Tag, and I'm it

The rules of the game:
*Link to the person that tagged you and post the rules on your blog.
*Share 7 random and/or weird facts about yourself on your blog, we all want to know them.
*Tag 7 random people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs.
*Let each person know that they've been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

My good friend Karisse tagged me, and as I've never been tagged, here goes: seven weird/strange items about myself.

1) If I find a song I like, I will play it over and over again until I have it memorized.
2) I love writing things down. I actually think it may be a learning disability. I have To-Do lists that I have to consolidate before actually doing anything on them. I have to take notes and write down quotes, even when reading for pleasure. When I was little, I used to copy down all the states, their capitals, their mottos, the state tree, bird, flower, etc. All in a nice little list. Or I'd copy, word-for-word, the dialogue of a favorite TV show we'd tape. Usually it was, "Hey, Dude." Wow, that's embarrassing.
3) I hate horror movies. I know it's "just a movie," but if it could've happened in real life, then I do not want to witness it. Fake blood is still too real.
4) I believe in time warps and your future self guiding your present self through decisions. I love thinking about the possibilities of this, should it actually be true.
5) My camera is probably my most prized possession. I organize all my pictures using iPhoto, and separating them in albums by event. I have 4,000 photos just from the past four months of school. For family/friend events for 2007? 6,500. I love taking pictures.
6) When I paint, sometimes I feel like I'm waking up. It's like I zone out and 30 minutes later, I have completed a layer. Maybe it's time to switch to acrylics. Or watercolor.
7) I have entertained the idea of opening up our home and letting people just take things to somehow demonstrate (or test) my supposed detachment from material possessions. I don't think I'd do it, but it's an interesting concept. Similarly, I feel like I could talk a mugger out of robbing me, because we're both people, and he's just trying to meet a need. I really don't want to test that one out, but I do truly believe that everyone is good at their core. We have to believe that, and act as if that is true, or peace doesn't have a chance (no matter how much we say it).

I am going to tag my sweet brother-in-law, Jeff. And I know I need six other people, but honestly, I don't know too many people who blog. Happy New Year!

An Advent Experiment

Yesterday being the first Sunday in Advent (already?!), I decided to start some resolutions early. Since one of my resolutions is to stop procrastinating, I wanted to get a head start. One of my resolutions (also one of Eric's) is to become more efficient. We've been inspired by the work of this father in New York City. If he can have vermicomposting in his apartment in New York, surely there's more WE can do! So when it got dark yesterday (and it was dark for most of the rainy day), we didn't turn on any lights. We ate, read, folded laundry, wrote, cleaned up and lived by candlelight. It really was beautiful and peaceful. I remember Advent with Mom and Karen growing up. We'd turn out all the lights, light a candle (or candles, depending on what week of Advent it was) and talk about the good things we'd done that day. For every good deed, we'd put a straw into a little manger - to prepare for Jesus' coming. We'd admit to bad things we'd done, and have to take out a straw. I remember sometimes being too tired and not wanting to participate in this ritual, but I was always pulled in by the glow of the candlelight. And it was always worth it. So, thanks, Mom!

So far, this ritual has been cleansing and therapeutic for me. I'll keep you posted!

On Being Grateful

I recently read a statement our pastor, Father Jack, used in the church bulletin. Unfortunately, the original voice of this quote in unknown to me, but it's inspiring.

"Gratitude is a blessing. It enriches our lives and protects us from two self-inflicted scourges: envy of those greater than ourselves, and arrogance toward those lesser than we."

If we can find time to be grateful in our everyday lives, I think we will find the tides of fortune changing to our advantage. It's possible that our luck will worsen. But how we internalize these challenges and how we act in the face of adversity and "bad luck" and "bad people" is the key component. If we substitute forgiveness for revenge, what would the world be like? How would we be different?

This is my current resolution: to constantly find reasons to be grateful and then find ways to inspire others to seek gratitude in their own lives. I encourage you to take a moment and post something for which your grateful in my comments. Read other comments and feel the change in your perspective.

Chicago Fun Times

First, an apology to my cousins in Chicago and its environs: I wasn't sure what our schedule would be for the NAEYC conference, so I didn't tell you I'd be in town. I am somewhat glad we didn't plan anything because we were pretty much booked all day. Second, I love this city. You can tell from the 42 photos I've loaded. The weather was perfect, and from our walks to the McCormick Place Conference Center from the Palmer House Hilton, to our tour of a downtown condo open house (a little out of my price range) and boat tour from Navy Pier, the visuals were stunning. I promised Chicago I'd come back to visit her soon. In the meantime, I'll sing along with my "Wicked" soundtrack, show off my photos, and hopefully put the early childhood education lessons learned into practice as we launch ourselves into the last weeks of 2007.

