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Bend Adventures
March 30, 2013 by Adam in Family
We're taking a little rest at our B&B after running around all day. I've had fun playing with the new panorama photo features of my phone, which appeared with the latest software upgrade. Hopefully this turns out okay. A hiker was walking by, so he ended up getting cloned during the process:
Thursday night we had Sam and Emma over for dinner. I played Civilization 5 with Sam and then we all ran around the backyard, enjoying the sun. Joanna arrived to whip up a tasty dinner. We played more in the evening and then I ran them home to Jamie's before their beach trip.
Friday morning was spent getting Duncan and Berry ready to go to Portland with their dad. While Joanna went to the chiropractor, I got the webcams working and replaced the batteries on the motion sensor. No intruders so far.
The drive to Bend was uneventful. Joanna read her mom's diaries for entertainment purposes (mom - burn yours unless you want your children alternately amused, horrified, and intrigued). We stopped by Sister's to go into a yarn store (I'm a good husband) and mochas (Joanna is a good wife). We rolled into our quirky B&B before dinner and then walked to the shops at the Old Mill for pasta.
After dinner we found a place that teaches west coast swing and we had a fabulous time. I learned enough moves to be dangerous. Joanna and I wildly cavorted among the retired couples and the sixteenish boys and girls learning to flirt on the dance floor. It made me want to take classes again when we get back to town.
This morning we had a fabulous breakfast of quiche and plenty of coffee. After a stroll by the river we decided to take the advice of one of the elderly locals from the dance lesson and go hiking by the falls. The weather has been amazing and we ended up in short sleeve shirts by ten. Eventually we wore ourselves out and hung out in downtown Bend.
We found a toy store for souvenirs and a great comic book shop that Joanna actually seemed to enjoy almost as much as I. The kids should be properly spoiled upon our arrival. After finally finding a lunch place that was open, we retreated to our room for a short rest before striking out again on more adventures.
For amusement purposes, here's one more panorama of our morning hike. Joanna ended up a floating head:
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Quiet House
March 29, 2013 by Seraph in Cortez
Robbie and Isabell headed out early this morning for their adventure in San Diego with Robbie's family. I think I'll putter around some today, cleaning house and running errands. I'm trying to avoid driving too much because of all the Good Friday pilgrims in the valley. Maybe I'll even make it out to a non-animated movie :)
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New joint coming to town!
March 29, 2013 by Yayoe in Yayoe
HI There, I'm getting a new left hip joint on May 10th! It will be shiny and new and then I can run, jump, climb K-2 without using a cane and look forward to another 75,000 miles on my bionic parts. The last time I did this was almost 3 years ago in October.
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Belated Update
March 27, 2013 by Adam in Family
It's been a while. Life has calmed down to some degree. Joanna's feeling much better after a mostly relaxing weekend. Sam and Emma are at their mom's, and Duncan and Berry have been spending the day with their dad, who flew in for Spring Break. Joanna and I have arranged a weekend getaway to Bend without children, something that hasn't happened in nearly a year.
The weekend was generally pretty fun, if slightly chaotic. We opted to celebrate Easter a week early, breaking out the egg dye and stuffing the kids with chocolate. They all seemed to enjoy the books we got them as well. Emma spent a good long while in the hammock on Sunday, reading her Adventure Time book.
Sam and I played a WWI flight simulator together for awhile, then wandered over into Civilization 5. We never did find each others cities, so it wasn't as exciting as I'd hoped.
Joanna and I went out to dinner last night. Looking forward to seeing Sam and Emma tomorrow for dinner.
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Saturday Morning
March 23, 2013 by Adam in Family
Well, we didn't make it to the coast as planned today. Joanna's still getting over strep throat. The kids have been running around all morning - forts in the basement, board games, stuffing a pinata, and several breakfasts. It's not even noon.
