Secret Garden

Saturday we spent the day doing yard work at BB's yoga community. Washington has many forests, and at one time Washtington state was one big forests. So, it suffices to say that trees grow readily in this fertile state. However not all trees are always wanted, and since Kyle is a big strong man, it was his job to use his brute strength, kind of like Hercules to pull up the trees and roots with his bare hands. I bet you didn't know I married Hercules! Well, ok , so he had the help of a tree weeder, and the trees were wee little saplings, only a bit shorter than me, but with relatively large and strong roots. Kyle used the weeder, we yanked the tree out of the ground, sometimes I yanked by myself, depending on it's size or if we were on a slope, shook it's roots of the excess dirt and tossed it in the pile. We pulled up an entire forest. Ok, another exaggeration, but at least 30 trees. We were like Super Haus and Haus lady side-kick. However Sunday, Kyle felt the pain of being Hercules acutely in his back. We spent the whole of Sunday bumming around. The weather Sunday was nicer than it had been in a while, and BB insisted that we take a walk outside. I wore my new pink chacos on our walk. Why do they not make the heal strap adjustable, does anyone else have qualms with this? And while we are on outdoor gear, why are hiking pants made in unisex fashion, hideous for both sexes. You know the pants that are supposed to be rip resistant and can be made into shorts by simply unzipping. The waist is too high, balloons around the waist, and then when the pants are unzipped to become shorts, they are too long on girls, and awkwardly high on guys. Who designs these pants? Off track... and we are back. So where were we? Oh yes, our walk. We walked around the apartment complex and randomly stumbled across a hidden path in the apartment complex. Feeling adventurous after being cooped up all day, we journeyed into the unknown, only to find ourselves in a forest. It was surreal. One moment we were in a highly developed apartment complex, the next moment we were surrounded my ferns, tall trees and only the sounds of nature. Had that darn mosquito minded his own business and allowed us to explore without coming to suck the blood from my face, we might have explored more. It was mystical and magical, as if we had been magically transported from the city of Microsoft (yes Redmond is where Microsoft was founded) to our own secret forest. I kind of felt like the girl in the book, "The Secret Garden." I love these types of moments, when something small, yet unexpected occurs, it makes the moment oh that much more real. Like you didn't make it happen, it just did, all on it's own. It kind of reminds me of the time when I was young, maybe 7 years old, and I tried to make a rain potion. I took an old perfume bottle and filled it with squirts of lotions, soap and perfume. I went outside in the middle of the street in front of my driveway, did my own little rain dance (hey, I was an only child, I had to find ways of entertaining myself), opened my rain potion and threw the contents out in a circle around me. I was a logical kid, I didn't actually expect my potion to cause rain, but that day, almost directly after my crazy display in the street, the rain fell from the sky. The moment was spellbinding, one that I will always cherish. It was as if God was appeasing a bored little girl who wanted nothing more than to play in the rain. It was simply marvelous.

Reflections of our 8 months in Chile

(Another in the flashback series. Yes that means it is long)

Our family with baby Pablo in his pumpkin Halloween suite

Our house

Celebrating Chilean Independenc

The cueca, their national dance

Another national dance. The boys are pretending to row a boat.

Pichilemu, like Chile, was not what I expected. Expectaion plays a large role in one's experience in an unfamiliar place. My expectation was vague at best, but I am sure it played a vital role in our lives during our stay. The first thing I noticed upon arrival to Pichilemu was the red dirt like the dirt from childhood summers in Lubbock, Texas. I didn't like red dirt. I associate it with malicious fire ants and the burn from their bite. This red dirt had no such fire ants. Instead there were mysterious bugs that continually bit me throughout my stay in Chile. We still don't know what they were for sure, though every Chilean and their mother assured me they were mosquito bites, however we rarely saw mosquitoes.

Pichilemu was famous for two things, surfing, and being tranquilo. I don't enjoy pain, especially the searing burn of icy, salt water flowing from the Antarctic, so the nearest I ever got to surfing was dipping my big toe into the magnificent blue ocean. Although I consider myself a city girl, I loved living in a small, rural town. I loved the calmness but I also loved the town gossip; the mayor and his unusually bulging pockets was often whispered about in the teachers' lounge. The fresh air in Pichilemu was invigorating and I felt safe alongside nature. Maybe the best way to describe what it felt like living there is to take you on a familiar walk during our stay in Chile.

As I greet Canela, our adorable, and easily excitable chocolate labrador, the door shuts behind me. I walk around Jorge's motorcycle, his pride and joy, and out the tall black rod iron fence. The sky is clear and blue today, and although the house never seems to let go of the cold, the air outside is warm and inviting. With Canela trotting by my side, I walk towards town. I have two choices, the long way down streets and sidewalks, about 30 minutes, or the hazardous shortcut through the steep valley, over the bridge, through the mud and up a steep incline, surprisingly cutting the time in half. I choose the shortcut; I always choose the shortcut. The baby chicks pecking at the dirt road in front of me frantically scatter as I near, as if the ugly giant goblin has come to eat them one by one. I continue towards the pasture which is sometimes a soccer field, and sometimes a grazing ground for Don Pablo's horses. One time, Camila, our host mom, tried to teach Kyle to drive stick shift in that field. With Pablo screaming in my arms in the back it is a wonder how Camila, with true motherly skills, was able to think above Pablo's screams that hit every octave in the human range, to coach Kyle.

The field is empty today. I close my eyes, lean my head back and let my ponytail dangle free in the breeze, allowing the glow of the sun to envelop me. Behind me is our blue two story house, possibly the nicest house in the area. To my right, about ten minutes walking from where I stand, is one of my schools, Divino Maestro, where those diablitos we call children are sent to be babysat. Directly in front of me is a line of dilapidated houses blocking the view of the Pacific Ocean and grey sand beaches. And to my left is the valley, my chosen path into town. I take a deep breath and inhale the tranquility of this small town, far from the hustle and bustle of Santiago.

I walk through the horse pasture, seemingly lacking horses for the time being. Instead of horses however, I notice low flying birds, low enough to step on if one is not careful. They soar right above the grass, looking for those pesky yet tasty insects, I assume. I have never seen birds fly this low to the ground and I wonder where they come from, where they have been, and why they are flying around my feet now?

The first decline into the valley is similar to a dirt cliff side; steep, and without grass to hold the dirt in place. Rocks are dependable in some sections, but not all of the areas, especially during the rainy season when the dirt turns into a slip n slide made of mud. Had I not cared about the clothes I was wearing or the fact that I might plummet off the edge to my death, I might have taken up mudsliding as an extracurricular activity, but I did care about my clothes and my life.

We play a game while going down the hill; who can stay on one's feet the longest and not fall on one's butt. Of course I always win that game because I am the most graceful person you will ever meet; graceful maybe compared to Bozo the Clown!

