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Another weekend, come and gone
July 31, 2006 by Adam in Family
 Another weekend, come and gone. Let's see if I can do a quick summary.
Saturday I took Sam to the library and Humble Bagel while Jamie took Emma on a stroller ride to the store. It was nice hanging out with just Sam. He really got into getting some books for himself and complained a bit later in the weekend when he'd read many of them already. He's not quite to the chapter book level of reading for fun, but he loves pouring over illustrations and reading captions.
The afternoon was fairly low-key. The kids played out in the backyard for awhile. We played, watched movies, and generally took it easy.
Sunday morning I took the kids for a short hike at Skinner's Butte and then played at the nearby park. The kids got extremely wet and sandy, managing to get cleaned off well enough to take another trip to Humble Bagel afterwards. Towards the afternoon we got ready for Josh's going away party, along with some continued sandbox fun in our own backyard.
It was a rousing send-off for Josh. He finished up a computer game he'd been playing on our computers, as well as playing a couple rounds of Give Me the Brain with Kirsten, Dave, and Sam. Jamie was a good parent and kept an eye on Emma while the rest of us partied.
Now I'm back and work and just caught up with the critical stuff, taking a short break before I dive into the big projects. Only an hour until I head back home again.
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And here is a message from that "girl" that A...
July 30, 2006 by Jamie in Jamie
And here is a message from that "girl" that Adam was referring to. Looking forward to several big changes, although not in my life...Angie is very ready to pop, Vic is looking forward to the plunge, and Brant and Wendy have finally taken it. Kids are in swimming lessons next week. and me...I am hanging in there, waiting for life to begin ;-)
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It does seem that every story is, at its hear...
July 29, 2006 by Adam in Adam's Games
 It does seem that every story is, at its heart, about a girl.
I continue to play Prey, wandering the convoluted hallways in search of my character's girlfriend. The graphics of the game are pretty darn' creepy, one of the better "biomechanical" implementations I've seen in awhile.
Sam's still playing Star Wars: Republic Commando. It's strange that I almost never have to help him out. He's reading all the hint screens as he plays and figuring it out quite well.
Sam and I periodically break out my old Magic cards and play. Last night we played a normal game, hidden hands, with two pretty solid decks. He asked a couple times for advice, but otherwise played by himself. He managed to beat me and was quite proud of himself. Now he's asking Jamie if she'll play with him. I'm sure there's some sort of parent/child dynamic going on, but I'm not quite sure what.
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Well, I am about to head home for the day, an...
July 29, 2006 by Seraph in Cortez
Well, I am about to head home for the day, and thought I'd post a quick note.
Robbie, Isa, and Hanni made it to UT just fine. They are enjoying fine weather and beautiful mountains.
It was a busy week at work. I got to attend a Management Committee meeting, which are normally closed door, and attend a Beaver's baseball game with my fellow interns (catered in the co. suite). But before you think that design and development is all fun and games... I also had to deal with shipping ports destroyed by war and incorrectly sized products. My supervisor is off to NY market next week, so a few of use are holding down the fort. I have a funny feeling it will be more work then fun and games.
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Sam got three more checks on his work chart a...
July 28, 2006 by Adam in Sam
 Sam got three more checks on his work chart and got his Star Wars: Republic Commando game. He was pretty excited about it and I let him play a bit longer than normal. It's funny how motivated he gets with his chart when video games are involved.
Sam's reading is improving greatly, seemingly by osmosis. The other day he played a complicated card game by himself, reading all the cards and actually winning. Everywhere we go, he'll be reading signs out loud.
The exciting part of Summer starts soon, with swimming lessons next week. At this point, he's really comfortable in the water and basically just needs to work on his technique. He can swim around the deep end with basically no problems these days.
Good kid.
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Mocha Friday, though I'm still an hour or so ...
July 28, 2006 by Adam in Family
 Mocha Friday, though I'm still an hour or so away from that scrumptious treat. Work has been busy lately, though I've been feeling like I've been making good progress on some rather big projects. In an odd way, I'm eager to go in and finish things up.
I had a really good time with the kids last night. I broke out the slip and slide, much to the delight of everyone. Emma was very brave and went down it herself for the first time. She wanted a couple turns on Sam's lap first, but then she saw that it wasn't too dangerous. It was funny watching all the adults drive by and giving knowing smiles, wistful of the days where that was all it took to become happy.
