Our Spot on the Mountain

The Big Apple!

2011-12-23T23:40:00.000-05:00

We celebrated Dave's birthday with his parents in New York City! We hit the Seaport, Rockefeller Center, and Mamma Mia at Broadway! I love Rockefeller Center's Christmas display!

A Lot Like

2011-10-08T22:39:00.005-04:00

Lauren talked me into writing something "funny or pathetic" for her new blog. I did my best. It is not easy coming up with an excuse for why your life is neither funny nor pathetic. It seems like at least one of those two criteria should apply.

The Awful Waffle

2011-10-08T22:37:00.005-04:00

My parents first house as BYU married students, and my first house period, is now home of Provo's Awful Waffle.

Kind of ironic, when you consider the fact that Mom was making pancakes when she went into labor with me.

Lola

2011-09-18T18:39:00.001-04:00

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Lola posing for camera

2011-09-18T18:29:00.001-04:00

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Bad eyebrow day

2011-09-18T18:25:00.001-04:00

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Metropolitan McKinnons (an oxymoron?)

2011-09-02T23:51:00.006-04:00

Mindy, Mark, Caitlin, Lauren, and my cousin Jessie came to visit me a few weeks ago. We took them to NYC and Boston.

Boston Commons:

See the photo above? It was taken by a passer-by. While it was nice of the stranger to agree to take the picture, it is a little too bad that they managed to crop out the George Washington statue above our heads.

Here's one that Dave took (note the superior cropping).

But if it's a trade-off between DW and GW, I go for my man.

Swenson Family Reunion (Part II)

2011-09-02T23:20:00.002-04:00

And more lake pics:

Swenson Family Reunion

2011-09-02T22:06:00.019-04:00

The Swenson family reunion this year was (in true Swenson fashion) both a lot of fun, and very well-documented. There are a number of avid photographers in the family, so I've been sitting back and waiting for them to post their photos. Now that they've done all the hard work, I am reposting some of my favorites here.

It was Dave's and my turn to plan the family reunion this year. We found a place called "the Mansion in the Woods" in Douglas, Massachusettes. The setting was quiet and peaceful, which turned out to be a good backdrop for a crowd of 12 adults, 9 little kids, and 2 bigger kids.

Some of the things we did -
1. Go to Southwick Zoo

2. Sailing in Newport, RI:

3. Picking blueberries:

4. Enjoying the lake

Study Day

2011-08-27T17:37:00.001-04:00

Man and Beast.

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Lola snoozing

2011-08-26T17:48:00.001-04:00

This does not look like a comfy nap position to me.

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Lil Lola

2011-08-26T17:20:00.001-04:00

While Mark and Mindy are teaching in China for the year, Lola is staying at our place. She is a cute little troublemaker. She has demolished our dining room rug, chomped through her leash, and generally been making mischief of all sorts. Hopefully week 2 will go smoother.

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Sailing the Narrangansett Bay

2011-07-10T19:49:00.003-04:00

Mystic Seaport

2011-07-10T19:33:00.006-04:00

Golden Lamb with Fam

2011-07-10T19:22:00.004-04:00

Back in May (I am behind blogging), Mom, Dad and Cudds came to visit us in Connecticut. We had a great time showing them around!

We Love Newport

2011-07-10T17:32:00.004-04:00

We love Newport, Rhode Island!

Puerto Rico

2011-06-17T18:56:00.015-04:00

Dave and I went to Puerto Rico for a much-needed romantic getaway last month. These past couple months have been a little over-the-top for both of us (excessive night float and moonlighting for Dave; exam + new job for me), so a little tropical therapy was sorely needed.

Highlights of the trip: Old San Juan; bioluminescent bay (unearthly!); rainforests; waterfalls; beaches; snorkeling; seafood -- we loved it all!

Wild Geese

2011-06-17T17:21:00.002-04:00

Posting this poem I found here, because I like it.

Wild Geese

You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
for a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.
Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile the world goes on.
Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain
are moving across the landscapes,
over the prairies and the deep trees,
the mountains and the rivers.
Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,
are heading home again.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting--
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.

StatCounter Mystery

2011-06-14T19:01:00.010-04:00

I am completely nonplussed. I ran a statcounter on this blog (just out of curiousity, not expecting anything surprising to actually show up)... and apparently THIS photo of me has been downloaded 15 times.

I really don't know what to make of it.

It's a pretty hum-drum photo, if you ask me. I mean, it's not artistic, provocative, or excessively embarassing (I generally avoid blogging pics that fall under the latter two categories - this being a family blog and all). I mean, yes - my kitchen is a mess, and no - I wouldn't want this picture on a billboard or anything, but all things told, I think it's pretty unremarkable as far as photos go.

So maybe someone can explain what is so downloadable-worthy about this picture? And if you are the one who downloaded it 15 times, please enlighten me.

Central Park with Amy & Dave

2011-02-20T12:56:00.003-05:00

A couple of weeks ago we went on a double-date with Dave's parents to NYC. We went to the Frick Collection, then out to eat at a Greek restaurant.

Here are some pics we snapped in Central Park.

New Haven Visit

2011-02-16T21:27:00.008-05:00

Back in January, Dave & I went down to New Haven to visit my cousins. Chris and Allen gave us a tour of the law and medical schools. We took the official tour of Yale campus (complete with cheesy Glee-style recruiting video), then hit the Peabody Natural History Museum. We had a great time and the campus was very impressive.

Chris, me & Allen at the library (aka "cathedral of learning")

The guys in front of the student union building.

Me at the rare books library, viewing the Audobon books.

Peabody.

Dave & me - law school courtyard.

Library (cathedral of learning)

Not sure which building this was, but isn't it pretty?

Quad

Eastern vs Western mothering styles

2011-01-12T09:46:00.007-05:00

WSJ has a somewhat polarizing article entitled "Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior." There is also a rebuttal, "Why Western Mothers are Inferior but feel better about it". While the mothering style portrayed in the first article may seem a little extreme, I do have to agree with many of the author's points in favor of the "Chinese" parenting style - particularly regarding the idea that a child's self-esteem must be built through success in challenges, and can't be given to a child any more than lamp oil can be shared in a certain biblical parable. So to succeed in challenges, a child must develop a work-ethic and discipline needed to see something through to the end, even when it is not always fun.

The rebuttal article seems to be based on the idea that hard-work and discipline are not sufficient in and of themselves to produce a child with the creative spark of genius. This is undoubtedly true. But it seems hard to believe that hard-work and discipline are DETRIMENTAL to creativity. It just argues for an educational approach that encourages creative-thinking and problem-solving abilities IN ADDITION to teaching core competencies (reading, writing, math skills).

I also agree with the first article that there is something to be said for the idea that kids will tend to live up to expectations. I learned about this study somewhere - in the study half of the kids were selected randomly for an "honors" class. The other half were told they were in the "regular" class. In actuality, the two classes were conducted in exactly the same manner. But at the end of the year, the "honors" kids performed better, even though they had started out on the same level as the "regular" kids, and even though they had been given the same class. The idea being that kids will rise to high expectations. If you tell your kids that they are very bright, and that there is no reason they should be bringing home anything less than an A -- maybe that is a boost in and of itself. Couple that with Mom doing a lot of tutoring, and your kid gets an A and starts to believe in themselves.