As I make it down safely into the valley, I breathe a sigh of relief, but the obstacles aren't over yet. Next is the handmade bridge crossing the small muck colored creek. Luckily I have never had an issue with this bridge, although it is obviously older than I am, and missing planks. If it were a person, it would be an old miser who walks with a knobby cane and smiles a toothless mischievous grin. Once over the bridge however is the really challenging part, the "obstacle course," as we lovingly call it. The obstacle course is located in an open pasture that turns into swampland during the rainy season of winter. I keep expecting the swamp monster to come out of the sludge, growling and dripping mud, threatening to eat me. "Come on swamp monster, I deal with a room full of chalkboard scratching, booger throwing, snot nosed Chilean kids, I think I can take you!" But if he is there, he stays hidden in his swamp, smart monster.

A clear path lays straight ahead of me, but before I can reach that pass, I must traverse the obstacle course, a huge mud pit, with make-shift stepping blocks. First is the old tire, that has to be stepped on just right or else the side not stepped on will lift out of the mud causing the person to fall face first. Then its the rocks, boards, frisbees and some other objects thrown into the mix, helping passers navigate their way through the valley of mud.

I once mistakenly attempted to avoid the obstacle course through the mud pit and instead went around the wallow. "What a smart and novel idea, I am so clever." I thought to myself! The lower pasture, the only alternative, seemed safe, but the green grass of the pasture was merely camouflage for the 6 inches of mud below. I discovered this hidden swamp on the day when I had dared to wear my brand-spanking new black boots to class. I meticulously negotiated my path, but without reward. There was no reliable path. Everything was mud. Life is sometimes like that, giving you a choice between decorated and disguised mud or obvious mud. Guess what happened next? Before I realized what was happening my entire foot up to the ankle was submerged in mud, but not just one shoe, both, because as I took that first regretful step, to my dismay, I lost my graceful balance that I am so famous for, only to have both of my beautiful new velvety boots covered in that dreadful, gooky muck. I nearly turned around and went straight home after my humiliation, but I didn't, I dredged on, literally.

Now, walking into a class full of recalcitrant Spanish only speaking students who don't know what the term discipline in English or in Spanish means, can be intimidating. But walking into an already unruly classroom with boots covered in mud and humiliated pride is certainly not a helpful addition to the already hopeless situation.

I have mixed feelings about the time I spent teaching my students. Starting off, I was eager to make a difference and I was energized with new ideas. Most of the students hadn't ever seen someone from another country and their exposure to English let alone an English speaker was limited. I wanted to reach out to the kids, expose them to something new and hopefully improve their English or at least their interest in English. I was given two different schools to help teach at; Divino Maestro, and Digna Camilo. Both schools had English teachers. Brenda spoke English and Carmen, however sweet, did not. Both schools gave me the warmest welcome I could ever have imagined, with a full school assembly, thanking me for my presence in their country and in their schools. Digna Camilo even included dancing and songs in English in their welcoming ceremony. The kids seemed ecstatic by my presence, but that was soon to wear off. After my first few classes, their attention waned. I tried grabbing their attention with games, but the games would lead to rough housing, and no one seemed interested in the English. By the end, I was much less interested in teaching than in keeping my sanity and them in their seats for 90% of the class. I am ashamed I got to this point. I gave up on them as most of their teachers had done. The classrooms were more for group babysitting than a place for education. I don't believe in giving up in principle, but I did. We spent nearly a month on learning how to ask and answer simple questions such as, "What is your name?" and "How old are you?" but after a month, no progress had been made. I tried games, quizzes, rewards but you can't make someone learn something if they don't put in the effort. Maybe they didn't improve their English while I was there, but I am hopeful that I changed their thinking. Maybe someday, one of them will dare to venture out of their country, because my presence proved that non-Chileans aren't aliens after all. Maybe, a couple of them will learn to value English later on in life and go on to college. I don't know what impact I made and I may never know. I just pray that I made a difference in at least one of their lives. I went to Chile to make my mark on the world, to make a difference in someone else's life.

Even though I am unsure of the impact I made on my students, there were many people who greatly impacted our lives while in Chile. I have learned that it is important when we fall in life that we have people close to us, to help lift us back on our feet, even if we are covered in mud. Being in a foreign country, made me feel awkward and out of place much of the time but we were so fortunate with our support. We had many people around that loved and cared for us. Not so much from the Ministry though, in fact, hardly at all.

Although the Chilean Ministry of Education assured us that they were a sturdy leg for us to stand on, that leg was more like silly putty; flimsy, and without support or reliability. Our host family, unlike the ministry, was such an important factor in our adjustment. From the beginning, they were kind, helpful and caring. We felt welcome and comfortable with our host mom and dad, like we were really home. Camila was compassionate, humorous and motherly. When one of us had a cold, she would make us a special hot lemon tea with honey. When we seemed sad, she would tell us stories of her childhood to make us laugh. Jorge was absent minded but easily excitable, especially when it came to food. They welcomed us in as their family, and they will always have a place in our hearts.

Brenda, my partner Chilean English teacher was especially important as well in our support system. Brenda is one of the most kind-hearted people I have ever met. I was so grateful during our first meeting with her and the principal. She spoke English so well and I don't know that I would have been able to understand him otherwise. Even some Chileans had a hard time understanding what the principal was saying since he spoke so quickly. After studying English in the University, Brenda spent three months living in New Jersey practicing her English. She moved to Pichilemu from her home town of Talca, away from her beloved family to fulfill her dream of teaching English.

Two days a week, Brenda and I would lunch together. Some days, she would fix authentic Chilean meals such as a special Chilean casserole. Other days the meals were as simple as rice with a fried egg. It was so nice to relax and speak English in her beautiful home and have a friend I could talk with.

Another activity we cherished while in Chile was our English group diners. There were two other English teachers in the town that spoke English well, Cecilia and Luz. One evening a month, we would gather together as an opportunity for them to practice their English and have a cultural exchange. In the beginning we shared American and Chilean food. We cooked things such as baked potato soup and cornbread, and they made pastel de jaiva (an excellent crab dish). Pisco sour, their national drink, was always a must, except for the time Bethany decided to make mojitos and had to go on a wild goose chase to find fresh mint.

Bethany and the other volunteers in our region were another vital part to our support system. Bethany was the only other volunteer in our city and we became a little gringo family while in Chile, laughing and crying together. Twice a month, we would gather to have a gringo reunion, sometimes in Pichilemu, and other times in the other cities where the other volunteers lived. (When I say gringo, I don't mean white, I mean those of us who were not Chileans.) Our gatherings were a time for us to vent, speak English, play games, drink Baileys and enjoy each other's company. I am afraid to imagine what our sanity level would have been if it had not been for those extremely important friends.

Nothing about the valley is easy; the path down the cliff, the old man bridge, the obstacle course and certainly not the incline out of the valley. The incline is steep and often has zero traction. Some days a kind soul has poured sawdust into mud on the hill, allowing your foot to find some sort of stability. The way out, is bordered with houses, not really houses, shacks; shacks surrounded by trash and junk. I avoid looking at the puppies with their rib cages protruding, shivering outside in a huddle. Today, the family is outside and the two year old is grabbing at the ax stuck in the stump in front of their house. After the hike up the hill, I take a breather, taking care not to stare.

