tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-171867852024-03-13T03:18:50.554-05:00Adopting in AshburnAshburn, the latest frontier. These are the voyages of adventurer Heather; her continuing mission to explore strange new worlds. To seek out life for her suburban family, to boldly go through foster care adoption.Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17962543577358367676noreply@blogger.comBlogger514125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17186785.post-84298498664707249802017-06-22T15:56:00.001-05:002017-06-22T15:56:58.452-05:00The Zipper: An Adoption Metaphor<a href="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Z6FHPYpZwjQ/maxresdefault.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="539" data-original-width="800" height="215" src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Z6FHPYpZwjQ/maxresdefault.jpg" width="320" /></a>We drove past OneLoudoun today and the carnival was all set up again. This week in our adoption journey feels like riding the Zipper. If you've never been on this most fabulous of carnival rides, each car goes around a central point (like a Ferris wheel, but elliptical), and the central point mechanism rotates, and each car is on its own axle so it can flip forwards and backwards as well. It's basically awesome, except when using it as a metaphor for a journey.<br />
<br />
We put an inquiry in for a pair of siblings. They accepted the initial application and said they'd be back in touch within 15 business days. Three weeks doesn't seem like that long when you are waiting for your children - if you actually get selected. If not, then you just lost a month of summer waiting to be rejected; stealing time away from us actually getting matched. Now, before you go all crazy telling me to trust in God's time, thanks.<br />
<br />
The thing is, that sometimes you are waiting 15 days and nothing happens. And people don't respond to your emails. Or your case worker tells you she had another family inquire after the same siblings in March and still haven't heard back. Then, she forwards an email from a social worker about the kids and it says they may have a match, but we'll keep you on the list. Except that email wasn't to you - it was to another family your case worker manages. But you didn't get that email. So maybe you are the match? Or maybe it is just because you haven't asked (because you still have time before the 15 days is up and you don't want to be annoying and call before then)?<br />
<br />
Our case worker says we should put in multiple inquiries at once so we can increase our chances, however I'm uncomfortable applying for multiple children (or sibling sets) at one time; it feels like applying for colleges and knowing where you want to go but having a back up school. And maybe your back up school turned out to be perfect! Do you really want to ever think of children as a back up plan? This is why we are trying to be selective. Only inquire about children we feel confident, with the little information we get upfront, that we could love and want to bring home tomorrow. And yet, strategically, this is not the best plan if we want to meet our kids this year.<br />
<br />
We're going in one direction, the cycle keeps turning, and we're flipping one way or the other. The only way off the ride is to go, wait for the cycle to turn in the other direction, flip, rock the car a bit, flip some more, and then get jerked to a sudden laughing halt where we get to meet our family waiting on the ground. Except, instead of two minutes, there is no given amount of time for this ride. And anyone who has ridden the Zipper knows that while it is potentially the best carnival ride ever, it is not the ride I would choose to ride forever.<br />
<br />
<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">Thanks for reading! Come and comment sometime.</div>Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17962543577358367676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17186785.post-78898465314663988962017-05-26T20:21:00.002-05:002017-05-26T20:21:56.631-05:00Scope for the ImaginationI am such a fan of Netflix original series. The number one reason is, of course, strong content. The second reason is that when the new seasons come out, they come out all at once and I can watch as much of them as I please. When I saw they were re-making the Anne series, I knew I found a treat.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BYzU2YzA3NTYtNDg3OS00YTg3LThiODctZTQ3MzhkZDVjZDNlXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNjc1NTYyMjg@._V1_UX182_CR0,0,182,268_AL_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="268" data-original-width="182" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BYzU2YzA3NTYtNDg3OS00YTg3LThiODctZTQ3MzhkZDVjZDNlXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNjc1NTYyMjg@._V1_UX182_CR0,0,182,268_AL_.jpg" /></a></div>
Seeing the movie <i>Annie</i> (the good one, with Carol Burnett) is what first made me want to adopt kids (at some ripe, single-digit age). It just seemed terrible to grow up in an orphanage. Reading the <i>Anne of Green Gables</i> books and seeing the Canadian television series as a kid made me convinced it was a good idea. I loved the Avonlea stories so much, that for years we watched the Disney (?) series and my parents got me lots of Avonlea-themed books. Anyway.<br />
<br />
I was watching <i>Anne with an "E" on </i>Netflix tonight and it made me "longful." The hardest part about this part of the process so far (because at two weeks into the matching phase, I'm sure there are plenty more parts coming that will be challenging) is knowing that our kids are out there - with personalities and lives and daily joys or sorrows - and that they might be thinking that no one really wants them.<br />
<br />
The idea that our children are worrying about that right now is really sad. I know that parents can't prevent all the bad things, or even most of them, from happening to their children. However, at the least a child should feel like someone wants them to be their family forever. That our daughters or sons don't yet know we are here waiting to love them in person. That they have had a whole lifetime without us ...<br />
<br />
I felt more like an expectant mom today than I have yet. First, I read a Facebook post by someone who was talking about how we shouldn't use the term "mom-to-be" for pregnant women because they are already mothers. True. But, for me, frustrating because - like so many parts of adopting instead of biologically having a family - that's just another part of motherhood I am going to miss. I try to shrug these things off. I'm so happy about adopting; but I'll be honest, I still think about what it might be like to have a child actually grow inside of me. Then I remember the diapers and not sleeping parts and shake it off. :)<br />
<br />
After that, I read about<a href="http://www.wusa9.com/news/family-of-3-grows-into-family-of-10/438775864"> a family that adopted a sibling set of seven.</a> They already had one child at home. "And then there were ten" seems like the monkeys jumping on the bed in reverse to me. However, the reason why this made me feel more like a future mom was because someone else saw it and posted it on my wall. A friend from high school who I have not seen in at least a decade saw this story and shared it with me because she remembered I am going to be an adoptive mom. Our own form of expecting.<br />
<br />
Most people can't tell me stories about when they were this far along. Even amongst families adopting from foster care we're a bit of a minority since most children in care are adopted by their foster families. But I've never been one to do major life events traditionally. And RJ has never been one to care about tradition over the end result.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://anneofgreengables.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/megan-birthday-932x1024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="728" height="200" src="https://anneofgreengables.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/megan-birthday-932x1024.jpg" width="181" /></a></div>
So we're here. Waiting. It's not exactly Green Gables, but hopefully it will still have plenty of "scope for imagination" for our children. A home where they are already loved, whether they know it or not.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Thanks for reading! Come and comment sometime.</div>Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17962543577358367676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17186785.post-50259972775859519352017-05-13T20:00:00.000-05:002017-05-13T20:00:46.878-05:00Getting readyWe are still waiting to be approved, but with all of the paperwork finished, my mind has moved on to getting our home ready for future children. Number one on the list is working with our dog, Beckett, so he won't be aggressive to people who try to come in the door. He is a lover, but we really want him to get along with our future children (and any guests they try to bring over).<br />
<br />
Number two is a massive garage sale. There is so much stuff stored in the playroom and guest room closets that absolutely cannot stay there should we bring a child home. Part of the process is just packing up things we don't need and organizing them so I can find them again if they go into a crate (like all of my crafting supplies, sheet music, quilting fabric, VHS tapes I still haven't converted to digital, and a small library worth of books). It isn't that the games and age-appropriate books can't stay in their rooms, but all of the training says things will be destroyed or broken. If I care about it, best it stays in a safer space until the hardest part of the transition is over.<br />
<br />
Number three is rearranging the kitchen cabinets. RJ and I are both tall, so where things are in the cabinets is not really an issue. I imagine we do not want our children climbing on the counters to get to the cereal, or reaching over the gas stove for the oil and vinegar.<br />
<br />
