Today is the ninth day of our Baltic cruise. It is a day at sea, so my first chance in a long time to blog.
The trip has been better than Bo and I even imagined. The kids have done very well... they are never too excited about waking up at 7 am or earlier for an on-shore excursion, but once they get off the ship, they perk up. Our itinerary once we left London was to fly to Copenhagen, Belgium and then board a cruise ship which went to Stockholm Sweden, Helsinki Finland, St. Petersburg Russia, Estonia, Poland, and Norway. St. P was fascinating and two full days of non-stop touring. Marie was always zipping up to the front where the guide was so she could hear all the details. Marshall was bored to death in the Hermitage museum - I guess 8 year olds dont really understand how cool it is to see a Picasso, Renoir, etc.
It is so hard to get to bed at a decent time. Sunset is at about 11 pm and sunrise at 3 am.
We have had wonderful weather - incredible really. Although I packed rain ponchos, gloves, scarves, etc. we have only needed light jackets.
One of the most magical days was when we rented bikes in Helsinki Finland. The city was extremely quiet as it was a holiday weekend and everyone heads out of town (Midsummers Festival). So with little car or pedestrian traffic we could safely ride our bikes all over the city - what a blast! Anne attempted to take a photo shile riding her bike and nearly hit a tree, but saved herself at the last minute:)
It's almost the end of our vacation. We are sad to see it end but also looking forward to being home, seeing our friends and pets, etc.
Friday, June 27, 2008
Sunday, June 22, 2008
The Alarm Did Go Off!
Well, the alarm did go off and we left the house at 4:40 a.m. OUCH. Everyone had their one carry-on and their one suitcase. We first flew to Chicago and then we had an only 35 minute connection for our flight to London. When the Captain announced that due to thunderstorms we would be landing late, we assumed we would miss the flight and therefore have a nine hour (minimum) layover. When we landed we looked up on the screen and saw that our flight to London had not yet left. We gathered our stuff and led by Marie, we sprinted to the other terminal. Luckily (for us), the cargo door was having a problem so we and our luggage made it on the plane. I love it when things work out like that!
The flight went well. Anne was kind enough to offer to sit by Marshall, a favor I think she later regretted as he sleep absolutely not a wink the entire 8 hour flight. The noise-cancelling headphones were fantastic! They block out all that irritating engine noise yet you can still hear the flight attendant asking you what type of beverage you would like - genius! The only problem with them is that everyone want to use them:)
We arrived in London late due to the delay taking off. This meant we arrived after the last train had left Heathrow. We had just 15 British Pounds in our pocket and the ATM was broken. By making Marie slightly younger than she really is, we were able to finagle our way onto a double-decker bus.
We took a one hour bus ride and then a 45 minute walk with our luggage through the streets of London at 2 am. The adventure has begun! Everyone was a trooper! Some people don't like to travel this way, but we thrive on it... it brought back lots of memories for me of traveling with my family when I was a teen. Lots of deja vu.
We tried to sleep, but due to excitement and jet lag, it was hard. It is also difficult because it gets dark at 11 pm and then light again at 3:30 am. Strange.
Our next two days in London were exceptional. Gorgeous weather and lots of fun. I will write more later!
written from Helsinki Finland....
The flight went well. Anne was kind enough to offer to sit by Marshall, a favor I think she later regretted as he sleep absolutely not a wink the entire 8 hour flight. The noise-cancelling headphones were fantastic! They block out all that irritating engine noise yet you can still hear the flight attendant asking you what type of beverage you would like - genius! The only problem with them is that everyone want to use them:)
We arrived in London late due to the delay taking off. This meant we arrived after the last train had left Heathrow. We had just 15 British Pounds in our pocket and the ATM was broken. By making Marie slightly younger than she really is, we were able to finagle our way onto a double-decker bus.
We took a one hour bus ride and then a 45 minute walk with our luggage through the streets of London at 2 am. The adventure has begun! Everyone was a trooper! Some people don't like to travel this way, but we thrive on it... it brought back lots of memories for me of traveling with my family when I was a teen. Lots of deja vu.
