The 60 Year Old Kid

As of July 30th, 2008, my papa has officially experienced 6 decades of life!

As you can see, my dad has lots of hobbies (and the corresponding toys)! He loves his family and is really good at showing and telling us that. He lives for the moment and always advises us to just be happy.

At his birthday party, Gayle and I prepared a presentation with things our daddy can do, a slide show of photos of him through the years, and 60 Martin Ernest “Woody” Widero quotes. Here are some:

#6 When Daddy thought I should pitch a change-up during a softball game, he’d tell the whole field: “You can afford it.”

#7 When Daddy wants ice cream, he often says: “Your mama said she wants ice cream.”

#14 Learning to drive stick, we often heard that: “The clutch disengages the motor.”

#28 About VWs: “There ain’t an inch to one of these things that I haven’t touched.”

#36 About his movie collection, “The only difference between me and Blockbuster is that I only have one.”

#39 How Daddy describes his job: “I just blow the whistle.”

#44 If someone irritates him, you might hear him say: “I’ll pinch his head off.”

#55 About finding a job you love, “You’re gonna spend 8 hours somewhere.”

#60 His favorite toast: “Here’s to family.”

Fortunately,

Dawn

Quotes from The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

We just finished reading The Thirteenth Tale for our book club and it was a great read! I came away with many favorite bits from the intriguing mystery.

"People disappear when they die. Their voice, their laughter, the warmth of their breath. Their flesh. Eventually their bones. All living memory of them ceases. This is both dreadful and natural. Yet for some there is an exception to this annihilation. For in the books they write they continue to exist. We can rediscover them. Their humor, their tone of voice, their moods. Through the written word they can anger you or make you happy. They can comfort you. They can perplex you. They can alter you. All this, even though they are dead. Like flies in amber, like corpses frozen in ice, that which according to the laws of nature should pass away is, by the miracle off ink on paper, preserved. It is a kind of magic." ~page 17

"I was distracted: my thumb and right index finger were sending me a message: Not many pages left." ~page 27

"I remembered the Thirteen Tales that took possession of me with its first words and held me captive all night. I wanted to be held hostage again." ~page 31

"Other people call it the imagination. I think of it as a compost heap. Every so often I take an idea, plant it in the compost, and wait. It feeds on that black stuff that used to be a life, takes its energy for its own. It germinates. Takes root. Produces shoots. And so and and so forth, until one fine day I have a story or a novel." ~page 46

"I have closed my study door on the world and shut myself away with people of my imagination. For nearly sixty years I have eavesdropped with impunity on the lives of people who do not exist. I have peeped shamelessly into hearts and bathroom closets. I have leaned over shoulders to follow the movements of quills as they write love letters, wills and confessions. I have watched as lovers love, murderers murder and children play their make-believe. Prisons and brothels have opened their doors to me; galleons and camel trains have transported me across sea and sand; centuries and continents have fallen away at my bidding. I have spied upon the misdeeds of the mighty and witnessed the nobility of the meek. I have bent so low over sleepers in their beds that they might have felt my breath on their faces. I have seen their dreams." ~page 113

"His voice had the unmistakable lightness of someone telling something extremely important. A story so cherished it had to be dressed in casualness to disguise its significance in case the listener turned out to be unsympathetic." ~page 220

"Do you know the feeling when you start reading a new book before the membrane of the last one has had time to close behind you? You leave the previous book with items and themes -characters even- caught in the fibers of your clothes, and when you open the new book, they are still with you." ~page 290

"Like all humans; I do not remember my birth. By the time we wake up to ourselves, we are little children, and our advent is something that happened an eternity ago, at the beginning of time, we live like latecomers at the theater; we must catch up as best we can, divining the beginning from the shape of later events." ~page 357

"'I know,' he said. 'I know.' He didn't know, of course. Not really. And yet that was what he said, and I was soothed to hear it. For I knew what he meant. We all have our sorrows, and although the exact delineaments, weight and dimensions of grief are different for everyone, the color of grief is common to us all. 'I know,' he said, because he was human, and therefore, in a way, he did." ~page 388-389

Plus, the last sentence was awesome, which I won't share with you here. It won't mean as much until after you've read the story in its entirety. Read it!

