathedrals which dwarfed this one, St. John's was still magnificent!

We also visited an IMAX theater and saw some nauseatingly up close and super cool extreme sports. And finally a visit to a nice warm, lush greenhouse. Smaller than I wished, but still VERY nice on a cold winter's day!

The next day we visited some old friends at an alpaca farm!

And, so fun, we started decorating for Christmas! After last year's cardboard box and plastic sheet theme (while remodelling), it is especially enjoyable to put up our holiday best.

Thanksgiving

2010-11-30T11:22:00.000-08:00

We had a surprise (though not entirely unexpected) early snowfall and lots of frost. The driving is nasty, but everything is so beautiful! Hearing geese calling each other I looked up and caught this breathtaking view of a flock soaring through the crisp blue skies.

I'm such a sucker for flowers! Roses in the snow. One of many small perks that exchange student coordinators occasionally get.

Yay for Thanksgiving, and lots of family, and lots of food! Like I need to stuff myself! I have the most wonderful family! 42 of us got together for dinner at the church -- where there was enough tables and room!

We enjoyed many games!

Not only was the snow beautiful, but fun too; sledding, and igloo building being the most favored activities.

Winter came early

2010-11-24T10:02:00.001-08:00

I am so happy to have a warm home on cold nights full of people I love!

Two of my favorite people, making beautiful music together (at least to my ears!)

Auntie Julie's funny fluffy shoes!

Winter came early -- before the trees and flowers finished dropping their leaves. Roses look charming in the snow!

Only in America!!! I had meant to give my students an informative tour of the McNary Dam and Navigation Locks, and gave them, additionally, this interesting vignette of overcautious American life. (The ranger giving us the tour said it was to distinguish this can from cans that hold, say, safety helmets, or some other more specific item, but I don't know....)

Whole group of students together finally -- although our little car was stuffed with the addition of the host brother of one of them -- miss our van!!

Keepin' busy

2010-11-16T09:42:00.000-08:00

Happy birthday to my dear husband. We finally gave up on the cake. Pudding, pizza, and family -- it just doesn't get any better!

A wind storm blew in a gorgeous sunset!

Enjoyed a mendhi party (aka henna) in celebration of Eid al Adha -- the time of Pilgrimage to Mecca, and celebrated by all Muslims even if they stayed home in honor of the almost sacrifice of Ishmael by Abraham.

Fall! crispy days, gorgeous leaves, a last blast before the quiet grey of winter.

I enjoy sharing America with my exchange students!

New York

2010-11-10T12:35:00.001-08:00

I had a surprising opportunity to visit New York for a few days, to provide moral support to Curry as she headed for her (hopefully) final interview with immigration for her green card.

It wasn't for very long, and my main purpose was to be there for Curry. But still, I saw a few sights. I learned that the Statue of Liberty is NOT on Ellis Island, though it is on Liberty Island which is quite close to Ellis Island. Again, I saw lots and lots of high rises, and too many people and enjoyed different neighborhoods and their foods.

In the end, it appears that Curry was denied her green card. That's so sad for this sweet girl who is a great addition to the citizenship of any country.

Recent photos

2010-11-05T18:05:00.001-07:00

Little monsters!!!

On the way back from the SeaTac Airport (see next post), I stopped in Kubota Gardens. I'm a sucker for gardens! And these Japanese vistas are lovely.

Halloween Party hosted by one of my students' families. Watching the pumpkin carving is always fun! I took the opportunity to wear some of my international clothes.

Domestic Goddess I am not. But washing the dishes with Benny's help is a pleasure!

It is true that I gave birth to one of these young men, and am delighted my daughter married another, and Jared is always welcome, but I am not responsible for the strange things they do. Although, I did sew the Alien spaceman outfit....

Utah!

2010-10-19T12:44:00.000-07:00

Of my more years of life than I care to disclose, I have spent a scant 6 in Utah. And yet Utah has felt like home since the first moment I saw it. I was not a Mormon at that time so it's intriguing that I would feel that way. Seeing Mount Olympus once again looming on the horizon is heart warming and familiar --though it's been 25 years or more since I've lived there.

I took an opportunity to go there last month with Bruce and his mom when Uncle Bruce passed away. Uncle Bruce was a kind, friendly soul who always made us feel welcome and honored. There were so many relatives at the funeral -- I loved seeing them all again, and nice to know they remembered us. I was surprised, though I shouldn't have been, to see our nephew, Roger. Don't get to see enough of him or his family!

I feel a tad guilty, though, because I mostly wanted to go there to see Frank -- it's been some three years since I've had a chance to visit with my brother.

It surprised me how easily and quickly I slipped into being totally comfortable and downright silly in his presence. I am glad to have this brother!!

It was also good to meet his new wife at last. And it was good to see the love between them.

We took a hike in Rock Canyon -- lots of memories for me there, of taking our children when there were only two of them and they were bitty, and a hike through this overwhelming canyon amidst grand peaks and massive cliffs was a favorite Sunday activity. Turns out that Frank and Wendy had never been here, but I believe they intend to return again now that they've discovered it. I don't think about it often, but once in the mountains, I realize that I miss them too.

Frank was so good as to give me a ride to Bountiful after our visit. I had split from Mom and Bruce so they could visit people they knew and loved, and I could visit Frank. On the way, we stopped in Salt Lake, mostly because I wanted to go to a German delicatessen, and we found Seigfied's. There's no bread like German bread, no pastries like German pastries, and the Vienner Schnitzel we ate, oh, so good! I also miss German cooking, it turns out....

And, of course, no visit to Utah is complete without a visit with Aunt DeLona and Uncle Reid. Aunt DeLona has the talent and skill of making anyone feel totally welcome and loved, and that it is her greatest delight to have you visit! I imagine all ten of her children (and their spouses, and the grandchildren), all know they are completely loved. I know Mom is always glad to visit her sister. It is sad that the ocassion was the death of her brother, but wonderful to see so much kin!

China part 6, Beijing

2010-10-19T09:36:00.001-07:00

We made several trips to Beijing from Zixu's home town. Tianaman square is in Beijing, the Forbidden City is there, the Beijing Zoo, innumerable temples, and way more than we could probably visit in a year.

Zixu was exhausted -- he had just finished finals, run for Student Body President at his university (and won), planned this trip for us and his friends, taken us sightseeing all over, and taken part in his sister's wedding. The day after his friends left, he finally had a doctor take care of a painful ingrown toenail, and that was it -- he didn't have much energy left. We got to know his home town very well (next post). But after a few days, he did take us to Beijing again, one last time....

First, we had to catch a bus, and with luck, find a seat, for the 45 minute drive into Beijing.

We passed endless high rise apartments, literally miles of them.

And finally got off in Beijing. An interesting mix of buildings, mostly quite modern, but often enough we walked or drove past ancient buildings. Don't even know what this one is -- it looks like a gate although to what we don't know -- and whatever it was, it is certainly not there anymore.

Often enough WE were the tourist attaction, and were asked to be in a photo -- as here, on our way to the Silk Market.

No city (apparently) can consider itself modern if they don't have a McDonalds there. But, unlike America, most stores were at the base of apartment buildings.

Just an interesting building we walked past. We did a lot of walking. Cars just weren't practical when traffic was so heavy, and there was public transportation.

But Zixu's toe was still causing considerable pain, so he had us take a rickshaw part of the way. Now they are pulled by electric bikes. It was scary -- there wasn't room for all of us in one of these, and we were separated from Zixu. We knew if this driver didn't follow Zixu's instructions, we would be lost and in trouble -- not speaking the language is a big problem. But, fortunately, nothing went wrong, and we had a nice ride through the crowded streets.

We had seen a number of Bhuddist temples, so we asked if Zixu would take us to a Taoist monastary. This one in the middle of Beijing was a functioning monastary -- we were asked to be respectful. The red lining the walkway are thousands of prayers purchased by people wishing for blessings and tied to "fences" placed there for that purpose.

There were many rooms filled with figures depicting various purposes for their angels and demons --departments of parental obligation, rivers and streams, punishment, worship -- 76 different departments -- all represented by a room full of life-sized figures like this one <--- .

Just as there had been endless apartment buildings, so there were endless other high rises -- we assume in the most modern places they were office buildings. Amazing amazing city.

Although we passed the Silk Market, a well known tourist trap market where we got to pit our bargaining skills against the experts (we got better, but were no match for them), this day we went to a different market, a market focused on traditional crafts -- marvelous beautiful or unusual things. What a treat to be here and buy a few keepsakes of our trip. Zixu bought a magnificent huge original painting of the Great Wall.

Finally it was time to head home. Into the crowded but very efficient subways. We did stop for a break when we got off the subway, and purchased some delicious deserts before getting in line for the 30 minute wait for a bus with seats and a 45 minute ride back to Miyun.

It was a lovely day!

Photos of the week

2010-10-16T20:52:00.000-07:00

Partners in Crime: Nina was making zucchini bread and when she turned around, we were doing QC (Quality control). Yup, I definitely enjoy being a Grandma. I don't know how Nina puts up with us!

When Zixu went to Seattle to stock up on Chinese food (and have fun with his Chinese friends), he came back with these lovely dahlias from Pikes Market.

I met these big fellas coming out of the front door of the last host family I needed for this year's students (Yay!!). I was rather startled, but they seemed to take my presence in stride.

I never know what to expect. Just because I gave birth to them doesn't mean I set the course of their lives! Eric is trying to look formally villainous to satisfy a bet. I'm sure I never taught him any such thing!

To my delight, Curry came to visit. She was our student for the 2002/03 school year, and graduated from university here, but we haven't seen her for three years. We are glad she is part of our lives even if she's far away.

Ben did a lot of chauffeuring for Curry, and, of course, spent considerable time here at the house too. Benny took advantage of the opportunity to attack his big uncle!

