Recap of Dad's Day

Just thought I'd recap Father's Day, though a little belated. We enjoyed a morning at church, followed by lunch at The Keg (Colin was a great lunch buddy!)

The sun was shining and we enjoyed some outside play, including a hike at Weona Park.

We love you, Daaaaaaahhh! (Dad!)

More "Bob," Please

Actions speak louder than words when actions ARE your words! This says it all in the world of a 2 year old.

Speaking of the Electra

Lounging with a view!
Shhhh! Don't tell the owners, but Elliot loved the top of their kitchen cabinets. What's a cat mom to do?

Speaking of the Electra in my previous post, I thought I would recount an odd memory of our housing for part of June and July from 5 years ago.

We were in need of temporary housing as we waited for our condo sale to close. A temporary housing agency placed us with a condo near downtown Seattle, and we would simply meet with the owner to get the keys upon our arrival to town.

Remember at this point we had been driving across country for many days and we were road weary and couldn't wait for a place to relax and call home, even for just a month.

One would figure that the condo was leased out often on a temporary basis and all the basics would be included in the condo -- 4 plates, 4 bowls, 4 towels, sheets on the bed, etc.....

Umh, yah....that, and more!!! This was the private residence of a couple who decided to take off to San Fran for 6 weeks and decided to lease out their place. It was completely living in another person's home with all of their decorations, and we even had their dirty dishes from breakfast in the dishwasher.

They knew we had a cat, and the leasing agent must have told them Elliot was old. Try 2 and super energetic, but we won't go into that. We looked around at all the crystal and FREAKED OUT! As soon as the owners left, I used the digital camera to snap pics of the dozens of sit arounds and we put them and all the house plants way out of the cat's reach. Whew! Crisis averted!

Then we realized we were on the 13th floor of a condo with all the windows open and NO SCREENS. Holy cow! Elliot could skydive to his death if we weren't careful! So, needless to say, we had to be ultra careful with the windows.

The owners had rabbits (fortunately these didn't stay; maybe they went to San Fran as well?) and so we had a place for Elliot's littler box where the rabbits had had their box. There was a small hole to crawl through to get inside the utility room to the box....very creative!

There were 2 small bathrooms in the condo, and I claimed the one with a bathtub. And when I showered, the shower window overlooked Interstate 5, so all of America could watch me shower if they really wanted to....very creepy!

One benefit of our location was the great view of Lake Union, where I would sit and just watch float planes come and land -- quite an amazing view of the water! Elliot enjoyed it, as well, and we got a few pictures of him enjoying the view, which you see at the top of this story.

One drawback of being on the 13th floor was that window washers came and hung outside the window to make our view clearer. This scared Elliot so much that after he saw the window washers he ran and hid under the bed for the whole last week of our stay at the Electra. We could barely entice him out from the bed with the jingle of food in his bowl...it was very traumatic to see people hanging outside his windows!

As we carted all of our belongings out of the temporary condo, we even freaked out neighbors down the hall who were having a party. You see, we had Matt's elk mount living with us in the living room (we had no storage!) We had picked it up on our drive through Colorado, as it was finally coming to live with us. As the mounted elk moved down the hall on a hotel-styled cart, a few overly tipsy neighbors who were having a party yelled to others, "I just saw a moose moving down the hall" (elk; moose; same thing to a city dwelling urban-ite, I suppose!) It really caused quite a stir as it made it's path down to our truck....

And thus were the adventures of our first month of living in the PNW.

Happy 5 Year Anniversary, Matt!

This time exactly five years ago today, I was waiting in our temporary housing at the Electra, eagerly waiting for Matt to return home from his first day of work. This was his first job out of grad school, and we were fortunate that he had landed a spot in the consulting field, given how many firms the precious year had rescinded their offers to their new hire consultants.

Would he like his new job? Would it be everything he had wanted? So many questions!

And five years later, Matt is celebrating his 5 year anniversary with ECG. I am so proud of you for all you have learned these past 5 years - it has been fun to watch you grow from a newly minted MBA into a confident manager with the ability to help your clients become successful.

