Back from the River

March 27, 2019 by Adam in Family

Joanna and I just got back from the McKenzie where we snuck away for a night.  We left Ben with Maddie overnight - they had a great time doing art together.  Joanna and I hiked and soaked in a hot tub and watched Netflix shows in a quiet cabin.  We were the only people staying there that night - I thanked Joanna for booking the entire place.

Hiking around the area was interesting.  There was still snow on the ground in a few places and quite a few trees down.  We passed several teams of people still working on trimming broken branches.  Still, the weather was good and getting away with Joanna was lovely.

Spring is Here

March 25, 2019 by Adam in Family

I love these three day weekends.  I suppose with unlimited PTO I could take them from time to time.  Friday I mostly hung out with Emma - I watched her play Cultist Simulator, we went for a long drive, and walked around Hendrick's Park.  It was nice to spend time with her before she went to the coast with Jamie Saturday morning.

Saturday Joanna went to a class for the spinning wheel I got her over Christmas, returning with small bits of yarn she spun from different fibers she gave her.  I worked on assembling Duncan's new desk, which took awhile but was strangely satisfying.  Ben had their friend Chloe over - at one point they were looking bored, so I broke out the card games and we played Exploding Kittens and Pirate Fluxx.  Eventually I left them with Mastermind and slowly worked on the game I'm kinda sorta making.  Kevin arrived that evening and took Duncan and Ben off for dinner.  We were joined by Sam and Skye, who were cheerful and entertaining.

Today was pretty low-key.  We set up Duncan's desk in his room and took Ben to hang out with their dad and play DnD.  Joanna and I picked up seeds at Down to Earth, visited a yarn store, and went for a hike - the view was amazing.  Eventually we went food shopping, picked up Ben, and returned home to collapse.

This upcoming week is a mix of trips and work.  Hopefully both are enjoyable.

Mocha Friday

March 22, 2019 by Adam in Family

I finished my mocha a couple hours ago - I'm taking the day off to hang out with kids.  Emma is going to the coast with Jamie tomorrow.  Duncan and Ben are going to hang out with their dad while he's here. Joanna and I are sneaking away for a night on the McKenzie river next week.  We're also planning to sneak away with the kids to the coast for a couple days too.

Ben's back in school.  They had an assessment done by an outside person to assure that all is well.  I think Ben didn't like being not allowed to go to school for a couple days, and their day back yesterday went well.  We had one of their friends drop off a vanilla candle and some honey sticks while they were home, wishing them well.  It was sweet.

We bought a car, a 2013 Subaru Outback from a private seller for a pretty good price.  It was fast and painless and hopefully ends up being a good fit for our family. We could almost get by with a single car, but it ended up being a coordinating challenge at times and taking the family on trips in my tiny car isn't the most comfortable thing.

Work's getting a little busy, the familiar tension between releasing code on a certain schedule and the developers' desires to have our code be high quality and well tested.  Hopefully those battles help us all do a better job.

All-in-all, life seems pretty good.  We've sorted out some of our bigger worries and I've got some cool things to look forward to next week.

Car Shopping

March 21, 2019 by Adam in Family

Things feel a little better midway through this week.  I've seemingly checked in with everyone with phone calls and emails and visits.  I still worry, though not as much as I was before.  Ben had their assessment today, which was the most informative document about their overall mental health that I've seen so far.  Hopefully that means they'll be returning to school tomorrow or shortly after spring break.

I had coffe with mom and Bob today, sneaking it in between meetings.  It was nice to see Bob, who seemed to be his normal snarky self.  Later in the afternoon Joanna and I started shopping for Subaru Outbacks.  I think we found one from a personal seller - the car itself looks okay other than a ding.  I think I'm going to stand clear of the haggling, as I'm not very good at it.  Mostly I'm hoping we get to drive a bigger car for our upcoming trips.

We continue to have amazing spring weather.  I might go back to shorts tomorrow, as the weather has been so nice.

