it is about time I update this much neglected blog. What can I say? I'm busy. . .and a little too distracted (please know it pains me to admit this, as it crumbles the image I like to imagine people have of me) by certain television shows at night. This being the only time I have to write an entry, minus the precious weekend. I succumb to the temptation, after a long day at work, etc, turning off my brain to relinquish one or two "prime time" hours of what could be productive life experience. Is it entertaining? Indeed. Is it enriching? Only when a new Frontline or Bill Moyers' Journal is on, (both of which I genuinely enjoy. . .I promise I'm not trying to rebuild my image, as these particular shows do a good job of that). So yes, other than those and the occasional documentary on PBS, it is all drivel. Even if a show can boast excellent writing, superior character development, suspense (Heroes), or brilliant dry humor (30 Rock). . .mostly, they are glorified soap operas.
Weird. I was going to write about Trey and parenting and the really hard go I've had with him these last couple of days. I suppose I had something else to get off my chest.
Blogger . . .the proverbial confession box.
Guilt. . .it isn't just for Catholics anymore.
Since I am on the topic of television, I am going to stay on it a bit longer in order to site a recent NY Times article highlighting a recent study on happiness. It is titled, "What Happy People Don't Do." One guess. Yep! Watch television. Happy people do spend more time "socializing, going to church, and reading newspapers - but they don't spend a lot of time watching television." The immediate question becomes, does watching television make people unhappy or do unhappy people watch television. One little NY Times article sparked a great deal of introspection in me. The researchers don't have an answer for me, although they do offer a helpful nugget of wisdom: "We don't think turning off the television will automatically make people happy." That's good to hear, because Prison Break left me hanging off a cliff last week and I need to find out what happens next.
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Friday, October 3, 2008
A Month of Fun
I am not as on top of this blog thing as I'd originally hoped. A month has passed already. Happy fall everyone! Lots of fun stuff has been happening. We went to the State Fair with Dave and Shauna, for one thing. The classic big yellow slide was lots of fun, but I think watching the carnies and peering into their lives was even funner. Both Laurie and I couldn't help but think of that one Simpson's episode. You know what I'm talking about. Anyway, the Fair was fun. Thanks for coming with us Mom and Dad!
Another exciting adventure with Shauna and Dave was our trip "over" the Great Salt Lake on their air boat. The Lake is super low this year, but still gorgeous. It is far more majestic once you're out in the middle of it, relative to standing on the stinky shore. It is so strange to be out in the middle of a huge lake and the water only goes up to your knees! Air boats are very loud (notice the ear protection) but super fun. Trey had a great time, as evidenced in the photos.
I went on a work trip to Corpus Christi, Texas for the Celebration of Flight festival last weekend. Corpus is the "Birdiest City" in the U.S., so I added numerous life birds to my list (yes, I realize I'm a geek). The organization I work for (HawkWatch International) has a raptor migration monitoring site down there. The festival takes place at the peak of the migration. On a great day, you will see over 500,000 raptors fly. Unfortunately, I didn't get to witness that phenomenon, however, there were at one time 20,000 raptors in a "kettle" directly over our heads. It was absolutely surreal. It was great meeting all the local volunteers and supporters. These people are some serious birders. Some of the coolest species I got to see (raptor and otherwise) include: Roseate Spoonbill, Wood Stork, Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, Cave Swallow (they were everywhere), Great Kiskadee, Green Jay, Zone-tailed Hawk, Mississippi Kite, Crested Caracara, Green Kingfisher, Tri-colored Heron, Reddish Heron, and lots lots more.
While I was in TX, Laurie and Trey played with the Bush Fam two days in a row. They went to the Treehouse Museum and Fat Cats. According to Trey, Glow Golf was the highlight of the weekend. He sure loves Tob and Samantha. He let me know that I should've come to Fat Cats instead of going to Texas. I really missed out, I guess. Maybe I can convince Laurie to post to our family blog and tell ya'll more about it. She's stubborn, ya know. I love you sweetie! ;)
So ya, things are going pretty well. We're gearing up for a trip to Phoenix and Tucson to visit our families in a couple weeks. Trey turns 6 this month by the way. Good hell. His teacher's are already saying he's the class clown. Apparently, this is genetic, so I probably should just accept that reality now.
Another exciting adventure with Shauna and Dave was our trip "over" the Great Salt Lake on their air boat. The Lake is super low this year, but still gorgeous. It is far more majestic once you're out in the middle of it, relative to standing on the stinky shore. It is so strange to be out in the middle of a huge lake and the water only goes up to your knees! Air boats are very loud (notice the ear protection) but super fun. Trey had a great time, as evidenced in the photos.
I went on a work trip to Corpus Christi, Texas for the Celebration of Flight festival last weekend. Corpus is the "Birdiest City" in the U.S., so I added numerous life birds to my list (yes, I realize I'm a geek). The organization I work for (HawkWatch International) has a raptor migration monitoring site down there. The festival takes place at the peak of the migration. On a great day, you will see over 500,000 raptors fly. Unfortunately, I didn't get to witness that phenomenon, however, there were at one time 20,000 raptors in a "kettle" directly over our heads. It was absolutely surreal. It was great meeting all the local volunteers and supporters. These people are some serious birders. Some of the coolest species I got to see (raptor and otherwise) include: Roseate Spoonbill, Wood Stork, Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, Cave Swallow (they were everywhere), Great Kiskadee, Green Jay, Zone-tailed Hawk, Mississippi Kite, Crested Caracara, Green Kingfisher, Tri-colored Heron, Reddish Heron, and lots lots more.
