'Tis the Season

Fall is in the air again. The sights and sounds of the season are beginning to surround us in a warm contentedness missing since February.

White stripes marching down fields of green shining in the autumn sun. The uniformed men running formations, shoulder pad to shoulder pad. The cacophony of helmet to helmet contact, roaring crowds and referees whistles.

This is football season. And I love it.

Football is America’s game in my mind. Sure, I like baseball, but it doesn’t move me like football does. There are analogies about life that lie within the baseball diamond, but I have always been drawn more to a football mentality.

There are many lessons to be learned from the game of football. Mental fortitude, teamwork, toughness, tenacity, humbleness in victory, graciousness in defeat. These are all hidden within the playbooks, learned on the fields and in locker rooms, in all levels of the sport.

And these are just lessons for the players. It speaks nothing of the lessons that can come from being a fan of the game. Loyalty. Commitment. Dedication. Community. These are all values that I see from the followers of the game.

Anyone who knows us knows that we bleed Silver and Black in this house. There may have been other team associations in the past (sorry Mitch), but we are raising our kids right. As Raiders fans.

We have some Raiders paraphernalia on our car. I cannot begin to tell you how many times we are approached by other Raiders fans when we’re out and about. From a honk of the horn on the road, beeping support of the team, or from a smile and a wink in the store from a fellow fan, it is a community of people who are all dedicated to one common goal. Cheering the Raiders onto victory.

It’s a beautiful thing.

Where else in life can you find so many people standing as observers, yet as invested in the outcome as any of the player on the field? Sure, other sports may come close, but for me, there’s just nothing like it.

I will leave you with this. 1994. Eugene, Oregon. Autzen Stadium. The greatest sports moment I have ever witnessed in my life. The greatest collective human moment I have ever experienced in my life. My throat was so sore from cheering I couldn't speak for days. My ears rang from the noise of the crowd. My heart filled with pride and my eyes with tears.

I give you, “The Pick”. This one’s for you, Dad.

Rock the Vote in 2008

Yes. I am going there.

Politics. The great divider of men. The stuff that can cause normal, rational people to lose their ever-loving minds. The topic able to break up relationships over the course of a single election season. Fodder for letters to the editor, water cooler debates, kitchen table conversation.

It's a beautiful, tricky business.

I have a confession to make before I go any further. I was a Political Science major in college. That's right - I enjoyed the stuff enough to dredge my way through 3 1/2 years of school immersed in it. And if I could, I'd go back for more.

So, in many ways, I feel like I have a certain view of politics that may be different than your average bear. Not better, not worse - just different.

In this exciting time, with our 2008 Presidential Election looming large on the horizon, I would like to implore everyone not to vote.

I said it. Don't vote.

Don't vote unless you have thoughtfully considered all candidates.

Don't vote unless you are willing to support whomever may end up in office.

Don't vote if you are easily distracted and influenced by the media machine that preys on our celebrity driven culture.

Don't vote if you are not grateful beyond all get out for the job that our service men and women are doing all over the World for this country.

Don't vote unless you mean it.

I know that my advice not to vote may be taken as a bit extreme or harsh. I had a Political Jurisprudence class at WSU that illustrated how dangerous this opinion of mine is. I barely made it out alive.

We were discussing the apathetic turnout that American voters seem to always produce. My professor made the point, don't we want all Americans to be voting? Isn't that the basis of our very Democracy? Shouldn't everyone who can participate?

I stupidly said, "Oh H*LL no!"

A hush fell over the room as the other students sat stunned. Thankfully the professor asked me to expand on my "articulate" response.

My opinion then is pretty much the same as it is now. We don't want every single person in America to vote. Deep down, we really don't. Too many people vote for the wrong things for the wrong reasons. Too many people vote without careful consideration and reading of the actual words contained in the measures and bonds they are voting for. Too many people are "bumper sticker" voters - prone to popularity contests and media hype.

Really, we don't want these people voting.

If everyone promised to take voting in primaries and elections seriously, then great! Go for it! Make your voice be heard...but if you are going to vote all "willy-nilly" (a direct quote from my classroom debate) then stay home.

Whether you are a Democrat, Republican, Independent, Green, or "Disco" party member, please just vote responsibly. Give it thought. Vote with total conviction and confidence that you are voicing your ideals and supporting the candidates who agree with you.

Don't sit idly by and let all the other "willy-nilly's" chose your destiny. Buy off on the imperfect system and get in the game. It's the least you can do.

Wordless Wednesday

Tantilizing Tuesday

Peach Crisp a la mode.

Wow.

That's it...just wow. Apparently, he agrees.

Joke of the Day

NFL Sundays...almost there!!

I firmly believe that any man's finest hour, the greatest fulfillment of all that he holds dear, is that moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle - victorious.

Vince Lombardi

Kindergarten...It's not for Sissies.

I loved school. I mean to the point that it was annoying. I loved everything about it.

The beginning of the school year was always a hopeful time full of exciting things and events. The smell of new pencils, the weight of a new backpack filled with textbooks covered in grocery store bags, new PeeChee's ready to be written up with the names of all the cute boys that I knew were destined to like me, back to school clothes, lunch boxes. All of it.

And the big moments that you waited for all summer long. Who is my teacher going to be? Who is in my class? Which pod am I in this year? (Sidebar - I mostly went to Walt Disney Elementary school in California...that's right, the Mouse man himself. We had several pods named after areas from the Disneyland resort. It was really quite unique. I loved that school.)

I used to not be able to sleep the night before school started. The excitement was tantamount to waiting for the Tooth Fairy...wishing for goodies from the Easter Bunny...wondering what Santa was going to bring. In other words, it was the BIG TIME.

And yet, there's really very little that I remember about grade school. I don't remember my Kindergarten teacher. Actually, I don't remember a whole lot before 3rd grade when we moved to California and I started at my new school there.

However, I vividly remember my first day of 3rd grade at Walt Disney. We were lined up outside the classroom waiting to be let in. Most of the kids mom's had hung around to help us get things going. This adorable little boy, Justin Torpey, was throwing his lunch bag up in the air and catching it over and over and over. All of a sudden, he miscalculated his throw and the bag went up and over onto the roof of the school. To which Justin's mom said, "Way to go Justin." with disdain that only a really, really cool mom could throw down with.

It was quite possibly the funniest thing I had seen and after I realized that his mom wasn't going to string him up by his toes right there in front of us, I felt a flood of relief. I may have been the new kid in school, but at least I wasn't dumb enough to throw my lunch bag onto the roof in front of everybody and their mother. (Pun intended)

(Sidebar #2 - if you noted Justin's last name - Torpey - don't forget...my last name then was Torgensen. Justin and I sat at the same table in the same classes for the rest of my time at Walt Disney. And believe me, that little twerp lived up to his first impression and then some!)

As far as what I actually learned those early primary school days - I don't remember a whole lot of specifics. I came out of it knowing how to read, write and do some basic math. Really basic if you ask my family how good I am at math to this day. But overall, I don't remember those early years as some big springboard to academic super stardom.

Fast forward to 2008...my oldest child, Lexi starts Kindergarten this year. In 10 days. Whoa.

We went to her orientation Friday and according to the 3 Kindergarten teachers, and I quote, "Kindergarten is the most important year or your child's education. It will 'set the tone' for the remainder of their academic career."

Academic career? Are you kidding me? Last time I checked, college applications didn't weigh Kindergarten as heavily as say your SAT scores, or high school graduating grade point average. It's Kindergarten for Pete's sake! (Who is Pete, anyway? I'll have to Google that one)

I believe that if you can get through Kindergarten without eating paste or cutting a finger off making snowflake ornaments that you're ahead of the game. Apparently, I am wrong.

I am now officially freaked out. She has homework every week. Homework! This for a kid who can't remember her own name half the time.

She has reading assignments to do on a daily basis. Uhhhh, not a bad idea, but she can't even read yet! How on Earth is she supposed to do "reading homework"? Isn't that an oxymoron or some such thing?? Maybe if I would have been paying attention when I was in Kindergarten, I would know that.