Engrossed,
Dawn

A Gallery for Erin

My friend, co-elephant-photo-opportunist, and fellow-photographer, Erin Kah (pronounced Kay) Durband of E-Kah-D Photography has a portfolio of some of her work displayed at a cute downtown café in La Placita called Chris’ Café.

I’m so proud of her! If you’d like to see more of Erin’s amazing grunge, trash-the-dress-style photographs you can view her website at http://www.ekahd.com/ and her blog at http://ekahd.wordpress.com/.

She one of my most inspiring friends.

Inspired,
Dawn

Peanut Butter Waffles

My mom invented peanut butter waffles when I was in middle school and lately, there has been a resurrection of them at my house, which probably isn’t good for my waist, but I adore them and it’s total comfort food!

Here’s the recipe:

1. Insert two L’eggo My Eggo Buttermilk or Home-style frozen waffles into the toaster until golden brown.
2. Lather each waffle with a layer of creamy or crunchy peanut butter.
3. Sandwich the waffles together and cut in bite size pieces.
4. Drizzle maple syrup over the top.
5. Pour a glass of chilled milk.
6. Try to savor every bite because it goes away oh-so-fast.
7. Contemplate making more.
   

It’s completely delicious, but Kurtis doesn’t believe me and won’t try it! If you try it, do let me know what you think!

Yum,
Dawn

Dear Little Monkey

Dear little monkey,

I loved you before you were born,
but these little things have made me love you even more!

Your soft, bubbly arms,
your giggling charms,
the drool on your chin,
your gummy grin,
a nose like your mama,
your feet pajamas,
the spitting image of your dad,
the song Sarah sings when you get mad,
how Megan cuddles you,
your bright eyes of blue,
your amazing coordination,
and eager observations,
the way you play,
the faces you make,
your strength,
your length,
those thick, chunky thighs,

and your large hand size.

How I love you, you family of monkeys.

oo-ooo, ahh-ahh, eee-eee,
Dawn

A Room in Waiting

Jen is in nesting mode, which is only natural for it being only about 2 and a half weeks before the baby's due date, and what a nest she and Kelly are preparing for little Liam!

Liam's nursery is decked out in a brilliant bright blue and the theme of Where the Wild Things Are is everywhere you look with pictures from the book framed on the wall, hand-drawn paintings of the book's characters from one of Jen's childhood friends, and wild animals eagerly waiting their new roommate on the freshly painted chifferobe.

A crib is on order to complete the room, and a corner bookshelf is in the works by Liam's handy carpenter-skilled Daddy! What a wildly lucky baby Liam is!

"Let the Wild Rumpus Start,"

Dawn

A Great-Grandpa for the First Time

Here he is - Roy Clarence Widero, my dad's dad, my grandpa, or "Mr. Widero," as my late Grandma Bernie often called her ornery husband.


We all drove up to Tehachapi, California the weekend of July 20th to reunite with my Grandpa at his house atop one of the grassy, foggy hills of this windy region of California. My dad's three sisters and their families met us there, too, which was so fun! It has been about a decade since I saw my cousins Danny and Kristin, so it was about time! We all had a great time catching up, playing pool, eating food, introducing Nathan, and remembering old stories.

I love how Grandpa "dressed up" in his vintage 70s shirt!

Grandpa read two of his clever, original poems to us - the ones he was able to find amongst other random papers in his unorganized desk drawer, so creased and aged that rips and tears are exhaustively fighting the urge. I just adore his poetic wit about the irritating wait in a super market line and about the embarrassment and awkwardness that is a bedpan. I'm planning to collect as many poems and drawings penned by my talented Grandpa that I can get my hands on for a family heirloom. It's a project in the works that I'm very excited about.


