House of Funkweiler

And I thought keeping the house tidy was impossible BEFORE Boo was born...

2011-09-17T00:55:00.001-04:00

That's me asleep underneath the cushions.

What can you do in 1 hour and 49 minutes?

2011-09-15T16:46:00.004-04:00

Sammie ran a sprint marathon! It was in downtown Austin on Labor Day. His goal was to do it in 1:45:00. But he was plenty happy with his time. The swimming was tough because of the crowds of people in the water. He was awesome on the bike--hardly got passed the whole ride and did plenty of passing himself! He said he was a little tired by the run (even though his time didn't reflect it) but was buoyed by the Star Wars characters passing out drinks along the way. (How can you say "no" to a cup of water from Princess Leia? And no, she wasn't dressed in her getup from Jabba's palace in Return of the Jedi.)
Boo and I were at the finish line and were SO proud!! Sammie's awesome and really inspires me. He's going to slow it w-a-y down and run a smaller sprint triathlon with me in a week and a half.

Here's a pic of us at the finish line. It's actually a before and after picture. The first is us in Summer 2010 at Breckenridge, CO. We've both lost a few pounds since then. People keep telling Sammie to slow down and put some weight back on. (He looks awesome!!) I've still got a ways to go, but I'm working on it!
Boo's gained quite a bit of weight but, then again, he's a baby. We'd be worried if he hadn't!

Adenoids Out, Tubes In

2011-09-15T16:36:00.002-04:00

Boo had a minor surgery on Monday to have his adenoids taken out and tubes put in his ears. He was kind of nervous when we took him to the prepping room. But he tried to be good-natured at first. He didn't complain when we put the hospital gown on him. (So cute! He looked like Yoda! I think I have a great idea for a Halloween costume!) But his sense of humor gave out when they put the identification bracelet on his ankle. Sammie held him and we tried singing songs and playing games with him to calm him down. After a little bit, the nurse gave him a dose of some kind of sedative that they warned us would make him act drunk. Wow! I wish I'd had my camera! Sammie played voice to Boo's inebriated state. Looking at me with a blurry smile, he slurred, "These are the greatest Kleenexes ever! How come you've never given me these before, Mom!" I was worried before that we were disturbing the other patients with Boo's crying. But I worried more that they were bothered with our laughing. Boo makes one cute drunk!

Since I don't have any pics from the hospital, here's one from the backyard.

Tales from the Heat Wave

2011-08-27T00:37:00.003-04:00

Well, don't I just feel so blessed to be an Austinite this summer?!? Check out this article where it talks about how on Wednesday we broke the previous record for hottest summer by having 70 days in the triple digits. And we're going to break our own record many more times as the heatwave continues unabated. Lucky us! Take THAT 1925, previous holder of the record. We'll show you what a REAL heatwave feels like!

Sigh. How are the job and housing markets inside the article circle?

Two stories related to the heat: one sad and one funny. One day just after lunch, I was warming up Boo's milk to put him down for a nap. He opened up the back door and, even though I'd already taken off his shoes, I thought why not let him go run around outside for two minutes and get nice and tired for his nap? About two minutes later I heard him screaming on the back porch. I knew immediately that his little feet must have been burning on the concrete in the 100-plus degree heat. I brought him in, soaked his feet in cool water, then put him down for his nap. He was still crying hard, though. And it wasn't the "I want attention, Mommy" cry, it was the distress cry. I put him in a cool bath to try and sooth his feet. It was only then that I noticed the huge burn blister on the bottom of his left foot. I felt horrible! He hobbled around for a couple of days, and was then as good as new. He doesn't go outside anymore without shoes!

On a lighter note, the heat wave and accompanying drought have brought us some unwanted house guests. I've seen 3 or 4 very large cockroaches in our house over the summer. Sammie says they come in for water. They're always unpleasant, but I also lived with a lot of cockroaches in Brazil, so they don't give me heart attacks... Until the other night... I was "in the privy" doing a crossword puzzle. (Hey! some people wind their watches, some talk on cell phones, some read books, I do crossword puzzles. Don't judge.) Suddenly, I felt something on my shoulder. I thought my braided hair had just shifted on my shoulder and I reached up absently to brush it off. A GIANT COCKROACH FELL ONTO THE FLOOR IN FRONT OF ME!! I screamed and attacked it with my book of crosswords. (Fortunately it was the jumbo edition!) Sammie, who bolted out of bed and ran to the bathroom door when he heard my screaming, thought it was hysterically funny. I was finally able to laugh at it the next morning.

So, as my spin class instructor likes to say, "See you next heat wave!"

Walmart

2011-08-26T01:13:00.003-04:00

I hesitate to tell this story because it makes me look like such a bad Mom. But it's worth it... Sometimes it's hard to remember to give Boo a clean diaper unless there's a prompting such as a bad smell or the beginning or ending of nap or bed time. So every once in a while, his diaper gets so full that he springs a leak. (You mothers, please reassure me in your comments that this happens to you ALL the time.)
Sammie brought Boo home from Walmart tonight. We had been at the gym beforehand and I guess it had been... hmmm... 4-5 hours since I got him up from his nap and gave him a dry diaper. Sammie threw Boo in the bathtub as soon as they got home. When I asked him why, he explained that Boo's diaper was so full, he had pee running down his leg.
Sammie then said, "And I thought to myself, 'I'm so glad we're in Walmart and not somewhere else!'"

Funkweiler, skunks, non-restful days of rest, and sharpies

2011-07-31T22:33:00.004-04:00

Vernon P. Funkweiler made his Austin debut this week! And I think he finally found a place where he fits in. He's the one of the right. And who knew that Sammie would end up working with a guy who plays guitar and owns the same black afro wig? Some might call that serendipity. Others might call it something much different.

And here's Funkweiler, who did all of the vocals for the 4-song set and earned huge applause from the crowd (all Dell employees...)
And now it's time for our Texas Rodent Update. We've noticed that a critter has been digging in our garden. Sammie set a trap last night in the bushes right underneath our dining room window. He woke up this morning, expecting to find a possum. We've seen possums on our back porch at night and they're pretty common around here. He was shocked to, instead, see a skunk caught in the trap! After some desperate phone calls, we thought to call a friend from the ward who owns some guns, has a pickup, and seemed like he'd know how to take care of the situation. He and Sammie were total cowboys. They had a blast figuring out how to dismantle the dining room window, shoot the skunk, then quickly shut the window so the spray wouldn't get in the house. It only took one shot. (Sorry all you PETA supporters! But let's hear your better plan for getting rid of a skunk in your bushes on a Sunday morning!) Before he died, the skunk sprayed. Fortunately, not too much of the smell got in the house, but our garage and back and front yards still smell pretty bad!
While the cowboys were holding a hunting party in our dining room, the RS President called to let me know that there was no 5th Sunday meeting planned for today and we would have to figure out something to do for the 3rd hour of church. While I was on the phone with her, the Primary President called to ask if I would come into Primary to talk about our experience going to the temple with Boo. And during all of this, I was trying to glaze the cheesecake I stayed up late last night making for Sammie's birthday. It was a wonderful day of rest!
I left first for church so I could pick up a friend. When I got there, I sent Sammie a text message to let him know where we were sitting. He responded that Boo had gone in the backyard and started playing with the skunk trap, which was out there airing out, and smelled like a skunk. Sammie was able to get most of the smell out with a good bath, vigorous scrubbing, and baking soda. But Boo was so worn out after all that drama, he fell asleep and both he and Sammie missed all three hours of church. Shortly after the bath, Sammie walked into Phoebe's room and found a huge stinky pile on the floor. When it rains it pours!
It all turned out okay. I went to the store after church to get some air fresheners (the ox wasn't in the mire, but the skunk was in the trap!). Boo and Sammie both had great naps. We had a yummy dinner of steak, corn, and watermelon. And the cheesecake turned out awesome!!!

One last disaster story...
While Sammie was away on business last week, I sent him an email with the subject line, "Take a deep breath before you read this" and included this picture.

Don't miss the purple sharpie on his cheek. That kid is fast and in the few moments that I wasn't paying attention, he got it on two couches, one ottoman, one armchair, two throw pillows, two different walls, one window sill, two different spots on the carpet, one toy and, of course, his face and clothes. Thank heaven for magic eraser, rubbing alcohol and good carpet cleaner! Sammie will need to touch up the paint just a little in two spots and if you look really closely at the right spot on the carpet in really strong sunlight, you'll still see some purple. Other than that, the crisis has been contained and all sharpie markers in the house are WELL out of Boo's reach.

This Post Isn't About Boo!

2011-07-21T00:47:00.002-04:00

I felt I had to warn Boo's grandmas and anyone else who thinks posting something on this blog that doesn't have to do with Boo is a criminal act. :)
My brother-in-law introduced me to This American Life from Chicago and National Public Radio. When I'm working at my desk, I love to stream past episodes. Or, sometimes I download the latest episode and play it on my ipod. Anyway, a couple of weeks ago, they did a story about inmates at a St. Louis prison putting on a production of Hamlet. It was amazing!
Click here to listen.
I'm shouting this out to my English major friends, my sister in St. Louis (who is also an English major), Spennie, Cath my most famous actor friend and anyone else.
Let me know what you think!

Boo

2011-07-19T12:37:00.003-04:00

Yesterday, a friend and I took our kids downtown to the Children's Museum for Baby Bloomer hours, where they only let in kids 3 and under. We played hard then had a good lunch and were tired as we trudged through the thick heat and humidity back to the car. Boo didn't want me to carry him, but I told him he had to hold my hand if he was going to walk. Yeah right, Mom! He shoved his two chubby hands in the pockets of his jean shorts and went sauntering down the street!Boo's cheeks get really red in the heat. Just like his Mommy's. :) This is actually long hair for him. He's now newly buzzed, which makes his hair pretty much disappear.

Boo playing with new toys from Grannie.

Movie: Boo's Tricks

2011-06-14T14:42:00.002-04:00

I know that Sammie is the one with the degree in film, but I think even he would be impressed with my first movie making effort.
Boo's Tricks, starring: Boo!

This, That, and Boo

2011-06-03T15:26:00.003-04:00

Boo has become so affectionate. Yesterday, I was having a tough day. I wasn't feeling very good and was super light-headed. Boo wasn't feeling well either and was fussy. By the time we left for the grocery store in the late afternoon, I was feeling pretty down and stayed quiet during our drive. When I got Boo out of his car seat, he wrapped his fat little arms around my neck, put his head on my shoulder, and cuddled with me all the way into the grocery store. It totally turned my day around!
He still has his sassy side, too. Today we were again leaving and, suddenly, I couldn't find him. I looked all over the house, starting to panic. I even ran outside to check the yard and (heaven help us!) the street. As I went back through the house, calling his name, I finally heard a muffled crying. He had gone into the guest bedroom and shut the door. (I had looked in there earlier but didn't see him). Then he had gone into the closet and shut that door! By the time I found him, he was a little tearful and I was SO relieved!!

Here's a random video of Boo and Sammie being silly. (Check out Sammie's legs! He's looking awesome!)

Sammie and Boo are still best buds. When I got home from Relief Society last night, Sammie actually felt guilty for putting Boo to bed on time rather than letting him stay up to hang out longer.

Train Ride

2011-06-02T22:53:00.001-04:00

There's a cute little train that chug-chugs around the mall by our house. I like to take Boo there when I have mall errands or when we need an indoor activity. Here's a collage of pics from a train ride we took with Daddy!

Boo on the Treadmill

2011-06-02T12:15:00.002-04:00

Sorry for the poor quality of this video. It's actually two tacked together. Still learning the ins and outs of Windows Movie Maker... Anyway, I was at a shoe store buying running shoes and introduced Boo to the treadmill.

Shopping at Costco with Mom is exhausting...

2011-05-27T13:29:00.001-04:00

... and delicious!

Head Dives off the Couch

2011-05-23T01:00:00.004-04:00

I'm a huge blog-loser. I'm sorry. Obviously, I'm not the only one in the world with a lot going on, but life has been a blur since January. Here's a quick rundown, then I'll get to what you're really here for... Pictures of Boo.
Work: Sammie - has transitioned into his new role as regional manager where he coordinates on site service for the western US. He loves it! He works with a bunch of other smart alecks, comes home with lots of funny stories, travels a little bit, and works hard! Melba - taught Humanities 1302 Renaissance to present. Since I hadn't taught this particular class before, it required a lot of prep, plus the usual grading, responding to student emails, and... oh yeah... teaching. Boo - Loves to CLIMB! We now have all extraneous chairs and step ladders out of site, including the 2 kitchen chairs, which we put up on the kitchen table when they're not in use. (Remember in Elementary School, putting your chairs up every day?) Also loves to empty cupboards. The other day Sammie watched as he grabbed the basket of tupperware from the only un-child-proofed cupboard (we did that on purpose...) in the kitchen, walked across the room, dumped out all of the tupperware on the floor underneath the table, then walked back to the cupboard and returned the now-empty basket, neatly, in its place. Also works hard torturing the dog, hiding household objects around the house or in the backyard (we finally found the egg white separator!), and making his Mom and Dad laugh. We love him!
Church: Sammie and I are both in presidencies: EQ and RS. It took some juggling for the third hour of church, especially when we were both teaching or both conducting. Now, though, Boo is in nursery! He went last week and loved it! He even came home with a picture that he colored. We were so proud! Here's the picture he colored. (A streak of red and a few yellow scribbles up by the moon and stars). When they gave it to me, I had one of those moments of, "Oh my gosh! I'm really a parent!"Hey, it's not much, but we're pretty sure van Gogh didn't do anything like this when he was 18 months.
Health: For Christmas, Sammie and I gave each other a personal trainer. We joined the nearest Gold's and have an awesome kick-in-the-pants trainer named Jami. She don't take no prisoners! We're both down about 25 lbs. and feel great! It's fun to do together. It's been a time commitment though--2 workouts with Jami plus 3 cardio workouts each week. Boo loves the kid's club. All of the workers there know him and when we walk in we always hear an enthusiastic "Hi Boo!"
So there's my excuse for not blogging. Semester's over, though, so I really really hope to be better.

Here's a video I took last February of one of Boo's favorite past times... diving off the couch. Dad doesn't seem to mind it too much either.

One of the best things about my teaching is how close Sammie and Boo have gotten. They're best little buddies!One last pic... Did I mention how he likes to take random household objects and hide them?

2011-02-28T12:41:00.001-05:00

New Picture of Boo

And Happy Birthday to Melba :)

Boo at the dog park tonight

2011-01-28T21:10:00.002-05:00

Since it was a balmy 70 degrees, Sammie met us at the dog park after work. My goal was to give Phoebe some fun and convince Boo that he can walk in shoes.

2010-12-19T17:30:00.003-05:00

Leather Jackets

This is my new favorite picture of Boo. Melba took it a few days ago.

2010-12-10T22:53:00.003-05:00

Boo Plays Chicken

Melba was sick and went to bed as soon as I got home. So I taught Boo how to play chicken. Phoebe didn't have as much fun as Boo and I did.

Boo's Walking!!

2010-12-05T22:48:00.003-05:00

Boo has been taking 2-3 steps here and there for a few days now, but today he took a bunch! We officially declared it as the day he started walking. Wow! Watch out world...

Boo also has a new favorite game, called "King of the Couch." He gets up on the couch and throws all of the cushions off. He really gets into it! He's breathing hard and grunting and usually has rosy cheeks by the time he's done. If one of us is sitting on the couch, he'll throw us off too. He'll get behind us and push as hard as he can until we roll onto the floor. It's pretty funny how determined he is. When I told my Mom how stubborn he is, she reminded me that when my sister Eliza was a toddler, she was playing with a ball that rolled under a car, so she tried to push the car out of the way. Go Wyse! Once Boo has all the cushions off the couch, he rolls or head dives onto them. It's all fun and games until he head dives where there are no cushions...

Boo's First Birthday

2010-11-20T22:35:00.002-05:00

Weekend Getaway and Other Crazy Adventures with Boo

2010-10-27T15:42:00.005-04:00

Grandma Dewey to the Rescue

2010-10-13T23:38:00.002-04:00

Yes, your Honor. I understand that I am the lamest blogger in the history of blogging and that I am a serious letdown to my son's fans.

I started teaching again, just one class, but WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH! Suddenly life is in fast forward! Boo's sleeping less and requiring more supervision when he's awake so every moment I have for myself is spent prepping for class.

But, once again, Sammie's mom saves the day with her superstar blogging skills. Here are some pictures she posted of Boo. Enjoy! More from me soon... I hope.

Boo and Food

2010-09-10T23:05:00.005-04:00

Boo is feeding himself! This is his first self feeding and he's obviously VERY proud of himself! He's also made a huge mess of himself.

This is the 2nd feeding, later that day, with daddy supervising. Notice the change of clothes. Yep, we go through lots of outfits these days. And a bath every night.

I made the mistake of setting a bowl of something in front of Boo and thinking he would actually grab the spoon and feed himself. Hah! This is where the bowl ended up.

Boo tries to clean up my leftovers at Chipotle. We're teaching him early. In this family, he'll eat at Chipotle a lot!

I've wised up a little with feeding. He's really good at finger foods--cheerios, pieces of bread and fruit, etc. If I want to feed him mush, I keep the bowl WELL away from him and operate the spoon myself.

Boo LOVES fruit! Bananas, strawberries, peaches, apples, and watermelon, especially. In fact, he loves watermelon so much that he'll stuff it in his mouth faster than he can swallow it.

This day, he had so much watermelon stuffed in his mouth that it totally changed the shape of his face. And he stores the watermelon in those cheeks indefinitely. Often after I've cleaned him off and am bathing him or changing him, random pieces of watermelon will drop out of his mouth. He's very... very... silly.

Officially a Family

2010-08-24T11:00:00.006-04:00

You Bradley fans have been very patient with my lack of posting and your patience is soon to be rewarded. We've had a busy month, but that means lots of blogging to show what we've been doing!

So here goes.

On Thur. July 29, we finalized the adoption and were sealed to Brad! In the morning we went to the Williamson County Courthouse in Georgetown, Texas. We ended up being the first case of the day. The judge sat down at the bench and said, "We're going to start this day off right with an adoption!" Sammie and I stood in front of him and gave testimony that everything thus far had been done legally and according to correct procedures. We also testified that we loved him and that we understand the adoption was forever and that we would always do our best to take care of him. Sammie was tearful during his testimony. I held up okay until I walked out of the courtroom, then I cried hard. The judge pronounced the adoption final and the baby's official name (they hadn't referred to him by name yet) as Bradley Samuel Markham. The whole courtroom cheered!

The judge, our amazingly wonderfully awesome lawyer, and the happy family!

In front of the courthouse with Mom and Jennie Boyer

We went home to put the now-officially-named-Brad to bed. Sammie realized on the way home that we wouldn't make it to San Antonio that evening on our tires so he went to Sears and got new tires. We dropped the "A" word ("we have be in San Antonio this evening because we Adopted our son today...") and got some pretty quick service.
Mom and Dad Markham, plus Sammie's brothers Dave and Jeff and sister-in-law Carolyn met us in San Antonio. My brother Joe was also there. He flew in with Mom and Jennie the day before, but wasn't at the courthouse. The sealing ceremony in the San Antonio temple went quickly. Boo was perfect--he even had the hiccups! I barely had time to soak it all in and focus on what was happening. Afterwards, we took some pictures outside.

Got It!

2010-07-17T02:08:00.002-04:00

Video of Boo crawling. I had a stuffed monkey sitting right in front of me. That's what he's aiming for and grabbing.

Boo's New Tricks

2010-07-07T23:15:00.004-04:00

Wow what a weekend! Boo is now crawling and sitting up! He still does an army crawl, on his forearms rather than hands. I was never able to really capture it on video, but here's the closest I came.