Xavier makes three. And 18.

Karen and I had a little argument. "This is 17!" I announced proudly to the nurse who was walking us out. "18," Karen corrected me. So we do the math: 4 + 3 + 7 + 3 + 1 = 18. Wow. Now to start thinking about Christmas....

Xavier Stephen was born on Friday, October 26 at 5:11 p.m., and weighed 8 pounds, 4 ounces. Karen and Jeff took him home yesterday. He's a very healthy boy and everyone is well. Enjoy the pictures, and for a true play by play, visit Jeff's blog.

Gorge Weekend

Steph set up a weekend of hiking with Kate, their friend Kaitlyn (sp?), and Stephanie. Eric and I joined the girl posse on Friday evening/Saturday morning as we hiked the Rock Bridge/Turtle Arch trail in the Red River Gorge. This trail is highly recommended - not too much hiking, lots of climbing rocks, a waterfall, and several semi-caves to explore. We had a blast, and as you can tell, we all had some laundry to do when we returned home. Mud = fun.

It takes 1.5 hours to go back in time...

I really agree with the above statement I made to my husband this past weekend. Stepping on Centre's campus - no matter how much it changes - fills me with such a sense of familiarity. Like a good friend with whom you lose touch for months, only to reconnect immediately upon reuniting, Centre picks up right where we left off 6.5 years ago. It was wonderful to revisit the JVAC, though we missed Steve's demonstration. I love this place. Enjoy the pictures and the trip down memory lane.

Baxter

We are welcoming into our home the newest addition: a kitten named Baxter. Eric's parents are stray magnets, and this little guy was loitering around their place (they only live about a block and a half south of us on First Street). They took in his friend, and we adopted Baxter to be a friend to Melville. So far, so good. They play constantly. He eats constantly. They haven't broken anything yet (knock on wood) and Melville has never been so laid back. It's nice.

Surreal

This is what we woke up to this morning. The house across the street (supposedly in foreclosure with the tenants in the slow process of moving out - one shopping cart at a time) caught fire and burned. No one was hurt - three people made it out, but one tenant's old dog and three cats died in it. Two other cats have found their way to our place, where we put some food and water out for them.

Arson is suspected, according to the neighborhood rumors. I don't doubt it.

The three houses across the street are all in foreclosure apparently, and neighbors on Ormsby have offered to buy them, but the banks haven't responded. One of the houses burned three years ago, and has been boarded up since then. I think our neighborhood is lovely, except for these houses. The tenants are loud, constantly yelling, trash scattered all over, the back yard filled with boxes, furniture, mattresses, etc. Their departure should've happened long ago, and maybe this tragedy could've been prevented. There are rumors that they haven't had running water or electricity, and drugs and booze seem prevalent.

You wonder where these people went wrong, and what happens to make someone stop caring - for themselves, for their possessions, for their neighbor. We talk about this often at school, this respect for the world around us. I hope we can find ways to advocate the importance of caring for our surroundings and our fellow beings.

I hear demolition is set for tomorrow.

Back to School!

Today was our first day back to school. We have a group of 16 beautiful children. It couldn't have been a sweeter day: we only had a few tears (and that was later on in the morning), everyone listened and played so nicely, we found a butterfly, a cicada shell, some fuzzy leaves and a four-leaf clover on the patio, and the weather was gorgeous. Here's to a new school year, and finding a career you truly enjoy!

I love this man.

I'll try to make this quick and painless for those of you who get embarrassed easily. But I have to share this: I love Eric. He's funny, thoughtful, eloquent. He fixes me breakfast sometimes. He takes out the trash. He makes me a better person. He drives me arou--wait, what was that last one? He makes me a better person? Yes, that's it.

Happy 5th and 10th anniversary!

Passion for Peace

I have discovered some wonderful quotes from Thomas Merton that I want to share with cyberspace. I hope these in some way help relieve any stress and conflict in the coming week.

"So instead of loving what you think is peace, love other men and love God above all. And instead of hating the people you think are warmongers, hate the appetites and the disorder in your own soul, which are the causes of war. If you love peace, then hate injustice, hate tyranny, hate greed – but hate them in yourself, not in another."