I decided to put together a going away party for Josh this Sunday. I decided to do all the things he likes best - eating salad and public speaking. Oh, wait, that's not it. We're having pizza and will likely play cards and video games. Perhaps we can introduce him to the hi-jinks that is Give me the Brain. We'll miss him when he's back in Tennessee.
I also uploaded a version of "When I'm 64", sung at my mom's birthday last weekend. I don't think any of us will be invited to American Idol, but you can see it here.
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Well, I got Prey last night in the mail, thou...
July 27, 2006 by Adam in Adam's Games
 Well, I got Prey last night in the mail, though I've only had a bit of time to play. There's some great things about it so far, though I'm not sure it's in the "best game ever" category. Currently I feel somewhat overwhelmed, tumbling from one strange room to another. Strange creatures attack, the gravity puzzles are disorienting, and the weapons are bizarre living things.
Still, it's a somewhat novel sensation, one that I'm sure the designers planned. The portals are fun to play with, linking weird parts of the world together in odd ways. The graphics are gorgeous, if often somewhat creepy and gross. Everything is well-polished, from the puzzles to the overall look.
Hopefully I can find some time tonight to play more.
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Yesterday was Jamie and my date night, with J...
July 27, 2006 by Adam in Family
 Yesterday was Jamie and my date night, with Josh watching the kids while we ran off to eat dinner at three square. It was pleasant, though we both realized our lives were so boring that we didn't have a lot of exciting news to chat about.
After we got home, I chased the kids around the backyard with a hose, much to their delight. After a short bath, the entire family sat around the kitchen table and played Give Me the Brain. Sam played the real way, hiding his hand and reading his own cards, and ended up winning. I was very proud of his reading and logic skills.
It continues to be way too hot. I tried sleeping in my own bed last night, but started sweating a couple minutes after laying down. I ended up on the main floor, which felt ten degrees cooler.
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It's been smoking hot the last couple days, b...
July 25, 2006 by Adam in Family
It's been smoking hot the last couple days, but seems to finally be settling down. I've spent the last couple nights in the basement on a bed assembled from couch padding, sleeping bags, and various found objects. It's comfortable enough, though I can hear the rest of the family far too well on the floor above. With luck, we'll return to our normal beds as the temperature drops.
The kids went to the lake yesterday and returned with mild sunburns. Emma now has the pattern of her swimming suit tanned into her back. It looks like she's some sort of mutant superhero or something. Sam had a great time jumping off a platform with some bigger kids. He's a pretty good swimmer these days, and had fun moving about in the water.
It seems like Jamie and I have been ships passing in the night these last few days. I feel like tandem kid watchers, with each of us trading off personal time, project time, and kid watching. Hopefully this Wednesday we can reconnect at our date night.
It was a Café Madvil day for me. I've been feeling a touch of a headache lately, which my caffeine and painkiller concoction seems to be doing wonders with.
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I'm back from camp and had a really great time
July 24, 2006 by Robbie in Cortez
 I'm back from camp and had a really great time. I haven't been a camp counselor for over four years, and I forgot how much fun it is to be with the older kids. The camp was at Suttle Lake near Sisters. A very beautiful camp where we saw deer, and chipmunks running around the grounds. Any stress that I had was immediately gone, and I really enjoyed the peacefullness of the mountains. Some might not say it's a vacation when you have over thirty kids to watch over (seven counselors and two deans), but it was a vacation for me. We canoed, slept under the stars, swam in the lake, and went to another lake nearby and swam and threw sponge balls at the kids. We had campfire every night, sang songs, made crafts,and kept busy. All in all, the kids and counselors were happy. In the end, I hope the kids learned something about God, or became a little more spiritual, and also to respect nature.
On Wednesday, Mom, Isabell and I are off to Utah to go to a wedding of some old friends of ours. We supplied Isabell with enough games, art, and dvds to hopefully make the trip a little more comfortable. If not, please look in the obituaries when I run the car off the road, after hearing Isabell constantly repeating, "Are we there yet!" Just joking!
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For whatever reason, Sam and I are on this no...