Interesting idea

2010-10-16T19:48:00.000-07:00

I was reading the blog of a niece the other day and she had an interesting idea; at least
sometimes she posts photos of her Sunday. That's a neat idea, although I think I will change that to weekends. So, coming up is the weekend of October 9, 2010.

This sunset behind Mount Adams might be cheating a little bit, since I caught it on Wednesday, on the way to Julie's with Nina, Nathan, and young 'uns, just to hang out and try some recipes. (it was originally planned as a girl's night, but there were as many menfolk as girls, so it was just a fun night to hang with MY young 'uns, and their least 'uns).

Bruce is such a nice grampa! He does well as a pillow, and is the best "airplane ride" giver in the house -- a fact which big brother appreciates already, and little brother will.

I took my students to the Hindu Cultural Center where we watched traditional Hindu dance telling the stories of their faith -- stories of Ram and Sita, and the Avatars of Brahma, among others. The food afterwards was wonderful.

The students also joined me at the Mid-Columbia Duck Race. The weather wasn't very nice so we didn't have to deal with crowds, and we had a great view of 35,000 rubber ducks being dumped in the water, "race" 100 feet (or so), and see who's the winner. Not us, apparently. Rats!

Kermit paid a visit to our home, to the delight of both of the little guys!

China part 5 , Wedding

2010-09-24T08:19:00.000-07:00

The reason we went to China, the wedding of Zijing, Zixu's sister, to Tao. What a cute couple!

Perhaps, if there is one thing that stands out for us with China is lavishness -- the Great Wall is thousands of miles long, the Forbidden City ruled an empire of millions for centuries, Beijing is simply MILES of high rises -- and Zijing's wedding was no exception. It can only be described as lavish. But also interesting. I am beginning to think that Americans really don't know how to do weddings!

The first order of business is that the groom comes to pick up the bride from her home at the head of an impressive line up of BMW's or whatever most luxurious car is available (what do I know about cars?) . That's the easy part.

THEN the groom must gain admission to her house, which is guarded by brother and male cousins who have no intention of letting him in unless he pays them for the priviledge. And the priviledge is not cheap. Poor Tao is stuffing red and gold envelopes filled with money through cracks in the door, but those cousins and brother are not going to let him in until he has paid them a lot! (never mind that Tao has already given even more substantial amounts of money beforehand -- Zixu's share of which was spent on us, and his college friends, showing us China). Finally, he has paid enough and is allowed to enter. But Tao's troubles are not over. NOW he must find Zijing's shoes, which have been hidden to show the reluctance of the family to let their daughter leave. The house was so crowded with the bride's relatives that I didn't see this -- but I wouldn't be surprised if Tao had to cough up yet more money for information leading to the location of her shoes! But, however it was, the shoes were found, and placed on her feet. Another important part of the ceremony included Tao feeding noodles to Zijing. Not just any noodles, but noodles made by his mother -- to symbolize that HIS family will now be taking care of her. For me, this whole ocassion was a priviledge and amazing experience, but for Zijing's mother, this was one of many points where tears were swimming in her eyes -- her daughter would now belong to someone else (and in ancient times, the bride's family might never see her again! But it is not like that now.).

Then there were a lot of photos taken -- although, now that I think of it, I didn't see any photos of the bride and groom with their parents, which seems strange to me as an American. Zixu, as the bride's brother had many important duties, which he performed well (here he's carrying a lamp from the bride's home to the groom's family). I'm not quite sure what all the duties were because most of them took place at the groom's village, where he was the sole representative of the bride's family. He says there was food, and so many fireworks that the whole village was smoking. I think they must not have noise ordinances in China because there was seldom a day when we didn't hear fireworks going off (sometimes at 6 am) to mark auspicious ocassions, like weddings (of course) but also the start of building or remodeling projects, and maybe other things we didn't know about. In any case, after everyone left, we waited around the house for a few hours while the groom's family celebrated, and then we left for the hotel for the actual marriage and wedding feast (and feast it was!). Finally, amidst the noise and smoke of yet more fireworks, the impressive entourage of cars arrived at the hotel, and the bride and groom emerged from the lead car to explosions of confetti. Unlike traditional Chinese weddings (according to Zixu), the bride's family was also there. Two floors of the hotel were rented for this ocassion.

The groom's family followed, making their way past a gauntlet of tables where they gave their wedding gifts (unike America, all the gifts were monetary).

And then down the halls flanked with life sized portraits of Zijing and Toa to the main banquet room where the marriage actually took place.

We chose to join the grooms side of the family in their rooms because that's where the actual marriage took place and Zixu and his parents were there, but perhaps the bride's side would have been better because there was a camera filming everything and we would have had a better view of it than we saw at our table way in the back.

Again, there were more traditional things they did. Zijing spent considerable time offering sweets to Tao's family symbolizing that she would be taking care of them from now on, and I especially liked bowing to their parents.

A famous radio personality MC'd the wedding festivities. He had the audience laughing and following along, although for us -- understanding not a word -- it was a little startling to have a TV talk show atmosphere at what we would consider a solemn ocassion. But I think it was not meant to be a solemn ocassion over there!

Despite the wedding portrait I opened this post with, the bride wore traditional western white and she was stunningly gorgeous!

Then it was time to eat. Uninformed Americans that we were, we ate at the grooms table with the grooms family (an expense to the grooms side), and then we transfered to the bride's family where they were waiting for us and had saved a table for us. If we had understood, we probably would have shown up there a lot sooner. The food was fabulous. We could not resist eating again until our bellies groaned. It would not be right if I didn't say something about how generous the hospitality was that we were provided. I rather suspect that life in China is tough, probably tougher than life in America for the average person, but to go there as honored guests and be considered family was amazing. We benefit twice. We very much enjoy having Zixu in our home, and we enjoy their gratitude for our "sacrifice".

After all this, Zijing changed to a traditional colored (but sophisticated modern style) red gown (not pictured -- the red dress to the right is another of the wedding photos that lined the halls) to mingle with guests, and then everybody gradually left. Zijing went to spend three days with the groom's family, which was a sobering experience, but we were all happy to see her come for visits, and after the three days the two of them settled in their apartment.

They went on their honeymoon the day we left China, and Zijing's best friend, and Zixu accompanied them. It has been a long time that brother and sister didn't see each other! Nevertheless, this isn't exactly how I envisioned a honeymoon! I'm sure they all had a great time (and I'm also sure that the couple of honor had plenty of privacy when they wanted it!).

We wish Zijing and Tao a wonderful and happy time as they build a new life together!

Trip to China Part 4 -- Forbidden City

2010-09-24T07:56:00.000-07:00

Much has happened in the past few months, but our trip to China was so fascinating, I really want to continue recording it:

In the heart of Beijing lies the Forbidden City, so named because it was the Emperor's home and private property! That said, part at least, of this massive complex was not anciently forbidden but designed to totally awe foreign dignitaries with China's might and power -- at least I assume so based on it's overwhelming effect on me. And now that a good part of the Forbidden City has been restored and turned into a museum, even less of it is forbidden!

<----- In front of it is Tianaman Square, which we've all heard about because there was a massacre there some years ago, but for Zixu it has totally different connotations -- it's a place for massive parades (he knows exactly where he was standing the one time he had an opportunity to participate in one), a place for China's pride, a place he feels good about. And why not?
It is a magnificent place, surrounded by museums (sadly, the national museum was closed for rennovation during our visit), Chairman Mao's tomb ---->
and lots of other huge buildings and offices. I guess it's comparable to our National Mall in Washington DC, although China has had a lot more history and time to to make their showpiece magnificent.

As huge as Tianaman Square is, it is dwarfed by the size of the Forbidden City.
Totally out of place, but interesting, is the portrait of Chairman Mao hanging over the main entrance to the Forbidden City (click on the photo and it will enlarge so you can see it. Then go back to previous screen to return to this blog). This photo does not begin to do justice to the sheer size and grandeur of this landmark. This photo <--- shows the building that greets people coming off the street or out of the subway tunnels. Then we go through a great courtyard, half the size of Tianaman Square, through arches in another huge building/wall complex, another huge courtyard, THEN we finally get to the ticket booths! (the places covered by the brownish awnings to the side of the square arches). ----->

And finally (you are already tired from walking) you can wander through the public parts of the rest of the city. Many of the offices lining the sides of the courtyards have been turned into museums, towards the back are living quarters (restored) for the Emperor, his Empress and many concubines, and gardens.

<----A bedroom with the bed at the very back. I suspect Emperors might have appreciated central heating and A/C, and carpets, but there is no denying that his home was sumptuous and magnificent almost beyond imagining.

The living areas are huge, but don't take up as much space as the massive governmental buildings, apparently even in ancient historical
times government functions took up a lot more space than even the most magnificent Emperor's living space. Of course, the Emperor could also go to his Summer Palace, or Mountain Villa, which are also unbelievably huge (Mountain Villa visited earlier this trip) and with a lot of land around them, which were not accessible to commoners.

There was just way too much to see -- it would take days to see everything, and writing about it in a blog seems even more presumptuous, but not blogging about it seems wrong too--it was just too amazing to forget.

Museum exhibit showing life in the Forbidden City centuries ago --->

There's just too much to show. But this small sample gets the idea across. I just feel such awe when I am in this place, and a deep humility that I am guilty of thinking my life is the whole experience. There is so much in the world I haven't seen or even imagined. I am so grateful that I have the opportunity to see some small part of it, and such a magnificent part!

Cousin Michael

2010-08-06T12:58:00.000-07:00

It's already been over a week since we got the news that our nephew, Michael, drowned. He lived far away and we saw him seldom, mainly at family occasions, but we know what a close-knit family he comes from, and how much they all love each other.

Funerals and memorial services are over, and day to day living must continue. It doesn't seem right. Seeing the courage and faith of his wife, sisters, parents, and extended family is inspiring.

I wish we had known Michael better. The first time I met him he was only two years old, and I was new in the family. We were boating on Grampa's big boat. Grampa was up on top steering it, and Michael was on my lap down below. Knowing little about boating, and less about Michael, I was letting him play with the duplicate controls. Michael threw the gears into reverse or neutral or something and sent the boat to a shuddering stop. Fortunately, there was no serious damage nor injuries, but I realize now that Michael was already on the path he would follow all his life -- excitement! Live life to the fullest.

With visits here and there over the years, we got to know Michael a bit better. He knew just how to treat his cousins. Mash 'em with a pillow and they will adore him. It worked.

Mostly we followed the news about Michael through blogs and facebook. Marriage, baby, teaching career, he did it all with flair and devotion. However limited our contact was, there is no question that Michael, love of adventure notwithstanding, was someone you could count on.

There is a determination now, shared by me, to make greater effort to enjoy our wonderful extended family.

I wish there were words to say or things to do that would fill the big hole left by Michael, but there aren't any. I have seen family bonds strengthen and faith increase -- Michael's influence will always be part of the family now.

Where does all the time go?

2010-07-09T13:21:00.000-07:00

It seems like not too long ago I was writing about my amazement that I was to become a grandma, and now, the little sprout is one-and-a-half years old and has a little brother. Like millions of my sisters, I have reached the age of looking into my past, and looking forward into my future, and seeing it through eyes that understand the wonder of new generations and wide-eyed, innocent new life. I am suspicious of the innocence though when I see the (can I get away with it?) look in little Benny's shining trusting eyes as he checks whether I really mean it when I say "no. Stay out of that box of candy."

Little Ephraim , on the other hand, has no mischeif in his sweet eyes yet, and if his wise, scrunchy little features make him look a little older than two weeks and earn him the nickname "Mr. Magoo", he is nevertheless as cute and lovable as he could be, and we welcome him with open hearts.

But when I asked "where does all the time go?" in the title of this post, I was thinking of something else -- the stretchiness of time -- and the timeless question, "what have I accomplished today?" that every mother asks herself at the end of a day when she surveys the messy house and uncooked dinner. And now I know. I timed it. The ocassion was the necessity of sewing five buttons on a shirt, a five to ten minute job. This is how it breaks down:

Finding needles and thread: 30 seconds.
Wiping Benny's nose: 2 minutes
Threading needle: 60 seconds (but it only took so long because my grandmother eyesight is not as good as it used to be).
Graciously accepting three pieces of lint from Benny's hand: 3 minutes (and giving them back and getting them back and giving them back and ....)
Knotting thread and sewing first stitch: 30 seconds.
Answering phone: 4 minutes
Cleaning up (with Benny's help) button box spilled by Benny: 7 minutes
Finding needle among the crumpled shirt cloth: 60 seconds
Sewing two more stitches: 30 seconds
Taking Benny to bathroom and cleaning up his sneeze: 3 minutes
Taking button box out of Benny's hand and putting it out of reach: 60 seconds
Playing Patty-cake with Benny: 3 minutes
Wiping Benny's nose: 30 seconds
Givng Benny some cheerios: 30 seconds
Earnest discussion with Benny on importance of not throwing cheerios on the floor: 2 minutes
Cleaning cheerios off floor (with benny's help): 2 minutes
Playing "monster's gonna get you" with Benny: 3 minutes
Finding needle among crumpled shirt cloth: 30 seconds
Catching Benny and wiping his nose: 60 seconds
Finding needle: 30 seconds
Comforting Benny who has tripped over the carpet edge: 2 minutes
Kissing Benny and giving him back to his mom: 60 seconds
Finishing sewing the first button and the other four, and putting everything away: 6 minutes

Grand total: 45 minutes and 30 seconds
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.
.
.

Is Benny adorable? YES
Am I getting much done when he's around? NO
Do I love being a grandma? YES!!!
.
.
.
So anyways, now I know where the time goes....

China part 3 -- Great Wall

2010-07-09T09:16:00.001-07:00

The Great Wall of China. Once again, words fail me. It is thousands of miles long. Thousands of years old. It's been repaired a few times (last time in the 1600's). Now sections of it are maintained for tourists. It's not exactly needed for defense anymore. You can see it from the highway if you are on the right section ----->

In order to see it up close and personal though, you have to go to places set up for sightseeing -- or be prepared for a long and arduous hike. Zixu was so good as to take us to the Simatai section of the wall, which has been made safe, but not rebuilt for tourist activities. Nicest is that a gondola took us 2/3 of the way up.
Imagine the poor workers who built it. No gondola. And carrying heavy rock!

Once on the wall (and climbing that last 1/3 is more than enough exercise for me! Legs and lungs were burning.) we had a spectacular view.

Parts of the wall were different from other parts
<---- this part had holes through which spears were thrust -- loooong spears!

Inside one of the watchtowers ----->
Umbrellas necessary to protect from the sun -- the heat combined with the exercise was just about too much!

More amazing views. It is almost incomprehensible that a place such as this could actually be built. We understand, however, that the cost in human life was very great.

Ancientness was just seeping out of the cracks.

Finally, having climbed, walked, climbed, walked, and taken waaaaay more photos than we can ever display, we headed back down. Since the group wanted to take the zip line, Dad and I were forced to do the same so the group could stay together (pretty fun!)

Although Zixu took us here on our previous trip, it was just as amazing, and breathtaking, the second time. Imagine. I have walked on the Great Wall of China! Twice.

China part 2

2010-06-15T07:12:00.000-07:00

I have over 4,000 photos to choose from! Not that I took all of them myself, but there was a group of us, all invited by Zixu for his sister's wedding, and we decided to share photos since it was ridiculous to all be taking photos of the same thing. (photo shows us sitting, at the far right Zixu and his sister (Zijing) and her fiance Tao (with the squirt gun), and the rest are Zixu's college friends that came). It's hard to believe that over 4,000 photos can be taken in 2 weeks! What were we thinking? I have this theory that we take so many photos because we want to bring it back with us, but we never can. Also, digital photography has made excess just as possible for the ordinary folks as for the professionals -- now WE can take 10 photos to capture just the right light or expression -- and we do!

But, WHATEVER! I am grateful that we can. If we can't bring it back with us, we can at least remember better. So, with that said, here are more photos of China. The above photo, as well as the previous post's nature photos, were taken on our hike past the Black Dragon Pools and waterfalls. The hike was in the mountains near Miyun, Zixu's home, about 45 minutes north of Beijing. It's not like we haven't hiked before, but a hike in China certainly has a different flavor --shapes, colors, how a public trail is run -- there were concession stands ( photo on right) and souvenir stalls where we are used to ranger stations and small museums. But having easy access to ice cream bars (bean, lychee, mango flavors) was very nice!

Afterwards we went to a lovely restaurant, also in the mountains, and ate, as usual, too much. They have a great idea in China! Big round tables with huge lazy susans in the middle, and then they just pile plates of food on them, and you snag whatever you want as it rotates past you. I need not say that we ate exclusively with chopsticks the whole time we were there -- and managed to gain weight despite this handicap. There was fish, beef, chicken, and lots of vegetables, very few of which we recognized. All completely delicious!

The next day we visited the Emperor's hunting lodge and summer retreat (mostly built by the Qing dynasty (1600's to 1911), the last dynasty before Communism took over) in the cooler mountains in the north -- photos also on previous post. Escape from the oppressive heat and humidity of Beijing -- the main seat of government historically and presently -- is very important! Indeed it was quite cold when we were there, and the umbrellas we bought were useful to keep us dry in the rain that fell at the beginning -- and all during the trip provided shelter from either rain, or relentless sun. Anyways -- All government business moved to this huge walled preserve in which we took an 11 km unforgettable scary open air tour bus ride (no seat belts, no railings, narrow road, steep road, cliffs and sharp curves, breakneck speed and
seemingly indifferent bus driver--although we did survive, so he apparently knew what he was doing). Zixu also gave us the opportunity to get a boat ride over to a hot spring, which, as it was warm weather, really didn't look all that remarkable although there were more cool buildings. The most remarkable part was when the boaters had an argument. We couldn't understand any of it, of course, but it SEEMS they were arguing about who would have the job of poling us over there. Apparently the guy who was sleeping wasn't awake enough to say, "not me" because they woke him up and he was one of the two that took us over.

Many days we ate at restaurants, but even when we didn't, Zixu's mom had wonderful food ready for us. If you look real carefully, you can see the rooster's head in the meat dish. We didn't eat that! but everything else was wonderful. We also got some basic cooking lessons, in part to reduce the work for Zixu's mother and aunt, and in part so I would learn to cook it so Zixu could have more homey food when he returns to Washington. It will take some practice before my cooking looks as good, is prepared as efficiently, and tastes as great as what they prepared, but apparently my efforts were good enough that they have hope for me. Still, much as we enjoyed all that genuine "chinese food", by the end of the trip, we missed good old bread, jam, and peanut butter!

So, next post, the Great Wall...

China part 1, Black Dragon waterfalls and Emperor's Mountain Villa

2010-06-09T16:04:00.000-07:00

We had the opportunity, once again, to visit China, as guests of Zixu and his family, this time to witness the marriage of Zixu's sister, but, of course, they made sure that we enjoyed more than just the wedding..

Words cannot do justice to this experience, so this post will be mainly photos.....

Different sights as we hiked along the Black Dragon Waterfall trail.

After our hike, we ate at a restaurant nearby, that had this lovely little garden filled with statues of comrades who played significant roles in modern Chinese history.

Zixu's family arranged for a driver to take us to the Emporer's Mountain Villa -- and we spent several hours enjoying this seat of government in the mountains away from the oppressive heat of Beijing.

Some places were serene and beautiful.

Others were ancient and beautiful.

It doesn't look cozy, but it is certainly magnificent.

Love the clothes! Although no one now wears the traditional garb of the emperor or scholar!

This place was so huge (the walls surrounded several square miles/kilometers of wooded and grassy grounds filled with occasional buildings -- besides being the summer seat of government this was also the Emperor's hunting lodge and filled with game). I could post endless photos.