"The Christian can renounce the protection of violence and risk being humble, therefore vulnerable, not because he trusts in the supposed efficacy of a gentle and persuasive tactic that will disarm hatred and tame cruelty, but because he believes that the hidden power of the Gospel is demanding to be manifested in and through his poor person."

"He will not let himself be persuaded that the adversary is totally wicked and can therefore never be reasonable or well-intentioned, and hence need to be listened to."

"Power always protects the good of some at the expense of all the others. Only love can attain and preserve the good of all."

"Our readiness to see some good in him and to agree with some of his ideas (though tactically this might look like a weakness on our part), actually gives us power: the power of sincerity and of truth."

Have a happy and peaceful week!

Catching up and moving on...

Well, I've been behind on this blog, so I will attempt to catch up here. The obsessive part of me likes to cheat - I change the dates of my albums and posts so they truly reflect when things happened, and not when I got around to posting. Does anyone else do this? What circle of Hell would that put me?

Eric and I celebrated our five-year wedding anniversary (!) early by spending a weekend away from our broken AC (now fixed) and in the welcoming arms of Mother Nature. We went to Natural Bridge, and stayed at the Cabins of Birch Hollow - pricey, but beautiful. We really roughed it.

Bits, Pieces and a Peanut

My high school friend Betsy came into town on her way to move to Atlanta from Chicago. It was so great to see her, her husband, Phil, and their dog Sydney. And to meet Peanut, who will make his debut later on this fall! Here's to old friends, new families and technology that allows us to stay in touch and share life's little joys together.

Kathman Boys Day of Fun

Ah, the joys of boys + Six Flags. Will was *thisclose* to being 42" without shoes, which made it impossible for him to ride some cool water coasters. He was, however, tall enough to ride the land coasters, and he surprised us all by riding Greezed Lightnin'. Henry and Sam did a great job and were real troopers, especially in light of the fact that both felt crummy at one point or another. We shall do it again! Rock and Roll!

The boys also got a kick out of spending the night at our place. They played with Melville and Eric showed them the legend that is the original Nintendo Entertainment System. Q-bert. Mario 1, 2, and 3. Jeopardy. Duck Hunt. You know you played them all, and subscribed to Nintendo Power magazine. Don't lie.

Aunt Stessi pulled Will's wiggly tooth, and thankfully, the Tooth Fairy found her way to our place. Teeth are fetching about $3 a pop now, btw....

Art Cars

We spent Saturday afternoon checking out the art cars that descended upon Louisville. Hmm...maybe the purple Neon's afterlife could be in the company of these cool vehicles....

Happy Birthday, Karen!

We had a fun weekend in Indy (though I was severely under the weather and truly stunk at CatchPhrase - thanks, Stessi) celebrating Karen's birthday. Good luck with ICU! We love ya!

Grace and Clara Fun Days

Grace and Clara got to spend the night at our house in Old Louisville. They enjoyed harassing the kitties, making cards for Karen and their mom, dancing to some pretty music, eating at Ermin's, and walking on the retaining walls. We also got to go swimming at Wolf Creek with our cousins where Grace went off the diving board for the first time! Oh snap!

Video:
> Clara's 'Splorer Girl remix

Bobby!

OK, that heading is not really fair, since it's a soon-to-be-not-so-inside-joke; that's what Em and I would yell as we rode Chang. Nine times. In a row.

We had lots of fun at Kentucky Kingdom! Hope you enjoy the pictures. Is there a name for pictures where the third dimension is flattened to make the background integrate in amusing ways with the foreground? This album is a tribute to that. Thun-doh Whun-noh!

Florida Fun

Terri, Stephanie, Christopher, Margaret and I "road-tripped" it to Florida for a week. What fun! Grandmère, good food, Del's, fishing, coffee cake, lizards, Harry Potter, swimming, teeny frogs, the beach, giraffes, sandhill cranes, sun...what more could you want from a vacation? Some fun videos:
> Stephanie boogieboarding
> Margaret boogieboarding
> Christopher feeding (teasing?) the giraffes
> Tour of Harry Potter Mania at Books-A-Million

Just keep swimming...

James...


...and Alex.

Congrats to James, Alex, Kimberly, Stephanie and Christopher on your 2007 swimming successes - we are so proud!

