Happy Birthday Ryan!!!!

I hope it's a good one!!!

Aubrey Olivia (12/04/08)

Say hi to Sarah Campbell and Dustin's new baby girl. Congratulations.

I Voted

I voted today. Actually yesterday because the whole county is on a mail-in ballot system. No results will be available for at least four more hours, but I keep checking CNN and NPR just in case there's something new they can tell me. Besides the presidential election, is anything important on the ballot in your state?

Happy Birthday Susan!!!!

Happy Happy Happy Happy Birthday to You!

Happy Happy Happy Happy Birthday to You!

Happy Happy Happy Happy Birthday dear Susan!!!!!

WE LOVE YOU!!!

(psst... I love you more than runny noses and busy nights.)

MMT ('48 edition)

I found this old version of the Mary Margaret Truman song online this week. It looks like the song was written during the campaign season of the '48 election when Truman was the incumbent. How come no one writes fun campaign songs like this anymore?

Mary Margaret Truman is the daughter of the Pres
She lives in the White House with her ugly mother Bess
Her social rating is not worth debating
For she is a member of Phi Beta Phi
When her father Harry gets the gate in forty-eight
Mary Margaret Truman will be left without a date
She'll move to Missouri and work in a brewery
So let's all drink beer!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY NANCYPANTS!!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY NANCY!!!!

Quick Photo Friday

We're off to camp with our church kids during Tropical Storm Hanna...

Let's hope the weekend doesn't look like this:

Note: I did not take this picture, nor have I ever camped in big rain... it'll be interesting!

Nancy Pants!!!

Not sure if you all know but Nancy has been on Tour this past month and - SHE IS AWESOME!!! Seriously this lady can sing. We had such a great time when she was here in Massachusetts that I took 456 pictures. Here are 13 that Kathryn picked as the best from the 67 I narrowed it down to. If anybody wants to see more of lovely Nancy - just ask!











There are also more photos of her bandmate Hot-Mara (she's the other one in green, the third gal was just a special appearance for the night and she isn't actually in their band Thomasina and the Jam).

Happy Birthday Al?

Okay, somewhere in here was Al's birthday...  but we were on vacation in PTown, so apologies for missing it.. and...

Happy Birthday Al! Come join us in the 30-year-old club! It's pretty cool in here!

Cottey Visiting

Mary Cat came up to Boston for a quick visit mid-August.

After an evening of socializing, meeting Chad and some beers we sent her home with a pass for biking and kayaking the next day. They had a nice time on the Charles River, relaxed a bit then headed back home to North Carolina.

Kathryn's Five Things

1) What were you doing 5 years ago?

In the summer of 2003, Heather and I moved to San Francisco, having just completed our undergrad careers. We were moving there so that we could both begin grad school, and live with a family while taking care of their kids. We had chatted on the phone with the mom once, never talked to the Dad, and never met the kids. When we flew there we had $50 together, no other money in the world, and we didn't even know if they were going to buy our food. When mom picked us up at the airport, with the current nanny, we seriously contemplated whether they were a two-mom family and just hadn't told us. We weren't out to them; we were friends who both happened to be moving at the same time, maybe they weren't out to us? Within 24 hours we had had the best 'girls weekend' with mom and "Turkey" (as the 2yo little boy called the nanny). Dad was still a big question mark as he travelled and was out of town most of the time. Mom took us around the city, fed us the most amazing food and treated us like we were her oldest, best friends.

It was the most incredible example of generosity and warmth of spirit that I had ever seen up to that point, or have seen since.  Even now, whenever we need a pick-me-up, we can call her and hear the excitement, warmth, love, and joy in her voice from thousands of miles away. This experience as a whole was terrifying, exhilarating, and unbelievable all at the same time. She changed my life in many ways, and, I hope, changed me for the better.

2) What are five things on your to-do list today?

Dissertation proposal

Get outside for some fresh air

Call health insurance company to find dentist

Pay rent

Fill out paperwork for dissertation funding

3) What are 5 snacks you enjoy?

Coffee

Toast with goat cheese and strawberry jam

Almonds

Chewy fruity candy

Cheddar Cheese (sometimes with peanut butter because I'm gross like that)

4) What are five things you would do if you were a billionaire?

Pay off my student loans

Get my car fixed and painted (because Heather hates the color)

Hire a financial planner because I wouldn't know what the heck to do with my money

Have Osker's dog walker come every day for adventures

Give money to Cottey

5) What are 5 jobs you've had (or 5 places you've lived)?