This ---->
is a home built for a concubine who was no longer in favor with the Emporer -- it is far away from the main complex of buildings.

The nice thing about a hunting lodge is that there are many gardens, and there are few gardens as magnificent as the garden of a Chinese Emperor.

More offerings from my creative writing class

2010-06-09T15:41:00.001-07:00

Sticky Love

I've heard of butterfly kisses,

how delicately they fall

from lips of tiny princesses

on our cheeks and

hearts.

But I've only a tiny prince

with fists full of sticks and dirt

who gives

peanut butter kisses;

sticky memories on my face.

Proof

2010-04-09T09:24:00.000-07:00

For those who do not believe Ben EVER answers his phone--I witnessed it myself. Sometimes....he does.
.
.
.
I have proof.

(This is not a posed photo)

Handkercheifs

2010-04-03T19:41:00.000-07:00

I have been working my way through a creative writing course lately, and some of what I write seems appropriate for this blog. I am surprised how much of my writing concerns my family history, or my own history. Here is a sample:

Full Circle

They are only pieces of cloth—small squares of fabric printed bright primary colors that delighted the heart of the child I was. My favorites show dainty fairy folk going about their dainty fairy business dressed in leaves and buds while their ladybug pets look on. These little handkerchiefs have always been part of my life—bits of a past in another country that seems so far away that it might as well be in fairyland too. I gathered them up and hoarded them in my storage boxes, treasured in closets, under beds, or wherever there was space as I grew up, left home, and had children of my own. Perhaps, one day, I'll make them into a quilt, I would dream, as they lay hidden, silent, in the dark.

Eventually, I became a Grandma, “Oma” to my sweet newlings so my German roots can help them distinguish me from their other people. I watch my own mother more carefully—Mutti is a stranger to me—a keeper of secrets and holder of my past. Even from three states away I see courage that I never recognized now that she is alone and has no one to defer to. I have not known her, but I see her in me and I want to know who she is. I surprised her by persisting in asking her to write her story, and she surprised me by agreeing. She says this helps fill her time, and I think she is pleased. She is taking a writing class at the Senior Center, and we talk. We talk more than we ever have before.

So it was that without prompting Mutti told me the story of my handkerchiefs. She used to hang them on the clothesline when I was little and I would watch them fluttering in the breeze. They were given to me by her Oma. Her grandmother? Suddenly, new sprung from family legend, this lady who has no place in my memories came into my life. My circle of love expanded. I have presents from my great-grandmother! They have been gifted to me twice! My cherished handkerchiefs speak at last, and will have a place of honor on my walls.

My dear friend Lisa

2010-02-26T22:26:00.000-08:00

As I've been dealing with my own personal issues, problems, obstacles, pleasures, and crises the past few months, I have lost track more and more of all my friends. Poking my head above the surface for air, I notice one of my dearest friends has become a cancer case. Her blog is full of doctor appointments, MRI's, abnormal and normal days, hair loss, and gratitude for those who support her. I haven't seen her for over a month. She doesn't look like the Lisa I know, and yet, she does. She IS Lisa. A friend I have cherished for many years.

I want to write about the Lisa I know, the one who is still lurking in there among all the anxiety and medical talk. She tells me that she is slow to make friends, that it takes her a long time to get comfortable with people, but it didn't take long with me. Back then she had only two kids, and she would trade me photo albums for babysitting. It was all a plot, because I got hooked into scrapbooking, and have since purchased more than she ever traded me. She makes the most beautiful albums--simple, elegant, and to the point. I've learned a lot from her. I can't believe that with all the photos I take (she must take some responsibility for this), I can't find a photo of her!

She helped me go through my books when we moved, trying to get rid of enough to fit the remainder into the house. Sadly, she has the same tastes as me, and narrowly avoided transferring my excess into her home. She laughed at me--"you don't like empty walls, do you?", but I had the last laugh when her child quotient increased to five, and her walls filled with shelves. She laughs a lot--at different things than me--and she laughs now despite cancer.

We've taken our families and watched the 4th of July fireworks together for years. We keep on taking photos of their displays and keep on scrapbooking them--although, seriously, how can you tell them apart year to year? We have taken not enough little breaks to enjoy our friendship, but both of us know the BYU campus, the roses at the Library, and the canyons around Mount Rainier better because we visited them together. Her house has always been surrounded by beautiful flowers and plants, and most years her garden has even produced some fruit that survived kids and dogs.

I have watched in admiration as she has adopted five kids--most of whom require more than average attention and wisdom. When asked, in the process of adopting some of them, why I thought she wanted more, my first thought was "because she's crazy", but that's not what I wrote on the adoption agency's reference that was the source of the question. And she adopted more. And year after year she has dispensed that more than average attention and wisdom her children need.

As jobs and kids demanded more and more of our time, it was, and is, a comfort to know that we have someone there who will listen with understanding when we had to tell SOMEONE!!! Even when we don't take advantage of that opportunity very often anymore.

We have come a long way since we first met--we both have much larger circles of friendship, family, and inner resources than we did back then. Funny how much we can change, without changing at all. I am grateful for my dear friend Lisa.

Shiva revisited

2009-10-07T06:53:00.000-07:00

You may have heard of Shiva, the Hindu goddess of destruction. Granted, I am fairly ignorant of Hinduism, but "destruction" seems a fairly clear word. There are those who say Shiva destroys evil, and that Shiva also creates, but, lets face it, destruction is destruction. Simple.

So what do I do about my delightful daughter, who did this (below) to the furniture from my living room?

Before that, the dining room used to be a nice room--it used to look like this....

After we dealt with that mess, she did THIS to my dining room!

All of that lead to THIS..............................................and THIS

However, the final result was THIS.

Maybe there's something to the creation side of of the goddess of destruction after all.

However, we still call Julie "Shiva"

Did I mention that my mother just told me that when I was a kid I started stripping the wallpaper off her bedroom wall so she would start repainting?......

Family Picnic

2009-07-05T14:01:00.000-07:00

A long time ago, I went to my first Kerr family picnic at Two Rivers Park. I think I had been married all of two weeks. There were about 10 family members there, out of a total of 21 possible.

Yesterday I went to another Kerr family picnic, again at Two Rivers Park--Wow. (didn't count, but a total of 65 (I think) are possible). People who didn't even exist in the first photos had children! 6 babies were or will be born in an 18 month period that ends this month. And every member of the family is wonderful. What an awesome bunch!

Cutest grandkid ever

2009-05-04T09:05:00.000-07:00

Well, I haven't been too active on this blog for quite a while. If you want to know what I've been up to, you need to check my hostfamilylife.blogspot.com blog. That's what tends to keep me busy. That, and emergencies, and lately, rearranging my house and life so that Nina, Nathan and the cutest grandkid ever can come live here so that Nathan can finish his schooling. Of course, now I am in the midst of finding new host families for my students next year, so that's also keeping me busy. It may turn into a viable income opportunity, which I am so hoping for as it is way more up my alley than the hospital job which I no longer have--now I am a housekeeper. Not exactly my favorite career choice, but it has it's compensations, the major one being that I get to hang around with people while I work. Mostly, however, this post is just to show off little Benny. It's like enjoying my kids all over again, without the hassle. This is one lucky kid--he is surrounded by love on all sides.

Band of Troublemakers

2008-11-10T06:48:00.000-08:00

I have this neighbor that a lot of people seem to admire and look up to. I think it is time to set the record straight. I mean sure, she looks wonderful when she shows up at church, together, nicely dressed, with a swarm of little boys all in their white shirts and ties, behaving respectably (mostly) while the talks are going on.

But what most people DON'T know is that they have a chicken killing dog (our poor innocent little chickens!) who leaves their lawn clean while leaving little "presents" on ours, they leave hazardous objects on their driveway that kids (mine) can break their arms on, there's trails on our lawn made by the aforementioned horde of little boys (and dog), that big strong husband of hers breaks trampolines (ours), and they are always "borrowing" stuff that they seem to have run out of. I caught a picture of the real Missy, here included, so that people no longer need be decieved.

If she tries to tell you that we killed her dog, flooded their home, broke her kid's arm, or borrow their stuff all the time too, it's just the kind of thing she would do. Don't believe a word of it!!!

Life changing insights

2008-11-01T07:54:00.000-07:00

Figuring people out has always been a fascinating and helpful hobby of mine. Last year I was introduced to the "Wired that Way" personality tools. It's not like I haven't enjoyed and learned from other ways of looking at things, and as I've researched more, I have learned that many different people categorize personality in rather similar fashions, but this one was nontechnical yet specific enough that I thought I would share a much reduced version of it. (Ideally, the four categories are arranged in a square with the yellow and red quadrants across the top, and green and blue across the bottom in that order, but I wasn't able to format this blog that way).

Let's do it the fun way.
Desire to have fun.
Need affection attention, approval, acceptance.
Creative, optimistic, light touch.
They excite, inspire, persuade others.
Probably should talk less, get organized and learn to tell the time.

Let's do it my way.
Desire to have control.
Need sense of obedience, accomplish a lot, are usually right.
They are self-confident, restless, and at times overpowering.
Probably should delegate more, be more patient, and be more appreciative.

Let's do it the easy way.
Desire to avoid conflict, keep peace .
Need feeling of worth, emotional support, sense of respect.
They mediate, objectively solve problems, have an even disposition, and a will of iron.
Probably should become more self motivated, move faster, face own problems as well as they handle those of others.

Let's do it the right way.
Desire to do it right.
Need stability, space, sensitivity, support.
They have high standards, compassion, analyze deeply, are creative, organize well.
Probably should lighten up, allow others to be imperfect.

Most of us have one personality type that is predominant, with a secondary type that has an effect on our character as well. Of course, nothing is 100% and we can (should) all learn skills from all personality types, but it is helpful to know what comes naturally. In any case, it has been an interesting exercise in understanding myself, and in figuring out my family. Someone who is motivated by fun just isn't going to be into job charts and schedules. It makes a difference in which options I choose when dealing with people, and it makes a difference in how I motivate myself. The Red/Green combination, and Yellow/Blue combination conflict with each other in a lot of ways and tend not to be natural pairings--look at them and think about it and you will see why!

