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It's Sunday already
July 29, 2007 by Adam in Family
 It's Sunday already. I survived without Jamie fairly well so far, though admittedly I had a little help. Friday night was our normal swimming night, though poor Emma complained the salt water hurt her hurt toe and spent the entire time out of the pool. She ended up assembling a lounge chair out of foam exercise weights, so she wasn't too bored.
Saturday was a whirlwind of activity which included a hearty breakfast, a trip to the library, and walking over to Saturday market. At the end of that, both kids were pretty cranky so we hung out at home and had some quiet time. Then we had a short trip to Fred Meyer's to get food and pool supplies. Each kid also got a little treat for themselves, Sam picking out a watch and Emma getting a pink chair. Sam spent the rest of the day announcing the time every five minutes.
In the evening, Dave, Josh, and Kirsten came over. They entertained the kids while I made a big dinner. After filling 'em up on pasta and corn, I had them move the last of the big furniture around. Sam now has an actual bed and the guest bed is in Emma's room. Both kids slept on their new beds last night.
We also had some excitement with the pool in the back yard. Saturday morning we went out to find the upper ring deflated. Evidently the raccoons had returned. We reinflated it and taped it up. Since the pool water was filthy, we turned on the filters all day, dumped in huge amounts of bleach, and scooped out all the bugs and detritus. At the end of the day, the water was actually fairly clean looking.
As for today, well, I'd love to rest. Theoretically Jamie returns sometime. We'll see how it goes.
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It's Mocha Friday, though I haven't actually ...
July 27, 2007 by Adam in Family
 It's Mocha Friday, though I haven't actually gotten my beverage of choice yet. I suspect I'll swing by Starbucks on the drive into work.
We've hit another milestone in the Miller-Mellor household. Sam is now mostly moved downstairs to the guest bedroom. The mattress is on the floor, but he has his dresser and books, along with his homemade ugly doll named Ogg.
The funniest part was coming home last night and being handed a blue badge with "Authority" written on it in metallic colors. Jamie's was silver, which means she could go into Sam's room during the day if she knocks first. I, of course, got a gold badge, which means I have full access. Poor Emma is badgeless, so she would knock patiently and wait for Sam to say "come in".
I'm not sure how Emma feels about the move. This is the first time she's had a room to herself. I'd ask her and she'd say it was "horrible" or something along those lines. Last night when we were putting her to bed, she was folding clothes and fixing up her room the way she wanted. I think she'll be just fine.
Jamie and I were a little tense last night. It's been a rough week at work for me and having the kids full time this Summer has been harder than she expected. Hopefully this weekend away will be relaxing for her. I suspect my kid-filled weekend will be less than quiet, but fun nonetheless.
Tonight is swimming, which I can hopefully coordinate with Jenny. Tomorrow is the library and Humble Bagel. I think we'll be hosting Dave and Josh in the evening. With luck I can get them to help me move the rest of the furniture around for the kids' bedrooms. As for Sunday, well, maybe we'll take a hike or go to the playground. We'll see how it goes.
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Jamie made plans to go to the coast with her ...
July 25, 2007 by Adam in Family
Jamie made plans to go to the coast with her mom this weekend, so it looks like I'll have the kids to myself. I'll probably do the typical swimming/library/park activities. Maybe if I can think of something brilliant and interesting, we'll do that too.
Yesterday saw some progress in turning the guest bedroom into Sam's bedroom. Desks were sanded and prepped for painting. Books were moved around. Sam's getting pretty excited about it.
Work continues to be amazingly busy. My brain is tired.
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The week is chugging along
July 24, 2007 by Adam in Family
The week is chugging along. Work is still insane, but not quite to the degree it was yesterday. I got paged at midnight last night, but managed to get up at a reasonable hour and head in to work, only to find a new set of crises to deal with.
Sam slept outside in a tent last night. Jamie and I chatted briefly this morning and decided it was getting to the point where he needed his own room. He and Emma love each other dearly, but they've been spending way too much time together this Summer and Sam needs a place he can call his own.