My journey in Chile, like the valley, has had its ups and downs. There were times when I couldn't see out of the valley and the feeling of desperation overtook my body, but there were also moments of untainted happiness. Looking back, I can say without doubt, that although it didn't always feel this way, there were more ups than downs in our rollercoaster ride called Chile. I came to Chile for several reasons. First and foremost I went yearning for change; change in myself and change in others. I wanted to find more of myself by helping others. Living in a culture that is not your own is difficult and rewarding. Difficult because it can be excruciatingly uncomfortable, and frustrating, but rewarding because growing is never easy, and if there isn't a certain amount of pain involved, we aren't working hard enough. I struggled with the language, and I struggled with the students. But I learned that even though it was tough going sometimes, scratches and bruises are just reminders of the struggle and growth. I am always searching for more, yearning for more knowledge. Although I didn't always feel like I was growing, I know I did.

I left Chile with some scratches and bruises, but also lasting friendships and a family away from home. I went searching for the meaning of life, and my purpose in it. I may not have found the answers, but I am on the right path. I am on a path out of the valley and on to greatness, I can feel it!

Brenda, me, Bethany and Kyle, when Brenda took us to visit her family in Talca.

Me in my classroom

Me with my students

The kids are jump roping in the courtyard.

At one of our Gringo reunions, except with two other Chileans

Pablo in my suitcase. He wanted to come with us.

p.s. you still have time to write a caption.

What a story

Thursday evening we went to see a local Seattle author, tell his story. A couple of weeks ago, BB came home with book entitled “The absolutely true diary of a part-time Indian.” (Indian as in a Native American, not a person from India. I will continue to use the word Indian throughout because that is what the author called himself and his tribesman. I have recently had trouble figuring out what the proper way of calling the people who first inhabited this land is. I had been trying to force Indian out of my vocabulary and only say Native American until I read two books by Native Americans in which they only referred to themselves as Indians. Is it one of those examples of the people in a particular group being allowed to use the term when outsiders may not? I don’t know the answer.) The Redmond Library was hosting an event for a local author by the name of Sherman Alexie. The plan was we would all read his book and see him speak. The book was hilarious. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. The only complaint I have of the book is that it was too quick a read. I wanted more. Sometimes I hate to see a book end, because that means in a way I have lost my companion. I don’t have it too look forward to any longer.
He spoke directly to his audience in the book about his life with honesty and humor. The book is mostly autobiographical, with a few fictionalized sections. His character’s name is Arnold in the white world, but Junior on the reservation. And poor Arnold did not have it easy. Besides that he was abjectly poor with a drunk as a father and his tribe was dying of alcoholism, he had his own physical issues. His head, or globe as many of his peers nicknamed it, was abnormally large, especially as a child because of the disease known to many as water on the brain, medically known as hydrocephalus. This disease brought about seizures, which caused minor brain damage and some physical impairments. Also for some unknown reason, he had 10 more teeth than the average person. The normal person has 32 teeth; he had 42 teeth. And he loved books, any book he could get his hands on. His grandmother spoke English well, but didn’t read it well, but wanted to support his voracious reading habit. She would buy him any book with an Indian on the cover, which often times ended up being a romance novel. So he had a gianormous head, a skinny stick figure body, too many teeth, and was a book worm who wanted and needed more than the reservation could offer him. He decided if he is going to succeed in this world, he had to get off the reservation, and his only option in the end was to go to the whitest and most racist school in the area. I won’t give you the entire book report so I will stop there. But my favorite part of the book is that he included cartoons to tell his story, which I felt help describe his thoughts and feelings even further than the mere words. It made me wish I had a talent in drawing, but alas, I don’t. (click on the photos, you can read the writing)
It is interesting that the things we found so painful in our youth, so hilarious later in life. I have a great respect for people who can look back at those awkward and distressing years and reflect honestly and with humor. I only hope that one day I will be able to do the same.
The speech was free and in a nice size auditorium which was filled to the brim with the young and the old. An entire bus of elderly people from a retirement home came to hear him. We didn’t realize that until later, but as we walked into the auditorium, Kyle commented that something smelled of mothballs. I didn’t notice the mothball smell but I find that smell nostalgic. I am reminded of my great grandma and the many days we spent playing games at her house until she was not able to live on her own after the age of 97. But I digress.
He was just as funny to listen to as to read. One statement he said, I found thought provoking. Although he was half-joking, he said that he was jealous of females and how their affectionate behavior is acceptable. After the age of 9, it is not ok for boys to hold hands without being gay, but girls can do it their entire lives. He wanted to be able to show his affection with his male friends outside of the acceptable handshake. And it is true, but I never thought of guys as being left out before now. That is one thing that I truly love about being a girl is that I can be affectionate with my friends. I love that girls can hold hands, hug freely and rest their heads on each other’s shoulders. I miss that now that I am married and older. We don’t necessarily need that affection as much when we have husbands or partners, and that element is lost sometimes. I continuously go on tangents during this post, don’t I? Maybe it is because I didn’t have a clear understanding of what I really wanted to say in this post. I only knew that something about this man touched me, and I wanted to share a piece of it with you. So, although I can’t seem to keep my train of thought on a clear cut path, I hope you can take something from this. And if you have the time, do read the book. It is a wonderful read.
p.s. You still have time to write a caption for the previous post. I will decide on the winner sometime next week.

Your turn

Today has been an interesting day. We had another day at the new job, at a new junior high in the school cafeteria that smelled of familar foods from my past. I learned some lacrosse, and have the bruises to prove it. We even did some animation at the video game programing table. And although the day went well, my mood turned from chipper to grouchy mcgroucherson in a matter of minutes. Not for any particular reason, just from the overload of stress. We have been dealing with lots of bureaucratic bs lately, more on that later, and I think I just had an implode of negative emotions. I try not to turn into the praying mantas lady who bites off the head of her male partner, but Kyle is an easy target since he is always there. Don't worry Kay, your son is still alive and with a head.

Well, it is official, I don't have any creative ideas of my own anymore. Once again I stole this idea from cfhusband.blogspot.com, a great blog that I recommend checking out. And also in lieu of a comment that my blogs don't necessarily invite comments, I am giving you, our readers, an assignment. Don't worry, it is fun. Write a caption for this picture. (This picture was taken in Lima as we waited for the changing of the guards) And, there is even a prize for the winner, a very small prize, but a prize non-the less. Alright, you creative minds. Let's see what you've got?
p.s. there has been some question about this. If you subscribe to the blog, you can respond directly to the email sent to you and it is only sent to me (and kyle), not to the entire subscription list.

