Nathan's Games

Here's my nephew, Nathan, at almost eleven months old (I can't believe it!). Look at all those teeth! I see both his mother and father in that darling face of his. Can't you just hear the laughter? His Grandma was spoon feeding him his dinner while I was disruptively playing peek-a-boo from behind her and around her hoping to catch the joy from our little game with my camera. He gave me more than joy... he always does!

Here are some things that must give Nathan joy because they are his three most frequently used words: "ball," "dog," and "bubble."

Nathan impressed us all with another little game one day. We were all sitting around the table at Cracker Barrel and Gayle asks her little boy, "Nathan, where's Grandpa?" and Nathan looks around the table and stops his eyes on none other than his Grandpa. We all clap and he smiles at the positive attention. "Nathan," his mama continues, "Where's Sarah?" Nathan shifts his gaze to the other end of the table and looks directly at his sister. The table erupts with hoorays and claps again.

Will he know me I began to wonder as Gayle keeps quizzing her son. "Nathan, where's Daddy?" Nathan finds his daddy's familiar face at the table. Cheers! "Nathan, where's Auntie Dawn?" My heart skips a beat. Does he see me enough to really recognize me? Nathan began to move and those darling blue eyes met with mine! What a feeling. Now he's just showing off!

Made You Smile,

Dawn (& Nathan)

The Olsens

November was certainly a busy shutter-snappy month for me! I'll eventually post a few pictures from each of them. But first, here are the Olsens - what a beautiful family!

Malia and I were friends in the second grade (1986-87) and then my family moved to another part of town when I was eight which put me in a different school district, so naturally and sadly, we lost touch.

Then in 2004, we were both first year teachers and reunited at a class that new teachers had to attend. That was such a good day and we've kept in touch ever since.

We went to Omni Tucson National to take family pictures, which was the local for Malia and Jeff's wedding.

Kendall is a scene stopper!

Adorable! She looks so much like her mother.

I loved her playful spirit.

At one point she got a little sad, and she looked so much like a Precious Moments girl, that I had to take advantage of those tears.

But she bounced back!

Taylor's serious, pensive expression. What is she thinking about?

I love her hair swirl!

Her parents could made her laugh. So cute!

Crawly girl.

Malia and Jeff, thanks for the fun!

Snap, snap,

Dawn

October 2008 - Our 3rd Anniversary

I'm a bit behind in some blogging, but I had to back up to include our 3rd anniversary from October. Kurt and I traveled to Rocky Point in our 1993 Jeep Cherokee complete with music, books, magazines, buckets, beach chairs, and the hope of a wonderful anniversary getaway in Mexico with each other.

Once we arrived, we realized that our oil was leaking and leaking fast, so we shopped at the market in Puerto Penasco and bought duct tape. We were both relieved at the quick fix, not really knowing how long it would suffice.

We were headed back to our rented condo with a few other groceries, and as we cruised passed the dark beach, Kurt's adventuresome-side burst out with this: "Let's see what this thing [the Jeep] can do on the sand." He put her in 4-wheel drive and we frolicked on the beach beneath the moon with little worried sounds hiccuping out of me in sporadic spurts. I almost couldn't wait to get back to the condo because of all the stress of car problems far from home in Mexico on our "vacation," but we carried on, bumping over the dunes... well, until we stopped bumping.

"Sweetie," he began. "I think we're stuck."

"What?!" I couldn't believe it. "Kurrrrt?!"

The wheels spun. Now I believed it - we weren't going anywhere. Only deeper.

We got out to examine our situation. I couldn't stop shaking my head in disbelief, but Kurt stayed very optimistic and ran for help calling out over his shoulder, "It's an adventure, Sweetie!"

Meanwhile, I got out the video camera to document the current predicament in night-mode.

A nice man came back with Kurtis to help us push the car, and shortly thereafter one of his friends did, too. We all dug around the tires, out of breath and prayerful, for we were too close to the ocean for comfort and our poor Jeep was already in trouble and now we've gone and gotten her stuck. All of the possible what-ifs plagued my brain. Thank goodness Kurt was a glass half-full.

Loads of sand and pulses of adrenaline later, the embarrassment of feeling like a foolish American tourist flooded over us because the inevitable question came. In broken English, one of the men asked what, no doubt, they both were wondering from the start, "Why you drive on beach?" A scrunched face and a guilty "I know," acknowledgement was our reply. (Never again in our only working vehicle, that's for sure!)