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The weekend is coming to a close
July 23, 2007 by Adam in Family
 The weekend is coming to a close. I think I've milked the maximum number of birthdays possible. Last night Jamie made a birthday dinner for Josh, my mom, and I. Today at noon my mom and I celebrated at Jenny's house. That's a lotta birthday. It was fun chatting with my family and Isabell, Destin, and Jordan played in the pool.
Friday night the kids and I swam. On Saturday, Sam, Josh, Dave and I went to the Transformers movie and enjoyed the quality of the explosions. Later Emma and I went to the library together where she happily wolfed down a bagel.
The main excitement of the weekend was finding raccoons had eaten holes in the tubes leading to the pool, presumably looking to get at the juicy dead bugs inside. Today Sam, Emma, and I went to TruValue to get new ones. We stopped by Metropol bakery to eat pastries and drink too much coffee (I did the coffee, they did the pastries).
Of course, tomorrow is the big day at work. I'm waking up at 4 am to check how the server upgrade went. I suspect I'll be fielding help desk calls until late in the afternoon. There's always weird things that pop up. "I picked the wrong week to stop sniffing glue" is a phrase often muttered after a server upgrade.
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Mocha Friday
July 20, 2007 by Adam in Family
Mocha Friday. I cheated and stopped by Starbuck's on the way to work this morning. I'm not yet brave enough to try the cafeteria here at work.
Last night was a pretty low-key birthday celebration. I got a card from my dad and Yayoe, complete with Old Navy gift certificates. Emma made a card and gave me her coveted lucky kitty statue. Sam drew me a map of Samatopia. Jamie bought me cheesecake from Metropol. It was all good.
Jamie was pretty tired last night, so I spent a fair bit of time with the kids. They were in good spirits, so it was a pleasure. Emma played in the sand box while Sam swam in the pool. Later we played assorted odd student games from the Experimental Gameplay site. They were both enamored of Cacodaemon's Barbecue Party in Hell, which involves spinning a cute little kitty and then tossing it in the oven. Good times.
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It's my birthday today
July 19, 2007 by Adam in Family
 It's my birthday today. 38 years old.
I just finished having breakfast with my mom. There was some mix-up over which Glenwood to go to, but she dutifully drove across town twice in order to make it happen. I was entertained by a gaggle of teenage girls reading Harry Potter out loud, which both amused and made me feel a little old.
It's a strange feeling sneaking up on 40. I don't feel especially old. I'm probably in the best physical shape I've ever been. Just the other day I was tossing around 100+ lbs of kids in the play room. I can still pick up both kids and spin them around in circles, which is the best justification of hitting the gym I've ever heard.
As for the rest of the family, everyone's doing well. Jamie and I had our date night last night while Josh, Dave, and Kirsten took the kids to the park. We watched Coupling, our favorite BBC show, which is like Friends but lots more funny.
Now I'm at work, slowly catching up with odd requests. I'm still getting settled in my new cubicle. Writing "Cube Sweet Cube" on the whiteboard seemed to help.
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We're back home
July 17, 2007 by Adam in Family
 We're back home.
The birthday surprise was an "ultimate" spa treatment. It was kinda fun in a vaguely girly self-indulgent way. I think I dozed off a few times during the wrap and massage.
The only thing of note is that upon our return, we found our pool completely filled with algae. The pool cover came off and turned it a cheerful green color. Of course, Sam had to jump in and swim around. He insisted I call him Swamp Thing and he repeatedly emerged to wreck vengeance upon the surface dwellers.
The kids are now in bed, winding down for sleep. I go to my new work tomorrow. Ah, change.
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I'm posting from the Bonneville Hot Springs R...
July 16, 2007 by Adam in Family
I'm posting from the Bonneville Hot Springs Resort & Spa. Jamie drove us out of Portland yesterday, where we stopped by a waterfall and then headed across the Bridge of the Gods into Washington. I finally guessed the hot springs as our destination, going off her clue that I should bring a swimming suit while packing.
