What's more important?

First of all, happy birthday to Michelle. I'm sure Mom will call to say hi, and I'll try and get in on that call. We love you and are very proud of the great job you're doing with Brooke and Bryan. And Jared.

On another more Trina-related topic, you're wrong. We will not be ignoring this riveting turn of events in our nation's history while at Disneyland. We will be discussing potential Supreme Court nominees while waiting in line for the Peter Pan ride and will be debating the legacy of Justice O'Connor while spinning around in the teacups.

Most importantly, we will be strengthening our family bonds and enjoying our time together. And when you think about it, this is actually one of the most important things we could be doing with our time. The Supreme Court will eventually pass away but our family is forever.

Oh, and I'm very excited for this fantastic opportunity for Adam. An insane amount of hard work and long hours is a great opportunity for growth. We're very proud of both of you.

Just remember, just because we're not as involved as you are in the machinations of the federal government, doesn't mean our lives are meaningless. The beauty of our country is that we can pursue our own interests. And some of us (not me, but some of us) are not that interested in government.

Happy Birthday Michelle!

Happy birthday Michelle!

We'll be out most of the afternoon but should be home later this evening, if anyone wants to call. I'm taking her out to lunch, and then we're all going to her sister's for cake and ice cream.

the circus has come to town

Well, if you're anywhere near any news today, you should have seen by now that there is indeed a Supreme Court resignation this session - Sandra Day O'Connor, who was speculated about but not the lead "candidate" for resignation (that was Rhenquist because he has cancer but he seems to be sticking it out). Maybe this is something that you can ignore while you fritter away your days at Disneyland, but it's a rather drastic change for us because yes indeed, this is Adam's internship. He is interning for the Nominations unit of the Senate Judiciary Committee, which is THE group of people who will hold hours of hearings and vote to confirm whomever President Bush nominates.

So now I become the Accommodating Little Wifey and not insist that he come to Seattle with me, and take him food and go pick him up when he works until midnight. Summer classes end next week so he can put in a 3rd day per week on the Hill (he still has to work and do his thesis the rest of the week), and he checked his fall class schedule earlier today. He can continue working with the committee clear through graduation, because his classes are all Tues/Thurs. *sigh* I suppose this is the warm-up for the rest of my life, especially while he's in law school and when he's working in some ritzy slave-driver law firm for 5 or 10 years after that to get all the loans paid off.

The next week will be quiet because Bush did not name a nominee today - his press people say that he'll be reading through various profiles over the next week to choose someone. Bush is going to Europe for a multi-country leadership meeting until Fri. July 8, so I would guess that we'll get a name on Mon. July 11. THEN Congress will have officially stolen my husband. If the name is announced on Fri. the 8th, Adam is still going to Palmyra with Jori and me if I have to go to the Capitol and physically remove him from the building. He works there for FREE. They do NOT get his weekends and they are NOT ruining our trip to the Sacred Grove and Hill Cumorah. That is the end of Accommodating Little Wifey.

A day of rest and laundry

Hi kids,

It's Friday, today and we're taking a day off to rest here at Cheryl's and to do our laundry and such. We've taken over 100 pictures so far and I'll choose the best of those to put on my page when I get home. We're having a fun and relaxing vacation. We've spaced our visits to the various parks so we don't get worn out. Tomorrow we're visiting with your Uncle Gary and we'll spend Sunday at Eric's. Then on Monday we'll have our first Disney day. What a way to spend my birthday. It sounds like Trina will be having an exciting 4th of July and Eric will be with us, I'm not sure what Jared or Tawnia or Nathan have planned.

Emily and Mindy have done a pretty good job of keeping you up to date on our adventures. Mindy didn't mention that we learned that we don't like wooden roller-coasters; too shaky. I just wanted you to know that we're thinking about all of you and love hearing about your adventures, too.

Love ya,
MOM

Knott's Berry Farm

Yesterday we went to Knott's Berry Farm. To start off, Dad, Gary, Sarah, Tiffany and me (Mindy) went on a ride called the Silver Bullet. We were very excited, since we hadn't been on rollercoasters in a while (especially me, considering I hadn't been anywhere since Disneyland 10 years ago). This probably wasn't the best ride to start off on, since it had multiple upside-downs. Going upside-down isn't a bad thing, except that it was twisting and stuff at the same time .. Dad came off of it awfully sick, and me a bit sick. Neither of us got really sick though, so no messes to clean up, and by lunch time we were both feeling better. We went on a wussy "coal train" ride .. no speed at all, no drops, just boring ... and then the log ride. It's kinda like Splash Mountain, only more bumpy during the "slow" parts, and a shorter drop at the end. Fun though. I ended up going on the "Xcelerator" with Cheryl, Sarah, Gary, and Tiffany .. SUPER fast ride right from the start, up a HUGE peak, and then straight down the other side, around the track a few other turns, and you're done before you realize it. But it was cool, and very impressive to see how high I'd been. We went on the Carousel, Mexican Hats (like the teacups), and the DragonBoat Swing before we headed to lunch .. and had to wait a REALLLY long time for that. The food was tasty though, and it gave us more energy for afterwords. Then Bumper Cars, and Big Foot Rapids (twice). Gary, Sarah, and Tiffany went off and did other stuff while the rest of us went and saw "Snoopy's Summer Vacation on Ice" .. fun music, good skaters .. nice break from all the walking and walking and walking. By this time I realized I was getting sunburnt, but it was too late to do anything about it. I had already put sunblock on my face, and I still came out of the park looking like a tomato. Oh well. After that I went on the Perilous Plunge with Gary, Sarah, and Tiffany .. go up, small turn, and head straight back down, into a huge pool of water .. so you can get soaking wet, and splash everyone that's standing on the bridge. I was wet for most of the evening after. Ummmm .. and I went on a few other rides again, but those were the exciting ones. It was fun. We had a good time, and slept wonderfully once we got home. I'm sunburnt, but I'm hoping it mostly goes away by Monday (California Adventure day) so I won't look so red in all of those pictures too.

Jared's new home

Everyone should have my new address and phone number by now. If you didn't get the email... email me or ask someone who did get it.

Grrr

I've even been looking for "Pollyanna" I need to read it because it's part of the curriculum for next year... Yes Mindy, PLEASE bring it back to me!

Anyway, I'm busy looking for apartments. Hopefully I'll have something found by tonight.
Love,
T

another parade

Okay, so Adam and I were the Grand Marshals in the Magic Kingdom parade at Disney World. Now we're going to be in the Independence Day parade that goes right through the middle of Washington DC. No, we're not Grand Marshals or anything like that. We're volunteers, part of the 25 people it will take to navigate the Clifford the Big Red Dog balloon. I have no idea what Clifford and Woody Woodpecker have to do with Independence Day - seems completely out of place in the middle of all the military bands and billions of flags and floats with Abraham Lincoln impersonators on them, but whatever. It will be fun to be in the parade.

We'll be down on the Mall ALL DAY - we have to be there at 8:30 to inflate the balloon, even though the parade doesn't start until noon. We're about a third down the line-up but I'd bet we won't start marching until closer to 1. Then we have to deflate the balloon ... There's a concert at the Washington Monument at 4, the Air Force Band performs at the Air and Space Museum at 6, and the fireworks will start around 8:30 or 9. I have no idea what we'll eat all day, or what we'll sit on when we're dead on our feet ... we may end up skipping the concerts and going home to eat a real meal before making a decision to go back out into the crowds to watch the fireworks.

We are now in California

Here's the basic outline of our trip so far, from my perspective (this is Emily):

Friday: We drove from Oregon to Provo, Utah. I lost my voice.
Saturday: I hung out at Tawnia's apartment with Amy, and we went to a bookstore. I got a new Star Wars novel. In the evening, we went to the Manti Pageant. It was great, at least what we saw of it. They ended the show about fifteen minutes early due to a storm. They made an announcement: "Ladies and gentlemen, we are sorry but . . ." I'm not sure what was said next, because the thunder drowned it out, but by then everyone was running to their cars.
Sunday: We drove from Salina to Zion, stopping in Koosheram; Mom got some pictures of gravestones. Our great-grandparents were among the first settlers there.
Monday: We toured Zion, taking a bus into the canyon. I found the geology fascinating, because I did just finish taking a geology class. The sandstone cliffs tower three thousand feet above the canyon. We went on the shortest hikes in the park, and in the evening, a ranger told us about the various animals. We did see deer, squirrels, a snake, lots of birds including wild turkeys, and a couple of fish.
Tuesday: We had not planned to leave early, but the thunder woke us up. We'd just gotten the van loaded when it started raining. We ended up eating breakfast near St. George and drove to Las Vegas. I spent most of the afternoon with my nose in a book.
Wednesday: We left Las Vegas around noon and drove to California. We're now at Aunt Cheryl's. Tomorrow: Knotts Berry Farm.

Love,
Emily

Van Gogh

Hey Eric and/or Laurel-

When is Van Gogh day? I have to teach my students art and one of the artists we cover is Van Gogh. Any fun info you want to send me about him, or good websites to go to, would also be appreciated.

