A new album with the highlights of our Portland trip. Well, only some of them. Body Worlds didn't allow photos, and some of the highlights, like swimming at the hotel pool and enjoying a good meal and beer, didn't have good photo ops.
Chugging right along, both houses (the one we're selling and the one we're buying) got appraised today. Still no moving date, only tentative closing dates, and baby brother still hanging out in utero, waiting to make his grand entrance. Selling a couple things we don't want to move, looking for some new stuff to outfit the new place. I feel oddly calm today, like I'm in the eye of the hurricane, chaos abounds, but I'm at peace for the moment.
I wish there were easier/better ways to document Lola's development and capture the crazy funny things she says these days. "Dada you're so cute" or "Daddy you're a silly boy" are just a couple off the top of my head. I need a voice activated micro-recorder that attaches to her clothes just to get it all to share with those not present. She's such a sweet girl, I can hardly stand it.
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Tidbits
Just had to post this video of Lola going for a swim last week. Sorry the quality is so low, it's from a cell phone.
And just a random bizarre link for today. Ladies, you'd better be sitting down, it's time for Mr. Romance.
And just a random bizarre link for today. Ladies, you'd better be sitting down, it's time for Mr. Romance.
Monday, June 18, 2007
wild for Windsor!
So, it is official. Our offer was accepted and the Tiar family will be moving into their new house sometime after the 27th of July when we close. Oh, that is 4 days after Baby Brother is due to arrive. I like to keep things interesting. I figure unless we were waiting a few months, I am never going to be that much help - to big and pregnant now. After, well just healing with an infant. Anyway it happens, it is not far to move and I am so excited, I will be packed and ready before.
Amy is leaving tomorrow. She is the neighbor across the street. She's Lola's best friend. She is only sad when she thinks about leaving Lola and Marc and I got a little verklempt when talking about it earlier. Lola went over to help pack and clean for a while (probably really to take a break and play with her dogs). After she came home, she started packing her flip flops and other assorted items into a plastic bag, informing me that she was going to New Jersey with Amy.
Poor Lola. Lots of changes. She seems very excited about Baby Brother and talks to him all the time. Apparently he hears better when she lifts my shirt and talks directly against my skin. I am hoping that my new stories of a new bedroom and new house will actually make the transition smooth for her. She is a pretty resilient, adaptable, and easy going child.
No other news really. It's hot. It seems to be getting hotter. Did I mention AC in the new house? That cannot happen soon enough.
Amy is leaving tomorrow. She is the neighbor across the street. She's Lola's best friend. She is only sad when she thinks about leaving Lola and Marc and I got a little verklempt when talking about it earlier. Lola went over to help pack and clean for a while (probably really to take a break and play with her dogs). After she came home, she started packing her flip flops and other assorted items into a plastic bag, informing me that she was going to New Jersey with Amy.
Poor Lola. Lots of changes. She seems very excited about Baby Brother and talks to him all the time. Apparently he hears better when she lifts my shirt and talks directly against my skin. I am hoping that my new stories of a new bedroom and new house will actually make the transition smooth for her. She is a pretty resilient, adaptable, and easy going child.
No other news really. It's hot. It seems to be getting hotter. Did I mention AC in the new house? That cannot happen soon enough.
Friday, June 15, 2007
Resurfacing
Sorry to all you devoted readers out there for the absence lately, life gets busy. I'm finally back on the radar.
So, Portland was a great time had by all. I figured out a key difference between the cheap (think Motel 6) motels and expensive (Marriott) hotels. They gouge you for everything in the latter because they can - the business travelers and rich folks who typically stay there can drop $10/day on wifi without being too worried about the bottom line. The frugal types look for the most bang for their buck in choosing lodging, so the cheaper places offer as many freebies as they can to get your business, from internet to continental breakfast. That's why there were no postings from Portland - we did spring for one day's wifi but the rest of our access was in brief visits to Maggie's apartment and writing was not in the cards.
We did have a grand old time, from the little carnival set up for the Rose Festival to the Body Worlds exhibit at OMSI. Our zoo visit got rained out, but the Portland Children's Museum proved a worthy substitute for a little while. We ate well, from Rock Bottom Brewery to Kell's for breakfast. Saturday Market was nice too, despite the rain, and I picked up a bottle of Rogue that I've never seen before to drink on Father's Day. A longer visit would have been nice, as would the absence of rain the whole time, but genuinely, a great trip, and Lola was a great traveler both ways and throughout our stay. Photos are coming soon, I promise.
In other news, perhaps most notably of all, we've (more or less) sold our house!! After initially deciding that perhaps selling to a friend wasn't best and telling Jack as much, his other options didn't pan out, we reconsidered, and we've come to a good agreement. As long as the appraiser and inspector agree, we're good! Next up, confirming that we definitely want the other house, putting in a offer and closing that deal.
Finally, a bit of social commentary by Marc...what the hell is going on this country? Three stories that make me feel like North Korea or East Germany are our models for justice. Airport fiasco, beer-providing mom doing time, and teen sex ruins kid's life. Whatever happened to letting the punishment fit the crime? Link one really steams me, as a parent I can completely put myself in that woman's shoes. She's a former Secret Service for cryin' out loud. If it happened to her, it could happen to any one of us. If our country wasn't so dang big, I'd swear off flying completely.
The other two stories are similar in our tendency to just lock people up. Did the mom do wrong? Of course. Fine her, put her on probation, make her pick up trash by the roadside, send her to parenting classes. Two years in jail? I'm sure that's good for the family. And the kid in Georgia...I'm sure a former honor student and athlete will be better off in society having done time for the crime of oral sex. Can't vote, nobody wants to hire him or rent him a house. Ex-cons don't have it easy, and while I don't necessarily think that they should, this kid's life is probably shot because he did something that goes on every day in every city in the country without penalty. What a load.
And just so as not to end this post and launch the weekend on a completely down note, two of my aides at work just gave me a $10 Starbucks card just because I'm a nice boss. Sure can't beat that.
So, Portland was a great time had by all. I figured out a key difference between the cheap (think Motel 6) motels and expensive (Marriott) hotels. They gouge you for everything in the latter because they can - the business travelers and rich folks who typically stay there can drop $10/day on wifi without being too worried about the bottom line. The frugal types look for the most bang for their buck in choosing lodging, so the cheaper places offer as many freebies as they can to get your business, from internet to continental breakfast. That's why there were no postings from Portland - we did spring for one day's wifi but the rest of our access was in brief visits to Maggie's apartment and writing was not in the cards.
We did have a grand old time, from the little carnival set up for the Rose Festival to the Body Worlds exhibit at OMSI. Our zoo visit got rained out, but the Portland Children's Museum proved a worthy substitute for a little while. We ate well, from Rock Bottom Brewery to Kell's for breakfast. Saturday Market was nice too, despite the rain, and I picked up a bottle of Rogue that I've never seen before to drink on Father's Day. A longer visit would have been nice, as would the absence of rain the whole time, but genuinely, a great trip, and Lola was a great traveler both ways and throughout our stay. Photos are coming soon, I promise.
In other news, perhaps most notably of all, we've (more or less) sold our house!! After initially deciding that perhaps selling to a friend wasn't best and telling Jack as much, his other options didn't pan out, we reconsidered, and we've come to a good agreement. As long as the appraiser and inspector agree, we're good! Next up, confirming that we definitely want the other house, putting in a offer and closing that deal.
Finally, a bit of social commentary by Marc...what the hell is going on this country? Three stories that make me feel like North Korea or East Germany are our models for justice. Airport fiasco, beer-providing mom doing time, and teen sex ruins kid's life. Whatever happened to letting the punishment fit the crime? Link one really steams me, as a parent I can completely put myself in that woman's shoes. She's a former Secret Service for cryin' out loud. If it happened to her, it could happen to any one of us. If our country wasn't so dang big, I'd swear off flying completely.
The other two stories are similar in our tendency to just lock people up. Did the mom do wrong? Of course. Fine her, put her on probation, make her pick up trash by the roadside, send her to parenting classes. Two years in jail? I'm sure that's good for the family. And the kid in Georgia...I'm sure a former honor student and athlete will be better off in society having done time for the crime of oral sex. Can't vote, nobody wants to hire him or rent him a house. Ex-cons don't have it easy, and while I don't necessarily think that they should, this kid's life is probably shot because he did something that goes on every day in every city in the country without penalty. What a load.
And just so as not to end this post and launch the weekend on a completely down note, two of my aides at work just gave me a $10 Starbucks card just because I'm a nice boss. Sure can't beat that.
Thursday, June 7, 2007
Live from Eugene
Thanks to the glory of free wifi, I'm writing live from my motel room bed in Eugene, OR, on our way to Portland. I wish I knew my way around so we might have found a more, um, scenic? cultural? how about "less industrial" part of town to stay in. As long as I'm wishing, let's tack on a few extra hours last night and this morning to have a look around too. Got in, got fed at Olive Garden, found a market for cold medicine, checked email, went to bed, and we'll be on the road again before long.
Other highlights from the road...incredible drivers, not maniacal ones like we're used to, but the ones who insist on driving 5mph below the speed limit in the fast lane and won't budge. The locals in Grants Pass...we stopped for gas, and while it was a nice surprise that apparently Oregon has full service gas everywhere, the locals we were surrounded by at the AM/PM make Reno look like Portland in its cultural excellence and GP look like one big Sun Valley, and not the nice part towards the back. Construction on 395, CA36, CA44....Lola's crankiness before her nap....brief torrential rains...roadside scrap metal dragon art...(dragon photo as well as some nice Mt. Shasta pics on this page)
Well, it's about time to rouse the rest of the Tiars from bed and get the show on the road. Portland awaits.
Other highlights from the road...incredible drivers, not maniacal ones like we're used to, but the ones who insist on driving 5mph below the speed limit in the fast lane and won't budge. The locals in Grants Pass...we stopped for gas, and while it was a nice surprise that apparently Oregon has full service gas everywhere, the locals we were surrounded by at the AM/PM make Reno look like Portland in its cultural excellence and GP look like one big Sun Valley, and not the nice part towards the back. Construction on 395, CA36, CA44....Lola's crankiness before her nap....brief torrential rains...roadside scrap metal dragon art...(dragon photo as well as some nice Mt. Shasta pics on this page)
Well, it's about time to rouse the rest of the Tiars from bed and get the show on the road. Portland awaits.
Monday, June 4, 2007
And more photos...
The very day I posted those other photos, Lola took a tumble down the back stairs outside. Nothing major, just tears and wailing for a few minutes and her poor face ended up looking a little like Rocky Balboa before he fights back. Had to document the occasion with a series of photos our photogenic little angel.
Two days until we drive to Portland to see Maggie and corpses. Feels like we should be doing more preparations around here. Bought some toys and snacks for the road today, then had to rush home for yet another showing to a potential buyer. And that's on top of the two phone calls this morning scheduling showings for tomorrow! One of these days someone's just got to be the one to buy it...
Two days until we drive to Portland to see Maggie and corpses. Feels like we should be doing more preparations around here. Bought some toys and snacks for the road today, then had to rush home for yet another showing to a potential buyer. And that's on top of the two phone calls this morning scheduling showings for tomorrow! One of these days someone's just got to be the one to buy it...
Saturday, June 2, 2007
Amazingly, photos
Welcome, infrequent visitors!
Finally got around to posting some new photos from recent weeks. All Lola, if you can believe that. Check 'em out here.
Right now:
And just because I made you read through that inane list, here's a fun link for you.
Finally got around to posting some new photos from recent weeks. All Lola, if you can believe that. Check 'em out here.
Right now:
- Lola and Morgan are napping
- Maggie just went for a jog
- Cina is panting like mad after chasing thunder for the last 40 minutes
- The house is really tidy following today's successful open house (successful in that we had seven families/couples come see the house, which apparently is really good...not successful in the sense that we haven't seen any offers yet)
- My weekend is upon us
And just because I made you read through that inane list, here's a fun link for you.
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