Sammie said to him the other night, "Boo, if the purpose of life was to do belly spins, you'd be translated right now!"

Boo's also learning all sorts of new sounds. Here are some of our favorites.

Since he's still not totally stable with sitting, we sometimes put him in a laundry basket to keep him from falling over.

We laugh because when he was first born, he was tiny enough to sleep in a laundry basket until we bought a crib.

And speaking of size, he's officially 100th percentile for weight. CHUB!!! His new nickname is "Ciento" (Italian for 100)

More on the Retrieval Impaired

2010-07-06T18:17:00.002-04:00

Sorry that this post isn't about Boo. Stay tuned for pics and videos of him crawling, sitting, and rolling!
Every so often I post about Sammie's retrieval impairment. Either he can't find something that is right in front of him, or he loses something then finds it in a weird place. I think I gained insight into what malfunctions in his mind to make this happen. Yesterday, I asked him where something was. He was sitting on the couch with his back to me and I was a few feet away in the kitchen. Literally, this is what he said, "It's over there... It's back... It's in the yellow... It's with... Do you see it?"

I'm not making this up!

If a similar dialogue plays in his head every time he looks for something, no wonder he can never find anything!

I look like my t-shirt contest

2010-06-24T01:41:00.004-04:00

Boo is the newest winner of the "I look like my t-shirt" contest. He wrested the title from his father, the former champion, who won with a "Yosemite Sam" t-shirt.

I love to go back through this blog and look at pictures of Boo. I'm always surprised, though, at how old he's gotten. When I see the pictures of him as a newborn, he hardly feels like a baby to me anymore. He's so much bigger! He's chattering quite a bit... "dadadadada" and "bababababa." I keep trying to teach him "mamamamamama." He's still not quite sitting up on his own (we're working on it) but rolls around all over the place. He especially likes to wedge himself in between the bookshelf and tv stand in our family room. He's also gotten quite a bit of hair, although he still has his "reverse bald spot." That's a clump of hair that grows especially thick and long on the left side of his head. It was also the first patch of scalp to get hair. He is very attached to his "luvy" diaper. I love to cuddle him before I put him in his crib. I look down and can see his little chubby hands playing with the luvy. He snuggles against me and all I can see of his face are long eyelashes, chubby cheeks, and a cute little nose. I know by his heavy breathing when he's fallen asleep. He hardly ever cries once he's woken up. We just hear him talking and laughing to himself on the baby monitor. When we go in his room, he's usually eating his toes or exploring the far corners of his crib. He's excited to see us and laughs as if to say, "Come join the party!"

Boo did a really funny thing a couple of weeks ago. Sammie didn't appreciate my laughing at it, but I couldn't help it. It was fast Sunday and Sammie came home from church with a monster headache. We knelt by the couch to say a prayer to break our fast before eating. (we always eat chocolate first. It's a rule.) Boo was sitting up on the couch in front of us, protected from falling off by us kneeling in front of him. He was squawking a little bit as I said the prayer, then I noticed Sammie shift a little bit and Boo fall silent. I opened my eyes to see Boo contendedly staring into space with two chubby fistfuls of Sammie's red hair. I giggled a little to myself then tried to get back into prayer mode. But then I realized that Sammie had a headache from fasting and Boo pulling on his hair (and he can pull hard!) surely didn't feel very good. And, in a great show of empathy, that made me laugh harder. THEN I realized that the only thing to help Sammie's head is for me to finish the prayer so he could extract himself from Boo's death grip and eat something, thereby diminishing his headache. But I couldn't finish the prayer cuz I was laughing too hard at him! I was laughing harder and harder as Boo continued to stare off in the distance, munching on his binky, his hands full of Sammie's hair. Sammie said I undid any blessings I might have gained by fasting. (IT WAS WORTH IT!)

World Cup and More Exersaucer

2010-06-15T14:39:00.003-04:00

So you all know that Sammie loves soccer. The World Cup, which is held every four years, is a huge event for him. Four years ago, during the 2006 World Cup, we were living in a tiny condo in the DC area, couldn't afford cable tv, and were excited to start our family. Sammie was preparing for the GMAT so he could go to graduate school for his MBA. He would jokingly complain that he couldn't watch the world cup because he had to study. You know how he is about soccer... could he really give up the world cup for a good score on the GMAT? I would remind him that if he studied hard and did well, he could get into a good graduate program and then he could watch the next world cup on a big screen tv with Brad. Of course, we didn't realize that Brad would come into our home in a different way than we expected, but it was a happy day on Friday when Sammie sat down in front of his big screen tv, Brad in his lap, and watched the first two games of the world cup. I'm proud of him for working so hard!

Dreams really do come true! (That's an inside joke for Sammie.)

Maybe I can use the force to influence the game...

Mom, this is guy time.

Enjoy the video of Boo in his exersaucer. He's one happy little kid!

Movie of Boo

2010-06-14T23:20:00.007-04:00

Some kids like to play with their food. Ours likes to play with his utensils. He now screams so much when we take the spoon from him that we have to give him a spoon to play with while we feed him and use a different one to try and sneak food into his mouth. This video was done a couple of days ago before his absence-of-spoon-screaming-fits. Enjoy... (warning... it's long, about 6 mins. We only really imagine that his grandmothers will want to watch the whole thing. And we know they'll watch it repeatedly. :) )

Boo at 6 mos

2010-05-18T15:11:00.002-04:00

This is a short movie I created about Boo while playing around with movie makers. Some of the pictures I've already posted on this blog, but they're probably worth viewing again...

By the way, our "little" Boo had his 6 mos. check up yesterday. He's 20 pounds 4 oz (90th percentile) and 28 1/4 inches long (95th percentile). These discoveries clear up a couple of mysteries: 1. why he is quickly growing out of his clothes 2. why Sammie and I both have sore backs! He's as good-natured and adorable as ever. He was pretty sad when we came home from the doctor's (those dreaded 6 mos shots...) but still managed to smile and goo at me when I put him down. I'm soooooooooooooo madly in love with the little guy! (And the big guy, Sammie, too.)

Laughing, Drooling, and a New Throne!

2010-05-05T22:09:00.004-04:00

I know my camera breaking is not a good excuse for failing to post pictures of Boo, especially when Sammie's a "retired" photographer and we have tons of photography gear around the house. But I finally got a new "point and shoot" and so taking pictures of Boo is a lot more convenient. Without further ado...

Extreme Close Up! (admit it, this picture totally makes you want to cuddle with him, doesn't it?!?)

Sammie had Boo cracking up the other night.

The back of Boo's head is a little flat so we're trying to keep him off his back. I bought him this new chair and he loves it! It looks like a throne and he rules over... well... the carpet. It's the only thing shorter than he is.

The new camera has a "kids and pets" setting for active subjects. I tried it out cuz Boo waves his arms and legs so much and so fast. Apparently, it's also good for photographing drool.

And finally... now that Boo can grab things and hold onto them, he loves stuffed animals! This is his favorite... Zack the Duck.

Fancy Fotography

2010-04-27T09:59:00.002-04:00

This is one of my favorite movies that I've ever taken. The content is pretty good. It's Phoebe discovering and playing with her toy squirrel that my mom sent her. But my favorite part is that halfway through the film, I realize that Phoebe is jumping up and down and so I should turn the camera to portrait view rather than landscape. The result is, well... just lay your left ear on your shoulder and you should be able to view it just fine.

Lots of fun... In the meantime, here's handsome Boo in his easter outfit. I was supposed to be in Relief Society, but I was too fascinated taking pictures of him. How can one worship when one's baby is so adorable?

Eating Cereal!

2010-04-13T23:57:00.002-04:00

In Boo's honor, we now refer to all food at our house as "formula." Mommy and Daddy have yummy formula that's a lot different from Boo's. When he's older, he'll eat Mommy and Daddy's formula. The furry blue monster on his diaper is "formula" monster. (Okay, that's because they changed him to "veggie monster" to get kids to eat more healthy foods and I think that's really stupid. Even stupider than formula monster.)
Anyway, Boo has a new formula! He likes oatmeal more than he likes rice. We haven't really tried anything else...

The first day I fed him, he ate VORACIOUSLY! As soon as he saw the spoon coming out of the bowl, he would open his mouth and flap his arms (baby bird-like). By the time the spoon got to his mouth, he couldn't stand it any more and would clamp down just milliseconds too early. The spoon would hit his mouth and send mush splattering all over his face. (And I thought he generated a lot of laundry before...)

Boo Out Loud

2010-03-28T23:40:00.003-04:00

So... I know I'm always blogging about Boo's burps. But they really are incredible. And he totally outdid himself today. In fast and testimony meeting... Yes, all you Mormons know what's coming. A sister was bearing a very sweet, spiritual, and emotional testimony. I put Boo on my shoulder and ... WOW! No. I mean...

WOW!!!

A friend of mine was sitting across the aisle and she said when she heard it, she thought, "Who in the world?" And then, of course, looked over to see Boo. Sammie later said it wasn't so much that Boo burped loudly that was embarassing, it was how long and uncontrollably I laughed about it. The best is that he maintains his innocent face, with his big round eyes and his little puckered mouth. And when I started laughing, he looked so startled. "Everyone does that in church, don't they Mom?"

Sorry I didn't capture the moment on camera. I have some other random pictures of him, though. Hope you enjoy!

So much cheek for Mommy to kiss!

Cool exersaucer from Granny Boyer

He's almost outgrown his swing! (and his 6 months clothes at age 4 1/2 months)

With his buddies from the ward

The wallpaper on my new phone.

Bradley's Headlines

2010-03-17T15:43:00.004-04:00

Dopey

2010-03-11T02:07:00.002-05:00

When my Mom and Dad were visiting last weekend, my Mom very lovingly pointed out that Brad reminded her of one of the seven dwarves--Dopey, to be exact. (I think she was getting me back for nicknaming my nephew Josh "Puncinello" from Max Lucado's "You Are Special")

Well, today Sammie's Mom came in to town and took this picture of Brad. I think the nickname "Dopey" might be more appropriate than I had hoped...

A Day in the Life of Bradley at 3 months

2010-02-17T14:57:00.003-05:00

note: sorry the pictures are kinda small. I adapted them from a powerpoint. Sammie says to press control-shift-+ on a pc to zoom in. If you're a mac user, you're on your own. :)

2010-02-04T23:02:00.002-05:00

Boo

Boo!

2010-01-25T01:15:00.006-05:00

Okay, Okay. I know what you're here for. Not me. Not Sammie. Not even Phoebe.
So I'll let you get down to the business at hand... drooling over pictures of my soon. We call this one "Brown Boo Bear"

This one is "Little Blue Bear." Our wonderful friend Emma Powell took these.

For you die-hard Phoebe fans who wish she would return to the blog. (Phoebe, by the way, doesn't like Brad. She ignores him except for when he cries. Then she stalks out of the room in disgust. Fortunately, she's recently learned the joy of chasing squirrels ((some real, most imaginary)) in our backyard.)

Sammie and Brad having tummy time on Christmas Eve.

Trying to capture his smile.

This video mainly consists of me jerking the camera around and croaking at Brad in my horse voice, trying to get him to smile. Sorry...

Thanks for visiting! And thanks for all of your excitement for us. We have the best blog readers in all of cyberspace!!!!!

2010-01-17T20:43:00.004-05:00

Picture of Brad. It's obvious you're not here for any other reason......... :-P

Guy Smiley

2010-01-08T13:33:00.002-05:00

Okay, I admit that last post was lame.

The little guy is starting to smile! It's SO charming! Here's a picture Sammie snapped with his camera phone just a few minutes ago. More coming soon...

A camel is a horse designed by a committee

2009-12-27T07:04:00.001-05:00

Great quote, couldn't resist.

Funkweiler as Daddy

2009-12-13T23:28:00.002-05:00

It's 10:30 p.m. and Sammie is feeding Bradley, who is having trouble going to sleep tonight, as he does every night.
Sammie puts the bottle in Brad's mouth, who sucks on it for a few seconds then starts crying. Sammie waits for a few minutes, then puts the bottle back in and the process repeats itself. I just overheard Sammie saying this to his young son (1 month old today!), "Brad, your life is so hard. Every time you cry, one of your parents picks you up and feeds you a bottle. You really ought to join a support group." pause "Or are you self conscious about your lack of eyebrows?"

And on the theme of support groups, the other day something quite mundane startled Brad. Sammie commented to him that only Phoebe would be scared of something like that and maybe the two of them ought to join a support group.

But back to the feeding. Sammie just commented to Brad that he starts to cry but then remembers there's a bottle in his mouth and stops. Now, when Brad begins to squak Sammie is saying, "BOTTLE!" to remind Brad not to cry. It's kind of working.

Sammie: It's 4th and 4 Brad and the Giants are going for it!
(Pass complete, 1st down Giants)
Brad: (passes gas)
Sammie: ...and Brad celebrates with a fart!

Watching Sammie as a Dad is pretty amusing.

ps - Brad "celebrates" quite often...

2009-12-06T21:51:00.008-05:00

Sammie, when are you going to post more pictures of Brad?

I get asked that question a lot these days. You know, I ran a half marathon yesterday through the Texas hill country -- nobody asks about that, though...

"Don't hate me because I'm beautiful"

Sammie and Brad take a nap
(Brad would later wake me up by puking all over me...)

"What is that black thing you keep pointing at me?"

Brad really hated his first bath....

...the dissatisfaction of the experience lingered for some time.

Story Time

"Not now, Mommy, the game is on"

From an economic perspective, Brad considers
his fingers as substitute goods for binkies.

Brad likes his new blanket from Aunt Sara

Brad and his Great-Grandmother, Phyllis Duncan

For those who wonder, we have come up with a few nicknames for Brad. We started with B-Rad and that is what we usually call him. It led to B-Radley which then led to Boo Radley -- Melba came up with that, but she won't let me use it -- even though Boo ended up being a good guy. (Maybe some day Melba will give me credit for remembering the storyline of To Kill A Mockingbird.)

Anyways, we also call Brad, "Subtle". This used to be our nickname for Phoebe who is never subtle about wanting anything. Brad is even less subtle....

My latest nickname for him is the Formula-Bibber. This comes from how many bottles he went through yesterday during the SEC and Big 12 Championships games -- he had formula all over himself as he drank, burped loudly while drinking the bottles, would break out into crying fits at sporadic times for no apparent reason, then his eyes would roll back and he would fall asleep for a few minutes only to wake up screaming for more.

Pictures

2009-11-18T12:18:00.002-05:00

My mother-in-law is much better at blogging than I am. She came over on Monday to meet Brad, take pictures, and bring cool presents! She posted some adorable pictures on her blog. Enjoy!
(ps - Sammie took the "late night" shift with Brad and didn't get to sleep until 2 a.m. I took over at 4 for a feeding and he was perfect for me. :) He's his Mama's boy!)

Bradley Samuel

2009-11-17T20:10:00.005-05:00

On November 13, 2009 Bradley Samuel Markham was born to a young mother who loved him very much but knew that she couldn’t give him the best life he could have. So she selected Sammie and me to raise him. On November 15, amidst much emotion, she placed him into our arms.
And that makes us… (fill in the blank) parents, sleep-deprived, very happy, learning to be comfortable with baby poop, covered in baby spit up, elated, “stuck” in Utah at my parent’s house until we have legal permission to take him back to Texas, extremely grateful, more familiar with wee hours of the morning than we ever wanted to be, the proud owners of numerous boxes of diapers and cans of baby formula, still trying to believe it finally happened, trying to give Phoebe (our dog) plenty of attention so she doesn’t become too jealous, madly in love with our little son, all of the above. Sammie’s ecstatic that he’ll be able to watch the Super Bowl this year with his son. I made the rule that all stinky diapers that happen while watching football are Sammie’s to change.
Thanks for all the prayers and good vibes sent our way!

2009-09-13T10:52:00.003-04:00

Two things of note...

First, Melba just about cried yesterday watching football. It was one of those, "My heart has swelled with such deep emotion that I can't help but cry" cries. Was it the BYU clobbering of Tulane? No. Was it the intensity of USC vs. OSU? No. Well, what was it? Beaver Stadium -- just the sight of it put her in complete and utter nostalgia and created a deep longing for days when Beaver Stadium was a part of her daily routine. So proud :)

Second, help Travis out -- he has made an animated short and entered it into a contest. Go here and vote for it:

http://www.aniboom.com/animation-video/393230/...With-A-Bear-Behind-Christmas/

Then create an account and rate it really high and leave a good comment.

Oh, and unpacking is going slowly but surely. We're still not quite at a point to take pictures, but we should be soon. For now, you'll have to enjoy the front of the house.

The Non-Blog

2009-08-22T18:57:00.002-04:00

We're back! It's been two months since our last post. Rumors abound through cyberspace of why we have not blogged in so long. We'd like to dispel a few of them now.

1. No. Sammie did not accept the job with the Amish, thereby limiting our internet access.
2. No. Melissa did not burn her eyeballs out playing crossword puzzles and solitaire on the computer and have to give up computing.
3. No. Texas does NOT, in fact, have laws restricting communication with those on the outside. (Although we will neither confirm nor deny that similar laws are currently in front of the state legislature.)

4. Yes. We left our home in PA on June 8 and since then have been in 16 different states and have had our mail forwarded to 3 different addresses.

Here's a fun fact. We have seen every family member in both the Boyers and the Markhams except for the Markhams who live in Texas. So much for Sammie's argument that, "We'll be close to family if we live in Texas, Melba!" (We're excited to see all Texas Markhams over Labor Day weekend!)

We're finally in our beautiful home in Austin, TX with a regular paycheck, a fenced-in backyard for Phoebe, a lawn that took Sammie 3 hours to mow this morning (not because of the size of the yard, but because of the length of the grass!), and a kitchen large enough for all of Melba's cooking toys. (In fact, there's room to buy more!)

Ahem. We need visitors! If you like 100 degree weather, by all means head down now. But hurry because rumor has it that it may cool off by Hallowe'en. If you like mild winters, head down in a few months. We have a guest bedroom ready for y'all!

Stay tuned for pictures of the new digs...

Miscellanea

2009-06-25T18:52:00.003-04:00

I have an update, a trip report, a short funny story about Sammie, and a longer funny story about church. If you're game for all that, keep reading!

We no longer live in Pennsylvania. :( Getting packed up and moved out was pretty crazy (even with a packing and moving company) but we made it! We had a nice drive across the country with a stop in DC to stay at Corinne's and see some friends. We made it to the boat launch dock at Bullfrog Marina in Lake Powell by Thurs afternoon. Dad, Joe and Matt picked us up in the speed boat and drove us out to the house boat, where we found the Kaelberers minus Lucy, Mom, and some Cannon crew: Chad, Connie, Heber and Heber's girlfriend (soon to be a Cannon!). We were only there overnight, but it was a blast! We waterskiied, had a campfire, slept under the stars, and tubed. That's about all you need to do!

We spent a fun week in SLC with family and helping my sister Liza and husband Ben move into their new house. We are now in Austin and just made an offer on a house! Once the offer is accepted (hopefully!) we'll post pictures and give more information.

Funny story about Sammie. Last December, I posted a story about Sammie "losing" the Garmin (gps) and finding it in his backpack after we'd already replaced it. This morning, we searched all over the hotel room and rental car for the Garmin, which we hadn't seen since getting in town on Monday night. We couldn't find it and wondered if the cleaning staff had snatched it. We stopped back at the hotel at lunch and I looked for it again. I found it, of course, in Sammie's backpack. Detecting a pattern here...