Realizing where my heart lies (after all these years of thinking it lies somewhere else) has changed my outlook--my goals have not been affected so much as my plans on how to achieve them. School, employment, our society in general seems to demand of us to spend a lot of time in the blue quadrant. Certainly I have been well trained in that area and derive satisfaction from functioning well in it. But I have realized I feel most alive in other quadrants, and knowing that those other characteristics are natural and the way I'm made has freed up a lot of energy and allows me to enjoy activities that previously I had felt were just too frivolous and irrelevant to the serious business of living to be indulged. Thinking like that sucked the joy out of the positives of those other quadrants without leaving me any tools or motivation for dealing with the negatives. As I develop new thought patterns and habits I think things are going to start being different in my life and I look forward with enthusiasm to what the future will bring!

P.S. This particular system is developed by Florence Littauer. Following is a Wikipedia article and a very basic personality test. There are books and official tests available, but this is a start for if you want to know more:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personality_Plus
http://lynn_meade.tripod.com/id139.htm

Planting and harvest

2008-10-26T07:17:00.000-07:00

As if there isn't enough to do, Bruce keeps bringing home grapes or apples to process. Personally, I would rather buy the produce off the supermarket shelves, but there is a certain satisfaction from seeing jars of produce on shelves and know you had a hand in making them.

But that isn't really what I wanted to blog about. There's been a lot to do lately, and of the type that leaves a good deal up to circumstances or other people. Fruit is easy (except for being hard work), you know what you have to do to get the results you want--pick the fruit, clean it, cut/juice/smash/cook it, put it in jars, add sugar (maybe), put on the lids, boil filled jars the required time, put the processed jars on the shelf, clean the kitchen.

But how do you find a new job? Or a new host family for an exchange student? There's a process all right, but the results are less certain--research, make contacts, prepare your information, disseminate it, and then wait. Wait for someone to call, wait for someone to ask questions, realize nobody is going to call, do it again. Wait. It's demoralizing and discouraging, and there are a lot of unknowns.

Through this process, this time, I finally figured something out--better late than never! I have known I cannot accomplish my goals by myself--too many things were out of my control and dependent on others. For this and several other reasons, I've made greater efforts to seek the Lord's will. The problem here is that I've always felt bad because I had the theory that my faith was insufficient and I wasn't trying hard enough. THIS time, I have realized that the Lord isn't really unhappy about my supposed lack of faith. Building a relationship with Him isn't His test of us, but His invitation for us to test Him. He knows that building trust takes time, and doesn't expect us to have perfect faith in him right off the bat. He doesn't just expect us to take His word for it (even from such an impressive authority as the scriptures), but to prove Him. For how many years have I heard/read this and it didn't hit home?

I have heard that we should pray as if everything depends on the Lord, and work as if everything depends on us. In theory it sounds understandable, but in reality, when is anything enough? What is the relationship between them? So my conclusion at this point? The Lord gives us the seed. That's His part. Our part is to prepare the ground, plant, and fertilize. And then it's His part again and He sends the sun, the rain, and the miracle of growth. The more ground we prepare, the more He has to work with. Being prone to guilt, of course I can always say, "I could have done more", but a wise woman at church suggested that if we counsel with the Lord as to what we should do and what we have done, the Lord will let us know if we've done enough. What more do we need to know??

So what is the result of all this pondering? Well, still no new job. BUT the host family I was looking for came forward, and they are really neat people--the husband being the mayor, no less, of one of our local communities. The Lord knows where to find them!! My part was getting the word out, HIS part was bringing it to the attention of the right people. Who they are, the timing of the whole thing, and the graciousness of them and the temporary host family all show me the Lord was in on it all along.

The Lord's patience in working with me is astonishing and heart-warming. And the results of me working with HIM are inspiring and effective. The harvest is sure. I am grateful.

Walking tall

2008-09-19T16:39:00.001-07:00

After years of treating my body with minimal respect, things are finally changing. I've always known I can't lose weight and I haven't the discipline to exercise, and of course, I was right. But feeling myself starting to descend the slippery slope into depression, and not wanting to go to that horrible place I was two years ago, I had to make a change before it was too late. I don't know why depression should be such a widespread problem in these wonderful days in this wonderful (if imperfect) country but from what I'm hearing, it certainly is. I've fought it with varying degrees of success--perhaps my best effort involved the putting together of a "blessings" journal, which, to this day I continue to fill (along the lines that if we counted ALL our blessings, we wouldn't have time for anything else). It directs my thoughts to better things and is so chock full of fun, gratitude, people I love, and lessons learned that even just holding it makes me feel good. But it seems that even so, attacks of depression come, and this past summer was one of them.

THIS time I concentrated on reading scriptures and exercise. One thing leads to another, and starting an upward spiral isn't much harder than slipping onto a downward slope. It took me one and a half months to get started on the challenge to read the Book of Mormon over the summer, but just the same, I almost did it. Just finishing the remnants now. And a place that was hungry in me is being fed and I am grateful.

But other types of feasting may not be as positive, so the other thing I did is join the "biggest looser" group at my workplace. I didn't care that much about winning, although I can be a real competetive person, I just didn't like the way I looked, and since depression always reduces my eating anyways, why not? But just starving myself wasn't very effective, so I started walking to work. Then exercising. Then finding sneaky ways to exercise while sitting at my computer at work. My weight seems to have plateaued but my clothes fit better and I'm sore. SOMETHING is happening. It does help that there's group support though weight loss certainly isn't an absorbing topic of conversation. And sore though I am (it's abating now), my posture has improved. And my attitude. And my outlook. And my house is cleaner. Not sure that measurements would show anything, but I feel taller.

Speaking of respecting Mother nature....

2008-09-05T06:13:00.000-07:00

This was the beach we found at our former favorite cliff jumping spot. Compare to the two pictures below and see one small sample of what a spring flood can do. This is only sand. There were places along the Cowlitz river where whole bars of boulders had been moved from one side of the river to another. Trees had been uprooted. The bridge crossing the river was cracked clear through (probably by an uprooted tree? Boulder?) causing the road leading to the bridge to be closed.

Lessons learned from canoeing

2008-08-26T14:11:00.000-07:00

Lesson #1. Do not take a new and inexperienced exchange student out on a canoe with a loose camera in the boat.

Lesson #2. Give longer canoe sailing lessons to said exchange student before handing him the sail controls during wind gusts.

Lesson #3. Wear whatchamacallem thingies to secure glasses to face when taking a supposed fun and easy canoe trip down a higher than usual (almost freezing cold) river while camping.

Lesson #4. Do not hit rock after successfully negotiating shallow rapids (we were informed they were a "low 2" on a scale of 1 (calm pond) to 6 (certain death) on white water difficulty ratings--see #7). Note: said exchange student present, but not to blame.

Lesson #5. Stay out of range of other club wielders, er, paddlers when trying to beach canoe.

Lesson #6. Associated with #4 and #5, learn teamwork with other members of the crew.

Lesson #7. Do not tell other passing canoers about your woes while you are still dripping, ESPECIALLY writers of canoeing and kayaking columns for over ten years.

Lesson #8. Make sure roads to pick up point have not been closed.

Lesson #9. Do not pass by daughter waiting dutifully to pick us up where she said she would because we didn't recognize her without glasses.

Total damage: camera, watch, two pairs of glasses and one pair sunglasses, painful bruise over left eye, severely damaged dignity, sore shoulders from carrying canoe half a mile, confirmation of Julie's unstated thoughts that her mother (responsible for all except #2) really belongs on slapstick comedy team.

Gains: Wisdom (maybe), experience, recovered paddles and shoes, dry camera (foresightedly (amazing) sealed in a ziplock bag) with partial visual record, basic paddling lesson from experts, experience taking apart and drying out cell phone (HaHa benefited most from this).

It might also be said that we saw spectacular vistas of Mount Rainier and flower bursting alpine meadows, deep silent woods, and sunshine lighting the leaf tips and sparkling the waters on several hikes. Eric and Bruce had a lovely 20 mile, uneventful but spectacular overnight hike from near Paradise down to Silver Falls, while we spent 1.5 hours trying to start a campfire with damp wood so we could eat something. We also learned that vegetarian hot dogs taste horrible, and that vegetarian patties have egg in them, and that our poor Hindu (non-meat and non-egg eating) exchange student from India is a good sport about all that. We returned home grubby, ready for real food, eager to sleep comfortably, and most importantly--alive! Most unforgettable lesson learned--respect Mother Nature!

She's not a toddler anymore....

2008-08-04T07:27:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago we went camping with Julie. Just for a day or two while she went to a printmaking workshop at a museum in the vicinity. Nowadays I mostly see her as a sensible, hardworking, creative person, and a good teacher, but every once in a while the old saucy twinkle still appears in her eyes as she shares a joke or plays a trick on us. She comes up with the funnest ideas for Christmas--the silly
string in our stockings last year
was a blast and added a lot to
the enjoyment of the holiday
(and then there's the boxing
gloves...)

Although, it wasn't actually Julie's idea to pose with the statue--she is just graciously humoring one of her mother's inexplicable whims.

She has always been interested in sports
and taking care of her body, having lately
taken up preparing for and participating
in triathalons. She has even managed to
envigle her non-sports participating
brother into joining her when she goes
biking. Several of the blogs I read are
written by moms with little guys at home,
and I remember those days well, but I
marvel almost every time I see her what
a competent, good, and (mostly) together (nobody's perfect) adult this scrappy
toddler has become.

I always used to get a little upset
when my mother still saw the little
girl in me, but now, realizing how
much I still enjoy the glimpses of the
Julie-that-used-to-be, maybe I'll cut
my own mother some slack! Recalling
the little Julie in no way diminshes the
pleasure I feel in knowing that I had
some small part in helping her become
the amazing woman she is.