-T

Mindy's News

Well, being that Mindy won't be posting for awhile I figured that I am allowed to write and tell everyone! Mindy interviewed for a T.A. position at my school while she was here on Saturday. She was supposed to hear back on Monday... and she didn't and she didn't hear back yesterday either. I was getting a little frustrated because I wanted to know, and because it changes my housing options if she is coming. So anyway, she finally got a phone call this morning and YES she got the job! Yippee! I was very excited to hear that. The reason she hadn't heard... the principal's grandsons had hidden the paper with her phone number written on it. (He has two-year old twin grandsons who are very cute.) So now I have the adventure of trying to find housing. I know where I want to live... it's just whether apartments are available there or not... and if not, I'll find something somewhere else.

Oh, and the travelers spent last night in Las Vegas at Jenny and Ben's. I think they will be leaving for Eric's today?? They were still in Vegas when Mindy called me at 11 a.m. PST. So now you know where they are.

Love,
T

well, okay

Okay, so it's not THAT bad. Mom and Dad did leave a message for Adam's birthday on Saturday. We were at a friend's house for a BBQ. And the 4 girls were all together that afternoon before going to the Manti pageant, and they made a group call to Adam for his birthday too. That was very cool - we both appreciated it. AND Nathan and Amanda's message on my cell phone was very fun (but we got no reception at the BBQ - that house is in some weird dead zone for all cell phones.) AND Brooke and Bryan sang to him when I called them about some stuff. Eric didn't call Adam, but he sent a very hilarious card that is now displayed on top of the TV.

But even with all that, we have no idea where the vacationers are or when they're expected in California. As they wander the West Coast, I am still sitting at my desk at work. And today, Adam is at the Capitol. Still no statements of resignation from the Supreme Court, and looking less likely by the day, so his internship is looking to be more quiet than anticipated. I do wish many adventures for him and that would have been a great opportunity, so I'm kinda disappointed. But the other part of me is NOT disappointed because if it's quiet all summer on the Hill, then he will be able to come with me the whole time I'm in Seattle. That's a good thing.

from Jared

Actually, I talked to Mom and Dad on Saturday, while they were in Manti. So I guess you really are the one left out, Trina. Sorry. I know how that is. Just so you all know, I do have a new address now, and I'll email it to you once I have a phone number to go with it. We're planning on setting that up tomorrow. There's still quite a bit of stuff we need to do to get ready for this move. In case you don't know, we'll get all our stuff packed up on the 5th and we'll drive to Houston on the 6th. We'll be here at our old address and phone number (feel free to call me) until then.

how nice for you

That's very lovely that you, Eric and Tawnia, are hearing from the travelers so frequently. Nice to know they talk to SOMEONE. But not me. I'm not bitter or anything ... (No, really, I'm not - just being a snarky brat because I'm semi-crabby.) I went to a meeting IN the Capitol building today. They're all usually in the office buildings across the street - the House and Senate each have 3 buildings that are connected underground. Anyway, this meeting was with the Minority Leader of the House, and it was IN the Capitol. Still with staff (I've been to plenty of meetings, but never met any members of Congress), but I thought the building change was cool. Adam has 3 more class days after today, which is a good thing. His stress level is through the roof. It will be nice when his schedule is ONLY work, internship, calling, and thesis first draft ... instead of all that, plus 3 classes and all the homework (tons and tons of reading). And we're also starting to look at law schools now because he got his LSAT score on Monday - a 162. Decent, but he was hoping for a 165-170. He still has a good shot at getting into Georgetown Law, but it's not a guarantee like a higher score would have made.

News from Eric

Good afternoon everyone!

I too have heard from the road company of Insanity Inc. They're slowly but surely moving our direction. I understand that they'll be staying in Vegas with Jenny ... tonight I think. By the way, after watching the news this morning it's a good thing their campfire didn't have a fire. The wildfires in Utah are bad this year.

Happy anniversary to Trina and Adam, and to Nathan and Amanda. It's hard to believe it's been so long since your weddings.

It's been a busy couple of weeks (with more to come). Laurel's brother had barely left when her parents came. They spent the weekend at our place before heading up to Northern California. We went to the Getty on Saturday, and then drove all the way down to the San Diego temple so Kendall could take pictures of it as the sun set. It was a long day, but a lot of fun. I had fun at the Getty telling Lance (3 years old) to get into other people's pictures. Everybody loved him of course.

This week we're going to start house-sitting for a friend. The cool thing is, there's a sweet pool in the back yard, and plenty of room in the house, so the fam will be living large for the handful of days they're down here.

In other news, I'm working like a madman. I'm pounding this out on my lunch hour, but the rest of the time I'm working long hours and working at getting a big class finished (as well as delivering the occassional class). Last week I felt like I never got a good night's sleep, but this week I've done better at getting to bed early enough.

Laurel's next appointment is July 5th. She's doing great, gaining the right amount of weight and growing the right size. It seems like she grew a LOT over the last week. I worked a couple of late nights and then when I saw her again she was much bigger. Even she noticed. I can feel Stevie kick when Laurel hugs me sometimes.

That's all for now. I love you all.

Eric

An Update and "the word"

Okay, so after you type in your title, don't press enter, or it will post just that and then you have to go back in and edit your post.

Just an update on the road tripsters, since they like to call me and let me know what they are doing. Something about free minutes between my cell phone and theirs. Yesterday they spent at Zion's national park. I guess they have a free shuttle that takes you from place to place, then you can get out and go hiking. They camped there last night and I know that they went to the "campfire" (only Dad said there wasn't an actual fire there.)

The word of the day is... macaroni. I remember when Mom would make real macaroni with cheese and ham. That was one of my favorite meals. And sometimes she would put in tomato sauce and hot dogs and called it noodle surprise... surprise no noodles!

Love,
T

HANAA, HBA, etc.

Happy Anniversary, Nathan And Amanda (HANAA); Happy Birthday Adam (HBA)

Well, I'm back to coming to the library and getting ready to teach fourth grade. Whoopee. I had an enjoyable time at home. The beach was very windy... the home cooking was fabulous and the company was good too. Now I have a closet packed FULL of stuff for teaching school next year and I'm still not sure where I'll be living this fall. I'm waiting to find out whether or not Mindy got the TA job. If she did I will live with her... if not, I'll live with my current roommates.

Anyway, I have a lot of work to do and so little time to do it... and yet no time frame. I'm feeling overwhelmed and yet rather underwhelmed at the same time. Strange, I know.

I hope everything is going well for everyone.
Love,
T

rrrrrroad trip!

Adam and I, in a spur of the moment decision, are going to the Hill Cumorah Pageant in 2 weeks. I called the Palmyra Temple this morning to reserve seats in the endowment sessions - I said that I didn't care what time, but I needed 4 seats. We got the LAST block of 4 in the whole day. Good thing I called at 8:30 this morning! The idea has been floating around in the back of my head since I moved here to DC because Palmyra is 7 hours away - decent for a long weekend trip. We watched the new First Vision DVD in Sunday School yesterday, and that really brought the idea to the surface. So we checked when the pageant is and we were already taking Monday the 11th off work anyway ... so we're going. YAY!

In other good news, we have broken the Curse of Three. Since we changed our temple attendance goal from monthly to weekly, we've only made it 3 weeks in a row and then we miss one. This last week, we finally made it to 4, and we have plans for the next 3 weeks so it will be at least 7. This coming Saturday is ward temple night, then we'll be in Palmyra and we have to do a session in DC that week as well because Jori is coming from Oregon (she's going to NY with us), and the week after that a recently-baptized sister in our ward is going through the temple. Then we can do an 8th week before the summer closure. After that, we'll be back on to see if we can break the streak of 8.

HAN!

"I'd rather kiss a wookiee."

"I can arrange that! He could use a good kiss!"

Happy Birthday (yesterday) Adam!!!

I meant to post this yesterday, but every time I remembered I was away from the computer. So... Happy BIrthday Adam!!! I hope that you did something fun and exciting. We went out to eat yesterday, but not for your birthday, for our anniversary. Then we went and got Cold Stone ice cream. Then we watched High Crimes.

Nathan

new house

Jared, that's very cool that you have a new job and found a new house too. What's your new house like? What's your new job? When are you moving and starting work?

Eric and Laurel, we got your birthday card for Adam - that was very awesome of you to remember. The card definitely made us laugh. "True love" with a picture of Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez ... Pfff! You should have put a picture of President and Sister Hinckley - THAT is the kind of true love we're working for! But then, that wouldn't have been funny because it would have been for real. But anyway - it was really cool.

Happy anniversary a couple of days early, Nathan and Amanda! That's so cool that we made it through this first year that everyone said would be the "adjustment" phase and soooooooo hard. I don't know what they're talkin' about, and I suspect that you don't either. Being married is the most awesome thing EVER, and I'm happy that you're happy. And I'm happy that you're moving too, to a new job for Amanda and a new house that you STILL don't have to pay for (how do you do this?) and more school for Nathan.

I won't put in notes for Mom and Dad or the girls, since they're all on the road for the next few days. Bleh for them. I wish I were on vacation.

Jared is back

But I'm sure none of you even knew I was gone. I spent the last three days in Houston and found us a new home.