Our first Sunday in Utah, we went to church with Sammie's parents. They have a great ward and we really enjoyed it! We laughed all the way home, though, about our experiences in Elders Quorum and Relief Society. The sister teaching in RS stood up and confessed that this was her first lesson and she was so nervous, she had over-prepared. Meanwhile, in EQ, the person conducting announced that the teacher wasn't there and they thought he might be sleeping in after working a night shift. In RS, the teacher brought out a beautifully wrapped gift (since the lesson was on spiritual gifts) that she opened and from which she drew out visual aids to place on the board and guide the discussion. In EQ, the hastily-appointed discussion leader scrambled to find enough books for everyone so they could read the lesson together. He asked for lots of comments, especially from the visitors. The sisters in RS made insightful comments, remarking that after reading the lesson earlier in the week, they had reflected on certain points and learned valuable lessons. In EQ, the discussion leader would pause the reading, ask for comments, then let an awkward silence pervade the room. The RS teacher did, indeed, overprepare and referred the sisters to other articles and resources online where they could further research the topic. She ended the lesson by passing around a basket with a gift for each sister--homemade cake balls, individually wrapped.

After Sammie and I compared notes, I commented that, once again, I was SO glad that I was born a girl!

June 1 Home

2009-06-04T08:53:00.003-04:00

Monday morning we got to the airport early, got checked in, and were standing in line for security when I felt a tap on my shoulder. It was Betty and Janet! Two of the four sisters we enjoyed so much on the boat. They had send the other two off earlier that morning and were waiting to their flight to Philadelphia and then on to San Diego. We were excited to meet up with them because we had never said goodbye and didn’t have their contact information. Betty had a few Euros left, so she bought us some drinks and we chatted with them until it was time to board. I’m so glad we met them!

The rest of Monday was one. long. boring. sweaty. crowded. cramped. airplane ride.

Did I mention long?

We had the two middle seats (you get what you pay for…) and, fortunately, the guys on either side of us were nice about letting us out, but we were still cramped. I watched “He’s Just Not That into You” and loved it! In fact, it made me cry. Sammie woke up just in time to see me crying and make the requisite number of jokes about my crying over a dumb chick flick. I also watched “Hairspray,” which I’ve seen before, but absolutely love! John Travolta is the most awesomest person in the whole world! Sammie’s movie player didn’t work so we switched seats and he watched movies while I read, drooled on his shoulder, played solitaire, and complained about how long the airplane ride was (10 hours).

My cousin Cate Todd picked us up at Dulles and drove us to her house, where we had left our car. It was so fun to see her and her wonderful kids again. They’ve been here ever since I moved to the east. In fact, I lived with them for a couple of weeks when I first got to Harrisburg and waited for my apartment to be available. I lived about twenty minutes from them, was in the same ward, and spent lots of time at their house. They are such a great family! I’ll really really miss them.

We were both anxious to get back home, even though it was late, so we loaded up on munchies and caffeine and drove back to PA. We made it home by 1 a.m. (which felt like 7 a.m.) and fell into bed.

What a great adventure!!!

May 29 - 31 Rome

2009-06-04T08:45:00.003-04:00

(note: I was in charge of writing this post and Sammie's in charge of pictures. However, the packers are here, as I type, and we've been crazy trying to finish things up here in State College. As soon as Sammie calms down long enough to sit in front of a computer, I'll add pictures to this post...mlm)

Friday, we got off the boat and went straight to the hotel (Marriott again) to sleep. Sammie was as sick as I had been in Naples, so a long nap did him a lot of good. I took a shorter nap and made a list of all the stuff I wanted to see in Rome. I’ve been to Rome twice and have mainly seen the touristy stuff—Coliseum, St. Peter’s, etc. The last time I was in Rome was Thanksgiving of ’03. In spring semester of ’04, I took a Baroque art class with Troy Thomas, my thesis advisor and an awesome art historian. He lived in Rome for a while and so knew where all of the good art was stashed. I sat through the entire class kicking myself that I hadn’t known all this stuff when I was there and promising myself I would go see it all next time I went to Rome. Well, I didn’t get to all of it, but I got to a lot of it!

We left the hotel in the late afternoon and headed first for the Coliseum. Unfortunately, I got us lost, so we had a hard time getting there. Along the way, we saw the Capitoline Museum that had some of the Caravaggios I wanted to see. We paid 9 Euro each to go in and looked around for about 45 minutes at some ancient Greek statues and pottery. It was very interesting, but I was anxious to see the Carvaggios and get on to the Coliseum and other things we had planned. We were having trouble figuring out where to find them, asked a couple of different people, and walked all over the entire museum. Finally, the third person we asked told us that the exhibit was closed. (Arrrrgggghhhhh!) This is something we discovered about Italy: museums are not very well marked and it’s hard to get information such as directions. Oh well.

Our route to the Coliseum went past the Forum, so we gazed at the splendor that was Rome while walking. Sammie wanted to touch the Coliseum and take some pictures. I have to admit I was still pouting that I didn’t get to see the Caravaggios and that we had wasted so much time and money. Poor little American tourist… :) We found a little outdoor café that had excellent lasagna and pizza, then made our way back to the hotel.

Saturday was museum day! Can I just say how lucky I am to have a husband who will let me drag him around to art museums in Rome all day? He’s such a good sport! (We had a discussion in the middle of the day of how my dragging him to art museums and stuff like that compares to his hauling me off to soccer or football games. I think we give each other a nice balance.) We started with the Vatican, along with the rest of Rome’s tourist population. The Vatican Museums are amazing! They started out in “paganism” with a lot of classical sculpture. We saw the Lacoon and the Apollo Belvedere (to drop a couple of names) and many other beautiful Greek-inspired Roman works. We then transitioned into Christian art. A ceiling in one of the Raphaelite rooms (though I don’t think it was painted by Raphael…) depicted the transition from Classical subjects to Christian subjects.

I loved the Raphaelite rooms, and especially The School of Athens. I’ve studied this painting many times, and even taught it. (Warning: Boring Art History Paragraph) It’s the epitome of Renaissance painting with strong Classical influence: Plato and Aristotle stand in the middle, surrounded by celebrated Greek and Humanist philosophers, artists, and thinkers. The painting is a literal study in mathematical proportions and linear perspectives, with all lines in the painting converging on the two figures in the middle. I had always seen it as a beautiful, well-crafted representation of humanity, reason, and logic. I never realized that it had a counterpart painting, hanging in the same room on the opposite wall, named Disputation of the Holy Sacrament. It shows God, Angels, and Saints above, looking down on Religious, Philosophical, and Intellectual figures below, debating the Sacrament. All lines in the painting point to the actual Sacrament on the altar at the center of the painting. The message is that the power and wisdom of God comes to men on earth through the Holy Sacrament. It complements The School of Athens by celebrating the power of God while the other celebrates the accomplishments of Men. They are both very Humanist ideas, but with a different focus. Anyway, I just loved seeing the School of Athens in that context and realizing it was only half of the story Raphael was trying to tell.

I apologize for this, but I need to put in one more boring art history paragraph. Skip to the end if you need to. I’ll never know… I also loved being in the Sistine Chapel (even though it was so crowded in there, I almost didn’t want to go in). The audioguide that we had gave a cool perspective on Michelangelo. They talked about him not just as an artist, but as a Theologian. Everyone who’s seen a Michelangelo painting or sculpture recognizes his gift for portraying the human body. Irving Stone describes Michelangelo sneaking into the morgue at night to dissect cadavers and study their anatomy so he could better represent it in art. I had always just thought it was a Renaissance, humanist thing—the Greeks loved to celebrate the ideal human form, and so, then, did the Renaissance artists. But the audioguide suggested that Michelangelo, in portraying the unclothed human body so many times in the Sistine Chapel, was celebrating the body as the vessel by which humans can become like God, and can return to Him. This is a very basic concept. As Mormons, we talk about mortality, or the time spent in our mortal bodies, as the time to prepare to meet God. We talk about overcoming the things of the flesh or the natural man and succumbing to the things of the Spirit. We acknowledge our bodies as imperfect, although still sacred, and look forward to receiving perfected, glorified bodies in the Resurrection. (By the way, does that mean that I can eat chocolate all I want and have a perfect body? Mormon Doctrine never really addresses that issue…) In early and Medieval Christianity, this idea led to practices such as asceticism and even more extreme practices such as self-mortification or self-flagellation. Part of Renaissance Humanism was celebrating the human body again in all of its beauty and magnificence. In the Sistine Chapel, Michelangelo took that idea and added to it the idea that it is through our bodies that we come close to God. I never thought Michelangelo was that profound. It was wonderful to have that insight about him.

Okay. I promise to step out of Humanities Teacher mode. (For a little while at least. I may need to wax laborious about Caravaggio later on.) We were in the Vatican Museums for a long time – 11:00 to about 3:00. Our brains and feet were sore when we came out, but it was a great experience! Our next stop was the Galleria Borghese. We had to reserve tickets beforehand and needed to be there by 4:30 to pick up the tickets for a 5:00 entrance. (They limit the number of visitors into the Gallery.) We stopped at a Creperie for one ham and cheese crepe each and one nutella crepe to share. Yum! We then proceeded to have the most frustrating experience of the trip – finding the Borghese gallery! It took us two maps, lots of asking people on the street, too few street signs, and over an hour, but we finally got there—hot, sweaty, and really annoyed. But we got there. The Borghese gallery is awesome! I really love two of their policies: limited number of visitors and no cameras. It was still crowded, but not as bad as the Vatican Museums. And you didn’t have to stop every two feet to wait for a tourist to take a picture of another tourist striking a cheesy pose in front of a piece of art.

In the Borghese, we first entered a room with SIX Caravaggios! Sammie said he hadn’t understood why I was so disappointed the day before when we couldn’t see the Caravaggios in the other museum, but now he understood. They were wonderful! I love Caravaggio because he depicts Biblical scenes and people as real. Mary has dirt on her feet. Matthew, Peter, and Paul look like old men. They’re not idealized, too-good-to-be-true figures that no one can relate to, but real people. (Which is why his art offended so many of the people he painted for…) We also saw 5-6 Berninis. We both loved those, too. Sammie was especially captivated by David. We both loved his facial expression of pure determination and effort. We also loved the Rape of Persephone and the way Pluto’s hands press into her flesh. I kept having to remind myself that we were looking at marble, not real human flesh.

Enough about Art History. After coming out of the gallery, we found a charming little restaurant/café and had focaccia, pasta, and entrees. Halfway through the meal, as our stomachs were rapidly filling up, we commented to each other that we had no idea how Italians stay so thin. Unfortunately, after that huge meal, we had to run to catch our shuttle back to the hotel. We were exhausted! We had left the hotel 11 hours earlier and had been on our feet for all but about 2 hours of that entire time. We slept soooo well that night!

In fact, we slept so well that we both forgot to set the alarm and woke up late on Sunday. We rushed through breakfast, though, and ran, again, to catch the city bus. It was an interesting ride. We didn’t realize that our hotel was so close to a large gypsy population. They started getting on the bus and we realized what a good idea it was to not ride that bus late at night. A mother got on with her three adorable children. Her little girl, about 3, was adorable with huge brown eyes and brown curly hair. She waved at us and smiled for almost the entire ride. It took us an hour and a half including a bus ride, two subway rides, and a fast walk up a steep hill, but we made it to church in time for Sacrament Meeting. The meeting was wonderful. The topic was conversion. A new convert told her conversion story and two other members talked about conversion in general. I was surprised at how much I was able to follow. Sammie really enjoyed being in an Italian Sacrament Meeting again. I was impressed by the strength of the ward. I also noticed how noisy the meeting was. Oh well.

After the meeting, I had a nice surprise! A friend of mine from an old singles ward (the Madison Ward) was there with his wife and two kids! Ricardo Scardina moved into the Madison ward for my last year there, quickly fell in love with his writing teacher at LDS Business College (Jana) and married her in February. I was always really impressed with Ricardo and his roommates and thought they were great guys. It was so random and fun to run into Ricardo and Jana at church in Italy! We got to catch up on our lives in general and on Madison Ward gossip. We also met two other girls, EJ and Sadie, who were backpacking in the British Isles and Italy. We all set out for the metro station together. We said goodbye to Ricardo and Jana at their stop on the way to the Vatican and continued to the Pantheon with EJ and Sadie. We walked around with them for a couple of hours and wandered by the Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps, and the Pantheon. After buying them some gelato, we said our goodbyes and made our way to the Piazza Navona to gawk at Bernini’s Four Rivers Fountain and Piazza del Popolo to find some more Caravaggios. There are three churches in that area that have Caravaggio paintings. They were all wonderful! I especially loved the Martyrdom of St. Peter. Peter’s face is so precious, and so real. He’s an old man, clearly nervous about being crucified. He doesn’t have an unreal, otherworldly, longsuffering, saintly expression, but looks like he’d really rather not go through with this. (But of course he will.) I thought about our latter day prophets and how I would feel if President Monson or President Hinckley were martyred. I felt a great love for Peter and for our modern day prophets.

In the Piazza del Popolo, we found a café with excellent lasagna and pizza. Sammie thought it was the best food we’d had all trip. We sat for a while soaking in the atmosphere. The piazza was crowded with rowdy Italian teenagers (Sammie’s nickname for them is Grummets), some locals, and lots of tourists. A guitarist had set up shop on the square and was wailing on his guitar. We enjoyed listening to him, except Sammie said his guitar wasn’t “eq”ed correctly, and we wished Sammie had his bass and could join in. Eventually, some young girls started talking to him and, well, that was the end of the music. Bosnian and other Eastern European refugees made the rounds of the square, selling roses to tourists. Sammie told me how they are sponsored by “the club” (he said it was dangerous to use the word “Mafia” in public) who extorted large sums of money from them just to let them stay in the country and live in a small apartment with 10-15 other refugees. We drooled as two Ferraris drove by. After soaking up the atmosphere for a while, we made our way to the metro stop and the hotel. As we drove out of town, the bus again filled with gypsies. They all got off at the same stop, next to a large field, and Sammie saw a path leading into the trees that most of them headed down. A few feet later, we saw some gypsy women and children scavenging through a garbage dumpster. Again, we were glad we weren’t on the bus late at night. (Sammie had been feeling bad that we paid a lot extra to use the hotel’s shuttle bus rather than the local bus, until we actually rode the local bus. Then we felt the extra money was worth it.)

2009-05-28T16:30:00.000-04:00

5.28.09 Napoli

Melba is not feeling well at all – she was up for a good part of the night with a terrible cough. If there was a good place to get sick I think Napoli is it – there isn’t a whole lot that we want to see here. We slept in until about 9ish. We were woken up by emergency lighting and a broadcast by the ship captain that the engine powering the ship had failed so the ship had no power. I can’t remember the cause, but they started a different engine and restored power to the ship within about 15 minutes. We went to breakfast around 10 and thought that once Melba had something to eat she would feel better. Well, breakfast didn’t help much.

We came back to the room and Melba slept. I looked over the Lonely Planet guide and found some spots right next to where we were docked that I thought would be fun to go see. Melba slept until around 1 and I convinced her to get ready and go. We left the boat around 1:45 and saw the 4 sisters as we left. They told us about a train that would take us to the top of a nearby mountain where we would could see Pompeii and Mount Vesuvius. The train was pretty close to the ship as well so we decided to go there instead of what I had initially planned (I wanted to see a cathedral, opera house and piazza).

Getting to the last train stop on the mountain was easy but I had to ask directions to get to the top of the mountain. There was an old castle there called St. Elmo’s Castle. We bought tickets to go inside and went up the elevator. Inside, we met a really nice Italian family from Napoli who are currently living in Germany, but have come back here for a vacation. I talked to the Dad for a while – he asked how I spoke Italian so well and when I said I was a missionary he immediately knew I was Mormon. They are Jehovah’s Witnesses. Funny how we were able to figure that out. He spoke English fairly well, albeit broken, and we talked for a little while longer – they headed back, but we stayed to look around some more.

The view from the castle was amazing. At least as good as the one from Tuscany. It was a bit foggy and rain clouds were coming in, but we could still see for miles. Mount Vesuvius is huge and in the distance we could barely see the Isle of Capri. We walked around the castle some more and then headed back. We ended up spending about 3 hours in Napoli and it was really nice. The Lonely planet guide said that crime was really high and to be very careful – but I only noticed friendly Italians. We didn’t have any problems.

I might be coming down with whatever Melba has. My throat is getting really sore. Melba seems to be getting worse. She was really light-headed walking back to the ship and has gone to bed. No dinner for her. We might order room service (it’s free on the ship) but I’m going to wait a little while longer to see if she feels well enough to go to the dining room.

Tonight we need to pack our bags and leave them outside our door for the crew to take. We will get on the bus tomorrow morning at 8:15am and it will take us to the airport. From there, we will get on the Marriott shuttle to the hotel. What we do tomorrow depends on how we feel. I think we’re going to try to do the rest of Vatican City that we didn’t get to our first day in Rome. We’ll see. We’re actually staying in Rome for the weekend to save money – plane tickets to Dulles any day on Fri-Sun were at least $1,000 per person compared to what it would cost to fly home on Monday. So it’s not like we’re spending a bunch of money to be in Rome and may not be able to do anything.

We just got back from dinner – we went to the cafeteria style dinner room as opposed to the main dining room. Same food, mostly, but a much more casual environment. They had lamb and it was delicious. I went back for seconds and thirds. We enjoyed eating dinner while cruising along the coast of Italy and seeing the small islands alongside the ship. Now we’re back in our room and ready to start packing. This will be the last post until we get back into Pennsylvania. I’ll post more pictures then – for now, I don’t have enough internet minutes left to upload them (it takes a long time).

It’s been a fantastic cruise – except for getting sick. I’m now as sick as Melba was two days ago and I hope I still get to enjoy Rome. Ciao-

From Melba: I’m feeling a lot better now after a good nap and dinner. At dinner, we were talking about our favorite ports of call and realized we loved all of them. Some highlights from each port: climbing to the top of the Duomo in Florence, then eating a bona fide Italian lunch; running off the train to see the leaning tower in Pisa, then making it back before the next train left in an hour; beautiful, scenic, affluent, snobby, my-yacht-is-bigger-than-your-yacht Monaco; Picasso, Gaudi and the Medieval fair in Barcelona; going to church, meeting Bill, and eating gelato in Palma de Mallorca; the mosaics, Roman baths, and the view in Tunisia; the mosaics in Cappella Palatina in Sicily; and the view from the top of the castle in Napoli. Around the boat, our favorites are the four sisters (Susan, Linda and identical twins Betty and Janet), Whinny and Gaston, other people we’ve met at dinner and around the ship, the towel creations every night, the shows – especially the magic/acrobatic show Mysteriaque, the food!, line dance classes, butter mints and popcorn after dinner every night, leaning over the railing on the promenade deck to look at the water. But MOST of all…I’ll never ever forget the belly flop contest!

2009-05-27T16:59:00.007-04:00

5.27.09 Palermo

I’m currently sitting in the Sports bar on the ship frustrated because we can’t get ESPN – that is where the Champions League Final match is being broadcast. We can get ESPN2 – but that’s just showing the French Open. I’m so frustrated right now. In fact there are seven other people in the bar just as upset as I am. I may run back to the room just to see if we can get ESPN there – I don’t think we do, though. The bartender just called the Casino Manager who called the Broadcast Tech who is trying to get ESPN. I’m crossing my fingers that they can pull this one off. At the start of the trip Melba wondered why I wasn’t going to catch a train to Rome from Palermo and go watch the game live. Well, the answer is that I have no idea how to find the stadium and I doubt I could get tickets – even if I could, I’m sure they would be EXTREMELY expensive. Rome is probably filled with people right now just partying outside of the stadium – even there were any tickets available, they would be gone in a heartbeat.

Today we decided to be lazy. We’re both pretty worn out and we looked at the Lonely Planet guide last night and there wasn’t anything that really appealed to us. It did say that the premier tourist attraction in Palermo was the Cappella Palatina which is in the center of the city. There were also some museums so we decided to head there.

The port is about a mile from the city center so we were able to head out on foot. Right from the get-go we were approached by people wanting to sell us cab rides. Once we got past them we were approached by people wanting to give us horse and carriage rides. It turned out that the horse and carriage drivers were all over town and they approached us every time we passed one. The city was really dirty and run down – I was actually surprised a bit by this because I thought it would have been better kept.

The main square in town is really amazing – the corner of each building is decorated with lots of statues of religious figures – what you expect in Italy. I commented that we don’t have anything like that in the States and Melba commented that even if we did the ACLU would demand it be removed immediately.

One corner of Quattro Canti – the city center of Palermo

We continued on a bit further and visited the main cathedral in Palermo. Nothing too special – but it was big and nice. It was also cool inside. The humidity is awful here and it was really hot.

Well, it’s official – I won’t be watching the Champions League Final because this stinking ship with all of its technology can’t get a live broadcast of ESPN. I am so upset/mad right now. We saw apartment buildings in Tunisia that were falling apart and our tour guide pointed out that they still have satellite dishes just to watch soccer – people would rather watch soccer than have four walls underneath their roof. These people are watching the game and I am not. This is so frustrating… Barcelona is up 1-0 in the 20th minute. I wish I could be watching. Oh, well.

OK, I’m done venting. Back to what we did today. We chilled in the cathedral (literally) for a while in the cathedral and then headed for the Cappella Palatina. We stopped to look at the Lonely Planet guide map and I noticed that the Cappella closes for lunch from 12-2. We had a late lunch and we weren’t ready to eat yet so we looked at few other places nearby that were open – just to kill time. We headed back to the Cathedral to look at their treasury and crypt. The treasury had some really beautiful pieces that dated back to the 16th and 17th century. Lots of jewels in the shape of crosses, gold and silver goblets, and clothing worn by the diocese from that time. It was weird to look at these things and think that they were made before the Declaration of Independence was written.

The crypt was kinda cool, but kinda weird. There were about a dozen or so stone caskets down there that mostly dated back to the 15th and 16th centuries. One of them was for a priest named Giovanni Paterno. Giovanni is technically ‘John’, not ‘Joe’ – but it is still close enough to be cool. (Joe is Giuseppe in Italian, btw).

Giovanni Paterno -- Died in 1511

We headed out of the cathedral and looked for lunch. I had asked the woman at the ticket counter where a good place would be – we looked but couldn’t find it. So we went into a bread shop and had some pizza-sandwiches. (Update: Barcelona 1-0 at halftime) They were pretty good, but not great. The woman who worked there was Southern Italian to the bone – she spoke really loudly and really fast everything with her was subito, subito, SUBITO! (Subito means ‘quickly’.) At 2pm we started walking towards the Cappella.

The Cappella was much harder to find than we thought it would be and when we got there the line was long. The problem was that it seemed each person was taking 2-3 minutes to buy tickets. After about 10 minutes of waiting Melba asked if we really wanted to see this. Well, we got in and were blown away. Gold mosaics throughout the entire ceiling – most of them went chronologically through the Old Testament. We were in the room – and it wasn’t very big – for 45 minutes or more. It was just simply amazing.

Inside the Cappella Palatina -- everything here is a mosaic

Funny story – we left the Cappella and sat on a bench to rest our feet. Two teenagers sat next to us and started taking pictures of each other making goofy faces. Their Dad came out and grabbed a video camera from one of them – it was obvious that the Dad was mad at his kids. A few minutes later we saw a tour guide come out of the cathedral and explain some things to a woman – I wondered why one person would hire a tour guide. Melba figured out that this woman was the mom. As best we could tell, it looked like this family decided to do a trip to Italy and the two teenage sons were bored out of their minds and goofing off, the Dad was doing his best to keep his sons in line and the Mom was enjoying the tour guide. Funny.

The Cappella made the day worthwhile – we left there and began the walk back to the ship. It was hot, so we were compelled to buy some more gelato. I will definitely miss the many gelaterias we see all over Italy. As we crossed a busy street and almost got hit by a car that was running a red light – I reminded Melba of something our Tunisian tour guide said yesterday, “In America the stop lights are compulsory, in Greece and Italy they are suggestions and in Tunisia they are decoration.”

It took a bit longer to get back to the ship than we thought it would, but it was still a nice walk. Palermo is really dirty and we could tell that people seem to go to the bathroom wherever they please – and the odor really comes out in the heat. The day turned out to be just what we wanted, though – nice and relaxing.

We went to a disembarkation meeting today. Kinda weird to think that our cruise will be over on Friday. Nothing that I didn’t expect at the meeting – getting back to Rome on Friday should be a cinch. Tonight was a formal night so we headed back to our room and got ready for dinner. Last night, Melba ran into Winnie and Gaston (the couple we met at the airport from Arizona) and agreed to meet up with them tonight for dinner. We had a wonderful time talking to them – they are fun people.

Melba decided to leave a tip this morning for the room stewards who have taken really good care of us since the start of the cruise. We knew that they wouldn’t take cash, so we left them a pack of gum, some candy, and a note to say thanks for all of the hard work and towel animals. We got back to the room and there was a towel orangutan on the bed. How fitting.

The Towel Orangutan

Melba has been sick since yesterday. She woke up yesterday with a sore throat and had a hard time talking. She got some medicine that seemed to help – tonight, though, she couldn’t find it. Possible that she ran out – but she got a 4-day supply of the other types they gave her. Anyways, she bought some Dristan from the store on the ship, but it didn’t help her stuffed up nose. We went back to the room after dinner and Melba tried to feel better while I went down to the Sports Bar to try to watch soccer (don’t worry, I won’t go off on another rant about how extremely upset I am that a state-of-the-art cruise ship with all of its super-duper advanced equipment can get a broadcast of ESPN2, but not ESPN).

I have since come back up into the room to write this blog/journal. Melba is really stuffed up and can’t talk well. I’m making fun of her by talking like I’m clogged up – I’m sure that if she wasn’t so sick right now she’d be really mad at me. I left to go down to the store and buy her some Benadryl – maybe its allergies. Walking down the hall I saw a couple heading back to their room. We said the typical “Hi, how ya’ doing” and for no real reason (other than it doesn’t hurt to ask) I told them that my wife was all stuffed up and wondered if that had some Sudafed. Well, they both lit up and asked if I wanted Sudafed, Claritin or something else. I have no idea if the store is even open right now so I’m glad I ran into them. They gave her some Sudafed and a Sudafed PE – so she ought to make it through the night.

Time to get some pictures ready to upload to the blog. Napoli tomorrow and then Friday comes and we’re off the ship. We’ll spend the weekend in Rome and fly back to Dulles on Monday.

Oh, and Barcelona won 2-0. I'm happy they won (because I don't like Man U) but I'm still upset that I missed the final.

5.26.09 Tunisia

2009-05-26T16:47:00.003-04:00

This morning the boat pulled into La Goulette, Tunisia. This would be the only stop that I felt somewhat uncomfortable about. Melba and I had such a bad time in Egypt two years ago and I wondered what it would be like in a different part of North Africa. Well – it was nothing short of fantastic. The vendors were a little bit pushy (and I mean just a little bit), but other than that we had an excellent time. We chose to not explore this city on our own – rather, we paid to be part of an excursion with a tour bus and guide. It was money well spent. This particular tour was 8 hours long and it went to all of the spots that Melba’s Lonely Planet Guide said we should see. While we were driving around I had the chance to look into a couple of public buses, and, well, let’s just say that it confirmed to us that this was not a city we would want to see on our own.

Tunisia is the only country on our stop where we have to go through customs while getting off the boat – that means we have to carry our passports with us. I was nervous knowing that if we got robbed it would mean our passports are gone. But we felt safe the whole time and didn’t have to worry about that.

There is all sorts of history in Tunisia – I had no idea. Most history dates back over 3,000 years to the Phoenicians. (Yes, the name made us miss our dog…) While this country is mostly Muslim and therefore has a predominately ‘Middle-Eastern’ look to it, Tunisia certainly has an identity of its own. It is a desert – but has lots of cactus and flowers everywhere.

Our first stop was in the city of Carthage. Our tour guide said that the houses in Carthage (very big and beautiful) are for the wealthiest people in Tunisia – his words were, “This is the Beverly Hills of Tunisia.” We went to visit some Roman ruins that were across the street from this neighborhood. Our guide explained that the ruins spread to the areas underneath the huge houses but they couldn’t be excavated because it would be too hard to convince all of the people living there to move. Funny how politics work. I was taking lots of pictures – the tour guide started referring to me as ‘The Paparazzi’ because I was constantly snapping my camera.

We drove 30 minutes through the city and went to El Bardo Museum – it used to be a palace and now houses the largest collection of mosaics in the world. I was amazed at the artwork here – it was absolutely beautiful. Some of the pieces used tile so small I could’ve fit about 10-15 pieces on my thumbnail. From a distance, they looked like paintings because of the detail.

This is Melba now. Sammie doesn’t feel well so he’s off to bed…
We loved the mosaics at the El Bardo Museum. Apparently, Tunisia was the breadbasket of the Roman Empire. And since they supplied so much bread, olives, figs and other food to Rome, they got very rich. So, they decorated their houses with mosaics to show off how rich they were. Most of the mosaics we saw were pre-Christian, so they depicted a lot of the gods and goddesses—especially Neptune because he’s the god of the sea and they were very dependent on ocean trade.

After the museum, we went to some shops in the old city. It reminded me almost exactly of Jerusalem’s old city, except a bit more mellow. The line here is “Come in please, just for a look.” Whereas in Jerusalem, the line was, “Special price for you.” But we still heard lots of “Hello, please” and other familiar phrases. In particular, I noticed the smell – spices, leather, some b.o. It brings back a lot of memories.

(Warning! Boring history paragraph) Our tour guide took us to a rooftop to look out over the old part of the city. He pointed out four different types of mosques. The first was an Arab mosque and the second was Turkish. Then he pointed out a Moorish mosque and a Berber. It took me a while to get all of these groups straight in my head, but as far as I understand, this is how it goes… Berbers are the native people here, the Africans. They also inhabit Algeria and Morocco. (Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia make up North Africa). Sometime before the Romans, the Phoenicians from Lebanon came over and established Carthage. The Romans followed some centuries later, during the time of Julius Caesar, and destroyed the old Carthage then built a new one. Roman culture pretty much hung on until the Arabs swept through in the rapid expansion of the Muslim Empire. Their ultimate goal was to get to Spain, but they set up shop in Northern Africa along the way. They also gathered locals and took them along to Spain—Berbers, Carthaginians/Romans, etc. When the Muslims were expelled from Spain, the descendents of those natives came back to Tunisia, but were called Moors because they weren’t Arab nor Spanish, but also not really Tunisian either. Finally, the Ottoman Turks came through and ruled until the 19th century when the French came in and took over. The poor Tunisians finally gained independence in 1956 and, ever since, Tunisia has been a fairly stable Arab-Muslim country with a relatively good economy, fairly low terrorism, and high religious tolerance. Phew! Sorry about all that. I actually wanted to write it down so I would remember it.

After coming down from the rooftop, we spent some time in a rug shop. The rugs were breathtaking! Many of them resembled the beautiful rugs we’ve seen in Israel and Egypt. But the rugs made by the Berbers were quite different. They almost looked South American or Native American. We weren’t really in a position to buy a rug—not only do we not really have an income right now, but we don’t know what our home in Austin will look like or what kind of rug we would need—so we didn’t buy, but I look forward to the day when we have a Tunisian rug in our home!

Lunch took place at a buffet filled with delicious Mediterranean-type food. I was sitting next to two women—one an artist who taught art in high school for about 30 years and is now a docent at an art museum, and the other a retired journalist who is now writing a book. We had lots to talk about! We’ve really had fun meeting different people from the cruise. Most people are older—enjoying their retirement. Many here are celebrating an event—a wedding anniversary, or a graduation. Another family on our tour bus today is celebrating the father retiring from the Marines. He’s here with his wife, their 4-year-old daughter, and both sets of grandparents. It’s fun to hear about different people’s situations and what brings them to Noordam. (The name of our ship.)

After lunch we went to a quiet hillside village where all of the houses are painted white with blue shutters. It overlooks the Mediterranean and has a constant cool breeze to mitigate the hot African temperatures. We walked up a busy street, past lots of shopkeepers, and were rewarded at the top of the hill with beautiful views of the Med.

We had two quick stops on the way back to the ship, to see some more Roman ruins, and then stumbled on to the boat exhausted but happy. We’re both pretty tired tonight. Sammie’s sick to his stomach and I’ve picked up a nice cold. I think we’re also both feeling the anxiety again of the move ahead of us. We had hoped to hear news during our cruise that our house has sold, but it hasn’t. In fact, I don’t think anyone’s been to look at it since we’ve been gone. They’ll probably all want to come when we’re home, trying to pack up and move. Sigh. That’s how it goes. We’re going to take it easy the next two days. The last two ports are Sicily and Naples. We plan to have easy days and save up our energy for Rome! Oh yeah, and the move…

So… anyone wanna buy a townhouse in State College? Special price for you! Come in, just for a look. Hello? Hello please.

5.25.09 at sea

2009-05-25T15:43:00.002-04:00

I woke up (late) this morning to wonderful news. My sister Martha had a baby! Emily Carol was born Sunday morning. Mother and daughter are doing fine! And then, tonight, I came back to my stateroom and found some more great news – Sammie’s brother Steve and his wife Janet also had a baby girl! She doesn’t have a name yet, but she’s also beautiful. Congrats Martha, Adam, Emily, Steve, Janet, and Baby Girl!!!

I knew Martha’s baby would be born while I was gone, so I called her from the airport to wish her luck. When I was in Europe in 2000, my niece Lizzie was born. I commented to Martha that I like this arrangement: she and Lindsay stay home and have babies while I take trips to Europe. :)

Today was another long, lazy day at sea. Sammie and I staggered upstairs for breakfast and then I walked a 5k around the ship’s deck. I listened to one of my recorded lectures, this one about TS Eliot’s Wasteland. It was very interesting.

When I came back to the room, Sammie was already working hard on his morning nap. He was way ahead of me on rest, but I soon caught up. We finally made our way to the pool in time for lunch—kabobs, salad, and rolls out by the pool. After lunch, the ship DJ held a line dance class by the pool. I loved it last sea day, so decided to join in again. The last line dance was “Hey Baby” and DJ Glenn got everyone in and around the pool dancing. It was awesome!

After sunning, swimming, and hot tubbing, we changed for dinner. It was formal night again tonight, so Sammie dressed in his suit and I wore what I had worn to church. We sat with a recent college grad and her grandmother. It was lots of fun to sit by them. They asked what has become, for me, the “golden question”: how did you guys end up in Virginia? I love turning to Sammie with a big grin and saying, “Yeah, Sammie! How did you end up in Virginia?” Then he has to tell about being a funk musician in LA and moving to VA to get a real job and find a wife. People always get a kick out of it. (And, of course, he always asks if they’ve heard of the p-funk…)

Tonight’s show was music from Broadway and it was very good! Some of the Noordam singers shows have been cheesy. Okay, they all have. But tonight’s was really good. Very low on cheese and high on entertainment.

I know the big question on everyone’s mind is what towel creation we found when we got back to our room. An elephant! Our guys are getting more and more creative.

Early to bed tonight. Big tour in Tunisia tomorrow!
Congrats again to the new babies! Welcome to earth!

2009-05-24T18:15:00.012-04:00

5.24.09 Palma de Mallorca

I’ve found that something that bothers me on the cruise ship. When we go out onto the main decks by the swimming pool there are a few European men who, instead of wearing a regular swimming suit, wear what I call “Man Panties.” Gross.

It’s Sunday today and Melba and I got up early to head out to Church. Last night, I looked online for a ward thinking that there was no possible way we would find one in Palma de Mallorca. I was partially right, I didn’t find one – I found four. It longer than expected to have the ship cleared by local authorities so instead of leaving the boat around 9 and using the bus and our feet to get to Church, we took a cab. €14.05 to get to Church and we even made it on time.

After Sacrament Meeting was over we were in the foyer talking to a few people. We talked to the missionaries and I was talking to a convert from Nigeria who had been on the island for 3 years. He works at a restaurant in a hotel. He was converted 4 years ago in Nigeria and is trying to get back there. We then met a guy, Bill, from the States who travels all over the world for his job, but spends his summers in Palma de Mallorca – where he boss lives for the summer. Then we met 2 people, Vaughn and Ben, from our cruise – Vaughn, the father, was taking his 18-year-old son on a 20 day cruise (they did the other 10-day excursion covering the Eastern part of the Med before this 10-day leg) before he – the son – goes to BYU. As we spoke, I asked Bill which direction we should start walking to get back into town. We weren’t that far and I figured that we could all walk back. Bill offered the 4 of us (Melba, me, Vaughn and Ben) a ride into town. Hard to turn that down.

As we got in the car, Bill offered to take us to a castle on a hill – it is the only perfectly round castle in the world. Um, really hard to turn that down. Bill then said that after the castle he would drive us to the cathedral (really big, built in 1600’s) and we would be able to walk from there back to the ship. This was very generous of him and I asked if there was anything we could do to repay him – he said to just repay the favor to someone else. As we drove, I started asking Bill about his work. He provides security to a rather wealthy businessman – we’re talking a net worth well into the 10 digit range – as he (Bill’s boss) travels the world to the different businesses he owns. Most of these businesses are in Latin America – Bill therefore spends Fall through Spring travelling in that region and lives on the island during the summer while travelling with his boss on his private yacht (153 feet) around Europe. It sounds like a cool job, but the more we talked to him I realized that it’s something that would be fun the first time, and then it would turn into work – meaning it’s not like travelling for vacation.

We got to the castle and Bill let us out of the car to walk around. (I think Bill had work to do and didn’t mind waiting for us). This castle was really pretty and gave amazing views of the city. No charge to get in or climb up to the top. We walked around and talked to Vaughn and Ben for about 10 minutes and then went back to the car. We could’ve stayed there for easily 45-60 minutes, but we didn’t want to keep Bill waiting. We got to the cathedral shortly thereafter and thanked Bill for being so kind to us. Perhaps this was our blessing for going to Church.

The cathedral was built from about 1300-1600 (yes, it took 300 years to build) and it is really big. There is a museum that has many artifacts pertaining to the museum, but it was closed. In fact, most everything is closed on Sunday around here. Mass was going on when we got inside so we couldn’t walk around. When mass ended, we started roaming around and looking at everything – lots of stained glass windows and statues. A second mass was starting and we decided to stay and watch. We didn’t ‘participate’ per se, but we did enjoy being there from a cultural perspective. And, of course, we didn’t understand a single word that was being said. Mass ended and we did some more walking around the cathedral, but it was closing and they hurried us out.

The Cathedral at Palma de Mallorca

Outside the Cathedral at Palma de Mallorca

Outside of the cathedral were some picturesque staircases and walking paths that seemed to be a part of the cathedral grounds. We listened to a very talented guitarist play classical music while we took pictures and strolled across the grounds. Then we began the long walk back to the ship. Bill had pointed out to us the walking path that would lead back to the ship and after a little bit of roaming, we figured out where we needed to go. This was a really fun walk – lots of palm trees and it was right along the port. There are about a million sail boats of all sizes in the port here and it was fun to walk by them and see where they are all from. We could see the ship from the cathedral and I thought it would take about 15-20 minutes to get there on foot. I was way off – it would have taken about 45 minutes had we walked and not stopped.

Walk back from the Cathedral

We did have to stop a few times – my feet still hurt from all of the walking we did yesterday and it got kinda hot and we saw a gelato shop and well, had to stop again. Amazingly good gelato and it was dirt cheap – Melba got 3 scoops for €2 and I got 4 scoops for €2.50. We sat on a bench looking out over the port and ate gelato. It was really fun. I try my best to enjoy moments like that – I know that they won’t last long and I won’t get to experience them again – but it seems that every night when I sit down to write a journal about the day I reflect on them, wish I could do it again, and wonder if I really appreciated it while it was happening.

