Almost Handy

I finished up a fun project that I wanted to throw up here.  I re-purposed our kitchen table into a pretty cool lego table.

The bins were at Fred Meyer, and I ordered the 'grass' from lego.com.  I also knocked about 3 inches off the legs, so it is easier to get to the bins in the middle.

It was pretty quick and easy to do and I think it turned out really well.  The kids love having a dedicated space to play and I love not stepping on the legos on the ground.

This picture shows me that I need to get a working camera again.  The phone pics just don't work as well.

OK, one more quick post because I think it is hilarious.  We showed up to register our kids and this sign was taped to the door of the multi-purpose room.

Closed Tell Monday

The adventure lives on...

I just got an email that someone had posted a comment on our blog... weird, I haven't been there in a while, more like over a year!  It was Amanda telling us to get back on the wagon. (My words, not hers)  Julie had been carrying the weight of the blog and she has entered the vortex of finishing up UW and starting a new job/degree at CWU.  There are days I feel like a single parent.  But luckily my situation allows for some single parenting.  She works harder than anyone I know and I am very proud of how dedicated she is.  She is a great example to me and the kids.

I can't believe it has been over a year.  We had so many wonderful experiences, and there were times we would say to ourselves... we should blog about this.  But then life would ratchet back up and it never happened.  Even tonight I have two projects vying for my time.

To summarize the last year.

We spent the winter in Seattle.  There were times I felt like I was getting moldy, it was just so wet and gloomy.  I fought off the depression by spending two weeks in Brazil in March.  The timing was perfect, the trip was incredible and Brady Smith (old mission companion) was an awesome travel companion.  We also went on lots of fun trips to the San Juan Islands.  Even wet I love those islands.  Deception pass is well known, but so worth it.  We also explored the coast.  Spent a great weekend in Seaside OR and another trip to Long Beach WA.  An expensive but worth it gem is Great Wolf Lodge in Grand Mound.  It doesn't matter what the weather is doing it is 82 and the water is warm.  Great for when you just need a break.

Long Beach WA

We spent the summer in Seattle, because we had earned it.  No place better in the summer than Seattle.  We have wonderful friends that we will miss.  We also snuck up to Banff for a week.  Stunning is the best way to describe it.  Every corner was a postcard view and the wildlife was amazing.  Saw a big Grizzly bear right off the bat so you know it was a good trip.

I will try to hunt down some pictures but my camera is broken so my usual plethora of pictures are no more.  I think the family has secretly enjoyed it.

In the fall we loaded up the all-to-familiar moving truck and headed east to... Ellensburg WA.  We were sick of town homes and so we are on 11 acres out here.  It has been nice and if anyone wants to come visit we have lots of room now, and a hot tub!

The kids are getting settled in to school and making friends like they do every year.  I work from home for Locus Tech and really enjoy it.  Warn me before you come over, I may be in my PJs.

As for more recent events I took Emma and Tyler to the BYU - Oregon State game and we had a great time.

Go Cougars!

We have also taken advantage of our space by building and launching model rockets.  Tyler lit up when we launched the first one.  We are also taking advantage of the local college strings program.  Emma is taking the Cello (secretly my favorite string instrument) and Laura and Tyler are taking violin lessons.  Because Tyler is in the Suzuki method and I am the 'Parent Teacher'  I decided to learn the violin as well.  But I call mine a fiddle because I live on a wildlife preserve.  (We can't call it a hobby farm because it has been left to it's natural habitat.)  Nature has created some funny moments with Julie and her fear of snakes.  It didn't help that we saw 3 garter snakes the first week.  We also have coyotes that live somewhere very close.  They wake me up often with their yipping and howling at each other.  A highlight for me was an early morning on the back porch and a 4 point buck and doe standing a hundred feet away looking at me.

We are liking Ellensburg, a bit nervous about snow because I have managed to avoid it for several years.  I also miss sushi, Indian food, and my Brazilian restaurants, but I should take advantage and try to lose some weight.  Yes, yes I am still fat ;)

We will see if we can get this thing going again.  They may be more quick hit posts than long winded diatribes like this, but we will see what we can do.  Thanks for thinking of us Amanda.  I know you were hoping for Julie posts, but you may have to get it second hand.