I usually cut my own hair, except when I need to find a new job or something like that.

my hair

I'd like to get a haircut, that lends itself to the curliness in my hair, so I can just put gel in and go .. cuz at this point, it's just annoying if I don't straighten it or put it up somehow, and straightening it takes a while, but it's pretty that way, so I usually end up putting it up. I have fun with it though. I agree with Mom - burning hair stinks. Nathan lit my hair on fire before, when he was playing with a lighter. Nothing permanent happened to it though, luckily, and it was only a little bit.

Today we went to Lincoln City outlet mall, and bought lots of clothes. It was fun. But now we're all tired, and we still need to get everything ready for our vacation tomorrow.

haircuts & more

I have a new toy. My boss at work gave me a laptop that I get to keep until I graduate in Dec. I think that's kinda cool. I get the laptop b/c I'm getting kicked out of my cubicle b/c of reshuffling of other people. So I get a laptop (3 years old) w/ a wireless connection that I get to do whatever I want with, as long as I work when I'm suppose to. I like that. At the moment, I'm in class listening to a lecture while writing this post.

As for my hair, Trina does an excellent job of it. She does a much better job than my mom did.

Adam

haircuts

Adam needs one. I'd like one. I always cut Adam's hair. I didn't do very good the first couple of times, but I'm figuring it out and he's VERY patient when it doesn't look right or when I cut it too short. He will get a professional cut when he starts law school or whenever he has any interviews with a law firm because I don't trust myself that much. Last time I had a haircut was last October. It was supposed to be like I had it Spring 2003 (see the "pastel spring 2003" pictures on the BBC page - THAT cut) but the stupid hair cutter person didn't cut the sides short enough and there are no layers. It's the "all one length with bangs" type of thing to my shoulders like it was when I went to Western. I pull the front into a barrette because my bangs are all different lengths, and put it in a ponytail when I'm at home.

I have hair

Most of my hair is on my head. It's short and curly. But then you already knew that. Once, when I was little, I accidentally burned my hair. It really stinks when you do that. I got too close to the stove. I think it may have happened more than once, but I always had long hair until I was a teenager. My dad loved long hair and didn't like us to get it cut. When I was 13, I got it cut, after that I would let it grow out and cut it off then do it all over again. For the past 30 years or so it's always been fairly short. So now you know even more about my hair.


I am tired today. We're getting ready for vacation. We went shopping for food and other stuff that we need for our trip. Tomorrow we'll go shopping for clothes and to the beach in Lincoln City. We also have company coming. Lori Paton called me this afternoon and said they would like to stop by tomorrow on their way north. It's a good thing they're coming in tomorrow because we won't be here on Friday. We haven't seen them in 5 years or so.

Hair

Well... so I've been wanting a haircut for awhile... so today I went over to Deb's and she cut off ten inches so I could donate it to Locks of Love. Man is it SHORT! It's very weird and is going to take some getting used too.

I also closed my account at PTCU. I still remember the first bank account I ever had... it was there and it was when I had my newspaper route that I shared with Jared.

So I am sad that we haven't had a "word of the day" since HAT. So I am declaring that today's word is hair.

Okay, so start posting people!
Love,
T

Boxes

Well, I've been going through boxes and boxes of all my stuff and trying to narrow things down, A LOT. I am leaving all my kitchen stuff here. I'll probably take it with me next summer when I come down for the reunion. Maybe I'll be moving into a house and I'll actually need some of those items. For now I'm mainly taking books and the notes from all my education classes.

I should take this opportunity to write about "the special things I did with my Dad." One of my favorite Dad memories is when I moved back to Logan after having just bought my car about three months previously. Dad decided to drive down with me, since I had NO previous free-way driving experience. I remember talking to him about everything and I got the entire dating/engagement story from Dad's perspective, with details that I don't think I'd heard before.

Another thing I like to do with Dad is watch him laugh. His laugh is usually silent... he turns red and shakes a lot. One time I remember he was laughing so hard at something someone had said or done at the dinner table, that he fell off his chair.

Some other things I remember doing with Dad -- putting a new roof on our house, eating breakfast on Saturday mornings, talking about family history, and getting father's blessings whenever I needed them.

Love,
T

Mindy

So did Dad drive up to Calgary yesterday, and they're on their way to Oregon today or tomorrow? That's what it sounded like Mindy said. Senator Caudle would like to make an opening statement with the commencement of the Storage Room Shuffle, so I'll be giving y'all a call soon. And I'd like to speak to Mindy as well, so please let me know when she and Dad are expected. Muchas gracias.

(Yes, I'm listening online to a hearing right now. Blah blah blah. They've been going in circles for over a year and this one doesn't appear to be anything new.)

Happy Father's Day!

I may have been the last one to talk to Dad, but I get to see him tomorrow, and then I'll have a long drive to talk with him all by myself. My favorite memory of Dad is going shopping with him, and he'd let me buy stuff that Mom would probably have said no to. Like when we went up to the mall to pick up "The Princess Bride" and we stopped at the Disney store, and I bought some stuff, like my Eeyore.

When I first saw the word hat, I thought of the Mad Hatter Hat at Disneyland as well, at least the Space Mountain scenario - me, Trina, Tawnia and Nathan, with the glow things on our glasses .. and the "well so do you, but we don't complain". Cuz while we were laughing about that, Trina made the comment that "It's Disneyland! This is where people wear mouse ears and old ladies where big funny hats." Which makes me think of Mom's pink hat too .... hehehe

Hats, Father's Day, and so on

Happy anniversary, Trina and Adam. I know I should have posted that yesterday, but I wasn't here. First, Clarissa and I went with Dad to the airport to pick up Tawnia. And then in the evening, we had a branch activity -- roller skating. I didn't do very well, as this was only about my second time skating (and the last time was about 1999), so I clung to the wall most of the time, but a lot of people offered to help, and I wasn't the only inexperienced skater out there. We also had fun on the bus ride. Afterwards, we came back to the church for pizza and ice cream, and several of us went to see "Star Wars." They were handing out posters of Darth Vader that say "Who's your Daddy?" I'm giving it to Dad for Father's Day.

I have a few hats. I remember in Young Women's once they gave us hats and then we would have buttons from the different activities to attach to them. I don't think I ever actually wore that hat. And I remember in Texas there was a store going out of business, and everyone who bought $20 worth of Harry Potter merchandise would get a hat for only a penny. So we bought a couple of beach towels and a poster, and I got my hat. And there's the hat that I bought while I was in Florida; I got it at Animal Kingdom, just because I wanted something that resembled a safari hat. Then there was the big purple hat that I got for Christmas one year; I think Eric gave me that.

Emily

Hats

Back when I was in high school I used to collect hats, sort of. I remember doing a video project for one of my classes, I believe it was Drama I, where I did a news report and wore a different hat for every part. I had the black fedora, a bike helmet, the little beanie thing from the dance festival, my Camp Meriweather cap, and I might have had one or two others. I know I also had a solid black baseball cap, but I don'r think I used it in that project. Currently I still have the beanie, and also a new helmet, and two German hats (the Tyrolean one and the army one), a black ski mask and a construction hard hat. While I was on my mission I also bought one of those long pointy caps (like a nightcap) for winter weather, and someone gave me a cap with the flaps to fold down over the ears. But those have long since disappeared, along with the black Russian-looking one I had when I left on my mission. I think that's all of them.

Oh, and Happy Father's Day.

Dad's Day

A word of the day sounds like it could be an interesting sort of game. The first thing that comes to mind for me when I think of hats is that we are in pursuit of a Mad Hatter hat (which we did not find at DisneyWorld) for Adam, because when we met on Halloween, he was dressed up as the Mad Hatter. I'd have to think more on the hat theme for more stories.

Mom asked the "what's your favorite memory about Dad" or whatever the question was. My favorite Dad memory is in the years after my mission when I was in the area of home, Dad would drive me to the airport when I would go on my trips here and there. We would have long conversations about all kinds of things. I still remember some of the things we talked about.

Oops

Well, I was going to post a Father's Day Congratulations in my other post, and then just realized that I'd forgotten too... So ...

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY! to all the father's (and future father's) in the family. (ie DAD, Jared, Eric, Nathan, and Adam.)

I was also going to write about what special things I did with my father. But I think that's going to have to wait until a later post because I have to finish getting ready for church, maybe I'll just wear a hat and not worry about fixing my hair.

Tata for now.
-T

HAT and Father's Day

HAT and Adam. At first I thought that Hat was just "the word of the day" and so I was thinking about hats in general. I thought maybe Nate was trying to promote posting by having a word of the day that everyone would try to use in a random way or something.

Well, I'm back in the homeland and so far I've been having a fabulous time. I bought a guitar yesterday on the way home from the airport. It's one of those things I've been planning on buying for a long time and then just did spontaneously yesterday since they had them at Cost-co for a decent price. After that I came home and played Settlers with Nate and beat him (of course... I seem to always do that, even when I'm behind I still catch up and over power him with my skills and abilities, hehe.) Then I went over to Nate's and he beat me at Bachi (sp?) Ball. Then Manda came home and bought me dinner and then Jem came over and we played team Bachi Ball... Manda and Nate won that game too. Then we watched "The Count of Monte Cristo" and I fell asleep on Nate and Manda's couch.

Today I'm going to church in the YSA branch here, then coming home for a fabulous father's day feast. More adventures to come I'm sure.

Hat's off to all of you!
Love,
T

HAT...I guess.