The resort is nice, very new. The spa itself is essentially a swimming pool and a couple hot tubs, filled with mineral water. There's even a hot tub in our room that's filled with the water from the spring. We've been exceedingly lazy, swimming, lounging about, and generally taking it easy. It's been quite nice.
As for today, we're heading out at eleven this morning, going to some other unknown destination. Jamie's calling it my birthday present, so we'll see what that means soon enough.
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It's Saturday morning and as usual, I'm up an...
July 15, 2007 by Adam in Family
 It's Saturday morning and as usual, I'm up and about before anyone else. We're still at Jim and Judy's house. The mysterious anniversary event starts today, I think, though Jamie has done remarkably well keeping it a secret.
On Friday Sam and I went to see the new Harry Potter movie. I though it was quite good, though Sam said it was short and left out a lot of the events from the book. Sam's moved on to the classics since finishing Harry Potter, finishing Alice in Wonderland last night.
I was going to go to Flicks and Picks to pay my final respects, but heard the news that 10,000 videos from their collection were going to be purchased by the Eugene public library. That's a perfect solution, in my opinion. Most of our movies already come from the library, and the thought that my childhood is preserved in that way fills me with hope.
Friday night was a typical swimming night. The kids had a great time as usual and we stayed a little past the point where they got tired and loopy. Towards the end they were constructing boats out of floatation devices, attacking them with sea monsters and trying to get their yellow duckies across the wide sea.
The trip up to Portland yesterday was uneventful. Everyone has a good time here, in part for the change of pace and new toys. Jim and Judy took the kids to a fountain while Jamie and I went to Fry's to wander the halls of electronica and return with a couple headphones and highlighters.
As for today, who knows? I think the mystery will be revealed after breakfast. Should be fun.
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Well, we aren't going to Portland just yet
July 13, 2007 by Adam in Family
 Well, we aren't going to Portland just yet. There was some miscommunication between Jamie and her mom, so we're heading up tomorrow. I thought about going in to work today, but decided to instead do fun things such as go to the library, take the kids swimming, and see the new Harry Potter movie. I might swing by Flicks and Picks to give my last respects and maybe pick up a movie or two at their sale.
Last night I was so tired, so much so that I was a little on the grumpy side. I fell asleep on the couch next to Emma as she watched some show. We also worked on "experiments", including the old standby, corn starch, water, and food coloring. Later in the evening I perked right up, but it took awhile.
Everyone helped me move into my new cubicle yesterday. The kids were great for the first half, and then got pretty wacky towards the end. I got my plants moved over and watered them heavily. My computer got plugged in and turned on, connecting to the network just fine. When Tuesday comes, I guess I'll be as ready as I'll ever be.
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It's my final day working in the Support Serv...
July 12, 2007 by Adam in Family
It's my final day working in the Support Services building next to Sacred Heart. At lunch today, I'm going to be going home, grabbing my family, and moving everything off to the new place. It's in the old Sony building, clear across town. There's a gym, which is good, and free parking, which is also good. The room itself seems like a sea of gray cubicles, without much character.
I did my last bike ride coming in this morning. It was warm and gorgeous, and I wore a t-shirt with no jacket. It's days like this that I'll miss.
Last night Jamie and I went out on a date, going to Oakway mall for dinner and shopping. I picked up some boxer shorts with cephalopods, which made my day.
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I had a whopping headache this morning, mostl...
July 10, 2007 by Adam in Family
I had a whopping headache this morning, mostly controlled by a combination of Cafe Mocha and Advil. Supposedly it's going to reach 100 degrees today, so the thought of sitting quietly in an air conditioned building was greatly appealing.
Jamie was getting the pool ready for the kids today. I think even Emma might enjoy a dip in the cool water once the temperature gets up there. Sam and John went swimming for a long while yesterday. I think Sam's inventing new pool games, such as running around the perimeter and creating a whirl pool effect. Great fun.