In the working world

We had our first day of work with the Community Center of Redmond today, but evidently today’s work was volunteer work. In a school cafeteria smaller than my elementary schools cafeteria we held a promote extra-curricular activities fair. They were expecting 300 students but only about 30 students showed up. There were several activity booths including, lacrosse, (something I know absolutely nothing about since it is not considered a sport in Texas), a huge twister game, modern dance, video game programming, and the librarian who had all of her teen projects recently canceled was there passing out sparkly pencils. 30 pizzas were ordered, and although junior high kids can put pizza away like nobody’s business, we still had quite a few pizzas left over. For turning in a survey, the kids received an otter pop (those colorful frozen icee things that come in a plastic tube) . Some of the kids came back up to 10 times for more otter pops, I was afraid they were going to turn into Tiggers and start jumping through the roof. Either that or develop diabetes just from today’s sugar ingestion. I am still not clear on what our jobs will be, but I am not sure they know what they want us to do for them either, we are just going with the flow here. Everyone seemed nice, so that’s promising. More updates will follow as they unfold.
Also, we joined a gym here in Redmond which is exciting because they have lots of different classes such as kickboxing, pilates, yoga and more. We have tried the ab lab class with the drill sergent ab lady. It was more like a cardio ab work out. Thirty minutes straight of ab exercises without even a second imbetween to catch your breath. I started out with my hair in a ponytail, by the end, my hair band was holding less than half of my hair. The rest was sticking straight out as if I had been electricuted. Tonight we are going to try a new class called Zumba, it is supposed to be a mixture of Latin American dances with a cardio twist. I am super pumped. I just hope I don't make a fool out of myself!

7 Things

I
I stole this idea from another blog, cfhusband.blogspot.com. The idea is to write 7 things that people may or may not know about you. I thought it was a clever idea so we decided to give it a try. Vanessa's List
1. I don't like coffee or beer. I know, I know, how can I call myself American, but I just can't seem to get past the bitterness factor.
2. Last night I had my first bout of sleep talking. Evidently, I woke Kyle up by kicking him. He doesn't think I was trying to kick him, just generally kicking. At first he thought I was trying to wake him because I was startled by something, but when he asked, I said, "It's not my life that's changing, it's yours." And then I went back to sleep. Kyle has had many bouts before but never me. One of my favorite sleeptalking moments with Kyle was shortly after 9/11. We were laying on the couch, and Kyle was falling alseep, so I asked him for a kiss, instead he said to me, "But what about all of the immigrants coming into the US." Confused, I said, "Kyle, all I want is a kiss." His response was, "I know I know, but how do they keep track." I gave up since Kyle was already too far gone.
3. I am a girly-girl. I really love dressing up, wearing dangling earrings, and generally looking pretty. If there is ever an opportunity to wear a skirt, I will take it. When I was younger I was a bit of a tomboy, but in time I grew out of that.
4. I have fought owning a pair of chacos for a very long time. Kyle has long been a chaco owner, but I refused because I found them uncomfortable. But, it's official, I am capable of change, and I am now an owner of chacos. They are pretty and pink and I am pretty excited to show them off.
5. I am not obsessive compulsive, but I do have some obsessive qualities. When I was looking for jobs overseas the first time, I spent three days, 6-10 hours a day looking up jobs on the internet. I went a little stir-crazy afterwards, but I found our volunteer position in Chile through my obssesive looking. Now that I am in Seattle, I check my blog obsessively to see if readers have made any comments. Sadly, my readers aren't comment leavers, but just so you know, comments make our day :)
6. My feet are the equivalant temperature to ice. I don't don't think that could be litteraly true and I still be alive, but when it is the least bit cold outside, my feet are like blocks of ice. Once, I was trying to warm my feet on Kyle's legs, and he could feel the icy coldness through his jeans. He wasn't happy about it.
7. Some of you know that I have word finding issues. Lately, as a way to compensate, I have been making word lists. While reading, I write down words that might help to jog my writing skills. The words are sometimes words that I am not familiar with, but most of the time, I know the definition, I write it down in hopes that someday I will put the word to work. Here is an example of my word lists;
animadvert, sordid, pliancy, flout, irreverent, wistful, bereaved, erroneous, flail, juxtaposing, noxious, nethergarments, wellspring, looming, blithely, jaunty, tenuousness, flippant, countermove, spires...

Kyle's List
1. I’m way into Fantasy stuff. Like to a point at me and laugh level. I can’t help it! I just really dig swords and knives and dragons and wizards and all that uber nerdy geek stuff. I’m not ashamed!
2. I fall asleep at the drop of a pin
3. I developed a taste for beer in Czhech and now every beer I taste pales in comparison. Actually, I have found many beers since that I like, but nothing will beat the first beer I ever liked there. Budvar by the way.
4. My favorite dessert at the moment is Rootbeer floats. MMMMMMM good!
5. I now want to create a new tabletop game. For those of you who know what tabletop games are, you’re a nerd! For those of you who don’t, be glad you don’t. You get a +2 on the cool scale for never having played one.
6. I LOOOVE to fish. It’s meditative.
7. I am very in touch with my Scottish roots. I have even reconnected with my clan via the internet. Told you I was a nerd ;)

I want to end with one of the funniest videos from SNL I have seen in a long time!

Inspired

We have a lot of time on our hands lately so I find myself thinking about future posts more than I ever have in the past, partially out of boredom, but also because I have the time for creativity. I have the time and the energy to let my imagination and thoughts run wild. A hidden blessing in our time of frustration, one might say. Through my internet searching today, I came across a commencement speech by J.K. Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter series, given to the graduating class at Harvard. And by her speech I was inspired. So much so, that even after an inordinately long post that most of you probably haven't had the chance to read yet, I have decided to post another. (p.s. please read Kyle's entry before you read this one as it is really worth the read, and I not just saying that because I am the biased wife, it really is so well written and entertaining. It is not one to be missed!) I am not going to post the whole speech, but take excerpts that particularly spoke to me. However if you would like to read the entire speech, click here.

Ultimately, we all have to decide for ourselves what constitutes failure, but the world is quite eager to give you a set of criteria if you let it. So I think it fair to say that by any conventional measure, a mere seven years after my graduation day, I had failed on an epic scale. An exceptionally short-lived marriage had imploded, and I was jobless, a lone parent, and as poor as it is possible to be in modern Britain, without being homeless. The fears my parents had had for me, and that I had had for myself, had both come to pass, and by every usual standard, I was the biggest failure I knew.... So why do I talk about the benefits of failure? Simply because failure meant a stripping away of the inessential. I stopped pretending to myself that I was anything other than what I was, and began to direct all my energy into finishing the only work that mattered to me. Had I really succeeded at anything else, I might never have found the determination to succeed in the one arena I believed I truly belonged. I was set free, because my greatest fear had already been realised, and I was still alive, and I still had a daughter whom I adored, and I had an old typewriter and a big idea. And so rock bottom became the solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life.

So obviously Kyle and I have had hit road blocks in our life, but we haven't even brushed the edge of the decline that leads to rock bottom. In no way, am I comparing what we are going through to the rock bottom that she speaks of, but I think what she has to say about failure is so intriguing and true for some, but not all. I love the quote from the movie Catch Me If You Can, "Two little mice fell in a bucket of cream. The first mouse quickly gave up and drowned. The second mouse, wouldn't quit. He struggled so hard that eventually he churned that cream into butter and crawled out." For some, failure is just that, failure, and there is nothing more to say or do. Rock bottom is just another place to live or die. But for others, for the fighters, for the ones who want more and are willing to struggle failure can be the lottery ticket to success, an opportunity. I am always so inspired by stories of failures that lead to success because I want to be one of those people who takes risks and isn't afraid of failure. The line where Rowling says, "I was set free" made so much sense to me. If what you fear is failure, and you have failed, than there is no where else to go but towards success.

Imagination is not only the uniquely human capacity to envision that which is not, and therefore the fount of all invention and innovation. In its arguably most transformative and revelatory capacity, it is the power that enables us to empathise with humans whose experiences we have never shared. ...I paid the rent in my early 20s by working in the research department at Amnesty International's headquarters in London. here in my little office I read hastily scribbled letters smuggled out of totalitarian regimes by men and women who were risking imprisonment to inform the outside world of what was happening to them. ... Many of my co-workers were ex-political prisoners, people who had been displaced from their homes, or fled into exile, because they had the temerity to think independently of their government.
... I shall never forget the African torture victim, a young man no older than I was at the time, who had become mentally ill after all he had endured in his homeland. He trembled uncontrollably as he spoke into a video camera about the brutality inflicted upon him. He was a foot taller than I was, and seemed as fragile as a child. I was given the job of escorting him to the Underground Station afterwards, and this man whose life had been shattered by cruelty took my hand with exquisite courtesy, and wished me future happiness.

Every day, I saw more evidence about the evils humankind will inflict on their fellow humans, to gain or maintain power. I began to have nightmares, literal nightmares, about some of the things I saw, heard and read.

And yet I also learned more about human goodness at Amnesty International than I had ever known before.

Amnesty mobilises thousands of people who have never been tortured or imprisoned for their beliefs to act on behalf of those who have. The power of human empathy, leading to collective action, saves lives, and frees prisoners. Ordinary people, whose personal well-being and security are assured, join together in huge numbers to save people they do not know, and will never meet. My small participation in that process was one of the most humbling and inspiring experiences of my life.

This passage gave me a greater understanding of her books. While reading the Harry Potter series, I often got a sense that what she was warning against was not evil in the world, but instead, not standing up against what you know is wrong, even if you have to do it alone and at the risk of everything. Voldemort controlled with fear, paralyzing those who knew that he was wrong into doing nothing. Voldemort may have been a fictional villan, but what he stood for is unfortunatly far from fiction. Voldemort is much like the totalitarrian governments that strike fear in the hearts of many citizens of our world. Rowlings work with Amnesty International gave her a first hand look at what happens when we allow fear or totalitarrian governments to rule. Her books are beautiful stories, with imaginative creatures in a mysterious and enchanting world, but more than that, I think she wanted to send a message to all the children and adults in the world. Face your fear, don't let it control you, your dreams or what you know to be right.

And many prefer not to exercise their imaginations at all. They choose to remain comfortably within the bounds of their own experience, never troubling to wonder how it would feel to have been born other than they are. They can refuse to hear screams or to peer inside cages; they can close their minds and hearts to any suffering that does not touch them personally; they can refuse to know.

I might be tempted to envy people who can live that way, except that I do not think they have any fewer nightmares than I do. Choosing to live in narrow spaces can lead to a form of mental agoraphobia, and that brings its own terrors. I think the wilfully unimaginative see more monsters. They are often more afraid.

What is more, those who choose not to empathise may enable real monsters. For without ever committing an act of outright evil ourselves, we collude with it, through our own apathy.

One of the many things I learned at the end of that Classics corridorwas this, written by the Greek author Plutarch: What we achieve inwardly will change outer reality.

With so much time on my hands, I have been doing a lot of soul searching. "Who am I? Who do I want to become? How can I improve myself and improve the world?" After working at Alamo Segway, although I enjoyed myself greatly while exploring the city via segway and meeting interesting people, I have decided that in order for my heart and conscious to be whole, I need to know that I am useful, that I am helpful. I want to live life to the fullist and for me that means that I need to do something extraoridary. That doesn't mean that I have to live in poverty in an orphanage in China. Extraoridariness, if thats a real word, can be found anywhere, even in our own backyard. I don't exactly know where that leads me, but it gives me a general direction to where I am headed. (An example of working in one's own back yard, Kyle and I had a job interview yesterday with the community center here in Redmond and may have part time jobs helping middle schoolers. More on that later when we know more.) I leave you with this quote that has become my recent mantra, "Risk more than others think is safe. Care more than others think is wise. Dream more than others think is practical. Expect more than others think is possible. "
~ Cadet Maxim

The One Ring (by Kyle Rogers)

(This is part of the flashback series, stories we always meant to write but never got around to)
As many of you now know, Vanessa and I are married. For those of you who know us well, you know that we were dating for five and a half years before we decided to tie the knot. So it shouldn't surprise any of you to know that we are often referred to as Kylessa, in fact, many of you have probably done so yourselves at some point in time. Rightfully so I suppose, but let me make something clear, not to get the record straight or anything, I'm actually quite fond of our little petnames, but rather to "set the stage" as it were, for the story I am about to tell. Brace yourselves dear friends and family, this may come as a shock to some of you…we are not the same person. Now catch your breaths and close your mouths. I know it's hard to accept this statement as fact. In truth, I'm not entirely sure that by any scientific definition we could be considered anything other than symbiotic organisms at best. So let us contemplate that for a bit.

Take the Remora fish. If you have ever watched the Discovery channel during Shark week, you have seen a Remora. They are the little, shiny, sinuous fish that attach to the bellies of sharks, whales, turtles, manta rays and just about any other large object they can find to hitch a ride on. Now then, there is some debate about whether or not this is a true symbiotic relationship, as the transporter may or may not gain any value from the transported. At this point in life I feel I may be like the Remora in more ways than one, and I am sure a few of you are thinking the same thing, but that's not the issue I wish to address here. Perhaps when I have evolved into something a bit more productive than a clingy, semi-parasitic fish, I will be in more of a mood to discuss how alike I truly am to the Remora, but the point I am trying to make now is that, while the two are very rarely seen apart from one another, the Shark and the Remora are not the same animal! The same is true for Vanessa and me.

Again, I'm not trying to make a point. I just feel that in order to fully understand how this story could have possibly gotten so incredibly out of hand as it did, you have to understand how differently Vanessa and I operate. So that being said, it can all be summed up in one word. Persistence. Vanessa is quite possibly the most persistent person I know. She sees things through 100% all the way, where as I am much more prone to taking things at a more leisurely pace. Now, I admit that I am often times leisurely to a fault but I think it's somewhere in the middle ground that true happiness lies. So the fact that I am not by nature, nearly as persistent as Van is, or as most people are, should help you understand a bit why things happened how they did. Also, I think it should be said that much of what occurred seemed to me to be a rather long run of bad luck. If any of you have been following our current debacle, you know that the streak continues. Read our blog for further details.

So without further delay, the moment many of you have been waiting for, the story of the ring! This is a very long tale by the way, so those of you with lives may want to peruse the outline first and then take the actual story one bit at a time.

Outline

1. Chapter One-The One Ring- Here is where we learn the story of how I have to have the absolute, one and only, no other one like it in the world, perfect ring for my amazing wife to be….I never found that ring by the way.

2. Chapter Two- ETD 3 Months and Counting- At this point, Italy was looming and progress seemed to slow to a near halt the closer our departure date came.

3. Chapter Three- AVAST YE SCAVERNOUS DOGS!- Whoever says pirates are a thing of the past will be forced to walk the plank!