If HAT is the word for today, I guess next week we will say HAN. "You came in that thing? You're braver than I thought." Anyway, the Father's Day greeting was temporarily unavailable for a few hours yesterday, but it's back now and also on my website. I'll be returning the previous animation sometime tonight or tomorrow. If I get around to it. Things are pretty busy what with getting ready to move and all.

Hello

Amanda is at work right now and so hopefully all of their preparation from the last couple of weeks pays off because today over six hundred people are coming to Linfield to get registered for their football camp. Get a bunch of high school guys together and something is bound to happen.

HAT!!! That is so great that you've been married for a year. It is crazy how fast the time has gone by. I can not believe that is has already been a year since we have seen you guys.

Almost two weeks ago we got a phone call from Willamette University and they offered Amanda a job as an Area Coordinator. She said no way so we are still trying to figure out what to do with ourselves next year. Wait... that's not how it happened. She said yes and so we do know what is going on next year. Actually I need to check with Amanda and see if she knows what is going on next year. But I am pretty sure that we are moving to Salem the end of the month. Maybe that is why she has been packing all of our books and our living room is full of boxes... hmmm...

Anyways, I need to go and get ready for church. I hope that everyone has a good sabbath day and a good father's day. Happy Father's Day Dad, Jared, and Eric!!!

Nathan A. Palmer

By the way- HAT meant Happy Anniversary Trina. To you too Adam.

new home page

Maybe that was Jared's Father's Day surprise for Eric that he referred to before ... but I can't see it either. I keep getting an error message. The URL that shows up in the error message has a front slash instead of a backslash in part of it. Maybe that's part of the problem. Yes/no? Anyway - looking forward to seeing it. Maybe you can stash it on your family page when Father's Day is over so we can check back on it later, J.

In 30 minutes, it will be Adam's and my first wedding anniversary. Wow. That's just ... wow. We went to the temple today (since we obviously can't go tomorrow) and did sealings for 2 hours, and Adam bought me flowers that aren't cut for a vase - I chose a potted plant of miniature roses. I'm going to see how well I can do at keeping a plant alive because Adam and I keep talking about having an herb garden in our kitchen. Must practice.

New Pictures

I added a couple of pictures to my Random Shots, this morning. A couple of different visitors who dropped by in the last few days. Hope you enjoy them.

And thanks for the interesting new opening page. Did you put that up Eric or did someone else put it on there to surprise you?

Love ya,
MOM

Grades

Hello, family.

I just checked my grades, and I got all A's this term. I am very happy.

Emily

Don't Worry Be Happy!!

I've added a few pictures to my page of random shots. I'm not sure I'll keep them all on but I thought you might enjoy seeing what I've been doing with my camera.

I also figured it's time for a new question. Since Father's Day is Sunday, here is one for you to think about. What special things did you do with your father? Even though many of you have the same dad, I'm sure you've got some unique memories that you can share. We'd also like to hear about the in-laws dads and the grandkids dads.


Love to you all,
MOM

Today

1. I slept in until 11 a.m. (which makes sense since I didn't go to bed until after 2 a.m.)
2. I bought three new pairs of shoes... and only spent $40
3. It was over 90 degrees in Provo.
4. I drank lots of water so as not to die of heat exhaustion.
5. I thought about packing for my "vacation" but still haven't.
6. I walked to the library to write this post. (aren't you excited!)
7. I thought about how wonderful my family is.

Love,
T

The things Trina does for Me

Since Trina mentioned it, I thought that it would be aprobo to list some of the other things that she does for me.
1. Cleans up after me.
2. Picks me up from school when I don't bike down there.
3. Washes most of my dishes.
4. Does my laundry.
5. Cleans the icky bathroom.
6. Swiffers the floor.
7. Rubs my back and head after work. (After 10 hrs at work, it's sorely needed)
8. Spoils me rotten.
9. Tells me how wonderful I am
10. Chauffers me around.
11. Buys cool stuff for me.
12. Makes me want to be a better man. (Jack Nicholson, As Good as It Gets)

One thing for every month that we've been married.

Adam

random

Please tell Uncle Gary and Aunt Karen that we said hello. I wish they could meet Adam but I have NO idea when we could even possibly get to California. We have many plans (including California of course), but no timeline.

Good to hear that there was no tsunami in Oregon ... I figure the valley would have been okay because of the mountains, but the coast would sure have taken a beating. We saw that on CNN this morning - it explained that the ocean floor plates in question shifted side to side, not really displacing much water. The ocean floor plates in the Indonesia tsunami - one had gone under the other by a substantial amount, creating the huge waves.

Right now, I'm sitting around at work waiting for Adam to call me to tell me when we can go home. I could have left at 4:30. It's now 5:30 - he usually works until 6 when he's on the Hill, but at least calls to tell me what's up. *sigh* The things I do for him sometimes.

News from home

Good evening children,

As we listen to the news and learn whether or not we will have a tsunami hit the Oregon coast, I thought I would share the other news that's happening around here.

First, I'll tell you the last of the news items I've heard. Melanie is in the hospital having her appendix out this evening. She seemed fine when we were over there last night. In fact I got a cute picture of her playing volleyball last night at Annika's birthday party. I'll post it soon. I'll go visit Melanie tomorrow after work.

Mindy will be home next week. Dad is going up there next week and bringing her home. She gets to bring whatever will fit in the van.


Uncle Gary and Aunt Karen are going to Seattle and will stop here both coming and going. They'll be here this Thursday and probably next Wednesday.

Aunt Marli is in the hospital because of problems with her leg. I'll find out what's up there and let you know soon.

Concerning the reunion, please email Uncle Max with your opinions and answer if that date will work. Be sure to send him your correct email addresses and I'll do the same. I always check my Yahoo address so I got the email from him, too. Thanks for forwarding Trina. I saw the one you sent first.

Life is really crazy here in the little town. (You don't have to be in the big city for things to be crazy.)

Clarissa is waiting for me to finish this up so she can get on the computer. So I'll stop torturing her now.

Love ya,
MOM

I'm Alive

Well, I'm keeping busy and today I'm back at the library (surprise, surprise). So as I was walking to the library today I noticed that my shoes started squeaking. It was really annoying. So much that I stopped at the first building I came to on campus, went to the bathroom, and tried to figure out why. I did figure out that my shoes are basically splitting across the middle and I think that is why they squeak every time I take a step. Do you know how LOUD squeaking shoes sound when you walk into a SILENT library. It makes one very self-conscious, especially since the library is super full today (finals for spring term are Weds. and Thurs. this week.) So that is my adventure so far for today.

At home I have a huge mountain in my room made from all my clean laundry. I was going to put it all away, and then decided that I should just pack what I'm taking home and put the rest away. I'll probably get to that tonight.

So there are my adventures. I hope that everyone is doing well. Is everyone planning on going to the family reunion next summer??

Love,
T

Houston

I just looked up a picture of the Houston Temple on lds.org. What a beautiful building! Congrats on the new job and the move, and good luck! Keep us posted on the timeline so we know when you're out of reach on the road, and the new contact info and all. Bon voyage! I hope that you're far enough inland that you don't get hit by hurricanes in the Gulf ... Houston looks like it should be okay - the distance from Galveston Bay isn't much, but hurricanes usually don't get in there. They're stopped by the barrier islands. And how many hurricanes get over to that side of the Gulf anyway - last year's round all hit Florida, and they've already had one tropical storm this year in Pensacola and Gulf Shores, Alabama. Crazy stuff.

Announcement

Okay, it's official now. We will be moving to the Houston area around the end of the month. We don't have an exact timeline yet. But now you know.

today's headline

In a breaking article by CaudleNews, 100% of Americans polled stated that they were completely sick of reading about 1. the out-of-control administration 2. Iraq 3. the economy 4. the Senate 5. Michael Jackson 6. Paris Hilton

That is all.

Finishing up the school year

That's what I've been up to and looking forward to a much needed vacation. School ends for the kids on Wednesday but I have to work in Amity on Thursday and Friday. Then on Monday and Tuesday I have to work at the ESD office to make up for some of the days that I was in California. They wouldn't give me bereavement leave, so I work two extra days and take three without pay. I've been fighting an awful cold, too, and having a little trouble sleeping at night, so I'm very tired.

Tawnia, dad already asked for snake legs for Father's Day so you're in luck there, at least. With Dad and I both working at least some of the days that you're home, you may be having fun with your sisters without us. That's OK I guess. Saturday, the 18th, I have to be at a baptism in the morning and I'm throwing a baby shower at 2:00, so Dad will come in and get you and I'll be home a bit later than you, but not much if you stop at Costco.

I'm thinking about posting a new question but I'll do that next time.

Love ya,
MOM :) zzzzzzzzzzz

Vacation

So I thought I'd let Mom and Dad know what things I want to do while I'm at home for my brief stint.

Of course, I need to go through my stuff in the storage room and decide what is coming to Utah, and what is staying in Oregon. That is my biggest priority. And I have to visit with Nate and Manda at least one or two or three or four times. I would also like to take a trip to the beach, mainly so I can go to the outlet mall in Lincoln City. I want to go hiking at Silver Creek Falls. I want to visit the Dicksons. Actually I'd like to go running at the track in Dayton a couple times, so that I don't lose my momentum on this running thing. I want to go and visit Allyson Gunter in Portland. Oh, and can we stop at Cost-co on the way home from the airport?