July 24, 2006 by Adam in Adam's Games
 For whatever reason, Sam and I are on this nostalgic trip down memory lane. Sam's playing the original Half-Life and I'm playing Planescape: Torment. I feel vaguely guilty playing those ancient games on my beefy computer, but they're still remarkably fun. It does make me think about how expensive recently games are, and how much they focus on graphics and flash. It's increasingly rare to have a game have great gameplay as well.
In any case, Sam's working his way through the strange experiments of Black Mesa and I'm contemplating odd fantasy philosophy in Sigil. Good, old-school fun.
Supposedly I'm getting Prey soon. I enjoyed the demo, but heard it was quite short. Fortunately I found a pretty good deal online.
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We're back
July 24, 2006 by Adam in Family
 We're back. It's hard to know where to begin as the last four days seemed so full. At the moment, all our attention seems focused on just staying cool. It was around 70 degrees at the coast and we returned to around 100 degrees. After unpacking, I ran off to Jenny's house for a birthday party for my mom, combined with a farewell for Sadie. It was grand fun, especially seeing all my sisters in one place.
The beach trip was great, and I'm a bit sad that I'm returning to work tomorrow. It was warm and pleasant, with many trips to the beach and clubhouse pool. Sadie and my mom were pleasant company, as were Dave, Kirsten, and Josh who followed. I ended up with a bit of a sunburn, despite practically bathing in sunscreen.
There were a few highlights. Sam tried to surf some driftwood to China, resulting in hilarious splashing. Dave manipulated a crab claw like a puppet, much to Emma's delight. Sam and I spent hours diving for plastic rings at the bottom of the pool. His ability to move about in the deep end is remarkable.
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Well, I had a grand surprise party last night
July 20, 2006 by Adam in Family
 Well, I had a grand surprise party last night. Jamie's arranged to have my family visit me in shifts, so last night we had Jenny and her kids, my dad and Yayoe, and Dave, Kirsten, and Josh. Jamie also made quite a tasty array of salads, pita bread, and hummus, which is up there with my favorite things to eat. We mostly hung out while the kids played in the back yard.
As for today, I need to stop fiddling with my computer and start getting ready for the beach trip. It promises to be perfect beach weather, in the 80's and sunny. Fortunately it'll be better than the 100 degree weather we're supposedly having in Eugene while we're gone.
Time to pack!
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Emma periodically speaks of a mysterious Gran...
July 20, 2006 by Adam in Emma
Emma periodically speaks of a mysterious Grandma Sprinkle from time to time. She'd say odd things like she died on the sand. When asked where she lived, it was "Massatunia." Funny girl.
Emma continues to grow and her vocabulary becomes increasingly amazing. I sometimes forget she's only three. Today she got a new sticker chart for going to the bathroom. I asked what happened when she filled up the chart. "She gets to flush it down the toilet," replied Jamie dryly.
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Generic Heading
July 19, 2006 by Betsy in Betsy
Happy Birthday Adam!
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Generic Heading
July 19, 2006 by Seraph in Cortez
Happy Birthday big brother! We love you!!
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Well, it's my birthday
July 19, 2006 by Adam in Adam
 Well, it's my birthday. I turn 37 today. I have my suspicions that Jamie is planning some event this evening, but she's been remarkably tight-lipped about it. I'm also terribly excited about the four-day beach trip that's coming up.
Works been wacky lately. We keep working on standards and all this new ASP.Net stuff. I think I broke a new record as to how long it took to make a single update form. It's been a couple weeks and it's still not entirely finished.
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Happy Monday!Something weird just happend to ...
July 17, 2006 by Yayoe in Yayoe
Happy Monday!Something weird just happend to the last posting I wrote.It disappeared...so I'm starting this all over again. Hope it doesn't reappear along with this one. Thanks to all of you for your love and support during this very hectic weekend. Lohring is home safe and sound and looking well despite continuing pain in his chest and arm. He has some assorted cuts on his arms and legs from crawling through the window of the car but says he almost feels like his old self. Sadie came with me to the airport to welcome him back. As soon as he came into the house he headed for his computer to review what he called "thousands of e-mails." Now he's looking through his bills and also trying to figure out how to get his stuff back from Florida.He plans to see his patients at LCC this week and is also planning to attend another boat race in Montana...SO I guess my plan to tie him up with duct tape and keep him from being his usual way to busy self ain't gonna work...sigh...So thanks again for all the calls and support..very much appreciated. We feel so blessed to have such a wonderful and loving family!!