Everyone Is On My Worry List

March 18, 2019 by Adam in Family

Life is far too exciting these days.  I sent a long email to my sisters, documenting all the things that are going on that I tend not to post here - health scares, school trouble, moves, and impending marriages, among other things.  It feels like it's one of those times where I hold my breath, hold on tight, and hope we make it through.  I'm trying hard to take care of myself through it all - I keep running each day, strength training in my little back office, and get out into the sunshine now that it's here.

There were some highlights over the weekend.  Sam and Skye came over for pizza and Mythbusters.  Emma and I walked over to get my hair cut and played games at Metropol.  Later we sat outside in the sun and she made a daisy catapillar.  Joanna keeps working on her quirky knitted blanket - she took it to a Dar Williams concert with me last night.  The concert was great and it felt good to get out with Joanna for a little while.  It was a good suggestion from mom.

Spring break plans are falling into place.  I think Joanna and I will try to get away for a night, having a babysitter watch Benny overnight.  It's been a long while since the two of us escaped anywhere.  Later in the week I think we'll try to take Emma, Duncan, and Ben with us to the coast for a few days, assuming it's still okay with dad for us to hang around.

There are still a lot of bright points along the journey.  I'm trying hard to focus on them through the bumpy parts.

Hints of Spring

March 15, 2019 by Adam in Family

It was warm enough to eat lunch on my front steps with just a t-shirt on, basking in the sun.  My tomato starts are popping up enthusiastically beside me in my office.  It looks like more blue skies today.  I'm really ready for spring.

Emma and Duncan were amusing me at the breakfast table, talking about starting a heavy metal milk band with Emma doing sign language interpretation.  I think it was mostly because "milk" was one of the few words they knew in sign language.  I told them these were the moments that made parenting worthwhile.

Ben's had a hard week with school and friends, with Joanna feeling stressed out.  Sam's off doing his own thing more and more.  I'm feeling much better from my Wednesday illness.

As for the impending weekend, we'll see how it goes.  Emma expressed a desire to drive to Silver Screen and rent a video, just like we used to do in ages past.  Maybe we can visit the last Blockbuster in the world the next time we're in Bend.  Duncan likely wants to work on his Geometry Dash level.  Emma's been having fun playing Cultist Simulator.  Ben has endless craft projects.  Joanna probably just wants some sleep.

Back From the Dead

March 13, 2019 by Adam in Family

I had a horrible headache this morning. Joanna would call it a migraine and I'm not sure I'd disagree. I was basically non-functional from 3 a.m. until noon, writhing and moaning in pain. Fortunately I feel much better now, a mild ache that I'm treating with tea and rest.

Duncan apparently woke up, waited a little, and then woke up Ben to tell them we'd slept in due to Daylight Savings Time. The two of them managed to feed themselves, Ben fed the cat and started a pot of tea for Joanna. When Joanna told me this as I was deathly ill, I replied "I guess I'm done now." She replied "no, don't leave us" which I thought was a fine example of gallows humor.

I may check in briefly with work and I managed to do some dishes, but otherwise I'm taking it really easy today.

Monday

March 11, 2019 by Adam in Family

It feels like we're at the tail end of winter, with snow still on the ground, hiding in the shadows, along with flowers ready to bloom.  I cleaned out my office and made room for tomato seedlings.  Shoving seeds in the wet dirt seems like a little ritual to bring the sun back.  Joanna's knitting a temperature blanket, representing the high and lows of each day, spiraling out from the center.  We've had a lot of dark purples lately - looking forward to the yellows appearing.

It was a pretty quiet weekend.  Chloe came over to hang out with Ben, who worked on various projects over the weekend.  Duncan was his usual avoid-wearing-pants self, playing Minecraft with his dad and working on his Geometry Dash levels.  Joanna was feeling pretty worn out and read a lot, at one point supervising Ben on a paid cleaning spree.  Emma played a bunch of Cultist Simulator, going on Lovecraftian voyages beyond the walls of sleep while building up her followers.  Sam was around and we had some good hang out times, building Magic decks and playing together like old times.  And of course the whole crew got together for pizza, Mythbusters, and Jackbox games.  It sometimes seems like it's the pillars that holds up our family.

We're slowly looking for a car, settling on a Subaru Outback.  Now we actually have to find one in our price/year/odometer range.  We can borderline get away with just one car, though it ends up making life a little stressful having to coordinate schedules.

I have a day of bug fixing ahead of me.  The one I spend Friday researching was really quirky but I think it's mostly resolved and doesn't actually impact clients.

Road to Recovery

March 08, 2019 by Adam in Family

We're all still slowly recovering from last week's snow.  Mom has power again.  The roads are clear.  Kids are getting back into the school routine.  The term was pushed out a week, ending right before spring break.

Tuesday was pancake day in England, so we celebrated by having Joanna pick up crepes at 16 Tons.  She and I hid in the shed and chatted for a little date night while the kids ate in the house.  I made the shed fancy by plugging in the christmas lights.

Emma and Duncan are picking their classes at South for next year.  There's a tiny chance they have some classes together.  Emma's still got a touch of a cold.

We're still looking for a Subaru Outback, though I fear most of them were snatched up during the snowy season.  Spring break is also a little up in the air, though we're hoping to get away for a little and later take kids to the beach.  Coordinating everyone's schedules is a bit of a challenge.

I'm working on my mocha, settling into bug fixing and adding features.  The weekend will likely be pretty quiet.

Still Surviving

March 04, 2019 by Adam in Family

The weekend was mostly low-key.  Duncan hung out with Rio.  Ben's Spark Academy was canceled due to network outages.  Joanna and I walked down to her work to water plants - it's quite the cozy little office.  I made various tasty breakfasts, including crepes with strawberries to ensure Joanna continues to love me forever.  Emma's snowman melted.  Humble Monthly games arrived - Emma liked the old school racing game.  Sam and I enjoyed Cultist Simulator.  Emma was pretty sick and mostly hung out in bed, though we managed a fair number of board games.

As for the rest of the crew, mom is still without power last I checked.  She might stay over here tonight in order not to wear out Bob's welcome.  

We're still a little worn out.  Life is never boring.  Tomorrow is pancake day, an English tradition where you make crepes.  We might head over to 16 Tons as they apparently have gluten-free versions we can make.

Snowy Mocha Friday

March 01, 2019 by Adam in Family

It's a school day!  The roads are generally clear, though the sidewalks still have a foot of snow.  Still, I'm hoping that this marks a general return to normalcy.  I got mom to Bob's house last night.  I'll probably pick her up to get her back to her car this afternoon.  I've got an all day security meeting today - hopefully it's interesting.  All-in-all work is coming along nicely, despite the wackiness of the work week.

Day 4 - We Have Begun Forming Tribes

March 01, 2019 by Adam in Family

The town isn't entirely feral, but some of the roads are iffy and everyone is still being a little wonky.  No school for the fourth day in a row - I can't remember the last time Duncan wore pants.  Yesterday afternoon I took Emma to her mom's house, loaded with DVDs to entertain them while their cable and Internet were out.  Driving back was a little exciting, getting briefly stuck on one of the side streets.

This afternoon I went over to Bob's to fetch mom.  We got her phone, which FedEx delivered to her doorstep.  EWEB left a note that the power line to her house was turned off.  Hopefully mom can line up an electrician to get power hooked up again, though I imagine those folks are really busy.  While she was gathering clothes, I shoveled the back driveway and got the Prius out to the front of the house.  It was a little exciting, and the ABS is pretty solid on that car.  I ended up sweaty but satisfied.

Joanna made bananna bread.  Mom's showering and charging all her devices.  I think I'll get her back to Bob's house before it gets too dark and cold.

No idea if kids will go back to school tomorrow, but we're surviving.  I think it'll be okay.