We tried to sleep, but due to excitement and jet lag, it was hard. It is also difficult because it gets dark at 11 pm and then light again at 3:30 am. Strange.
Our next two days in London were exceptional. Gorgeous weather and lots of fun. I will write more later!
written from Helsinki Finland....
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Bon Voyage!
We are going on a long dreamed about family vacation!
I'll try to blog about our trip, which we leave for in 4 hrs. and 15 minutes. But if I never figure out the technology on other computers, you may not hear from me for a little while.
Today was spent packing. We are each limiting ourselves to one 25" suitcase and is has to weigh less than 40 pounds - not easy consider we will be gone quite a while, we could have pretty dramatic temperature changes as well as a need for formal, semi-formal and casual attire. It was a challenge, but we did it. Our saving grace? Space bags!
The Container Store sells travel and suitcase size space bags. You just put your stuff in them, ziplock them up and then roll all the extra air out and you end up with clothes that look like colorful freeze dried fish! Big fish!
It will be an adventure and with all that has been going on (see kitchen blog below), I haven't even really had time to get excited. But now with just a few hours until we leave the house to catch a 6 am flight, I am getting pumped! I'll try to keep a journal and then post when I get back if I am unable to post while away.
Off to bed now ...(but can anyone really sleep wondering if the alarm will go off on time?) Good thing I can sleep on planes, as my friend Liz can attest to (I once slept 8 hours straight on a trip with her! My parents got me noise-canceling headphones for my b-day. So it should really be no problem to tune out irritable spouses, cranky teenagers, needy little boys,etc. I don't actually think the headphones were invented to tune out your own family (I think it was some dumb thing like engine noise that was the original intent). But hey, what a great bonus benefit!
I'll try to blog about our trip, which we leave for in 4 hrs. and 15 minutes. But if I never figure out the technology on other computers, you may not hear from me for a little while.
Today was spent packing. We are each limiting ourselves to one 25" suitcase and is has to weigh less than 40 pounds - not easy consider we will be gone quite a while, we could have pretty dramatic temperature changes as well as a need for formal, semi-formal and casual attire. It was a challenge, but we did it. Our saving grace? Space bags!
The Container Store sells travel and suitcase size space bags. You just put your stuff in them, ziplock them up and then roll all the extra air out and you end up with clothes that look like colorful freeze dried fish! Big fish!
It will be an adventure and with all that has been going on (see kitchen blog below), I haven't even really had time to get excited. But now with just a few hours until we leave the house to catch a 6 am flight, I am getting pumped! I'll try to keep a journal and then post when I get back if I am unable to post while away.
Off to bed now ...(but can anyone really sleep wondering if the alarm will go off on time?) Good thing I can sleep on planes, as my friend Liz can attest to (I once slept 8 hours straight on a trip with her! My parents got me noise-canceling headphones for my b-day. So it should really be no problem to tune out irritable spouses, cranky teenagers, needy little boys,etc. I don't actually think the headphones were invented to tune out your own family (I think it was some dumb thing like engine noise that was the original intent). But hey, what a great bonus benefit!
The Kitchen is Done!
Taa Dahhhhhh - we are done! Finished about 26 hours before our family vacation!
Well, done might be a little strong. We are 95% done. Painting cabinets can be a real pain - especially in the humidity and 100 degree plus heat we have had. The painting contractor has been very concientious with a high level of quality control (which is good), so the cabinet doors are not all done because some have to be re-done.
But, we were able to move our stuff back into the cabinets! I stayed up until one last night putting everything back and it was so nice to have a fully functional kitchen agai
n!Picture #2: notice the lovely fruity wallpaper behind Bo and the old backsplash which every house in our neighborhood had an exact copy of.
