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I've just had my morning mocha and am settlin...
June 30, 2006 by Adam in Family
 I've just had my morning mocha and am settling down for the day. This week has gone relatively well, considering I was gone for over a week. I think it's due to this time of year, when lots of people are on vacation anyway. Things seem to be slowing down, which is nice.
I think we're going to have a relatively low-key weekend, though the rest of them in this month are pretty exciting. Jamie's and my anniversary is next weekend and my birthday is in a few weeks. Somewhere in there I might have jury duty.
Last night Jamie helped the kids make whip cream, which was liberally applied to a rootbeer float, ice cream, and peaches. It was joyous fun for all.
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As the saying goes, it's Africa hot
June 27, 2006 by Adam in Family
 As the saying goes, it's Africa hot. Tarzan couldn't handle the heat. Going up the stairs to our bedroom was like descending into the pits of hell. When I went to work at 7 o'clock this morning, it already seemed toasty. Stupid global warming.
I've achieved some sort of vague Internet fame. When you search Google for "Adam Miller", a link to my gaming site comes up first. I suspect it'll eventually change, but it's nice to see that I beat the other Adam Miller's out there - the musician, the stockbroker, and the baseball player. Gamers rule!
The kids have been running wild a bit lately, not going to sleep at any normal hour. I've been having a hard time watching them outside as it's so darn hot. I think I'm at a disadvantage due to my low surface area to volume ratio. Stupid physics.
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It's hard to imagine that two days have passe...
June 24, 2006 by Adam in Family
It's hard to imagine that two days have passed since we got back home and basically nothing of any importance has happened. Thursday I took a lot of walks with Sam, returning with a sunburn and four dozen bagels. Friday was spent having breakfast with my mom and entertaining Josh. He and Sam played Garry's Mod endlessly on the computer, creating creative physics traps for each other. Afterwards they played Magic, which got Sam very excited to play more.
Towards the evening I took them swimming. Emma was a great jumper and loved to swim around with her head under water now that she has goggles. I had fun swimming halfway across the pool, under water, chasing after rings that Sam threw to me.
As for today, I'll probably stick to my normal library and humble bagel routine. I also promised Sam a game of Magic when he woke up this morning. Great fun.
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We're back! It feels good to be home, the mo...
June 22, 2006 by Adam in Family
 We're back! It feels good to be home, the most remarkable thing being all the green surrounding Eugene. After several days up in the high desert, it seems strange to see the trees so big and close together. It's hard to know where to start with our adventures, so I'll go chronologically.
On Friday we mostly took it easy, and Saturday as well. The place we were staying, Eagle Crest, is mostly a golf resort. Right outside our back door was the golf course, and out our front door was another row of houses and then the golf course. It was a bit odd. Fortunately there was a pool and playground, I'm guessing for the wives and children of all the golfers staying there. Sam liked wandering off the well-watered greens and going out to the scrub to look for creatures. I think Sam found over 20 different critters, including deer, rabbits, lizards, snakes, and more.
 On Sunday, Dave, Josh, Kirsten, Sam, and I took a trip on the Crooked River Railroad. It went from Redmond to Prineville, a slow and rocky trip with a Western theme. During the middle of the trip, we were chased by bandits on horseback and robbed at gunpoint. Fortunately we were also served brunch and entertained by assorted western songs. "Ghost Riders in the Sky" is still stuck in my head.
The only problem was the movement, which caused me to be pretty queasy. Sam barely touched his food and was pretty quiet the whole trip, so I think it got to him too.
Monday was spent at the High Desert Museum, which was pretty amazing. There were lots of live animals, from bobcats to porcupines. Indoors you could walk through a mine and into a pioneer town. Jamie didn't think it was particularly authentic, however, as it was missing a saloon and red light district. We ran around until exhausted. Emma collapsed that night at seven o'clock and didn't wake until eight the next morning.
 Tuesday was the day when Sam and I ran off to do our own thing. I took the car and drove south to the Lava River Cave. It was closed, but that didn't deter us any. We wandered up ourselves, a backup flashlight from the hotel in our hands. The caves were pretty incredible, very dark and cold. Blocks of ice were on the floor and you couldn't see where you were going unless you shone the light directly down. After going in a ways, Sam let me know it had reached his freaky limit and it was time to head back.