If it wasn't so sad, I'd be funny....

2008-08-01T14:13:00.000-07:00

Anyone who knows me knows I am pretty committed to exchange students, and to learning from and enjoying the differences between us. These are wonderful kids and being able to host them for a year (if we can) is an amazing opportunity. They are not perfect by any means, but who is?

So I was really burned recently when I heard of a family, after saying they would, changing their minds and dumping a student--because he was Muslim and might do something scary. This is not to say there are no scary Muslims--but the vast majority of them are as appalled by the scary ones as we are appalled by, say, skinheads, the KKK, or, more historically, the Inquisition (all of whom could be considered Christians by people who are unfamiliar with us).

Having hung around with a lot of Muslims lately, I just had to laugh when I thought of some of the scary things I've seen them do......

Develop secret weapons--explosives, I think.

Target practice.

Mingle inconspicuously with the natives so they can become entrenched in our society. (Guess which ones are Muslim).

Spy out the weaknesses of our power grid.

These guys seem to be the ringleaders. Code names are Larry, Curly, and Mo.

Probably anyone who reads this blog is already a generous and understanding person, but I just had to vent!!!

It's all a matter of perspective.

2008-06-30T08:57:00.001-07:00

EAT A LIVE TOAD

FIRST THING IN THE MORNING

AND NOTHING WORSE

CAN HAPPEN TO YOU

ALL DAY

What do I know of the Lord's goodness?

2008-06-13T06:10:00.000-07:00

I found myself in the interesting position, not too long ago, of bolstering the faith of an earnest young Muslim whom I admire. His faith had been questioned by a high school science teacher. The initial question was about why violence and suffering are in the world, but as communication progressed, it became clear that the REAL question was whether there is a God, and whether you can trust Him despite all the overwhelming evidence that skeptics dig up to shake our faith. After some thought, and bearing in mind that the Lord is perfectly capable of sorting out religious differences and the state of our hearts, I sent him the following:

Why do I know there is a God, and that He cares about me and everybody else? For one thing, nature is beautiful, not only is it beautiful, but the beauty is integral to function. If everything happened by chance, good and fine, but did it have to be beautiful--from rainbows, sunsets, snowflakes and the piercing beauty of the stars, from the tears that come to my eyes when I see the Grand Canyon, from the fragrance and variety and loveliness of flowers and the peace that comes into my heart when I climb to mountain meadows--why is it beautiful? Surely nature could function without beauty--certainly man has made a lot of functional items that aren't beautiful.

Another reason is that evil has not triumphed over good. So many horrible things happen in the world. Tragedy, disaster, agony, destruction, war, disease, filth--and yet there are always people who try to do good. In the face of overwhelming evil or just creeping apathy, you can still find Victor Frankl's, Mother Teresa's, Albert Schweitzer's, J. R. R. Tolkein's, and many, many lesser unknown people who make the world a better place. One would think that evil would have destroyed them and everything good long ago--evil has certainly tried!

On a more personal level, I know God exists and cares because I have felt that love. Looking back, I know that during some extremely rough spots in my childhood, I was not alone--I was being watched over. The rough spots weren't taken away--for what purpose I don't know (perhaps I developed compassion, courage, and strength I would not have otherwise had)--but I wasn't left to suffer alone. This is not something I can prove, but I know it nevertheless. That's a big one, but too often to count I have had smaller evidences that someone is watching over me with deep understanding and caring. I have had prayers answered about how to deal with my children, how to resolve arguments, small exquisitely timed "coincidences" have given benefits out of proportion to the actual event. I have received insights into health problems, and life changing events have happened in response to prayer. One small example (I have more, but this will do) of the type of thing I am talking about is a morning when I was, as usual, rushing around, harried and irritable, trying to get things done and I couldn't find my glasses. I was unkind to my then middle-school aged daughter and sent her to school on foot (late) and with anger. Within 2 minutes of her leaving, I found my glasses UNDER the dining room table. I got in the car (now that I could see to drive) and found Julie, picked her up and drove her to school. When she saw me, she just smiled a big sunshine-filled smile and told me with total satisfaction, "I prayed for you. I knew you would find your glasses". Not only did I find my glasses, but I learned (again) the worth of prayer, I learned (again) that God really does care, I learned how much my daughter loves me and could see past my shortcomings and how sweet she is, and I learned that I could learn a lot from my daughter. God can get a lot of mileage out of finding a pair of glasses!

Another reason I know that God exists and cares is because I know my Grandmother loves me. This is not as straightforward as it sounds, because she died of disease, heartbreak, exposure, and starvation in the aftermath of World War II and left my mother an orphan at 8 years old (and me, obviously, unborn). Yet I have had experiences that not only make it clear to me that this wonderful woman is alive, but that she is joyful, knows me and loves me, and is in God's care. This is not something I can put into words and explain, nor can I prove it by scientifically accepted methods, but the experience is sacred to me and very real.

The final reason I know that God exists is because when I follow His counsel and guidance most closely, I become more than I can without it. The best way to put it into words is to say my soul expands. I reach higher levels of understanding, love, service, and ability, I feel greater joy and peace. I find purpose in my life and the energy and intelligence to accomplish it. One example, out of many, is that I have become an exchange student coordinator--and apparently one (so I'm told) that makes a positive difference in the world. Something that gives me great joy. I also believe this is something that God wants me to do--and I am overjoyed that I can serve God by doing something that is so personally rewarding. You should know that I had really (really) poor social skills most of my life due to the hard experiences in my childhood--so having the ability to connect with people and students is, to me, an unexpected and almost miraculous skill/talent--a gift from God that has expanded my soul and my abilities.

Perhaps there are more reasons, but this seems sufficient to accomplish my purpose--which is to provide an alternative viewpoint to the skeptics and give you, perhaps, a platform from which to find your own answers--although I suspect you already have some.

Eternal Youth

2008-05-20T08:52:00.001-07:00

The realization has been growing on me lately that, despite a secret belief that I was going to be an exception to aging, I was mistaken. Sure, there were a few grey hairs here and there, but not enough to be alarming. The need for larger clothes could be attibuted to having babies, not age. More prominent laugh lines around my eyes (do I have to call them "crow's feet"?). I need bifocals (bifocals?) now. Damage caused by my klutziness takes longer to heal--but klutziness is not the problem it used to be. There's more, but ....well.... enough said. In any case, interesting observations but nothing serious.

Even Julie's becoming a teacher (who? my little girl?)

and Nina's dastardly deed of turning me into a mother-in-law didn't really shake me out of my rose-tinted delusions.

But the worm has turned. I can no longer fool myself. Importing teenagers and pretending to be one myself in order to insulate myself from the ugly truth just isn't going to cut it anymore.

Who would have thought that such completely wonderful, kind, thoughtful, and good people as Nina and Nathan would be the responsible for this? On Mother's Day, Nina, although wishing me a happy Mother's Day, also chose this day to make the announcement that I was going to be a grandma early next year! They can prove it. Now I ask you, is this kind? Is this thoughtful? Do I look ready to knit baby booties and go all gooey-eyed over a squirmy messy little bundle of trouble? No, I do not.

Not only am I not ready, but they obviously aren't either. Why, just yesterday they were goofing around, going to public school, spending money unwisely (organic shampoo?), and getting into food fights.

So, how does all this relate to eternal youth?

I guess, with all my focus on the physical processes, I forgot the joy. Who would have thought that I would have these four awesome kids? Who would have thought I would get the chance to be part of these four individuals who have become their own person, do stuff I never even dreamed of, are responsible adults and all round good human beings. And now, after the (ongoing) privilege of being their mother, they are increasing in numbers. Through marriage, and through birth. If I'm going to get wrinkles and grey hair, it stands to reason I have a shot at being a grandparent too, but I hadn't realized that the joy would be so great that it is sacred.

To paraphrase slightly, "the greatest is love". I am surrounded by it, and part of it. If that's not eternal youth, what is?

Part III - All i need to know in life I learned from Lord of the Rings...

2008-05-03T14:10:00.000-07:00

More words of wisdom...

"Between us, there can be no word of giving or taking, nor of reward; for we are bretheren."

"The world is indeed full of peril, and in it there are many dark places; but still there is much that is fair, and though in all lands love is now mingled with grief, it grows perhaps the greater."

"Go to the armouries of the Citadel,' he said, 'and get you there the livery and gear of the Tower. It will be ready. It was commanded yesterday. Return when you are clad!' It was as he said; and Pippin soon found himself arrayed in strange garments,"

What animal are you?

2008-04-14T11:19:00.001-07:00

On April 3 through 8 I had the opportunity to travel to Washington DC. Although, yes, I did get to see the National Mall and the US Capital building, and even visited the offices of our state representative (to request some legislation that will be helpful to exchange students and their host families), for the most part this was a really intensive workshop, that was both energizing and exhausting.

One workshop was particularly enlightening. On the walls there were several pictures of different animals---gazelle, eagle, rabbit, elephant, ant, dolphin, turtle, and tiger. We were asked to stand by the animal that we felt most represented our character. Think about it. Once there (I was in the dolphin group, obviously), we brainstormed about what it was about that animal that we identified with. Speed, flight, aggressiveness, watchfulness, thoughtfulness, strength, curiosity, playfulness, carefulness, intelligence, teamwork, awareness, friendliness, commumicativeness, clear-sightedness, individualism, helpfulness, and others were chosen for various animals (you decide and/or add your own). That was the fun part. After all that, it got interesting. We were then asked to move to the animal that best represented us when in a situation where we had to request something--big or little. To my chagrin, I found myself moving from dolphin to rabbit. Now, people said positive things about rabbits, you know, thoughtful, watchful, fast, contemplative. But, let's face it, rabbits are timid, and they are FOOD. Finding myself in that (small) group definitely gave me food for thought. Next we were asked to go to the animal that best represented us when we were under stress. Visualizing myself as backed into a corner, I found myself moving over to the tiger. Better than rabbit I guess; watchful, strong, blends in, aggressive; but just the same, I don't really like the predator conotations. Now what to do with all this enlightenment!

