12/5/14

Hello again,
It's been a busy month. Somehow my mornings slip away and all of a sudden it's time to leave for work, and things are still left incomplete! Here are a few tidbits, what I can remember since I last wrote.
After finally getting my fingerprints done, I received a note in the mail that I had not included a payment and would not be processed until they received it. I sent a check, not knowing who to write it out to, I just wrote as much info as I could on the line and hoped for the best.
A week later I received another note saying my prints were rejected. I called, they said that sometimes they look perfect in the office and still get rejected. Not on me this time.
It took me another week to get back over there, Lydia was off school, so I took her with me. They told me I could not bring her in with me and I couldn't leave her in the waiting area. The next day I left her with a friend and went back, they were closed. I thought the sheriff's office would certainly stay open despite it being Veteran's day. It was the next week when I was able to go back and finally get it done! The machine kept beeping and flashing red, rejected again, this time in front of my face.
The woman sent them on anyway, it was all she could do, and she warned that I may have to do it again! I asked her how they could catch criminals on partial prints, yet this was not good enough. She didn't know.
More time passed and I got a letter saying all was fine!

I have a new partner at work, and though we are different in ways, we work together pretty well.
Work is still enjoyable. I subbed a few days last week and have more days coming before break.
Lydia's 10th birthday party is on the 13th. We are having it at a bouncy house place. She will be getting tickets to see Taylor Swift next August in Seattle. She knows she will be going but not when she will get tickets, so it will be a small surprise. And it will become a reality for her when she has them in hand.
We are reapplying for her admission to OES for 5th grade.
The house in South Carolina is finally under negotiation! Our renters would like to buy, so it's easier than it could have been.

Ayla slipped on the stairs last month and as it got progressively worse, we ended up taking her to the vet. Because of that, and her age, we had X-rays done. She had some pulled stuffed, water on the knee, and arthritis in her spine show up.
As she has not had a full check up in years, and she is aging, we wanted a clear picture on where we were at with her health. Her kidney's are starting to fail, very early stages, but she is drinking lot's of water and having to pee more frequently, We sure miss just opening the door and sending her out into her own yard. And it's stressful knowing we will need to take her out again soon. Poor Bean!
She has decided that she is now allowed on the furniture when we are home as well as not. She doesn't even bother anymore with slinking off when we come in! She knows she isn't allowed, she just doesn't care anymore!

We had our second annual Thanksgiving trip to Vancouver. Staying at an Airbnb that was sub par. Despite which, we had a good time. Pictures to follow.
We will head to San Diego around the 20th and L.A. for Xmas. Back to San Diego to spend time with Ed's siblings and back here after the New year comes.
There are plans to visit CT. next July. Ed has a conference in New H and will have free airfare.
I think this is all for now, We sure miss everybody!
Love to you.

These are from around home:

 Don't tell California, the fountains run ALL the time!

And here is Vancouver:

10/17/14

Well it just now dawned on me that I haven't been here in what seems like forever! Almost 3 weeks. The job has been getting better. I enjoy it for the most part. I struggle with planning and executing the activities. I only have two days a week that I have to do it, but it's just not my forte. I did have a success with one of the wall displays though. On the wall in our room, someone had made a beautiful 3 dimensional tree out of paper. I brought in some leaves and made a leaf pile on the wall beneath the tree, I had the kids draw pictures of their faces, put them in the leaf pile, then traced one of my kids in a jumping position, had her color it, and put her between a branch and the leaf pile, jumping in. I will try to remember to take a picture.
Last week we had DCS come for an inspection. I had had my fingerprints and background check and a few days later got another packet in the mail, I recycled it, as I had just done it. I DID deliberate. So it turns out that I had done the background check that the school requires and the one I tossed was for the government. Oops. The guy was great about it, after half an hour on the phone. I went today with my new packet and got it done. Then a few days later the health department came for THEIR inspection. I found something to do elsewhere. Yesterday the fire department came, I sat still. We should be done for the year.
Next week we have two all days! I have two activities either per day or for the two days. I should find that out. They are to last for an hour to an hour and a half! I'm screwed!
I am still trying to get a read on the other ladies. Sometimes I think they find me charming, and then I wonder if they are merely tolerating me. I have never felt this before. I just always assumed everyone liked me!
I go in for two every day and work until 6. My kids are first through third grade. There are a couple of challenging whippersnappers, well let's say more than a few.
Lydia is well, and planning her Cruella Deville costume for Halloween. Ed was a hit at the recent NWAIS conference that was hosted at OES. He showed off his new toy, a 3D printer.
I was supposed to be there, the school paid for me, a lot of money I guess. But then I found out Lydia didn't have school, so I had to sit it out, and I don't think they got a refund.
I shadowed the teaching assistant for the middle school the other day, saying I wanted to sub, and would do so for pre k through 6. ugh! This has been a really challenging and stressful few weeks. Every time I think I will be able to catch my breath, something else has to be dealt with. Running to stand still
We are all thinking about Esther and wishing we could be there now.
It looks like we won't be there for Xmas, and we are very sad for that. But now that I am working and have Ed's holidays in common, we hope that a trip either next summer or next Xmas, will be in the works. I think there is a conference in the summer at Taft school, so Ed would be paid for, that may be a catalyst.
That's it for now folks. We miss and love you all!

9/28/14

We have had a nice month here. The weather of course is shifting into fall. The air smells crispy and has that warm, on the cusp of cool feel to it. The leaves have just almost started turning, with some hitting the ground already.

We have done some fun things, one of which was watching the Vaux Swifts fly through the air as a group, finally funneling down into a chimney. We only got pooped on a couple of times, and none in the face. Lina, Bronek and Rayanna came with us last weekend and last night we went again, just us three. Tons of people show up for this, it's like a huge block party. People bring blankets and picnics, kids run around and sled down the hill on cardboard that is left for such purpose. It's so communal and warm. This is how it is here, always such things going on everyday all over town. And part of why we love it so.

The video I will put below is longish and sideways, stupid Iphone won't rotate picture/video anymore. Maybe you can turn your screen sideways so it's upright, if you choose to watch.

School is going well for Lydia. Ed too, of course. And I will start work Monday, yes you heard correctly. I will be joining the after school team in extended care. My group will be Pre-K through 3rd, and unlike when I had 15-20 5th and 6th graders, I will have a partner! I had to do a background check, fingerprints, drug test, and will need to do CPR, AED, and get my food handlers card. Ugh, a job in itself.

I will no longer have my afternoon walks with Ayla and Lydia which is sad. My hours are 2-6 and I will have all the same holidays as Ed. Lydia will walk over to the school on Mondays and Tuesdays, when school gets out, and join the 4th through 6th graders at OES for an hour or so. Weds-Fri she will ride the bus home with her buddy Brooklyn. 

Last night we went for dinner downtown at Mother's Bistro, where they make my favorite Bloody Mary, to celebrate my birthday/our 10th anniversary(it was only fitting that Lydia was there with us, as she was on the day we got married). 

First visit to the Swifts:

 Second visit:

Cardboard sledding:

9/8/14

School is into week two. All is well thus far. Lydia has guilted me into signing forms to volunteer. Ugh, I hope they don't call!