 After that, we drove up to the Lava Lands park and we walked alone through paths that wound between miles of lava rocks. It was closed like the other park, so we were the only ones around. It was a neat, if short trip, to survey the devastation that once took place there. Afterwards we drove back into Bend and watched Mission Impossible 3.
Today Jamie decided that it was time to return home. The tomatoes needed us, and we bid Judy farewell to work on her tan. It was a surprisingly short drive home and we just unpacked and ordered takeout from Tasty Thai. We have a long four days ahead of me to try to do nothing of any great importance.
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When Sadie was little, she would crawl into m...
June 16, 2006 by Adam in Family
 When Sadie was little, she would crawl into my suitcase and I'd carry her around the house. This was considered high adventure and when in college when I lived with my mom, Sadie came down stairs (now 7 or so), she sheepishly asked for another ride. It was a tight fit, but we managed.
Emma discovered the same fun yesterday, climbing in and asking for various rides. Another Miller tradition handed from one generation to the next.
We're nearly all packed and ready to go. The kids go to school this morning, their last day. I'm going to see if I can sneak the computer with me and perhaps make some postings from Bend. I'm going to try and walk down to the library and pick up some kid videos and a book for myself. Somewhere in there I'm hoping to finish packing.
For those of you keeping track, the work issues worked themselves out yesterday. My brilliant ideas won the day, or at least I exhausted my foes due to endless, lengthy e-mails. I even got to do some coding with our new languages and standards, which was new and interesting.
If I'm not able to post, happy early Father's Day to all you dads out there.
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Josh is back in town
June 15, 2006 by Adam in Family
 Josh is back in town. He and Dave came over last night to watch the kids while Jamie and I finished watching a movie we started a couple weeks ago. Josh seems pretty much the same as always, if perhaps another inch or two taller and a slightly deeper voice. As always, he was most interested in video games, sneaking home with the manual to one of my newer games.
Work was nutty yesterday. I spent somewhere between three and four hours on the phone. Unfortunately one conversation got particularly heated and it took me awhile to get to my "whatever place" (sort of like other people's "happy place"). I went to the gym, calmed down, and wrote a lengthy e-mail giving pro's and con's about the different approaches. We'll see what happens today.
It just struck me that today is technically my Friday since I'll be going off on vacation tomorrow. I certainly think that suggests a mocha, don't you?
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It's been a calm and pleasant week
June 14, 2006 by Adam in Family
It's been a calm and pleasant week. Nothing of great importance is going on. We're slowly getting ready for the trip, doing the typical family stuff, and enjoying the warm if cloudy weather.
Sam has recently gotten a passion for sketching. The other day he wanted me to take a picture of the neighborhood cat so that he could draw it. Jamie dug up an old book of animals so that he could find interesting ones and draw them. He's been doing extremely well with school lately, especially reading and writing.
Emma's drawing skills have improved as well. She loves drawing faces with huge eyes and tiny bodies. She can also recognize her name, and she demands that each one of her drawings have it on the corner, just like in school. I also watched her play an education computer game the other day, counting, recognizing letters, matching, and effortlessly moving the mouse about.
As for us old folks, Jamie and I haven't been doing much of interest. Jamie's been doing her Tuesday and Thursday workouts, starting to feel like she can actually do the routine without feeling like dying. I do my little house projects, game projects, and play a bunch with the kids.
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Sunday afternoon
June 12, 2006 by Adam in Family
 Sunday afternoon. I'm beat. For some reason, I get this burst of energy on Saturday, cheerfully hauling kids about and playing with them non-stop. Now I'm sitting on the patio with the laptop, making sure they don't get in too much trouble.
The big event for the day was a trip to Oakway mall, where the kids spent most of the time running around in the courtyard. We picked up a little food, a belt for Sam, and various other items. Other than that, we painted some deck furniture and tried to relax.
Next week is the kid's last one before Summer vacation. Emma's preschool is likely closing for good, so we'll have to figure something else for her this Fall. I think Sam might actually miss school, or at least all the friends he's made there. Josh is in town for quite awhile this Summer, so I'm sure all the cousins will get together while he's around.
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I'll send along my birthday greetings to Sadi...
June 11, 2006 by Adam in Family
I'll send along my birthday greetings to Sadie as well. A quarter of a century. Why I remember changin' diapers and, well, nevermind.