I would say my own mother is your traditional "Chinese Mother" albeit a tad less extreme. In my family, math and music were extremely important. A-minuses were indeed cause for emergency parent-teacher conferences and extra mommy-tutorial sessions. Therefore, B's never occurred (prior to college). Summers were filled with the normal swim lessons, art camps, but also Mom's "home schooling" activities to cover any perceived gaps or deficiencies in our education from the previous school year. TV and video-games were not allowed. (And can I just say that life without TV is a much richer life - more chatting around the fire, more music, even more board games - what is there to miss?) On the other hand, my sisters & I did have our choices of extra-curriculars. I'm not sure we would have had this latitude had we been bringing home B's, but none of us ever did. So I joined cheer-leading and ski club, Mindy played volleyball and tennis, Caitlin did drill & dance team, and Lauren is another volleyball & tennis athlete. I don't think any of us girls turned out as uncreative automatons, but that is just my (biased) opinion. We aren't geniuses like Picasso either, but let's face it, we probably wouldn't have turned out to be geniuses even with a Western style of mothering, so I'm not too worried about my innate spark of genius having been stamped out through ruthless maternal discipline. :)

Of course, there are two dimensions of self-esteem: spiritual and worldly. Both articles here are more focused on the worldly version of self-esteem, so that's what I've been talking about. Spiritual self-esteem is another matter altogether, of course. I will briefly state that my idea of spiritual self-esteem involves being able to stand with a clear conscience before God and man. But all a parent can really do to help kids out in this arena is to help them develop a moral compass and encourage them to make good choices.

At any rate, both articles are certainly an interesting read and conversation starter. At the end of the day, parenting is probably not a one-size-fits-all deal and there are surely pros and cons to both "west" and "east" styles.

Update: my sister Lauren thought the original article was really funny, so she printed out the article and showed it to all of her friends. Her friends were not amused - they were horrified! So there goes - east vs west.

Poll for Parents

2011-01-04T19:37:00.005-05:00

In your parental opinion, would these ivory velvet curtains survive children? (that is, hypothetical future children?)

I've had my eye on them for a while, and now they are on sale! If I get them, they would go in the dining room.

Ring Out Wild Bells

2011-01-01T22:53:00.003-05:00

Are you familiar with this Christmas carol? This year when my family was singing Christmas hymns (a family tradition), we stumbled across hymn # 215, Ring Out Wild Bells. I had never heard it before. We took a family poll, and the only one who had heard of this song before was my dad.

I got Lauren to sight-read it for me on the piano (she's a much better sigh-reader) and I was amazed by how beautiful the melody and lyrics are. I still can't get over the fact that I'd never heard it before.

Words are by Tennyson. His full poem is here. The melody sort of reminds me of a song from Mary Poppins, or Harry Potter, or Simon & Garfunkel.

"In Christie We Trust"

2010-12-21T23:46:00.006-05:00

When you have some time, I'd highly recommend these articles below. They may seem a bit random, but they touch on a number of really important issues (things I've been thinking about a lot ever since I graduated from college - can't believe it's been 8 years).

"In Christie We Trust"

Government Salaries and Benefits: On the Chopping Block

This is a quick read about the direction of politics/economics in the USA over the next few years. This is going to be a huge debate and will affect everyone. Public sector and Union healthcare benefits and pension plans are heading to the chopping block. I believe this is inevitable.

Yet, we've just passed Obamacare, which is the largest public assistance legislation to go into effect since Medicare was passed back in 1965. And we've done this at the same time that states are literally going broke because their health and pension benefits packages have been unreasonably generous and systematically abused. And by states, I mean American states like California, New Jersey, Illinois, New York, and Rhode Island. In RI, we have a town called East Falls that literally is going to be ANNEXED by the neighboring town because it's public union benefits packages have been so irresponsibly managed and abused that it has no chance of ever paying them out, and no legitimacy as an independent governing entity. Greece (the nation) has been bailed out recently by EU members, but it was essentially bankrupt by its irresponsible union benefits obligations. So it can happen at town levels, and it can happen at state levels, and it can happen at National levels.

And it can happen to a corporation. GM just went through bankruptcy proceedings, allowing it to sluff much of the burden of its pension and health benefits. This has allowed it to refocus its resources on building cars. The average GM car prior to sluffing health and pension benefits cost an extra $2-3,000 just to cover the Union's health and pension costs, let alone the $60-90 hourly rate tha the unions had negotiated over the years for factory workers (wish I made that much). More recently, after emerging from bankruptcy, GM has started producing some relatively high quality cars that are actually getting good reviews from the auto industry, and they're cheaper than competitors' cars. Regardless of the ultimate fate of GM, it's a great case study in the success of sluffing your health and pension outlays through the bankruptcy process.

So, now Republicans are looking at proposing legislation that might allow states to sluff their outlaying benefits obligations through bankruptcy as well. What does that mean? It means we (as individuals and families) should not be banking on The State's benefits promises to cover our personal healthcare costs in the future, nor should we be banking on The State's pension pan to cover our retirement. The same goes for Union or Nonunion employers.

And while presently Medicare (Federal Healthcare Benefit for all over 65 years old or anyone chronically disabled or on dialysis) pays for pretty much anything deemed medically appropriate, there will inevitably be an aggressive rationing of care as the roles of Medicare blossom (Baby Boomers are getting to 65, and Obamacare is allowing more people to get coverage earlier). What that means is that you will likely get medical care if you become ill, but you may not get good medical care. And I assure you, there s a huge difference!

I'm an advocate for The Best Medical Care for my family and friends. But I recognize that "the best" can get very expensive very quickly. Medical expenses are the number one driver of personal bankruptcy in the USA. Even our family, if we pooled all our money, would unlikely be able to cover the expenses of a loved one in an ICU for a few weeks time (if that person was not personally insured). So, personal and family insurance is very important.

So, that's why the Obamacare debate is such a big issue. And that's why GM's bankruptcy, and Christ Christie in New Jersey, and the failed state of Greece all matter. Because these issues are going to affect us. When the provider of our health and pension (reitrement) benefits becomes insecure, their promised provisions become unrelieable. It's that simple. You can't make a bankrupt entity give you money or pay your health-care bills. You'll be dead or bankrupt long before the courts decide in you favor.

Now to be clear, I'm not stating an opinion about whether it's "fair", "right", or "wrong" for GM, or States, or the Federal Gov., or any other entity to renege on benfits promises to employees/union-workers/citizens. I'm just stating the reality of what has happened, and my expectation of what is going to happen within the next few years (decade). I really think these issues will affect every individual in our family in serious life-altering ways (whether through the quality of the health-care we receive, or through the age of retirement we enjoy-if ever, or through the tax rates we pay on our earned and investment income).

So, take away message? We need to be doing everything possible to live within our means, and getting ourselves our own insurance and planning for our own retirement. As an individual, you can't cover the cost of your health-care if you really get sick, and your family really can't either. It's just too expensive. That's why some genius invented insurance. Because it's relatively unlikely that you'll get seriously sick, so you can pay for the relatively cheap "bet" against that possibility, and then in the off chance that you need to, you can cash in the benefit to get the expensive care you need.

Anyway, those are my thoughts tonight . . . and for the last 8 years.

Dallin (7yo) Watches General Conference

2010-12-20T16:22:00.006-05:00

Reposting from Joyce's blog (because I think Dallin's pictures are awesome!):
"This year, as we watched General Conference, we encouraged the older two boys to take notes. We thought it was a good plan. Both Caleb and Dallin were attentive to Conference and quietly working away. However, in the end, the content of Dallin's notes were more humorous than spiritual in nature. We can't stop the kid from drawing. He's our little artist (Boyd K. Packer's my favorite)."

