New Do.

It had been ages since Meagan had had a hair cut. As summer got off to a start, I made an appointment to get her hair cut and let Meg know that we'd be going to get her hair cut in a few weeks. With hair length well past her shoulders, she said "Okay...but only half an inch."

"Maybe a little more than half an inch." I said.

Much to my surprise, she had a major change of heart as she hopped into chair and told Kim, the hair dresser, to cut it just below her chin and some bangs please. Shocked at Meagan's sudden change of heart, we had to do some quick compromising and here's what we came up with:


Meagan walked out with a huge smile on her face so pleased with her bangs (something she has never had) and STRAIGHT hair (something she can only have when a professional or some good friend or auntie takes the time to blow out her curls and waves with a hair dryer and a heavy duty brush).

A True Fra-nesh-a-nal!

Believe it or not, I entered this photograph in a photography contest. But first, the story behind the photo:

This week Charlie went to rock climbing camp. That's right, rock climbing camp. We live in a rather small city that has grocery stores, a small shopping mall, a quaint downtown area, and a rock climbing gym! Both Meagan and James have participated in this camp in past summers. Charlie, since he was two, has been dying to join them. Finally, this year he made the age cut-off and was able to go. He LOVED it...we knew he would...he knew he would.

This kid learned to climb long before he could walk. When he was one, he would crawl over to the monkey bars at the park and climb way above my head if I didn't race to grab his ankle before he was out of reach. By age two he would climb the monkey bars only intended for the big kids. I'd get looks from other parents that I just had to learn to ignore. By age three, he broadened his horizons started scaling walls and ledges. Some time last summer, while watching James at rock climbing camp, Charlie said to me, " I don't NEED to go rock climbing camp because I'm already a fra-nesh-a-nal (read"professional") rock climber, but I still want to go to rock climbing camp."

This "fra-nesh-a-nal" often gets into trouble because of his skills. Earlier this year, I let him and his older brother go to the bathroom together in the men's restroom at a restaurant. I warned them to stay together and not to talk to anyone. Then I hovered in front of the door of the men's restroom. When the door swung open, I spotted Charlie standing on the sink counter helping himself to the paper towels and talking to a STRANGER who was washing his hands at the sink. When the boys came out of the restroom, I got on Charlie's case and said, "Why were you standing on the counter? And why were you talking to that man?" Charlie replied, "Mama, I had to climb up there to get the paper towels and that man asked if I needed some help so I had to tell him "No, I don't need help because I'm a fra-nesh-a-nal rock climber." At this, I could only stop scolding and burst into laughter.

So, I had hoped to catch more photos of Charlie with my new-to -me (thanks to my sister-in-law) fancy camera. But, this was the best I could do with my limited photography skills and a subject that climbs way too fast and high for me to capture on film.

In an effort to learn some photography skills, I attended our local photography club last night in hopes of bettering my nearly non-existant photography skills. As luck would have it, this first meeting of mine, was dedicated to a photography contest where everyone in the club submits up to three photos and everyone votes on the best entries. The winners' photographs are put on display at our local library and the winning photographs are printed in the paper. I figured I had nothing to lose and I was only going to learn by trying. So I snapped some shots at rock climbing camp, figured out how to get them from the camera to my computer and then printed them at Walgreens just in time to submit my entries with the other 36 (amazing!) entries. Several members of this club are professionals and the ones who aren't are still quite talented. So, I was just in it for the education.

After I put my photos on the display table, I took a seat and introduced myself to an older gentleman, Dallas, sitting next to me. Upon learning my name Dallas said, "Nice to meet you, Angie. How long have you been a professional photographer?" I laughed and said, "About 24 hours." I explained that my kind and generous sister-in-law is a professional photographer in San Diego and that she gave me the camera with which she started her business as she had outgrown its capabilities and that I was just joining this club to see what I could learn.

I did pick up a few tips and found everyone in the club to be very kind and helpful.

By the way, if you are wondering, I didn't win the contest. But, hey, not everyone can be a
FRA-NESH-A-NAL, you know!!!

School 's Out For Summer Time!

Ok...so school has been out for my kiddos since June 5th. We quickly jumped right into summer mode and I hope to highlight all the glories of this summer, but I simply must reflect on what a great school year these kids had. In just a few short weeks, we'll be packing up the backpacks and lunch boxes and heading back to school. Hard to believe! But before then, I want to tack down here a bit about their 2008-09 school year.