As we got back to the port we began talking to another couple on the ship who had walked back from the cathedral as well. (Everyone is really friendly around here). Yesterday the woman had her purse stolen in Barcelona – I felt really bad for them. She was being really careful while they were walking around to make sure nobody snatched it from her. But while they were sitting on a bench she took it off of her shoulder, somebody came up to ask directions (as a distraction) and someone else came up from behind and grabbed her purse. Someone from a distance saw this happen and yelled at the couple from a distance – the woman tried to run after the guy, but he went into an underground garage and disappeared. They were able to go to a Police station and get the paperwork necessary to get back on the boat and cancel their credit cards. I don’t think she lost anything valuable (everyone leaves their passports on the ship), but I’m sure this was a real downer for their trip. Melba and I did our best to try and make her feel better – but I don’t think it helped much. I’m glad that we travel with Camelbacks (there nothing valuable inside for anyone to grab anyway) and have all of our valuables in a money belt. While we are still vulnerable, I feel like we have taken enough precautions that we don’t need to worry about someone getting our money or credit cards. I also know to watch out for thieves if a local comes to ask directions or something – that’s usually how they distract tourists for a robbery.

Interesting note: It is 5:35pm local time as I write this. All aboard for this port was 5:30. The captain just made an announcement that all of the passengers and crew are aboard and we will be leaving port. This is interesting to me because we haven’t left this early in any other port we’ve been in. We’ve always left at least an hour after the all aboard time. I wonder if it’s because of legal issues, replenishing items onto the ship, or if it’s because there were passengers that we had to wait for. Hmm. I’m just curious. Melba and I try to get back to the boat about 90 minutes before the all aboard time because we don’t want to miss the boat and we never know how long it will take to get back. There could be traffic, a parade (there was one in Barcelona yesterday) or a gelato stand which could all delay us getting back. Even if I knew the ship would wait for everyone before it left, I wouldn’t change that plan – I’m just curious to know how long the boat waits for people until they decide to leave without them.

Dinner was delicious tonight. We arrived around 6:30 and the place was mostly dead. We got a table to ourselves today simply because there weren’t enough people to fill the 2 other seats. While the service has been magnificent since we got on board, our waiter tonight was by far and away the best. He was very cheerful and friendly. When we finished our soup (each meal has appetizer, soup, entrée, and dessert – in that order) Melba commented that hers was absolutely delicious – our waiter said, “Do you want me to bring you another one?” Of course. He looked at me and asked if I wanted another bowl (I had duck and sausage gumbo, Melba had a chilled melon soup) – I didn’t, but asked if he could bring me some meatballs. Melba had them for her appetizer and said they were delicious – and he brought me out some. Very cool guy.

The show tonight was spectacular. A married couple from France did acrobatic dancing – where he holds her in the air while she twists her body all sorts of ways that make everyone else cringe – and magic tricks. Some of the tricks were unbelievable – literally. We went to the 8pm show and decided to head back to the 10pm show just to see if we can figure out how they do it.

Something that I will miss about the cruise is coming back to our room after dinner and having towel animals on our bed. Each day the creations grow increasingly more impressive. Yesterday we had a lobster and today we had a pig – and the room attendants put Melba’s sunglasses on the pig. Perhaps when people come visit us in Austin (hint, hint) we will have some ready in the guest bedroom.

The Towel Pig

Tomorrow is another sea day so there’s no point in going to bed early. On Tuesday we will be in Tunis – neither of us has been there before and I don’t think we’ll ever get a chance to go back anytime soon. The itinerary schedule that the ship gave us says that “vendors can be pushy” – I took that to mean that this port may be Egypt all over again. We decided that we weren’t going to explore this city on our own. We paid to have a tour called “The Best of Tunis” which will include ruins, a museum, and sightseeing in a town known for rows of white walled houses with blue roofs. The guided excursions that the ship offers are expensive and it seems that Melba and I have pretty much done what they offer – but for less than half the cost – on our own. The only real difference is that we use public transportation and/or feet instead of a bus. Tunis will be different, though. I don’t feel comfortable going around there by ourselves.

It’s time to get some pictures ready to upload, post this blog and then go to the 10pm magic show and try to figure out how those tricks are done.

It’s now almost midnight and we’re back from the second show – we figured out how most of the tricks are done. That said, the second show was more impressive than the first because we were really able to see the showmanship in the two performers. We walked around the promenade on Deck 3 after the show and then went up to the upper deck and looked at the stars. Melba wanted me to be ‘romantic’ – but I don’t/can’t do that. I decided to go back to the room and she decided to stay up on the deck and look at the stars. I left the deck and went into the dining room (you have to go through there to get to the elevators) and saw some desserts – “perhaps this will be romantic,” I thought. I brought two of them out to the deck to Melba. I said something like, “Excuse me, Ma’am” in a deep voice and it kind of freaked her out – but she smiled when she saw me with desserts. The only problem was that these desserts were gross – and I mean they were completely unfit for human consumption. I felt bad, but Melba still thought it was sweet. We went into the dining room and Melba grabbed some chocolate cake and I grabbed some ice cream.

Tonight I get to sleep and not have to wake up early. But before I sign off, here are some pictures from Barcelona that I think you will enjoy:

Melba with a Chicken

Look at the name of this plant

5.23.09 Barcelona

2009-05-23T17:48:00.002-04:00

Today as we sat on the Metro, exhausted but also excited about our great day in Barcelona, I apologized to Sammie that we had come so far, spent so much money, gone through so much trouble, made so much effort, and my favorite memory of the trip was going to be his strut around the pool doing the moonwalk, lawnmower, and sprinkler. As I sat by the side of the pool watching the first contestants, I reflected that I had NO idea what Sammie was going to do. I just knew it would be funny. When he broke out into his super-cool dance moves, I was the only one by the side of the pool not clapping and cheering—because my head was between my knees, trying not to fall off from laughing.

Today at lunch I asked him why, in our almost 4 years of marriage, I never knew he could do the moonwalk, the lawnmower, or the sprinkler. He replied that the moment had never come when he thought the best way to strengthen our marriage and deepen our relationship was to break out in the moonwalk. I asked him if everything he did, then, was to strengthen our marriage and deepen our relationship (if you read this blog with any sort of regularity, you know what a scary thought that is!). I asked him where he learned that stuff. He then told me all about the break dancing lessons he had in 3rd grade. Apparently he can also do the backspin. Sure would have been nice to know all this about 4 years ago…

ANYWAY… Barcelona is awesome! Sammie said it very well on the bus back to the port – the geography of Barcelona is not as scenic as Monaco or Tuscany, but it’s PACKED with culture! We began the day (and I made Sammie leave the boat early so we’d have lots of time!) by walking up Las Ramblas (or, in some guidebooks La Rambla). It’s a wide, tree-lined street running up the middle of the city and filled with all sorts of shops, markets, and street performers. Actually, most of them don’t really perform. They dress up and pose as “live statues.” It’s pretty cool. We’d been told we could buy almost anything on this street, including squirrels. I proposed buying a squirrel for Phoebe and letting the two of them loose in the basement. We never found squirrels, but we found baby chipmunks and lots of mice, hamsters, chicks, birds, etc. (No, we didn’t buy one for Phoebe.) We veered off the street at the Mercat de la Boqueria. It’s a crowded, crazy market that included entire dead pigs. My already queasy stomach lurched a few times at the meat stands. Back on the street, we wound our way through the Gothic Quarter towards the Picasso Museum. Barcelona is OLD! The Gothic Quarter has old houses with narrow, windy cobblestone streets. In fact, the Picasso Museum is in one of these old houses. On the way to the museum, we stopped for a while in another market—this one medieval. The vendors were dressed in period costumes and they were selling medieval items—pottery, herbs (culinary and medicinal), calligraphy, all sorts of meats and cheeses, perfumes, etc… And Belgian Chocolate! A medieval band strolled through while we were browsing. We intended to go back later in the day to buy souvenirs and see some sword fights, but we didn’t make it back.

The Picasso museum is awesome! I’ve never paid much attention to Picasso. I’m not a huge fan of modern art. I love the stuff right before modernism—impressionism, post-impressionism, expressionism, and even some early cubism. After that, it just gets too weird for me. But this museum focused on Picasso’s early development as a painter and I was struck with his early styles. A lot of his early work resembles van Gogh and some of those guys that I like. (And he was influenced by them while he was in Paris.) It was interesting to see the evolution of his work.
After Picasso, we sat down for lunch at a sandwich shop. We had yummy sandwiches and sat for a while, resting. Unfortunately, we both got off the ship with stomach aches (maybe a little sea sick from our day at sea) and by lunch also had headaches. I remember on previous trips abroad when I would run around hot and humid cities all day for days at a time and hardly feel it. Getting old… (Joe reminded me on my last birthday that I am now as close to 40 as I am to 30. Thanks Joe – you wanna die, clown?)

After lunch we walked through the City History Museum. It was basically a walkway and audio tour through Roman ruins that have been excavated underneath the city. What I liked most about it was the explanations of different occupations in the city. For example, while we looked at ruins of the local laundry and dye place, we learned that they used urine to disinfect their clothes. In fact, the launders paid a city tax so that they could put buckets out for people to urinate in so they could use it for the laundry. The doctors in my family have always tried to tell me that urine is sterile. But my definition of something that is sterile, laundered, or in any way considered clean, is that it doesn’t have urine on or in it. Call me OCD… Anyway, we also learned how to dry fish to make a popular fish sauce and how to make wine. It was a very interesting museum.

Our next stop took us an hour to walk to. The guidebook said it was the MUST-SEE of Barcelona and we took their word for it. And boy were they right! La Sagrada Familia is a big—no, enormous—Cathedral that has been in progress for over 100 years and won’t be finished for another 20-30 years. Its main architect is Gaudi, a popular and innovative Spanish artist who made this Cathedral his life’s work but, unfortunately, died while working on it. It’s based on traditional Gothic cathedrals but with a modernist twist. For example, the shape is a Latin cross, and it has the traditional facades, naves, apse, cloister, etc., but they’re modern rather than gothic. Two facades are completed, one representing the passion and, the other, the nativity. The passion façade is very stark and bare—symbolic of death—with scenes from the crucifixion—beginning with the Last Supper and ending with the burial. The sculpted figures are almost cubic—very angled and stylized. But the effect is staggering! Inside, the columns are made to look like tree trunks and the tops of the arches spread out, not into a typical vaulted ceiling, but into what looks like tree branches! So as you sit in the Cathedral (and it can hold up to 10,000 people) you feel like you’re in a forest and can quietly meditate. It’s amazing! The nativity façade, in contrast to the passion façade, is filled with all sorts of signs of life—flowers, plants, animals, etc. It celebrates Joseph and Mary as well as Jesus and assigns each of them a virtue—charity to Jesus, faith to Mary, and hope to Joseph. The first thing I was struck by when we finally found the Cathedral was its height. But the main tower, which has not been built, will rise quite a bit higher than the 8 already built. I think I’ll need to return to Barcelona to see the completed Cathedral. Anyone wanna come?

We hopped on the Metro after leaving La Sagrada Familia and then had a ways to walk, back down La Rambla, to catch the shuttle bus back to the port. La Rambla was chock full of people. Of course, it was 8:00 on a Saturday night by this time. There was some kind of a parade with lots of traditional dancers. That was fun to watch, but also made for a lot of crowd-jostling. We also saw some of the more colorful aspects of Barcelona—including 3 local cross-dressers out for an evening stroll. (I joked with Sammie that they made me nostalgic for my mission—I met a lot of transvestites in Campinas).

We got back to the ship just before 9:00, had a yummy Italian dinner, then made it an early night. In fact, Sammie is in bed next to me snoring, already—his red hair beginning to stand on end in preparation for the morning and his toes wiggling where his feet are sticking out of the covers. (He’s cute!)

2009-05-22T15:59:00.002-04:00

5.22.09 Day at Sea

When one’s motivation to get out of bed is derived primarily from the fact that the breakfast restaurant will close in fifteen minutes (at 10:30), one knows that one has had a good night’s sleep. We wandered up to breakfast and sat there for quite a while just looking at the sea going by. After the busy days that we’ve had at port, I’m glad that we have a day at sea. We need to relax. I think I’m at a point where I know where everything is on the ship and I don’t have to ask questions about where something is or how to do something (like laundry, internet, etc).

After breakfast we changed into our swimming suits and went up the top deck and lay on the beach chairs by the pool. After about an hour I decided to go get my hat – the sun had come out (it was slightly overcast) and my sunglasses weren’t enough to keep the sun out of my eyes. When I came back, I heard the tour director say something over the PA (for just the pool area) that only 4 people had signed up and he wanted more. I got to where we were sitting and before I could ask Melba what people were signing up for, she told me that I needed to go sign up for the belly flop contest. Sure, Melba. I remember somebody saying earlier in the day that the ship was going to have ‘Pool Games’ at 1:30 – I guess this is what they were talking about.

Now, I’ve belly-flopped before and I know that it doesn’t hurt if you do it right – that’s the trick. If you do it wrong, it hurts. I was in the contest with 5 other people. Once it started, we were told that they would play music for each of us – and we had to strut/dance around the pool and then belly-flop. The first guy didn’t do much dancing, did an OK belly-flop and got a nice reaction from the crowd. The second guy was somewhat goofy while strutting to the jump point and got a really big reaction from it. I decided then that the key would be a goofy dance. I went fourth – I moonwalked for a little ways, then I did the sprinkler and then the lawn mower. I stuck my tummy out as far as I could for the crowd and then jumped.

I got up from the water and the tour director, who was the MC for this event, looked at me and said, “That was a REALLY loud pop.” The guy after me didn’t do much dancing, but did a really big and loud flop. The MC said that we were going to have a tie-breaker between me and the guy who jumped after me. Great – I didn’t really want to do another belly-flop. The first one kinda hurt. I went first and did some more goofy dancing and jumped. The next guy did basically what he did before. The MC said the winner would be determined by crowd noise – the other guy got noticeably louder cheers and applause. (Of course, I leaned over to him after it was done and pointed out that I had all of the high-pitched voices cheering for me – meaning I won the female vote. ) It was fun. 2nd place in a belly-flop contest will make today memorable.

Everybody who participated got a free drink – rum lemonade. I politely told them I didn’t drink and they walked me to the bar to get a soda. I asked for 2 since I got 2nd place and they said that was fine. So Melba and I each got a free soda from it all. They were barbequing out on the deck (REALLY good steak) so it made for a nice lunch.

We swam for a little while and then I came back and got ready for dinner. Melba stayed a little bit longer at the pool. As I was leaving to go down into a lounge to get better internet reception, Melba came back. I did some emailing and came back for Melba. Tonight is a formal night so I was in a suit and Melba was in a dress. This is the first formal and there will be two more. (The other nights are ‘smart casual’ meaning no shorts or jeans.) It was nice to dress up – that made for a fun evening. We had lunch with the 4 sisters we met on the shuttle in Livorno. They are a really fun group of people. We’ve seen them a few times on the ship and had a lot of fun talking to them. These 4 sisters act the way Melba and her sisters would be acting if they were to be on a ‘girls only’ cruise together. (Of course, Melba says this would never happen because if all of the sisters went on a cruise together they would want Larves to come along – so it wouldn’t be all sisters – and then they would also want Joe to come along. He probably wouldn’t, though.)

I had lamb with mint pesto for dinner – delicious. We left dinner and went to the 8pm show. It was much better than the one we saw 2 nights ago. It was called “Ballroom Blitz” and mostly dancing with a little bit of singing. The dancing part of the show was pretty good, but the singing screwed it up. But it was still enjoyable.

Melba has a fun day planned for us tomorrow in Barcelona. We’re heading to bed early so we can get up early and make the most of the day.

2009-05-22T15:59:00.001-04:00

5.21.09 Monte Carlo

Melba and I have found a new place to live and it is Monte Carlo, Monaco. This place is gorgeous. We slept in this morning because people with excursions (a paid tour the ship does) got priority so we knew we wouldn’t get off of the ship until later in the morning. We were anchored and therefore had to take a boat into the port.

We had breakfast in the dining room (no room service this morning because we didn’t know when we would wake up). We filled our Camelbacks and went down the main deck. The tender ride was in a life boat with a motor – they had lowered several of them into the water and were shuffling people back and forth all day. I don’t think I could’ve ever been a sailor because even though the ride was pretty short, I got a little bit sea-sick as the waves (which weren’t big at all) tossed our little boat around.

Monte Carlo is one of those picturesque towns on the Med that looks EXACTLY like what you see in the movies. Except, it’s everywhere – and I mean everywhere. I had absolutely no need for a viewfinder on my camera because anywhere I pointed was a good picture. Our map showed us some museums and gardens within walking distance from the port so we decided to go on foot today. We walked up lots of steps and inclines to the main area where the museums were.

Along the way we saw plenty of street vendors selling shirts, hats, programs, etc for the Grand Prix. Turns out that the Monte Carlo Grand Prix is tomorrow (I think) and the cars were racing today for pole position (I think). What I mean is that the cars were out racing full speed today through the city – certain streets were closed off to make the track – and I know it wasn’t the real race and I heard that it was for pole position for tomorrow’s race. Grand Prix racing is a big event in Europe and the Monte Carlo race is perhaps the biggest. We weren’t able to dock at the port because so many people had brought their boats in to watch the race. We got a glimpse of the cars racing – they were going really fast and it was fun to watch. After about 3 minutes, though, it got really anti-climactic because it was just loud cars going really fast through the streets. We stopped watching to go do other things, but there were TONS of people trying to get a glimpse of the cars.

We strolled around looking at the Med and the beautiful countryside of Monaco. (Monaco is a microstate on the Med in between France and Italy.) We walked through a palace/castle where the royal family of Monaco lives, and has lived for hundreds of years. It has obviously changed over the years, but the style of the home was stunning – not only a sign of money, but of power and legacy. Unfortunately, we couldn’t take pictures. Our ticket got us into a museum about Napoleon Bonaparte as well. It was pretty lame. There were a few items that belonged to Napoleon, but other than that it was pretty lame.

We then walked down to the side of the mountain that was on the Med – there was a huge garden there for people to walk through. It was so relaxing to stroll through the trees and flowers while overlooking the Med. It was hot outside, but these gardens had a nice breeze blowing through them. (Speaking of being hot, our Camelbacks are a lifesaver – not having to buy bottled water in cities designed to overcharge tourists is nice. It’s also nice to carry around snack bars to keep us from getting too hungry.)

On our way out of the garden we did a quick walk through the cathedral. Lots of nice artwork – similar to the other cathedrals we have seen. They have also buried some of the royal family here. Nothing spectacular, but for some reason it always nice to take a quick stop at a cathedral.

We stopped for lunch at a sandwich stop. The sandwiches, no surprise, were delicious. Very similar to what we got yesterday. We walked back into the gardens, sat at a bench and ate lunch. For dessert, we bought a grilled Nutella sandwich – a bread roll with Nutella spread in it and grilled. A seagull landed on a fence right next to us and stared at me while I ate. I assumed it was waiting for me to drop some bread or something. Melba pointed out that this bird was our “European Phoebe” – she is referring to how our dog, Phoebe, always sits by me while I eat steak knowing that I’ll eventually give in to her begging and give her a piece. So as we left the bench I looked over at the bird and said, with a twist, what we always say to Phoebe when we leave her alone, “Bye, bye, Phoebe. Be a good bird.”

We headed back to the tender pick-up point around 3pm. The last tender would leave at 4. We could see from where we were standing that the line was really long (but I was sure that as long as people were in line, they would keep running the tenders until everyone got back on board). We got back on the ship around 3:30ish and went swimming. At 5pm we got the announcement that all of the tenders had returned and we were heading out.