Number four is the garage. This is the scariest part for me, because I know that as fast as I clean it out, cleaning the upstairs rooms will inevitably mean that more things get stored in the garage. Our one car garage. That has a car in it. And the trash and recycling cans. And the cleaning supplies and scary chemicals we aren't allowed to have near the kids without supervision. Oh, and all the things we already store in the garage like lawn chairs, a tent, holiday boxes, a crate of items from my childhood, and Costco-sized portions of paper towels and toilet paper (which I am pretty confident I should make sure there is room for).<br />
<br />
We're going to need more power plugs for additional devices and binders for all of their paperwork, and some kind of system that does not involve me dumping baskets of clean laundry on the bed in the guest room to make room in the dryer.<br />
<br />
And then, I need to be getting myself ready. How am I going to take time for myself? How am I going to maintain my relationship with my husband? In addition to my mental health, should I also be getting in better shape (yes!)? Kids like to run around and I should at least try to keep up.<br />
<br />
I'm not actually worried about these things, but I wonder about them. I wonder because I could be doing something proactive this weekend, but instead I read a book. I enjoyed the quiet of our home. The truth is, it'll all get done by whenever they arrive somehow. I am excellent at managing to a specific deadline and finishing well-past midnight the night before. I also have RJ and an amazing team of friends, family, and professionals who are going to be right here to help.<br />
<br />
I like getting ready. Planning and preparation are my happy place. All we need now is a deadline.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Thanks for reading! Come and comment sometime.</div>Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17962543577358367676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17186785.post-33512412622933294502017-02-09T19:17:00.001-05:002017-02-09T19:17:07.337-05:00Individual Home Study InterviewI recently got to meet with our case-worker for the next step in our home study; the individual interview.<br />
<br />
Step 1: Write an auto-biography.<br />
This part came a bit more naturally to me as I (obviously) have some experience writing about my life for others. It was a bit weird though because I was supposed to frame the piece around 13 questions my case-worker was particularly interested in. <i>My tip for those going through the process</i>: be as thorough as possible and don't worry about anyone besides your case manager seeing it. This is just a tool to help them know what to ask you.<br />
<br />
Step 2: Try not to freak out as the date approaches.<br />
Wildly, epic-ly failed at this. <i>My advice:</i> Find someone else to tell you how to not get nervous for things that have a big impact but are seriously not that big of a deal, because my husband will confirm that I suck at this. :)<br />
<br />
Step 3: Arrive freakishly early.<br />
Stopping for lunch included, there will potentially be <b>absolutely NO</b> traffic the day you finally leave early to get somewhere on time. I'm not complaining, just saying, the fates are probably on your side.<br />
<br />
Step 4: Answer super benign questions that make you wonder why you were worried in the first place.<br />
<i>My advice: </i>Do know how old - or at least birth years - for your family. Ask questions that you think of while you are talking. Make it a conversation instead of a ridiculously personal interview.<br />
<br />
Step 5: Bond with your case worker.<br />
For me, it was talking about <i>The Fosters</i> (and noticing the Dumbledore wand from her desk was not in the pencil holder anymore). It was helpful to think of her on friendlier terms since she is, you know, helping us pick out our child and all.<br />
<br />
It was an overall positive experience. My interview lasted for awhile because I had also brought our next round of finished paperwork and about 30 kids from AdoptUSkids that we thought had potential. (That's a whole other post of thoughts.)<br />
<br />
The best part was that I left feeling more expectant than ever. Our child could be with us by this summer. LESS than six months from now! It was a good day to be a future mom.<br />
<br />
Love always, Heather<div class="blogger-post-footer">Thanks for reading! Come and comment sometime.</div>Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17962543577358367676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17186785.post-77037957810010250012017-01-25T19:42:00.000-05:002017-01-25T19:42:55.252-05:00A Hopeful AdventureThere are a LOT of scary things happening in the world right now (particularly if your world is America and you appreciate science and using facts as a method of logical argument). I could focus on that. I am focused on that. But at some point, to have a life I enjoy, I have to talk about the good things happening in my world too.<br />
<br />
The best thing happening in OUR world right now is that our family is about to get larger by at least one small person. That's right, we are planning g to adopt through U. S. foster care. We're hoping to adopt a child between four and eleven years old.<br />
<br />
So far we have taken classes through Northern Virginia Family Services about how to be a good parent to children coming from the foster system. We gave a large check to Catholic Charities to begin our home study, and we filled out piles of paperwork. The home study is going to a new level this week as I have my first one-on-one interview. I'm anxious and excited to get started.<br />
<br />
My motivation for changing the blog name and starting to write about this process is to be an open door to others who are going through the process (or just have questions!). If I was pregnant, I could post pictures of my growing belly or have semi-regular reveals about gender or birth-plans or results of sonograms. Instead, we're going tone working with teams of case managers and advocates to find the perfect addition to our family; a forever family for a child who is waiting to come home.<br />
<br />
Adoption does not seem to have quite as much pre-arrival excitement as the nine months of pregnancy. There are few to no women in my social circle who have grown their family this way. There are fears from well-meaning friends and family about what kind of child we "could wind up with." It seems inherently wrong to approach our future child this way - quietly, with professionals, and little to no fanfare.<br />
<br />
I wonder about and pray for our future child. I have so many questions for them. I wonder if they will like me or compare me to their biological mother. I can't quite get their room ready yet because our child will arrive with more than just a personality based on movement in the womb, but with a soul that has lived and seen hardships in their short years on this Earth; a soul with opinions and style all their own.<br />
<br />
So while I will only mention it where it seems socially acceptable in my circle of friends, here I will talk about this journey. It did not begin by peeing on a stick and I won't have to give up wine or soft cheeses, but my journey to be a mom is just as valid and worthy of celebration. Here I will celebrate and talk about some of the more arduous parts of the process. This is the place where the evolution of our family will be documented. There won't be pictures from the side (though now I am brainstorming how I could make that work in some way) or discussion about my changing body (though I imagine gray hair is probably in my future).<br />
<br />
There will be celebration. There is joy. And two adult humans and two sweet dogs are about to get a permanent house guest. Let's get excited!<div class="blogger-post-footer">Thanks for reading! Come and comment sometime.</div>Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17962543577358367676noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17186785.post-53881668871766914722016-06-26T19:19:00.000-05:002017-06-22T19:19:40.576-05:00Books you should readI often come across posts on books you should absolutely read before some set age. Well, I am here to tell you that I have never read all the books on those lists. However, I have read my fair share of literature and am h<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue light" , , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">appy to offer you suggestions of life-changing books for someone who has come of age. </span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue light" , , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue light" , , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">The Sparrow</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue light" , , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue light" , , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">The Moon is Down</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue light" , , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue light" , , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">Atlas Shrugged</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue light" , , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue light" , , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">Okay for Now</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue light" , , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue light" , , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">Identical</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue light" , , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue light" , , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">Thanks for reading! Come and comment sometime.</div>Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17962543577358367676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17186785.post-90516896212300527312016-05-24T18:18:00.001-05:002016-05-24T18:18:17.275-05:00Self SabotageI am amped up and unmotivated simultaneously. I'm hungry, but too lazy to fix myself dinner. There is a strong chance I will eat cake tonight and an equally weak chance I will meet my fitness goal for the day. <div><br></div><div>I am looking forward to summer. Theoretically, I will stop sabotaging myself and eat, sleep, and intellectually stimulate myself just as soon as my pool of responsibilities drops from 145 students plus my personal life to just my personal life. </div><div><br></div><div>Perhaps this is less sabotage and more procrastination. Either way, bring on summer. </div><div><br></div><div>Always, Heather</div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Thanks for reading! Come and comment sometime.</div>Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17962543577358367676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17186785.post-51445249317578034342016-05-13T17:56:00.001-05:002016-05-13T18:46:20.198-05:00Wanted: Local Friend (or two?)The things about living in suburbia, or being in your thirties married without kids, or just being me is this: you know how lucky you are to be who you are and have the experiences you have, and you love your life; but keep hoping that one day you'll fit in. <div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">It's been a struggle this week, being happy with my social life. It's gorgeous this afternoon. 16 straight days of rain - including this morning - and then the sun was out. The weather clear and the sky a stunning robin's egg blue. If RJ hadn't told me to leave school and get outside and enjoy it, I might still be in the copy room, taking care of business. Instead I'm on the balcony with my pooches enjoying the reprieve from the clouds of gloom. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEbFq-aK_LtkSU3UKWYF-q9ym6mDQKzOiCCrshAfArkSfEzyc964ASt4RLFdv5E_E5krjjWs7SssQuZLlJLrOv2fiuVdwNbMwEVWGxtTA5BK6IQmFQrg6ZT_Nq5zpOjo764DjR/s640/blogger-image--1235933029.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEbFq-aK_LtkSU3UKWYF-q9ym6mDQKzOiCCrshAfArkSfEzyc964ASt4RLFdv5E_E5krjjWs7SssQuZLlJLrOv2fiuVdwNbMwEVWGxtTA5BK6IQmFQrg6ZT_Nq5zpOjo764DjR/s640/blogger-image--1235933029.jpg"></a></div><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">Still, my first thought was: what would I even do in the sun? There are no kids to play kickball with or ride bikes. No friends who live close enough to meet for a walk in the park before it gets dark. No buddy to sit in a cafe or at an outdoor table with to enjoy a drink and wind down the week. This is the thing about adult life for me (and maybe other people like me?): it's finally play time and there is no one to share it with. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">It feels like, when you look at Facebook or overhear conversations in the lunchroom, that everyone else has friends. A social life. People who have people. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">I am not a person who easily finds people. There is this thing about my personality that sets people off when they meet me. It's hard to make friends. It's like resting bitch face, but for my soul. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">When I find my people, it's for life. I have a whole village. But sometimes, when my village is scattered to the four corners of the globe, I want to be able to walk into other people's villages and not immediately be considered some kind of threat; or worse, be invisible. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">Basically, I could use a local friend, or better, two. That way, if one has plans, I can still have someone to spend time with. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">When people exclude me, when they group up in force against me, when they ignore me or don't invite me; it hurts. Because no matter how long the world has been bullying you, it doesn't stop hurting. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">In some very literal ways, it is like I never left middle school. I know enough to not care what people think about what I wear, or what I look like, but my personality? And more than that, when they take my differing opinions, my principles, my ideas and discredit them because they are different from the norm. Different from them. Different from the type of society that elects Donald Trump. How am I supposed to feel about that? Excited? Resigned? Accepting?</span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">I blame this feeling on too much television. If I never watched <i>Friends</i> or <i>Seinfeld</i> or <i>Cheers</i> growing up, I might have thought it was okay to sit on my couch by myself and read a book. Heck, that's what the characters in my favorite books always do! Instead, I wonder where the people are who will just randomly walk through the door and have a story, a plan, an adventure, a problem to solve - something challenging but not so taxing it fits outside a 30 minute plot line - and then we'll relax together until the next adventure comes. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">But life isn't a sitcom, or <i>Dawson's Creek</i>, or <i>Grey's Anatomy</i>. I will spend many nights alone. I will constantly be dragging my work home with me. I will not randomly be able to carpool with people from work all the time. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">Instead, I'll try to focus on having my village all over the world. The ones I can call in multiple time zones, the big adventures every few years and the little mysteries I get to solve everyday (sometimes finding my sunglasses is a 30 minute plot!). What I have is so much. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">Time to be grateful. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">Love always, Heather</span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Thanks for reading! Come and comment sometime.</div>Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17962543577358367676noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17186785.post-21123895132699202802016-01-22T19:17:00.000-05:002017-06-22T19:18:20.464-05:00Welcome to 2016Last year at this time I was taking my husband to urgent care, where he promptly got diagnosed with pneumonia. Then we were in and out of hospitals and doctors appointments for the next three months as he got diagnosed with NMO. His recovery to get back to work full time took almost another three months. And then I finally took a few minutes to feel the anxiety, worry, and stress from those 7 months (because there was still December 2014's month of husband illness which led to the emergency gallbladder removal which led to the horizontalness which led to the pneumonia). Of course, that wasn't the only thing in my life last year. Life ardently insists upon going on, whether I'm ready or not.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
All of this to say, I put me on the back burner last year. This year, I am dedicated to recovering myself. Our new normal is just that - new. While there are huge chunks of me that are exactly the same as last year or any of the years before, it's like 2014 and 2015 made a huge course correction in the way my personal ship was sailing.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Obviously, I have strategized a dozen ways to help myself get more comfortable with the new normal. And, of course, it is unrealistic to try to implement all of these steps at one time. So, I have downloaded a random name generator app and put the twelve things I want to work on in and each month it will choose what I need to do.</div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">Thanks for reading! Come and comment sometime.</div>Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17962543577358367676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17186785.post-23833915664057439362015-06-20T17:05:00.001-05:002015-06-20T17:05:29.864-05:00Framing Inside Out<div>Breakfast this morning was at Duck Donuts in Herndon. RJ claims it was to help give me some inspiration for making my own cake doughnuts at home, but I think he just wanted to see if they were as good as Krispy Kreme (ruling: different kind of doughnut, but definitely closer!).</div><div><br></div>Today's home adventure: framing all the paintings we rescued from Grandmother's house. <div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha0oglLfIJEiZjZxJ5ZQKHjKS06EbNS0Q-_ChromCmZiy2Z3j47jqdVIWTZ9CVdCv1KxnfAPqzmDSWHE3J-whXnivhwXZpoiCW-bhNWvcz3FLlZurJEqEAB5Do0YDxg3vaVaoI/s640/blogger-image--2014931111.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha0oglLfIJEiZjZxJ5ZQKHjKS06EbNS0Q-_ChromCmZiy2Z3j47jqdVIWTZ9CVdCv1KxnfAPqzmDSWHE3J-whXnivhwXZpoiCW-bhNWvcz3FLlZurJEqEAB5Do0YDxg3vaVaoI/s640/blogger-image--2014931111.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Don't they look lovely? Two more needed custom mats/frames and should be ready in 3 weeks. It is going to be so challenging to wait to pick a few to hang up until we see them all together!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Then, because that wasn't enough of an adventurous day, we went to go see <i>Inside Out</i>. It was quite good. I tend to think it is more of an older kid to adult appeal, but RJ says it appeals to both differently. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Now, I have to somehow get in about 6000 steps and make my new FitBit vibrate. Yes, I know it is arbitrary, but totally motivating anyway. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Off to get my steps!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Love always, Heather</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Thanks for reading! Come and comment sometime.</div>Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17962543577358367676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17186785.post-36469925601574823752015-06-19T11:14:00.001-05:002015-06-19T11:14:36.191-05:00Summer 2015 GoalsThis is my first real "teacher's summer". After four years in the classroom, I will finally have almost six weeks of time without required work/classes/surgical recovery or anything else mandatory. Of course, I already signed up to help with volleyball, but I love that and would go through withdrawal without at least some teenager interaction. :)<div><br></div><div>So, I decided to make a list of all the things I want to do in this seemingly endless amount of time. Then, I went to yoga this morning and after an hour realized that not going to the gym for almost 6 months gets you super out of shape.</div><div><br></div><div>Therefore, I am limiting myself to the following things I don't have time for during the school year:</div><div><br></div><div>1. Going to the bathroom whenever I want. </div><div>2. Sleeping in until 7 a.m.</div><div>3. Wearing jeans or shorts without a sticker that says I "earned" them. </div><div>4. Eating breakfast and lunch over more than 20 minutes. </div><div>5. Using curse words, talking about religion or politics, making adult jokes, and more or less applying the first amendment without checking nearby doors for children. </div><div>6. Leaving the house without looking like a bag lady who is fascinated with notebook paper and odd equipment for experiments. </div><div>7. Doing all of the laundry - not just the stuff I am sure to need this week for some special holiday. </div><div>8. Staying up to watch Jimmy Fallon. (Okay, maybe not. Recording it is just as funny!)</div><div>9. Drink water all day long! (See #1)</div><div>10. Read - for fun - things written by adults. Or anything really, so long as I can critique them without fear of an email from their parent. (Imagine: Nathaniel Hawthorne's mom online - "What do you mean you thought the opening to A Scarlet letter was boring?"</div><div><br></div><div>I do want to have an adventure each day. Something just for me. Today's is getting back into blogging. </div><div><br></div><div>Love always,</div><div><br></div><div>Heather</div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBwh-ML_2tm3lXyKeNjQJBe0Lnpn4Mlf46LHMcy7bGZznz7tFb6hWe3Ox2j64gyfg0zLIyd-Z0GlwIb06uuY6Ze19a0GLVy1ED3i85tn0nA92OSmyOKyy7ET6Y_-UksBLdINlF/s640/blogger-image--1336664480.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBwh-ML_2tm3lXyKeNjQJBe0Lnpn4Mlf46LHMcy7bGZznz7tFb6hWe3Ox2j64gyfg0zLIyd-Z0GlwIb06uuY6Ze19a0GLVy1ED3i85tn0nA92OSmyOKyy7ET6Y_-UksBLdINlF/s640/blogger-image--1336664480.jpg"></a></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Thanks for reading! Come and comment sometime.</div>Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17962543577358367676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17186785.post-68456099361058114532015-01-02T13:05:00.001-05:002015-01-02T13:05:57.558-05:00A decade (almost)<div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">As it is officially 2015, and this blog got it's start in 2005, it will be turning ten this year. When I think about the last ten years and how tumultuously, terrifically, different now is than then, it makes me curious about what I'll be writing about ten years from now. However, we can't live in the past and the future is a ways off, so I'm sticking right here. </span></div><div><div><br></div><div>Right now, I am getting sweet kisses from Raleigh. <div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBMGoJ0MvtwjzrYTFOf59uAQA9CoHmcY_gwqauzhLCUE8iQ_MwiuldXA4C1N-E5gDbncwsJiaJT6zA7ilWdnuzodz41mfFnzdfQ1vCZGfC7dRe8zkZ9Kmv_uz006G7WrZqQU6C/s640/blogger-image-1743830956.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBMGoJ0MvtwjzrYTFOf59uAQA9CoHmcY_gwqauzhLCUE8iQ_MwiuldXA4C1N-E5gDbncwsJiaJT6zA7ilWdnuzodz41mfFnzdfQ1vCZGfC7dRe8zkZ9Kmv_uz006G7WrZqQU6C/s640/blogger-image-1743830956.jpg"></a></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Upstairs, RJ is taking a nap with HGTV on in the background (recovering from gallbladder surgery and pneumonia). </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I'm thinking about resolutions while I type my first blogpost from my phone (both odd and behind the times?). </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">My only goal this year is to end the year grateful and happy for the year that passed. Of course, any good goal should have some sub goals; so let's call those my resolutions. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">1. Focus on saving more so we can travel more. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The cruise last summer was relaxing - as were visits to family. But we have a lot more family, friends, national parks, and countries on our bucket list. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">2. Find even more ways to like my job. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Making the course packs this year and having the students write letters to scientists was awesome and already more successful than I imagined. It's time to not just hone in on making those great, but adding to the ways that will make science education exciting. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">3. Donate, upcycle, and/or recycle more stuff than we "get" this year. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">We already recycle more each week than we throw in the trash (about 50% more!), but that can go beyond packaging and grocery related items to clothing, books, movies, and all the random stuff. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">4. Have more parties. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">There was a time when I was hosting some kind of social gathering at home two or three times a month. Socializing with friends is incredibly important; it takes a village to be a grown up too!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">5. Remember (daily?) that me time is not a waste of time. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I love creating magnificent meals, but dread the time it takes to cook and clean up so much I talk myself out of it. I pretend (that's what it is!) that I don't have time to take a walk or sit on a park bench or just play MarioKart until I blast my records. I avoid cleaning up the house and putting away laundry. But, the fact is, <b>spending time on things for me is good for my whole family</b>. And while dishes aren't really a thing for me, a clean sink is, and clothes in a closet make it easier to get ready for work, and yoga on Thursday nights makes the weekend more relaxing, and even science says sitting on a park bench for ten minutes a day will lower your blood pressure. Grading papers, checking email, skimming Facebook, watching reruns of TV I don't like are a waste if I don't end smiling. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">6. Give more rubs. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">At least that's what Raleigh would type if he had thumbs. :)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Happy New Year!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Love always, Heather</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Thanks for reading! Come and comment sometime.</div>Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17962543577358367676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17186785.post-41203348720440332912014-07-05T17:24:00.000-05:002014-07-05T17:24:10.942-05:00Summer To-Do ListAs I sit here on this gorgeous Saturday avoiding the sun (details on that in a moment), it occurs to me that summer is quickly slipping through my fingers and I have only accomplished one of my big ticket items for the summer! To prioritize my time, I thought I'd make a list of the remaining things I'd like to accomplish.<br />
<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Clean out the two spare room closets to get everything into one closet (with room to spare). Goodness knows I do not need probably more than a quarter of the items in there.</li>
<li>Sell the random items that are actually still worth something at a garage sale or online to earn $1750. That's a random numeric goal, but I think it is fairly attainable.</li>
<li>Finish putting pictures in all the frames on the stairwell.</li>
<li>Clean out my bedroom closet so as to no longer have a wide assortment of clothing that doesn't fit or I don't wear clogging it up.</li>
<li>Use the VHS to DVD converter to complete the transition to DVD home videos.</li>
<li>Donate as much of the clothing, old VHS tapes, books, and sundries as possible.</li>
<li>Complete the first of two blog-to-book projects.</li>
<li>Spend five minutes each day with God alone.</li>
<li>Actually learn physics in a respectable enough way that I know some level of higher physics than what I teach my 8th graders.</li>
<li>Lose 20 pounds. I lost over 50 pounds between last June and last October, only gaining about ten back during surgery recovery in March, so feeling confident about this fitness goal.</li>
<li>Be able to keep up with the girls on core workouts. I'm restricting myself to the core here, because last summer I truly had to face the fact that despite whatever brilliant plans I had, I am almost or literally double some of their ages. They can keep sprinting faster than me; it's respectable that I finish at all.</li>
<li>Read two books a week; including some nonfiction.</li>
<li>Sleep 8 hours a night or until I wake up naturally, whichever is more appropriate for the day's itinerary.</li>
<li>Save up the gas and eating out money associated with my full-time job to pad the savings account to a respectable amount.</li>
<li>Enjoy planned vacations with no guilt about the fact that some of these things aren't finished yet.</li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
I'll make my goal end-date Labor Day weekend, though I officially go back to work before then for professional development, coaching responsibilities, and other training. I think these goals are going to help me stay physically, mentally, financially, intellectually, and spiritually healthy this summer.<br />
<br />
Why the sudden slide into being a total-self health nut? Well, the same reason I'm avoiding the sun. Last June, I went to the doctor for a little help losing weight - knowing it was important for my long term well-being. During a scan, they spotted some suspicious nodules in my thyroid that after a few months of biopsies and a surgery at Johns Hopkins turned out to be - incredibly small - cancer masses. I had the rest of my thyroid taken out at the end of June this year as a prophylactic measure to make sure the cancer could not recur and potentially spread.<br />
<br />
After getting the all clear from the surgeon with tons of encouragement that it was really over, and it hadn't spread and really couldn't (since it is in a medical waste center somewhere, and not my neck); I am relieved. I am grateful for the prayers and love everyone has given me. I am so lucky that my doctor decided to be aggressive about such small spots instead of just letting it go for another year until I <i>might</i> get another scan. I feel blessed by God to have survived this with the help of my incredible husband and the few others I told. And I also feel like staying healthy. I am motivated to be as healthy as is reasonably possible for someone who truly hates running for the sake of running and loves cake.<br />
<br />
I am happy - elated! - and blessed to be as healthy as I am today. If all I do this summer is maintain that, I'll have done my job.<br />
<br />
Love always, ~Heather<br />
<br />
<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">Thanks for reading! Come and comment sometime.</div>Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17962543577358367676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17186785.post-85361029101353185812014-05-30T20:51:00.001-05:002014-05-30T20:51:49.582-05:00Note to Future SelfDear Future Self,<br />
<br />
Hello there! Do you still remember when you had crazy curly hair, drove an adorable Focus, and were making an inordinate amount of rice noodle dinners? Anyway, that's the time frame we're talking about from here.<br />
<br />
This is also roughly the end of your third year teaching in the States. You just got your SOL test results back and they were pretty good. Some of the classes even earned fun prizes! Here's where I want you to take note....<br />
<br />
If you ever feel like, as a parent, you have the right to undermine a teacher and the overall school test results by having your sweet, little spawn not take the SOL then you darn well better be ready to deal with the consequences. Especially if your child is sort of prickish (which, if a teacher or series of other adults tell you, you'd do well to believe) and has been boasting about how he doesn't have to take the tests to anyone and everyone who will listen. When the teacher says they don't get to enjoy the class prize, suck it up and realize you did something super stupid.<br />
<br />
That's right, Future Self, as a parent you will have the right to do a LOT of things. However, they will NOT all be in the best interest of your children. Think things through. Recognize potential consequences. Forgive yourself if you miss one or two and make a mistake, but don't make the same mistake twice.<br />
<br />
Your kid(s) are resilient. They are strong. They are in some (many?) ways like you and RJ. They will survive some stress, disappointment, or other unpleasant events. Be there for them. Understand when they go to another reasonable adult instead of you (they are teenagers). Try desperately to not under or over estimate them.<br />
<br />
You're probably doing just fine; but a little reminder from Current Me is sitting here waiting just in case. Good luck. I have no idea how splendid or rough it is for you right now, but don't forget you've always wanted to change the world and revolutionize education. Oh, and make more rice noodles. So good. :)<br />
<br />
Love always, (2014) Heather<div class="blogger-post-footer">Thanks for reading! Come and comment sometime.</div>Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17962543577358367676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17186785.post-49869718383929475152014-04-18T23:00:00.000-05:002014-04-18T23:02:31.592-05:00Reading ListMore for me than all of you, I am drawn to share my most recent reading list.<br />
<br />
<i>Identical</i> by Ellen Hopkins - Written entirely in free verse poetry, this book wins the award for thoroughly surprising me at the climax. I haven't been blown away by a book on both an emotional and intellectual level in a long time; it makes me really respect the author and how she approached this book.<br />
<br />
<i>Looking for Alaska</i> by John Green - I wasn't surprised by this book as much as I was entranced. Having previously read <i>An Abundance of Katherines</i>, I was expecting it to be much funnier; but I enjoyed it anyway.<br />
<br />
<i>Vampire Academy </i>series by Richelle Mead - I will be the first to admit this isn't classic literature, but for reasons beyond me I find one or two of the characters captivating enough to keep me reading into book four of this six part series. It is definitely teenage melodrama, but fun and fast to read with some interesting twists.<br />
<br />
<i>Speaker of the Dead</i> by Orson Scott Card - I rarely read more than a page of a prologue because I would much rather read the book and am afraid of spoilers or hints; but when this one said it was meant to be the first book in the Ender series, I read it with different eyes. I enjoyed and was challenged by <i>Ender's Game</i> a week or two ago and so sought this out to see what else happened in this universe. I was pleased to see both renewed and fresh themes. It reminded me of <i>The Sparrow</i> by Mary Doria Russell, but less graphic and more invested in building multiple characters.<br />
<br />
<i>The Giver</i> by Lois Lowry - I avoided this book from the time it first came out and was touted at my elementary school book fairs because of the creepy looking guy on the cover and because I kept confusing it with Gary Paulsen's <i>The Winter Room</i>; which I read maybe one or two chapters of and could never continue. As the book went on the author seemed to either have run out of time or lost their voice ... I can't explain how I feel about this one yet except to say that it is bewildering. Tone and structure are well employed and then ... nevermind. I can't say anything else without giving it away. It's considered dystopian (which I learned tonight is apparently the opposite of utopian) but to me it just seems like a more bearable version of postmodern literature. Am going to try the next book in the "series" (same time frame, different place and characters) to see if my theory about the actual writing pans out when compared to other pieces by the same author.<br />
<br />
<i>The Fault in our Stars </i>by John Green just became available for me through the digital library and then I've got more to read about vampires to wrap up that series (though killing off one of my two favorite characters is only forcing my hand with one more book ... five and six depend on good writing).<br />
<br />
After reading four books in five days, you'd think I'd be burnt out - but I'm finding that I like escaping into these stories and trying out other worlds. In some ways, the surgery recovery time brought me back to the reading I love. I just need to find a good source for book recommendations. Our school librarian told me the other day how she secretly disliked kids just picking books in a series and reading straight through and only reading those books (she loves all reading, as a note, she just wants them to diversify). However, as I mostly enjoy doing that same thing, I'm not sure I can ask for her book suggestions for awhile.<br />
<br />
Do you have any good novels I should read? Obviously, I lean towards young adult fiction, but as long as it reads well, I'll read just about anything. :)<br />
<br />
Love always, ~Heather<br />
<br />
Afternote: That was my 500th published post! It seems like both a lot and so few at the same time.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Thanks for reading! Come and comment sometime.</div>Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17962543577358367676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17186785.post-75268634410819780012013-12-31T22:36:00.000-05:002013-12-31T22:37:06.784-05:00Dear 2014, Consider the bar set. Love, 20132013 was a pretty big year for us.<br />
<br />
<b>January.</b> We packed up what seemed like 90% of our stuff (but later we realized was only about 70%) and staged our house in Landsdowne to sell.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho9_CCNeeFPT18SukzgtcTROWn2Y-86Zu9KccjLnNxfVTWpO12dJ_lsBD2WNBBY7RcqasRomaeiQ8ihCYhoIR1X6xxu2GGiG5-jIwApi7bHTly5mMc8a9MAphHCmBqXWJFBrEC/s1600/IMG_0645.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho9_CCNeeFPT18SukzgtcTROWn2Y-86Zu9KccjLnNxfVTWpO12dJ_lsBD2WNBBY7RcqasRomaeiQ8ihCYhoIR1X6xxu2GGiG5-jIwApi7bHTly5mMc8a9MAphHCmBqXWJFBrEC/s320/IMG_0645.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Yeah, we have WAY too much stuff.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>February.</b> Lorien and Steve got married in Hawaii! In addition to exploring Oahu we took a side-trip to the Big Island and visited Volcano National Park, thoroughly enjoying ourselves. Our house sold (for more than asking price!) and the builders broke ground on this house in Ashburn.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1krJlR_FLuiAF9WPfLvnOJiASuLgQbnhvDXCo38B5hIP5S_TPAA4upzyjNEYDVewcWEIwae4Ov1QJ2ALMWqIpW7MGRklqnLNjCu1gggr046NTQo5S2jR_pce8B19KthXBXxlT/s1600/Dinner+Cruise+(1).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1krJlR_FLuiAF9WPfLvnOJiASuLgQbnhvDXCo38B5hIP5S_TPAA4upzyjNEYDVewcWEIwae4Ov1QJ2ALMWqIpW7MGRklqnLNjCu1gggr046NTQo5S2jR_pce8B19KthXBXxlT/s320/Dinner+Cruise+(1).JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dinner cruise! We saw a whale and fireworks over Honolulu.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHAeyPX8raTfVyjQPpXLpmx2G8BPEBHppodoFYI3VuEW3R-jNuovzixKkP7W91_AzLLyZkiM0arzWllyNuzmAD2bg90yDXZRZ6gPnGFrpC6vofI9TP06Jh7WCDCapuenP3UGUt/s1600/First+morning+mountain+top+views+(15).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHAeyPX8raTfVyjQPpXLpmx2G8BPEBHppodoFYI3VuEW3R-jNuovzixKkP7W91_AzLLyZkiM0arzWllyNuzmAD2bg90yDXZRZ6gPnGFrpC6vofI9TP06Jh7WCDCapuenP3UGUt/s320/First+morning+mountain+top+views+(15).JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Overlook on our first morning.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQldZ6R3mTQdsTUOP91Cp3CZfUXWH6Q38zpSUEEEZS-fd7kgG7Pp5vzmwELWBGkOFNZf1JQkX2_uPmojdpEkRLYGJ5c-yQJQyHQ13i-msa8PrmGQvKqMeSdQ7eqJMQqJTm9pJP/s1600/IMG_0794.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQldZ6R3mTQdsTUOP91Cp3CZfUXWH6Q38zpSUEEEZS-fd7kgG7Pp5vzmwELWBGkOFNZf1JQkX2_uPmojdpEkRLYGJ5c-yQJQyHQ13i-msa8PrmGQvKqMeSdQ7eqJMQqJTm9pJP/s320/IMG_0794.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunset on the Big Island.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAN6nhDwZV5eJQOcpYbza4b9edIWCAJXr3nzDhZKTn1L9OOw4MYD14ZFLUOZcHuqwwWKTP3P3sgOyNM_h-P-H7Zd6pllme6LVkFkZ78QUWAzhIo-yv2ptPeeZoFMri1Q0qkuVb/s1600/IMG_0795.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAN6nhDwZV5eJQOcpYbza4b9edIWCAJXr3nzDhZKTn1L9OOw4MYD14ZFLUOZcHuqwwWKTP3P3sgOyNM_h-P-H7Zd6pllme6LVkFkZ78QUWAzhIo-yv2ptPeeZoFMri1Q0qkuVb/s320/IMG_0795.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Who knows where? It's all a windblown paradise!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo04NjAoIt5x6v_5vf9F5UY5tJT2Kp3vo0aRL1Q21N6-allWzhTChefluaWxYftWMOxoWCnWF9NS8x99E6T2Xvqlu5bQKkH9PAgCVxeIs55YMeEhqEylb7bU_HVWpwXmNJejfT/s1600/IMG_0815.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo04NjAoIt5x6v_5vf9F5UY5tJT2Kp3vo0aRL1Q21N6-allWzhTChefluaWxYftWMOxoWCnWF9NS8x99E6T2Xvqlu5bQKkH9PAgCVxeIs55YMeEhqEylb7bU_HVWpwXmNJejfT/s320/IMG_0815.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPh33YxS2_2vrsuEu6Gyhjq0hn0RABH619IQn5RqABS6IMuw9189YwRhee4lpPqUfWFzmAaewKMRXiS9VBXCDGdFAuKOG6jqWT6hDRnt3QwQzIR_KLFpkVC4GGRCeqX51yGRG_/s1600/IMG_0825.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPh33YxS2_2vrsuEu6Gyhjq0hn0RABH619IQn5RqABS6IMuw9189YwRhee4lpPqUfWFzmAaewKMRXiS9VBXCDGdFAuKOG6jqWT6hDRnt3QwQzIR_KLFpkVC4GGRCeqX51yGRG_/s320/IMG_0825.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was also pretty much everywhere.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRTxLU5v83RrPmJMr4edES1lfs6wyvUsfBTIQNv-KLklLKo_FqzsWr7GypZN2qU9RbMnGVTEir9Xvsl79y82fo8h_zsrm_Xe9AFtQM7uLvjRBHsTfoAs8CsNNOigb45BKOX8A_/s1600/Plane+ride+home.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRTxLU5v83RrPmJMr4edES1lfs6wyvUsfBTIQNv-KLklLKo_FqzsWr7GypZN2qU9RbMnGVTEir9Xvsl79y82fo8h_zsrm_Xe9AFtQM7uLvjRBHsTfoAs8CsNNOigb45BKOX8A_/s320/Plane+ride+home.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Plane ride home, very relaxed.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>March.</b> Spring break found us driving to south Florida to visit our grandparents; and then rushing back because my commitment to coaching club volleyball insanely involved most of our weekends - including Easter. Oh yeah, and we celebrated our first wedding anniversary!<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpLP490lp4TtzYKiKGeE2-q8ZEorb8otBr2gS0KflnF0hJnA5P3GfGbKYL-15Mfem6-Co-DLvhf5rrCqZNXY0xInUsfrFJCRuQ-af-QjeXFOMsrUPEG2ZZ8teGZcyHXYmICPwE/s1600/IMG_0851.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpLP490lp4TtzYKiKGeE2-q8ZEorb8otBr2gS0KflnF0hJnA5P3GfGbKYL-15Mfem6-Co-DLvhf5rrCqZNXY0xInUsfrFJCRuQ-af-QjeXFOMsrUPEG2ZZ8teGZcyHXYmICPwE/s320/IMG_0851.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grandma & PopPop looking good!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcqapQ8v8S9Dnwswb72ylMVz0hkcb61RBJVcmHaVdgRmhApplo-n7wvuLxzKWzkgSUdSESuxX_cQtBPoQhOmT3wUUS4NKkFUM4m-sSkS112vEK6jOn05qjFaCcVy_d9qOuQ3VL/s1600/IMG_0857.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcqapQ8v8S9Dnwswb72ylMVz0hkcb61RBJVcmHaVdgRmhApplo-n7wvuLxzKWzkgSUdSESuxX_cQtBPoQhOmT3wUUS4NKkFUM4m-sSkS112vEK6jOn05qjFaCcVy_d9qOuQ3VL/s320/IMG_0857.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Framing is done for our condo!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ70TtiESG_-3zZ_ZYHBI9o9gOy75FbzMCNZ0HRv6PyLXUc_7icsMyB4GAxypfukS0ORXSkkpuiOsryp_O0RIuUo61mgO8TKChiZcans6JmuO88YWYVhTUQrhCOy0sMyCdIOCL/s1600/IMG_0861.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ70TtiESG_-3zZ_ZYHBI9o9gOy75FbzMCNZ0HRv6PyLXUc_7icsMyB4GAxypfukS0ORXSkkpuiOsryp_O0RIuUo61mgO8TKChiZcans6JmuO88YWYVhTUQrhCOy0sMyCdIOCL/s320/IMG_0861.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is Easter at Capitol Classic volleyball tournament. I made my players (14s) an Easter Bunny paw prints scavenger hunt that was taped all over the conference center of the Gaylord conference center at National Harbor. They gave me rabbit ears.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<b>April. </b>We closed on the Lansdowne house and moved into a basement in South Riding. Upside: I could walk to work. Downside: we lived near my students and I couldn't go<i> anywhere</i> in my pajamas.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNpTxyLAowTK7yv_EDvociFzg2zaaujoDwcXRUSQLSpRWL8SMBYt2f0Yo0zyKpQXqFwu0Im3ZdCDbvdjMimPYWUDCc05eCIkommmFgC7WCaRp8sitoTcT5AWa7GR1dKS8cGgBs/s1600/IMG_0869.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNpTxyLAowTK7yv_EDvociFzg2zaaujoDwcXRUSQLSpRWL8SMBYt2f0Yo0zyKpQXqFwu0Im3ZdCDbvdjMimPYWUDCc05eCIkommmFgC7WCaRp8sitoTcT5AWa7GR1dKS8cGgBs/s320/IMG_0869.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At least it was spacious; even if every inch of the place smelled like curry.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Q2Zb7sKGbgGPAPzgCEjhFygM5SeGMOxYDcxSExHc28Q8iiB3317eupGqxLlx9nO8ffcP9TVeMS6mQwpetRuksjt0NCU1_uAtg9LcjvevwVOQRO4oQ3HbwasUidjR-2TKrsHe/s1600/IMG_0889.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Q2Zb7sKGbgGPAPzgCEjhFygM5SeGMOxYDcxSExHc28Q8iiB3317eupGqxLlx9nO8ffcP9TVeMS6mQwpetRuksjt0NCU1_uAtg9LcjvevwVOQRO4oQ3HbwasUidjR-2TKrsHe/s320/IMG_0889.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We spent as much time as we could visiting the "dirty house."</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQkM7FJWqGJ-_CJ7FiRtmofB_VHOGN4orQA-sAw2LCeuoKuoNLNZ_NEkqYRCjVlhAjtvqhupCixnCMpUE72sCDqEd-fAyrtBNaXyA2uXOBWHdbAAmGYvRdR3NRm997pHdz9I4n/s1600/IMG_1046.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQkM7FJWqGJ-_CJ7FiRtmofB_VHOGN4orQA-sAw2LCeuoKuoNLNZ_NEkqYRCjVlhAjtvqhupCixnCMpUE72sCDqEd-fAyrtBNaXyA2uXOBWHdbAAmGYvRdR3NRm997pHdz9I4n/s320/IMG_1046.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Can you name that field?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHt9Bm4UNV8S83FyXND4ihV_dIGuSoHPrOSPJbjStpAFMupcRwkIghLLC5xkqgtzqQjJjlzIm0L-xKbog3JbKd0XuNfFR4Qfcmu7BHEJhvrMkZMv8fGLWjFp_9z4QbI6VxBM5v/s1600/IMG_1047.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHt9Bm4UNV8S83FyXND4ihV_dIGuSoHPrOSPJbjStpAFMupcRwkIghLLC5xkqgtzqQjJjlzIm0L-xKbog3JbKd0XuNfFR4Qfcmu7BHEJhvrMkZMv8fGLWjFp_9z4QbI6VxBM5v/s320/IMG_1047.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hand on Heinz Field, home of the Steelers. Be jealous.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPrllwOEMbtQQoZFt6UeMhRut4mfwobgPo_D5MlB4OqRQ_xXiWleSbWk30eP1Jwd_hwB4oE6Dgu4eQPH-wuyQ7NehASrqAxWV0GnzoeoV9ZcKkH46ARxEKgVxIqFoOF8f6cYwB/s1600/IMG_1036.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPrllwOEMbtQQoZFt6UeMhRut4mfwobgPo_D5MlB4OqRQ_xXiWleSbWk30eP1Jwd_hwB4oE6Dgu4eQPH-wuyQ7NehASrqAxWV0GnzoeoV9ZcKkH46ARxEKgVxIqFoOF8f6cYwB/s320/IMG_1036.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In the locker room. Do NOT step on the logo.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDpXzNAc4vY1znDQZVKDEypsfSG6b5rjik5sm0knX8x3MzbIkKLj8RvVZo1do_NkDsno4D8E_jT-ZhTGzEgVzLxhycnXJ50QSVpvJ4brc0vuKqDg9t3YvoMEO6t_QEMVtV6B15/s1600/IMG_1066.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDpXzNAc4vY1znDQZVKDEypsfSG6b5rjik5sm0knX8x3MzbIkKLj8RvVZo1do_NkDsno4D8E_jT-ZhTGzEgVzLxhycnXJ50QSVpvJ4brc0vuKqDg9t3YvoMEO6t_QEMVtV6B15/s320/IMG_1066.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Awesome girls chilling on a statue.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHnRo99rPf3tpbI24l06xIX4IesgUi4f1PlVmk2HINM6DJRuDzxeUwp1ErZhKi20-Zig5DOokSHp1A4zAurfXVm3NUeYIEYl0fRNWs-BHnwH78euXxdK_HJRXy08YPqCEch5qB/s1600/IMG_0916.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHnRo99rPf3tpbI24l06xIX4IesgUi4f1PlVmk2HINM6DJRuDzxeUwp1ErZhKi20-Zig5DOokSHp1A4zAurfXVm3NUeYIEYl0fRNWs-BHnwH78euXxdK_HJRXy08YPqCEch5qB/s320/IMG_0916.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My team helping me with the countdown for days until Travis comes home.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnhaOZA7Cn3ww6xBGQwMcBRLXvW0WhksVvrLX7GHyIKxZ3Xuio5EqT5IBiXR0zUyI0EiALL8nwMRTfG9PHueWqMDMsuqUMxgSGpLHV-_Tw7pQ4vsrnmvrW-rRa62SikcZvuYxg/s1600/IMG_0924.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnhaOZA7Cn3ww6xBGQwMcBRLXvW0WhksVvrLX7GHyIKxZ3Xuio5EqT5IBiXR0zUyI0EiALL8nwMRTfG9PHueWqMDMsuqUMxgSGpLHV-_Tw7pQ4vsrnmvrW-rRa62SikcZvuYxg/s320/IMG_0924.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">As the days went by, the numbers appeared everywhere.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Cb9bAb5igUmp3eS9RuCcG47I_uxddfVS__3d1PiIwBZYkSf9mSQ2QsJC2obVYjF1f4zzdb694SIm5PHLtxdSPYUx53_kVmQhDe6Vx3OWJOTsPjzCJNTwP75c7LdnLZ3AIbOY/s1600/IMG_0962.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Cb9bAb5igUmp3eS9RuCcG47I_uxddfVS__3d1PiIwBZYkSf9mSQ2QsJC2obVYjF1f4zzdb694SIm5PHLtxdSPYUx53_kVmQhDe6Vx3OWJOTsPjzCJNTwP75c7LdnLZ3AIbOY/s320/IMG_0962.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Even the family got in on the action at A & J's baby shower in Pennsylvania.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>May. </b>Travis got back from Afghanistan! Took my first trip to Pittsburgh with the NVPremier Extreme team. Our house got walls and brick and siding! And we kept living in a basement.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhurObyadgQ8GAB-dJnHgAQ_KMDncdyxvAs5fzseFOxDi4YxoLg8F7B6nEyub73ndZgyWa7jshdbNmzRV4acrtQ8Ss6I4TX9ld-dRDvYfkFLHRngO8NzPKsvaocB5ijQaiJpnme/s1600/IMG_1069.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhurObyadgQ8GAB-dJnHgAQ_KMDncdyxvAs5fzseFOxDi4YxoLg8F7B6nEyub73ndZgyWa7jshdbNmzRV4acrtQ8Ss6I4TX9ld-dRDvYfkFLHRngO8NzPKsvaocB5ijQaiJpnme/s320/IMG_1069.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Reunion with Eowyn in Fayetteville.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>June. </b>Another month in the basement. I went to my first professional conference (on education) and RJ survived the first month of my really extreme diet.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg29METseyIgka9z28bX4ljqaYmuo4wjpkyOYr5OWIRWxzgYZ1Ndqrgvk4cXX30Y6M6-bIkfL0tadqtps4A_c9-uPEXHwcCRmyPchfOi1jdxpd79gNHCg6rLS9KyYAKnCiHJHzN/s1600/IMG_1101.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg29METseyIgka9z28bX4ljqaYmuo4wjpkyOYr5OWIRWxzgYZ1Ndqrgvk4cXX30Y6M6-bIkfL0tadqtps4A_c9-uPEXHwcCRmyPchfOi1jdxpd79gNHCg6rLS9KyYAKnCiHJHzN/s320/IMG_1101.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Little War Twins play at the Velvet Lounge. Such entertainers!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>July</b>. Fourth of July on top of the theater and then we finally got to move in to our new house! It was a busy month of moving everything in and then heading up to Ocean City, New Jersey for a family reunion.<br />
<br />
