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A few pictures from this Fall…

Thank you, Tess, for taking this lovely picture!

Evie is into wearing bows right now.

Loving the Christmas tree!

Vernal Falls in Yosemite

Family pic at the Vernal Falls bridge

Getting ready to rock Yosemite! Yeah!

Waiting for the Yosemite Valley shuttle.

Take me fishing, Daddy.

A trip to the pumpkin patch.

Evie liked rocks more than pumpkins. Oh well!

Letting Daddy pet the horse at the pumpkin patch.

And those were our adventures!

Around and About

I mentioned previously that Michael was trying to decide whether there were job opportunities with the National Park Service that would also be conducive to having a family life, and the general consensus between the two of us was, "not now, and we need to make some money." So in one of the quicker big decisions that we've ever made, we decided to seize an opportunity that came our way and buy a small business. The story went this way:

As Michael was perusing job postings, he came across an ad that a pool cleaning business was for sale--13 pools, translating to 1-2 days of work per week, and the price was right. "You know," I said," That's not a bad deal. You work 1-2 days each week and bring in the same amount of money you made working 5 days a week, we cut our childcare costs, have the potential to grow it, and pay ourselves back in a year." Something to think about. Upon contacting the seller, we came to learn that it was our friend who owned a pool cleaning business, trying to get ride of a few contracts since he had so many. Our friend promised Michael he'd help him learn how to do the work, both the pool part of it, and the business part of it. Who could turn that down? We didn't! So we now own Pure Hydro Pool Service, and my husband the pool boy can come sweep your pool and clean your pump any time. Now, the contracts Michael bought haven't paid us yet--that's coming in about a month, so we'll see how this all shakes down, but so far, the start-up cost has been low, and I think it's far less dangerous than looking for crazy people on drugs out in the wilderness. But that's just me.

And Evie has been up to being her sweet self. I went to a giant consignment sale not long ago, and while I had left to just buy her some clothes, she became very attached to the toy in the picture below, so I bought it. I still feel super indulgent, but she continues to put in many hours and miles pounding the pavement with her little letter carrier, so I think the joy was worth my $7.50. Here she is pictured in her dad's hat, all business.

Summer Draws to a Close

We had an interesting summer this year, as we found ourselves choosing to dive into a season of transition. As I mentioned in an earlier post, Michael quit his job at the Work Training Center here in Chico and set out in June to explore new options. When he took that job, we promised each other that it would not be a long-term solution for a number of reasons, namely that the wage was low and the work was excruciatingly boring. But life gets comfortable, and soon two years had gone by. Multiple job applications and rejections later (the unemployment rate in Chico hovers around 13% and close to 25% in surrounding areas), we decided to "just do it" and try something new. So National Park Ranger Academy became the theme of the summer, and although it was challenging, we are still contemplating the viability of such work for our family. It would require Michael to be away from us for days, weeks, or months at a time. It's dangerous work, too, and we're not really excited about that. So we are thinking about that kind of work as an option and looking at other, more local and less dangerous options as well. More on that later.

But after having been apart for the summer, we decided we needed some fun in our lives before we got down to business, so we went up to Anacortes for a week to get some cooler weather and refreshment...

I pushed us all to play tourist and get out on a ferry boat. We had amazing weather, and I got to capture this amazing image of Mount Baker hovering in a blanket of fog above Orcas Island.

Perhaps Evie should have been more impressed by the beauty. What a scowl. The best part about this ferry trip were the wild orca whales we saw from the ferry. Wow, what a show. The captain slowed waaay down so we could watch them swim, play, and jump in the water.

She did like the birds on the piling, though. She was pretty excited to watch them strut around and fight with each other.

Evie learned to walk this summer, toward the middle of July. Here she is practicing and enjoying herself immensely.

We took a day trip up to Mount Lassen on our 7th anniversary. There was so much snow! Our trip there last summer looked so much different just because there was virtually no snow at all. It was a wild and wet winter for Northern California, but the reservoirs are full for the first time in many years.

Here we are, posing in our nerdy hats in front of Broke-off Mountain!

Seven years of marriage--pretty cool!

Smokey the Who?

Well, it's official. We've either done something really dumb or really great.

I've had a lot of conversations with people lately about taking risks, which has perhaps helped me deal with the risk that our family recently took this summer. Generally, I prefer a quiet life in which I can enjoy my friends and family and have a reasonably good prediction of the near future. Why I prefer this type of life, I don't know, because I have rarely enjoyed such a luxury. Truth be told, do any of us truly get to enjoy such a luxury? I have learned in my teenage and adult years that when I am faced with a choice that presents itself as scary or unsettling, I should probably lean into that challenge and just do it. Those choices have typically resulted in being the most rewarding. What's the saying? With great risk comes great reward, I believe it is.

It so happens that I married a risk junkie, and that has probably been one of the best things for me. Because of him, I've:

• climbed steep mountain peaks (he doesn't think this is a big deal--poo on him)
• furthered my education
• frolicked amongst 1.5-ton elephant seals
• moved to a foreign country
• stood up to old men in a foreign country
• ridden a scooter in a foreign country
• flown down a country highway in China at midnight to who-knows-where in a taxi driven by a crazy Chinese guy who was passing cars with oncoming traffic staring us in the face
• eaten sushi, seaweed, jellyfish, and crab innards

So it should be no surprise to me that after several years of butting our heads against the job market, that we've decided to take another risk and side-step this lovely economy and hope to inject Michael into it another way. This summer, he is attending Ranger Academy to become a Law Enforcement Officer in our national parks. He quit his job and is spending the summer learning how to arrest people, shoot guns, take people down, and "employ tactical driving techniques," i.e. drive big trucks like they do on TV. Sounds like a fun summer camp for grown-ups, huh? We are hoping that despite the fact that he quit his job (gulp), this new set of skills will place him on a path that may allow him a career that moves somewhere and doesn't rot his brain. So far, even though we are spending the weekdays apart, he is feeling optimistic about his career for the first time in years and is really enjoying what he's learning. That's certainly something for a wife to be grateful for!