Pictures #3 and #4: we have now painted over the wallpaper, added a wallpaper border and decorative painting and taken down the light box, installing pendent lights and recessed lights. Bo and I chipped up the old tile (exhausting!) and laid new tile a year or two ago. We also have removed the broken microwave and replaced it with a countertop one (this was for about a year) and had the tile backsplash removed. We purchased a new kitchen table when I took the old one up to Oregon last summer.
Picture #5: In the middle of this, I wasn't sure it was worth the hassle!
First and Last pictures: new appliances, counters, backsplash (my fav) and newly painted cabinets. The walls were also textured and painted Sherwin Williams Dapper Brown (love it!) It makes the whole house feel updated!
Monday, June 9, 2008
WARNING: Not for small children - bikini photo!
Well, today I went to Fran the lifestyle coach for my weigh in. I'm .5 pounds away from the 20 pound weight loss mark, but I am going to go ahead and post my bikini photo. I mean, I bought the new suit so I might as well show it off, right?
It's kind of scary to do this here on the internet where everyone can see it, but I'm trying to go a little outside of my comfort zone. So I went out by the pool today and took the photo in the lounge chair right next to the pool. Here it is:
are you sure you are ready?
I don't want to scare you!
keep scrolling down...
OK, here it is:
keep going....
Pretty HOT looking, huh??
It's kind of scary to do this here on the internet where everyone can see it, but I'm trying to go a little outside of my comfort zone. So I went out by the pool today and took the photo in the lounge chair right next to the pool. Here it is:
are you sure you are ready?
I don't want to scare you!
keep scrolling down...
OK, here it is:
keep going....
Pretty HOT looking, huh??
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Warning: bikini picture coming soon!
OK, I went and bought a new bikini last week. My husband thinks I look good in it, but I still feel a little shy. However, as soon as my weight loss has reached the 20 pound mark, I will be posting a bikini picture on my blog.
Just thought I'd give you a little heads up because I only have a few more pounds to go before I reach the 20 pound mark and you may want to block my blog site on your computer so you don't scare the children:)
Just thought I'd give you a little heads up because I only have a few more pounds to go before I reach the 20 pound mark and you may want to block my blog site on your computer so you don't scare the children:)
Great Teachers Change Lives!
School ended for us last Friday. As the kids said goodbye to all of their teachers, I think their thoughts were racing ahead to summer activities more than to gratitude.
They may not have gratitude now, but hopefully someday they will.
Personally, I have lots of gratitude for the teachers my children have had.
So far we have been really blessed in that I think my kids are getting a great education. Our school system allows for relatively small classroom sizes, physical education, music, fine arts and extracurricular activities. Of course there have been a few duds in there, but for the most part I am absolutely amazed at the dedication, enthusiasm and passion that teachers have brought to the table. They have helped Bo and I to raise our children!
I know the power of a teacher. My very favorite teacher shaped who I am to this day. Mr. Dan Mortlock. He taught me sophomore and then AP senior English. But he taught a lot about life as well.
I remember the time he came into class and gave this powerful lecture on why we should not believe in something (it might have been God or perhaps it was some political policy. I don't remember what is was, but he spoke very convincingly and had everyone going along with him.) As his students, we were just sitting there nodding our heads yes as he made one good point after another to support his cause. He was a very good public speaker!
The next day he walked into class and absolutely read us the riot act on how malleable we were, how weak that we couldn't think for ourselves! I mean he ripped us a new one for not questioning his stand! It was a powerful lesson: question things. Stand up for what YOU believe in, not what someone else tells you to believe in! Between sophomore English and again as a senior in AP English, Mr. Mortlock gave one life lesson after another about gratitude, existentialism, about civil rights, about enjoying the simple things, about poetry, about being your authentic self, about "thirsting for knowledge", about surrounding yourself with excellence and many other things.
He thought I was smart and I actually believed him! He always told me that he thought that I would achieve great things in my life and I believed him!
A poem that I have memorized from my time with Mr. Mortlock:
The Red Wheelbarrow
William Carlos Williams
so much depends
upon
a red wheel
barrow
glazed with rain
water
beside the white
chickens.
to me this poem seems silly at first, but says a lot about appreciating the little things in life and how every day things are a blessing.