As expected, we did our usual swimming, library, bagel routine like we do every weekend. It was lots of fun. Sam and I finished watching Apollo 13 while Emma watched a playtime video. At one point I ran downstairs when I heard some noise. Emma was running back to the video with a bowl and fork, announcing she was making music like the kids on the show. It was sweet.
Since the weather has been good, we went outside a fair amount. The kids caught bugs and Sam worked on his fort inside the huge butterfly bush. I pressure washed an old piece of patio furniture that needs to be repainted. Jamie drove a friend to the airport and got a pedicure with Jenny. After dinner, we took a walk through the neighborhood and explored around.
As for today, I'm not sure what we're up to. All I know is that Jamie's promised blueberry coffee cake for breakfast. Unfortunately I can't think of anything after that to top it.
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Mocha Friday
June 09, 2006 by Adam in Family
 Mocha Friday. I'll be sneaking into work momentarily, getting ready to get a cup of that glorious elixir.
Speaking of coffee, I bid and won the Java Jive basket at the carnival last night. Sadly my bid to get monthly pies didn't make it, nor did the Sweet Life gift certificate. No word yet on if I won any of the raffle baskets.
The carnival was fun for the whole family, as promised. They do it every year to raise money for the school. It's how they fund their PE, music, and computer classes, it seems. Sam ran off and spent the whole time at the squirtgun arena. Jamie went to work a booth. Emma and I played games, won prizes, and generally had a good time.
We've got our normal weekend routine starting up - swimming tonight and then library and bagels tomorrow. Sam doesn't have school today and next week is the beginning of Summer vacation. A week from now, we'll be driving to Bend. Very strange.
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It was a fairly relaxing Sunday, as weekend d...
June 05, 2006 by Adam in Family
 It was a fairly relaxing Sunday, as weekend days go. Ray and Ella came down for most of the afternoon, bringing birthday presents for Emma and visiting. Emma is quite taken with Ella and was trying to convince her to crawl into the play tents we have set up in the basement. Dave and Kirsten came over later in the day, visiting and playing with the kids.
Emma thought her new clothes were wonderful, adding in a tiara and slippers to complete the outfit. Even Sam had fun with Emma's new toys, sliding the occupants of Dora's house off the roof in slow motion.
We did very little of any great importance. Sam finished watching the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. We'd exchange knowing "waa, waa, waaa" noises throughout the day. Sam read a surprising number of pages in his new book from the library. It's really meant for kids a few years older than him, but his reading skills have improved greatly since the beginning of the year. I helped him through the really tough words like "belligerent", though he managed "encyclopedia" on his own.
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You can see the big version of this picture i...
June 04, 2006 by Adam in Family
 You can see the big version of this picture in the photoalbum. Sam just got new pants, shirts, hat, and glasses from my mom. He decided he looked pretty cool, and so we had to have an impromptu photo shoot. Sam's sure looking pretty cool these days.
Yesterday we did our normal routine. I always have fun going to the library and Humble Bagel afterwords, reveling in good books and baked goods. It was the start of the library's summer reading program, and Sam picked out a huge book called So You Want To Be A Wizard, which he seems pretty happy about. I think he's read the introduction so far.
After coming home, Sam watched The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. Then it was off to Jenny's birthday party. Emma really wanted to go swimming, even though it was freezing. I dunked her in for a few minutes until she started to shiver. All the cousins ran around and had a good time.
As for today, it sounds like Jamie's dad and Ella will be arriving late this morning. I'm still trying to figure out what to do with the kids, maybe go to a park or go shopping for a new belt for Sam. We'll see.
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It's about an hour until Mocha Friday really ...
June 02, 2006 by Adam in Family
 It's about an hour until Mocha Friday really kicks in. I woke up way too early this morning and sat down to play a little Half-Life 2: Episode One. With a name like that, it's got to be good.
Emma has taken this "turning three" thing to heart. She's become amazingly strong-willed as of late, sometimes to her detriment. I've been trying to explain that insects are meant to be watched, not played with, though she evidently thought I was being an old fuddy-duddy. She was playing with ants yesterday afternoon and sure enough managed to rile up the entire nest. A couple minutes later we were picking ants out of her hair and rushing her inside. Soon she was buck naked, crying, and sobbing "I'm doomed!" Fortunately after a hug and some insect bite medicine, she was much better.
This weekend is shaping up to be quite busy, with Jenny's birthday party and Jamie's dad visiting. Hopefully we can find some quiet time along the way too.
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