So pray for us; for Michael's ongoing safety and for the unfolding of the path ahead.

Here's a photo of Michael and Evie. They miss each other when they are apart but have a blast when they're back together. :-) Evie and I escaped the heat of Chico and met Michael in Marin for a weekend on the beach. It was so much fun. And speaking of Evelyn, I will proudly brag that she is standing by herself for long periods of time and threatening to walk sometime when we aren't looking.

Trip to Los Angeles

Our Trip to Disneyland

When I anticipate thinking back on this trip in the years to come, I imagine that National Lampoon's Vacation will come to mind as they braved the harrowing obstacles they encountered on their cursed way to Wallyworld. Evie and I encountered our own obstacles as we joined my in-laws on a trip to Disneyland and Venice Beach. She and I drove down to Vacaville to ride with Michael's parents on our drive down there. I had the joy of cleaning poop (not mine!) out of our car about 10 minutes into our trip. Then I did it again the next day. Then the day after that, all of Michael's family fell sick, and as they rolled in bed moaning on Friday night, it was up to Evie and me to make our own fun. We were good for a couple of hours before I began to go nuts.

However, we did make it to Disneyland, as well as to the Griffith Observatory, Venice Beach, and Santa Monica. The majority of the trip was great fun, but upset stomachs, vomit, and poor appetites peppered our trip throughout. My brother-in-law and I bonded in a new way when I pulled the car over for him on the busy L.A. I-5 freeway to allow him to hurl out the side of the car.

Here are pictures from the true beginning of our trip (at least in my book). We all went to Disneyland together on Sunday, 3 days into our vacation.

Her classic expression of excitement: "Yaaaay!" as she observed all the kids milling around.

Not sure what she thought of the carousel. She didn't end up liking it very much.

Evie loved her great-uncle, Jimmy. It was the second time she had met him, but she went right to him and wanted him to hold her. He works for Disneyland on the "It's a Small World" ride. He really gave us the hook up; we didn't have to wait in line at all, all day. Thank you, thank you!

The adults also had fun in Disneyland. Here we were in a very (!!) short line for the haunted mansion.

Grandpa Jack became Evie's new buddy. I did not have to hold her much during our trip because she always asked for him. :-)

Evie's ready to go swimming after our first day at Disneyland, a few hours before the vomit hit the toilet.

Evie and I on some caterpillar ride. We were both bored on that one.

Our hotel must have gotten their cribs on discount from Eastern Europe. Very glad I brought my own blankets for her. I always lean toward bringing less gear, but I think I'm gradually learning the bringing your own crib is just better all around. No judgment, please!

More photos to come, as things begin to look up for National Hanes Summer Vacation.

1st Birthday!

We had a 1st birthday celebration for Evie at our house. The weather couldn't have been more perfect; 75 degrees, sunny, and a light breeze. We barbecued hamburgers and hotdogs, enjoyed our friends, and celebrated our first year with Evie.

Evie got to have a banana bread cupcake with cream cheese frosting. Since bananas are hands-down her favorite food, I thought this was a healthy and appropriate first cake for her.

Everyone else got devils food cupcakes with chocolate sour cream frosting. Yum!

Evie likes to be in the middle of anything involving food, and we discovered it was a little tricky keeping her feet out of the candle flame. Quick song, blow out the candle, get on with the eating part.

"Come on, guys! I could totally eat that spread! One little cupcake is nothing. Keep it coming!"

Happy birthday, my sweet, friendly, enthusiastic, outgoing baby. We definitely think you are a wonderful addition to our lives. We're grateful that God chose you for us (and the rest of the world) out of all the possibilities.

10 Months, 11 Months...

Evelyn is growing fast; in fact she just turned one in real time. But I have not uploaded those photos, and there is a birthday party coming up, so I will save all those photos for another blog entry. To risk being incredibly cliche, it is amazing how fast Evie has grown, and how delightful it has been to have her in our lives. This little girl has a personality that is larger than life, and it's actually very hard to catch her in the camera because she is always moving and always talking, which makes for blurry pictures.

Here are some reasons why we love her:

• She loves to wave her arms in the air and say, "Yaaaay!"
• She loves to snuggle, as much as possible.
• She is friendly, and there are only about 2 people she doesn't really seem to like…sorry Mr. Chiropractor…
• She sleeps through the night now.
• She knows what she wants and has figured out how to ask for it; lots of signing and pointing.
• She dances to music whenever it comes on.
• She smiles and laughs, loves to play games, and is generally loving, fun-loving, and people-loving.
• She likes to ride on your shoulders, and she NEVER holds on. Never. She prefers to wave her arms in the air and bounce up and down.

Eyes that melt into black liquid, begging you to love her. More. Now.

First Easter. I didn't actually think she'd be able to tear the wrappers off the candy that the Easter obviously brought for Eryn and Michael.

I'm going to brag a little; I carried Evie 6 out of our 10-mile hike. I was very sore the next day. She's not that light.

A wild time at Stinson Beach. Evie just LOVED the wind.