All I know is this - without my even knowing it, a race has begun. The starting gun has blasted and we are in it now. Because like it or not, it's a competitive world out there. And my "baby" is going to be an academic superstar if I have anything to say about it. Which means we have to get on board with the serious business that is apparently going on in the Kindergarten world of today. This isn't about socialization and basic letter, number, shape and color concepts - this is war!! And we intend to win!! We're going to learn, learn, learn and get those little monsters off to an auspicious start!!!

Hopefully we won't end up too busy getting her lunch bag off the roof to make sure she does okay.

From the "Suggestion Box"...

Apparently my blog has "too many words" for some folks...

This one's for you, Dan.

Wordless Wednesday

You like me!! You REALLY like me!!

MyHeritage: Family trees - Genealogy - Celebrities

Just for fun....

MyHeritage: Look-alike Meter - Family history - Family reunion

MyHeritage: Family tree - Genealogy - Celebrity - Collage - Morph

MyHeritage: Look-alike Meter - Ancestors - Genealogy research

Just Peachy!

Today, my mom and I "put up" (as they said in the olden days) 5 boxes of peaches. All day. For 7 hours. Just over 100 lbs. of peaches. Good God...

We had a good time, as we always do whenever we can together (and I mean "preserve" together...we "can" have fun all the time!). We even discussed how hard it must have been back in the days where women would can all day on a wood stove. While they took care of their 8 children. While pregnant. Still having to get lunch and dinner for their menfolk.

We have it so much easier...electricity, a stove, AC to keep us cool, TV to keep the kids out from under our feet, Mitch to bring us Taco Bell for lunch (thanks Mitch!), and a pizza man to deliver dinner because I am so tired from canning I can barely get this blog out. ;-)

With all of that, it is still backbreaking, sweaty, dangerous work. I had the bottom of a jar break on me and came really close to spilling boiling hot peaches and syrup all over me. Really, I could have died. It was a close call...

I am glad we did it though. I always am - and especially when I go out to the pantry this winter and pull out a jar of peaches to make a cobbler or a pie...I'll be grateful. And that's always a good feeling.

Just another Manic Monday....

There are just some days that the very fact that we made it through it alive has to count for something.

:-)

The "fruits" of our labor...

It finally happened. After months of eager anticipation, we harvested some zucchini from our garden! We have been checking daily on the progress of our garden, and at times, it felt as though we were never going to be able to harvest anything. But finally, there they were...4 little zucchini's which looked green enough and big enough to harvest.

We took the kids out this morning to pick them and they were so excited! They were looking at everything and ohhing and ahhing over it all. Tucker was finding all the tomato growth and yelling, "Look at how BIG they are! They're HUGE!"

Unfortunately, for the most part, they are still green too! Although in the last couple of days there seems to be some color finally starting on a couple of bunches of the cherry tomatoes. There is hope.

I made zucchini bread for breakfast this morning out of our meager harvest. It was, if I do say so myself, heavenly. The kids gobbled it up and asked for seconds. And I think, if I concentrated really hard, it did taste fresher...brighter...warmer...having been made with the "fruits of our labor". It really is an amazing process to see things progress from seeds to delicious bread.

If I had to guess, I would say that in a couple of weeks, we'll have tomatoes coming out of our ears...Lexi has already requested tomato soup. I'll be sure to keep everybody updated on how our crop does.

So far, we won't be "living off the land" anytime soon, but we made a big step forward in greening up our lives. And for that, I am grateful.

Fantastical Food Friday...

Only the best, super-yummy, "Smack yo Mama" Greatest Garlic Spaghetti!!

8 oz spaghetti or fettuccine (I use whole wheat)

1 large raw egg

8 cloves of garlic, peeled

4 Tbsp butter, softened

1/3 C grated Parmesan cheese

1 tsp dried basil

Salt and ground black pepper

Crushed red pepper (optional)

Cook pasta according to package directions.

As pasta cooks, gently warm serving bowl.

Combine egg, garlic, butter, cheese, basil, salt and pepper in a food processor. Buzz, scraping the sides until a thick paste is formed.

When finished, drain pasta, but do not rinse. Quickly transfer to warmed serving bowl. Dollop with the garlic paste and toss like mad!

Serve ASAP w/ optional red pepper flakes! Enjoy! (Or should I say, "buon appetito!!")

"This is the GREATEST dinner EVER!" - Lexi Kneipp, Washougal Food Critic

A Little Slice of Heaven...