Friday the Thirteenth

This is a Samuel creation. We filmed this at his summer party. These are the fun things you do with a digital camera, iPhoto, and Photoshop. Keeps the kids entertained for hours. Muahaha!

Want to see others?
> The Case of the Missing Remote
> Bunnie and Clawd

I swear, if these kids ever make it in show biz, Aunt Meeb's going to enforce the Aunt Tax to the fullest.

Jam...

Please forgive me, but this is my guilty pleasure....
I am so addicted to this fictional romance. I can't handle it! It is such a great relationship, even with its ups and downs. The pranks they pull together, the communicating even when they're not speaking, the looks...I love it. Everyone has their favorite Office moments. I think one of the sweetest of Jim is when he puts together the tea pot (with bonus gifts) for Pam. I think that was Season 2. And my favorite of Pam is at the Dundies, when Jim is giving a recap. Her nodding, saying "What?", suppressing hiccups and then falling off the chair are priceless. I need to stop. I could go on....

***Update***
Now, this is priceless: blending two of my favorite things: Jam and Cheeseburgers!

Centre video

Check out this cute vignette about Centre. Though exaggerated, they captured the essence of faculty involvement in students' lives. It really was like this, or at least, this is how I remember it. If you or someone you love are considering Centre, ask me anything - I have a lot to say on this subject! And if you haven't considered Centre yet, you really should. Best four years of my life (so far).

Grilling for 23

Despite the heat and the overabundance of food, many of my family members joined Eric and me as we hosted the traditional Sunday dinner (now downsized to a monthly occurrence) at Waterfront Park. Chris and Terri brought their kids; Julie drove down with her seven; Eric's parents helped work the grills (God love 'em); Dave and Cathy brought watermelon; Steph, Kate and Tim eagerly entered the fray; Aunt Jan made it for dessert, and I think a good time was had by most. These kids are so adorable! So, 12 adults + 11 kids + 2 grills + 1 cookie cake = ridiculous amounts of fun!

Update: new videos!
> Emily's "random commentary" - very amusing! Pishaw, you!
> Explorer Girls (a.k.a. "'Splorer Girls") fight song - oh snap!

Interdependence

I heard somewhere that someone wanted to rename Independence Day to Interdependence Day, to reflect the true connectedness of our country with the world. I like this term, and I think it applies to people as well. Some say you're born alone and you die alone, but those are just two moments in an endless sea of being around others (like it or not)! So I have a few new albums that show those who I'm "dependent" on this July 4th: friends and family!

Kate's Day of Fun

Kate and I stormed Kentucky Kingdom yesterday with a mission - to ride at least one new ride. Mission accomplished! She rode three new rides: the Bounty, the Rainbow, and the Road Runner. We also enjoyed old favorites, like the Flying Dutchman, the Ferris Wheel (or, the "Wheel of Death," according to Eric), and the Roller Skater, not to mention Hurricane Bay. And with the gorgeous weather and lots of friendly cartoon characters (a fear we overcame last year), plus some Dippin' Dots and Snappy the Snake, well, let's just say it was a great day!

Update: fun video!
> Kate on the Viking Ship
> Riding the Roller Skater

FFF the Third

Yesterday brought an afternoon trying to recreate the culinary joy that is flammekueche (tarte flambée) and an evening of good friends walking in the door, bringing a couple of special couple announcements. Congratulations, Carol and Satbir and Carrie and Nick! Vive l'amour, and Foreign Film Fridays!

Orange Crocs go to the Zoo

My niece Margaret and I went to the zoo yesterday - it was the first of the "2007 Mee-Bee Days." I'm hoping to be able to spend at least one day with each nephew and niece this summer. I did it last year, and it really was fun (at least for me!). It's hard when there are so many kids to have just a little one-on-one time, but this seems to work.

I really enjoy being an aunt, if you can't tell. I'm blessed to have this time to spend with my family, so I'm trying not to take it for granted! Enjoy the pictures!

*sniff*

I'm kind of starting to miss my kids! I've been finishing up thank-you notes, and I included a little letter to each child, which stirred up so many memories. I feel so far away from school, though it's barely been two weeks. This group of kids will always mean something special to me, since they were my first class. I can't believe that what once were just names on a piece of paper are now (for me) pages and pages of personality. I am so grateful for my decision to become a preschool teacher.