For dinner's while I'm home I would love to have a BBQ one night, with chicken kabobs or hamburgers... and all the fixing (ie potato salad, green jell-o, etc.); I'd also like snake legs one night, and that's all the demands I'll make there.

None of these are demands or anything... it's just the things that I'd really like to do while in Oregon. I know that Dad will have to work while I'm there, and I hate to go and do some of these things (the beach, silver creek) without him, but I don't think he'll be able to take any extra time off. Anyway, we can talk it over once I'm there, but that's all the things I had in mind.

Love,
Tawnia

The Library

Yup, currently I'm at the Harold B. Lee Library on BYU campus. It took me until 3:00 to get here today... but that's okay. I told myself I was going to give myself the first few days just to relax and catch up on sleep... but starting Monday I plan on getting back to getting up early and getting more work done.

I've been sleeping in until 9:30 every morning since school got out on Tuesday, it's been nice. Then I take time to read my scriptures and eat breakfast.... and then read, and then eat lunch... and then come up to campus. In the evenings I have been being social, so that should make everyone happy. Wednesday was institute - I sang a duet with my old home teacher, Andrew. It went pretty well. After class I hung out with some guys in my ward for awhile. Last night we determined as roommates that we needed to stay home a little more often (we'd spent every night for quite some time going over to visit one or more guy's apartments in my ward.) So we stayed home... and some guys came to our apartment, and we played games. I think tonight there's an 80s party that one of the girls in my ward is throwing. I might go to that.

So that's everywhere I've been. Mainly in the library, or home, or out visiting people in my ward. Oh, and I went running yesterday afternoon... so I was out and about in Provo at that point.

That's where I've been.
Love,
T

status

Okay, so now we know where Trina, Adam, Eric, Jared, and Emily are. I can also report on Michelle, Brooke, and Bryan. They're at home. Sometimes they go out to the pool though. But not during Bryan's naptime, if we can get him to take a nap.

So where is everybody else?

Home

That's where I've been, especially now that school has ended. My last final was on Wednesday. In two weeks we'll be on vacation -- probably somewhere in Idaho by this time. I've been fighting a stupid head cold, but it's starting to get better. I am looking forward to going to Disneyland, Sea World (haven't been there in more than twenty years; I can't even remember it, so I don't think it really counts for me having been there), Knotts, the San Diego Zoo, the Manti Pageant, Yosemite, Sequoia, the Redwoods, Oregon Caves, Zion, Uncle Speedy's house, Aunt Cheryl's house, Uncle Gary's house, and, of course, Eric's house! This could easily be my last family vacation, so I plan to enjoy it. And in the meantime, there's a lot to do around the house for the next two weeks. I don't plan on being bored.

Emily

also, at my desk

I'm with you Trina. I'm at my desk. I've had lots of time to stare at the blog this week to see if anyone has posted anything, since I don't even start training until next week. So I've been "observing" this week. That and checking the blog 10 times a day.

at my desk

I'm right here at work, where I ALWAYS am. Today, it's more newsletters and prepping for a mailing. "A mailing" means 10 to 20 items stuffed into about 250 envelopes (the 9x12 ones so everything lies flat, otherwise I'd be FOLDING everything too, and this time there are 17 different things), and then another 10 to 20 items (17 again this time) stuffed into another 250 envelopes. This happens 4 or 5 times a year. I do not like it one bit.

Adam is on the Hill, where he is on Wed/Fri. He has class and work on Mon/Tues/Th.

That's where we are. Where are you?

Where is everybody?

Just kidding. I don't mind so much that you're not posting so much. It's only been two days since the last post after all. And on that note, I'd just like to say that I love you all, dear family.

Yesterday, Laurel's brother Delwin came to town with his wife Tavy and their baby girl. She's really cute and sweet. It's funny because she's so much smaller than baby Joe, and she's a month older. Anyway, they're staying at Rachel's and will probably be in town for a little over a week. It seems that we'll be having family in town pretty consistently for well over a month, with Laurel's parents and sister coming in a few weeks, and then our family coming after that. It's fun, but kind of sad because Laurel can't do so much, what with being pregnant and all.

So that's what's up with us. I'm still in shock that my evenings are free since school is over (forever!), so I fill in the gaps by moving furniture and books around, stressing about work, and watching too much TV. I've also been helping with cooking and dishes again, after slacking pretty badly for the last month of school (Laurel was sure sweet about that).

So Laurel and I are doing well. We're looking forward to the new Batman movie, and are excited about all our company that is coming soon. Oh, and I'm shopping for a new computer and video camera. I've never bought one before, so I'm doing all my homework and making sure I get what I want. I want to buy one by the time Mom and Dad and the girls come.

Well, talk to you later.

Your pal,

Eric

Question

Before I teach handwriting to my students I want a sample of what they can do.... something that uses all of the letters of the alphabet. I know that there is some sentence that uses every letter, but I don't know what it is or where to find it. Something about a fox jumping over a lazy dog. Anyway, if any of you know it... can you let me know what it is please!?

That's all for now.
-T

No More Papers, No More Books

Well, School is officially out for the summer and I have 65 days until my new job starts. So I have 65 days to get the planning going. (My training starts on August 8th, school will start on August 23rd)

So tonight I get to stay up late and help keep a friend awake also. She has some medical tests going on where she's supposed to be sleep deprived for them. Goodie for her... and good thing I don't have to work tomorrow. It's only 11 p.m. and I'm already tired... and I am supposed to keep her awake until 2 a.m.

I will hopefully be posting much more often now. So I guess I will post tomorrow when I'm feeling more coherent.

Congrats to Eric and Manda for graduating. Congrats to Jared on his job! Let us know if you're moving or not.

Good luck to Adam on the LSAT.

And ummm... that's all
Love,
T

But then again...

Today I just recieved a third job offer... at $7,000 a year more than my current position. That's $3.38 more per hour. And it requires us to move to Sugar Land, just outside of Houston. Um... more updates to come.

Big news

Yes, the rumors are true. I do have a job now. I started working yesterday at Fidelity Investments, working in the transfers group. The best part is that just before I started I suddenly got another job offer with slightly higher pay and a comparable benefits package, so I got to weigh it all out and take my choice. So I am at Fidelity even though Radiant Systems wanted me too.

I've been busy

There are several updates on my page, including a new section and another vacation as well as some changes in my question section. I added frames and such to some of the pages. Hope you enjoy it. I hope everyone is healthy and happy.

Love ya,
MOM

fast Sunday

Could everyone please remember Adam in their fasting this weekend - he takes the LSAT on Monday. His entire graduate school experience is riding on this test - it's the test to get into law school. Muchas gracias.

Finals

Eric, your pictures look great. Congratulations on graduating.

Well, classes are just about over. On Wednesday, I turned in my geology final which was a take-home test. Yesterday, I took my math final and my writing final. I got an A on the math test, and an A in the class. I was very happy about that. I'm pretty sure I got an A in writing, too. (On one of the last tests, the teacher lost his answer key, so he used my test.) All I have left is my history class, and I'm doing very well there. I got a 99 on my last essay, and he wants a copy of it to show to future classes. I still have to study for the history test, which will include essay questions on women, change and stability, nomadic societies, power, or religion. I have to prepare three of the essays, and at least one will be on the test. I'll probably take that final on Wednesday. Other than that, I am done.

Emily

Summer Days, etc.

Summer (well, it's still Spring, right?) is overcast today. June gloom and all. Not what you may think of when it comes to Southern California in June, but that's the way it is.

Graduation was great. I'll have pictures up of all kinds of things soon, but one such thing will be graduation, especially the historic meeting of Gary and Karen and Gary and Karen. It was sweet of Uncle Gary and Aunt Cheryl to make the trip out, and Laurel and I also made an appearance at Billy's daughter Kate's birthday party in Whittier.

My childhood was a while ago, but I remember one time when we had a Pack meeting at McMinnville's city park and there were hardly any other cub scouts there because it was August and people were on vacation. I think I advanced to Bear that time which would've made that 1983, but I'm not sure. It could've been later. I remember eating root beer floats in the late afternoon and Dad serving the ice cream out of one of those round red containers.

I may be combining memories, but it was something like that.

Again, pictures are coming soon. We keep having things come up. We had dinner at other people's houses Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. It'll be strange to be home tonight. (Yesterday was Curly's second birthday. We had chocolate cake shaped like a cat, and watched Old Yeller.) I'm hoping to post some pictures tonight. I hope you like them.

Your pal,
Eric

More updates

I've been working on my page again. I have a couple more pages in the travel section and the answer to my latest question. I hope you enjoy them. Can someone give me the directions for posting pictures on the blog? I thought you all might want to see a picture or two from Amanda's graduation. She was grinning from ear to ear. Also congratulations, Eric on your graduation. Wish we could have been there. We expect some pictures from that soon, too.

Love ya,
MOM

The Perfect Summer Day

I liked it in the summer when I could wake up late, watch TV for a while, read a book, play in the park, chase everyone around with a hose, go for a long walk during the evening when its still warm but shady, and have ice cream after dinner, or maybe root beer floats.