I think Dallin is a cartoonist in the making!

Birthday Weekend

2010-12-16T20:29:00.004-05:00

Dave & Amy spent the weekend with us, to celebrate my Dave's birthday. They also helped us pick out a tree from the Allen Hill Christmas Tree Farm. After much debate, the hubs was coaxed into buying this beauty, a good 2 feet taller than our historical average. Luckily, our old trimmings were sufficient to deck out this massive tree!

We had a great time!

Most Beloved Sister

2010-12-05T18:35:00.006-05:00

When Sienna came to visit last summer, she REALLY enjoyed reading Astrid Lindgren's storybook, "Most Beloved Sister". So I thought I would get her a copy for Christmas...
Until I looked it up on Amazon and discovered that they are going for $183 new, and $40 used.

Sorry Sienna. But when you come to visit Aunt Nicole, you can read her copy!

Little Things

2010-10-17T22:16:00.008-04:00

Dave likes to take me to Mrs Bridges Tea Room with fine British foods and Antiques as a special treat, which is pretty nice of him when you consider the entire tea room is filled with little old laties dressed up in little old lady outfits sipping tea out of china tea cups. (Although he does like the meat pies, so maybe it's not entirely altruitic?)

And I picked up a couple of treasures!

Me as the proud owner of a ten dollar hydrangea wreath from Mrs Bridges.

A mini mince pie, treacle tart, and Blackwell tart from the aforementioned Mrs Bridges. (Note to self, next time pass up the mince pie & treacle tart, and go straight for the Blackwell tart.)

A cool beehive in our tree.

Hiking at Old Furnace State Park

2010-10-17T22:02:00.006-04:00

Gotta love autumn in New England - Old Furnace is ten minutes from home and makes for a great way to spend a beautiful day.

Cuds going to dances?!

2010-10-16T10:28:00.003-04:00

Lauren went to her first high school dance this month! I am so amazed by how fast my little Cuddles is growing up. She is such an awesome girl. I would be so lucky if my future daughters turn out just like their Aunt Cuds.

A culinary treat - Golden Lamb Buttery

2010-10-16T08:36:00.003-04:00

Don't let the rustic charm mislead you - this place has upscale and quite amazing food! I took pictures of the food with my mobile phone, but I don't know how to upload to blogger. Anyone???

Catching up

2010-10-16T07:59:00.005-04:00

(So I am really behind on this blog - there is a lot to catch up on.)

Gretchen, Heath, and their 2 little ones came to visit this month. We went up to Harvard, MA for apple-picking and Fruitlands. I was pretty excited to see Louisa May Alcott's home (it's the red one below). And seeing Gretchen's photography skills in action was also pretty enlightening. These little girls do not hold still, so Gret goes for sheer volume in order to capture the perfect shot! It is interesting to see how these little twins are the best of friends - they have a special bond.

Interesting stuff

2010-09-01T17:43:00.006-04:00

Hyperbole & a half makes me laugh. I'd put it up there with Calvin & Hobbes, which is to say that it has moments of pure genius.
http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/

I just stumbled across the cutest children's clothing website. The prices are ridiculously high, but I love the general look and philosophy... though I doubt my future children will ever be dressed so fashionably. You know what they say about apples falling not far from trees.
http://www.neigeclothing.com/lookbook.html

And I just finished reading an interesting book about a man who meets God in a shack, and she is a soul-filled black woman with a unique approach to theology. "God is a verb," she says. I think I've heard that before, but I liked the way this character fleshed it out.
http://www.slate.com/id/2255741/

On NPR, I heard an interview by the author of "Dreaming in Chinese". She mentioned that in Mandarin, "please" and "thank you" are not used verbally unless in extremely formal settings.
Instead every-day politeness is manifested in actions (such as pouring tea for others before you pour your own cup). For example, if someone offered you a cup of tea which you did not want, in English you might say "No thanks, I'm not really thirsty right now." In Mandarin, you would say "Don't want." This had me thinking about the way my family communicates, which tends to be much more open and direct , but perhaps less "polite" than what I have observed in other families. I think it must be due to my Chinese culture. And that is a new thought. It will be interesting to try to raise kids with an understanding of manners compatible with both cultures.

_______________________________________

And on another subject, my mom remarked that the quality of public education has gotten progressively worse for each of her daughters. She attributes this to the effects of "No Child Left Behind," which gives schools financial incentive to focus on the lower-achieving students, which requires a shift in resources away from higher-achieving students. As a result, our particular school district has cut honors classes and restricted spending on text books. The math classrooms have a set of text books for periods 1-6, instead of each student getting their own book. Consequently no math homework can be assigned, as photo copying has also been restricted to cut costs. So my mom has had to buy the textbooks herself, and assign daily homework to my sisters. When the class fails to make it through the entire textbook, June is spent finishing the job, while July and August is spent reviewing the entire course and identifying areas of weakness, so they can be prepared for the new school year.

Mom has had to spend an increasing amount of time tutoring my sisters in the various subjects she feels they are getting short-changed in. This is one of those thankless tasks moms do for their kids. I remember an English assignment I had in 9th grade, which was to make a diorama of a book scene. Mom was scandalized that I was being given a craft project in leiu of an english assignment. So she had me write a 5-page book report instead, which addressed the book's theme, plot, and character development. Then she edited it for grammar and structure, and had me write a final draft. With all this extra work, I ran out of time to work on the diorama, and in a sense of desperation came up with the idea to recycle a diorama I made in 7th grade. The book took place in the medieval ages, and the diorama from 7th grade was on the medieval ages, so it all fit. Well, some classmates recognized the diorama as being recycled and were very upset. They pointed it out to the teacher, saying it was cheating. I was very upset, as I had spent longer on my written 5 page report than these students had probably spent on their own dioramas, and didn't see anything unethical about turning in a diorama I made myself. The teacher was not pleased. My mother was not pleased. She pointed out that I was supposedly enrolled in a high school Honors English class, not a diorama class. Lovely situation. In the end, my mom must have somewhat prevailed because I was given a B+ on the assignment, which is better than having received an F for cheating.

Point of the story being, the only reason my sisters and I were prepared for college is because my mom essentially home-schooled us as a supplement to our somewhat patchy public education. Even then, it was a bit of a struggle to keep up at BYU with kids who'd come from bigger and better high schools that offered tons of AP classes. As things continue to go the way of focusing on the low-achievers, I wonder what will become of the public schools? At some point, I imagine parents will start to realize that their kids' public education is not enough to prepare them for college. Will there be a mass exodus of the more privileged kids out of public schools and into private schools? If so, Bush and Obama's policies will really have backfired. At any rate, I am very glad to have a mom who was really engaged in our education and was willing to be the disciplinarian, even when I am sure we did not make it easy!

Trip out to Idaho & Utah

2010-08-17T21:50:00.017-04:00

This month Dave and I went to see my family in Idaho, with a brief stop in Utah as well.

We stopped at BYU to see how things have changed. Things are mainly the same with a few new buildings and face-lifts here and there. The landscaping remains second to none, which I appreciate even more now then I did in college given my recent attempts.We also went up the canyon to some of our favorite Utah scenic spots, like Cascade Springs.

We went to McCall, Idaho with my family, to attempt wakeboarding. While Mark is an experienced wakeboarder, the rest of us were trying it for the 1st or 2nd time.

Mark

Dave

Dad

Mindy

Caitlin

Lauren

Lauren has an itsy-bitsy-teeny-weeny-yellow-polka-dot-----ONE PIECE!

We also went hiking to Louie Lake. What was supposed to be a mere 2 mile hike on a well-marked trail became a 7 mile vertical bush-wacking experience.

Here is a picture of my foot after the hike, which basically goes to prove that I am dead-on with the 7-mile vertical bush-wacking estimate.

We went sailing in Cascade, Idaho.

We celebrated birthdays.

And we went to Hamburger Connection for Mile-High shakes.

I really enjoyed showing off Idaho in the summer to Dave.

And after we got back to Connecticut, Aunt Mamie and her family came to visit.

More wedding pics of Mindy & Mark

2010-08-11T09:32:00.005-04:00

These are by Oakstream Photography - aren't they beautiful? Makes me wish I hadn't cheaped out on my own wedding photographer.

Domestic Life, More Rock Walls, Zucchini

2010-07-30T22:33:00.009-04:00

Home improvement lately has been focused on brute strength and utilizing free resources (seeing how we blew through our landscaping budget early this spring). We acquired the rocks from our neighbor's back yard, who has recently dug out a pool. He seemed delighted to see them go. We acquired some plant transplants from another neighbor who is a big-time gardener. Dave acquired his masonry skills for free, from his Dad. And I acquired the finished product thanks to Dave. So lots of win-win situations here, and we are pretty glad to have made some progress.

We also acquired a free zucchini plant from a neighbor earlier this spring. I am not a fan of zucchini, but being economical I decided to plant the zucchini just the same. It practically took over the whole garden, but it did produce. Here is zucchini bread and quiche we made. We've also been eating a lot of zucchini spaghetti. Having exhausted these recipe ideas, I am not sure what we will do with the remaining zucchini. Ben???

A zucchini feast
Garden in April
Garden now

Visit from Kim, Steve, and crew

2010-07-12T21:47:00.015-04:00

Kim and Steve came to visit us here in Brooklyn with their girls, and we had a wonderful weekend with them!

Juliette is a little blueberry baby, and it was great to finally meet/hold her in person. I think she looks like her Grandpa. And Sienna is getting to be such a big girl! I was surprised to discover that she knows how to use a laptop and an iPod, and in fact owns a pink iPod (when not even Dave and I have reached that level of technological advancement). I was also quite entertained by Sienna's favorite subjects of conversation: SeaWorld, Shamu, Baby Beluga... and wedgies. She is a funny little girl with a lot of zest and a sassy little walk. It is amazing to see the difference between Age 2 and Age 3.

Coincidentally, Sienna's favorite animal (Baby Beluga) also happens to be the feature attraction at the Mystic Aquarium here in Connecticut. She and Juliette could not get enough.

Sienna sang the Baby Beluga song all throughout the rest of the weekend.

We explored downtown Mystic.

After Mystic, we also enjoyed swimming in the pool!

And right before our guests had to say goodbye, Sienna reminded us of our promise to show her the telescope. She carefully mimicked everything Dave did, which means she most likely did not see much as she kept re-adjusting the focus after Dave had already perfected it.

These kids are monkey-see, monkey-do. It's a good thing they have such awesome parents for role-models!

AND I SHOULD MENTION THAT STEVE FIXED OUR DOWNSTAIRS TOILET!!! Thanks, Steve!

P.S. Who is Sienna's celebrity look-alike?

Happy July 4th!

2010-07-06T18:46:00.003-04:00

We spent July 4th in New Jersey with Gretchen, Heath, and their girls. We took in a pretty impressive little parade that featured a full bagpipe band, colonial pipers, armed forces, fire-trucks, and more! It was a fun time and it was great to see how big the girls are getting.

Like Father, Like Son

2010-06-29T20:34:00.008-04:00

Dad taught me from an early age that some things are worth investing in, and others not. Some things will stand the test of time, and others not.

One concrete example of how Dad's daily activities and efforts correspond with his teachings is that of building rock walls . . .

And so, I am trying to continue his tradition.

Below: My first rock wall.

Newport Flower Show

2010-06-28T21:07:00.005-04:00

This Saturday, Dave surprised me with a trip to the annual Newport Flower Show. Our neighbor gave us free tickets and on-site parking, which we could not pass up! So we bagged our landscaping and studying plans and headed to Newport for a day of fun. After the flower show, we hit the beach. Newport is the perfect combination of mansion, sun and waves.

Be Stupid - Buy Diesel!

2010-06-11T22:55:00.006-04:00

My father-in-law and I recently had a conversation the other weekend about the relative merits of "being smart" vs "being stupid". He played devil's advocate (as he is known to do) and argued for the "stupid" approach to life (though these were not our exact phrases). I thought he made some valid points.

So when I saw this Diesel ad for jeans, it reminded me of our conversation. The ad is very convincing, and I am almost converted. Then I pause to consider the fact that this was created by a multi-national corporation intent on selling me skinny jeans, and I'm not so sure. At any rate, it is a brilliant ad campaign.

(Racier version available on youtube, but this is a family blog.)

Amy - saver of hostas!

2010-06-10T21:32:00.003-04:00

This huge rock was a hidden surprise that Dave and his dad uncovered while ripping out 20 years worth of overgrown shrubbery. Believe it or not, this boulder was not visible before the shrubs were ripped out. While the rest of us were focused on uprooting all of the old shrubbery, Amy had the foresight to rescue these hostas and transplant them around the newly-discovered boulder. And are we glad she did!

Las Vegas

2010-06-10T21:21:00.006-04:00

On the weekend of Mindy & Mark's wedding, we took Caitlin and her friend Amy on a tour of the strip. The Belagio water fountains are always my favorite! I could bring a lawn chair and camp out there all day.

Wedding

2010-05-11T20:04:00.008-04:00

Congrats to Mindy & Mark! We are so happy for you guys.

Experimenting with Spearmint

2010-05-03T22:26:00.007-04:00

In our backyard, there is a big patch of old garden filled with spearmint. The "garden" (using the term loosely) is scheduled for demolition, so Dave and I set about rescuing some small fraction of the spearmint by transplanting it to planters. It turns out that spearmint is a very aggressive plant and can quickly take over an area - as is evidenced by our backyard - so isolating it in planters is a necessary move.

But what to do with fresh spearmint? I consulted the mountain and found these instructions for Spearmint Tea. (Note: Spearmint Tea is not tea at all; it is not made with tea leaves, has no caffeine, and is therefore considered an "herbal infusion" in proper terminology.)

After half an hour, Dave and I were sipping the most delicious spearmint tea we have ever tasted. Let's put it this way - it blows Trader Joe's spearmint tea out of the water.

It turns out that fresh spearmint is also very tasty diced into tiny flakes and mixed with greek yogurt, strawberries, and bananas.

So if you'd like a spot of tea, or a spearminty yogurt, come on over.

Mindy & Mark's Engagement Photos

2010-04-14T22:03:00.004-04:00

Mindy & Mark's engagement photos turned out really great. I am so excited for them.

(If you click on the link, the first couple pictures do not actually have the couple in them. So you have to keep scrolling.)

Mindy & Mark Engagement Photos: click here

Spring!

2010-04-12T19:19:00.009-04:00

Dave and I have been enjoying the beautiful weather. We've put in our front flower beds, and I have to say that landscaping turns out to have been the biggest impact project per effort spent. Thanks to Amy & Dave for their consultative services.