Annoyonghaseyo from Seoul, South Korea! Rance asked me to post some photos so that he can picture what it looks like here. There is a saying in this country "Western technology, Eastern spirit" that is an excellent summation of the city. Ancient Temples next to boxy skysrapers, traditional Korean BBQ nextdoor to Dunkin Donuts, handcarts alongside sleek cars.



I admit that I was embarrassingly ignorant about this country and its culture before coming here. But, what an amazing place! I am here studying social technology and how it can effect sense of community and social interactions with two of my UW professors and about 14 other students. So far there has been a lot of eating and jet lag, but there is also a lot of work and fun to come.

Here is a list of my top four favorite things about South Korea so far.

4. Monsoons. There have been some crazy fierce storms since we arrived. Trees bent over, thunder, lighting, little streams running down the street, people running for cover under newspapers, etc. Had to buy an umbrella within hours of arriving here.

3. Awesome English translations everywhere! Check out this one from a restaurant yesterday:

If only everyone was so enthusiastic about pleasing their foreign customers! These are all over the city. And it's a good thing too, or I would be totally lost as to what is going on most of the time. Korean is a hard language to pick up.

2. My EXTRA firm mattress. Most South Koreans live in one room dwellings. They transform them throughout the day into kitchens, dining rooms, living rooms, offices, and bedrooms. (I think IKEA would be big here.) Consequently, they are used to unrolling sleeping on mats on the floor for some shut eye. My mattress is a good assimilation of this feeling! Plus I am on a top bunk in a dorm room. I feel about 10 years old again. No broken toes for groggy, pitch dark descents in the night yet. I thought it was going to be pretty bad, but my back feels great. Maybe there is something to that firm mattress theory after all...

1. THE FOOD! You know how much I hate mystery meat. I have learned to eat first and ask later. It all tastes amazing--I don't want to know where it came from or what it is. Last night we had Korean BBQ. You roast your own meat over a tiny pot of open flame in the middle of your table. Very carnivorous. (Apparently insurance companies are okay with clueless foreigners wielding fire in antique wooden buildings.) There is this menacing looking silver hose over the flame that I originally worried was to suck up rude customers or put out rogue blazes, but it turns out you use it to siphon away any smoke. There are a few sauces to dip your roasted meat in (some could easily burn off your eyebrows) and man it is good--and cheap. I even tried pork belly (tastes like bacon) and a questionable looking seafood item that I think was squid.

Other good things are chewy ice cream, sweet buns filled with red bean paste (trust me, it's better than it sounds), and these little pancakes you can get from street vendors. There are lot's of other things I am excited to try.


("chewy" ice cream man)

All this talk of food is making me hungry, so I am going to go get some breakfast. I hope to post some pictures of the Demilitarized Zone later.

Ruins, Rance's name mystery, and blue toes

Well, it was pretty much a "ruins" weekend. First I toured the Colosseum and the Roman Forum. The sheer size of the Colosseum is impressive.
However, I also discovered the old Roman Seaport called Ostia Antica. It is an entire city of ruins (like Pompeii). It wasn't crowded at all, and it felt amazing to get out of the noisy city and bask in the sea air. There was all sorts of things to see: ancient apartments, markets, Roman baths, a theater, and mosaics. The coolest part is that they let you climb all over everything. None of that "stick to the path and don't touch anything" here! It was awesome.


By the time I got home I was covered in dirt and nature debris-- so you know it was fun. Next time you find yourself in Italy and you can't make it to Pompeii, you might check this place out. It's a little bit off the beaten path and a lot neat.

On a sillier note, I finally found out what Rance's name means.

The mystery is solved, dear. You are a sweet smelling perfume!

Also, my roommate had a nasty run-in with a cobblestone. We were so busy looking up at architecture, that she stumbled and broke her toe. Ouch!
This photo doesn't quite do it justice. Poor girl. She was very brave about it.