What I really liked about summer was going on trips -- to the beach, the zoo, California, Silver Creek, or Washington. Come to think of it, I still like traveling. This could be my last family vacation, so I plan to enjoy it. (Disneyland, Knotts, Disneyland, San Diego Zoo, Disneyland, Sea World!)

I saw Star Wars over the weekend. The opening sequence was absolutely incredible. Also, watch during the credits: they list their coffee boy under the title of "Javva the Hut."

Emily

Madagascar

On Saturday night, Jason and I went and saw the movie Madagascar. It was VERY funny, and we laughed a whole lot .. especially during the ending credits. If you've had a bad day, or you just want to laugh a lot .. go see! Good fun.

hmmm

Well, I already called and passed this info on to Ma and Pa, but Eric did ask me to post the fact that he is out of town until Monday evening. So don't expect to hear from him until then. Also, his graduation was today... so send him your congrats. I guess he tried to post all of that and his computer was having issues. I learned all of this when I called and talked to him yesterday after leaving the library.

So yeah, nothing new in my life since posting yesterday. I was going to try to be in the library and working by noon... well, I made it by 2 p.m. at least. I stopped and read a book and ate some lunch before coming here... and after getting off the phone with the gang at home.

So now I'd better get to work.

Love,
T

YIPPEE!!!

Now I know I need to make Stephen's blessing outfit and not Allison's. We're all very excited for you, Eric and Laurel.

The news from home is not so exciting. I went to the doctor yesterday because my foot was swollen and I couldn't figure out why. The doctor took one look at it and said he thinks it's gout. He did a blood test to make sure but gave me some anti-inflammatory medicine just to get it started. It's no fun, especially when you're on your feet all day. I've been rather lazy at home because I don't feel like doing much after working all day.
I also had my hearing checked and any hearing loss I have is minor. Just speak up when you talk to me and don't expect me to hear when there's lots of background noise. If it keeps getting worse we'll do something more but for now that's about it.

It looks like we've gotten lots of answers to the last question so I'll post a new one: What do you think of as a perfect summer day from your childhood? Answers to previous questions are always welcome. I'm also working on a couple more vacations but no one has told me of any they would particularly like to see.

Hello

Well, Life has been busy for me the last week or so, so I haven't posted... sorry.

Monday for FHE we made some guns that shoot mini marshmallows. They are very cool and fun to play with. The other people in my group then went and shot at the other two groups... I was to busy talking to some friends and didn't make it to shoot at the other groups.... but I did witness one groups retaliation of dousing one of our guys with water.

Tuesday I went running with Stephanie. I went 3.2 miles (half was running, half was walking) which was double what I'd done the week before. She is training me for a 5K, which is about 3 miles.

Wednesday was great because I got off work early and then spent the afternoon hanging out with the Dicksons. They came over around 1 p.m. We went and got some pizza and bungee cords and then headed back to my place. I went outside and played with Melanie and Annika while the rest of the crew watched "The Incredibles" (And Deb and Amber took naps.) Then I followed them up to SLC and took Amber (and Amy) with me. After the Dicksons left temple square to go and see Sam's brother, Amy and I hung around Temple Square for a while longer and then headed home around 8 p.m.

Thursday I ended up staying home from work with the flu. It was not fun. I hope none of you get it.

Today I went to work, because I figured that even though I wasn't feeling 100% I should still go because it was only a half day. Then I went home, ate lunch, visited Vanessa, and now I'm here on campus and hoping to get lots of lesson planning done. Tomorrow will be more lesson planning... and then maybe I'll take a break on Monday and play.

So now you're updated on me.

Eric and Laurel - Hooray! It's a boy!
Jared - Hooray! I hear you got a job?!?
Adam - Hooray! You got new clothes!
Everyone else - Hooray! It's Memorial Day so you should be off work and able to relax! (Except for our Canadian friends... do you have Monday off?)

Love
T

IDENTITY THEFT SPAM ALERT

I've gotten 4 emails on my work account just this week - they say that they're from the National Credit Union Administration and want bank account information. They look all nice and official, and the URL for the return email even looks legitimate. These emails are NOT REAL. Do NOT click on any of the links or give any information or anything. Just DELETE it. I got suspicious because first of all, if Portland Teachers wanted any information to make my account "more secure," they would have contacted me themselves. Also, PTCU isn't a federal credit union - it's a local one. There's a big difference between the state and national banking worlds and the real NCUA has nothing to do with our credit union. Looking at it a little closer, it says "Federal Credit Union holder account" rather than "account holder." So yeah. Delete delete delete! If you did get something like this and you did respond to it, call the credit union/bank IMMEDIATELY to put stops on your account or whatever is necessary to put the brakes on any identity/money theft.

Also, I just called PTCU to tell them about it - they said that they've already reported it to the proper authorities. Kinda interesting how the worker knew EXACTLY what I was talking about before I even finished my sentence.

hooray for Stephen!

What will his middle name be? You originally (like, when you got married) said Kendall, but when we talked on the phone about the baby, you said something else which I forget. Are there new ultrasound pictures for us to see yet?

My observation of the morning is that Adam looks a little weird to me wearing a colored dress shirt. I like it a lot, but it's strange to see him in something other than a white dress shirt. We got him new dress shirts earlier this week for starting his internship on the Hill, and we were daring and got a blue one to throw some variety into the solid wall of white mission shirts still in his closet.

It's a boy!

This time it is an announcement.

(and a Palmer Family blog exclusive!)

seats

Mom, those weren't just ANY front row seats Eric had ... those were front row seats BEHIND THE PLATE. The most sacred of all baseball seats, with the exception possibly being over the dugout. I'd like to know how he got them, and how much he paid for them. I'd also like to acquire similar seats in 50 years when Adam gets me out of this forsaken place, and we visit him in Cali and go to a baseball game then.

Favorite Activities

When I was a little boy I liked to do the following:

• Play people
• Build forts
• Ride bikes
• Climb trees
• Wrestle
• Draw
• Draw flipbooks
• Read
• Make movies
• Watch Star Wars
• And much much more

Most of these things I did with my brothers and sisters, but mostly with Jared and Tawnia. I did really enjoy doing things with the younger kids, but there was only a brief time when we enjoyed the same things, and even then they were too little to do things right (like pick people).

Update to the Birdhouse

More posting to come, but meanwhile there's a new addition to the Birdhouse page. Check out what I spent my time doing last night (instead of homework).

Garden hoses

Today I am reminded of what we did as kids during the summer. We would watch with great anticipation for the days when the temperature was over 80 degrees. We didn't have too many rules, but this was one of them -- no playing in the water unless it was over 80. When it was warm enough, we would put on our swimsuits and chase each other around the yard with the garden hose. Sometimes we would have huge water fights and race around the house and just try to get everyone soaking wet. Does anyone remember a specific time when we did that?

What else did I like doing as a kid? Reading, making up stories, playing with my siblings -- I really haven't changed.

Emily

I haven't been slackin'

I was busy last night putting my answer to the latest question unto my page. But it was too late to post on here by the time I was done. I also added a few more pictures from the funeral to that page. I know Eric took several pictures. Do you want to add them to my page Eric? Or just post them on your own? I realized that I missed a lot of people in those pictures, so if you want to add any please do so. I'm sure Cheryl would love to see them. She told me that no one had sent her any pictures. We got doubles of ours and are taking them down to her when we come.

I'm anxious to see the pictures of your adventure, Trina. It sounds like you had a wonderful time. Thanks for getting the story right for me. We had some of the details mixed up. I'm glad you and Adam were able to have a good vacation.

I love you all,
MOM

hello, slackers

What the heck - hardly any posts while we were gone! I don't recall hearing that anyone else was going on vacation ...

The highlight of our trip was being the Grand Marshal of the Magic Kingdom parade. Our friend Jill gave us bride and groom mouse ears before we went to Disney World - I had a veil on a mouse-ear headband and Adam had mouse ears on a top hat. We were in the first wave of people right when the park opened. We weren't even 100 feet past the gate when a Disney worker stopped us - he asked if we were on our honeymoon and we told him it was our first anniversary trip. He said he was looking for the happiest people in the park to be the Grand Marshal of the Magic Kingdom parade in the afternoon, and we'd be perfect. The only condition was that we wear the bride/groom hats. We were in the first car of the parade, an antique car from Walt Disney's personal collection that he drove around himself, and we went through the entire park. At the end, we were given regular mouse ears with our names on the back of them. Also, one of the official photographers had taken our picture on Main Street, and we received a free copy of that picture. We were able to watch the whole parade because it was about 5 minutes behind us after we finished. The whole thing was very, very cool.

We saw JoAnne at MGM the next day and watched the Indiana Jones stunt show with her and Teresa. We headed in different directions after that, but we did spend a good hour together. Adam and JoAnne had a lengthy conversation about computer stuff, and we're supposed to email her ... something. But we don't have her current email, so Mom, please email it to me. She's also supposed to email us a couple of pictures that she took on her digital camera, so please also remind her about that.