Happy 5 years!

One Fantastic September Day in 1999

I wanted so desperately to tell the story to my co-workers immediately. My heart was still racing with excitement, and I could hardly contain myself. I had rushed back from the airport just in time to make my 8:30 am Tuesday morning weekly marketing meeting, and I grabbed my notes and pretended to be completely engaged. But my mind was engaged elsewhere.....

~~~~
It was a 24 hours unlike any other I had experienced before.

Just a week before, I had gone across the street to interview with an accounting firm for a marketing position I knew very little about. I only knew that a few other friends had worked at this firm, a place that would signal that I had "arrived" in my career (as though we "arrive" in our mid-twenties, right?)

Only days after the interview, I was asked to fly out to LA to interview with 3 partners and to meet with the Operations Manager who was based in LA. I was excited to do so, but I knew I didn't have any days left to take off from my current job, so this is where is got really crazy:

I took off mid-afternoon from my current job and raced fast and furiously from downtown Houston to IAH. I caught a direct flight to LAX and then took a cab out to my first interview...an interview unlike any I had ever had before, and a day of interviewing that would soon become legendary among my future colleagues.

~~

It was so liberating to fly with just a briefcase. I used Matt's black leather briefcase and didn't even carry a separate purse. I wore the black and white hounds tooth Neiman Marcus suit jacket my mother had purchased for me a few years earlier. It still looked smashing, and I was certain would be perfect for this occasion.

As I arrived at LAX, I asked the cab to take me to Shutters on the Beach. The reaction back from the cabbie was something like, "Ooooh!" (as in wow, very nice!)

As I walked into the lobby, I was immediately greeted by the partner I had interviewed with in Houston. He had just returned from a run on the beach and was dripping from head to toe in sweat. After a brief greeting, he called the other partner on his silver bullet-shaped cell phone which seemed so "new age" at the time. Hey, this was 9 years ago!

I sat out on the outside deck at Shutters on The Beach (a boutique hotel near Malibu, known as one of the leading hotels in the world) and watched as people roller bladed past with their dogs running in front. Everyone looked so tan and beautiful -- it was indeed my first glimpse of Malibu.

Soon I was joined by the US Managing Partner for the division with whom I was interviewing. He ordered us each a glass of wine, which I slipped only slowly, as I wanted to take in all that he was saying and all that he was expecting from this role of Marketing Coordinator. Our interview was more of a visit, with a glimpse of his strategic plans for the group. His 25+ years working with the firm and his excellent people skills made me in awe of his attention to even something so seemingly "small" as the marketing support for the group. It was as though to him I already had the job.

After our visit, and feeling like I had a mini vacation from the doldrums of my life back in Houston, I met up with the now freshly showered Houston partner and the partner with whom I had just interviewed. We headed over to the world renowned Matsuhisa Japanese restaurant. It was a meal unlike any other, which was fitting for a day unlike any other.

We arrived at Matsuhisa after a dazzling drive past some of the ritziest stores in the world. The restaurant was located in Beverly Hills/Hollywood, and I was trying so hard not to appear star struck. Our group of three was soon joined by the division's operations manager, as well as a senior partner for the group. We sat in the small dining room with a table looking right at, you guessed it, some stars!

OK, so I'm suppose to be interviewing and I have to sit facing less than 10 feet all night from Sarah Jessica Parker, Matthew Broderick, and their kids? Someone pinch me because I think I'm dreaming! Fortunately the partners were star struck, as well (not to mention one of the partners looks like Big in Sex and the City, which is weird, but oh so true!). We all practically had to keep one of the partners faced my direction so he wouldn't draw too much attention to himself.

Oh, and over the previous weekend, John Lithgow had won a Golden Globe for Best Actor for Third Rock From the Sun. And he was at another nearby table celebrating the victory with friends and family.

And then in the far right corner of the restaurant we have Ms. Sturm, who is interviewing for a marketing position while trying to keep her gut intact because she has never had sushi before. Ever.