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Everyone's back again and we had a wonderful ...
July 09, 2007 by Adam in Family
 Everyone's back again and we had a wonderful day yesterday. I whipped up breakfast for a change while Jamie went to the gym. Sam read Harry Potter while Emma and I painted. Later we went to Hendrick's Park to fly a kite, play Frisbee, and run around. Humble Bagel followed, with Emma striking up a conversation with a fellow bagel-goer. Upon return was Night at the Museum for Sam (Care Bears for Emma). Jamie visited with Angie and I had a few moments to myself.
When I went to return the movies, I sadly discovered that Flicks and Picks was closing, the store where I'd rented videos since I was a kid. I sadly handed over a video for the last time and returned to the car to find Emma fast asleep. I carried her to the guest bedroom in her princess dress. She looked just like sleeping beauty.
The kids went to Bob's house for dinner. Emma picked a bunch of blueberries for me. Jamie and I made dinner together and watched part of some overly dramatic Johnny Depp movie. It made for a busy, funny, happy day.
Now I'm heading into work in a few hours. The days are counting down, with everyone coming to work on Thursday to help me pack and move to the new place. Very odd.
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It's Mocha Friday, the last one at my current...
July 06, 2007 by Adam in Family
It's Mocha Friday, the last one at my current place of work. I'm still not sure what I'll do once I start going mobile, driving a car each day. Maybe I'll make one for myself at home before I head out.
I survived my night alone at Casa del Miller-Mellor. I admittedly played a bit of video games, which I rarely get to do when I have famiily about. There was also a tremendous amount of work to be done, from watering plants, doing laundry, doing dishes, and so on. My exciting Friday evening plans involve going food shopping and finishing laundry.
Everyone should be back tomorrow afternoon. I'll probably make myself a hearty breakfast and go to Farmer's Market. I should probably relax a bit, while I can, as I suspect Jamie will want lots of alone time when she returns.
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It's been a fairly quiet week so far, except ...
July 05, 2007 by Adam in Family
 It's been a fairly quiet week so far, except for yesterday where America joined together to show their patriotism by blowing things up. We celebrated over at the Musgroves' where Jeff had purchased a massive arsenal of fireworks. Emma thought they were pretty neat until they got to the loud ones. Sam stayed late and got driven home, then switching to our balcony to watch the ones around town.
It looks like Jamie and the kids are going to the coast today. It was a spur of the moment decision, trying to come up with something to stay cool and entertain the kids for a few days. Fortunately for Jamie, I usually transform that weird, jittery feeling when my family's away into compulsive house work. I'm not sure I'll have time to create a master bedroom suite or add in a hot tub, but I'm sure I'll think of something.
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The weekend has come and gone
July 02, 2007 by Adam in Family
The weekend has come and gone. There weren't really a lot of big events or exciting stories. It was fun, pleasant, and somewhat relaxing. Friday night I went swimming with the kids. The hour flew by like it was nothing, with everyone having a great time. Now that Emma can move around so well in the water, it's a lot more fun for everyone.
Saturday was pancakes, eggs, and espresso, then a trip to the library and Humble Bagel with the kids. Sam picked up Piratology, which has lots of cool things to fiddle with inside. I think it's become Emma's favorite new book. We then had quiet time, watching movies, then playing a little in the pool and sandbox. Evening came and went without too much excitement.
Sunday's highlights were a trip to 5th Street Market and the kids playing with Sierra in the afternoon. I got some gardening in and bothered Jamie in the kitchen. She and Sam made egg noodles from scratch, which got turned into great noodle soup. Dave and Kirsten came over that night, where we drank martinis and had a delicious meal. The kids watched the old Fantasia and really enjoyed it.
Now it's Monday. I'm going to take a field trip to my new office in a half an hour. It's the first time I've seen things all set up. Next Thursday I'll move my stuff over, right before our anniversary trip to Portland. Ah, change.
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