The general trip changed a little from our itinerary that I posted earlier. We drove down to Orlando Sat. the 14th, and stopped in Gainesville to see a family who used to be in Adam's ward in Milton. Sunday was our break. Jill's schedule had changed, so we went to Cocoa Beach and NASA on Monday (we didn't go inside NASA because it cost too much - just around the outside). Magic Kingdom on Tuesday with the parade, MGM and Epcot on Wednesday. Adam loved "Mission Space." I didn't go on it at all. Thursday morning, we did a session in the Orlando Temple, and then drove up to Milton. It was about 8 hours. We went out to breakfast with Naomi on Friday, and wandered around town for a while for some errands. Saturday, we went to Clara and Tim's wedding on the beach and I did all the pictures. It was very casual but really sweet. They had seafood and barbecue for their lunch-time reception. Good stuff. That night, we went to Star Wars with a bunch of Adam's friends, and out to dinner and bowling. Adam won. We spent Sunday after church at Nancy's house going through Adam's boxes. We left 7 boxes of books and his award plaques there, but brought 10 with us. Our poor car was rather weighted down on the return trip yesterday. We took today off to sleep in, restock our kitchen, tear the boxes apart, and other miscellaneous things.

Tomorrow, I'm back to work and Adam will start his internship with the Senate Judiciary committee on Capitol Hill.

I will be first....

I want to be the first to wish Jeremy a Happy Birthday online. Happy Birthday Jeremy!!!

Nathan Palmer

Blah

There are only 12 more days of school... and yes, I'm counting. Today I wouldn't have even come to work, except that I know there are only 12 more days. I am not feeling well, but I need the money for this summer. I'm spending most of the day typing away so that I don't bite any children's heads off.

I'm really looking forward to the Dicksons' visit next week. I talked to Deb last night and told her how much I'm looking forward to it. I may go up to temple square with them that afternoon. I know that I'm really looking forward to it because I had a dream a few nights ago with Annika in it. =)

I hope that everyone is doing well. It looks like the summer weather is finally arriving here in Utah. Maybe the playground will dry out now.

Love,
T

Dear Miss Palmer. I love you and stuff.

That was a cute post. We'll bring you lots of presents this summer - all the stuff you want to take with you for school. Yes, I know they're already yours, but we'll present them to you. Thanks for sharing Ana with us, she sounds like a real sweet girl.

I've been busy the last few weeks putting a Relief Society Enrichment Night together. It came off pretty well, even though there wasn't a very big group there.

We're getting very excited about our summer plans. We're going to be playing in California at Disneyland, Knotts, Seaworld and the Wild Animal Park. Cheryl and Tiffany will be with us most of the time. We'll also be joined by Eric and Laurel, and your aunts Debbie and Joy for some of the activities. It will be lots of fun. We're going down via Utah and taking a crazy route home. I'll try to get it all on here right after we get back.


There, now you know what I've been up to, let's here the latest from your neck of the woods.

Love ya,
MOM

To My Family

Dear Miss Palmer's Family,
Ana is writing this letter. Ana's nice girl and Ana doesn't want Miss Palmer to go to a different school next year. Anyways, ahh... back to the letter. Miss Palmer is a wonderful lady and people like her too. Sometimes she's funny, but we can get over that. Miss Palmer knows how much we love her. And the school thinks she's a good girl. Anytime you tell her a joke she just cracks up laughing. And we hope you write her back. Miss Palmer is cool and I think she knows that. If you go anywhere.... write her back. Families should write to their daughters. Her birthday is already past and I hope you called her and wished her a happy birthday. And I hope you had a happy mother's day. And that Miss Palmer can come and visit you. And I hope you come and visit Miss Palmer one day.... and you know, I think you're great. And Miss Palmer knows how much she loves you. And when you write back, you should say Dear Miss Palmer. I love you and stuff. And Ana is 12 and she is in 4th grade and Miss Palmer and her are best friends. So maybe you can just write her back and send her a lot of presents.

Love,
Ana

5 and 10

Between the ages of five and ten, my favorite thing to do was climb the hill and go to the Symolon's house. Becky, Corrine, Nathan and I did everything together .. build forts, make clubs, go swimming, play video games .. didn't matter what it was, we did it together. And sometimes we'd invite Emily and Clarissa and Tawnia along too. It was always fun. I'm just glad the Syphers didn't put up a fence until after the Symolons had moved. I also enjoyed going to school, reading, playing on the swings (and any playground equipment) .. playing "people" with my siblings (Fisher Price), which included the "picking game" (taking turns picking who gets what) .. which later all turned into Lego stuff. At least that's what I remember ....

Time for a new question?

Besides learning what everyone is up to I figured it's time to throw out a new question. Since I could probably rack my brain and figure out how the kids born to me would answer this, I think it would be great to hear from all the in-laws, too. I do want to hear from my children, though. Your memories of your childhood are probably different than mine. So what's the question? Between the ages of five and ten, what was your favorite activity?

Also, does anyone have a particular trip they would like me to post next? We took lots of vacations and I don't have many of them on there yet. I've been kind of jumping around or I would just have the ones with the older kids. Give me some feed-back here.

Tonight is the Gold&Green Ball so I'd better get dinner on the table so we can get ready to go. Say a special prayer for Isaac, he'll be set apart as a missionary soon. Tomorrow is his last Sunday here.

Love ya,
MOM

vacation itinerary

So that everyone will know where we are for the next little while, and why my recently rabid posting will come to a screeching halt:

Sat. May 14 (in less than 48 hours - HOORAY!) - drive to Orlando and stay with our friend Jill.
Sun. 15 - Tues. 17 - be in Orlando. Disney World on Monday and Tuesday. We might go to the beach on Sunday after church.
Wed. 18 - attend the Orlando Temple, and drive to Milton with a stop in Tallahassee to see their monstrosity of a state capitol. I've seen pictures but insist on seeing it in person. It's very ugly. In Milton, we will stay with Adam's "adopted grandparents" from his ward who have a pool.
Thurs. 19 - Sun. 22 - be in Milton and Pensacola. I don't know what we'll do besides swim every day, and hang out with Adam's sisters, and go to the beach some more. Clara and Tim's wedding is on Saturday (on the beach). We will also go through Adam's library that's still stashed in his mother's back room and decide what comes back to DC and what is gone forever.
Mon. 23 - drive back to DC.
Tues. 24 - one more day off to unpack everything we bring back and to get the road-trip kinks worked out.

Update on Brooke

We found out on Tuesday that Brooke has grade 3 reflux on her left side and negligible reflux on the right. This is on a 1 to 5 scale. (Vesicoureteral reflux is backwards flow of urine from the bladder to the kidneys.) The urologist wrote a prescription for antibiotics for 1 year. She will take 1 tsp everyday, then run more tests in one year. She has a good chance of outgrowing this over the course of a few years. In the meantime the antibiotics should prevent any more kidney infections, since the biggest danger is kidney damage (which can lead to hypertension). No surgery is necessary unless she has breakthough infections or doesn't outgrow it after several years. Also, the urologist thought he may see some mild erosion of the top of the left kidney and possibly 2 tubes coming out of it. He said the is no big deal and doesn't really hurt anything, just something to keep in mind if surgery is ever needed. I just wanted to let everyone know.
Michelle

Okay

Well, Tawnia, you wanted me to post my essay, so here it is.

Emily

The Qin dynasty of China considered unified standardization to be among its greatest achievements. The reasoning for standardization could be because of the Legalist system, where the law and order are considered essential and fundamental principles. It may also have been the Emperor Qin Shi Huangdi desired to exert his authority over everything, and this power was manifested through standardization.
“A new age is inaugurated by the Emperor; rules and measures are rectified,” it states at the top of a column listing the accomplishments of the emperor; its prominence shows that this was considered extremely important.[1] Tools, measurements, and the writing system were all “made uniform.”[2] Laws and customs were also defined, “leaving nothing to doubt, making known what is forbidden.”[3] The standardization would be the same throughout the entire empire, rather than each city having its own standard, laws, and measures for these would “come from one single source,” the emperor.[4] This would remind the people that the emperor was in control, for his influence would be felt in many aspects of their lives, revealing that it is possible that one of his greatest motives for standardization was personal power.
The standardization of laws and measurements was important for the Legalist system, for either a thing would be considered legal or it would not; there was no middle ground between the distinctions of “black and white.”[5] Therefore, everything had to be defined, and the standards made clear. No one, regardless of social standing, would be considered outside the law.[6] The practice of standardization was believed to bring order, justice, and harmony to the empire.[7]
Measurements and writing were not the only things the emperor desired to standardize. Qin also attempted to standardize thought. In 213 B.C.E., at the suggestion of Prime Minister Li Si, Qin ordered all books, except for the officially sanctioned historical records and “those dealing with medicine, divination, and agriculture” to be burned.[8] Those who read other books, in particular historical records, would form differing opinions, quarrel and argue in favor of their own philosophies, bring chaos and disorder, attempt to gain power, and “slander the laws and judge each new decree according to their own school of thought, opposing it secretly in their hearts.”[9] If the standardized law is considered the most important object, then those who speak against it are against the order of the empire; and arguing against decrees is an affront to the Legalist system. Qin might also not have wanted differing philosophies, because they would oppose him, taking away his power. He may have been accusing the scholars of slander and opposition to his reign in order to seize power.
Any who read, owned, or quoted the “ancient songs, historical records, or writings of the hundred schools” would be punished, and the punishments were clearly defined: Those who quoted the old records would be publicly executed, along with their families, and government officials who did not report such crimes would suffer the same fate.[10] It is interesting to note that the punishment would be extended to family members. This might have had two purposes. First, the Chinese family is a close unit, and so the ideology of one could be considered the ideology of all members of the family. It might also have terrorized those who might rebel, because they would be unwilling to risk their family’s survival for a philosophy. The harsh punishments show how important maintaining a single ideology and standard of thought was to the Legalists. Punishing the government officials who did not carry out this law would force them to obey the emperor and take away their power, granting more authority to the emperor.
Qin desired to be viewed as the greatest emperor in the history of China, with his accomplishments surpassing those of all other emperors.[11] He hoped to form a lasting peace. He believed that the system he was establishing would “endure for generations without end.”[12] This meant that the old history books would be obsolete. Also, if there were no other emperors that could be compared to Qin, no one would question that he was superior to them. His power would be absolute, and it would be shown through the standardization of measurements, writing, law, customs, and punishments.
[1] Sima Qian, “The Legalist Policies of the Qin,” Selections from The Records of the Grand Historian, online at Chinese Cultural Studies, htpp://academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/core9/phalsall/texts/ssuma2.html (April 15, 2005), paragraph 2.
[2] Sima, “Legalist Policies,” paragraph 3.
[3] Sima, “Legalist Policies,” paragraph 4.
[4] Sima, “Legalist Policies,” paragraph 12.
[5] Sima, “Legalist Policies,” paragraph 13.
[6] Sima, “Legalist Policies,” paragraph 5.
[7] Sima, “Legalist Policies,” paragraph 2.
[8] Sima, “Legalist Policies,” paragraph 15.
[9] Sima, “Legalist Policies,” paragraph 13.
[10] Sima, “Legalist Policies,” paragraph 14.
[11] Sima, “Legalist Policies,” paragraph 9.
[12] Sima, “Legalist Policies,” paragraph 12.