Yep, that's right! As a proud West Texas gal, I had never had sushi before (we cook our fish where I come from!), and we were about to have a 10 course chef's choice meal with lots of uncooked delicacies. I didn't even know what much of it was, though the waiter tried to explain. Lots of items served in funny pots and dishes, and I'm sure I should have been overly impressed. And to top it all off, we added to the meal some Japanese Beer. Again, I'm no beer drinker, but I took a few sips following the whole "when in Rome" notion.

Our last course was uncooked eel. I just couldn't do it! And in a moment of weakness, one of the partners asked if he could have my eel (which I later learned was so much like him to ask), and I gladly offered. Besides, we were all getting full from the 9 other courses, right?

It was nearing 10:30 pm LA time, so the operations manager took me back to LAX. I had a red-eye flight to catch back to Houston, as I had a weekly marketing meeting with my team that I just couldn't miss. Funny how at that age I just didn't think I could miss a day of work. It was the goody two-shoes in me coming out, I'm sure!

When I returned to Houston, I was still wearing the same clothes I had on at work the day before. I had been a busy gal with no chance to change. Unlike Sarah Jessica, I had no entourage to help me with a costume change! So you'll love this one: after an evening at one of the hippest hotels and the ritziest eateries, I dashed into the Jack-in-the-Box near the airport and changed into a new business suit.

And from there I headed into the office, though my mind was 2,000 miles away. Could they tell? Did I seem happier or almost giddy? Was my life about to change? Was God in this and did He just blow me away by showing me a glimpse of what lay ahead?

I'm not sure about my poker face, but I do know I was floating on cloud nine. At that moment I thought I could conquer the world. And there was no one at work I could tell about this experience. Oh I just knew they would love to hear about the hotel, and even my dining room guests. They would have just loved this story.

~~
And as my son is upstairs asleep and I look at the pile of toys I need to pick up, it's with joy that I tell you all of this since I am now in my new career as a Mom. Yes, I've waited almost nine years to tell you. I didn't even think I could tell you when I was leaving, for some reason I can now no longer recall,

And now you know the rest of the story.

Reflections on weekly food shopping

When we first moved out here, a woman I worked with mentioned how she shopped each week for groceries at two places -- Costco and Trader Joe's. I scoffed at the very notion. How could anybody make a weeks worth of meals from both of these places?

And then I became indoctrinated into the culture and allure of bulk shopping at Costco (the price per item can be fantastic on certain items), and the great price and quality of certain items at Trader Joe's. So now they both have me hooked! And maybe it IS possible to shop only these two places, with only a small trip here and there to the regular grocery store. Ahh hah!

Only problem is, It's about a 5 mile drive down the interstate to both, and I just dread going during the day with a toddler in tow. But today I had to do it. We were running out of staples for the menehune, like Pesto Tortellini and Bambini Pepperoni Pizzas. Yikes! Our world almost came to an end.

OK; seriously, though, I just love Joe's -- you can make an excellent meal out of Chimichurri rice and their seasoned, frozen Mahi Mahi fillets. Mmmmmmm! Delish! And for toddler fare, it doesn't get any better than Joe's!

I've also gotten into this whole reusable bag thing at Trader Joe's -- it's a great way to tote your groceries while not adding lots of plastic bags to the landfills. Not to mention the bags are super cute with Hawaiian designs on them, so you look very hip transporting your groceries to the car. Not that transporting a fussy 2 year old toddler isn't hip already, but the bags do help.

The best news of all if you are a toddler shopping at these places? You get a star stamp on your hand when you leave Costco and cool 4th-of-July-themed stickers when you leave Trader Joe's. Ah, yes, they're buying the happiness of my child and the sanity of a mom. I'll be back soon, you can count on it!

Car of the Week

As you have noticed from previous posts, Matt is spending more and more time in Hawaii for this client engagement that he has been a part of since spring of 2005. It ebbs and flows in terms of busy-ness, and right now it is really "flowing."