<b>August. </b>Our first family came to visit (which got things put together a bit faster) and we made it possible to park in the garage the night before the new school year (goal accomplished!). RJ also got a giant piece of HD art for the family room wall in celebration of his birthday.<br />
<br />
<b>September. </b>School starts and Freedom volleyball season takes off. We make our first mortgage payment on the house and decide it is still worth every penny.<br />
<br />
<b>October.</b> I reach the 2/3 mark on the weight-loss mission when I officially hit 50 pounds less than I was in June. RJ discovers the newest member of our family, so in ....<br />
<br />
<b>November. </b>Raleigh joins our family! He is introduced to his first bit of extended family as we host Thanksgiving. We see the Little War Twins in concert on Black Friday and then enjoy the rest of the long weekend admiring our house, which thanks to guests is finally "finished" (only 2 boxes in the house!).<br />
<br />
<b>December. </b>RJ took me to see Trans-Siberian Orchestra to start off our holiday season. We celebrate together by sharing an awesome advent, slowly opening our presents each week, Christmas Eve with RJ's side, Christmas in our pajamas and then making dinner for our neighbors (despite a serious altercation between Raleigh and their youngest daughter).<br />
<br />
Altogether, we have a LOT to be thankful for in 2013. Also, we can definitively say that 2014 has some pretty big shoes to fill.<br />
<br />
Love and wishes for a great new year in 2014,<br />
<br />
~Heather<br />
<br />
P.S. Yes, I will upload pictures from the second half of the year soon. :)<div class="blogger-post-footer">Thanks for reading! Come and comment sometime.</div>Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17962543577358367676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17186785.post-6623515163890831042013-12-26T22:27:00.000-05:002013-12-26T22:28:26.781-05:00Christmas TraditionsFor all of the holidays Richard and I have spent together, this past Thanksgiving (and now Christmas) have really seemed like the first.* I think a huge part of it is finally being in our own home and getting to prepare together. However, I think the larger part is that we are starting to make our own traditions.<br />
<br />
This year, I loved opening presents a little each week of advent and just saving Christmas day to relax and enjoy each others' company. I loved hosting neighbors for our prime rib feast on Christmas day, connecting with the family on video chat, and going to candlelight services on Christmas Eve. But most of all, I loved how Christmas <i>felt</i> like Christmas again.<br />
<br />
In the hustle and bustle of moving or coordinating sharing a kitchen with roommates or making plans to split time between "mine" and "his" traditions, it stopped feeling like Christmas. That feeling in your heart like you want to laugh or cry - and maybe you do - because you are just so happy you could burst; that is what was missing. This year, instead of being relieved that the stress is over, I am just looking forward to seeing my house back in order. It's like this holiday season was the launching point for the rest of our lives.<br />
<br />
I had my first Christmas Eve since I could eat real food without seafood this year. It was startling to me both that it happened (unexpectedly), and that it did not ruin the day. While I don't intend to turn my back on family traditions, there is some peace in knowing that I'm less attached to the act than to the people I am with.<br />
<br />
As a note, not everything went swimmingly (because it seems like I'm bragging a bit!, and it wouldn't be a holiday with me without some calamity): the chocolate pie got left until much too late and didn't set, so it was like a weird pudding with crust; the smoke alarms started going off just after our company arrived and they all had to be disconnected because we couldn't cool the house down with the roast in the oven; the dog had three accidents in the house and has so far eaten a dozen snickerdoodles and a full loaf of italian bread off of the counter; and I got the wrong size pajamas for RJ to wear on Christmas so he had to wear pajamas from last year (or more?).<br />
<br />
For all that, the things I'll remember are: the generosity of my husband to me and to perfect strangers, the kindness of neighbors who forgave our dog biting their four year old in the face four days before Christmas, and the love and warmth that it feels like to feel like a family (and not be the kid or niece, etc.).<br />
<br />
It's still Christmas for a few more days and even as I take down the decorations a little earlier than Epiphany, I know it's going to feel like Christmas in our house for a long time yet.<br />
<br />
Here's to wishing you and yours a fabulous Christmas season.<br />
<br />
Love always, ~Heather<br />
<br />
<br />
*The only exception being the 4th of July which is always special to us. First time meeting his mother, getting engaged, celebrating with my parents, and this year on the roof at the theater ... have we really been together 4 Fourth of July's?!?<div class="blogger-post-footer">Thanks for reading! Come and comment sometime.</div>Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17962543577358367676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17186785.post-88439124548752851642013-11-11T18:30:00.001-05:002013-11-11T18:52:09.067-05:00A New, Alliterative AdventureAs I sit here in my fabulously messy house, I can only think of how exorbitantly lucky I am to have it and all the random bits making the mess.<br />
<br />
The busted volleyball on the floor is evidence of a wonderful season with the Freedom Eagles and my utter fail at making a ball soft enough for our new dog, Raleigh, to play with. The volleyball bladder is in fact soft enough, but he wants nothing to do with any toys that don't have food in them.<br />
<br />
The random kitchen tools on the coffee table are from my recent trip to the store to get supplies for Thanksgiving. We're hosting our first real holiday and didn't really need a carving fork, potato masher or pie slicer (honestly, won't most of the stuff in my kitchen double in those roles?) but for some reason, it felt like this Thanksgiving needed appropriate tools for big jobs; like turkey, mashed potatoes, and pie!<br />
<br />
The fabric scraps on the kitchen table will soon be placemats and table runners and things to put under hot dishes. Random cardboard bits are packaging from the decorative fork and spoon - each 3 feet tall - that did not, in fact, get "Command Strip"ped to the wall, because I swear those things only work for other people and/or on cinder blocks in my classroom.<br />
<br />
My grading is in the Relay for Life bag. My coat(s) are on the backs of the dining room chairs and the end of banister. RJ's sweater is on the couch and the Halloween candy is still in a basket on the TV stand. And I love it.<br />
<br />
I love this house and all the messy bits because it is mine and Richard's (and apparently Raleigh's, too) and our lives are here. We don't have a ton of friends here yet, though the neighbors seem promising. We haven't even finished unpacking yet (which is likely because I am terrible at getting rid of stuff). But we will. For both. And probably in that order if my history repeats itself.<br />
<br />
Our home in Ashburn - this suburban house factory of a town in the middle of the fastest growing county in the country - feels more like a home tonight than ever. So, with that, it is time once again to change our adventure to Adventures in Ashburn. I don't promise a million posts or to stop using semicolons or to even stop writing in fragments combined with run-on sentences. I do promise an adventure, what I hope will be many loves and few angers, and a new chapter to this small piece of the blogosphere that has already seen posts from a handful of states and two countries.<br />
<br />
To our new adventures in Ashburn. <br />
<br />
Love always, ~Heather (and company)<br />
<br />
<br />
P.S. - If you got this through a feed you previously subscribed to and want to keep reading me ramble, please just say hi in the comments. I am seriously considering changing the web address to something that makes more sense with the new blog and don't want to lose anyone on the way. :) <div class="blogger-post-footer">Thanks for reading! Come and comment sometime.</div>Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17962543577358367676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17186785.post-54688027817674433582011-12-11T15:25:00.000-05:002011-12-11T15:25:02.091-05:00A Million Years(in blog time)<br />
<br />
I know it has been ages since I posted. Basically, coaching volleyball this fall, teaching 8th grade science, and planning a wedding have really been a time suck. Luckily, I haven't felt entirely disconnected because I occasionally get a chance to check out my Google reader and I've also been working on some other blogging projects.<br />
<br />
There was the quick ditch effort to put together a page for the JV volleyball team I was coaching and more recently, the blog I created for our wedding. It occurred to me the other day I could have kept it all in the same place and just renamed this space Adventures in Wedding Planning. But, that doesn't really seem fair to Richard and I'm not sure I want the whole family reading 6 years of my ramblings when they stop by to see where we are registered.<br />
<br />
So if you're interested in checking out what is going on with the wedding planning, visit <a href="http://whenheathermetrichard.blogspot.com/">whenheathermetrichard.blogspot.com</a>. It's where the writing will probably be until about April. Unless I get a random surplus of spare time, which seems a bit unlikely.<br />
<br />