As the ship started sailing away, Melba and I went down the 3rd deck and admired the French Riviera. Wow. That’s all I can say. Hard to take a bad picture here. Well, the sun was setting right in front of me and there was some mist so the pictures didn’t end up as nice as I would’ve liked, but they’re not bad. By the time we got to Nice, we could see the French Alps in the background. I know now why so many people long to live here. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying anything nice about the French – I’m just acknowledging that the geography upon which they happen to be located has a very high level of aesthetic beauty.

The performance the ship had tonight had us laughing our heads off. (Last night’s performance had us laughing, too, but tonight’s was intentionally funny.) The comedian, Richard Gauntlet, was very witty and dry – what one would expect from British humor. He started out with some simple jokes about getting a call to do this show while he was “in a dirty, mining area west of England called Wales.” Someone came in about 10 minutes late and he looked right at them, smiled and said (in a very polite British way), “Oh welcome, welcome, come right in – please sit down. Can I get you anything? Like a watch?” He mumbled the last line under his breath. It was really funny.

Tomorrow is a sea day so we get to sleep in. Sleeping in is easy when you don’t have a window – the room stays dark and you can just keep sleeping. Going to port is fun, but it is a bit tiresome with all of the walking. I’m looking forward to staying on the ship and relaxing all day.

2009-05-22T15:56:00.003-04:00

5.20.09 Livorno, Florence and Pisa

This morning we had breakfast delivered to our room. This is a free service on the ship. I don’t know how I’m going to go back to not being pampered like this. We headed out around 9:30ish and took a shuttle into Livorno where we would grab a train to Firenze (Florence). We met 4 sisters on the shuttle (all in their 60’s) who were planning on doing the same, but had no idea how. I told them to just follow us and I would take care of it. The shuttle took us to the city and we grabbed a bus to the train station. From there Melba and I bought tickets to Firenze and the 4 sisters bought tickets to Pisa. Pisa was along the way so we took the same train – it left at 11:11am.

These four sisters fell in love with me (according to Melba). Getting around town isn’t that difficult, but it sure helps that I know the local customs, language, how the buses/trains work, etc. This is the first real day of the cruise and I’m sure these sisters liked having a ‘personal tour guide.’ It was really easy for me to just tell them to follow us, but I know that it made a big difference for them.

Melba and I filled our Camelbacks and loaded them with granola bars before we headed out. My Camelback has a leak on the top (near where you fill it up) so I can’t set it down without having some water leak out. Now that I know that it makes using the Camelback much more enjoyable. Our train ride into Firenze was 80 minutes long so we didn’t get in until 12:30pm. Our plan was to see some sights there, eat lunch, hop on the return train, get off at Pisa, run and see the leaning tower of Pisa, then hop back on the last train heading to Livorno where would catch the last shuttle back to the ship.

We followed a map to the Duomo – it is beautiful. There was a long line to get inside (not sure why) so we waited about 20 minutes before getting in. Most of the things we wanted to do cost money (that’s not always a given when things are inside of a Church) and I had run out of Euro. I talked with a local who directed me to a bank and I pulled out some more Euros. I think the exchange rate has gone down slightly – but I’m not certain. I like being able to speak Italian because the directions to this bank were somewhat complicated and I don’t think I could’ve found it had I not been able to speak Italian.

€8 per person to climb the 463 stairs of the Duomo and look out at Firenze. Absolutely gorgeous. I looked out at the Tuscan country side and it was just beautiful. I haven’t seen anything to compare it to. Red rooftops throughout the city, the Churches stand out, and it all continues to the green mountains which have houses built up on them. Just amazing. I was no longer bothered that Melba chose to take me to Firenze (instead of spending the day in Pisa). We spent about 20 minutes at the top taking pictures and joking about when we would move to Tuscany.

We left the Church and looked at the doors of the baptistery opposite the Duomo. There were made by Berghini a long, long time ago. 3D gold carvings (not real gold – that was just the color). We actually looked at replicas of them because the real ones are being restored. There were 8 square carvings – 4 on each door – and each one depicted a story from the Bible. All of them were very well done with lots of detail.

As we worked out way back to the train station we stopped at a sandwich shop for lunch. Melba had prosciutto and mozzarella and I had tomato, basil and mozzarella. The food here is just so good. It was simple, but good. We ate quickly and made it to the train station with some time to spare.

Melba slept most of the way back – I needed to stay awake because I was worried about missing our stop at Pisa. I later learned that Melba was really hot. The train was hot, but I was sitting by the open window and had a breeze blowing on me – I was unaware that Melba wasn’t getting any of it. I would have gladly witched seats with her had I known.

We got off of the train at Pisa at 4:30pm. I checked the schedule and saw another train going to Livorno at 5:34pm – this gave us just over an hour to walk over a mile to the Leaning Tower of Pisa, see it, take some pictures and walk back. Sounds easy, but Melba wasn’t feeling well and had a headache due to the heat on the train. We also didn’t know exactly where we needed to go. We got to the Tower shortly before 5pm. It’s pretty cool. It actually leans quite a bit more than I thought would. Melba’s Lonely Planet guide says there are always lots of tourists taking pictures with their hands positioned to look like they are either supporting or pushing the Tower – yup, that’s exactly what we saw. We took a couple of pictures and worked our way back.

I bought Melba some gelato hoping it would help her feel better. We ended up getting back to the station in about 20 minutes so maybe it worked.  After walking over a mile each way (plus the walking in Firenze and climbing 463 stairs) my legs were dead – as were Melba’s. But we had done everything we wanted to do at this port. And now we were rushing to make it back to the ship. We got to the station with about 15 minutes to spare. The train arrived on schedule and thank goodness I remembered the name of the Piazza where the shuttle would pick us up. We got on the shuttle around 6:10 – not bad considering the last shuttle was scheduled to leave at 6:30. We made it back safely to the ship.

We were covered in sweat so we headed back to our room to take showers before going to dinner. I think today was one of the funnest days of my life. When I was a missionary I always thought it would be fun to come back to Italy as a tourist. I also thought it would fun to cruise Italy with my future wife. Here I was doing it. I knew the language, customs, etc and we were having a blast. The day ended up being everything we wanted it to be. When I got back on the ship I had a hard time speaking English to everyone because I was used to speaking Italian. I will miss being able to speak Italian to so many people once I get back to the States. In fact, I think I am going to miss Italy like crazy once we get back to the States – there are so many things that I love about Italy from being a missionary here and I had forgotten most of them. Now that it’s all coming back to me I can understand why it took me so long to ‘come home’.

Tomorrow we arrive in Monaco. We will be anchored, not docked. We were told that people who have paid for shore excursions will be the first ones to be tendered to land. (I think that’s the verb I should be using). We’re going to sleep in and leave later in the morning. There are some museums and such within walking distance of the port. My feet are feeling better after all of the walking today so I hope I can handle a day of walking tomorrow.

2009-05-21T17:55:00.008-04:00

From the Med...

So if the picture of Melba's gelato didn't make you wish you had come on the trip with us, perhaps these pictures will :) (I'll post more journal entries tomorrow)

2009-05-19T16:38:00.001-04:00

5.19.09 Boarding the Ship

We had breakfast at the hotel and I’m really glad it was covered with the room fee. €27 per person – that’s about $40. The breakfast was good – I’ve come to expect nothing less from the Italians. We packed up our belongings and head out the door.

The front desk called us a cab to take us to the train station. I began talking with the guy on the way to the station and he said he would be willing to drive us all the way to Civitavecchia for €70. Hmm, tempting. I did some quick math and figured that we would spend about €50+ to go by train (including cab fare to the station and then to the boat) so we told him to take us to Civitavecchia. It was a lovely ride. Our cabbie was a good, honest Italian. He has been married for eight years, has a 3 year-old son and another on the way.

Looking at the hills and trees while riding up along the coast of the Med reminded me a lot of California. The biggest difference was that the homes were all Italian Villa style. In California a home like that would cost millions, but the cabbie told me it was very inexpensive to live there compared to Rome. Funny how that works.

The cabbie took us all the way to the check-in point. His meter was up to about €150, but he stuck to his word and didn’t ask for anything more than what we agreed to. I paid him €75 and thanked him for his hospitality. He was sure to caution me that if I took a cab ride back that I would have to pay a lot more than €70 – I would get charged whatever was on the meter. He was a really good guy and put both Melba and I in a really good mood. This was an excellent way to start our cruise.

We boarded around 11:30 (left early not expecting a ride all the way there) and our rooms weren’t going to be ready for another 2 hours. The ship directed everyone to a dining room with buffet-style lunch foods. We weren’t very hungry so Melba had a salad and I ate a sandwich. All of the food is really good and it’s all covered with the cost of the room. The only catch is that we have to pay for all of our drinks (except for water). All things considered, that isn’t too bad – I just don’t like being nickeled and dimed. Oh, well.

About an hour later we saw two people we met at the airport while waiting for our bags. They are a retired couple from Arizona. We talked to them for about an hour yesterday and they sat with us at lunch while we waited for the rooms to be ready.

Lots of retired couples on board. I think Melba and I fall amongst the youngest people on board. If I were create a normal distribution of age on the ship, we would be around the first or second percentile, I'm sure. That said, we’re very glad that this isn’t a ‘party boat’. Everyone is quiet, respectful and friendly. If there were a bunch of undergrads running around on the boat creaming, yelling and getting drunk all of the time, this would be a rotten cruise.

Dinner was excellent. We have what’s called a flex-dining plan which means we can eat anytime between 5:45 and 9pm. The other option would be to have a fixed time to eat every night – it’s mostly groups who prefer that option. Tonight we ate with a retired couple from Vermont. He had recently sold his share of a Pharmacy business to his partner. We have a delightful time talking to them over dinner. It’s weird to me to think that Melba and I can each order appetizer, soup, entrée and dessert all for free. The serving sizes are moderate – enough to fill you up and nothing more. The quality of the food, I think, is similar to a nice restaurant. Not something like Ruth’s Chris, but it’s still nice. There is food everywhere and it’s all free – we just have to pay for the drinks.

Right now Melba and I are planning out the day tomorrow. I kinda want to go to Pisa and see the sites there, but Melba wants to go to Florence and see the artwork. I think she is going to win out on this one. She’s already seen Pisa. We’re listening to a talented string quartet. I write the journal while Melba reads Lonely Planet to decide what tomorrow’s plans are. We’re heading off to a theater in a couple of minutes – the actors are doing an interactive production to introduce the passengers to what the nightly productions will be for the rest of the cruise.

Perhaps we’ll know by tomorrow if we’re going to go to Pisa or Florence. While I want to go to Pisa, I must admit that after Melba read to me what she wants to do in Florence I’m bothered that we can’t do both.

UPDATE - She talked me into Florence. More tomorrow.

2009-05-19T16:33:00.002-04:00

5.18.09 Arriving in Rome

I’ve spent enough time on airplanes to don’t want to be on another one for a long time. I clearly remember laughing (at my expense) several times throughout the duration of the flight – I feel bad that I’m too tired to remember what she was laughing at.

We got off the plane and went straight to baggage claim (what else were we going to do?) When we checked in at Atlanta we were told that our bags had made it to Atlanta and would be on our plane. We started to get nervous about an hour after the flight when we had no bags – except a lot of people from our flight were still waiting for their bags. At around 10am (our flight landed at 8:20sm) we were told that all bags had made it to baggage claim. Welcome trial number 1. Neither Melba nor I had a bag. Long line at customer service with people from our flight who didn’t have bags. I had grown sick of the clothes I was wearing (hadn’t changed them for three days) not to mention that I was really nervous about what we would do if we had to board the ship without out bags. Then we found out that our bags had made it on the flight from New York last night. So we have our bags and we’re sitting in the hotel – a very nice hotel.

Trail number 2 was learning that our port is over 100km away from Rome and it could easily be a €150 cab ride – that’s over $200. Well, Italian hospitality is among the best. The concierge printed off the train schedule and found us a much less expensive way to get there. He said the cab ride to the train station would be about 35 EUR and the train tickets will be €4.50 each. He even told me how to use the bus (instead of a taxi) and it would cost €1 each – but I it will be too crowded and I’m not that desperate. This is real Italian hospitality – it’s easy to find, but you have to look for it somewhere devoid of street vendors.

I was kinda bummed when we had to stay in Atlanta on Sunday because I wanted to go to Church in Rome. However, I don’t think we could’ve made it through Church yesterday. We were both so tired when we got to the hotel that we went straight to bed and slept for 2 hours. Well, Melba slept for 3.

I have really lost a lot of my Italian skills. I’m doing OK with getting around and chit-chatting, but I don’t think I could hold a full discussion like I could when I was a missionary. Bummer. Maybe I’ll start to get some of it back over the next couple of weeks. We’ll see.

As easy as it would’ve been to stay at the hotel – we were both really tired – we went ahead and bought bus tickets into Rome. I had forgotten how much I loved Italy until I got into the city. There were several little things that I had forgotten like how cars know to stop if you jump into the crosswalk – although it took Melba a little bit of time to develop that level of faith… We didn’t have much time and all of the museum were closed (we slept until about 3 and the museums close at 4) so went to Saint Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City and walked around. No crowds anywhere and I was somewhat, but pleasantly, surprised to not see and Gypsy’s or street vendors. We stopped at a gelateria along the way and had some real Italian gelato. Buonissimo. We loved sitting on the street in the middle of Rome, eating gelato and looking at the people walking by.

The Basilica is beautiful – the way I remember Italian Catholic Cathedrals. The first thing I saw when I walked in was a sculpture of Mary holding Jesus after He had died. I will admit that I choked up when I first saw it – I had never seen a sculpture so beautiful. I could have looked at it for an hour. Melba then told it was the Pieta. It all made sense at that point – Paul O’Neill (Producer of TSO) said that great art will give an emotion that someone has never felt before and used the Pieta as an example. He said that someone who has never had a child can look at that sculpture and know what it is like to have one who dies.

We walked around the rest of the Basilica, stopped at a store to buy some bottled water and then ate dinner at an outdoor restaurant. Service was great and the food was really good. We split a Pizza Margarita (crust, tomato sauce, basil and mozzarella) and then each ordered a plate of pasta. I had four-cheese gnocchi and Melba had a sausage, sage, and butter pasta. Both dishes were good but Melba’s was incredible. We brainstormed how we would imitate it when we got home.

We went back to the bus pick-up spot and went home. I had a really bad headache. We were both really tired, got home and went straight to bed.

Sammie Meets his Trash-talkin' Match

2009-05-17T12:56:00.002-04:00

In his last post, Sammie told you about our adventures trying to travel abroad. Since we were flying out of Dulles airport on Saturday, we drove down to northern Virginia on Friday and stayed with my cousin Cate for the night. (Sammie didn't mention the part where, 45 minutes outside of State College, I asked him if he had his camera and he didn't. We went back for it. 90 minutes later, at the same spot we realized we didn't have the camera, we realized we didn't have our swimming suits. We didn't go back for them...)
Anyway, I knew that at Cate's house I'd have a lot of fun seeing her, her husband Mike, and their awesome kids. I knew we'd have a comfortable place to sleep in their beautiful home and a hot breakfast. I didn't expect to laugh harder than I have in a really long time. (Well, since my Mom came to town...)
Cate and Mike's 3rd kid, Nathan, is 8 years old. He's 45 pounds and probably just under 4 feet. When he steps on the Wii fit, he registers UNDER the underweight category. His BMI is something like 9 or 10.
Sammie, on the other hand, will be 34 in August. He's 6' 1" and, while I won't disclose his weight, I'll mention that he would definitely not fall in the underweight category. Basically, he's over 4 times Nathan's weight and age.
It started with Sammie and Richie (Nathan's older brother, who is 13, tall, and athletic) playing tennis. Nathan, who had asked to play the winner, sat on the sidelines commenting that their game looked like the ladies' championship game. Then it was his turn to play Sammie.
"Come on! Hit like a man!" says 45-pound-8-year-old Nathan. "You hit like a girl!"
"Is that as hard as you can hit the ball?" "Come on! You can give me a real serve!"
Richie and I were on the sidelines suffocating from laughing. And the best part was that Nathan was scoring hardly any points against Sammie.
Sammie started coming back with, "Well, if you can't hit it like a man, at least hit it like a boy!"
Nathan started jumping up and down, expending some pent-up energy. Sammie asked, "Dude, do you have to go to the bathroom?"
Nathan won the next point.
Sammie said, "I should fill my bladder. Maybe I'd start playing better."
After Sammie won the tennis match, they went on to baseball. Sammie's strategy became to lift Nathan up with one arm and pitch with his other arm, so Nathan couldn't hit the ball and struck out.
We ended with a rousing boxing match. It was disturbing to watch Sammie's Wii character beating up on Nathan. But Nathan won--knocked Sammie out twice!

2009-05-17T12:36:00.004-04:00

Adventures Abroad (but not yet)

At the last minute, Melba and I decided to go on a Mediterranean Cruise to celebrate graduation. We left yesterday for Rome to spend a couple of days there, go on the cruise, and then a couple more days in Rome, and then back home. Here are the Top Ten best parts about traveling yesterday:

1. Having our flight out of Dulles delayed an hour, the gate attendants telling us that the screen is wrong and our flight isn't really delayed, then telling us all on the plane that we will be delayed for more than an hour.

2. Getting off the plane in JFK to find out that our flight to Rome has left and stand in line with a bunch of angry people while we wait to be re-booked. (FYI -- airlines aren't run like McDonald's so don't think that if you're really rude to someone you'll get free fries. Be nice to them and they will reciprocate it back to you.)

3. Being told by the nice girl helping us that the flight to Rome was at the gate right next to the one we entered in on -- and that if we had have gone straight there we would've made it.

4. Being re-booked to Atlanta, and knowing that we'll have to stay the night there and then go to Rome in the morning -- and because delays are due to weather, we have to pay for the hotel out of pocket.

5. Boarding our 6:45pm flight to Atlanta at 7pm (it was delayed, too) and then sitting on the tarmac for 3 hours and 15 minutes before taking off. And it's only a two hour flight.

6. Learning at baggage claim (at 12:30am) that because Atlanta is not our final destination, we won't be getting our bags until we get to Rome.

7. Finding a nice hotel at a low rate -- and I'm not kidding. Upgraded to a king size bed in a suite, being given a 2pm check-out time, free internet, free full breakfast and friendly service all for $59.

8. Calling Marriott and learning that I can change my booking there at no charge (that was a relief).

9. Sleeping in until 9am, going to breakfast, stuffing myself with loads of good breakfast, then going back to bed.

10. Being on vacation with Melba. Yup. Despite all of the troubles we had flying yesterday, it's nice to be on a vacation with Melba. We're heading off to Rome now -- direct flight to Rome out of Atlanta. Hopefully our bags will make it.

We'll try and keep a running blog of all of our fun adventures in Rome and the Mediterranean. Check back soon for more updates....

Adoption

2009-04-30T23:18:00.002-04:00

So, I think all of you that read this blog know that Sammie and I are trying to adopt. I haven't really mentioned it here because, well, you can probably guess why. I won't go into a lot of details, but I'll give a quick update. We've had some success getting in contact with potential birth mothers and hearing of situations that could work out for us. Unfortunately, though, nothing has worked out yet. In fact, we've had two adoptions fall through.
So... we're still searching! Following are three links to our online adoption profiles. This is just a reminder... if you hear of someone who is thinking of placing a baby for adoption, keep us in mind! We'll name the baby after you. (Okay. We probably won't. That was my one weak attempt at humor for this post.)

Here's our old LDS Family Services profile. (I don't know when they are officially changing from the old to the new.)
Here's our new LDS Family Services profile.
And here's our Parent Profiles profile. (department of redundancy department)

Meanwhile, back on the ground...