We planted a small weeping cherry, 2 tall blue junipers, 6 holly bushes, 2 azalea bushes with pink-red flowers, 8 magic carpet spireas with reddish-green leaves, a crab-apple tree, and some yellow tulips. Now we get to sit back and wait for them to grow. The spirea are hard to see in the picture because it just so happens that the leaf-color blends in a bit with the mulch. (It's hard to think of everything).

Here's a link to the before picture: click here

The house is really starting to look homey. It's amazing what a difference a flower bed can make, and how much I took landscaping for granted as a kid.

On a side-note, a Greek salad is just the ticket for a sunny spring afternoon.

Hindi Zahra

2010-04-02T22:50:00.003-04:00

What's your spiritual language?

2010-03-26T19:06:00.009-04:00

There's a great post here on FMH about how there may be multiple languages of spirituality, much the same ways as there are multiple languages of love and multiple dimensions of intelligence. Makes sense to me!

For example, this is how I would tag Dave’s and my personal distribution amongst the 5 Languages of Love. And I do not mean to imply here that I am somehow more balanced a person than Dave is - rather I am just a very spoiled and demanding woman who likes her flowers and sweet nothings. :)

1. Gifts..........................(Me)...5%.......(Dave)...0%
2. Acts of Service.....................20%.................25%
3. Touch..................................20%.................20%
4. Quality of Time....................35%.................50%
5. Words of Affirmation.............20%.................5%

The FMH post suggests there may be similar Languages of Spirituality which vary by person. Below I am summarizing and combining some of the proposed spiritual languages from the original post and comments. For fun I am including my own rating (too lazy to add to 100%, so just putting down high / med / low). I am not going to publish my estimate of Dave’s… maybe he can provide that in a later post.

1. Music - High! Unless I don't like the song.
2. Nature - High!
3. Meditation / Solitude / Prayer - High!
4. Social Activism & Tolerance - Medium
5. Service / Expressions of Kindness -Medium – but would like to do better
6. Reading / Studying - High
7. Ritual / Symbolism - it’s complicated, but I do like holidays.
8. Testimony & Preaching - Low
9. Authority / Rules - Very negative, although I have always been an obedient kid
10. Community - Low, but am increasingly recognizing this importance

At any rate, reading the post was like an “ah-ha” moment for me – it makes complete sense and I can’t believe I’ve never thought of spiritual languages before. The joke about the Languages of Love is this is just a ploy that women use to justify their greedy desire for gifts, but I do think it offers real insight into the way people think, and the unique but valid differences in the way people view the world.

So, what are your languages?

Health Care Reform

2010-03-18T19:48:00.002-04:00

Dear Washington,

I like the individual insurance mandates, health insurance exchanges, getting rid of pre-existing condition exclusions, and covering children up to the age of 26.

I am worried about expanding Medicaid and Medicare. Seems like that is putting more people into a sinking ship.

I am not entirely sure if this bill is a case of "the best compromise leaves nobody happy" or "one bad apple spoils the bunch."

CNN Overview: http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/03/18/explainer.health.care.compromise/index.html

Argument from Bach

2010-03-10T20:43:00.003-05:00

During freshman year, I signed up for an Intro to Organ class under the delusion that it would be easy, seeing how I was already pretty decent at piano. It ended up being one of my most challenging classes at BYU, but was also one of the most memorable. The class required attendance at a certain number of concerts put on by the graduating seniors. I happened to bring a date to each concert, and each concert date happened to be the last with that particular guy. I'm not sure why. Maybe this is not most guys idea of a romantic evening:

At any rate, some brilliant philosopher argued that the beauty of Bach's music is evidence of God's existence. I think this is pretty strong evidence indeed.

Goodwin Park

2010-02-20T21:14:00.002-05:00

Spirit

2010-02-09T12:07:00.005-05:00

My friend shared this comic with me. I think it is beautiful, and sometimes I know just how this rover feels.

Vive Las Vegas

2010-01-19T21:58:00.006-05:00

This weekend I visited my family in Las Vegas. Mom, Mindy & Mark worked on wedding plans, while the rest of us explored the city. (Poor Dave had to stay home and work. )

Per request - before & after pics

2010-01-19T20:02:00.005-05:00

(Note, this photo does not do justice to the full nastiness of the original kitchen.)

Kathrine Switzer

2010-01-11T23:00:00.002-05:00

Great story here.

If on a winter's day, a traveler

2010-01-01T20:28:00.006-05:00

Dave and I received new snow boots for Christmas, along with freshly fallen snow for New Year's Day. So we decided to combine the two for a fun-filled day of winter exploring.

First, we went hiking in the nearby Goodwin State Park.

Next, we explored the little town of Windham, Ct. I love these little New England towns. They seem to have been lovingly built and lovingly maintained. Windham has all the town essentials within a stone's throw of each other: church, library, post office and sheriff's office. Windham gives the impression that not much has changed in the world in the past 200 yrs.

Church

Library

Post Office

Sheriff's Office (it must be a pretty safe town, judging by the size.)

Ice Skating!

2010-01-01T20:24:00.004-05:00

Why I Wake Early

2009-12-14T21:06:00.007-05:00

I am not an early riser on weekends. That would be Dave.
But I do love this poem.

Why I Wake Early
by Mary Oliver (2004)

Hello, sun in my face.
Hello, you who made the morning
and spread it over the fields
and into the faces of the tulips
and the nodding morning glories,
and into the windows of, even, the
miserable and the crotchety –
best preacher that ever was,
dear star, that just happens
to be where you are in the universe
to keep us from ever-darkness,
to ease us with warm touching,
to hold us in the great hands of light –
good morning, good morning, good morning.
Watch, now, how I start the day
in happiness, in kindness.

And this fragile earth, our island home

2009-12-14T20:48:00.003-05:00

I like this excerpt from the Book of Common Prayer:

God of all power, Ruler of the Universe, you are worthy of glory and praise. At your command, all things came to be: the vast expanse of interstellar space, galaxies, suns, the planets in their courses, and this fragile earth, our island home.

Thanksgiving

2009-11-28T21:38:00.004-05:00

This was our first Thanksgiving with just the two of us. We enjoyed cooking up a little meal. As you can see from the picture, apple pie was our first course.

On Friday, Ben and Sarah stopped over. We grabbed lunch at my new favorite place to eat, Mrs. Bridge's Pantry. This is a small but cozy place to get tea, crumpets, meat pies, and all things British. We also went antique shopping, then ended the day with Sarah's homemade apple pie.

October - Good Riddance.

2009-11-28T21:35:00.002-05:00

We spent the whole month studying. Radiology for Dave and Design & Pricing of Insurance for me.

They Might Be Giants

2009-11-03T22:40:00.007-05:00

While I've heard of "They Might Be Giants", I wasn't all that familiar with their genius until tonight! I'm almost of a mind to buy all my nieces and nephews TMBG DVDs. But apparently all the songs are available on Youtube and on their website. So, you can check them out yourselves.

Awesome.

Here's a great one.

And here's another, apparently to correct their prior scientific inaccuracies. More awesome.

Dave

Happy Reformation Day

2009-11-01T17:12:00.003-05:00

This was the first weekend in quite some time that Dave and I have spent NOT studying and NOT working on the house. In other words, it was a great weekend!

On Halloween Day, we went on a walk by the river, we attended a neighbor's Halloween party, and we handed out candy to 200-300 trick-or-treaters. The kids were cute and most all of them were polite, although there were some greedy grabbers, and a surprising number of kids who had difficulties counting out the 3 pieces of candy they were allowed. We had purchased candy for 500 trick-or-treaters at the advise of our neighbors, so there is a lot left over! Favorite costume of the night was "Miss Piggy," who was wearing a lovely velvet dress, fur coat, a blonde ringlet wig, pig ears, and a pig nose. She looked amazing! Favorite trick-or-treater of the night was a 6 (?) year old girl who made great eye contact, spoke in complete sentences, and had exquisite little manners. She said, "Thank you very much ma'am for the candy and have a wonderful Halloween!" I bet her parents made her practice that.

On Sunday, we attended a local church we have been curious about for some time. We were not disappointed. It turns out that today they were celebrating Reformation Day (actually on Oct 31), which is the holiday that commemorates Martin Luther nailing his 95 theses to the cathedral doors. The pastor gave a lovely sermon on Luther's ideas on religious freedom - specifically that the Holy Scriptures and religious services should be made available in the common language of the people; and that people have a "right and obligation" to interpret the Bible for themselves (with the aid of the Holy Ghost) rather than being compelled to blindly accept the interpretation given by religous authorities. She talked about the Bible as the "Living Word of God," and emphasized that what makes it a Living Word is that people can read it, interpret it for themselves, and discover a way to apply it to their own lives. Through this process of individual interpretation, the Word of God is kept dynamic and relevant with the changing of the times. She then talked about the many "filters" people may use in interpreting the Bible. She suggested that the best filter of all is through the two greatest commandments that Christ taught: "to love God with all your heart... to love your neighbor as yourself." If your interpretation is at odds with these 2 greatest commandments, then perhaps it is not the right interpretation. She also emphasized that our freedom to interpret God's word comes with a great responsibility: we must not be lazy and rely upon another's interpretation. We must study it out, seeking to understand the historical context of the scriptures, and diligently checking our understanding against the filter of the 2 greatest commandments.

It was a great sermon.

I am not very familiar with Protestant history, although I did take a class on the History of Christianity, as well as a class on the Philosophy of Religion at BYU. (Both were awesome.) However, as a child I did know the story of Luther nailing his 95 theses to the door, saying he stood with a conscience clear before God and man. I loved it. I associated it with Abinadi standing before wicked king Noah, and with Jesus standing blameless before Pilate. I've always held to the idea that life's purpose is to live so you can have a clean conscience before God and man. It was nice to hear the reminder again today.

-Nicole

Home Improvements

2009-10-26T17:36:00.009-04:00

Dave and I (but mostly Dave) have been working very hard on getting the house stained & painted before winter. We have power-washed the house, stained the cedar siding, and primed the trim with white primer. Also, the house has a new roof, new garage doors, and new front door to boot. (The roof looks gray in the photo but it is actually kind of a two-toned brown / gray.) But winter is almost here and it looks like we won't have time to finish until spring. The trim is ultimately going to be a very light shade of eggshell brown, and we're thinking about a forest green front door.

Still, the improvement is pretty dramatic. The beautiful fall leaves don't hurt, either. So the house has finally lost its 'haunted house' look - unfortunately right before Halloween!

The Owl and the Pussy-cat

2009-10-09T13:57:00.005-04:00

A fall favorite - the poem doesn't specifically say it occurs in the fall, but so it seems to me.

The Owl and the Pussy-cat went to sea
In a beautiful pea green boat,
They took some honey, and plenty of money,
Wrapped up in a five pound note.
The Owl looked up to the stars above,
And sang to a small guitar,
'O lovely Pussy! O Pussy my love,
What a beautiful Pussy you are,
You are,
You are!
What a beautiful Pussy you are!'

Pussy said to the Owl, 'You elegant fowl!
How charmingly sweet you sing!
O let us be married! too long we have tarried:
But what shall we do for a ring?'
They sailed away, for a year and a day,
To the land where the Bong-tree grows
And there in a wood a Piggy-wig stood
With a ring at the end of his nose,
His nose,
His nose,
With a ring at the end of his nose.

III

'Dear pig, are you willing to sell for one shilling
Your ring?' Said the Piggy, 'I will.'
So they took it away, and were married next day
By the Turkey who lives on the hill.
They dined on mince, and slices of quince,
Which they ate with a runcible spoon;
And hand in hand, on the edge of the sand,
They danced by the light of the moon,
The moon,
The moon,
They danced by the light of the moon.

by Edward Lear

My hubs knows all the tricks...

2009-10-06T21:48:00.003-04:00

Explanation: 204 is our lucky number. I am turning 26 - not 204 years old.

Boston - August 2009

2009-10-06T21:36:00.002-04:00

Mindy came to visit us in late August. Boston was the highlight of the trip. We attempted to visit all the dental schools and see all the touristy sites in one day. As luck would have it, it was the hottest day of the summer, so we also had to cram in a lot of icecream & lemonade breaks as well!

Newport - August 2009

2009-10-06T21:26:00.004-04:00

My mom, Caitlin and Lauren came to visit us in mid-August. We hit the Newport mansions, and Old Sturbridge village. The mansions were a big hit for Caitlin, but not so much for Lauren. Old Sturbridge was a big hit with me, but unfortunately the rest of my family was already feeling pioneered-out!

A Good Read

2009-08-15T13:35:00.006-04:00

Recommending books is a rewarding but somewhat risky undertaking. On the one hand, it can give the same sort of warm glow as doing a good deed, like giving a gift - only with the added benefit of getting to discuss and relish the book again with a friend after they've read it.

But on the other hand, sometimes it can backfire.

So here is a recommendation that I feel pretty confident in giving to a broad and diverse audience, and to anyone who enjoys beautiful writing and a unique love story that is also virtuous, lovely, and of good report.

Yard Work

2009-07-27T21:51:00.007-04:00

My last few posts are in reverse chronological order. Here are some shots of the work we did back in May.

Before:
After:

Rope Swing

2009-07-27T21:43:00.007-04:00

How do you like your frog legs?

2009-07-27T21:25:00.010-04:00

Joyce and her boys came to visit us the other weekend. We had a good time catching frogs, freeing frogs, swimming in the pond, going to the beach, and watching Harry Potter.

I was a little amazed at how big a hit our frogs were. See for yourself:

The frogs didn't stand a chance. Caleb and Dallin caught them easily, several times over.

We took the catch of the day to the pond.
Blake insisted on being carried in this position all the way there.

The catch of the day.

Caleb and the Painted Turtle.

Dallin and... ? I can't remember this frog's name!

The boys.

The gang freeing frogs.

Saying goodbye.

Water Fire at Providence

2009-07-27T20:35:00.003-04:00

Dave and I went to our first Providence Water Fire event this weekend. Huge crowds gathered on the banks to see the lighting of the fires, gondolas, and live music. It was fun.

We spent the evening walking around the city.

We also explored Brown's campus.

Providence is our cup of tea.

Why We Should Ration Healthcare

2009-07-19T01:14:00.006-04:00

This article explains the American Healthcare Issue in a clear and (I think) very even-handed manner. It basically summarizes what I've been thinking (and telling those who ask my opinion) for the last 4-5 years as I've gone through my medical training. I think the conclusion is inevitable, and I also think it's reasonable: A national health system available to all, but rationed based on Quality-Adjusted-Life-Year (QALY) measurements, which will be determined by an independent healthcare investigation group set up by the FDA.

Those who can afford it will have the option to purchase supplemental or private insurance to cover their health needs in a manner more in line with their personal desires.