I've got a ton of things on my "things to do" list. We're going to celebrate Easter a week early as we won't have any kids next Sunday. Now that the chickens have been given away, it's time to clean the coop and get it ready for craigslist. I managed to unclog a drain already.
Some downtime this weekend would be nice. It's been a stressful week.
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Springtime
March 21, 2013 by Sue in Wielesek
Hi, all you guys. I just want you to know I love you all so much. I appreciate that you aren't prejudiced or crappy, sneaky people. All this is because, as part of my gradual escape from the clutches of the League of Women Voters, I'm now both the Membership Committee chair and the Fall Recruitment Luncheon chair. If this sounds counterintuitive, I can end my five year membership term at the end of June,'13. The Luncheon Chair doesn't have a term attached, and a couple of the members I have to deal with are such nasty unpleasant people that I'm going to quit the Luncheon Committee as soon as the Luncheon is over in September.
But whether or not I think two of the Board Members are nasty, what really bothers me is what I perceive as deep rooted, almost unconscious anti-Semitism. The most logical venue for this luncheon is Temple Beth Israel, which is amazingly beautiful and well suited for a lunch. The only dietary requirement which affects us at all is that we have to serve fish rather than meat. So the League pres gave me a week to put together a complete presentation for the Board today, which involved making many phone calls, asking a member of Temple Beth Israel to help with the food and menu planning, etc.. So I put that together, but then spent a frustrating hour at the Board meeting fending off incredibly stupid objections. Earlier in the meeting they hastily decided to spend $500 on something nobody had thought of before today's meeting. Then they nattered over $174 of my paltry budget endlessly. By the next Board meeting I have to have three catering proposals for $12 a lunch. I finally told them that the Recruitment Luncheon was the biggest event of the year (we had 20 new members from the lunch last year, the most of any of the local Leagues in the state.) , that they had just ponied up $500 without a faretheewell, but getting money for the lunch was like pulling teeth.
Thanks, everyone, for letting me complain. I think that the problem is that I move among such kind people that I haven't really had to develop a hard skin, so Racism and Anti-Semitism hurt my feelings so much. Many hugs, Mom/Sue
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Sneaking into the Week
March 20, 2013 by Adam in Family
It's Wednesday already. Joanna's sick. I'm hassling with child support, realizing that I've significantly overpaid these last three years. Visiting a lawyer tomorrow. It seems the giddiness of knowing my job is secure quickly fades.
Ah, well. Spring is coming. Joanna planted a bunch of bulbs this weekend. Sam and I watched Pan's Labyrinth last night, wonderful but sad.
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Beret
March 17, 2013 by Adam in Emma
 Emma went along with Berry and Duncan to Build-a-Bear yesterday. She seemed a little hesitant, but picked out a bear of her own, paid with her own money, and has been cheerfully carrying it around the last few days. After getting it, she declared that she was going to stay a kid for a couple more years, which is fine with me.
This morning she and I sewed a beret for her bear. She's ready for her trip to France this summer.
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Emma's a Merry Man
March 16, 2013 by Adam in Emma
Emma did great in her play last night. We all went over, met up with mom, Yayoe, Jamie, Sam, Jim, and Judy, and thoroughly enjoyed the play.
I did the same thing four times in a row. It was settled with a coin toss, making it the first time I've ever won a girl in a game of chance.
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I Have A Job
March 15, 2013 by Adam in Family
It's a wonderful Mocha Friday, with only a few more minutes in the work day before I wander home for a quick dinner, and then off to see Emma in her play. She's nervous, but I'm excited to see her as one of Robin Hood's merry men.
I also got news that I officially have my job. No reduction in pay or anything weird. After two years of uncertainty, I'm almost giddy knowing everything is relatively stable. We're celebrating by buying a new dishwasher.
 I am having some coworkers move to other places as jobs shift around. Mike Oswald, whom I've sat next to for years, is about to head to the SSB in Eugene where I used to work. He's returning in six months, so it wasn't too sad (for me anyway).