Thoughtful Thursday

Really, what more is there to say.

I have to get going now...time to update my "Last Wishes".

Wordless Wednesday

Technological Advances...Things to Ponder

We were recently watching a DVD of the TV show "The Practice" from the mid-1990's. It was the prequel to "Boston Legal", which we LOVE! Anyway - the dramatic suspense was building as the attorneys for the big case waited in a bar for the jury to come back with it's verdict...they were on a couple of bar stools having a bite to eat and discussing how the closing arguments had gone...when all of a sudden....their PAGERS went off. That's right, their pagers.

We laughed out loud and quickly quoted one of our other favorite shows, "30 Rock", in which Alec Baldwin's character has the following exchange with Tiny Fey's character:

Liz: Okay, very funny. You bought a pager from Dennis. Will you take it off now, please?
Jack: Oh, I can't. I'm expecting a call from 1983.

It got me thinking about how different things are now than they used to be. I mean, the amount of change in the last 10-15 years is staggering!

And then I thought about it some more...and thought way back to when I was closer to Lexi's age, somewhere during the 1890's...OK, that's an exaggeration, but it was a looooong time ago. Here's some little gems that I waxed nostalgic about:

When I was a kid, I remember going to the grocery store and the clerk actually having to read the price tag off of an item and key it into the register.

Now, everything is computerized and bar coded.

When I was a kid, the microwave was a new invention that my mom went to classes for to learn how to "cook" with it. And it was ginormous.

Now, we had to live without a microwave for a week when ours broke and we almost starved to "def", as Tucker says.

When I was a kid, if you paid for something with a credit card the clerk put it into this contraption and ran some thingy-ma-bopper (technical term) over it to make carbons of the card numbers and other pertinent info.

Now, you just slide your card through the magnetic strip and push in your secret agent code - if that. Sometimes they just run the card and it's a mystery as to what just took place.

When I was a kid, call waiting didn't exist. Busy signals did and were common.

Now, not only do I have call waiting, I also have caller ID. So I can receive calls while I'm on a call AND decide if the person calling is more important to me than the person I am speaking to!! It's a lovely thing...BFF or hubby? BFF or hubby?

When I was a kid, cell phones didn't exist. People actually just drove and listened to their 8-track players. If you broke down, God Forbid, you better have a dime on you to be able to get to a payphone to make a call.

Now, cell phones are not only predominate, but we have convinced ourselves that we can't live without them. To the point of having to wear Borg-like headsets so we can chat and drive - hands free!

When I was a kid, people wrote letters to communicate over long distances. Long distance phone calls were cost prohibitive to many.

Now, email is a key form of communication and getting a personal, snail mail letter is an exciting rarity. I don't even know what 1/2 of my new friends handwriting looks like.

I know I am not unique in making these comparisons. And all of this is just through my generation - it doesn't even scratch the surface of how different things were when my parents were kids (imagine... no TV, barely indoor plumbing, scratching school work onto slate tablets when you left the farm long enough to go to school...OK, that's a stretch - sorry Mom and Dad!) or when my grandparents were kids (no electricity, no running water, dinosaurs roamed the Earth...OK - another exaggeration, but still!)

It made me stop and think - with the advent of all the "communication" technology, email, cell phones, Blogs, etc., has it helped human relationships? Are we able to stay and feel more connected now that we can reach each other so easily?

Or does all of the techno-communication leaving us feeling shortchanged of all the nuances that come with face-to-face human contact? So much of communication is non-verbal...do "emoticons" really make up the difference, or is the new wave of "techno-communication" really "Relationship Lite"?

I am not sure how I feel about all of it yet. It will be interesting to see how things change over the next few decades. When Lexi is blogging, will she ponder the future for her kids too?

Or will I be right there with her, pondering away myself - enabled by the post-cryogenic un-freezing of my noggin', should I pass too soon.

We shall see.

No beef, no pork, no way!

Two weeks ago tomorrow evening, Mitch came home from work and told me he had decided to stop eating red meat and pork.

Those of you who know Mitch, I will give you a second to process that statement....

..........

..........

Mitch said this. The man who wrote "The Bacon Song" and sang it to the kids on a regular basis. Lyrics of:

Bacon. Bacon is good.

Bacon. Bacon is good.

Sorry all you piggies that I'm gonna eat,

but bacon is my favorite breakfast treat, yeah

Bacon. Bacon is good.

Bacon. Bacon is good.

Bacon. Bacon is good.

Sausage is fine, ham is neat,

but bacon is my favorite breakfast meat, yeah

Bacon. Bacon is good.

Bacon. Bacon is good.

Bacon. Bacon is good.

Frying up in the pan, you sure smell great,

but I can't wait to get you on my plate, yeah

Bacon. Bacon is good.

Bacon. Bacon is good.

Bacon. Bacon is good.

To all my hermano's in ole' Mexico,

you know how it goes, tocino es bueno, si'

Bacon. Bacon is good.

Bacon. Bacon is good.

Bacon. Bacon is good.

I hope you liked my diddy, it didn't take long,

it's affectionately know as "The Bacon Song" yeah,

Bacon. Bacon is good.

(It is at this point that I would like to say if any "Pork Advertisers" would like to contact us regarding the rights to this little number, we will still take your calls).

So, anyway - back to the topic at hand. We have been "meat free" for 13 days now. It hasn't been easy. That time period included a trip to the county fair, and if there's anyplace on Earth that vegetarians should shake in their shoes, it's in the cow barn at the county fair!

But are we vegetarians? Not really...for now, chicken, turkey and fish are all still in our repertoire.

Are we going to go vegan and cut out all animal products all together? Probably not.

Why are we doing what we're doing? Because Mitch stumbled into the world of the slaughter house on the Internet doing research. And what he saw was very upsetting to him. It is hard to "un-ring" that bell.

(Although in talking with a friend today, he said he could look at that stuff and still eat meat. Didn't bother him. Heartless cow-hater! Meanie, meanie pig-killer! - OK, that's a bit harsh. Sorry D! :-)

This brings me to my next thought...to all of you who have been thinking to yourselves while reading this, "Oh...my....God. They are going to try and convert me now too?!?!?!" or "What am I supposed to fix when you come to dinner??" (don't worry, Mom. We'll work it out!) or "Great. Another hair-brained scheme from those Whacky Kneipp's. I give it a week." We have not lost our minds. We are not going to, or have we ever, judged other carnivores. We are not going to go all hippie and start buying hemp sheets, wearing tye-dye shirts at the Farmer's Market every Saturday, or join Peta.

We are just going to try to not eat red meat or pork. For many reasons, but here are a few, just in case you are open-minded enough to care:

Becoming vegetarian is one of the most important and effective actions you can take to ease the strain on our Earth’s limited resources, protect the planet from pollution, prevent global warming, and save countless species from extinction.
According to Dr. David Brubaker, PhD, at Johns Hopkins University’s Center for a Livable Future, “The way that we breed animals for food is a threat to the planet. It pollutes our environment while consuming huge amounts of water, grain, petroleum, pesticides and drugs. The results are disastrous.”
As the Sierra Club put it in their 2002 report on animal factories, “environmental violations by the meat industry add up to a rap sheet longer than War and Peace.”

There is a method to our madness. As we embark in this new way of living and eating, I will keep you updated as to our progress.

I will leave you with this joke, found on a vegetarian website:

Why did the tomato blush?

Because he saw the salad...dressing.

Tanner Has Peas...

WARNING! GRAPHIC FOOTAGE BELOW!!

Super Saturday Salad

5 ears of corn

1 green bell pepper

1 red onion

2 Roma tomatoes - seeded

3 Tbsp Pine Nuts

Juice of 1 lime

1/4 of a bunch of cilantro

1/4 C Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper to taste

Boil corn for 7 minutes in salted water. Chop veggies. Place pine nuts in microwave for approx. 1 minute to "toast" slightly. When corn is done, remove from cobs with paring knife. Add all ingredients into a big bowl and toss lightly. Chill for 1 hour or more. Enjoy!!

To blog or not to blog......

That is apparently the question!



I was talking with a friend of mine at a play date today and I asked what she thought of the new blog - she said she liked it. Then again, what else is she going to say? "I hate it. You're a boring self-absorbed lunatic!" That would probably be a conversation stopper...anyway - the question I have been asking myself lately is what are the limits? What do you blog about? How much do you blog? WHY do you blog?



I really don't know all the answers yet. I started this blog as a replacement to our family website that I designed and published last year. We have friends and relatives with whom we wanted to keep in touch with in a "non-obtrusive" sort of way. It was like a monthly "Christmas Letter" type of update, if you will.



Now that I am entering into the world of more "hard-core" blogging, I am seeing that it may have benefits and usage far beyond what I first imagined.



For example, I have seen the following usage for blogs that I have perused:



1) A blog is the perfect "passive-aggressive" way to call out your relatives. Your mother-in-law makes you mad? Write a clever little entry about your "MIL" and her hysterics! Your husband does something unusually stupid, blog it out! Your kids driving you nuts, blog, blog, blog!



2) A blog can be a way to put your political views out for the world to see. If you are an "Obama Mama", say so!! If you love McCain, dust off your walker and give him a shout out! (OK...that was a little bit of a low blow....sorry all you right-wingers!)



3) A blog can be used to sell stuff. Seriously. People are using their blogs as a way to create revenue. Although I still can't for the life of me figure out who I would want to sponsor my blog.

Brought to you by "'Sally's Straitjacket Emporium".

Napa Merlot - it's not just for play dates anymore!!

Buy your tickets now! This bus to crazy town leaves in 10 minutes!



4) A blog can be used to give the world a better view into your life. Really. A BETTER view! Not the real view...because really, who would want to read about your REAL life. Your blog can be a way to live out the fantasies that reside in all of our minds anyway.



In my mind, my house is always clean and my kids are all angels.



Clearly, I need medication to stop the delusions.



I guess I will just figure things out as I go along. I am not sure the direction that I am going, but I can say this: I will NOT be venting about my family on here. Like a moron, I actually told them where the blog was and send them updates to it!



I will not be venting about the stupid things my husband does. That's what the daily phone calls to my BFF are for.



I won't be getting on my political soapbox and trying to convert anyone to any political stance. All I would ask is that you VOTE. How you vote is your own business.



I won't be selling anything. Unless there's a retail demand for "Chaos", in which case, we have a whole a**load of it for sale here!



Maybe someday I'll get it figured out...in the meantime, stay tuned. Who knows when I may go and say something FASCINATING! And you wouldn't want to miss that, would you?

Tanner Update

Even though I wish I could stop time somedays, it just keeps marching on. I can't believe that it's been 5 months since Tanner joined us. They say you "forget the pain" of labor as a mom. It's been 5 months and the memory of the so-called "joyous occasion" is still sharp in my mind.

It would be a rare feat indeed to be able to forget staring certain death in the face and prevailing! (and yes, I did just compare natural-childbirth to a near-death experience...walk a mile in my shoes before you judge!)

Anyhoo - back to the precious bundle that was our gift 5 months ago today...he's a doll! He is doing all the things he's supposed to be doing - eating cereal, sleeping through the night, trying to sit up, napping when the mood strikes him, loving on his big sissy and brother, etc., etc., etc.

Anyone who knows me knows I am so NOT Competitive Mom, but the boy is d*mn near perfect as far as I can tell. I was holding Tanner the other day as I looked at Tucker's screaming face in the naughty corner and thought "THAT comes from THIS?" I think not! But, I do remember, there were those days when my sweet little Tucker was just a compliant noodle too...how I long for those days again....

I am enjoying this milestone as it is one that has no added trip to the doctor's office for shots too. 6 months won't be such a nice day!

In the meantime, I am just going to enjoy the heck out of the "no moving, no talking, no DRAMA" days. Lord knows we could use them around here!!

Wordless Wednesday

Public Service Announcement by Tanner

He started "chatting" and just wouldn't stop - lasted for about 15 minutes. Don't know what he was so fired up about, but whatever it was, he meant business!

Veggie Garden Update

We planted our first vegetable garden this spring. It was a small undertaking...a baby step into the realm of backyard veggie production. We planted carrots, zucchini, kohl rabi, grape tomatoes and beefsteak tomatoes. All in a 4'x8' plot. What started out as a nice, organized little plot now has turned into a total jungle.

I have never had a garden in my adult life. We always had one when I was younger, and my grandparents were both avid gardeners, but I don't know how much knowledge that I really gleaned from these influences. Apparently not much -

Our big beefsteak tomatoes are growing out of the confines of their rack. The little grape tomatoes are doing a number on theirs too. As for the carrots...I don't think the garden bed was deep enough and they look very, very puny. The zucchini...well, let's put it this way: we planted 2 zucchini plants and I believe that when we start our "harvest" that we will have enough zucchini to circle the globe one or two times.

Zucchini bread anyone?

The whole point of the garden was to enjoy some homegrown produce and let the kids experience the joy of plucking a ripe, fresh, organic veggie from the vine and tasting the fruits of their labor. They helped to build and plant the garden and they are enjoying the hunt for the new growth, but they still don't quite "get it". I am hopeful that after a small harvest, they will crave more. I mean really, I am 37-years old and I am in utter disbelief that it takes SO LONG to get to the good stuff...I think at this point the tomatoes could taste like dirt and I'll be excited! Just to finally be eating one!

I am glad we did it though. And I am looking forward to learning more and more as the years go on. We plan to expand our planting beds next year and hopefully we'll gain more knowledge on how much of each thing to plant and with what.

I fear if we don't our family could be buried alive by the "Zucchini That Ate Washougal"!!

Decisions, decisions

I was faced today with a choice that I didn't want to make. In the past, I have always been a person who makes swift and solid decisions. I am not one to waffle, dawdle, or any other "-le word" when at a crossroad. I could even be accused of being a "leap and then look" type of personality. And let me tell you, there have been times that I landed flat on my back.

But for the most part, I am usually happy with my decisions. Oh sure, I "Monday Morning Quarterback" myself to death, but after painful, extensive and obsessive analysis, I usually conclude that yes, I made the right decision. And if I didn't, I can usually find a loophole to slip through to at least convince myself that it was the right decision. However I have to make peace with it, I will.

I think from now on I am going to trust in myself a little bit more. I am going to listen to the little inner voice that tells us when things are going the right way or the wrong way. I can't say that I will slow down my decision making process, but I think I will stop trying to second-guess myself all the time. I know what's right for me and I know what's right for my family.

Bottom line - I am going to embrace the voices that I hear! If that doesn't scare all of you, I don't know what will!

Pure Americana

We did the Clark County Fair up in rare form this year! Every year on opening day of the Fair, there is a Pancake Breakfast and free admission into the Fair. We have been going every year since 2004 when Lexi was 17 months old. The first year we were on the local news station's broadcast because it was POURING down rain and we had the cutest baby at the Fair! This year, it was cloudy and gloomy, but it didn't really rain once on us all day. And again, we had the cutest baby at the Fair with us! But no TV appearance this year.

However, I would be remiss if I didn't share several quotes and happenings that really summed up our 2008 County Fair experience:

1. Overheard in the "Recycle" booth - asked of the expert by a woman in a loud, gravelly voice, "So, how do you recycle dog sh*t?"

2. Overheard by the "Spinning Bear" ride - screamed by a wound-tight, expressive crazy mom, "SHELBY!! DON'T SPIN IT SO FAST!! YOU'LL FREAK OUT YOUR SISTER!!"

3. Upon circling the parking lot for 10 minutes looking for a space after we returned to the Fair from our mid-afternoon break, Lexi announced, "Walking is BORING! Animals are BORING! The only thing fun is the RIDES!"

4. Said by a woman speaking on a cell phone in the exhibit hall, "Yeah. We're in Washington at the State Fair!"

5. This ironic sign:

6. This disturbing sign:

7. I would have bought the T-shirt for Mitch, but they didn't have it in "wife-beater" style...

There were more gems that I am sure I am missing, but those pretty much sum up the day. I always wonder every year at the Fair, "Where the h*ll are these people the rest of the year?" No judgement on my part, but there definitely is a "different" crowd than we are used to. The bottom line is every body seems to be friendly and it is nice to know that some things never change - the Fair means cow, pigs, quilts, rides, milkshakes and a slice of true rural America!

Until next year...