Ms. Jen, Ms. Cole, Meagan and James

Meagan (3rd grade) and James (1st grade) were in the same class this year. They go to a Montessori school where the kids are grouped for grades 1-3 and then for grades 4-6. This allowed these two to share a classroom. They had two dynamite teachers, Ms. Jen and Ms. Cole. Jeff and I both spent quite a few volunteer hours in the classroom and these teachers ran this class like a well-oiled machine. Any day at any hour one could walk in this room and find 30 kids genuinely engaged in their lessons--even if many of them were working on different lessons side-by-side. What's more, each child in this class seemed to have a real sense of belonging to a caring community. This tone was set and set early on by these two fantastic teachers.



Meagan loves school. She loves the sense of orderliness, and the facts she learns, and the relationships she builds. She is especially fond of math, getting so excited to learn long division with a few other kids in her class. She also loves to read, always with her nose in a book--as long as the book involves animals, especially horses. She is nervous and excited to be moving to upper pod, as it's called at their school.



Thiswas James' first year on this campus as the school on this campus starts at 1st grade. He was so excited to move to the "big kid school" and seemed to walk 2 inches taller from the first day of school on. James' reading just took off this year. He too is often found with his nose in a book these days. James is one of the most inquisitive people that I know, always asking questions and hypothesizing answers. His favorite part of school was doing and presenting research projects. He loves school and thrives on being a part of a caring classroom community.



It was great having them both in the same class. It made it very easy to help out in the classroom and to get to know all the kids in the class really quite well. I loved listening to the two of them recapping their days in their shared classroom over an after-school snack each day.



This fall, Meagan will move up to 4th grade in "upper pod" and James will be a 2nd grader in this same classroom he has grown to love.

Ms. Jen and Charlie celebrate Hawaiian Day on the last day of school.

This was Charlie's first year of school. He was involved in a little home-based preschool 2 mornings per week last school year, but this was the real thing. "Big Kid Preschool" every morning. He too attended the Montessori school, at the preschool campus. I worried a bit that Charlie might not mesh with the Montessori methds of self-directed focused learning like his sister and brother had. No worrying needed. He LOVES school. So many of the materials are hands-on materials and Charlie is a hands-on kind of kid. He loved solving puzzles and problems with manipulable objects. As he himself will tell you, he is the "puzzle master" (the kid does not lack self-confidence, that's for sure). We fully intended for this to be the first of a two-year preschool experience before moving onto Kindergarten (all in the same multi-age classroom). He qualifies for Kindergarten this year based on his age, but only by a few weeks. I, especially, was emphatic that he wait a year to start Kindergarten, giving him more time to mature and really be ready to start his many years of formal education. However, by March, it became clear that academically and otherwise, he was ready for the challenge of Kindergarten. To our surprise, Charlie started bringing home these little "readers" every night. He insisted on reading his book to each person in the family individually. We all obliged and were impressed with his newfound skill to read, really read! He also started to really grasp basic math concepts: adding and subtracting. Charlie loves a challenge and invites challenges all the time. He is often begging Jeff to give him spelling words or math problems like Jeff does with Meagan and James. So, our baby is off to Kindergarten this fall. He'll be in the same classroom as he was last year, with Ms. Jen as his lead teacher. She and her two assistants are wonderful and patient teachers. Charlie is so excited to be a kindergatener and go to school all day (as this means he will get to have a lunch box and recess on the playground). Me? I'm excited for him, but mostly I'm gonna miss the little guy!

What better way to celebrate the end of a great school year and kick-off the summer break than with ice cream cones!! (For the record, Meagan is holding my ice cream cone so I can snap this picture, not enjoying two cones while her brothers have one--they would have none of that!)