Miss you, little corner of the blogosphere. ~Heather<div class="blogger-post-footer">Thanks for reading! Come and comment sometime.</div>Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17962543577358367676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17186785.post-32890542236708496022011-08-03T07:01:00.003-05:002011-08-03T07:19:31.259-05:00Cardboard MountainThere is a mountain of boxes in the garage. Sure, it is more like the Appalachians than the Rockies, but that does not make it less intimidating.<br /><br />The thing about mountains, is that it takes a LOT of work (and more often time) to overcome them. This week, however, I have little to no time to spare. Up at 5:15, out by 6:15, at my desk by 7, on the road by 3:15, dressed and on the court by 4:15, home by 8:30, dinner done by 9, bed by 10. For those of you not super good at math, that is exactly <span style="font-weight: bold;">one awake hour a day</span> not allocated to something. Last night, I spent it going to Target to get appropriate shorts for coaching and groceries.<br /><br />At practice yesterday, I found out that my coaching duties extend to weekends for all of August. Which means no Saturday recoveries (7 a.m. practice start times are not conducive to sleeping in). I'm not too down about that, and I'm hoping the early start means that I'll have the afternoons to delve into the unpacking of things and general house organization and that <span style="font-style: italic;">maybe </span>RJ and I can sneak in a few venue visits into the plans for Sundays so we can nail down a date and location for the wedding.<br /><br />But that still leaves some serious hills when you add in all the other normal things that typically go into a weekend (like laundry, errands, a social event or two, church, etc.). I know we'll get there, and that after I'm done at Research!America this week, there may even be a few days when I'll get to sleep for a full 8 hours!<br /><br />College-me would be super distressed by this type of schedule wearing me down. Then again, college-me very rarely saw the sunrise or got to come home to a home-cooked meal from a loving and doting man. Despite the lack of zzz's, I think I have the better deal.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Thanks for reading! Come and comment sometime.</div>Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17962543577358367676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17186785.post-53944982710792043992011-07-27T14:35:00.004-05:002011-07-27T15:01:50.762-05:00July Shall Be Known as the Month of Big ChangesTo start with, you should know that I've been living in my current townhouse for 3.5 years. I found it while walking to the metro from work. When I moved in, it was my 15th move in 10 years. I've been in my current job for exactly 3 years and eleven months today. Also, I have officially been with Richard for one year and one month today.<br /><br />So here's the news: RJ proposed on the 4th of July, and, of course, I said yes! It was super exciting and fireworks will never be the same again. Around the same time, I had an interview to become a volleyball coach, which turned into a position as the head JV coach at a high school out near Great Falls National Park.<br /><br />While that was happening, RJ applied for and got a promotion that moved his job from Kingstowne out to a movie theater that is literally 8 minutes door-to-door from his house out in Leesburg. About a week later - after years of deliberation and months of planning and saving - I gave my notice to Research!America, making my last day of work in early August.<br /><br />At the end of this week, I'll be moving out to Leesburg to live with RJ and his sister in their townhouse. I'll be coaching volleyball and substitute teaching while going back to school to become a fully licensed middle school teacher. If I can, I'll be working in a full-time position as a teacher on a provisional license; but that is contingent on how some of my interviews turn out.<br /><br />As you can tell, it has been quite a month of changes. The house I'm leaving now has been my full-time home longer than anyplace since I lived in Florida. My job was my first full-time office position ever, and had the bonus of being 1.5 blocks from my house. In essence, my life has been based in this little part of town for awhile now, and though I'm excited about the changes, it is a little sad and scary to take this big forward step.<br /><br />But, there is an amazing man who wants to be my best-friend-forever supporting me through this transition and it's hard not to think that all the doors that opened up weren't being pulled by some invisible strings from heaven. At the end of June, this wasn't the plan; it was just a possibility. But the cogs are in motion, my house is mostly packed, and by the end of next week, my office won't have anything in it that is mine anymore.<br /><br />I'm excited about working with young people every day again. I'm super excited to be planning a wedding. I can't wait to use my "teacher voice" as an actual teacher. It's going to be a whole new adventure. I'm ready.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Thanks for reading! Come and comment sometime.</div>Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17962543577358367676noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17186785.post-90311571887698476422011-06-30T12:03:00.004-05:002011-06-30T12:08:02.793-05:00TyposThe most frustrating thing about sending multiple copies of the same thing to a variety of people (or maybe the same people over and over again) is realizing on the second to last email that there is an error in your attachment. A dash where a comma should be. A plural non-possessive that should have been a plural possessive or singular. Or, in this particular case, a missed merge field.<br /><br />Personalized letters are significantly simpler if you know how to use a spreadsheet to fill in the blanks (and write your letter so none of the blanks need to be adjusted post-merge). However, there is no special technology to prevent you from, say, using a form letter and hand updating data that wasn't on your spreadsheet and missing a merge field in the concluding paragraph so it reads,<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">"blah, blah, blah {Institution Name}<institution name=""> blah blah."<br /></institution></div><br />Yup. Definitely feels personal now.<br /><br />Ugh. Technology, I love and hate you.<br /><br />~Heather<br /><br />**Update, 1 minute later** Definitely posted this to a group blog I'm a co-author on that was somehow on the top of my dashboard instead of to my personal blog. USC Honors College Class Captains, I apologize. Apparently, today's mistakes are not limited to merge errors.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Thanks for reading! Come and comment sometime.</div>Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17962543577358367676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17186785.post-34527444191644771852011-06-16T10:49:00.002-05:002011-06-16T11:08:17.794-05:00Things to Get Excited About<ul><li>Parents arriving today and staying for a couple of days.<br /></li><li>Relay for Life this weekend.</li><li>Three SOHO girls coming to Relay this weekend to start earning their service hours and hang out.</li><li>Andrea's swim meet at the pool one block from my house on Saturday morning.</li><li>All clean laundry (despite not being put away yet).</li><li>Clean and prepared house.</li><li>The most amazing boyfriend ever who put all sorts of stuff in the attic, changed the light bulbs, ran errands, dropped off Andrea's furniture twice yesterday, and managed to keep me going until 11 last night so I wouldn't be scrambling this morning.</li><li>Said boyfriend just existing. Oh, and being able to use any type of possessive when referring to him, like "MY boyfriend."</li><li>Work being relatively quiet this week to help mask the fact that my brain has been too busy to be 100% focused. (Still let's me be productive on a slow week, but would be disastrous on a busy week.)</li><li>Fabulous weather.</li><li>Blackberries coming off my thornless bush in heaping bowlfuls.<br /></li><li>Positive attitudes and helpful strangers.</li><li>Being able to let my mind put the anxiety on hold while I practice patience.</li><li>The fun folks in the church choir and singing every week.</li><li>Becoming a godmother to a baby boy in just a few weeks!</li><li>Having friends and family all over who love me and are there for me unconditionally.<br /></li></ul><div class="blogger-post-footer">Thanks for reading! Come and comment sometime.</div>Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17962543577358367676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17186785.post-48011444968950455382011-06-13T15:35:00.003-05:002011-06-13T15:43:21.385-05:00A Note on TimeIt goes by too fast when you're having fun.<br />It goes by too slowly when you're not.<br />It can be counted in positions, on clocks, through years, and many other ways.<br />People remember time passed in different ways.<br /><br />One way time can be remembered is apparently in files. Ancient, non-existent files.<br /><br />May I give you a hint, dearest wisher of time past: if it happened here when I was in the first grade I do not remember it; as I was living in Florida at that time and learning how to write in complete sentences. Therefore, if you cannot remember any details except, "It happened" and there are no records to indicate said happening, I cannot, in any reliable way, make a list of it for you.<br /><br />But thanks for asking. Wasting my time was definitely on today's to-do list.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Thanks for reading! Come and comment sometime.</div>Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17962543577358367676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17186785.post-80071455798822624372011-06-06T12:01:00.002-05:002011-06-06T12:07:24.753-05:00It's OverMy mentee's room renovation is over. I've been thinking about this since I heard about SOHO last August, and it is finally finished. (If we're not friends on Facebook, let me know and I'll send you a link to the photos.)<br /><br />So my question is, why can I not stop thinking about it? Why do I still feel like I'm missing something?<br /><br />I wish I had Charles Xavier's telepathy. Maybe then I could ease my mind and just enjoy the finished product.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Thanks for reading! Come and comment sometime.</div>Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17962543577358367676noreply@blogger.com0