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Another weekend, come and gone
July 17, 2006 by Adam in Family
 Another weekend, come and gone. Fortunately this is a short week for me, with my birthday beach trip coming up this Thursday.
We finished up the garage Sunday, putting up bike holders, cleaning the floor, and generally arranging things. Emma cheerfully scrubbed every surface we'd let her, happy to be working next to her parents. That was our big Summer house project, which was over faster than we thought. The next big task is to replace the front gate and wall, which is rotting away.
The other big event was going over to my mom's for dinner. It was great to see Sadie, even though she's sniffly. The kids enjoyed playing with their cousins. It sounds like my dad is doing increasingly well and should be back in town by now.
Sadly, it's time for me to get things ready and head off to work.
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Good morning! We picked up Sadie at 9 last ni...
July 16, 2006 by Sue in Wielesek
Good morning! We picked up Sadie at 9 last night because she was able to catch an earlier flight. Robbie is off being a camp counselor at church camp this week. Sadie still has a bad cold, but is on the mend. See you all at
six this evening. Meat and vegetarian sauce available.
A quiet thank you to all the unknown readers out there for
dropping in to check on Lorhing. I'm a great believer in
Good Thoughts.
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For whatever reason, yesterday was an interes...
July 16, 2006 by Adam in Family
 For whatever reason, yesterday was an interesting day. It began as usual, playing with the kids until Jamie made breakfast. We then spent some time cleaning out the garage and getting rid of all sorts of junk. It's now almost tidy in there. Afterwards, we went off to the library, which turned out to be practically closed due to the Thai princess arriving.
We stuck around to wait for the arrival. Sam counted fifteen police escort vehicles. Emma was a little disappointed that she didn't ride up on a pink pony, but at least we can all say we've seen a real princess.
I took the kids to humble bagel, a nearby game store, and then home. After some quiet time, I went off to dispose of some old monitors at this quirky computer recycling place a couple blocks from Angie's house. They had all these refurbished computers and old software. It was terribly nostalgic, but I managed to refrain from purchasing anything. I then had a luxurious hour by myself at the library where I got great stuff for everyone and nothing for me. I felt like Santa.
The only other funny thing was that we all played a game called Give Me the Brain that we'd picked up at the game store. Jamie was initially not impressed, but it ended on a funny note with everyone winning except me. Jamie played a card that made everyone discard their hand, which normally means they win. Unfortunately I had a card that said "You cannot win." and so I lost.
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GOOD NEWZ ABOUT LOHRING!Happy beautiful Satur...
July 15, 2006 by Yayoe in Yayoe
GOOD NEWZ ABOUT LOHRING!Happy beautiful Saturday! It's about 2:30 p.m.and I just got off the phone with Lohring, who has made a most amazing and miraculous recovery from his life threatening car crash. He feel much improved and was out at the Florida boat racing pond taking pictures "because it was my job and I needed to do my job." So that tells you that he is feeling better. He still has residual pain in his left shoulder and chest from the seat belt and air bag. He was able to recount more details about the crash as well. He swerved to avoid the truck in front of him and the car immediately rolled over and went back and forth and hit a guard rail. He ended upside down and was disoriented but managed to crawl out of the car. At first he said he didn't realize he was upside down. He was fortunate that no cars hit him from behind. The ambulance was on the scene very soon after the accident. Today he continues to recover and is doing all the paper work, etc. for the insurance company and his credit cards. He'll be home late on Sunday night about 10 p.m. When I commented that he has a guardian angel sitting on his shoulder he responded by saying, "I've always been lucky..." So thanks to that special guarding angel for being there! And thanks to all of you for your call of love and support to him and me. Very much appreciated.
I've contacted Lohring's guardian angel and asked if SHE can accompany me to the casino but she refused!!! Oh well.
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Hi, Jenny talked with Dad around 1 our time
July 14, 2006 by Sue in Wielesek
Hi, Jenny talked with Dad around 1 our time. Said he was doing better as he'd got some sleep, and had got something to eat. Jenny, as always, is the person I'd most like to have around if the house burned down. (Hmmm - didn't we do that already.)