While I was in TX, Laurie and Trey played with the Bush Fam two days in a row. They went to the Treehouse Museum and Fat Cats. According to Trey, Glow Golf was the highlight of the weekend. He sure loves Tob and Samantha. He let me know that I should've come to Fat Cats instead of going to Texas. I really missed out, I guess. Maybe I can convince Laurie to post to our family blog and tell ya'll more about it. She's stubborn, ya know. I love you sweetie! ;)
So ya, things are going pretty well. We're gearing up for a trip to Phoenix and Tucson to visit our families in a couple weeks. Trey turns 6 this month by the way. Good hell. His teacher's are already saying he's the class clown. Apparently, this is genetic, so I probably should just accept that reality now.
Sunday, September 7, 2008
First Week of Kindergarten
Click on the photo to see the entire album:
Trey had a wonderful first week of school. He is excited to be there everyday, which is truly like a gift from the gods and goddesses of the universe. Looking back on our crazy summer, we are welcoming the return of routine and cooler weather.
Each Monday, Trey will be sent home with a short math homework sheet, to be completed anytime during that week. Each Friday, he'll be sent home four books to read before the end of the following week. This is very exciting. Trey is a voracious reader these days. I mean, we always read at night at bedtime, but ever since he got into the library's summer reading "contest," he now comes home and sits down to read a couple picture books front to back, all by himself. His library card is a prized possession. We currently have about 25 books checked out. We think he's going to be a lifelong lover of books. That makes us very happy.
Trey had a wonderful first week of school. He is excited to be there everyday, which is truly like a gift from the gods and goddesses of the universe. Looking back on our crazy summer, we are welcoming the return of routine and cooler weather.
Each Monday, Trey will be sent home with a short math homework sheet, to be completed anytime during that week. Each Friday, he'll be sent home four books to read before the end of the following week. This is very exciting. Trey is a voracious reader these days. I mean, we always read at night at bedtime, but ever since he got into the library's summer reading "contest," he now comes home and sits down to read a couple picture books front to back, all by himself. His library card is a prized possession. We currently have about 25 books checked out. We think he's going to be a lifelong lover of books. That makes us very happy.
Friday, August 22, 2008
Three years
Emilie has been working at HawkWatch International for three years now, as of today. How strange. It is fascinating to step back and view the successes, failures, turmoil, and triumph of an organization in a relatively short time period. A great deal has been learned. Now. . .back to work!
Public School
After a couple grueling months of trying to keep Trey's school alive and functioning for another school year, the Board decided it needed to close the doors. It was very disappointing, because he had done so well at Seven Canyons. Nervous about how he would react to the news, we scrambled to find a school for Trey. . .one we could all be excited about. Late to the process, many of our first choices were full. He was put on several waiting lists, but alas, we could not wait.
Trey is now a Crestview Elementary Cougar. It was a relief to get him registered somewhere. . .anywhere, to be honest. Actually, we are pretty excited about this particular school. We meet with his teacher, Mrs. Hoshimoto, on Wednesday so she can do an evaluation of Trey's development. When we told him his teacher might know Japanese, he decided he wants to learn Japanese and picked out a Japanese Dictionary for Kids at the bookstore yesterday. (I really hope Mrs. Hoshimoto knows at least a little, because speaking a foreign language is a fail-safe way to get the boy's attention.)
It was really interesting to reflect on my own preconceived notions and biases about public school. I had become a private school fascist, it seemed. I grew up in public school. I come from a long line of public school teachers whom I am very proud of for what they contributed (and still contribute) to their communities. Hell, I'm opposed to private school vouchers! So why was I so scared of putting Trey is public school? I suppose because I assume(d) he'll be forced to fit in a box filled with predetermined characteristics deemed "normal" and "healthy." I was (and still am) afraid he'll be assigned some disorder, because he doesn't fit the status quo. Here's to hoping Mrs. Hoshimoto appreciates the full spectrum of personalities, abilities, learning styles, and conflict resolution styles a Kindergarten room full of kids will contain.
Trey is now a Crestview Elementary Cougar. It was a relief to get him registered somewhere. . .anywhere, to be honest. Actually, we are pretty excited about this particular school. We meet with his teacher, Mrs. Hoshimoto, on Wednesday so she can do an evaluation of Trey's development. When we told him his teacher might know Japanese, he decided he wants to learn Japanese and picked out a Japanese Dictionary for Kids at the bookstore yesterday. (I really hope Mrs. Hoshimoto knows at least a little, because speaking a foreign language is a fail-safe way to get the boy's attention.)
It was really interesting to reflect on my own preconceived notions and biases about public school. I had become a private school fascist, it seemed. I grew up in public school. I come from a long line of public school teachers whom I am very proud of for what they contributed (and still contribute) to their communities. Hell, I'm opposed to private school vouchers! So why was I so scared of putting Trey is public school? I suppose because I assume(d) he'll be forced to fit in a box filled with predetermined characteristics deemed "normal" and "healthy." I was (and still am) afraid he'll be assigned some disorder, because he doesn't fit the status quo. Here's to hoping Mrs. Hoshimoto appreciates the full spectrum of personalities, abilities, learning styles, and conflict resolution styles a Kindergarten room full of kids will contain.
Monday, August 11, 2008
Friday, August 8, 2008
Sharing Our Milieu with You
The lives of Trey, Laurie, and Emilie are rather eventful these days. July just about sent them reeling into a reality unknown to the sane. They triumphantly arrived in August, however, with stories to tell their grandchildren, some wonderful photographs of a yurt, and one less appendix. Minor chaos did not comply with their request to depart come the new month. Their summer continues to teem with stress, pleasantly contrasted by the boundless joy felt from their recent commitment celebration.
They feel their life is worth reporting on. *They hope you agree.
*agreement optional
They feel their life is worth reporting on. *They hope you agree.
*agreement optional
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