Part II All I need to know in life I learned from ....

2008-03-27T22:09:00.001-07:00

Lord of the Rings.....
These books are a mine of wisdom...there will be more posts!!

"Advice is a dangerous gift, even from the wise to the wise, and all courses may run ill. "

"One who cannot cast away a treasure at need is in fetters. "

"Sleep in peace! Do not trouble your hearts overmuch with thought of the road tonight. Maybe the paths that you each shall tread are already laid before your feet, though you do not see them. "

Part 1: Everything I need to know in life I learned from...

2008-03-26T21:41:00.000-07:00

Lord of the Rings...

Maybe I talk too much about these books, but can you blame me? Look at all the good counsel they offer!!

"Do not go alone. Take such friends as are trusty and willing. "

"The wide world is all about you: you can fence yourselves in, but you cannot forever fence it out."

"There are some things it is better to begin than to refuse, even though the end may be dark."

"It is useless to meet revenge with revenge, it will heal nothing. "

"...in this hour, I do not believe any darkness will endure!"

"The future, good or ill, was not forgotten, but ceased to have any power over the present. Health and hope grew strong in them, and they were content with each good day as it came, taking pleasure in every meal, and in every word and song. "

Further musings from the taste buds

2008-03-24T07:41:00.001-07:00

Although the taste buds didn't much care for the view of Central Park--such a huge park, with ponds, pathways, 4 through streets, and high rises poking above the trees on all sides--the taste buds did enjoy, very much, the breakfast we ate here at the Central Park Boathouse. Again way more food than we could possibly eat, and all of it completely delicious. Stuffed with sausage, bacon, eggs, pastries, fruits, yogurt, juices and more that I can't even remember, the stomach protested yet again, but was ignored. This was an unhurried meal with lots of time for discussion among ourselves as we compared notes on what we were doing with our exchange students, and what they were doing to us!! On the whole, it became more and more clear how much everybody loves these kids, and how strongly we believe that we can, through this program make a positive difference in the world. Afterwards, the 120 or so of us got on three coaches with a tour guide, and toured the city. Each coach went it's own way, but probably covered essentially the same ground. The taste buds were gratified to be provided with some canole at an Italian bakery in Chinatown. We took a quick walk through Chinatown, but had no time to really browse among the interesting fragrances, brilliant colors, and other unusual wares peeking through the windows and spilling onto the street.
The tour guide delighted in showing us special spots that were not necessarily on the beaten track but still typical of the New York that he loved. To the left is a photo through the canyon of the church that stands between us and ground zero. One tree on the church grounds was damaged, but otherwise it was unharmed. On the far size of ground zero is the Winter Garden from inside of which you can get a better view of ground zero than from the ground.
We stopped by the Brooklyn Bridge next, which is on the other side of the wharf building shown to the left in this picture.
Obviously it was an older structure than most of the bridges, and again I marveled at what people were able to accomplish even without modern machinery--it is not only a historical structure, but it is tall and loooong! The sailing ships were museums which we didn't have time to see, but the juxtaposition of the old schooners with the high rises in the background made an interesting picture. We saw other famous places, but this blog is already too long, so I will only mention that we spent an hour in a traffic jam--how could a trip to New York be complete without this experience--and ended up being the last bus to reach our dinner location--the Cotton Club, with enough, though very squeezy seating, where they served us wonderful wonderful soul food, with more deep-south type flavor--again forcing me to eat too much--I had no choice. The music was also "soul" music--kinda modern, jazzed up negro spirituals--the best I can do for a description because it is not music that appeals to me, but they were talented artists and it was fun to feel the energy in the room as they got the group to participate with clapping.
The next morning we were again treated to an extraordinary breakfast at the Athletic Club just across the street from Central Park. I got a ride in the van, but actually, traffic being what it was, walking would have been faster. This day we learned a lot about the scholarship programs that the students I work with receive. We learned more about what the hope of the State Department is in spending thousands of dollars per student to give them a year here, and what will continue to happen when they return to their countries in terms of volunteer work, continuing workshops and leadership opportunities. Four alumni of these programs came and told us how the exchange program had affected their lives--they were all more involved with volunteer work and international relations than they would have been without the program, though perhaps not all alumni make the same kind of decisions. Still, it was very good to know that good and long lasting things came from their experiences in America. Having a bit of time, and wanting to see a bit more of New York and do a tad of shopping, I and two other ladies who didn't think I should be wandering around New York by myself (they were very kind and fun) walked to Carmine's on Times Square, WITHOUT GETTING LOST and on time. I don't think I have any unused descriptive words left for this plentiful and delicious and very Italian meal. The waiter was a blast, and I finally got some hot chocolate (nice in the cold weather when you don't drink tea or coffee), and a full 7 course meal with an enormous variety of flavors and tastes offered at each course. I think I'm going to have to buy looser clothes once again. And thus ended this day, except for the late evening walk to the hotel, making some purchases from street vendors who kept constantly on the move so as to avoid the police that periodically tried to remove them since they were illegal competition for the legitimate shops.

These final two pictures are from my last morning in New York. I ate a solitary breakfast at the Nations Cafe (so named I realized, because it is just down the street from the United Nations buildings which are clearly visible from the corner). Again the food was awesome, I ate some blintzes, and regretfully, had to leave some food on the plate. Then back to the hotel, taking some final pictures of the park outside the United Nations, and some of the row houses along the way. Quite comfortable with the subway system by now, I reached the airport without further incident, and home in the late afternoon (evening in New York). I saw a lot, and realized there is a whole lot more I didn't see. I will never be a city person, but this is an extraordinary place to visit, and there really ARE a lot of parks when you feel enclosed in all the traffic and concrete. Congratulations to all of you that managed to read all of this and thank you that you wanted to! I didn't know I had so much writing in me!! Should you wish to see more photos, check out facebook.

New York as "seen" by my stomach

2008-03-23T14:55:00.000-07:00

Of all the things I expected or hoped to do in my life, there are two that stand out as never even having been on the list. One was to visit the Embassy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which I did last August when I was in Washington DC. The second was to visit the United Nations. Mitsuko, our first exchange student (from Japan) was much on my mind as our group toured this building, since it was her ambition to work there one day as her contribution to world peace. It is an amazing place. Although I have heard rumors of corruption and such, it is marvelous that we should have such a building in the world, a place where all 195 (presently recognized) nations can sit and at least attempt to build something lasting and good in the world through diplomacy and cooperation. Actually, the Vatican and two small island nations that are content to be represented by New Zealand, were the only 3 countries without seats in the General Assembly room. The Security Council room (pictured) is where the "big 5" (China, Russian federation, USA, UK, and France) permanent members sit, plus the 10 other nations that are elected for two year terms. The General Assembly room is where all the nations sit together. Besides military and political issues, humanitarian and health and environmental issues are considered and decisions made. It is a noble idea and I hope we can find a way to make it work despite the many many problems, viewpoints, priorities, and human weaknesses that get in the way. There was an art display from all over the world promoting world peace, two samples of which I have included. This first picture shows all the violence and hate bombarding a family from the TV, which I chose because of the powerful influence media has in world peace (and just about any other issue!) The second is a rather stark representaion of world history, but realistic at the same time. Most of the pictures were rather grim, but I think there are positive things going on in the world as well (and on this trip with 120 other people involved in the exchange student program, this particular effort was much on my mind), which we should also remember both as example and inspiration. Back in Rochester, in the Eastman mansion and museum, Albert and I had seen a display of pictures from conflicts from several hot spots in the world, predominantly the middle east, which highlighted the horror, the torment and the destruction of people, place, and soul that goes on in so many places, and I was glad that there was the idea of a United Nations, and the hope that this organization could make a difference.

What, you might wonder, has my stomach got to do with any of this?? Well, a not unreasonable, but nevertheless surprising (to me) secret in these buildings is that they have conference rooms, and even, a rather good cafeteria (or did we enjoy a catered meal?) And we ate there. The spaghetti and salad bar was very good, and I ate my fill. They were a little short on seating, so I either had to stand, or sit on the icy cold but wide window ledges--I did both depending on whether my feet were more tired, or my rump more cold. So it was that I didn't notice the waiters circulating with some more exotic delicacies for a while. But spinach puffs, tender lamb chops, and other mouth-watering treats passed by every 3-4 minutes, and once aware of them, I could not resist. It turns out that I had not actually eaten my fill after all. Both the memory of how good it tasted, and the increased need for looser clothes will be with me for quite a while. Just because we walked the 5-6 blocks there and back doesn't mean we walked it off!

The next wonderful meal was the next morning at the New York Botanical Gardens in the Bronx. I have learned to appreciate adequate seating, which we had here, and also to appreciate what a huge amount of work it must have been for the slaves that so wonderfully arranged all this for us. With so many people to feed, all our meals were served buffet style. Croissants, fruit, a variety of irresistable pastries, juices, the inevitable coffee and tea (alas, no hot chocolate!) everything was wonderful and again my stomach had reason to complain of overwork, but my tastebuds were delighted. The apples on the table were a perfect touch, however, as they were made of marble, and given as a momento of our trip, they did not get eaten. But what a food fight we could have had!!! After a number of workshops about the nuts and bolts of exchange student coordinating, and meeting representatives from several countries telling us what the kids from their countries are like and what adjustments they need to make, we had another scrumptious meal, various wraps, sandwiches, soup, salads, and then more workshops. The longer I work with exchange students, the more aware I become of how truly different other cultures are, even if these kids are first and foremost teenagers, and I become more and more amazed at how hard they work to accomodate our lifestyle while they live here. Culture, religion, family heritage, school structure, language, food, the nature of friendship, and more, all of it must be adjusted to and we aren't even aware of most of it. Not that we are complete aliens or anything, but still, it is amazing.
After the workshops, we visited the Orchid House, actually a series of some 8 greenhouses linked together, with innumerable orchids and other tropical plants, fountains, ponds, pathways, and seating for us to wander through and enjoy. Since the weather was still filling my (not watertight) shoes with a generous supply of water, the opportunity to enjoy tropical air, fragrance and beauty was very very much appreciated. Pictures can't (of course) do it any justice, but it refreshed both body and soul to see all the abundant, rich green and the splashes of living color everywhere we turned. But out we went, and waited for the subway, and prepared for dinner--at the Channel 4 Restaurant, somewhere on the other side of Times Square from our hotel. The restaurant seems to have underestimated their seating capacity since I found myself once again standing, but there is no denying the food was delicious, and standing or sitting, it was well worth the trouble. I'm surprised my stomach is still on speaking terms with me. We topped the evening off with the Broadway performance of Phantom of the opera which I mentioned in my earlier post, and deliciously tired, well fed, and full of beautiful music, we walked 20 minutes back to our hotel and crashed in our soft dry beds.