Sadie and I will be back on Sunday afternoon. How about a little family get together at 6 on Sunday? I've talked with
Yayoe and Jenny, but not yet to Hanni or Jamie. I'm just going to make spaghetti, veggie and otherwise, so don't worry about making anything.
Yet once more we skate through more or less intact...
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Dad's been in a car accident while in Florida
July 14, 2006 by Adam in Family
Dad's been in a car accident while in Florida. He's okay, as is his passenger. Evidently it was dark, rainy, and the dump trunk in front of him didn't have his lights on. The car was totaled and he got to spend the night in the hospital, but was released this morning. Now he gets to sit around in the hotel feeling miserable until he flies back on Sunday. Already the family is rallying around him, with meetings at the airport planned and all sorts of phone calls.
I had an odd morning as well, though quite boring by comparison. I went into the courthouse for jury duty, and let the woman know I had already been called within the last two years. Fortunately the woman who was there used to work for my mom, so she gave me the choice to stay. I opted to head into work and so here I am.
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It's hard to believe that another week has go...
July 14, 2006 by Adam in Family
 It's hard to believe that another week has gone by so fast. Work has been pretty interesting, if busy. I'm helping make the new way we're doing application development for many people, so I'm both learning a bunch of new stuff and trying to make it easy for everyone else too.
Josh turned sixteen yesterday, and we all went over to Dave's house for a BBQ. Josh was showing off his new PSP, which was fairly snazzy. Supposedly he can even browse the web with it. The kids had fun playing in the backyard, while Jamie snuck away to watch t.v. and relax while there were so many people around.
I have jury duty today, though who knows if I'll actually be called to serve. Last time it was rather relaxing, sitting around all morning until they sent us away. Hopefully it won't be a long trial, if I'm called. My birthday is next week, after all.
Editor's note: Sam read this after I posted and declared that I should say "browse the web with it, not from it." This horrible oversight has since been corrected.
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There's a truly interesting article in the Ju...
July 12, 2006 by Sue in Wielesek
There's a truly interesting article in the July 10th issue of Time about siblings and "How your siblings make you who you are." I'm not sure how you kids' combination of genders, ages, etc. all conspired to make you so functional with each other.
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News about Sadie, to whom I spoke today
July 12, 2006 by Sue in Wielesek
News about Sadie, to whom I spoke today. I use the word "to" advisedly, as I spoke and she sort of sneezed and
sniffled. She's coming in very late on Saturday night. In fact, it's so late she will be in on Sunday morning. Her next scheduled event is on Thursday morning, when Lohring fixes up all her teeth. She just told me today that Anna will fly up for the weekend, or at least for a short weekend, so we'll all do just a bit of juggling so everyone gets to see everyone. Seraph and Robbie, is there any chance you could come down for the weekend of my birthday?
And we need to figure out Isa's plans. Maybe I'll just call you.
I went in for my annual heart test today - my doc says I'm staying stable and chances are good I'll live as long as I
would without heart problems. Good news! After all, I still need time to learn to tango!
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I'm sniffling away at VISTA pre-service orien...
July 11, 2006 by Sadie in Sadie & Greg
I'm sniffling away at VISTA pre-service orientation in Eastern MA. Other than the leaky nose and bulging throat nodes, PSO is going very well, and I'm slouching into the world of VISTA leaderdom with as much dignity as I can manage with wads of tissue clinging to my nose. The new corps is great, and I think I'll scrape by for the week on vitamin a (advil) and tea. The ocean is, of course, a lovely touch to the week, and my VISTA co-leader is making up for my cold by being her generally hilarious, attentive, and lovely self.
I just can't wait to see all of you on the west coast.
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Sam got stung by a bee yesterday
July 11, 2006 by Adam in Family
 Sam got stung by a bee yesterday. He and Emma were running around in the yard as I chased them with a hose. He was a trooper about the whole thing, letting me carefully pull out the stinger and then dousing him with assorted bee-sting remedies. Even Emma was helpful, which was nice because Jamie was out. I asked Emma to turn off the water to the hose and within a few seconds it was done. I could get used to having a couple extra, capable people in the house. Within a couple hours, he was feeling much better and stayed up late so he could tell Jamie about his adventures.
It seems that every week this night is booked, with BBQs, date nights, and Jamie working out. Plus possibly jury duty this Friday. It's amazing how busy we are these days.
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I'm on a roll now, two posting in one week
July 09, 2006 by Robbie in Cortez
I'm on a roll now, two posting in one week. We have had a good weekend so far. Yesterday we went to Enchanted Forest, and had a blast. Isabell loved the Story land village, the Western town, and the English village. She went on the Ice Mountain roller coaster twice with mom, you won't catch me on that thing. We all went on the Water log ride. Seraph got pretty wet, I made sure I sat in back. She liked it so much that she wants to make sure she will sleep through the night and do some small chores around the house, so she can go next month.
Sunday we went early to Kells and watched Italy vs France. All in our small group were voting for France, except for Seraph, and occasionally Isabell. Even though France lost, I was still happy over the outcome. After the game we all went home and went swimming at Peninsula Park, and fun watching Isabell swim. We are now going make fish and chips and relax.
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Well, we're back from our anniversary trip
July 09, 2006 by Adam in Family
 Well, we're back from our anniversary trip. The kids had a great time with their grandparents, with Sam seeing the new Pirates of the Carribbean without me. Sniff.
Jamie and I checked into the Benson and proceeded to wander around downtown for most of the day. Jamie shopped and shopped, picking up clothes and a bathing suit. I got a couple books from Powell's, though I could have easily spent hours there. Eventually we crashed in the very comfortable bed, watching television until we snoozed away.
Now it's Sunday and I'm thinking to the week ahead. There's work and possibly jury duty this Friday. The following week Sadie comes and we have our grand beach trip for my birthday. Can't wait.
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It's 10AM Sunday and Dick is out doing errands
July 09, 2006 by Meg in Lytton
It's 10AM Sunday and Dick is out doing errands. He feels we have too much to do to go to Meeting for Worship, so I took time to check up on everyone and saw Sue's inquiry about the status of East coast folks. I'll bring you up to date as it has been awhile. I may end up using these entries as a substitute for the diary I never have time to write.
Dick is good, going to NYC on Thursday to present a talk to the Assistive Technology Team of the New York City Public School system. H'll stay with his aunt Nomy, who is in remission from her lung cancer (nonsmall cell cancer-a big achievement for medicine and for her!). One of my patients, whose son sees Dick, was in this week and enthusiastically praised him--I started to get a little jealous!
Callie is back from Zambia safe and sound, with wonderful photos. They did not complete the house they started--not enough cement. Maybe when she has the photos labeled and on line, she can post them on this site with info on how to contribute to Habitat for Humanity there. She was surprised to be greeted at the airport by Will, who came in off the Appalachian trail.
Will had gone back to the trail after his leg wound had healed some. Dick hiked for part of a day with him in northern NJ and said the wound was still not great. Will started to get very lonely, had swollen painful feet from his shoes wearing out and constantly sweating/never cool, just stopped enjoying the experience. So he came off the trail 3 weekends ago, when his parents met him in western Massachusetts. He went back to Boston with them and his leg wound and feet healed quickly. When he got to Phila. and met Callie, she found a big bulls eye rash on the back of his knee.Despite daily tick checks, some little tick bugger had gotten him where he couldn't see. So all that malaise on the Trail that I thought was lonliness for my daughter may have just have been early Lyme disease!! He's actually looking for a job now but is helping in my office to scan old medical records into our computer system so we can store them as and after we renovate.
Julie has started Organic Chem II. Her new boyfriend Alex (different than the old Alex) visited. He went to Wharton and is about to start in an accounting consulting firm in NYC, with lots of international travel. Julie went up last weekend to help him move in. He is from Toledo, Ohio, is very nice and very bright. His mother is a dermatologist. His Dad went to law school, then med school, is a cardiologist in solo practice and is now doing an MBA. It sounds like he wants to get out of medicine (a familiar refrain) to work in pharma consulting.
Dick and I went to visit Dick's mom 2 weekends ago and went to the wonderful Chuhuly exhibit at the NY Botanical Gardens. We took lots of photos and will mail them to you, Sue, to try to entice you to visit us! We also made a quick stop at the Cloisters--I can only do medieval art for a brief time....
My life is busy. Our new office owners are extending a $10,000 credit to us for renovations so we are re-doing the whole place, except not putting in central ac. I am fortunate to have found a wonderful young woman MD who wants to join me in practice. One of our part time nurse practitioners is looking for a full time job with benefits so she can leave the other part of her present job, a professorship where she is no longer happy. This has the potential for improving the quality of my life!
Well, the sunshine beckons so I will close. I hope to work on thank you notes we received after Dad died.
Live long (and happily) and prosper!
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It's Jamie's and my anniversary today
July 08, 2006 by Adam in Family
It's Jamie's and my anniversary today. Eleven years ago in her parents' back yard, we exchanged vows and began a great journey together. Today it'll be taking us into downtown Portland, where Jamie has scoped out several meals and visits to interesting places. I think we're going to pretend we're young, hip, and childless for an afternoon. Should be fun.
The drive up went well, though Emma fought sleep pretty hard. It's so strange when this extremely grumpy girl falls asleep, only to awaken an hour later as a little angel. We played with the kids until the grandparents arrived, and then went down to the park after dinner. Sam and I played a pseudo-sport called parkour. Basically I'd tell him to go to a point and he'd go in a straight line, over and through obstacles, until he got there. My job was to find a path that was exciting and relatively safe.
People should be waking up relatively soon. It promises to be a beautiful day to head into Portland. Jim and Judy have lined up a bunch of activities for the kids, so hopefully it's a good day for everyone.
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I've decided it was time for me to post, sinc...
July 07, 2006 by Robbie in Cortez
I've decided it was time for me to post, since it's been a long time. We had a nice fourth of July hanging out with our family and neighbors. The most amazing thing that has happened, is that Isabell is riding her bicycle without training wheels. On Monday, we started out, but I had to hold on to the bike. On Tuesday I was just holding on, and off she went. We were blown away by this, she was going around corners and balancing pretty well. Then on Wednesday she learned to start by herself and off she went. She rode her bike to the MAX on Thursday. Pretty amazing!
She's taking her first swim lessons this summer and is doing pretty well. She just learned how to dunk her head, and is pretty good at her back floats, but still is learning to do her front floats and kicking without using all of her legs.
Today we went to Pioneer Square to see the longest hot dog in the world (104 feet long). Isabell just couldn't stop talking about it. They were giving away free hot dog lunches, and free balloon animals.
This weekend we are off to Enchanted Forest. Isabell earned enough points, for sleeping in her own bed, to go there. Should be fun.
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It's Friday and Emma and I are hanging out in...
July 07, 2006 by Adam in Family
It's Friday and Emma and I are hanging out in the basement, waiting for everyone to wake up. Perhaps I can take the kids out to breakfast or something. We're heading up to Portland shortly. Jamie and I have reservations at the Benson tomorrow night, celebrating our eleventh anniversary. I'm excited to hang out downtown, which I haven't done for years. Jim and Judy have assorted kid entertainment planned, which should hopefully keep them happy while we sneak away for a night.
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What a fourth! Janet and I dressed up like Al...
July 05, 2006 by Sadie in Sadie & Greg
 What a fourth! Janet and I dressed up like Al Gore, face mask and all, and marched with Images Cinema in the Williamstown 4th of July parade to promote An Inconvenient Truth. After much marching (Spring St. is nearly half a city block long), we headed over to hear the Declaration of Independence read aloud, with the British response, in the Chapin Rare Books Library. We saw original copies of the founding documents and got to cheer and hiss at some actors from the Williamstown Theatre Festival. The rest of the day involved lying still and reading magazines in front of the fan, but all in all I think we did our patriotic duty.
I am feeling a little better about my job, although I had a super asstastic meeting with Informational Technology yesterday. I could go into it, but I think the cartoon says it all.
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The 4th of July seemed filled with activity
July 05, 2006 by Adam in Family
 The 4th of July seemed filled with activity. The day began with a trip to the park and bike practice for both kids. Sam's getting better, though I think it's a little frustrating for him due to the difficulty of getting it right. Still, there were a few moments when he was riding around without me holding on. Emma, of course, rode around with her training wheels like a champ.
In the afternoon, Sam did some chores and got enough checks to "buy" a Gamecube game he's been wanting, Shrek 2. It can be played two player, so he and I played together while Emma napped. It was pretty fun and not too hard until we got stuck at a certain point. It looks like I'll need to replay through a certain area a dozen until my reflexes improve. Sigh.
 Around three o'clock we headed out to Art in the Vineyard, which was completely packed. I kept running into people I knew along the way. Emma found a stall that sold little girl furniture that she kept going back to. Sam liked the creepy painting with eyeballs that moved. I had fun rendezvousing with my family and chatting with them. The kids eventually found a garden statue that sprayed mist and then it was time to head home.
Everyone had some quiet time, watching a show and generally hanging out. Jamie ran off at the last minute to pick up sparklers and we moved outside to do our patriotic duties. Emma liked them for awhile, though I think she got burned somehow (perhaps even from Jamie's) and eventually decided to stop. Sam had a great time, though after the twentieth, it got a little old.
All-in-all, it was a successful 4th of July.
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After a long time with a terribly boring phot...
July 04, 2006 by Adam in Adam
After a long time with a terribly boring photo album, I spruced it up a bit, adding in some JavaScript and such. I could probably fiddle more with it, but this is as good as it gets for a 4th of July morning with the kids running about.
Take a look.
Update: I ripped out everything and started again from scratch. I'm pretty happy with it, but I worry a little about my new photo nav bar, which probably takes awhile to load over dial-up.
Another Update: It's just plain too slow, even over broadband. Back to the drawing board, I guess. I'll rip out the nav bar and find some other way to sneak it in.
Final Update: I redid it again. This time only a few thumbnails appear per picture, which should make it much snappier.
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Sam has a star chart that he gets stars for w...
July 04, 2006 by Adam in Sam
 Sam has a star chart that he gets stars for when he works. Once he gets five stars, he gets a check, which can be redeemed for certain prizes. Lately, he's been saving up three checks to get assorted Gamecube games. The latest is a Shrek one that he's nearly "purchased". It's a good motivator and he gets a sense of accomplishment when he gets something.
Yesterday, on his own, he decided to make a star chart for me. It's labeled "Dad can be a good dad." and I get a star every time I do something nice for Sam. When I fill up the row, I get an hour of "alone time", something quite prized. It was very sweet and funny, which pretty much sums up Sam's best qualities.
Sam and I have also been having fun lately taking action photos of him in the back yard, leaping over our wading pool. Emma gets in on the fun, too. Ah, the joys of warm summer evenings.
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Quick note before I head out to work
July 03, 2006 by Seraph in Cortez
Quick note before I head out to work.
We had a lovely weekend. Sat. was filled with kids playing at our house - a lot of water games, and an evening birthday party up at the rose gardens.
After church on Sun. Robbie and I went to a hurling practice/game while Isa played across the street. Robbie was invited to join in and ended up with a pretty nasty cut to one eyebrow. While it didn't phase him much, and we joked about the dashing Indiana Jones scar he'd have, I did promplty take him home and put him to bed.
We're looking forward to a mellow 4th. Many of our neighbors will be around, and I think there will be fireworks and water ballons for all!
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Another weekend come and gone
July 03, 2006 by Adam in Family
 Another weekend come and gone. It's a quiet day at work since most people are taking the day off.
The kids and I did our usual swimming, library, and Humble Bagel run Friday night through Saturday. The afternoon was fairly low-key, with lots of play time in the backyard and basement. I recall spraying kids with the hose a lot.
Sunday started with taking the kids to Amazon park where they had a great time watching the fish in the creek. We swung by Radio Shack to get Jamie a new phone. Sam's nose started to bleed, as it often does, and so I left him in the car looking like murder while Emma and I dealt with the sales folks. Fortunately he quickly recovered and we returned home to hang out and watch shows. It took me forever to switch Jamie's address book over, but hopefully she likes her new fancy phone.
Jamie was with her family for most of the day, so it was just me and the kids until later that day. Sam and Emma played in the outdoor pool a lot, making sure their goggles were firmly on. Jamie returned around dinnertime and I had an hour or so to myself while she took them to see the baseball game. Though I was pretty beat, it was fun hanging out with the kids.
This is another odd week, with Friday off and heading to Portland for our anniversary. Sam and I had fun shopping for Jamie together. Little did I know that he'd enjoy the experience, though perhaps it was the countless little Tester lotions that he'd mix into a strange smelling concoction.
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