Chad

This is my little brother. I know he's bigger than me..but he's still my little brother. I used to be bigger than him. When we were kids we made up this game where we'd stand in the middle of a long tiled hallway of our home and lock fingers and then see who could push the other person to the end of the hallway. Whoever got their sibling's heels past the threshold of the carpet on either end of the hallway was declared the winner. We played it all the time and I won every single time....until the day I didn't. From then on Chad beat me every single time. I suppose that was the day my little brother became my big little brother. This photo of us is from just a few months ago. I love this photo of him so much and that we had it taken together, that I'm willing to post it even though it's not so great of me. He and his family, whom we all adore so much, came to visit for some snow play (see 2/5 post) and, though none of said it, to say "farewell for now". Last month he left for his third tour of duty in Iraq. Just like the other two times, I often have the sensation that there's just not quite enough air to breathe until I know he is home safe and sound. A month plus down, several to go. Come November he'll be home. Maybe at Thanksgiving, I'll challenge him to our old childhood game. And I'll lose again. I can hardly wait.

The Tanking Economy Hits Close to Home

The tanking economy just broke up this neighborhood pack of pals. Last summer, we finally had a young family move into a house that had been vacant for well over a year. We were thrilled. The boy, Mather (far left) and the girl, Astrid (next to her brother) were Meagan and James' (far right) ages and quickly became friends and allowed Charlie (center)to tag along with them everywhere they went. What's more, they had a sweet 13 year-old sister who would babysit for us on even a moment's notice. They spent the whole summer riding up and down our street and in and out of each other's houses. You always hope your kids will find good friends and these were good friends.

Once, shortly after the boys became fast pals, they were playing with a toy pirate ship and figurines down in the basement and I heard Mather announe, "Ok these are the pirates that will steal all the gold..." Then I could almost hear his moral reasoning churning in his mind and then he added, "...but they are only going to steal gold for the poor people." That's when I knew for sure I loved these kids being buds with our kids.

Our new neighbors had relocated here from New Hampshire and loved the sunny weather and great community and quickly got themselves connected to new friends, colleagues, and neighbors.

Then, about three weeks ago, while Mather helped us unload the car after a trip we had taken knowing that I'd let James run off and play as soon as this job was done (again, I love this kid!), Mather announced, "My dad got laid off." My heart sank and I froze in my tracks. I said, "Really, Mather?" He said, "Yeah...the economy is not so good." James, senisng the seriousness of this said, "What does 'laid off' mean?" I started to formulate my answer when Mather said, "It's not 'getting fired' but it's kind of the same because you don't get to have your job anymore."

About a week later, Mather announced they were moving back to New Hampshire. Mather's dad later explained that unlike the other higher level managers that were laid off from his lab, he was lucky in that he was able to arrange for a new career taking over his father's small business.

And last week, they packed up all their belongings from a home they had settled into so easily and quickly and headed back to New Hampshire.


The crazy thing is I've been trying to understand this tanking economy of ours... reading the papers, watching news conferences with President Obama, reading articles. I knew this tanking economy was wide spread and affecting everyone, us included. A few months ago, Jeff who follows our long term investments better than I do, came home and said, "Well, we lost half our retirement today."(Fortunately for us we're a ways off from retirement or sending our kids to college and hopefully have time to rebuild that nest egg). But, the biggest and most real blow of all was seeing that moving truck in front of our neighbor's house and watching my kids' pals all pile in the truck and wave a solemn good-bye.

The One-Tooth Wonder

Check out James and what we call his "egg-tooth"...that lone tooth in the front there. This was taken moments after he pulled out the tooth on the right. The tooth missing on the opposite side has been gone for a while. He knocked it out when he was four years old when he made too sharp a turn on his scooter. That event was followed by an emergency trip to the dentist and then to the ER to stitch up his lip. It was all worth it to him when the tooth fairy made her first visit to him that night...two years before his time. That "egg-tooth" is loose, so soon he'll be our "toothless wonder"...but until then I just get a real kick out of that one tooth of his. So does Jeff. James doesn't find it so funny though...especially when his dad says, "James, it's almost time for bed. Go brush your tooth."

MVP

James is nearing the end of his first season of basketball. I'm no sports fan, but I'm a HUGE fan of this player. James isn't one of those kids with a natural ability for sports, but he always gives it all he's got, and he is always so encouraging of his team mates and even his opponents. This earns him MVP in my book. A few weeks ago, the ball was passed to him and after lining himself up in front of the basket and taking a deep breath, he shot the ball and made his very first basket! At this point, I found myslef leaping out of the bleachers yelling, "Good Job, James!" A friend behind me laughed a bit and said, "Hmmm...I wonder who his mother is....?..." I am! And I couldn't be more proud.