4. Chapter Four- The One Ring, Take Two- Yet again, the search is on.

5. Chapter Five- Proposal in Italy…ok Spain….ok Germany….Switzerland?...Austria….COME ON! –Waiting sucks. Too bad you guys have to wait for this part haha!

6. Chapter Six-Homeward Bound- AKA The One Ring, Take Two (continued)- Now that we're stateside, things should get easier right? …Right?

7. Chapter Seven-Settlement- Not happy about it but there's no such thing as the perfect ring!

8. Chapter Eight- Ring dirt- Got the ring but why the hell is it dirty!?

9. Chapter Nine- Time's Up!- Rehearsal day and it's finally ready!

Chapter One-The One Ring

This story starts where this kind of story always starts for all guys that think about tying the knot. Jewelry stores… YAY! Now, I am probably one of the least masculine guys I know in many ways. I actually enjoy arts and crafts. I even took jewelry making in High School art class and loved it, but nothing could have prepared me for how frustrating and mind numbingly boring ring shopping would be. For one thing, every jewelry store out there carries the same damn stuff! Now you ladies may be saying "that's not true!" but believe me, to a dude, it's all shiny, it's all gaudy, and IT'S ALL OVER PRICED! So trying to find "just the right one" felt like trying to find just the right grain of sand at the freakin beach. It's so overwhelming to a dude! And truth be told, most dudes end up settling with something that won't break the bank that they think the lil lady MIGHT like, but really they know that they'll be back with her choosing the one she REALLY wanted anyways. Well that wasn't gonna be me! I was determined to get the ONE RING! And by God, if I couldn't find it I would make it myself. So after 20 some odd jewelry stores of the same old crap, I knew what had to be done. Here's where the journey truly began.

It all started with a jeweler that my Grandparents had been acquaintances with for 50 years or some ridiculous amount of time like that. If I asked, they could probably tell me exactly how long they had known him, but since this is my story to tell, I'm going to exaggerate all I like. Anyways, Harvey had been my grandparents jeweler for 500 years and was famous in my family for the extravagant work he had done crafting my grandmothers wedding ring. It really is a thing of beauty. So after I found me a good catch that I thought maybe I would marry some day (wink), it was time for me to give Harvey a call to see if I couldn't squeeze a deal out of him. After all, he had been my Grandparents jeweler for half a millennium, and I really did like his work. So many messages left later, he returned my call and said he stopped making rings 200 years ago but he had a good contact for me who just happened to also be named Harvey. I'm not positive about this but I think they may have been related as Harvey number 2 had the same speech mannerisms as Harvey number 1. So many messages left later again, Harvey 2 returns my call and says he would love to help me find the One Ring. Now, I'm not great at returning phone calls, as many of you probably know, but there are some people in the world that just flat out suck at keeping in touch. And it seems to me that the more you need to be in touch with those people, the longer it takes to reach them. Stop snickering, I said I was bad about it myself, but I'm not THAT bad. Harvey 2 was. But after a while things settled down in the jewelry business I guess, cause he started calling me every other day. For nearly a month straight he'd send me emails of rings he thought I might like, but none of them were what I was looking for and on top of it all, I was really hoping to use the diamond my mom had given me that was her engagement diamond. That would save me a pretty penny, so I thought and it would have been nice to have something with sentimental value. So the emails keep flying, but so does the time. It should have been fun, but in reality, it just became more and more frustrating. Good things come to those who wait right? B. Freakin S.!

Chapter 2- ETD 3 Months and Counting

So at this point in our lives, things were lookin pretty good. We had transferred to UT, thank God, we had made some good friends, and our next adventure was just around the corner. We had decided that we needed to see the world a bit. We did some traveling around the U.S. but Europe was what we were really craving and an opportunity popped up at just the right time. So it was off to Italy to study abroad for a bit. Officially, we were going to study Art and Art History, but un-officially we were going to study European travel. Awesome trip and we blogged all about it but this is the story of The One Ring, so I'm going to try not to digress too far. The deal was, here we were getting all excited about Europe and I wasn't any closer to finding The One Ring than the day I started with Harvey 2. So the pressure was on. Eventually we started seeing eye to eye and he was able to send me some samples of how the ring would look. Awesome! It was nothing like what I had shown him how I wanted it to look but it was far better than anything else he had sent me and I figured, like most dudes do, that she would like it well enough and want to change it eventually anyways! The fact was, I would have a ring to propose with while we were in Europe!!! And it wasn't ugly, in fact, it was a very nice ring. Not The One Ring but a good one none the less. The only problem was, we were less than a week away from leaving and Harvey 2 still hadn't made it. My nerves were going haywire as I realized what was going to have to happen. I was going to have to ship it to Italy DUN DUN DUUUUUUN!

Chapter 3- AVAST YE SCAVERNOUS DOGS!

Now there are many things in this story that I could have done differently and saved myself a lot of trouble. In fact, in some instances, with the benefit of hindsight, I can see I was flat out stupid doing some things the way I did. But here's one part of the story where I clearly made a good decision. After having settled on a ring and having settled into our new home in Italy, it was time to have the ring sent. I had figured out a way to get it to the school without Vanessa noticing. Here's the smart part, I HAD IT INSURED! Good call right? Now I know that this may sound like common sense, but let me just remind you that I take things pretty leisurely and to tell the truth, I often think I am a bit too trusting of the system. Well, this time I decided to be on the safe side and went ahead with the insurance. The best 25 bucks I ever spent. Who knew that it would actually be of use? FedEx sure didn't! Here's where things get really interesting. Somewhere between the U.S. and Italy, the cargo freight with my ring in it had gone A.W.O.L. That's right, an entire Cargo freight just went bye bye. If it seems confusing to you, imagine how I felt. Now like I said I had it insured so no biggy right? HA! FedEx and I are the best of friends now. Actually, they really were fantastic. After about 2 months of telling me "we're investigating, we're just not sure at the moment, thank you for your patience" things actually went quite well. As frustrated and concerned as I was, things could have been a lot worse. The people at FedEx customer relations are true pros. They have it down like no other. Phil was my contact dude and first thing he said when I was turned over to him was "I am so sorry that this happened. I can only imagine how frustrating this must be for you and I just want to let you know that I am here 24/7 to help in every way I can." Phil is the man. Every customer relations person could take a lesson from this guy. So anyways, to make a long story less long, Phil calls me at 10 one morning, which by the way I figured out later was 3 in the morning where he was! Anyways he calls me and says "you're not gonna believe this. Pirates took your ring!" I didn't know what to say at first. For a good three seconds, silence was all I could muster. "Pirates? Like Blackbeard pirates?" I said and Phil laughed. "Well no, not quite Blackbeard but my supervisor told me that the freight with your ring was redirected to an un-registered warehouse and half the stuff is just gone. BUT NOT YOUR RING!" So he goes on to tell me that yes indeed they had the ring but not exactly safe and sound. For whatever reason the "pirates" decided to separate the stone from the setting. It didn't quite work the way they wanted and I ended up with scrap metal and a chipped stone. Anyways, the insurance actually covered piracy! Not piracy exactly I don't think, but they did cover everything, including the cost of shipping. Too bad that was just pointless as we were pretty close to being on the way home by the end of all this mess.