Here's my Grandpa with his four kids. From left to right: Aunt Lisa, Papa (Martin), Grandpa, Aunt Cheryl, and Aunt Jody.

Are you wondering what's making them laugh so hard? It certainly isn't me!


Nathan giggles when his daddy makes him run mid-air with a wiggle of the tush, causing all who see this silly sight to laugh heartily out loud!

Four proud generations.

But the biggest highlight of the trip for me was definitely the connection that a few of us were privileged to witness between Nathan and his Great-Grandpa Widero upon their first meeting and how much genuine interest they had in one another. Turn up the volume and watch below. But don't listen too closely or you might hear my stifled, awe-inspired tears behind the camera.



And a great grandpa he is, too.

Glad I Was There,
Dawn

A Baby Shower for Liam

Last weekend was Jen's Tucson baby shower where we had so much fun showering her with baby-cute and baby-practical gifts!

It was awesome that Jen's mom, Pam, and Jen's Aunt Kathy traveled all the way from Santa Clara, CA to join the festivities. In-town guests included our mother-in-law, June, our sisters-in-law, Kathy, Kimmie, Keri with Ender, my mom and sister with Nathan, my two cousins, Julena and Jillian, our book club pal, Alison, and Jen's friend, Amie with her little girl. It was the perfect amount of people for my teeny house!


The theme was children's literature, so everyone brought a children's book to add to "Liam’s Library!" Then I challenged the group by having them name the title of nursery rhymes after only hearing a line or two! I completely lowered their self-esteem with that one!

Then I made them get sentimental and creative by writing an age appropriate letter to Liam after drawing a number out of a bowl ranging from ages 1 to 18! I got age 6 and that was a fun letter to write. He may be able to read it himself by then!

June made her famous ice cream dessert cake, which is hard to decorate, so we decided to make a diaper cake to match the theme of Liam's bedroom - "Where the Wild Things Are," to complement the yummy dessert.

I also invited a surprise guest to the shower- one of Kurtis’ clients, Libby, who is a baby sign language teacher for Sign With Baby Tucson. She and her 4-year-old daughter were awesome teachers and they inspired the group to learn to communicate with babies before they’re ready to speak with their voices. Libby had us make finger-print-people for each member of our family and then we learned the signs for family members. Here are Kimmie and Keri inking Ender's little fingers!

I know that Jen already intends to do this with Liam, and my sister and I, and all the grandmother’s (my mom, Pam, and June) are very excited too! I have some practicing to do in order to keep up with these babies! Gayle's already started with 5 month old Nathan. It's exciting to wait for him to sign back!

Here's Libby showing the signs for Gayle's (HUGE) family!

June made Liam an adorable home made sock monkey out of 25 year old socks! This is just too special, and I’m glad I knew that it was homemade because I don’t think she would have told anybody! She would have let us all believe that this keepsake was purchased at a store instead of toiled over with love and care and the special stitches only a grandmother can give.


Then, Pam gave Jen and Kelly a Beatles baby tee and a Pink Floyd baby tee representing two of their favorite bands. And it just so happen that Kelly was wearing the exact same adult-sized tee! How perfect!

It was a pretty wonderful day. Plus, I got my house clean because of it!

Sparkle and Shine,
Dawn

Little I Love Yous

Last night, Kurtis and I were cutting, folding, and stapling a "leave behind," as he calls it, for the hopefully-I'll-start-one-day-if-I-have-the-courage-photography-company, Widero Photography, which includes my sister, too! We're both Widero girls! Kurtis designed the awesome logo for me a few years ago for a Valentine's Day gift. He's very supportive and encouraging. That's just one of the many ways that Kurtis shows me that he loves me.

Here's another:

He cut that out with an exacto knife while we were supposed to be cutting! What a slacker! Just kidding!

He's so sweetly good at leaving little I love yous around for me to find; both tangible and simple, random acts of love. I couldn't ask for more.

Love to him,
Dawn