As well as learning about many famous authors, Mr. Mortlock brought out our abilities to create literature/ poetry:
Somewhere in Between
by "Ellis"
In all our veracity
we independently seek
to purify this venture
that is now at its peak.
A leaden tint,
not dove,
not crow.
But
better blush
than colorless
we're somewhere in between.
The poem (to me) was about how sometimes relationships can be a little "muddy" - at the time it was about my relationship with a boyfriend who had gone off to college while I was still in high school.
Dan's "stamp of approval" was huge. Being a blond, cheerleader-ish valley girl type in high school, it may have seemed like I was fully self-confident. But what teenager really is? It's a tough time and Mr. Mortlock gave me faith in myself.
So this blog is dedicated to Mr. Mortlock and all the teachers like him who change a student in some way--whether by igniting a love of learning, increasing self-esteem, or just being a supportive and encouraging cheerleader for the student.
Thank you to all the great teachers that my kids have had and to all of my own wonderful teachers, especially you Mr. Mortlock!
Thirst for Knowledge!!!!!
They may not have gratitude now, but hopefully someday they will.
Personally, I have lots of gratitude for the teachers my children have had.
So far we have been really blessed in that I think my kids are getting a great education. Our school system allows for relatively small classroom sizes, physical education, music, fine arts and extracurricular activities. Of course there have been a few duds in there, but for the most part I am absolutely amazed at the dedication, enthusiasm and passion that teachers have brought to the table. They have helped Bo and I to raise our children!
I know the power of a teacher. My very favorite teacher shaped who I am to this day. Mr. Dan Mortlock. He taught me sophomore and then AP senior English. But he taught a lot about life as well.
I remember the time he came into class and gave this powerful lecture on why we should not believe in something (it might have been God or perhaps it was some political policy. I don't remember what is was, but he spoke very convincingly and had everyone going along with him.) As his students, we were just sitting there nodding our heads yes as he made one good point after another to support his cause. He was a very good public speaker!
The next day he walked into class and absolutely read us the riot act on how malleable we were, how weak that we couldn't think for ourselves! I mean he ripped us a new one for not questioning his stand! It was a powerful lesson: question things. Stand up for what YOU believe in, not what someone else tells you to believe in! Between sophomore English and again as a senior in AP English, Mr. Mortlock gave one life lesson after another about gratitude, existentialism, about civil rights, about enjoying the simple things, about poetry, about being your authentic self, about "thirsting for knowledge", about surrounding yourself with excellence and many other things.
He thought I was smart and I actually believed him! He always told me that he thought that I would achieve great things in my life and I believed him!
A poem that I have memorized from my time with Mr. Mortlock:
The Red Wheelbarrow
William Carlos Williams
so much depends
upon
a red wheel
barrow
glazed with rain
water
beside the white
chickens.
to me this poem seems silly at first, but says a lot about appreciating the little things in life and how every day things are a blessing.
As well as learning about many famous authors, Mr. Mortlock brought out our abilities to create literature/ poetry:
Somewhere in Between
by "Ellis"
In all our veracity
we independently seek
to purify this venture
that is now at its peak.
A leaden tint,
not dove,
not crow.
But
better blush
than colorless
we're somewhere in between.
The poem (to me) was about how sometimes relationships can be a little "muddy" - at the time it was about my relationship with a boyfriend who had gone off to college while I was still in high school.
Dan's "stamp of approval" was huge. Being a blond, cheerleader-ish valley girl type in high school, it may have seemed like I was fully self-confident. But what teenager really is? It's a tough time and Mr. Mortlock gave me faith in myself.
So this blog is dedicated to Mr. Mortlock and all the teachers like him who change a student in some way--whether by igniting a love of learning, increasing self-esteem, or just being a supportive and encouraging cheerleader for the student.
Thank you to all the great teachers that my kids have had and to all of my own wonderful teachers, especially you Mr. Mortlock!
Thirst for Knowledge!!!!!
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