It's been a relatively uneventful week. Sam and I went to the eye doctor and he got new contacts. He said it was like anti-aliasing was turned on (a computer graphics reference for you non-gamers). Sam also got his grades from last term - all A's and B's. His standardized tests were also really good - over 90th percentile for everything but math (there he was merely good). Reading was in the 98 percentile, which was cool to see.
Joanna and I went out Wednesday night, going to a Thai place for dinner, and then off to Market of Choice to continue our hot date night. We're hoping to have a short vacation over Spring Break, though it's tricky coordinating the kids with their various other parents. Hopefully we can sneak away to Bend for a couple days.
I'm looking forward to the weekend, spending time with kids and getting a little downtime. I can tell I'm getting old, as the prospect of a new dishwasher is very exciting.
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Happy Pi Day
March 14, 2013 by Lohring in Lohring
Just think; in three years it will be 3.1416
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Last Team Meeting
March 11, 2013 by Adam in Family
 We just had our last team meeting as the Web Services team. Glen has been my manager for over 15 years. We've had two people die, many leave, and a number of babies brought into this world (though Dave's daughter was put to work on the team). It's strange to see such a big part of my life come to an end. I'll miss it, and especially the people.
I broke out the piratey root beer that Emma gave me for my birthday and drank it down. It's the last.
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Beautiful Weekend
March 11, 2013 by Adam in Family
 Berry's teeth are just crazy these days. We took Sam, Duncan, and Berry to the dentist Wednesday morning. One of Berry's teeth got yanked, and the other is tilting over and making her look like she lives in the woods harassing cityfolk that come by. She was quite happy about the card and cash the next morning, though she asked for Wizard 101 toys.
The weekend was sunny and relaxing, with a fair amount of play time with the kids. We spent a bunch of time playing in the garden. I put down bark-o-mulch, Joanna pruned some more, and the kids put up the hammock. We worked on science and art projects. Sam and I played Arma 3. Sam power washed the driveway for cash. Pizza and Bang Goes the Theory was enjoyed.
Life's okay.
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Thanks
March 05, 2013 by Lohring in Lohring
Thanks everyone for your cards and texts. Am I old enough to be considered a dirty old man yet?
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Monday Already
March 05, 2013 by Adam in Family
 It was a pleasant, relatively uneventful weekend - at least compared to our wild downtown adventure of Friday. We took the little kids swimming, with both Berry and Duncan improving immensely. Emma enjoyed carrying me around in the pool. Berry had a sleepover, packing all sorts of interesting things in her suitcase. I especially liked the fake money.
Sunday was sunny, if not warm. Joanna exclaimed her love of power tools and let rip on the shrubbery with the hedge trimmer. Emma hung outside with us, mowing and picking up. Sam worked away at his homework. He's been playing Super Meat Boy, which is incredibly difficult. "What do I do now, pappy?" he asked. "Be awesome," was my reply. Sure enough, he beat the level and we exchanged high fives.
Sunday night was family dinner. Even Jenny and her boys showed up. It's nice to see everyone is well and happy.
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March Mocha Friday
March 02, 2013 by Adam in Family
 We just got back from the First Friday Art Walk. There were inflatodomes that people would crawl into, street performers playing saws and accordions, galleries with steampunk musical devices, and all manner of oddities. Joanna is great to have adventures with, and we explored all manner of nook and cranny downtown.
The week has been pretty uneventful. Homework was done, kids were fed, and clothing was washed. Joanna has been becoming more and more of a runner, picking up speed each day at the gym. She's also been dairy free for a few months now, which seems to have cleared up her stomach issues entirely.
I checked with Sam's teachers and he seems to be getting A's and B's all around. Berry is doing well at piano. Duncan has mastered the art of floating at swimming and wants to show off his assorted nautical skills at the pool this weekend. Emma is hoping to go to the Mythbusters live show a couple Fridays from now, even if it means staying up until ten.
All-in-all, life is good.
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