General impressions of the Big Apple

2008-03-23T09:23:00.000-07:00

Continuing my travels in New York, the first thing we did is walk through the city. Taxis cost an arm and a leg, so walking is an attractive alternative. And really, walking 5-12 blocks is not such a big deal (what's 20 minutes?). Unless it's pouring rain!!! I was prepared for snow, but not the rain that was a continuous presence for the first two days. If it wasn't raining, there were still lots of puddles. I had raisin toes pretty much continually, and once I got back to my room, I washed my feet and kept my shoes in a plastic bag so as not to offend my hapless roommate. In any case, I began to understand what they meant by the "canyons" of the city. Block after block after block of skyscrapers. After a while of looking at them, I began to wonder why they don't topple. They are so thin and so vertical, and what holds them together? I can't build anything even close to that height with jenga blocks! And if I made it solid enough, what holds them upright? The foundations must go very deep.

Despite the March weather, and the leafless trees, I was surprised that there were ANY trees at all. Not much light gets down into the canyons (our tour giude informed us that New York is one of the greenest cities in America because of all it's parks, but it WAS late winter after all, and I didn't see much green). The Rockerfeller Center had a few. Being wired for lights is stressful so these are tough trees to hold so many--the tree in the picture is a living growing tree, not like the giant, decorated, for-the-season-only tree that we see here at the Rockerfeller Center in movies set in New York at Christmas. This famous place was only maybe 4 blocks from our hotel, although it took me two days to get oriented enough to figure that out.
This is as close as we got to the Statue of Liberty, and without the zoom function of the camera, it would be barely visible. It's 1-2 hours by subway and ferry to get to the statue, since it is on another island, and we didn't have that much time since we also had quite a few Workshops to attend. The place I took this picture is on the shore of the Hudson river, one block from ground zero. Ground zero just looks like a construction site. The mess is cleaned up, and all the buildings on the periphery are repaired, except the "Deutsche Bank" building, which is being torn down, floor by floor so as not to cause damage, and in which they are still finding body parts among the debris. It has taken them a long time to decide what to put in that space, but apparently most New Yorkers prefer life and shopping to return to that block of the city, rather than a huge memorial (there is a memorial already in a nearby park). But, since the land of that area of the city was built on landfill that extends into the Hudson River (as also the place I'm taking the picture from), they have to do a lot of work to secure the foundations and redo all the subway lines that were underneath.
Having seen a few (very) cathedrals in Europe, I wanted especially to see the famous St. Patrick's cathedral in New York--about 3 blocks from our hotel. It is dwarfed by the skyscrapers all around, but still a beautiful building. I think 2 or 3 of them might fit into one of the european cathedrals, but nevertheless it is a magnificent building and very, very beautiful.
It was Monday morning when I visited this building, and there were a few worshippers sitting or praying, so I was advised to restrict my photo taking to where I wouldn't disturb people, but that still gave me lots of places to choose from. Doesn't it look huge?? It is mind boggling to think that these cathedrals (including in Europe) were built without the use of much modern technology--they may have had a bit of it when building St. Patrick's, but what a labor it was.
There is a continual tug-of-war in New York between what should stay and which buildings could be replaced with a modern, many square footed, revenue generating skyscraper. We look at the magnificent old buildings and appreciate their architecture and history, but there must be enormous tension between the history and the money when one considers that a 2-3 bedroom apartment in this part of Manhattan could be valued at close to a million dollars--I wonder what a small office rents for?
Just in case anyone is wondering if I'm just doing a travelogue without actually having been in New York, here is an official picture of me on Times Square. It is actually much nicer traveling with family or friends, and doing silly group pictures. Not that I wasn't with nice people--how can 120 exchange student coordinators and support staff be anything but nice, but we were not (yet) good friends, although I had a lot of congenial conversation about some of my favorite subjects--exchange students, foreign cultures, what makes people tick. For the record, I walked across Times Square at least 2-3 times before I figured out that's where I was. Talk about country bumpkin! Broadway is around here somewhere too, and I had the opportunity to see Phantom of the Opera. What an interesting experience. I have very much enjoyed the music for a long time, but had never seen the story. Even though I was way up high and didn't have a good view, and wasn't supposed to take pictures, seeing the whole thing live kinda spoiled me for watching it on TV. One would think that the TV was better--you can see closeups, different angles, lots of details, but there is no substitute for the real thing. I hope our kids don't get too caught up in the virtual world of the internet and media to appreciate real, in-your-face, life.

Grand Central Station. For years now I have envied the public transportation systems that I hear of in so many of the home countries of our exchange students--they can come and go as they wish, when they wish, without worrying about car insurance, parking spaces, or access. In New York I realized the problem isn't America, it's Kennewick!!! In New York I walked, took taxis, buses, subways, and trains, all convenient and inexpensive (well, not the taxis!). It's a nice way to live. There are at least 117 trains, subways (if I can believe the sign that said "tracks 100-117"), and other forms of transportation that feed into and out of Grand Central Station. Some of the New Yorkers complained about how chaotic the system is, but for me it was amazing. I suppose ignorance is bliss. Well, there's more, but not on this post. Until next time...

The land of Far Far Away--in this case--New York

2008-03-18T17:40:00.000-07:00

A trip to New York seems as good a place to start a blog as any.

Two weeks ago, as a result of my involvement with exchange students, I had the opportunity to go to the Big Apple for a workshop cum vacation. 9 years ago, when we first started hosting, I had no idea where this could lead--we were just hoping for an enjoyable experience that would enrich our lives and do some good for the (un)lucky student who landed in our home. And we did have enriching experiences. But by getting more involved, I've also gained opportunities to travel--to Washington DC (as a volunteer), to China (to visit one student's parents), and then this workshop. In addition, I was able to visit one of our former students who is attending university in New York state, which was perhaps even more rewarding than the Big City. After all, people are the most important.

On arrival at JFK Airport, my first job was to rent a car. To my chagrin, cars rent for upwards of $100/day. I COULD have gotten a better deal ahead of time over the internet, but put it off too long. For one third of the price, I was able to get a train ticket to Rochester where Albert goes to school. It also meant spending the night in Penn Station, deep under the ground in the middle of Manhattan Island, with subways and trains whooshing through the night, even deeper underground, in this city that truly doesn't ever sleep--although it does calm down at times. Sleeping on uncomfortable waiting area chairs is possible, especially if one can avoid the eagle eye of the attendant, who's job it is to make sure nobody puts their feet up on another seat!!

The next afternoon, after some more comfortable sleep on the half empty train, I arrived refreshed in Rochester. Rochester turns out to be a not shabby sized town on the shores of Lake Ontario. The Rochester Institute of Technology is a ways away from the Lake, and, for that matter, the train station. The taxi took me there for only $25.

Albert was a gracious host, as I knew he would be, and we spent the next couple of days (his spring break) doing a bit of sight-seeing. Renting a car, while still not easy, was certainly less expensive, and we travelled first to Niagara Falls, only two hours away. Having lived in Canada, I had seen them several times, but this was the first time in the winter, AND on the American side. They were less impressive than I had hoped, because the mist hid them from view, and the snow prevented us from reaching points with better views. It was also quite cold. Weather in the Tri-Cities became nostalgically warm and inviting. On the up side, we avoided the massive waves of tourists and the sticky summer weather. We drove back to Rochester along the shores of Lake Ontario, which brought back more memories than I knew I had of when I was younger and lived on the other side of it. It is huge and the other side was not visible.

The next day we decided to stick closer to Rochester and visited, of all places, Palmyra. I hadn't realized we would be so close. A 20 minute drive got us there, and two very nice sister missionaries took us on a tour of Joseph Smith's homes (the first small one and the later larger, more comfortable house), and let us loose in the Sacred Grove. As expected, the two Smith homes and everything else were in the excellent condition and quality that is a hallmark of the Church. Those little tiny houses were a lot roomier than they look to be from the outside. Even in winter, the Sacred Grove was beautiful, and the landscape was very comfortable and familiar to me, from when I was a kid. We passed the Palmyra Temple on the way as well. I'm not sure that going there did anything for Albert besides giving an education on early American life, but I was grateful for the opportunity.

We returned to Rochester and checked out the George Eastman (of the Eastman Kodak company) mansion and museum, and Albert had a chance to see more of Rochester than studying and buses made possible. Even after almost two years, I still miss Albert almost every day, so I was sad to leave him Friday morning and head for New York City, but going to New York to see the sights can't be all bad!! And, I knew that there would be soft beds in the luxury hotel and lots of good food on the pampered tours and activities that were coming up. And, from my adventures at the airport and Penn station, I expected there would be no snow. Turns out I was right. BUT it was raining buckets when I got off the subway and tried to find the hotel on Lexington Avenue, where the building numbers do NOT match the street numbers. Soggy and limp, I eventually found it and things started looking up right away....