After letting some air out of the tires and driving down closer to the sea (ironically) there was some firmer sand. We made headway and finally, up and off the shore Kurt drove with three running pushers no longer able to keep up. A loud, "Hooray!" came from Kurtis from inside the Jeep, his cheer audible from the sticking-place.

Profuse thanks and even hugs to our local heroes were dispersed with genuine gratitude. High tide was on the way. Whew! Close call!

The next day, we walked to the beach.

Had a picnic.

Played in the waves.

Built a sandcastle.

And watched it wash away.

It's so nice how everything can wash away so cleanly there. (That includes half of our tire tracks from the previous night. Ahem.)

We also read, napped, and went absolutely nowhere. The day escaped and we enjoyed our peaceful day on the beach.

Unfortunately, we couldn't ignore all of our troubles forever by the sea. Some troubles remained the same and the duct tape wasn't holding up.

So, the next day, Kurt drove solo into town equipped with his college Spanish textbook and he happened upon the garage that he was hoping to find. Kurt and the mechanic managed to communicate and miraculously, they had the exact part for our vehicle's make and year!

God washed away that trouble - and I was worried!

So, needless to say, we did make it home, and we did it without burning up our motor for lack of oil because of that very crucial part that cost us $650 pesos.

And we made it home with tortillas... but only a few.

What a memorable 3rd anniversary!

Relieved and Happy,

Dawn

Santa by the Sonoran Express

He arrived by train yesterday afternoon aboard the Sonoran Express #2349 at the Union Pacific yard office in Tucson, Arizona at precisely 5:00 in the afternoon.

He greeted old and young with that magical way about him. "Merry Christmas!" His eyes twinkled with genuine delight.

He gave packages and listened intently to yearnings and wishes of all sorts. "I want a Wii." "I want my brother to stop teasing me." "I would like to have a nice day with my family on Christmas."

"Always be happy," he urged. A familiar line to me.

Some brought him letters.

Some stared intently at his jolly face.

He hugged each child and said, "Leave me a note and I'll come see you!"

Before leaving his lap, I made sure they each smiled for a picture... or at least looked my way!

Some tried to imitate him. (I don't think the little guy's beard is real!)

Ho, ho, ho!

Dawn

Kelly Skovholt & Vera Bradley

Now I understand my sister's purse fetish. I've never been as proud of a purse as I am with my new Vera Bradley bag given to me by my long-time, dear friend, Kelly Jane (Lawhead) Skovholt. I totally feel flirty at thirty with this darling bag on my shoulder. I'm so careful with it and refuse to put any used Kleenex or crumpled straw wrappers in it as I would with my other purses. I strive to keep it organized, which is a huge help, actually! I am enjoying my adorable purse very, very much.

Here's Kelly and her husband, Jonathan! See, Kelly's sporting her Vera Bradley purse, naturally doused with hints of purple (her favorite color). When Kurt and I went to D.C. to visit, it was so cute how she and her friends all had Vera Bradley purses. I love that I now fit in with that east coast trend! Thank you, Kelly, for your thoughtful gift! I love it!

Kelly and I met in the 4th grade. Our teacher, Mrs. Moore, coupled us together to make up an assignment that we both missed. We sat behind a bookshelf and became fast friends as we giggled and bonded in our little private book-fort while the rest of the class worked on something else, and I imagine they were envious of the fun we were obviously having. I think it was the perfect way to meet this friend of mine.

Kelly has always been a book-lover. She inspired me to read many books I might not have otherwise read such as The Little House in the Big Woods series. She also devoured The Baby Sitters Club books, Nancy Drew mysteries, and the Sweet Valley High saga. Now, we are both members of separate book clubs in separate cities, but we still share about our story adventures.

We used to glamourously dress up and create dance routines to old country songs together and I have to say that our best performances were to "Honky Tonk Man" and "1814," both by Johnny Horton. (I know what you're thinking, "Who's that?" Google him. He's great; really.) You'd have to bribe us pretty well to do an encore presentation, but I remember a particularly hilarious move to the line, "Gulf of Mexico!"