Lenten Promises

Vanilla Ice Cream Mashed with Thin Mint Girl Scout Cookies

topped with a Thin Mint Girl Scout Cookie

This right here was the last bit of non-celebratory sugar for me for 40 days--I ate this yummy treat in the final hours of Mardi Gras yesterday. Lent started today, and I decided on the the following lenten promises; one for health, one for home, one for heart.

1. For Health: No non-celebratory sugar.

2. For Home: Spend 15 minutes each evening de-cluttering.

3. For Heart: Spend 1 minute for each day of lent in quiet prayer/meditation/peace.

The last time I gave up sugar for lent was when I was 19 and it was one of the dumbest things I've ever done...it's pure torture to turn away a big chocolate sundae that waiters bring to the table at your birthday dinner. So, my plan this time around is to say no to non-celebratory sugar...you know the popping a cookie in your mouth just because it's there kind of sugar. Now when there's something to celebrate or a special event then all bets are off. Lucky for me, my birthday, Jeff's birthday, and our anniversary all land somewhere in the next 40 days :) I gave up sugar as part of a challenge with my good friends Deirdre and Mary Alice for the 10 days before Thanskgiving and that went well. With the Christmas sugar fest behind me, I thought I'd give up non-celebratory sugar as a New Year's resolution. In theory (but not in practice) I'd like not to have a sweet every single day and I figured New Year's was a good time to start this new habit. Then on January 3rd, I found that we still had some chocolate-covered popcorn left from Christmas and decided that this was reason enough to celebrate...and I've been celebrating ever since. Hence, my first Lenten promise.

My second Lenten Promise is to declutter the piles of stuff that seem to pop up all over the place around here. My plan is to do this for 15 minutes each night after the kids go to bed. Often I collapse somewhere once the kids are finally in bed, but I know that carving out this time will make a world of difference.

Finally, I feel drawn to a Lenten promise that nourishes the spirit, so I'm choosing to add an additional minute each day of Lent to some time in prayer.

I'm a sucker for a fresh start and Lent always gives a great reason to re-commit and start anew. The kids were asking about Lent and I explained that a lot of people choose to give something up for Lent and then I went into the meaning that such a practice holds. The kids were trying to decide if they wanted to give up anything for lent and, if so, what. James thought it over for about 30 seconds before he said, "I know! I'll give up brushing my teeth for Lent!" Nice try. I quickly told him, "No, it has to be something that will make your life better...and not brushing your teeth will definitely not make your life better (though it might make our dentist's life better)". He mulled it over some more and said, "I'll stop annoying Meagan for Lent." We'll see how long that lasts.

I decided to start Lent in the right frame of mind and went to mass this morning and I have to say it was just lovely to be in the old pink church downtown and have some time to reflect on this Lenten season.

The Givens Girls Get-Together

Double Cousins: Carolyn, Annette (my aunt), Lois, and Carmen (my mom).

Once upon a time there were these two brothers, Harold and Art Givens, who fell in love with sisters, Teresa and Alda Pongratz. They married their sweethearts and each had a family. Their families farmed together, played together, cared for each other, went to church together, worked together, and went to school together. My mom is the youngest daughter of Harold and Teresa. I've always loved her stories about growing up on the farm and the special connection that she had to her cousins. It was amazing to me that this group of cousins shared the same aunts and uncles and the same grandparents on both sides of their family. Growing up in a small farmining community in Nebraska, these four girls were referred to as "The Givens Girls". My mom thought it'd be fun to have them all out to Tucson this winter for a "Givens Girls Reunion". They did so earlier this month for a whole week. There are quite a few "Givens Boys" too, but this was a time for just the girls. I called my mom and asked if Meagan and I could jump in on the fun for a day of their time together. Meagan and I had such a great time jumping in with the Givens Girls. We looked at old photographs, listened to their stories, laughed, and caught up on their families with a warm and sunny Tucson as a lovely backdrop. It was such a wonderful little get-away for Meagan and me. While not full blooded "Givens Girls" like these four, being with them made me grateful that Meagan and I have some of this rich "Givens Girl" blood coursing through our own veins.

Bring it on, Phil!

I hear Phil the Groundhog saw his shadow and now we are all in for another 6 weeks of winter. I say, BRING IT ON if we can keep having this much snow fun! My brother and his family were here from San Diego this past weekend to play in the snow. And play we did!