2009-04-30T23:11:00.002-04:00

Okay, I still get a stomach ache when I look at the video of Sammie jumping out of the plane. Here are some pictures of us on the ground before he jumped - with the jump master and with me trying to talk him out of it. :)

At Least the Parachute Opened...

2009-04-29T12:33:00.005-04:00

Last week, I saw a bumper sticker that read, "If at first you don't succeed, maybe skydiving isn't for you."

Fortunately, Sammie's parachute opened. Unfortunately, he threw up on the jump master on the way down and then sprained his ankle while landing.

But the parachute opened!

And I learned exactly how long 30 seconds can feel: as I see a small speck that I know is my husband falling or jumping or whatever out of a plane 10,000 feet above my head and wait for the parachute to open. That 30 seconds may have been the longest of my life and the shortest of Sammie's as he fell through the air with a jump master and parachute (that opened!) strapped to his back.

Once the parachute opened (and it did open!) Sammie got sick to his stomach. The instructor turned the chute so he could throw up. He said it just kind of dissipated into the air. (My mom later commented that she wasn't very comforted thinking about people flying above our heads, throwing up on us.) When he landed, he twisted his ankle and has been hobbling around ever since. Actually, he thinks it's the perfect injury because he needs to stay off it and keep it elevated. That translates to no dishes, no walking the dog, no cleaning. He needs to sit in the arm chair with his feet elevated, watching sports, while I supply him with bottles of IBC Root Beer.

At least the parachute opened.

Fortunately, our brother in law Ben had thrown up on his jump master and our other brother in law Luke had provided us with an appropriate line for the awkward situation of having your throw up all over a stranger's clothes. "Well, at least the parachute opened!"

Sammie's note: Watch closely as I jump out of the plane and you'll know why I was throwing up 30 seconds later!
Melba's addendum: It's a testament to Sammie's wonderfulness that, even with his sore ankle, I came home from orchestra rehearsal last Monday to find the dishes done, the garbage emptied, and the dog walked. Sammie knew I'd reached my stress limit and sacrificed his ankle for my happiness. When I came home, I was touched and emotional:

M: Sammie, I feel really bad. You didn't have to do that!
S: I'm sorry you feel bad. I won't ever do it again.
M: I know you won't.

At least the para... you get the idea.

Facial Hair

2009-03-25T11:57:00.003-04:00

Sammie recently started shaving with cream and a razor, rather than with his electric razor. I LOVE how smooth his face is afterwards. :)
This morning, I had just rolled out of bed and was still in my just-out-of-bed state of thoughtless stupor. I watched as Sammie squirted blue shaving gel into his hand then lathered it into a white foam on his face. He turned to say something smart alecky to me and I replied, "Whatever you do Sammie, please don't grow a long white beard with blue highlights."
Sammie came back with, "What about when I'm old and fat?" Only a slight pause, and then, "And do a reunion tour with the P-funk?"
Later, I was getting ready to take a very anxious and excited Phoebe on our morning walk. I was distracted though, by Sammie's clean-shaven, smooth (and very cute) face. I got carried away rubbing my cheek on his while Phoebe danced around us, trying to get me out the door. Finally Sammie said, "Sorry Phoebe, you have too much facial hair. I get all the attention!"

If you're averse to potty humor, you may want to skip this post

2009-03-17T15:23:00.002-04:00

Sammie says there's enough "potty humor" on our blog and I shouldn't post this. But I think it's funny so I'm going to.
Recently, I played in a concert with the Nittany Valley Symphony. Among the pieces on the program was Mendelssohn's 5th Symphony called "Reformation." The last movement is the theme of the hymn "A Mighty Fortress is Our God." Mendelssohn is brilliant and I love playing his music.
I wanted Sammie to be able to pick out the hymn in the symphony, so before the concert, I prepped him:
M: Sammie, there's something I want you to listen for in the concert. Do you know what a movement is?
The look on Sammie's face said, "So many jokes, so little time."
S: You mean what I do in the bathroom 2-3 times a day?
M: (laughs) You know when you're watching a symphony and they play a really long piece and the conductor stop between sections and nobody claps? Well actually, a few people clap but you're not supposed to. (symphony snobs love to look down on between-movement-clappers, by the way.)
S: (face contorting with laughter as he tries not make any more poop jokes) yeah.
M: Well, that's a movement.
S: (unable to control himself any longer) So I shouldn't start clapping if I go to the bathroom in the middle of your concert?
M: (rolling her eyes) The fourth movement of the first piece we're going to play is the melody of "A Mighty Fortress is Our God."
S: So after I go to the bathroom for the fourth time during your concert, you guys are going to start playing "A Mighty Fortress is our God"?

Many of you know that our nickname for each other is "poopoohead." Well, for the next few days, Sammie became "movement-head."

2009-03-13T22:45:00.002-04:00

Melba early for something? And that's what got me upset?

For Spring Break, Melba and I decided to head up to Niagara Falls and then to Palmyra. I have never seen the falls so it is now one more place that I have scratched off of my 'To-See" list. It was cold and windy, but we still had loads o' fun. We left home much later than we wanted to and by the time we got to the falls it was dark and there was too much mist to see them. The next morning, however, we could see them clearly. We ate donuts from Tim Horton's (tasted like a mouthful of sugar - literally), saw a life-size stuffed moose toy that sells for $15,000 (only about $12,000 USD) and then decided there was nothing else to see (everything is closed at Niagara for the winter season) so we left for Palmyra.

Hill Cumorah Visitor's Center currently has a Sister Missionary from Brazil and one from Italy. Melba and I spent much time talking to them in their native languages. Then we went to a local BBQ joint in Phelps, NY (it was pretty good) and went back to the hotel to relax. We both had achy feet after all of the walking we did at Niagara.

And then it happened. We looked at the news and found out that if Melba would have been two hours late in getting ready like she normally is -- well, we would have seen someone take the plunge over Niagara Falls and live. Seriously. We left Niagara around noon and some dude jumped around 2:15pm from the Canadian side right by the Horseshoe Falls which was right where we were -- there was hardly anybody there so it wasn't hard to stand at that spot for a while.

Well, it would have been traumatizing to see and maybe I could have caught it on camera which might have made me slightly more famous than I already am for having once played a gig with the former drummer of the P-Funk -- but at the end of the day, I think it would have been just traumatizing. I still would have liked to see it, though. After all, the dude lived so it would've ended up a happy story.

Here's a link to the story. TWO HOURS!! We missed it by only two hours!

Melba's note: I'm not "usually" two hours late. Only sometimes. I'm "usually" about 15-20 minutes late. Just wanted to clarify.

This is a Boring Post

2009-03-07T18:03:00.003-05:00

I have a practical question for anyone who reads this blog. What is your system for organizing and filing paper at your home? I have a folder for everything--insurance, credit cards, tax receipts, etc--but they're not AT ALL organized. And then I have a folder labeled "103 Lincoln Ave" with random utility bills, homeowners info, and I-don't-know-what-else. I know that some of you are obsessive about organization (Hi Julie! Hi Cath!), and all of you are probably more organized than I am because it would be pretty hard not to be, so give me your tips...
Thanks much!!!!
ps - quick update - warm weather...spring break this week...going to Niagara Falls and Palmyra for a couple of days...started the process to sell our home...sad about leaving State College...Sammie's red hair still sticking straight up every morning...life is good!

Someone Has a Crush on Phoebe

2009-03-05T22:55:00.004-05:00

Phoebe loves to give kisses. We're pretty tolerant of her licking our hands or feet (although that can really tickle) but don't really like her to lick our faces. That doesn't stop her from trying, though.

Phoebe and I also love to walk together. There's a little dirt road by our house with a young calf in a very small fenced-in area. I usually try to keep Phoebe away from the calf, so she won't scare it, but the other day I let her creep close so I could see what would happen. Phoebe pranced over to the calf's cage, nose in the air, tail wagging, very curious, eager to make a new friend. The calf saw Phoebe approaching and began to lower her head and move closer, also curious and anxious for a buddy. They slowed down as their noses neared each other's, inching closer and closer. They were timid at first but soon warmed up. Finally, the cow reached out her long pink tongue and gave Phoebe a huge slobbery kiss across her face!

Friendship aborted.

Phoebe turned with a shudder and ran away. I followed laughing and said, "It's not so nice, is it Phoebes?"

ps - I think Phoebe's tendency to "kiss and run" stems from her father. :)

2009-02-18T13:23:00.002-05:00

Using up more of my allotted 15 minutes...

Well, it certainly wasn't like playing a gig with the former drummer of the P-Funk, but this time I had a slightly bigger audience. My good friend Mike asked me to do some voice over work for a video last week. That was all I knew about it at the time. Turns out that Mike' wife, Laura, works for the University and her office was responsible for producing a video for the PSU website to celebrate the sesquicentennial anniversary of the first day of classes at Penn State. Below is the press release which includes a link to the video. Enjoy...

On Feb. 16, 1859, classes began at Penn State for the very first time, with 69 students enrolled in a course of studies designed to prepare them for careers in the agricultural sciences. The campus' location in rural central Pennsylvania offered few amenities, and the physical plant was largely incomplete. As University President Graham B. Spanier notes in a brief video commemorating that historic day 150 years ago, "in spite of the primitive conditions they faced, those early students realized that a Penn State education offered them practically limitless opportunities. Opportunities to gain and create new knowledge, to develop character and personal values, and to serve society in leadership roles." To watch the video, visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kn6QmdTkduU

2009-02-12T20:11:00.004-05:00

This is why you're fat

My dear friend, Mike, sent me this link right before our Insurance class today. The lecture, well, let's just say it created a prime opportunity to have a look at this site. If there ever was a student who obviously wasn't taking notes on his computer -- it was me in Insurance today. I thought I was going to bite my tongue off. And Paul (who sits behind me) was laughing just as hard as he looked over my shoulder.

I don't know why I think this site is so funny. Maybe it has something to do with how many years I spent as a bachelor. And I think that I know people who approach this website as an elevated degree of culinary inspiration. These people have big problems (no pun intended). I, on the other hand, don't find a sloppy joe inside of a Krispy Kreme donut appetizing -- I just find it funny.

http://thisiswhyyourefat.com/

There are 6 pages of pictures -- just keep clicking next at the end of each page, if you can handle it.

For the record -- I never ate stuff like this. I would get compliments from the female cashiers at the grocery store for how nutritious my shopping cart was -- especially compared to other guys.

Go Steelers!

2009-02-02T15:30:00.002-05:00

For me, the best part about the Superbowl usually isn't the football. It's all the hype surrounding the event--trash talking, getting together with friends, the great commercials, bingo...

Trash Talking:
Sammie and I aren't huge Steeler fans, but we'd be tarred and feathered here in State College if we didn't cheer for them. My little sister Anna lives in Arizona and caught the Cardinals spirit. She called Sammie on Saturday just to tell him that Chipotle (Sammie's favorite burrito place) was giving away free food to anyone wearing red. Between the biting, chewing, swallowing, lip-smacking, and finger-licking she put Sammie in his trash-talking place. Following are some of the highlights of the conversation (which took place on speaker phone, so I got to listen in and laugh).
Sammie: It's bad enough that you guys have a Chipotle that you can just go to whenever you want. But FREE CHIPOTLE!?!
Anna: Don't feel too bad Sammie, until a few months ago, I didn't even know Arizona had an NFL team.
S: Yeah, well I wouldn't expect a University of Utah fan to know that much about football.
Melba: (loud laughter)
A: Yeah that's right. Now, remind me Sammie, how did the season end for the U?
I was very proud of my little sister. Sammie, on the other hand, threatened to block her calls.

Bingo:
The local newspaper printed Superbowl Bingo cards and I cut them out and took them to our Superbowl party at Todd and Donna Fuller's (school friends). It put a different spin on the game to cheer for something besides a stuffed pig skin. When the Cardinals challenged the Steelers' first touch down, some people in the room cheered: "Oh good! Coach's challenge - I have that one!" When a player would near the sidelines, Kelly would yell, "Trample somebody on the sidelines!" And when the ball went out of bounds, Shawn exclaimed, "A redheaded cheerleader!" We also searched for a coach covering his mouth so that spies couldn't red his lips, lip-readable cursing, an end zone dance, "D fence" sign, and a sleeping kid with a team jersey on. Shawn and Lauren ended up winning. I gave them a box of orange sticks as a prize.

Sammie the Smelly

2009-01-22T22:30:00.003-05:00

In my last post, I complained about the low temperatures in Central PA and mentioned that we were anticipating some "low highs." Last Friday, we reached a whopping high of 8. During this mini ice age, Sammie and I were driving in the car when a rather indiscreet noise came from his side of the car. This was soon followed by an even less discreet smell. I followed standard procedure for this situation which is to quickly roll down my window, stick my head out of the car as far as it will go, and breathe deeply until I feel the air in the car might once again be safe for respiration. As I did this, Sammie complained that I was letting cold air into the car. I complained that HE was letting BAD air into the car. When I finally deemed the atmosphere in the car once again non-toxic, I pressed on the button to raise the car window and protect us from the bitter January afternoon. What an unlucky time to discover that our car windows weren't working properly. I sat with my finger on the button for what seemed like hours as the window slowly crept up and the cold air rapidly rushed in. Sammie's usually pretty proud of his indiscretions, but his embarassment rose higher and higher as the window rose more and more slowly.
Oh. And did I mention we were sitting at the drive through window at the bank?

New Year's Resolutions

2009-01-14T22:44:00.002-05:00

My sister Martha is frustrated with me for not blogging more. She "suggested" I set a New Year's resolution to blog each week. I think it's a pretty good idea, even though I've already failed by missing the first week. Oh well. I have three random thoughts to post.
1 - The weather. 10-day forecast for State College includes 8 days of snow showers. Most daily highs are in the teens or twenties. Friday's high is 8. We actually had a discussion in Relief Society about not wearing earrings out in that kind of weather cuz they'll freeze to your ears. But it's not that bad. The next week, we'll have two days where we actually get "up" to 32 degrees! I better stock up on sunscreen. (I know, I know Cath. I'm thinking about you up there in Alberta...) On the other hand, 10-day forecast for Austin, where we're moving in May, is 3 days of partly cloudy and the rest sunny or mostly sunny. Tomorrow's high will be a frigid 49, but the next week it will make it up into the 70s. I wish I could bottle up some of this cold and take it out next July when I'll be melting and wishing we had moved to the North Pole instead of Texas.
2 - My mom. Those of you who know Lori undoubtedly know her sense of humor. The Monday after Christmas, we went skiing with 3 generations of Boyers! It was awesome! Mom was there, plus a bunch of my sibs and their spouses, and Matt, my nephew. I thought it was pretty cool that Matt was skiing with his grandma. Anyway, we were enjoying ourselves on Challenger at Solitude. It's one of the steepest hills I've ever skiied, but it's well-groomed, so you just have to keep your edges and make lots of turns. On about our 3rd time down, Sammie lost his edge in the middle of the hill, fell, and slid and slid and slid, ending up as a crumpled heap at the bottom of Challenger. (I can't remember if it was that run or another one, but as we were at the top he questioned why they would name a ski hill after a space shuttle that blew up.) Anyway, there he was wadded up at the bottom of the hill and I was at the top, wanting to laugh but needing to make sure he was okay first. My Mom, skiing ahead of me, was the first one to him. Upon reaching the prone, lifeless form of my husband, she said, "I guess now's a bad time to tell you that your hat's on inside out."
3 - Martha. (This is for "making" me blog. :]) We've always said that, since the day she was born, Martha has been in charge of the universe. These days, that translates into her being a natural leader and very talented, capable, and intelligent. When she was little, it translated into her being bossy. She could stare a hole through anyone with her dark brown eyes. And she wasn't afraid of telling anyone what was what. For example, we had a family rule that you could only have two rolls at dinner. Martha would count the number of rolls guests took and inform them when they'd had too many. My favorite quote about her, though, comes from a jocular and rotund man in our ward in Toronto, Canada. (Martha was two when we moved there and four when we moved home.) He informed my mom, "Martha is the littlest person that I'm scared of."

Double the Garmin

2008-12-10T16:24:00.003-05:00

In my very first blog post, I mentioned that Sammie is retrieval impaired. He has the very endearing quality of NOT BEING ABLE TO FIND ANYTHING!!!!!!! And that is why Sammie and I have two GPS systems right now. They're almost exactly identical--both Garmins--except one is one month old and the other is one year old. We bought one last year before driving across the country for Christmas. It has become our favorite toy for road trips. It finds us the nearest Maggianos or Chipotle, tells us how far we have to go that day, and takes us to whatever address we plug in. With it, we found the Andersons in Raleigh-Durham, the Dal-Marks in Dallas, the Hou-Marks in Lake Jackson, the McLaughlins in Houston, the Linscotts in St. Louis, and the Powells in Austin.

Alas, last month Sammie took the Garmin with him to Arkansas and, upon his return, couldn't find it. We finally decided it was gone, that we needed to be more careful with it, and that Sammie shouldn't feel too bad about losing it. It could happen to anyone. We also determined that, despite our limited student budget, we should definitely buy a new one before our road trips over Thanksgiving and Christmas. We're happy with our new Garmin and have almost settled on a name for it.

Today, however, I got a phone call from Sammie. He's at school working in his office. He's mostly trying to wrap up the semester, but took a break from academics to call the State College tax office (again) and try to figure out our city taxes (again). He reached in his backpack to pull out his calculator and found... the Garmin!

He called me to tell me the funny news and put me on speaker phone so his office mate could hear me laughing hysterically. I haven't laughed that hard at him since he went to the eye doctor and came home with "nerd robot" sunglasses. He asked me how long until I let him live this down. I responded that we'd be married for eternity... He asked if I was going to make this story a part of the epitaph on his headstone when he dies. I told him that I hope there are very clear road signs to heaven, otherwise he'll never find it.

2008-11-27T22:21:00.012-05:00

New Marketing Survey

OK, thank you very much (all 22 of you) who completed (on very short notice) the last survey I posted here. I have another one and I would very much appreciate it if you all could complete this survey as well. I'll need to type the results on Monday (12/1) -- so please do this one before then if you want your response to count :) It shouldn't take very long, but you'll need to understand the product before completing the survey. And I should forewarn you that some of the questions are a bit long -- please read them carefully and let me know if one of them seems totally whacked to you.

Here is a written description of the product followed by a picture:

Our product, the Recipe Manager, is a device which will allow a cook to work on multiple recipes at the same time as a collective meal as opposed to working on multiple recipes independently of each other. This product fills a key need identified by our market research – time management. The product will be a system into which multiple recipes will be inserted alongside each other and a light will move down the recipes to highlight the step which the cook should work on. A pause button can be used if the cook is slowed down. Each row of the recipe will represent one minute of time. Recipes can either be downloaded from the internet or made with a simple software package. The picture below shows what the top view of the product will look like – arrows explain what each part is/does.

In this survey, you will be asked several questions about the Recipe Manager. Some of the questions refer to the product itself; others refer to situations which this product will make easier.

Click Here to take the survey

Click on the picture to make it bigger.

Once a Utah Mormon...

2008-11-22T21:50:00.003-05:00

I feel really in touch with my Utah roots tonight. Utah Mormon roots, that is. Recently, I bought a wheat grinder attachment for my Bosch Bread Mixer. I have been looking around for some wheat to buy for my food storage and finally found a feed and grain place that sold me 50 pounds for $13.00. So, tonight I ground my food storage wheat into flour and then made whole wheat bread from my Lion House Cookbook. And in the background, Sammie was watching the BYU vs. Utah game.
So when do we change that cliche from "Molly Mormon" to "Melissa Mormon"?
But my Pennsylvania roots are well intact, also. Samme and I are going to eat the whole wheat bread with locally produced honey. (The guys sells it in front of his house. He just puts different containers of honey on a table in front of his house with a jar for money and trusts his customers' honesty.) And we spent the afternoon in Beaver Stadium watching Penn State become the Big 10 Champs! And, in true Penn State Fan style, we watched the game in 30 degree (and dropping), snowy weather.
As I felt the feeling slowly creep back into my toes during the bus ride home, I realized I'm more ready to move to Texas than I thought...