Gosh, only five places I've lived? Hmm... 

Watch Hill, RI... absolutely wonderful little beach town. My first nanny job was there in the summer of 1999. I admit, I was spoiled! I had charge of one little guy, 14mo, and the family was able to use a friend's cabana on the beach whenever we wanted. I would go to their house around 9, pick up the baby, take him to the beach and play for a few hours. We would then eat lunch and I would put him down for a nap on the floor of the cabana.... he would sleep for a good two to three hours and I would read books and work on my tan. Then I would take him home around 3 and I was done for the day... Ah, the good life!

Lynchburg, Virginia... yes, the hometown of J.erry F@lwell. We went there for school for two years. We pulled up to the school, having driven all night, on the morning of orientation. (noticing a trend? we tend not to preview things very well, I guess.) The school is gorgeous, set back in the rolling hills of VA with large, beautiful brick buildings... however, sadly enough, to me it looked like an insane asylum! Eventually I enjoyed the school well enough, but at first.. Yikes! Scary!

Jamaica Plain, Boston, MA... ugh. When Heather and I left San Francisco, we wanted to move to Boston. However, while we had a bit more than $50, it wasn't much more. We stayed with my parents for about two weeks while Heather found a job and then moved in with a bunch of other girls in JP. I had heard that it was where all the lesbians lived, so I insisted that we check it out. Blech! We hated it! Heather more than me, but neither of us enjoyed the neighborhood. The girls that we lived with said that they were "crunchy granola" but really were just plain dirty and stinky. One of them had hair almost to her knees and only washed it about once a week. It was everywhere and she smelled bad most of the time. The other had somehow created a cave in her bedroom where she burrowed through dirt, scum, and junk in order to sleep in a bed piled high with laundry that she just shoved over every so often. Yuck! Luckily we only lived there for a few months and then moved out! Yay!

Chestnut Street, Beacon Hill, Boston, MA...  aaaahhhhhh.... much better.....  Heather insisted that we live in Beacon Hill. (thank goodness for Heather's insistence!) After living with the dirty girls we found our own place in Beacon Hill. It was tiny, garden level (read as half underground) and the floors sloped downward. We had little to no furniture, most of our stuff (bed, computer, tv) sat on the floor, but it was OURS! Just us, no roommates, no employers, just the two of us.  This was also where we lived when we got Osker. It was tiny and had a bathroom that had tiles a mix of bubble gum pink, black, and seafoam green... but it also had a nice brick courtyard right outside our door where Osker could run around in circles to his heart's content. That courtyard saved his puppyhood! It also had the most amazing location in the city. When the big political convention came to town that summer Osker was able to make friends with all of the secret service folks and added police security details (to this day he loves a man in uniform!). We were a mere stone's throw from two gorgeous parks, near the river, near any city amenity you could want... It was great... and then...  the landlords sold our building.. :(

Louisburg Square, Beacon Hill, Boston, MA... after we were bought out of our lease we moved up the hill a bit. We found this glorious two bedroom apartment right in the best part of Beacon Hill. Of course it had a tiny kitchen, tiny bathroom, no dishwasher, nolaundry... but, oh the location!! A very famous senator was our neighbor and the secret service had just left after keeping it safe while he was running for president... This is where Heather proposed and this is where we lived when we got married (many of you have visited!!). The heat was horrible in the winter (non-existent in the back of the house), there were MICE all the time, and it badly, badly needed a paint job. We left it to move in with friends to try group living again and while we love our current place... man do we miss that spot. 

Five Things - Ryan

This post is cross-posted on my blog, but I tag all of the CSC '98 contributors.

I am starting my own Five Things tag because I don't have any blogger friends yet to tag me.

1) What were you doing 5 years ago?
Five years ago...I was working for the City as the Human Rights Specialist where I facilitated the Human Rights Commission (meetings, etc), took complaints, and served as a resource for the City and community. But, all this was only a 1/2 time job, so I also worked for PJALS (Peace and Action League of Spokane) and at Bethany Presbyterian Church. I was also sewing costumes for the production of Winnie the Pooh for Spokane Children's Theatre. It wasn't all big furry animal suits, 'cause those are scary. The animals all had ears and tails if appropriate, but Kanga and Roo wore matching blue print dresses with pink ruffled aprons, Eeyore wore grey chords and a big baggy blue cotton sweater (and of course had the pink ribbon on his tail), I also had a whole chorus of 5-year-old bunnies so they were outfitted in green t-shirts and khakis and bunny ear headbands with rabbit #1 and rabbit #2 in plaid button downs, sweater vests and vintage ties. I think the whole scheme worked well with a hint of 1950s inspiration. Of course I don't have any pictures, too bad.