PK loved sledding, getting braver with each time down the hills. I would have gotten a photo of her big sister, but she was much too fast for my cranky camera.

Jeff and Meagan take on the big hills.

PK at Ski school. When Charlie boasted that he skis really well. She touted, "I stop really well!"

There, in the white hat, is the boy who "skis really well" ...until he pees his pants. But, that's another story.

We decided that the kids shouldn't be the only ones having fun, so we took Thatcher (the cute bundled peanut on Shawna's chest) and went cross-country skiing.

So much fun~!!

One more photo of PK, because she is so darn cute!

Vamonos Americanos!

The presidential election of 2008 was great on so many fronts. One being that it brought me closer to my extended family. When my grandmother died 3 years ago, she had on the top of her reading stack Dreams of My Father by Barack Obama. I remember my brother thumbing through the book the day she died. I said to Chad, "How many 93 year olds have a book about Barack Obama on the top of their reading stack?" Perhaps she campaigned from heaven because I dare say all of her children, children-in-law, grandchildren, grandchildren-in-law, and great grandchildren are die-hard Obama supporters. I exchanged several e-mails with my extended family throughout the campaign. My (bilingual) Uncle Bart, whom I affectionately call "Tio" (Spanish for "uncle") sent many in his address book a photo of this campaign poster he had hanging from his deck. I e-mailed him back saying only, "I want that poster." To my surprise, two days after the election it was waiting for me on my doorstep. James, a budding reader, read it aloud upon seeing it, "O-bam-a-nos...Oh I get it, because Obama knows a lot about our country." I explained that "Vamonos!" is an exclamation in Spanish that means "Let's Go!" and that this was a play on words meaning "Let's Vote for Obama!" In our excitement for inauguration day, we proudly displayed our Obamanos! poster and hung our flag from our deck.

I personally know 7 people who went to the inauguration of our 44th president. I was so envious of each of them but reminded myself that I was much better off in my warm family room without the crowds and crowds of people. A friend sent some great photos of the day and the photos of the crowds literally made me get feel panicky...no, I don't do crowds well.

Inauguration Day was such a great day. The day before, MLK Day, we looked up a community service project on Obama's website. We got up early and met 20 new friends at a storefront downtown where we all disbursed to clean up our downtown area of trash. It was cold, some of the trash was frozen to the ground...but it was such a great thing to be out as a family in our community doing something good for our community knowing that community service projects were happening all over the country. We picked up trash where we had celebrated the new year, at the "Pine Cone Drop". I noticed that the clock was counting down again even though we were 19 days into the new year. Then, I realized the clock was counting down the time until our new president would be inaugurated. 27 more hours until a new President. 27 hours later I was snuggled up on the couch with Meagan glued to the television. We gave Meagan and James the option of coming home to watch this historic event. Meagan wanted to come home. James didn't want to miss art, so he chose to stay at school and listened to the inauguration on NPR during his art class. We didn't give Charlie the same optionto come home from school because...well, because I knew he would chat through the whole thing and ask to watch Go, Diego, Go! instead. The boys did get to watch it on TIVO later. Jeff watched it online at work. I could hardly pull myself away from the television. During the inauguration itself Meagan and I clapped and prayed and cried and cheered with the crowd. It was just like being there, only warmer. Or so I had myself convinced. But now the reports from these 7 different people are starting to trickle in and their descriptions of what it was like to be there have me amazed and wishing I could have been there too. Maybe in 2012. Until then, Obamanos Americanos!

Savoring 2008 Before Diving into 2009

Visiting Arches National Park in Utah....One of the many highlights of 2008

Happy New Year!

I know it's been 2009 for 19 days now, but I never feel like I can say good-bye to a previous year until I write my BEST OF letter. This is a tradition that I, along with my two best friends (Deirdre and Mary Alice) from college started many years ago...maybe in 2000. We write a letter much like the one below where do BEST OF lists and then we send it to each other via e-mail. It's been a great tool to tack down a year and really savor it before letting the year go. I also love getting to know the highlights Mary Alice and Deirdre's years. It's also a great way for me to get recommendations of songs, movies, and books to visit in the year ahead. I'll warn you now, this is long (and I even took some chunks out)...so move on to your next favorite blog if you could care little about my entire 2008 in a rather large nutshell.