It's a tourist spot, so for the most part Hertz stocks some killer vehicles. Matt calls me each time to report what he is driving this time, so I thought it'd be fun for us to all live vicariously through his car rental experiences.

You'll recall in May he was frustrated with the huge H-3 -- just the sheer size in an urban area like Honolulu makes it a challenge to park.

So this week, I get a call that goes something like this:

Guess what I got this week?

A new Camaro just off the ship with only 5 miles on it? (We suspected this is what he would be getting. He called the local manager last week, as no cars were being shown as available online. Indeed no cars were available, but a ship was arriving with special Hertz Camaros so he would indeed have a car.)

No. But I LOVE it!

What is it?

It's Infiniti's version of the Murano. It drives like a sports car and is the size of a small sport utility (kind of like my car but with uber power!)

But nothing beat coming home and driving the F-150, as it knows the way home. And the truck is Colin's favorite!

12 weeks have flown by!

For the past 12 weeks I have been co-leading a group of new moms for an organization called PEPS (Program for Early Parent Support) and it has been a fabulous experience. As a volunteer leader, I was simply a facilitator -- not a parent educator or expert.

There have been 8 moms and 9 babies (we had one set of twins) who have been involved with the group each week, and it has been amazing to go through this experience of the first few months of parenting along side them as they share their "Highs and Lows" from the previous week, and as we have then discussed a different topic each week. Truly some amazing women, and I feel fortunate to have shared in this part of their parenting journey.

I have also found a really good friend in my co-leader -- Kim. it has been great to have someone else to bounce ideas off of, and I a so glad we did this as a team! We were in a PEPS group together with our boys and both felt like we wanted to share a bit of the great experience we had, just part of "paying it forward."

And out of all of this, I have had some surprises along the way that make my mommy heart happy. As Colin has spent each week with Griffin while one of us leads (and for the first 5 weeks and for today, we had a sitter), Colin has found a good friend. His buddy Griffin. Friends at the age of 2 -- so cute!

What a fun experience! These past 12 weeks have indeed flown by!

What Month Is This?

When we were in Hawaii in early May, we met so many people who were "winter weary" and were needing an escape from an especially cold winter.

And it's now almost mid-June, and I DESPERATELY need an escape before I freeze again! I think we skipped summer and it's fall again.

Today at Colin's first Lil Kickers Soccer class, all the parents were saying absurd things like, "Yah, isn't this weather getting better? It's actually in the high 50's and there isn't any rain today."

High 50's? Yep, for those of you baking in the 100 degree weather in the south, wearing shorts and getting a nice summer tan, we are still sporting jeans and jackets at the park and Colin's new summer shorts are making a nice home in his dresser drawers. If we're lucky, he'll wear his new shorts when we are in San Diego later this month.

I'm not exaggerating when I say this -- we have been colder this week than SIBERIA! Check out this article from our local paper: Colder Than Siberia . And snow plows were out earlier this week on mountain passes. Umhhhhh, and 4th of July is just a few weeks away! Craziness!

One Year Ago Today

One year ago today, Colin met his friend Matthew for the first time since his arrival from Vietnam.

And a few weeks ago, the boys shared a 2nd birthday celebration together, which was a train themed birthday party. Happy birthday, boys!

Finished paint job.....

This is our house before we bought it a few years ago...

....And here it is today with a much warmer color, no more shutters (trim added to windows), new lights, sidelight window, and door hardware.

The door took us a while to get used to color-wise (it packs a deep red punch), but the painter did a great job sanding down where the old hardware was located and giving it a fresh look. We were also happy with the custom stained glass window in the sidelight.

Hallelujah!

I'm bursting out in chorus. You'll recall Colin's lost shoe from my earlier posting today.

Safeway Sara called and I could hug her neck. They found his shoe. And mamma bunny is "So Happy, bunny!"

And now you know (as Paul Harvey would say).... the rest of the story.

101 uses for a Boppy

I'm pretty sure that this isn't on the official list of ways to use your boppy, but our furry child thinks it makes for a great cat cuddle. I have this out because earlier in the spring I took it to my PEPS meetings to make things easier for new nursing moms. Elliot has now decided it makes for a fabulous pillow.

And yep, he's still wearing the e-collar. It may just be a permanent fixture until we can get a handle on his cat acne. Glad I didn't have to wear one of those until I got control of MY acne as a teen....

Oh Wheeerrrrreeee's Colin's tennis shoe?

Any parent of a Veggie Tale lovin' toddler is all too familiar with the silly song where Larry sings, "Oh where is my hairbrush...." And today I was singing a similar tune to Colin, except it went something like, "Oh whhheeeerrrreeee's Colin's tennis shoe?" as we buzzed around Safeway.

I glanced down mid-way through a short shopping trip only to discover that Colin, who was almost 8 feet in front of me in the little tykes car at the front end of the shopping cart, had tossed his shoe out. Whew, glad I caught that one. But wait! Where's the other shoe?

And now I'm quoting another toddler item, Colin's book about handling anger (called "So Mad, Bunny!") And now this mamma bunny is SOOOOOO mad!

"Where's your shoe?"

(Lot's of smiles, as though to say, are you proud of me?")

So we race up and down every aisle, even aisles I knew I didn't go down. The produce guy slowed us down by playing piggies with Colin. "Shoe! We're looking for his SHOE!"

Then the customer service puts out an APB on the intercom for our lost little blue shoe.

And nothing. Nada. No shoe. No where! They were both on him when we entered the store, I just know it!

So, if anyone out there was shopping at Safeway this morning and knows where my little bunny tossed his size 9 W blue and yellow zip-up Stride Rite tennis shoe, you would make me one very happy mamma bunny.

Far Better Plans

I am a planner. I sat today and planned out much of our month of June. My only weekday with absolutely no activity planned is June 25. I know, and it's only June 2. What can I say? We have soccer one day, and gymnastics another. And I am co-leading a PEPS group for another 3 Tuesday morning meetings. Add on top of that 2 separate weekly days with Colin's therapy, and we are indeed on the go.

But some of the best things are unplanned: joining a friend at the last minute at the beach park on an unusually hot day or going into Seattle for a spontaneous office visit to see Dad and have lunch at one of my old haunts.

As I sit here and ponder all of this planning, I am in awe of how God can show me that with the plans I have, though I think they may be grand, He sometimes has something even better in store. This hit me so very clearly 2 weeks ago:

During a session with Colin's speech therapist 2 weeks ago, she shared that she has been talking with our Family Resource Coordinator and with our Occupational Therapist and they thought Colin would be an ideal fit for their Stepping Stones Toddler PreSchool Program next year. The class has about 13 kids, and about half receive services similar to Colin. The class has a special education teacher, 2 assistants, a speech therapist, and a physical therapist. During this 1 1/2 hour class, which meets 2 times a week, he would receive some of his therapy from the therapists in class.

Wow! How cool is that?! Here I am trying to figure out a preschool option for next fall, and nothing is really working out with the dates we had wanted. And suddenly, this wonderful opportunity is placed in our laps.

Is God a cool planner, or what?! My plans weren't really fitting together for next fall. His plans? Place my son in a program with people who truly understand his needs and the challenges he faces and provide speech and sensory help to him while he is in class. What a deal!

I give thanks today for the far better plans the Lord has for our family.

Pure Relaxation!

Ahhhhhhhhh. For those of you who didn't know, today was actually Mother's Day. Or it was in our household.

This afternoon, some friends came over and my girlfriend and I went to Gene Juarez for a slice of heaven -- we enjoyed a manicure/pedicure that was absolutely delicious! It was complete with hand and foot paraffin treatments. We had a special room for the 2 of us to have our spa treatments together, and it was fun to catch up and chat the whole time we were being pampered. Hey, you have to multitask as a mom, so enjoying the spa AND chatting with a friend accomplishes two wonderful things at once!

Now I have "soft paws," as Matt would say, and my fingers and toes look and feel delightful.

And when we got home, the Dads had been grilling up dinner, so we enjoyed a nice meal together once we got home. It was a very special Mother's Day, indeed!