Chapter Four-The One Ring Take Two

So after the Pirate episode was somewhat resolved, the next task at hand for me was to figure out how the heck I was going to make the proposal work without a ring. This is a whole other story. No, literally, I'm making another story of it so you'll just have to tune in next time for that one. That's Chapter Five-Proposal by the way. As I was in the midst of putting together the perfect proposal, I was also fighting an uphill battle with Harvey 2. Basically, the problem was, he hadn't kept the mold or the models he used on my ring. Why, I do not know, but hey, I'm not a jeweler. So the search was on yet again for The One Ring, whilst planning a proposal, whilst traveling Europe and whilst …well that's it but I like saying whilst and isn't that enough? It wasn't easy AND on top of it all, I had to make it look like everything was fine! Such a mess. Like I said before, this entirely too long of a story to tell now but I guess I should give you some idea of what was going on at this time. Our Italy program was over and we had a long list of places to cover in a very short time. I was calling Phil and Harvey 2 on a near daily basis, without Van ever noticing mind you and I'm kinda proud of that. I was desperately hoping that I would be able to have the ring sent to us where we were when it was ready, which meant at any given time, I would have to know 3 days in advance so I could know where to send it. Bottom line, that never happened and again, in retrospect, never could have happened but at the time I was desperately optimistic. The biggest problem was that Harvey 2 had completely lost base with what I was going for before. I don't know if he thought I was a different client of his but everything he was sending me look NOTHING like the ring we had settled on. Not even close. Had he actually made it in time, I don't think it would have worked out anyways but still! Harvey 2 was my least favorite person in the world during our travels. Still in my bottom 10 to this day.

Chapter 6-Homeward Bound

So nothing I had planned had worked out in the least but Vanessa decided to accept my weak ass proposal anyways. I got an automatic +10 for doing it in a cute gazebo in Paris but a +10 on a -20 proposal still ain't breaking the surface is it? Anyways, our European travels were over, and it was time to head home. I decided that the last few days of our trip would be a chance for not just Van and I to rest, but for Phil and Harvey 2 to get a little break from me as well. Believe it or not, they actually started calling me. Weird how that works isn't it? So we get home and I think, good deal, we're stateside, we've got plenty of time now to get this thing taken care of, awesome. Nine months. That's how long it took to finally get the ring. We could have had a freakin baby in the time it took Harvey 2 to get the stinkin ring to me. The first month back our conversations went something like this;

Me: Hey Harvey it's Kyle Rogers.

Harvey2: ….OK…..How can I help you?

Me: Well…I was just calling to see how the design was coming.

Harvey2: OH!...yeah ok, gimme just a sec….(ruffling of papers, sound of coffee mug falling, Harvey 2 whispers some profanity) ya Kyle I've got the designs here, I um…I think these are pretty close to what we had before so I'm just gonna send em to you and see what you think ok? Be sure and get back to me as soon as you can so we can get goin on it.

Me: Right, well, Van and I are back in the states now so hopefully we can all get goin on this a little faster now. So, I'll check em out and let you know right away.

Harvey2: Ok great, have a good one.

Me: Ya you too.

2 Weeks and 3 phone messages later;

Me:Harvey, it's Kyle Rogers.

Harvey2: Oh hey Kyle, I was wondering if I was ever going to hear back from you.

Me: Harvey, I've called you like 3 times in the past 2 weeks, did you check your messages?

Harvey2: Well, the answering machine has been broken for about a month now, I just answer when I can. What did you think of the designs?

Me: Well that's what I was calling about before, I never got them.

Harvey2: Oh that's right, I couldn't send them cause I don't have your email.

Me: Harvey, I've sent you at least 15 emails in the past month, and you responded to 2 of them. I really wish you had let me know sooner that you didn't know where to send them to.

Harvey2: Oh here it is! Ya, somehow your email got in my junkmail. I'm real sorry about that. Ok, I'm sending them now. Just let me know by the end of the day what you think.

Ok, I'm not going to bore you with the rest of our conversations but I think you can get the picture here. It was not pretty. Harvey 2 must be the flakiest dude in the world. For the next 7 months, he was number one on my "people I'd like to slap silly" list.

Chapter 7-Settlement

Now I have never personally designed a ring before. The sketches I sent Harvey were paper and pencil drawings of knots and ivy and pretty designs that I liked. Nothing even close to the 3 D models he was sending me. He really did have a talent for that but the thing was, the models seemed to have very little of my influence in them at all. For 7 months Harvey and I went back and forth about including elements that I liked and finding ways to make it possible. The real problem we kept running into was Harvey 2 was a very geometric dude and I wanted something more organic looking. Something less mathematical and more musical. I guess that's pretty hard to do on a computer program but still, Jewelry craft is an art right? SO BE ARTISTIC! Well, it may have taken 7 months for us to get there but get there we did. Finally the designs were getting close enough to what I had in mind that I was able to reach a point where I could say "yes, that is a ring I could see Van wearing." And I think, that was about all that either Harvey 2 or I needed to be able to say, let's stop here. It wasn't perfect, but it was close enough. Not to mention we were 2 months away from Wedding day. We were really cutting it close.

Chapter 8-Ring Dirt

After 7 months of dealing with Harvey 2 Super Flake, I was so ready to be done with him for the rest of my life. We had a design and I was very relieved for that. Harvey 1 had offered me an amazing deal on a new stone for the ring and got it to me the next day. Take a lesson Harvey 2. I wasn't naïve enough to think that it was all going to be downhill from there, but I really thought things would move just a little faster than they did. But, for all the trouble, Harvey 2 said he would only charge half what he usually did for custom designs. I didn't actually have the ring in my hands until 2 weeks before the wedding. And the worst part of it was, when I excitedly opened the pretty little cherry wood red box. The ring was dirty! That's right, dirty. For those of you who have seen Van's ring, you know that it has very tiny crevices were stuff can collect very easily. All those little crevices were filled with a strange wax like substance and the white gold band and setting had smudges all over it. Even the diamond had a smudgy layer of what looked like grease on the top. I did the best I could with a polishing cloth but, afraid to try anything else, I decided I needed professional help. First thing I did was call Harvey 2. No answer surprise, surprise. I left a very angry message which probably wasn't helpful in the least but it made me feel better for the time being. Second thing I did was call Harvey 1 to see if he knew what to do. He recommended I take the ring to a place in Austin that he had worked with many times. Said the guys there were the best and they owed him a favor in very mafia esc fashion. Mafia or not, I didn't care. If these guys could make this puppy shine, I was up for the trip. I still had 5 days till W Day and not much else to do with my time than run errands so I just added it to the list. The guys at the counter who I talked to first were 2 italians pushing 250 each, with slicked back hair and about 2 lbs. of gold jewelry on. After I showed them the ring they both let out very Italian exclamations and they looked at each other and said, "I think we need to get Rudolf on this." It was like something out of the movies. Rudolf wrapped up the cliché about as perfectly as any movie director could ever hope for. Basically, Rudolf was Mel Brooks. 70 year old, curly side burned, Yamika wearing jewelry Yoda. The guy didn't say a word. He looked at my ring, then at me. "Harvey did this?" "No, well yes, but not the Harvey you know. A friend of his who he recommended who is also named Harvey. Harvey Nimitz I think." The three of them all let out different exclamations but I think they all meant exactly what I thought of him; Flakey, lazy SOB. Rudolf turned back to me and said, "don't worry, I owe Harvey a favor so this one's on me but it's gonna take me a while to get to it. How long ya got?" "4 days." I said. No problem. As I pulled out of the parking lot, I thought for just a second, wouldn't it be just too fitting for my ring to be mysteriously miss placed by 2 mobsters and Mel Brooks just days before the wedding? Then I thought, well hell, it would just be one more thing to add to the book!