Happy MLK Day everyone. -- Angie

10 Best Memories/Moments (no particular order):

Time with Jeff. When I reflect on the year, I am again overwhelmed with the gratitude I have that I share my life with Jeff. We are quite different people in so many ways but I think we share the same spirit and that bond is so very strong. I think we mostly admire and find humor in our differences and relish our many commonalities…this seems to be what makes us tick. Highlights with Jeff include sharing political news and conversations with each other, dates to the movies, dinner, or even Target, a weekend away in September in Phoenix where Jeff had a conference. Our best date of the year was on his birthday. He wanted to take snowboarding lessons. Neither of us had ever done this and are mediocre skiers at best. I was resistant to it, but I didn’t want to say “no” to his one birthday request. So, we did it. The learning curve was steep, but by the end of the day we were both doing it with success. I loved that we took on a new challenge together…and that we didn’t break anything doing it. Another highlight was our 11th anniversary. We went out to dinner and then to the First Friday Art Walk (something we’d always wanted to check out) where all the artisans have their shops/galleries open downtown. We then came home to a quiet house b/c Anne and Brian were hosting our kids at their home for a sleepover. I don’t think Jeff and I have been alone in our home since the day before I went into labor with Meagan.

Family- This year, more than any, I’ve been acutely aware how much I love my family. The family I’ve come from and the family I’ve created. In March, I went to Nebraska to celebrate the life of my Uncle Wally. Because of the man he was and because of the familys he and my aunt come from, so many had gathered under the grey Omaha skies to offer love and support to one another. Even in the sadness, my heart soared to be part of such a family. In April, we went to Phoenix to watch Chad do the triathlon. My mom, my aunt, and Shawna and the girls were also there to cheer him on. I was moved to tears as I watched the swimming portion of the race, knowing that he was taking that on. Chad is probably the most humble person I know…even when he has much that he could toot his horn about. On that day in April, I felt especially proud of him and grateful to call him brother. I also couldn’t feel more grateful to see him obviously so alive and so healthy after two deployments to Iraq. May found our nephew, Cory, surrounded with family (see below). June found Meagan surrounded with family and godfamily (see below) at her first communion. Jeff’s parents’ 50th wedding anniversary in October was a beautiful reunion of family and when we said good-bye we headed to Tucson where my aunt and Chad and his family were all visiting my mom. So, in the course of one weekend, my kids saw every single one of their cousins. Amazing really. Thanksgiving and Christmas again found us making new memories with both of our families. I always wanted to be from a big family and now through the magic of marriage and extended family and sheer love, I am.

Meagan’s First Communion. Our church typically doesn’t make a big fuss over first communions. But, to my delight, all I had to do was express that this day carried very special meaning in my heritage and the pastor, assistant pastor, and Sunday School teacher took my intentions for the day to heart in such a sincere and authentic way. I never felt like I was forcing anything to go my way against the will of others in the church…the manner in which it was made special by the people of our church and even more so by my family, Jeff’s family, and Deirdre and Brian and their boys (Meagan’s Godfamily) made the whole day seems like a gift to all of us from God. I especially treasure seeing Meagan make her First Communion in my mom’s First Communion Dress with my grandmother’s first communion veil and how I really felt such a connection to my faith, family, and culture that day.

Summer 2008. In my mind, summer started for us when we took a family road trip to Colorado to see Cory graduate from college. The detour to Moab to see the Deirdre and Brian and then Arches National Park made the trip really complete…time with family, time with good friends, and time outdoors where the sun was so nice and warm and promising that summer was upon us. Other highlights of Summer 2008 include my most fruitful garden yet (not counting the garden I had in Iowa), seeing the kids ride up and down the street day in and day out with the sweet kids from the family who moved in down the street this year, eating outside, running VBS at our church again with Jeff and without it being the first time we ever did something like this, watching the Olympics every night of its tenure, watching the Democratic National Convention, having a few “no carbon days” when we got everywhere we wanted to go on our bikes or on foot, learning to make jam and biking/hiking/swimming with Tiffany.