NYTIMES ARTICLE HERE

Dave

5000 years after the wheel

2009-06-03T22:03:00.001-04:00

Congratulations!

2009-05-24T21:14:00.010-04:00

Caitlin graduated from Caldwell High School this weekend. She was the keynote speaker (selected based on auditions). Her speech was great and I am proud of her!

Blueberry Girl

2009-04-23T16:21:00.001-04:00

Hooray!

2009-04-14T15:36:00.003-04:00

We closed on our first house last Thursday, and we are very excited to announce the addition of a new hobby to our family - home repairs!

Let the fun begin!

Not to scare away potential visitors, but in the spirit of sharing our excitement, here are a few of the projects we will soon be undertaking:

Phase 1:
Fencing around pool
Fixing pool
Slaying giant "shrubs"
Planting a mail box
Redoing the kitchen floor
Installing light fixtures
Fixing rain gutters

Phase 2:
Planting a lawn
Roofing
Painting exterior

Phase 3:
Renovating bathrooms
Renovating staircase
Planting flower beds
Painting interior

By the time we are done with this list, we should be regular fixer-upper experts! And by-the-by, notice how pool renovations are at the top of the list.

Dancing the Night Away!

2009-03-19T21:30:00.004-04:00

For our Christmas gift to each other, Dave and I agreed to take social dance classes together at a nearby studio. We've been wanting to do this for years, but we've never actually seized the moment.

Tonight was our third lesson, and Dave's moves are getting pretty impressive (if I do say so myself)! We are learning to rumba, cha-cha, and swing, and we are having a blast!

Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps!

2009-03-05T22:45:00.002-05:00

The Graveyard Book

2009-02-08T14:48:00.009-05:00

Dave and I enjoy reading books together. In our earlier days, we tried reading aloud long non-fiction books with big words and lengthy sentences. This was not so successful, as it would quickly put us both to sleep. (Incidentally, another favorite tactic of mine for getting to sleep is to ask Dave a medical question, such as 'what would happen if you pushed a q-tip too far into your ear,' then to doze off to the sound of his voice while he explains the anatomy of an eardrum.)

Since then, we've decided that a book must be fairly short but fast-paced, exciting, and up-beat in order to make for a good read-aloud book. It also helps if there are characters with interesting voices, as Dave is very good at 'doing' voices.

This sounds like pretty straight-forward criteria, but it can be hard to find a short but fun and exciting-looking book. However, something about The Graveyard Book suggested itself to me. Perhaps it was the Newbery medal it received. Or perhaps it is the horror-kick that I seem to be on this year (although I generally don't like horror). Or maybe it was the simple fact that Neil Gaiman is the author. At any rate, this book was amazing, and we give it 5-stars as a read-aloud book.

The Graveyard Book is a take on The Jungle Book, and is about an orphaned toddler who is adopted by the ghosts of a graveyard. After all, "It takes a graveyard to raise a child."

Oh Christmas Tree

2009-02-08T14:31:00.008-05:00

This year we decided on a small but sweet Christmas tree.
Here is Dave, about to open presents from the Blackburns.

In January, we met Dave & Amy for a museum
and dinner date up in Princeton.

There was nothing small-scale about the Princeton town center tree.

Christmas 2008

2009-02-08T14:15:00.002-05:00

Better late than never!

Above, me and Dave with homemade stockings.

Below, sisters modeling Lauren's Christmas present. Lauren takes her responsibility of being the youngest very seriously, and every Christmas she one-ups herself with another fantastic homemade gift. Her gifts are definitely the most cherished of the McKinnon holiday traditions!

Married Love

2008-12-01T22:13:00.006-05:00

You and I

Have so much love
That it
Burns like a fire,
In which we bake a lump of clay
Molded into a figure of you
And a figure of me.

Then we take both of them,
And break them into pieces,
And mix the pieces with water,
And mold again a figure of you,
And a figure of me.

I am in your clay.
You are in my clay.
In life we share a single quilt.
In death we will share one bed.

Kuan Tao-Sheng
(1262 - 1319)
Translated from Chinese by Kenneth Rexroth and Ling Chung

Idaho - a virtual tour

2008-11-15T10:57:00.022-05:00

Idaho and its scenic marvels has been a recurring subject of conversation ever since my wedding, when family members on both sides drove up through Nevada or Utah, and so saw the most barren part of the region. (Although I would argue that the most barren part was mostly in Utah or Nevada - not Idaho.) So I thought I'd post a virtual tour of some scenic pictures I found online. Maybe one of these days Dave and I will go on a real tour, in which case I could post my own pictures.

First stop... we drive 10 minutes west of Caldwell, and arrive at Homedale. This is one of my favorite Sunday drives, and takes us right past the location of my 6th grade survivor field trip: Lizard Rock.

I95 just south of Homedale:

"Lizard Rock," or so-called by 6th grade survivors:
Next stop: Cascade, home of July 4th holidays and annual CHS orchestra retreats.

Cascade Lake:

Sailing on Cascade Lake:

Stanley is nestled in the Sawtooth Mountains. This is my all-time favorite Idaho scenic location, and for my 16th birthday, I requested that we go camping in Stanley. Stanley is also the first family vacation that I remember that was not part of a McKinnon or Lee family reunion. That is to say, it was the first nuclear Karen, Ryan and kids vacation.

Stanley & the Sawtooth Mountains:Redfish Lake - near Stanley, ID

Dad & me on Redfish Lake, on that first-ever family vacation:

McCall: my family's favorite spot for Christmas vacation. Dave and I went here for our honeymoon.

McCall in the summer:

McCall in the winter:

Next: Cour d'Alene is at the northern tip of Idaho, and is a very famous scenic spot. I have never been there, but someday I would love to go.

Moscow is just south of Cour d'Alene, and is home of the University of Idaho (alma mater of a certain VP candidate). My cheerleading squad came here for camp, and this is what the drive up looked like.

Moscow, ID

And lastly... Boise:

View from Bogus Montain: just 16 miles outside of Boise, where I learned to ski.

So I hope this post somewhat redeems Idaho from any first-impressions made on a long and dreary drive in December of '04.

Our Neighborhood Bryn Athyn Cathedral

2008-11-03T14:54:00.011-05:00

We recently discovered a great walking/hiking trail through a piece of conservation land nearby. It abuts the property of "the New Church", which is a Christian Church that bases its teachings on the Bible and the writings of Emmanuel Swedenborg, a Swedish philosopher who lived in the 1700s. If their architecture says anything of their religious system, I imagine it must be a pretty great religion.

Here are a couple of photos I snapped last weekend.

Below, Nicole, with colors.

And here are a couple of grazing horses for my nieces and nephews to enjoy.

Providence

2008-10-31T10:19:00.008-04:00

While we were in the Boston area, we took the opportunity to also check out Providence, Rhode Island. Here's what we found:

A neighborhood park in Warwick, RI,
along the west shore of the Narrangansett Bay.

A white-steepled church.

And a gorgeous lake not ten minutes away from downtown.

As it turns out, Providence is a great place for kayaking.

Caitlin in the news!

2008-10-30T21:37:00.003-04:00

Caitlin's drill team won first place of the Idaho District III Marching Band Festival. This is their second consecutive year winning first place, AND beating their main rivals (Vallevue High School who showed up at competition with brand-spanking-new costumes and flags). Congratulations, Caitlin!