2) What are five things on your to-do list today?
I usually don't have a to-do list, since I do the same thing most weekdays, but today:

1)Go to work

2)Send e-mail about getting quote for a new natural gas furnace to replace our oil furnace that could cost us in excess of $1500 to heat the house this winter.

3)Remember to turn the water off on the soaker hose that I left on along the house this morning and maybe get the other side of the house watered a little too.

4)Go to call backs for Oklahoma! auditions.

5)Try to go to sleep before 11pm

3) What are 5 snacks you enjoy?
I try to keep food in my desk at work so I'm not starving but I've gotten a little low lately. So I like 1) fresh fruit (what ever's in season or in the store during the winter. 2) Almonds (roasted salted ones from Costco) 3) Dried fruit (mostly goes into my oatmeal in the mornings) 4) Carrots and 5) then there's the stuff I love but try to not eat all the time (so it gets grouped into one item) like ice cream, cookies, an occasional chocolate bar, and a good stiff cocktail (not a snack you say? I disagree).

4) what are five things you would do if you were a billionaire?
I don't know what the average person's priorities are for this, but most of the other blogs I've read this post on are also people renovating their old houses and in general are normal people (normal like I'm normal, so what does that me). So, if I were a billionaire (funny how a millionaire isn't sufficient anymore) I would 1) pay off my house 2) pay people to finish the big projects I'm totally dreading like electrical and refinishing the floors 3) Do something for my parents (like send them to that trip to Europe they've talked about) to pay them back for everything they've helped with over the last 12 years since I've become and "adult" 4)Set up some sort of investment retirement plan (just in case you know) and 5)give a lot of money away.
There are a lot of other things I'd do with that money too, so I guess this is just the top five things.

5) What are 5 jobs you've had (or 5 places you've lived)?
Since I've already talked about jobs, I figure I could say five places I've lived, but then I've lived in a lot more that five places. Since I've lived in 5+ cities I thought I would specialize this answer to the five places I've lived in Spokane since moving back.

1) I lived with my parents for six months after moving back to Spokane and did a little house sitting so I could finish a few classes, find a job, and pay off my $900 credit card balance which seemed really big at the time since it was the first time I carried a balance on a card (and I had no income).

2) I moved to a little basement apartment in December (2001) with a roommate (Issac) downtown. I could walk to work, movies, the theatre, the bus station, bars, grocery store. Did I mention that I didn't have a car?

3) Issac moved to Boise for grad school in March of 2003 and Paul and I had gotten involved the previous September and was practically living in my apartment already, so we both moved into a new apartment that he'd signed a lease on across the river by the Courthouse.

4) By the summer of 2005 we were both itching for a little more space and the real estate market kept going up and I started to worry that if we didn't buy soon we'd be priced out. We were in a place where we could afford a house (even though I wasn't working full time again yet after being downsized during city budget cuts) and we started looking for a house. Our budget was $70-85,000. Laughably small now, but I remember then looking at houses I loved that were $92,000 and realizing that we couldn't afford them (now those same houses are 30% more at least). We found a house that I though had potential, it was little (700 sq ft) but had a little basement, but no garage, and the kitchen layout was funky, but after our inspection we had to pull out becuase there were just too many problems. At the same time my mother found us the deal of a century for a rental. All we had to do was clean out the entire house of the previous tenant's stuff, fix everything that had been neglected over a few decades (rip out carpet, paint absolutely everything, replace floors, and clean, clean, clean) but the location was terrific, the rent was a steal, and we could get a dog, so we moved up the hill to 25th.

5)After 2 years of fixing someone else's house and wanting to do even more (but realizing it wasn't worth our time when we'd be moving soon) We started looking for a house to buy again. By this time the market was even hotter than in '05 and even though we had a higher income, we were still looking at the same houses. And some of them literally were the SAME houses back on the market 2 years later but priced 30% higher (and not any nicer than they were before). Our budget started at 100-115,000 this time and we looked at a number of houses. After finding only 2 that were even in reasonable shape (since I was looking for a fixer-upper anyway) and dismissing one because the only bathroom was downstairs next to the kitchen and there was a really weird slope to the floor, we put an offer on a house that was super, but needed a TON of work and wasn't in a great location but close to downtown, close to an emerging neighborhood and on a bus line. Again after the inspection and finding out in addition to all the work I knew about and was cool about (like re-doing all the electrical, replacing the heating system, gut and re-do both bathrooms, fixing the slope in the kitchen floor, re-doing the floors, adding insulation) the roof was also failing. Since the owners weren't willing to budge on the price, or fix the 30 year old roof that they insisted wasn't as bad as the inspector said (he had pictures though, I saw it) we had to let the house go again. And that led us to this house. Our brick bungalow that I saw online and after peeking in the windows one afternoon fell in love with. We got a walk through and made an offer that day. we paid more than the top of our budget, and we still had to replace the roof, and the electrical, and re finish the floors, and scrape paint off everything, but it is in a super neighborhood (sadly no grocery store anymore, but maybe, someday) and we love it here.