2008-11-21T13:25:00.003-05:00

Now joining the "Dal-Marks" and the "Hou-Marks" - the "Aus-Marks"

Well, it's officially official. I received a great offer from Dell that I couldn’t refuse – so we’re moving to Austin this summer. I’ll be working in Client Field Services – the same team where I interned from May-July. No other news than that. Melba and I are both really excited to be headed back to Austin. Melba insists that I’ll have to start putting all of my musical gear back to good use and get in a band. She is already looking into schools in the area and getting ready to teach. We’ve looked online at houses and Melba has made it a point to get a house with a nice guest room (hint, hint). We’ll post updates on our blog as things develop.

2008-11-05T23:13:00.005-05:00

Phoebe's New Haircut

Melba came home tonight after babysitting for the Smiths. Toni brought home a gift for Phoebe -- a Dog Mullet. I swear to you that Toni is the only human on the planet who brings home gifts like this for the baby sitter.

Oh, and did you all know that Melba got glasses last week?

Marketing Survey

2008-11-03T20:44:00.003-05:00

OK, something about hearing lectures for two weeks about coming up with ideas for new products and how to find out if there is a patent on them made me think that the first deliverable for my marketing class (due tomorrow) would probably be related to coming up with an idea for a new product and find out out if there is a patent on it. But no. I actually have to conduct some market research on a focus group. I mean, it says that clearly in the syllabus -- don't know why I didn't look at that until now. Anyways, enough about me being stupid -- I don't want such things on this blog to begin with. Wait -- I digress here. Seriously, though -- for those of you who are reading this (evening of 11/3), please click the following link and fill out the survey. I need the responses by tomorrow afternoon (around 2pm ET) so i can do the write-up and get it to the professor by the due date. It should take about 5 minutes or less. Thanks-

http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/?p=U2AS6Q539RHJ

Funkweiler vs. the Trick-or-Treaters

2008-10-31T22:21:00.009-04:00

Sammie and I were excited for Hallowe'en this year. Last year was our first time passing out candy to trick or treaters and we thought it was a lot of fun to see the costumes and meet the neighbors. This year, I was soaking in the bathtub as the trick-or-treaters started to ring our doorbell. When I came out of the bathroom, Sammie's Funkweiler gear was suspiciously on the bed with a few key pieces missing. I went downstairs and, sure enough, there was Funkweiler--black afro wig and 70s polyester shirt--passing out candy to trick or treaters. It was fun to open the door and see the look on the kids' faces when they saw Funkweiler. But soon that wasn't enough. He started swinging open the door and yelling "boo!" That got some good scares. But it still wasn't enough. Sammie's creative (perverse?) mind never rests. He'd had enough of treats and decided to try some tricks. The next doorbell ringer was 20-month-old Isabel from our ward, with her parents, our good friends, Adam and Lauren. Funkweiler swung the door open and waited for Isabel to say "Trick or Treat!" When she finally did, after a few false starts and much prompting from her parents, Funkweiler pulled the water bottle from behind his back and sprayed it in Adam's face, yelling "Trick!" All three trick-or-treaters collapsed, two in laughter, one in tears.
Adam didn't cry for long, though.

2008-09-16T21:41:00.005-04:00

My Crazy Wife

After laughing hysterically at this video, my wife went out with the Relief Society President and then sent her this email:

BYU went up in the rankings from 18 to 14. Sammie's ecstatic!

I told him about the Smiths moving and he was most unhappy. He was wondering if we were going to call him as the new RS Secretary. I told him probably not.

Thanks again for the meeting tonight. I'll e-mail you tomorrow.

Love you,

Melba

Birthday, Boyers in the 'Banx, and Ben Hur

2008-08-29T09:08:00.004-04:00

After ending our Texas summer with a bang, we're back in State College trying to stay in the same city for more than a week at a time. Sammie's last day of work at Dell was on August 1, which is also his birthday. Now, I DIDN'T forget Sammie's birthday. I had asked him weeks before what he wanted and bought him plane tickets to Utah in September to watch BYU/UCLA with his Dad. But, I woke up that morning with a lot on my mind! We had to get Phoebe to the vet, pack up the apartment, clean the apartment, load the car, and drive to Dallas that evening. Sammie's subtle reminders of his special day (jumping on the bed, the wide goofy grin on his face) failed to jog my memory. It wasn't until I was signing Phoebe into the vet and the desk attendant said, "It's August 1st" that it hit me. The whole waiting room heard me gasp and watched me look at Sammie in horror. He thought it was hysterically funny... and will never let me forget it.

The second week of August found us in one big beach house on the Outer Banks with the entire Boyer family - 2 parents, 8 "original" kids, 6 spouses, 5 granddaughters, and 3 grandsons. It was a blast! Having the entire family together is magical. There's nothing like it and more than once during the week, I decided that it was like Heaven. Here's a picture of us in our "Boyers at the Banx" t-shirts.

(Funny story. As we were taking the picture, a car drove by and stopped to stare at us. We realized that the camera was behind a large plant where they couldn't see it, so it looked like we all put on matching t-shirts, lined ourselves up on the front porch, and stood there smiling.)

Sammie's back at school, feeling "big and bad" cuz he's not only a 2nd year, but had a coveted Dell internship and has an even more coveted job offer from them. He says it's fun to see the 1st years try to ask him about Dell without looking too eager. He and his buddy Paul are coordinating a "Champions League" to help the 1st years with their resume, interviewing skills, and job search.

I finished my 2nd day of teaching at Juniata yesterday, and feel like myself again. I forgot how much I love teaching. I also forgot, though, how tiring it is to teach 3 80-minute classes in one day. (How do you high school teachers do it? And you do it 5 days a week while I do only 2!) Yesterday evening, Sammie was at a "Champions League" event at school, so I flopped down on the couch with my laptop intending to do some work. As I flipped through the cable guide to find some background entertainment, I saw that Ben Hur was playing. It's been about 2 1/2 decades since I saw it, so I decided to have it on while I worked. Well, so much for working. I was absolutely entranced. What a great show! I love the panoramic view it gives of the Roman Empire. The Christian message in it was wonderfully profound--a movie with not just a "good message," but with THE good message! The characters are fully-rounded, complex, and moral (although I remember when I was little thinking that Judah and Esther were naughty for kissing so much before they were married). And speaking of kissing--romantic fervor isn't expressed by open mouths, tongues, and groping, but by how high on the e-string the violins are playing and the intensity of the bow stroke. Okay, okay, so the soundtrack may need updating, but the movie is magnificent. If you haven't seen it in a while, log on to Netflix, go to blockbuster, or sign up for cable and watch it!

2008-08-05T09:53:00.004-04:00

We're Home

We got in late last night and all is well here in PA. My boss gave me Friday (Aug 1st) off as a 'birthday present.' I think it had more to do with that being the last day of my internship and there was literally NOTHING for me to do. Anyways, Melba took me to a nice birthday lunch at Macaroni Grill (they gave me a free piece of birthday cake), then we went home and packed and snacked on another piece of cake that Melba had bought for me (thank you, Melba) and then hit the road to Dallas. We stayed with the Dal-Marks -- always fun to see them and Laura had made a birthday cake for me (thanks, Laura). We left early Saturday morning and drove all day to St. Louis and stayed with the Linscotts -- spent Sunday with them (Thank you Carrie for the birthday cake) and then left Monday morning. We drove 15 1/2 hours yesterday and got home around 11:30pm. It was nice to be home. We'll post more details sometime later.

Here's something funny from the trip (since I know that's why you all come to this blog): Saturday night I woke up and realized we left something in Round Rock. I didn't mean to bring it, I meant to throw it away -- we had to leave the apartment empty to keep from getting fined for anything that was left. I called my good friend Brandon (Dell Intern from Duke) who lived at the same building as us and would be there for the next week.

"Brandon, I need a HUGE favor."

"Sure, whatever you need -- what's up?"

"Brandon, I left a small trash can on my porch that we used for bags of poop after walking Phoebe. Can you go throw it away for me -- PLEASE?"

Let's just say, I owe Brandon several favors now. Trash cans full of poop sitting out in the Texas heat make quite an odoriferous combination..........

Camp Anderson

2008-06-25T00:49:00.005-04:00

I just returned from a week at Girls’ Camp with my Stake in Pennsylvania. When my good friends, Toni and Bekah, were called to be the Stake Directors, I was bummed that I would be in Texas all summer and wouldn’t be able to go with them. So when someone approached me and asked me to cook, I couldn’t resist. My friend Stephanie, who cooked at girls’ camp the last two years and is amazing and helped me prepare, told me I would feel like I climbed Mt. Everest when it was over. She was right! It was totally physically tiring, but exhilarating to accomplish.

Below are some lessons I learned along the way.

1. IF YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING, MAKE SURE YOU HAVE AN ASSISTANT COOK THAT DOES!!! I originally thought I would do all the food by myself, with Stephanie and other camp leaders lending a hand when they could. Stephanie was wonderful at helping me to prepare, but I couldn’t have done it without Suzette, my full-time helper. She’s done this a million times and was absolutely awesome! I kept telling her all week that I wouldn’t have gotten out of the grocery store if it weren’t for her. By the end of the week, she even let me call her Zettie.

2. Token Priesthood Holders (Men) are great help in the kitchen. Brother Brant manned the grill every morning and President Roming chopped watermelon or did whatever else needed to be done. Some mornings, they were in the kitchen before Zettie and I were.

3. Go SIMPLE and cook recipes you’ve already made and know how to do. And remember that cooking times are longer for the big recipes. I made my family’s favorite Frito casserole one night. I’ve made it tons of times, but since I multiplied the recipe by 12, cooking took longer.

4. Teenage girls like green peppers. Who knew?

5. The night the girls cook tin foil dinners over the fire is a good night for the leaders to get take out from a local favorite BBQ place. (Toni’s idea was to wrap up one of the BBQ pork sandwiches in tin foil, pull it out of the fire, and say, “Hey! Look how mine turned out!” We didn’t think the girls would laugh very hard, though, so we didn’t do it.)

6. Keep a supply of “contraband” in the fridge--Diet Pepsi, extra cookies, ice cream, and, of course, the leftover BBQ--etc. for the leaders.

7. “Shoe String” potatoes are not hash brown. They’re French fries.

8. Teenage girls think it’s super cool to be served French fries for breakfast.

9. French Toast cooks up quickly. If you need a morning to sleep a little later, opt for French Toast.

10. Campers and other camp leaders willingly pamper the cooks. Zettie and I had 35 minutes on Thurs. afternoon before we had to help the girls put together tin foil dinners. It was the first free 35 minutes we had had all day. My feet were killing me, so we decided to soak our feet. We grabbed the buckets that the girls use to wash their dishes (they weren’t so thrilled with us when they recognized the buckets) and sat out on the patio with our feet in warm water. At the end of the 35 minutes, we had a sign that said, “M&Z Spa,” a plentiful supply of Almond Joy, Chocolate Candy, and Good & Plenty, a girl to change our water when it cooled off, another girl giving us shoulder rubs, and another girl making us tie-dyed t-shirts. Camp goes well when the cooks are happy…

11. At Stephanie’s home, passing gas is another way of saying, “I love you.” We all agreed not to let our own families in on this, for fear that they would tell us they love us.

12. The cooks’ bedroom, off the main room of the lodge, is not soundproof, especially during testimony meetings. No, I wasn’t “telling anyone I loved them.” I was singing silly songs to Chase, Bekah’s baby, to make him laugh. I made a few other people laugh, too.

So, girls’ camp is supposed to be for the girls, but the leaders have a pretty dang good time, too. Thanks Zetti, Toni, Bekah, Kelli, Cynthia, Greg, Pete, Stephanie, Katherine, Becky, Dawn, Melissa (the great), Ashley, Megan, Meagan, and all the wonderful girls!

PS - Check my recipe blog for camp recipes.

June 23's edition of "Why My Husband is a Poopoohead"

2008-06-23T18:58:00.001-04:00

Before I left for PA, I told him that I was leaving clothes in the dryer because they wouldn't be dry in time for me to get them out and fold them. He responded by saying, "I'm sure they'll still be there when you get back." I laughed. It was funny. A clever joke.
Or so I thought.
Today, I go to do laundry, open the dryer, and, sure enough, there are the clothes still there for me, now that I'm back. Just like my husband, the Poopoohead, said.

And that is today's reason why my husband is a Poopoohead.

Big Trouble, Little China: Big Stupidity, Little Merit

2008-06-09T23:00:00.003-04:00

I need a guy's help. I don't get my husband right now. He's sitting on the couch, as I type this, eating a bowl of ice cream. That's pretty typical. But he's watching Big Trouble in Little China. And ENJOYING it! This is a movie with the stupidest plot on record and lines like, "Are you ready?" (As Kurt Russell and his side kick rush in to save the girl.) "I was born ready." What?!?
I don't understand how Sammie is enjoying this. This is my film-school graduate, worked on movie sets and in the Technicolor film lab, loves to hate stupid movies, cinema snob husband Sammie. Is it a guy thing? Someone help me. After almost three years of marriage, I thought I knew this guy...

Oh. And I should add that we OWN the copy of the movie he's watching.

My universe just turned upside down.

Chihuahua?

2008-06-07T21:12:00.003-04:00

We think we figured out Phoebe's other half. We know she's part Corgi, but have been pretty certain she's not a thoroughbred. The other night we went to see the new Narnia movie (FABULOUS! by the way) and, to our horror, made the discovery. Check out this movie trailer and see if you agree...

(Sorry to make you sit through that, I know it's painful.)

Just so you have a reference, here are some pictures I posted of Phoebes.

Adventures in Houston

2008-06-01T21:29:00.005-04:00

This weekend was filled with adventures and memorable moments. Perhaps Jacob, our nephew, summed it up the best in his prayer on breakfast this morning, "We've had a lot of fun with Uncle Dammie and Aunt Melissa and Phoebe's a really cute dog!" Sammie's older brother Dave lives with his wife Carolyn and their 4.5 kids in Lake Jackson, just south of Houston. We traveled through pretty back roads on Friday afternoon, arriving at their beautiful brick home in time for smoked ribs and grilled vegetables. (HOW COME NOBODY HAS EVER INTRODUCED ME TO GRILLED CORN?! I'VE HAD A DEPRIVED LIFE UNTIL NOW!) The next morning, "Dammie" and I went to the Houston temple and then drove by Clear Lake, where Sammie grew up. We parked in front of his old house, walked around the back to see the gazebo and deck he helped build with his Dad, brothers, and Todd (the carpenter they hired to do the job) and gazed into the bayou where Sammie used to see alligators and water moccasins. He also drove me by the KFC where he used to work, his junior high, his high school, and the parking garage where he and his friends rappelled down the side. That evening included swimming, meeting Aunt Mary, Cuban sandwiches, strawberry shortcake, and the Far Side movies. (Yes Boyers! They exist!) This morning, we went to the Brazosport ward to check out the rumors of a new bishop in town. Indeed, Dave had been made bishop the week before. Sammie celebrated this important milestone in his brother's life by making faces at him from the audience. We were also there for Carolyn's first Sunday School lesson. I think she's relieved to trade in her 6:00 a.m. seminary kids for a room full of adults once a week. She began the lesson by saying, "I taught seminary all year. So when I ask a question, keep in mind that I'm not scared of silence!"
This picture was taken as Sammie and I tried to watch the kids while Dave set Carolyn apart for her new calling. Sammie ended up as a jungle gym... Will's on his head, Jacob's on his right foot, and Matt's on his left.Sammie's greatest church adventure, though, involved taking Jacob to the boy's room. When Jacob asked Sammie to take him, he assured him that it was only #1. Carolyn said he'd only need help washing his hands. All the way down the hall, Jacob chanted, #1! #1! #1! However, as he pushed open the bathroom door, he smiled up at Sammie and chanted, #2! Let's just say Sammie took another important step towards fatherhood today.
After a yummy crepe lunch, some coloring, and a walk around the block with Phoebe, we said our goodbyes and made our way back to Austin. Thanks Dave, Carolyn, Will, Matt, Melanie, and JJ! We love you!

So Where Are You Guys From?

2008-05-26T23:46:00.003-04:00

It's an easy enough question, usually, and a very popular conversation starter. But this weekend, it was too confusing for Sammie and me to answer. A year ago we moved from Va to Pa and a week ago, we moved to Austin, Tx for the summer. This weekend, we were in El Paso for a wedding of friends we had in Virginia. So, when anyone asked us where we were from, and how we knew the bride and groom, it was difficult to back track and get to a semi-coherent answer.
It was a beautiful wedding and one of the best days we've had in a long time. I like to tease Jesse and Echo (bride and groom) that they are Ken and Barbie. When I was a little girl, my sisters and I loved to play Barbie and especially loved to plan and execute Barbie and Ken's wedding. Well, Saturday I saw Barbie and Ken get married and it was more beautiful than anything I ever imagined as a little girl. Sammie would say that Barbie could have found a better Ken. (He and Jesse have that kind of relationship.) But I think I'm proof of the miracles that a fabulous woman can do with her husband. :)
Maybe Sammie (who was the wedding photographer) will let me post a picture of them on this blog. In the meantime, here's a video that Jennie (my baby sis) took of Sammie and Jesse playing in their band, Barefoot. We uploaded the clip to youtube.

I Have a Feeling We're Not in Pennsylvania Anymore, Phoebe

2008-05-18T15:02:00.005-04:00

If Sammie's mileage countdown across the country ("52 more miles to Texas... 48 more miles to Texas...") had somehow failed to tip me off that I was in Texas, the following 2 clues would have surely given it away. At our hotel in Dallas, I made a Belgian Waffle for Breakfast (I think I blogged about this when we drove home for Christmas). Texas has special waffle irons, though. The waffles come out in, yes, the shape of the state of Texas. Then, yesterday morning, Phoebe and I went on an exploring walk. We found lots of cool places by our apartment and lots of fire ants found us. When I got home, shaking fire pants out of my pant legs and socks, Sammie said, "Welcome to Texas, Melba!"

We had a wonderful trip across the country and got to see lots of friends: The Choates and the Kidds in VA, the Andersons in NC (who showed us around the Duke campus), and the Markhams in Dallas (we got to see Ella's kindergarten graduation!). Highlights of the trip also included the monsoon we drove through in Mississippi, leaving my purse at Jonas and Rachel's in North Carolina, and the absolute jitters we both had as we drove into Austin.

We have a nice apartment, very close to Dell and lots of shopping. We miss State College, though. We knew we loved it there, but we didn't realize how much until leaving. We'll see all you Penn Staters in the Fall!

2008-05-11T15:42:00.004-04:00

Feeling Lucky?

Melba and I took Phoebe on a walk today and as we were finishing I decided to look for 4-leaf clovers. Melba kinda mocked me -- so I reminded her of the time when I once found 3 three 4-leaf clovers in one day. She walked a little bit further ahead, and then in no-time I saw her pick a clover from the ground and start walking to me.

"Did you find one?" I asked.

"No, not really. Look."

Then she showed something that isn't a 4-leaf clover.

There are 5 leaves here. Four symmetrical ones, with a fifth leaf growing above them. Crazy. (The clover is a little bit mangled, and it wilted a little bit by the time we got home to take the picture, but I assure you -- it is for real.) I kept looking for a little bit longer until I found a 4-leafer. I decided that it would take too long to try and out-do Melba........