Feelin' Set-sy

I've recently been commissioned to touch up the sets for [BIG] Photo, one of the premier photography studios in Louisville. Here is a link to some of the finished products; I hope to post some samples of their professional-quality photos later on in the summer.

psyc6h0

We're back and still walking after Biking the Bluegrass to benefit the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Again, many thanks to everyone who donated - not just those of you who gave money, but also everyone who said prayers for our safety and offered words of encouragement. The weather was perfect (overcast and cool), and the routes we took were beautiful. Saturday was tough; I wasn't prepared for the hills, and I think we brought too much in our panniers. I almost made my goal of not having to stop, but one mile from the finish line, I had to walk my bike up the remainder of a hill. Ouch! But Sunday, I made it through all the hills without stopping, and increased my average speed to 13 mph from 11 mph.

I've uploaded some photos to my gallery. The captions should help explain more of the details of our trip and our stay at Centre.

We'll probably do this again next year in addition to the Old Kentucky Home bike tour this September. Anyone interested in joining us? We'll need to start training now - I sure wasn't prepared for the degree of difficulty the course presented. We'll be better prepared next time!

Celebrating Bonmom

June 3rd is the one-year anniversary of the death of my grandmother, Margaret. We called her "Bonmom," which sounds a little like "bonne" mom; "good" mom. And she certainly was that. She religiously hosted Sunday dinners at her home in the Highlands, even after she could no longer eat regular food. She loved her family (yes, all blue million of us), watching tennis and basketball (she always filled out her brackets), Food Network, and God.

After she died, we found passages she marked in her Bible. Three were read at her funeral, and they epitomized the way Bonmom lived:

Wisdom 3: 1-3: "But the souls of the just are in the hand of God, and no torment shall touch them. They seemed, in the view of the foolish, to be dead; and their passing away was thought an affliction and their going forth from us, utter destruction. But they are in peace."

Romans 12: 17-21: "Do not repay anyone evil for evil; be concerned for what is noble in the sight of all. Beloved, do not look for revenge but leave room for the wrath; for it is written, 'Vengence is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.' Rather, 'if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink...' Do not be conquered by evil, but conquer evil with good."

Luke 6: 35-38: "But rather, love your enemies and do good to them, and lend expecting nothing back...Stop judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven. Give and gifts will be given to you...For the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you."

Bonmom was someone who walked the walk. By example, she showed everyone around her how to love and forgive. She didn't preach or complain. She simply took these verses to heart, and daily found ways to live in understanding and forgiveness.

I truly think she was happy and content with the choices she made. And what better way is there to live than a peaceful life without regret?

Biking the Bluegrass

Watch out, Danville! We're returning to our alma mater, Centre College, this weekend as part of the MS 150 Bike the Bluegrass, to benefit Multiple Sclerosis. We've got our packets, new gloves, a new shifter (for Eric), new bike shorts (for me - yuck), and lots of support from family and friends. Thanks! It will be 56.6 miles on Saturday and 54.9 miles on Sunday. Wish us luck!

Northeastern U.S. 2003

For your viewing pleasure...may I introduce the Northeastern U.S.! We actually only made a significant dent in State College and Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania, New York City, and Stockbridge and Pittsfield in Massachusetts. So it is definitely not a comprehensive tour of the Northeast. I guess it needs a sequel....

Western U.S. 2004

Driving out to Soda Springs, Idaho in 2004 for our friend Mazie's wedding was unforgettable. The grassy plains, those creepy oil drill-things, and the lunar-like landscapes--when paired with some Air--made everything surreal. I need to find a few more missing photos from our return trip through Wyoming and South Dakota. Will post those soon.

St. Lucia 2005

Since I'm on a roll here, I'm going to go ahead and upload some shots from our St. Lucia vacation in 2005. Nothing like four days to do nothing but soak up the beauty of a place. Enjoy!

How much?

I've been anxious to share these photos from our honeymoon in the South of France. I can't believe it will be five years this August! Maybe we can find some last-minute cheap flights before the summer is over...

Louisville Photos

I've uploaded some shots I've taken over the years of our fair city. Check them out and let me know what you think!

Portrait Samples

I have posted some portrait samples on my Picasa Public Library. My main references (much to the chagrin of my painting professor) are photographs, as you can see. Check them out and let me know what you think.

Work in Progress

This is a portrait I donated to my nieces' and nephews' school. It is really the first major work I've done since graduating from Centre College 5 years ago. I feel like it's taking me so much longer - it's true what they say about practicing. If you don't, you lose it.