In fifth grade, Kelly and I volunteered for something three days a week during our lunch recess: library aid, office aid, and Kindergarten aid. When we weren't helping out, we were busy building our club: PTS, which stands for Pre-Teen Sensations. You can't say that we weren't creative and busy girls! We also loved Crayola markers and made lined paper rainbows by coloring each line a different saturated color. Kelly inspired me to try band and Girl Scouts, but I didn't last in either; Kelly was a lifer in both! We each played piano and she and I were on the same softball team for a time, too.

Throughout middle school and high school, Kelly and I gravitated to a different set of core friends, but we somehow always remained close. Even in college, we did our own thing, but we thankfully managed to keep in touch.

During and after college, we would get together every few months and we rediscovered our friendship and our uncanny ability to pick up where we left off, always finding lots of reasons to laugh and a never-ending line of conversation, despite the many miles that had previously separated us. I'm so blessed to have Kelly in my life!

She introduced me to afternoon tea at Tohono Chul Tea Room and I fell in love with this old English tradition!

Kelly sweetly asked me to be one of her bridesmaids in her wedding this past April of 2008, which was such a gift. I feel even closer to her now and am grateful for the experience to get to know her, her husband, her friends, and her family on a deeper level. She and her family are such hospitable people and they treat others with such openness and warmth - like part of their own family. They are all easy to love. Kelly has such a wonderful positive, cheerful, optimistic spirit, and she's found a wonderful husband in Jonathan. Kurt and I are so happy to call them lifelong and special friends.

My purse reminds me constantly of her and this gives me reason to grin.

Friends Forever,

Dawn

Thankful for... tart kitty feet among other things

"Kurt, I'm going to set the lemon meringue pie we're taking to your mom's house over here, on the blue table, and there's a paper towel over it," I informed him as I busily multi-tasked this Thanksgiving morning. I was worried that he might not see it and accidentally bump it or something.

"Okay," he replied. Check. It's off my mental to-do list. I have effectively communicated the status of the pie to my husband.

I took a shower and was brushing my teeth, etc. while our cat, Max, kept meowing at me and I couldn't do anything to make him stop. He had plenty of food and water, he has been well admired. I just couldn't figure it out.
A few minutes later, Kurt had figured it out. I hear him say, "Oh, sweetie..." in a long, drawn-out, oops-sort-of tone. Uh oh. I rush out to the living room - to the place where the pie waited to leave. The paper towel no longer hovered weightlessly over the pie. Instead, it was hard pressed, so to speak. There was a puncture in the pie with the once-dry paper towel leading the way to the bottom of the pie pan, lemon juice seeping its way up the paper's fibers. We realized the "hole" was exactly the size of our Max's paw pressing through the pie. It was merely a hurdle in his cruise over the furniture.

Kurt was in stitches he was laughing so hard. First I laughed, then I cried, and then I laughed again.

We can't really blame Max - he's used to walking over piles of papers, and he just didn't recognize this new obstacle as food for a human feast. The thought of him innocently stepping into something mushy when he expected a firm surface and then probably darting across the house (unnoticed by us) in shock is pretty funny. We think his meowing was perhaps an apology or the distinct disapproval and disdain of lemon after licking his paw to remove the tart dessert from in between his spread-out paw. How do cats pucker anyway?

Despite the little dent in part of my contribution to the meal, I am thankful for my cat. I am thankful for lemon meringue. I am thankful for my husband's laugh and sense of humor to help me see the joy in the little inconvenience.

There are so many things to be thankful for: the time spent with my mama visiting while making 16 pies, the gathering and fellowship of family, sharing and enjoying two Thanksgiving dinners in one day, old traditions and making changes to accommodate the times, my sister's goofy side which always makes me giddy, Nathan's first taste of stuffing and turkey and his many expressions, Ender hugging my leg and his little divided plate of Thanksgiving food, holding "short and sweet" baby Liam, recipe cards, "cutting in butter," the familiar bowl for candied yams, gluten-free options for Jen, pumpkin pie, cherry pie, chocolate chip pecan pie, hugs and kisses, being both a niece and an aunt, Gayle and I dressing the same without the "text," the beauty of feast preparation, aprons, utensils, music in the background, laughter, dish soap, coffee with pie, realizing how blessed I am, impromptu charades with my papa to guess a movie title, rain in the desert, the crisp, clean mountains after a hard rain, cool breezes floating through the warm kitchen from outside, multi-colored funky potholders, reminders of goodness, a full tummy, a full heart, and Love.

Gratefully,

Dawn