Chapter 9-Time's up!

The day before the rehearsal, I call the Mobster's to see if my ring was ready yet. Yes, they said but Rudolf's wife had passed away a day before and the funeral was today. I was going to have to wait till tomorrow to pick it up. Tomorrow was the day of the rehearsal. Would you have told 2 Mobster's that tomorrow wasn't going to work, and that they had to get it then? I sure as hell didn't think that was a good idea. So the next morning, I got an early start to the store, gave my condolences to Rudolf, who did an absolutely amazing job on the ring, thanked the Canolli twins and booked it back to town just in time to be 45 minutes late to our rehearsal. I dropped a knee as soon as I saw Vanessa, she said yes again and the rest is history!

Tune in next time to see how Kyle was completely unable to get a single proposal idea to go according to plan!

The end result.

The Puyallup Fair

BB wants to be a goat "baaa"

Kyle and the giant cow

When we first arrived in Seattle, mid August, the temperatures were in the 90's. Cool, in comparison to to Texas, but hot considering the lack of AC units in a state that only has 2 months of sunny skies. After our brief spurt of "heat," the sun lost it's nerve and went into hiding for several weeks, shortening their already pitiful 2 months of summer to 6 weeks. We felt lucky if the temperature reached 70 degrees on any particular day. But on our arrival, from Oregon, back into Seattle, the sun re-emerged, spreading it's rays and enveloping Seattle once more, except that the temperatures soared to a whopping 75 degrees this time, warm in the sun, cool in the shade. But never-the-less, we were thrilled. The weekend was forecasted to be beautiful, sunny and perfect for outdoors activities. Puyallup State Fair, a combination between a rodeo and a carnival, advertised for being epically fun, was our choice of activities. We jumped in the car and drove the hour plus through traffic to Puyallup. The first thing I noticed when arriving was the difference in the clientele between Bumbershoot, the music festival and Puyallup fair. The most noticeable difference being the average weight of the fair goer. While Bumbershoot patronage was mostly a younger crowd, but not limited to that, the Puyallup crowd was mostly families, and agricultural folks. The food at the fairs was a good indicator of the type of people in attendance. While we snacked on salmon and lamb at Bumbershoot, Onion burgers and fries were the peoples' choice at the Puyallup State Fair. The crowd at this event was unbelievable especially considering the expansive fair ground. We entered an enclosed building to stroll lazily down the aisles, looking at the different booths and vendors, however each aisle that we attempted to walk down was lined with people and strollers from one booth to the next leaving absolutely no space for breathing and or moving. I am used to crowds, and am not bothered by them for the most part, I sometimes even find them invigorating, but this was the most crowded besides NIOSA (night in old San Antonio) I have ever seen. We couldn't even find a space to fit our bodies to walk down the aisles. And the ladies bathroom was totally havoc, I was afraid I might not ever be able fight my way out again.
So instead of that enclosure, we went to visit the farm animals. We saw, cows, and I mean the most massive cows I have ever seen, goats and dwarf goats, Shetland ponies, giant rabbits, dwarf rabbits, and a creepy looking rabbit out of a horror movie.
Our favorite event, by far, at the fair was the mutton bustin. It is similar to bull riding in that the person is trying to stay on for as long as possible, but instead of a bull, it is a sheep, and instead of a cowboy, it is a child 6 years or younger and under 60 lbs. The M.C. would announce the child's name, age and place of residence. Armed with a helmet and a padded vest, the children who didn't back out at the last moment were placed on the sheep near the rear. The goal was to stay on longer than six seconds, but most didn't last a second before they flew into the special sand dirt engineered to be extra soft, but provided no help in the case of trampling. Some of the children understandably lost their nerve at the last moment but those who rode never fell gracefully. It was a great show which even went into overtime when two children tied. The little boy requested that he use the bathroom before he perform in the ride off, however when he returned, he no longer wished to participate. Mutton bustin was a really cute spectacle, a crowd favorite. I'm glad we got to see it! All in all, a fun day at the fair!

Hanging on for dear life

Creepy horror flick rabbit

(video of a little girl mutton bustin)

The Brick Wall

The Brick Wall

Pacing, back and forth,
Back and forth like a caged animal.
The floor is hard and dirty
My hands and feet are covered in filth
But I continue to pace
Hoping for change.

The brick wall shrinks not,
but seems to grow taller.
I want on the other side
But I am told I must wait.
So I wait, and wait some more.

Will the brick wall grow a door,
Or must I build a ladder to climb.
I have tried pushing
And scraping
And climbing with my bare hands
But the brick wall holds me
I will wait it out
But for how long will I be a caged animal?


(I don't usually write poetry, but I felt inspired by my friend Andrew who is a poet. You can check out his blog in the side bar. So this is my attempt at writing poetry. Tell me what you think. Kyle thinks that I should take out "the brick wall shrinks not" and say "The brick wall doesn't shrink." Your thoughts, criticisms, and comments are welcome and wanted. Thank you.)


I recently watched Randy Pausch speak in the “Last Lecture” series given at Carnegie Melon. The purpose of this series is to allow professors to give a lecture over anything they want, as if it were their last lecture. For Randy Pausch, however, it was his last. Diagnosed with a terminal cancer, the lecture’s title took on new meaning. His speech, however was not about cancer or about overcoming it, but about achieving his childhood dreams. One of the things that struck me was what he called “brick walls.” Brick walls are his metaphor for barriers that get in the way of your goals and dreams. But, he said, they are there for a reason. They are there to keep those who don’t want it badly enough out. As most of you know, we have run into our own brick wall. A brick wall that has an indention from the multiple times we have banged our heads against it. I would like to attach another purpose to Mr. Pausch brick wall, in that it makes the achievement all the more sweet when your blood and sweat has been spent. So many things have come easily to us in the past. Maybe, the purpose of our brick wall was to throw us back into reality. Life isn’t always easy, it is a struggle, but the more we struggle, the more reward we feel when we reach that goal. “The sweet isn’t as sweet without the bitter” is one of my favorite quotes because I feel it is right on the mark. We really want it, and if we have to sit in the holding room for a while, then that is what we shall do. For now, I will just have to imagine the sweet taste of victory running down my throat, because eventually we will get over this wall. We will succeed because we do want it badly enough!

If you want to want watch the lecture, click here for the link.