Boston Globe-trotting

2008-10-28T21:41:00.019-04:00

Last week, Dave and I explored the Boston and Providence area. This was my first time really sight-seeing in the area, and I have to say that Boston fulfilled my expectations (formed mainly by watching the Hailey Mills version of "Parent Trap"). We saw so many, many sights. And yet we just scratched the surface. Boston is an impressive city with a lot to do and see.

The Boston Public Library:
where I had some trouble uploading an internet assignment.

Boston Commons:
where we listened to a Latino guitarist, and a Mediterranean accordionist.

Massachusetts State Capital Building:
where we struggled to get a good shot of both Dave and the golden dome.

The Robert Gould Shaw Memorial:
where we reflected on the film "Glory."

The Old State Building:
where I regretted my choice of shoes (boots + cobblestone roads).

Quincy Market:
where we had a chicken tikka masala dinner.

King's Chapel and Burying Ground:
where Dave was in 7th heaven photographing the old puritan and anglican tombstones, which are surprisingly dark and gothic.

Old South Meetinghouse:
where we decide we are too hungry to take the tour.

The Custom House & Quincy Market:
a day later, we are still exploring.

And... Old North Church:
"One if by land, two if by sea"
where we were startled to see the Union Jack in place of the Stars.

Picasso

2008-10-17T13:10:00.001-04:00

I came across this quote from Picasso:
"Art is a lie which makes us realize the truth."

A thought from Grandma Potter

2008-10-13T21:49:00.004-04:00

This Sunday, Dave and I paid a visit to Grandma Potter. She was sitting in an armchair across from her bedroom window. At the beginning of our visit, she gestured to the window and said, "I love to see the autumn leaves. It is so beautiful." A few minutes later, she again gestured to the window, and repeated, "I love to see the leaves fall by. It is so beautiful." And shortly before we left, she said, "I love to look out the window. I see the past fall by, and it is so beautiful."

Split Rock Reservoir

2008-10-13T21:30:00.007-04:00

Dave counseled me to cool my heels and let Amy or Sarah post the pictures from our weekend in Budd Lake. Says Dave, "if you didn't take the pictures, you don't get to blog the pictures." This seems fair, but it has been over a day now and the Little Red Hen has not come forward. So now Dave says I should go for it. After all, the public is waiting...

For Amy's birthday, she treated us to a canoe outing at Split Rock Reservoir. We packed up a picnic lunch and enjoyed the beautiful day.

Make Way for BYU

2008-10-12T21:47:00.002-04:00

My father-in-law says his favorite type of blog posts are videos clips which make him smile. Unfortunately, Dave and I are handicapped in this genre since we do not have any babies, but I thought the following music video might still be appreciated by family.

Wednesday

2008-10-06T19:32:00.002-04:00

I thought I'd share this beautiful essay I found:

Wednesday

It reminded me of my grandmothers.

Fathers Are Irreplacable

2008-10-04T12:41:00.005-04:00

Interesting post from the bloggernacle:

Fathers are irreplacable; they don't need to preside to be important.

I like the word "irreplacable." I think that's exactly what fathers are. Dad didn't lecture, he didn't dictate, he didn't preside in any sense of the way I understand that word. Instead, he held me when I cried, he asked about my day, he told me funny stories when I felt down, he helped me with my homework, he danced with me, he tucked me into bed with bedtime stories and bedtime prayers. He nurtured me.

I love you, Dad.

A Halloween book for two

2008-09-26T09:40:00.006-04:00

Nothing beats snuggling with Dave on a dark and rainy autumn night, apple ciders nearby, reading a "scary Halloween tale with lots of blood and gore - and candy!"

Typically horror is not my genre of choice, but after reading "Man on the Ceiling," I figured I'd give the genre a try by starting with some winners of the Bram Stoker Award.

And something about this cover speaks to me. Then there is also the compelling back-of-the-book synopsis:

Halloween, 1963. They call him the October Boy, or Ol' Hacksaw Face, or Sawtooth Jack. Whatever the name, everybody in this small Midwestern town knows who he is and how he rises from the cornfields every Halloween, a bloody butcher knife in his hands, and makes his way toward town, where gangs of teenage boys eagerly await their chance to confront the legendary night-mare. Both the hunter and the hunted, the October Boy is the prize in an annual rite of life and death.

Pete McCormick knows that killing the October Boy is his one chance to escape a dead-end future in this one-horse town. He's willing to risk everything, including his life, to be a winner for once. Before Halloween is over, Pete will look into the saw-toothed face of horror - and discover the terrifying true secret of the October Boy...

Dave and I read Part One of the book last night, and we are thoroughly hooked. Question is, will I have the self-discipline to stop myself from reading ahead?

An unexpected thought... on Fast & Testimony Meeting

2008-09-18T13:44:00.007-04:00

Yesterday, while discussing religion with a friend, I had a flash of unexpected and newfound appreciation for Fast and Testimony meeting.

I've always felt uncomfortable in Fast and Testimony meetings. Perhaps this is partly because my parents taught that people who seek to be the center of attention tend to do so out of insecurity and pride. I think my discomfort also stems from the fact that speakers in F&T mtgs tend to cry a lot, and as a child I had never seen either of my parents cry. The first time I saw my father cry was when I was 12, and the first time I saw my mother cry, I was much older... 16? Furthermore, whenever I cried I got sent straight to the bathroom (as opposed to getting sent to my room). My parents did not have much tolerance for my theatrics.

At any rate, public crying has always made me feel very uncomfortable. At BYU one of my Relief Society teachers would always cry when she taught. After the first couple of lessons she gave, I began to spend RS in the hall, reading scriptures.

The other thing I don't like about F&T meetings is that there is apparently a right way and a wrong way to bear a testimony. And whenever someone bears a testimony in the 'wrong' way, a more upstanding member of the ward will immediately seize the pulpit to correct any doctrinal mistakes the previous speaker made, and to set a proper example for how testimony-bearing ought to be done. This is exactly what happens on the rare occasions when one of my parents speaks in F&T meetings. The thing is, the people who tend to give 'wrong' testimonies don't do so out of insubordination. These people are usually the quieter, more reserved members of the ward. They are not as plugged into the social scene, they are not the RS Pres, or Primary Pres, or Elder's Quorom Pres. In short, they are people you very rarely hear from, people who don't often speak out their own opinions in public.

So this flash of newfound appreciation was very unexpected indeed... while talking w/ my friend, I realized that F&T actually teaches a great deal. From F&T you learn that there is a time and place to share your own religious experiences. You hear the experiences of others (which might seem as strange to me as the need to cry in public). You learn that even within one fairly centralized church, there is a wide variety of religious thought and spirituality. You learn (hopefully) to respect varying opinions, but not to necessarily believe everything that is said over the pulpit. And so F&T offers a very unique, very democratic experience compared to that of a liturgical mass, or a weekly sermon given by the same pastor.

Books I Love

2008-09-14T22:45:00.004-04:00

Tonight I just finished a truly beautiful book, "Elegance of the Hedgehog" by Muriel Barbery. It is about an old widow and a 12-year-old girl. Both are solitary little hedgehogs hiding from the world; both are looking for some beauty or purpose which can give their lives meaning.

Another moving book that I've read lately is "The Man on the Ceiling" by Steve and Melanie Tem. This is part novel, part autobiography. It is written by a married couple, and it's about their struggles to raise children adopted from abusive backgrounds. The man on the ceiling is a man from the world of nightmares, a horror figure who threatens all they hold dear.