Leadership Program. This is a program in our city that I had wanted to take part in since I first learned of it shortly after moving here 11 years ago. The timing was never quite right, but this year with the kids all in school I knew I could make time for it. I felt good about my application, but thought I didn’t do well at all in the interview. After the interview, I decided that maybe next year would be my year…convinced and saddened that this wouldn’t be my year, I didn’t return a call from the program for a day or two because I didn’t feel up to the rejection. I was so excited when I returned the call and learned that I would be in the 2008-09 leadership class. We had a two-day retreat in September and started our once/month day-long education days in October. These will continue through June. I am so grateful for all that I am learning about this community that I love so much and even more grateful for the lasting connections I’ve made with others in my community.

The election of Barack Obama. From his announcement of his candidacy to his election, I was captivated. So, I can’t leave this off my list. I learned so much about history and politics and I learned so much about these things from a local to an international level because I found that I had every reason in the world to care. I love how the election got me involved with issues in my own community and connected me to my community in ways I never even considered. I love that our kids sense the importance of voting and being a part of the process. My pride in being an American right now is indescribable. I’ll always remember how I felt when I cast my ballot and the way I wanted to hug everyone at the grocery store the day following the election. I know the woes we have in this world will not change quickly and that there will be bumps in the road…but at least we are on the right road now.

Franciscan Renewal Center Retreat. The program director at our church hosts a women’s retreat every year. I had been to one and really enjoyed it. This year it was held at the Franciscan Renewal Center and I was really overjoyed to be reconnected to my Catholic roots. I loved connecting with other women in my church from all different generations. More than anything, I was grateful for the time to recharge in times of solitude surrounded by the beauty of the desert. Other things I loved about this retreat: discovering that this was where Mary Alice went to church as a child and buying a bracelet for myself that I just love.

Scrapbook Weekend 2008. Diana, Jenni, Audra, Stephanie and somehow miraculously found each other in the early days of mothering our young children. We started our annual scrapbook weekends at Jeff’s parent’s cabin around that same time. Audra’s life took her in new directions the same year that Diana, Jenni, and Stephanie all moved away. I thought those scrap weekends were a thing of the past. But, every year I’m overjoyed when I find us meeting again for another scrap weekend. It does my soul good to reconnect with my first “mom-friends” to talk, laugh, scrap, eat, and not sleep.

Halloween 2008. Before kids, I really detested Halloween. Who sets a day aside to celebrate the spooky?! But, now that I have kids I love it! This year we went to Anne and Brian’s for a get-together with a light dinner and then we all took what totaled about 11 kids out trick-or-treating. What could be better than a day dedicated to make-believe and sweet treats and precious kids who adore make-believe and sweet treats?!

Mary Alice’s Visit- We all just adore Mary Alice’s visits. She blends right into our days. Highlights were sledding with the kids, working out together at the gym, staying up chatting, watching Rachel Getting Married, going to the Manone’s on New Year’s Eve for fondue, and then to the Pine Cone Drop at 10 p.m. and then coming home to tuck the kids in bed and then parking ourselves (Jeff, Mary Alice and me) in front of the TV to bring in the New Year again at midnight in front of the TV with snacks, chit-chat, and shared laughter. We brought in 2008 the same way with Mary Alice so it is starting to feel like a tradition. I must say this year was so much better than last year because the temps and winds were so much more cooperative than last year. I loved bringing in the New Year with my family, my good friends, and all the other friends and acquaintance I ran into at the Pine Cone Drop that make this place “home” to me. You know it’s going to be a good year when it starts with dancing in the streets with friends, family, and kids from school and their families!

Best Books (Top 1 of 5)
This was a pathetic year for me for reading. I read very little (how could I with so much Election and Olympic Coverage to keep up with?!) and what I did read was pathetic, except for this:

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver. Kingsolver, even if a bit or a lot hoity-toity about her issues, never disappoints in the end because she is such a gifted writer. This book was a memoir about her family’s devotion to living from their land and the land very close by for a solid year. I learned so much about gardening and food and it really affected the way I view food, farming, and grocery shopping—something I do weekly, if not more. Months later, I find myself still changed for the better because of this book.

Best Movies (in order, top 5 of 11):

Milk: I saw this with Jeff and my mom over Christmas break. Sean Penn was excellent and though the true story takes place in the 70’s, it was so timely to today and the fight for civil rights for all. I always love a true story done well.

Changling: I saw this movie one afternoon with Jeff. The story, again a true one done well on the big screen, was just heartbreaking, but it was moving to witness the strength and grit of a mother. Plus, the movie and the way it was filmed was just beautiful.

27 Dresses: Some girlfriends invited me out to see this movie. I went in with low expectations but excited to be out with friends. The movie was more than just fluff and was quite delightful.
Atonement Not as good as I thought it might be, but still a beautiful story shot in a beautiful way.

Charlie Wilson’s War: This wasn’t all that great of a movie, but I did appreciate what history I learned from it.

Best Rentals (in order, top 5 of 23):

When Harry Met Sally: I don't let a year end without watching this, my favorite movie of all time, at least once. This year I watched this all alone while doing my Christmas cards. I love sending out Christmas Cards and having When Harry Met Sally with me made for a perfect snowy afternoon while the kids were off playing at Anne’s house.

Freeheld: This movie was offered to our community free of charge by Equality Arizona. It is the true story of a couple fighting their city government to allow the pension of a dying police officer to be awarded to her partner just as it would if they were a heterosexual couple. The way in which their community rallies behind them and the way in which these women truly love and care for one another as the one partner loses her battle with cancer is so incredibly moving. Our pastor, a community member, and an elected council member made up a panel for discussion after the movie. I felt so grateful to be a part of a church that is willing to stand up for civil rights…for everyone.

The Lives of Other People: Chad got this DVD as a Christmas gift. We all stayed up late and watched it Christmas night. While it’s not your typical feel-good Christmas movie, it was a captivating story of the human spirit prevailing in times of evil.
CNN Election Coverage: Ok, I know this isn’t a movie, but I’m counting it b/c I spent A LOT of time glued to CNN through the primaries and general election and it’s gotta count for something on this list…plus CNN does have the best Political Team on Television…or so they keep telling me :)

Lost Season 3 and Season 4: Jeff and I are addicted to this show and we had several nights when we kept convincing each other to stay up and watch “just one more” until 1:00 in the morning.

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  ** Other really good rentals: The Pianist, Gandhi, and Rachel Getting Married
  
  Ten Things I learned or discovered in 2008:
  1. I learned how to make jam. It even won a blue ribbon in the county fair J.
  2. I discovered some new songs including It’s a New Day and It’s So Cool to Love Your Family.
  3. I learned that the key to Christmas (the one holiday that I can rarely muster the spirit for) for me is to say NO to most of it and really enjoy the parts I say YES to which this year included Christmas Performances by my kids and their cousins, yummy food, time with family, and church services that glorified the beauty and awe of the Christ child.
  4. I discovered some yummy and very healthy versions of chili and gumbo. I am now a big soup fan thanks to such recipes.
  5. Thanks to an iPod intervention by Mary Alice, I learned more about the iPod Jeff gave me for Christmas two years ago and love it all the more.
  6. I learned to be a little bit better and a little bit braver on my mountain bike.
  7. I’ve learned to be a bit more patient with my kids. The fact that they can do more for themselves more than ever before sure helps.
  8. I learned how, thanks to some hand-holding from Deirdre and a lot of encouragement from her and others, to set up my own blog on the world wide web .
  9. I’ve learned that I am a blue on the personality color chart that I am obsessed with. I see everything in terms of “color” now.
  10. I learned how to get involved in a national election at the local level.
  
  10 Things for Which I’m Grateful (Ok, 11—there is much to be grateful for this year) :
  1. Sharing life and everything it is with Jeff.
  2. Family: The family I come from, the family I’ve created, the family I’ve married into and my extended family.
  3. My health and the health of those I love.
  4. Our church.
  5. To live here.
  6. The outdoors especially time at the beach in San Diego, the desert of Arches National Park, and the trails I’ve hiked and biked right here around my house.
  7. I’m grateful I went to Nebraska to be with family and honor my Uncle Wally.
  8. I’m grateful that there is love and harmony in both my family and Jeff’s.
  9. I’m grateful for all the heart-to-hearts I’ve had with Deirdre and Mary Alice over e-mail, the phone, and face to face.
  10. My mom—she fits into the family category but after 37 years I am just beginning to really, really appreciate all she has done for Chad and me and for the example of love and acceptance she sets for not only Chad and me, but our spouses and our children as well.
  11. The election of Barack Obama.