may all of your dreams...

Wordle = fun new word toy sweeping the internet.

Tee hee...

I added a new slideshow of Founder's pics. Not new pics, just a new blog gadget to see if I could show more pictures. Now all of Heather's pics can be seen, moved, enjoyed... but i have yet to figure out how to add multiple peoples pictures. Still a work in progress I suppose.

Blog Redirect

Inspired in part by this blog, I decided to try it on my own. I haven't had anything happen in my life that seemed exciting enough to share with everyone here so I haven't posted in a while, but occasionally I manage a post on my own blog which I figured I could share will you. I'm still figuring out what and how to write about things and mostly things about my house 'cause...well it's interesting to me.

So, if you'd like to share a little in the day-to-day you can visit my personal blog. I'll try to keep it interesting.

Happy Birthday Dr. Doan!!!

Wake up everyone....I am posting a challenge....

So, I am not crazy...well, maybe I am...but anyway... a friend and I are working our way through the assignments on www.learningtoloveyoumore.com it's kind of my form of meditation since yoga doesn't do it for me. Below is the assignment I am currently working on - I wasn't sure if there were any brave souls out there that would be willing to take on the challenge. (ignore the "reports" section to the side - I couldn't delete it) Maybe I am crazy. Assignment #16 Make a paper replica of your bed.
Using paper, cardboard, colored pencils, glue and/or tape, make replicas of your sheets, blankets, comforters, pillows and anything else that comprises your bed. Then assemble them the way you assemble your bed. The completed bed should be roughly the length of a pencil. Take special care to reproduce the patterns on the fabric and any stains or other irregularities.

Photo Friday

Well, if our dog is any indicator, then our kids will be just like the two of us!

(Okay, I'm noticing that it's getting harder and harder to find photos that I have taken as opposed to ones taken by my lovely wife. Hmm, I should work on that.)

Photo Friday

Came across some old photos that started me thinking today . . . . . . about having kids and dads. Both of our dads have had strong influences on us, what will our kids be like without dads?

Wow!

I'm now legally married in California!  

...

And now, back to spring cleaning...

An apology too...

I'm publically posting an apology for not letting the news out to my wonderful and beautiful ex-gf, Ms. Alison Wamsley, first. Very insensitive. I am such an asshole.

You can spank me later. :)

Mwah!

And so....

I move to Washington. I was offered the position formally yesterday and after a little negotiating, I am happy to announce that I am the new visiting assistant professor of psychology at Whitman College.

I'm pretty happy, I admit it.

Alison Lester

Digging through Sara's children's room I found a fascinating book called "Alison Lester" and I thought "Hey look! It's Alison + Casie. And the picture even looks like Alison + Casie. So I had to take a picture to post.

Not as cool at Bill and Hil....

Leslie ('96), Elizabeth, and I went to Wrightsville Beach this morning. The water still feels chilly to me! I also bought a female betta fish and named her Alice (not pictured). Have a wonderful weekend everyone.

OK, I am not sure what the theme for this week is for Photo Friday, but based on the two previous posts I will go with the theme of big things that happened this week (congrats Lesli, and Kali and Sara, you guys looked like you were having so much fun).

Somehow my friend and I managed to get extra special VIP tickets to a Hillary event last weekend. We were on the stage as she paraded out Ted Danson, Mary Steenburgen, Sean Astin, Rob Reiner, Evan Bayh (my favorite), and finally Bill & Hill. I got to go backstage and meet Sean, Bill, & Hill (as I believe we are all on a first name basis now).

So, there it is. The biggest thing that has happened to me this week : )

My Visit With Kali . . .

Here's Kali and I playing Mario Kart Wii . . . we kick ass as a team! Ha ha . . . wink wink.

Kennady and Kali . . . they could be clones. Kennady absolutely LOVED having Kali around. ;)

Kali and I at lunch . . . Landy took all of us out. I would add more pics, but I'm not sure how much you all can handle. ;) Love you!!!

PS: I miss you Kali!!!

Dr. Doan

Ladies - I would like to share that Dr. Doan was
"hooded" this afternoon so she is all official and graduated. I would like to congratulate the graduate on her amazing accomplishment. Earning a doctorate - completing classes and conducting original research WHILE working a very demanding job. You should be proud Les - this wasn't easy and you made it happen....

Kali and Sara are playing Wii

Hello from Oregon! I am sitting here with Sara Colton (Boone). We are playing Wii Mario Kart with Landy and the dog.

Today I met up with Amanda Maher in Portland for an hour. Her little boy is way cute. Last week I had drinks with my freshman Katie Sofie in Seattle. And I stayed for a week with Suzanne ('96) for an entire week. Seattle was quite endearing!

Kali's coming to visit!!!

I just wanted to let everyone know that Kali will be here tonight! I am so excited to have one of my Cottey-girls here! Yay! She's on her way down from Seattle, and will stop to visit Amanda (Maher) in Portland. She won't get here till this evening, but I am happy to just have her here. I'll try to remember to take some pics while she's visiting, but I can't guarantee anything. ;)

So far, I've been pretty busy today . . . went to the Y for three hours, then went to the store to pick up some stuff. My little one is down for a nap right now, and Kennady is watching My Little Ponies. I will go pick up Landon in a while, and go to another store for more "stuff". Ahhh . . . the life of a Mom. I have softball practice this evening, but may not make it if Kali comes into town before practice . . . we'll see.

Anyway, this is so much fun! I love this blog. I hope everyone is having an excellent day. Love you all!!!

It's a lil like Cottey, only bigger...and it's got boys...

So here I am in Walla Walla (the town so nice they named it twice-that's the town motto). I'm in a pretty kick ass hotel room, and I just got done with a full day (no joke) of presentations, interviews, and generally kissing butt. Good thing I am used to that!

I was up for just a visiting assistant prof job for ONE semester, but apparently after hearing me present they're now going put me up for the YEAR long position (which is the one I want). Yes, my presentation was just that good~

So I know I'll be offered the one semester, which I most likely won't take, but if they offered me the year long...man, I'm packing the bags. Too good an opportunity to pass up.

Whitman reminds me quite a bit of Cottey (and Mills, Al). The student's don't play, they're pretty on top of things and they expect you to beat the crap out of them...in fact, they demand it. So most of my questions asked to me were how I can work "up to the level" of a Whitman student. Not hard, treat them like a Cottey student!!!

So I figure that I have a 100% chance of getting one position and a 50% chance of getting the position I want. That's pretty damn good odds. They're interviewing another applicant later this week, so I'll hear about it pretty soon.

Keep your fingers crossed!

Today...

Today is not working out to be a very good day. I was late for work, kept a mom waiting for almost 45 minutes, my computer crashed and is now running on "safe mode", and I've been shoved off to a corner computer that is dark and uncomfortable. Oh! And, because of said safe mode, I've had to teach four people now how to run a program on that computer and get it to print correctly. *sigh* Is this day over yet?
Oh, did I mention I have five reports to get out this week, that each one takes a full day, and I'm only here til Thursday?

What Makes Me Smile . . .

Okay, I know that I am totally off schedule here, and that I keep posting on Monday instead of Friday, but I keep forgetting on Friday. So, here is what makes me happy. Actually, a lot of things make me happy, so I just went through recent pics of this past weekend, and I'm going to post some of them. My son's smile makes me happy. He's really coming into his own as far as soccer is concerned. It's amazing the growth that can happen in six months. Last season, he could hardly keep up with the other kids, and most of the time, he didn't know what goal to run to. He actually made a couple of goals for the other team! :) This season, he is so much faster, and is focused. He knows what goal to go to, and he's already made three goals so far! Yay! I am so proud. Isn't he just the cutest little six year old you've ever seen!? ;) So, check out the smile on him in the first pic on the bottom here. He had just made a goal. That's the smile that makes me happy -- when he is truly happy.

Kickin'

Kickin' some bootie makes me happy! At least if I don't get knocked out. If I do, I really want a cool bruise to show off at work the next day. If you can't tell, here I am in the green pants. These skills will really come in handy when Sarah and I make our Alabama commune dreams a reality.

PS - just kidding about wearing the green pants. That's Jennifer Santiago and I wouldn't last 30 seconds against her!