Paper

Hey Em,
Could you post a copy of that paper on the blog or on your site? I have to teach a unit on China next year.

Life is crazy for me. It has been very rainy here which is weird for Utah, even if it is spring. I'm looking forward to summer. I will be busy, but I am excited to focus on planning for next year, and also having a little fun.

Tonight is Institute... hooray. It's my favorite thing about Wednesdays.

Only 19 more days of school.
Love,
T

About school

Hello, family.

Today, I got my history essay back. The teacher, Anthony, said the whole class did really well. I got a perfect score -- 100 points. He told me that it was the first 100 he had ever given in any class. I am very happy about that. Of course, he'll probably expect another great essay in a couple of weeks, but I'm not too worried. I wrote the paper about the Chinese Legalist system and standarization.

Emily

some reading material

Ya know that driver's license stuff that I was yelling about last week? Here are a couple of articles from yesterday's media in solid, reputable sources:

Time Magazine (which is conservative)
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1059044-1,00.html

the Boston Globe
http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/editorials/articles/2005/05/09/suspicious_license/

You already know what I think. Just an FYI - the media has been going ballistic with this in the last couple of weeks, and I have yet to read one sentence in favor of the bill. And it's going to be signed anyway. My only comfort is this article from today:

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2005-05-10-id-rules_x.htm

And now if you will excuse me, I'm going on vacation.

another school project

Instead of for 4th grade, this is for 4-year-olds:

Ben, Adam's nephew in Florida, is in a preschool that is learning geography by postcard. The request is that people send postcards to Ben so they can talk about the places in the postcard. Since our family is obviously scattered all over, I said that I would put out the call. There has been a specific request for Columbia River/Bonneville dam (the fish ladder) postcards, if they can be located. In general, they'd like major geographic landmarks (like the river), or major buildings and/or landmarks that are important and a 4-year-old would understand. Also, not a vague thing like just a city, but more specific like something IN the city (the Space Needle in Seattle for example, which Adam and I will be going to in August).

Email me if you're willing to do this and if you have any more questions, and I'll email you back the address for the Florida Caudles.

Mom's pictures

Small pictures are good because then you can fit more and not use up so much space. But these are almost TOO small. I can barely tell who's in some of them. The one of the pallbearers carrying Uncle Bruce's casket - I only recognize Gary and Eric, not anyone behind them even though I'm sure I'm related to all or most of them. The thing that hit me the hardest on the page was seeing Eric as the lead pallbearer with Gary. I know. I'm weird. Deal with it.

We're babysitting Eve Schofield from our ward this morning - she's 11 months old and just a riot. She's Adam's favorite person in the entire ward. (Get it? Adam and Eve?) Anne is spending the day with her sister at Six Flags, and Aaron is writing 4 papers that are due on Monday. So we're taking care of Eve for a while until we switch her off to another babysitter this afternoon, and I do errands for our vacation, which will begin next Saturday (and not a moment too soon - I am in dire need of a break from work).

Adam says hi.

More updates

First of all, Jared, I looked up the problem Brooke has and I hope everything goes OK. Give her our love and I hope you and Bryan are feeling better, too. Thank you all for the beautiful card. Brooke does an excellent job of writing her name.

Now for my updates. I put both of them under my travels. I have our trip from last summer when we went to Canada. I also, finally got some of the funeral pictures on. I have lots more that are still in the camera. I think Dad is going to finish using that roll of film on Sunday. So maybe I can get the rest of them on next week. Do I need to make them a little smaller?

Love ya,
MOM

bilateral vesicoureteral reflux

Here's the latest update from the Palmer family... the one in Texas, anyway. Bryan has a cold, and so do I. Brooke is feeling much better than she has, and has now completed her medical tests for all those UTIs. We've got the diagnosis back -- see above-- but no treatment plan yet. She'll go back to the urologist next week to figure out what needs to happen from here. I don't have a new job yet, but I've got a few possible leads. Yes I will let you all know when I do get something. If you want nitty-gritty details, well, call me or email me. Does everyone have my new email address? I don't know if the message got out. Maybe I'll send an email out to everyone so you'll have it.

Fourth Grade

I remember during fourth grade we had a project where the class was divided into wagon companies and we would follow the Oregon Trail. We would read about what we would see on the trail and describe all the problems that would be encountered along the way and how we might respond. It was really fun. When I was younger, that was my favorite point in history. I don't know if your school would do the same thing, Tawnia, or if you would follow the Mormon Trail since you're in Utah. But that was one of my favorite things.

I also really enjoyed the field trips, and we went on the most in fourth and fifth grade, including the overnight trip to Bend. That was really exciting, especially since I had never been to eastern Oregon before then -- that I could remember anyway. We must have been preparing for it for over a month.

Favorite book and song? I didn't really have a favorite. I did read the Little House books a lot. I liked the American Girl series (especially when we got Eric to read them to us and he would make up funny voices).

Emily

passport info

Passport information is on the State Department's website at this link:

http://travel.state.gov/passport/passport_1738.html

All of the necessary information is on this site. It will cost $100 to get a passport (I just checked). When I got my passport for Australia, it cost only $60, but apparently they've piled on some "security" fees since then. Mom, keep in mind that Emily and Clarissa are ADULTS and should pay for their own. You and Dad should (in my mind anyway) pay for only your own. If we actually had the money right now, I'd pay for the passports for you as part of that interest from the Bank of Dad that I never paid. But we don't so I can't. Adam and I have our own to pay for - he doesn't have one at all yet, and I need to get mine renewed because of my name change.

Oh, and speaking of "interest payments" ... Mom, you said that some kind of gift in return for all that interest would be nice, but we're working on what you REALLY want. If all goes according to plan, you will receive what you REALLY want sometime in the next - oh ... year or so (no indications yet of a pending announcement), and then we will buy plane tickets for you and Dad to visit your present ... er ... I mean, grandchild.

Well, well, well

It seems that Trina and Tawnia got things rolling on here. Tawnia with her request and Trina with her political updates. Thank you so much for mentioning the passport issue. I had heard about it but somehow I didn't think about needing a passport so soon. We'll get right on that. Another nice big unplanned but necessary expense. It's very important that we are able to go to Mindy if there is ever an emergency. So, even if Dad and I don't make it up there in August, we still need our passports ASAP.

As far as voting Democrat I'll have to give that one lots of thought and prayer, but I would like to hear the ins and outs of the Social Security thing. It's very confusing to me, because I've only heard bits and pieces. You can all email me with your thoughts and opinions as I try to figure out my own.

Now to your question, Tawnia, I don't remember anything specifically from my 4th grade year. It was way too long ago. I don't even remember what books I read. The only book I recall from grade school is "Island of the Blue Dolphins". I don't even remember the story, mainly just the title. Of course, I read lots of books with you kids. You have to do something on Laura Ingalls Wilder and all her wonderful books, especially Little House in the Big Woods and Farmer Boy. A. A. Milne wrote for younger kids but I think even some 4th graders would love reading Winnie the Pooh because of the way he puts things in his stories. The Hobbit is a pretty good story for kids but Tolkein's other books are way too much.

It's late and I need to get to bed but I wanted to take a few minutes to put in my two cents.

Love ya,
MOM

oh, and the jam

The recipe for strawberry freezer jam is on the paper that's inside the box of SureGell pectin. It's pectin, strawberries, and sugar. There are also recipes on the paper (which also involve just pectin and sugar) for other kinds of fruit. We're going to make mango jam this weekend, when the mangos Adam got yesterday are ripe.