 Brooklyn, L, Angelina:

Friday night I took Lydia to see Brandi Carlile  play at our beautiful Arlene Schnitzer Auditorium. We had such a great time. Lydia really enjoyed it and I hope we will have a chance soon to do something similar. Here is a link to a little Brandi, you may recognize the first song, it was on Grey's Anatomy as well as some commercials. (Do you all know to double click on links like this one and paste into a new tab?)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8pQLtHTPaI&list=RDo8pQLtHTPaI#t=0



Ed has a cousin from L.A. who moved from Portland to Georgia when we were out here on our cross country trip. He is a professor of music( I think that's his title, I could be wrong). Anyway, he took a job in Atlanta and has since moved just outside Allentown. His wife Jenny was here this summer visiting and invited us to her step father's birthday party, where she introduced us to her friend's Seairme and David. They live here across the river with Tilly and Benny, their kids. Tilly is the same age as Lydia, about a month apart, and they get along great! and we really like all of them.
David and Seairme (say ah me) play in the L.A. symphony, as well as others and background music for movies and commercials.  David texted Ed the other day to offer us tickets to a show he is playing with Bela Fleck and the symphony(Bela Fleck is a big name banjo player).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-zfiMLiizc&index=3&list=PLF3CB3C35904578AA

I can't imagine what he will do with a symphony behind him!
After the ticket offering we were invited to where they are pasturing their horses right now.
Wild mustangs that the government rounded up and sold.
They are so beautiful and sweet! We got a bit of education about them, Lydia got to help do a little training, then we hiked some of the property, ate some apples off the trees and went for lunch.
Lydia ended up going home with them to play with Tilly, so Ed and I got to ramble on our own.
We ended up at their house for dinner, and had gluten free pizza from a pizza place, and it was the best pizza ever!
Sunday we drove out to the river where Lydia and Ayla got to play with freighters along the banks.
Tonight Lydia went to her friends house and Ed and I went back to the Schnitz for the 30th anniversary of the Literary arts program here.
Colin Meloy of "The Decemberists" played a couple songs:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUCeHbg4afA

Calvin Triller who has written for The New Yorker as well as The Nation, spoke.
A local poet and a highschool senior both spoke and THEN Elizabeth Gilbert!!!
It was a good night. We had some yummy dinner out, then a beer in the park before the show.
Somewhere in conversation Saturday, David said that he was going to play a show Tuesday for some guy...um... Trey? We just laughed because it's the guy from the band Phish, who is VERY well known. Ed has seen his band many many times. We loved that he had no idea who he was.
David texted today and offered to put two tickets at will call, so tomorrow night, we are back at the Schnitz!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhlBKL69858

Enough excitement for today!

8/31/14

Wow 10 days since Mom and Dad left! It flew by! And here we are, a mere two days before Lydia starts back to school. Luckily she is very excited. A far cry from this time last year. She has spent a ton of time with her buddy Brooklyn this summer. We went to see Maleficent the other night and took Brooklyn as well as Mathew her younger brother. We take Mathew with us often, too.
The next morning Brooklyn's mom picked lydia up at 8 and took her with them to her husband's grandmother's farm. They picked blueberries, grapes, cukes and zukes. We didn't see Lydia until almost 9!  It's so good to see her venturing out with others.
Ed and I took advantage of the free time and visited an art festival downtown, we saw some amazing things. After, we wentt for some lunch in one of the funky(in a good way) neighborhoods. And then drove to one of our favorite neighborhoods, the Alphabet district.
Today we drove out to Sauvie Island.

http://sauvieisland.org/visitor-information/commercial-attractions/farm-stands/

Lydia wanted to pick blueberries, but they only had flowers or tomatoes to harvest. So she snipped some flowers and we bought some good ground beef. And then we drove out on the Island to the river, where they have sandy beach. Ayla got to run and swim, and had a great time, until we made her lay down for being an ass.
We left there and drove to a park under the St. John's bridge, which is my favorite of them all. Apparently I'm not the only one, there was plenty of people there, frolicking, taking pictures, fishing and wedding. Two weddings!

http://www.portlandbridges.com/00,D300CRW07981,18,0,1,1-portland-oregon.html

Now Ed and Lydia are at school getting Ed's kids set up with their laptops in the dorms.
Pictures:

Lunch date:

 Sauvie Island:

 Yummy corn:

 Eagles nest?

 St. John's bridge:

  Random person on the tracks: