Cool new camera tricks...

Please excuse the fact that the focal point of this picture was my fungis foot (currently being treated - ok, lazily being treated, but none the less, its been diagnosed and the prognosis is good) but its the background that has been my evening's homework. I was reading and learning about "depth of field" in my pictures.

For this exercise my camera was set in Manual mode so that I could manipulate the aperature/f-stop/diaphragm as I took the picture. My intent was to create a greater focus on my subject and blur the background to the extent that I wanted. With a smaller aperature - diaphragm set at 1/22, or f/22, in the top photo the depth of field was greater - meaning that the background had greater detail and detracted from my fungis foot. In the lower photo I opened up my aperature to 1/4, or f/4, and the background was much more blurred!

I know its exciting to you.

Joys with my kids...

Yesterday evening as I prepped for a friend of mine's baby shower I allowed the kids to take part in the festivities by pulling apart all the cloves of garlic and throw them in the roasting dish... the clean up seemed so small in comparison to the fun they had figuring out what garlic was and how it "works", for lack of better words.






































This afternoon I quickly put Katie and William to bed following the baby shower here at our house. Come to find out that instead of playing blocks - which I allowed them to do instead of napping - they set up a store -- not unlike Other Mothers here in Everett. For those of you unfamiliar, Other Mothers is a consignment store that we frequent and there was nothing sweeter than buying clothes at Katie's store, and in turn, discovering Katie's understanding of what happens during a transaction.

Favorite Birthday Card...

Yesterday was my 30th birthday and I received so many wonderful cards and gifts from people - thank you everyone for making me feel so cherished!

My favorite birthday card was from my friend, Christelle:

With an adorable little frog on the front...
On the inside it read: "We may not be tadpoles anymore but at least we haven't croaked."

I smiled and laughed... loved it.

Capturing William

In an attempt to play with one's senses I thought it'd be cute to capture my children looking "body-less"... thank you, Katie, for your cooperation... can't say much for Will's ability to not be a nut, let alone comprehend what I was trying to do. He has much more of a "simba/pouncing" look to him. The first picture was his face as I was desperately trying to explain to him what I wanted him to do... but obviously he was much more interested in making everybody laugh.

"I AM has sent you..." Exodus 3:14

Moses was surprised in the least at the command God had given him - "so now, Go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt." I'm sure Moses had the fleeting thought, if not a full thought, of explaining to God the enormity of this request. I'm sure he could have listed the number of ways it could go wrong or the number of doors that would slam in his face; he could list the people by name who would look at him like he was an idiot and scoff at his request; he could think through the protective measures Pharaoh had taken to keep the Israelites from escaping and the amount of authority it would take to veto Pharaoh in his attempt to oppress the Israelites.

****

Chad Lusk - a depiction of handsome meets mountain man. He and his wife, Kathy, have lived at the base of beautiful Mt. Emily since I can remember... memories of that beautiful place include the following:

- watching terrified as bats flew past outside while sleeping on the floor of the Master bedroom in a sleeping bag (don't remember why I was sleeping there or what the visit entailed)
- playing hide-and-seek on their beautiful acreage at the same time the green river killer had a media presence. I remember Matt (Chad's son) trying to freak me out a little while hiding out behind the barn... I was sure he'd be my "knight in shining armor" and not let anything happen to me - oh, little girl crushes...
- the loft overlooking the living room
- Amy and Clay's beautiful wedding reception on the deck overlooking the valley
- during that reception Kathy was mortified to find out that the pig Chad had decided to bury and cook wasn't completely "done" and therefore he found the best solution to be butchering it himself, finishing it on the BBQ and serving it to the guests...
- he "totaled" more Mercedes than I can count... at least it seems that way
- pack rats filled his Mercedes with dog food during one winter -- the engine, the pipes, etc.
- at a young age, Matt and my brother, Geoff, were awoken by a bear going through the garbage as they slept out back on the trampoline -- I believe Geoff about peed his pants while standing motionless as Matt tore off for the safety of the house
- Liberty, their golden retriever, and the other dog... a black lab whose name I can't remember!
- Mimi - the "smoosh-faced" cat that Kathy adored. We acquired many-a-pictures of that feline throughout the first months of them owning it
- ordering pizza only to find out that the "pepper" atop the pizza was actually dead fruit flies falling from the dining room lights above... we had devoured the pizza...
- the crawl space between Matt and Amy's room
- the hikes up Mt. Emily
- the 1/2 mile long driveway -- not to mention the 1/2 mile long driveway with walls of snow on either side...
- the sound of the ATV back and forth outside - I can still hear it as I sit here typing... it was one of those sounds that when I hear it to this day I think of the Lusks still!
- the smell of the inside of the barn
- and oh so many more memories...

Chad was recently diagnosed with brain cancer after experiencing a stroke this past spring. Since that time he has been given a 0% chance of recovery due to the inoperable growth in his brain and his prognosis has been undefined. During the last few months he has experienced highs and lows but thanks to Chef Kathy at his side he's not in want of fantastic organic meals or supremely healthy shakes... (or so I hear from my Dad who has had the pleasure of experiencing this cuisine while staying with Chad and Kathy at their home in La Grand.)

Monday night, October 6th, Chad came down with pneumonia - an infection of the lungs. Pneumonia is the "most common fatal infection acquired by already hospitalized patients" and Chad was in no better shape. His immune system was compromised by the aggressively growing cancer and he quickly became debilitated due to its effect on his system. Tuesday afternoon, October 7th, the doctors gave him a prognosis of 24 - 48 hours and it was more likely the lesser of the two. Family made their way to his side from all over the country in expectation that these would be their final moments talking with Chad and expressing their gratitude for the man that he's always been to his wife, to his children and their spouses and to his grandchildren... and beyond that into the lives of his friends'.

Tuesday night when my Dad arrived at the Lusk home, Chad was barely conscious. He was able to squeeze my Dad's hand in an effort to signal his awareness of my Dad's presence and words. His lungs were filled with mucus and fluids and it was becoming an even shorter prognosis rather quickly. Would he even make it through the night?

LESSONS IN PRAYER

As I drove home from a friend's home late Tuesday evening I began weeping. I thought of everyone surrounding his bedside at that moment praying and asking God for His hand of protection, of healing, of sovereignty, of comfort... and what would it be like to witness the air in the room shift as God began healing Chad at that very moment right in front of everyone. I thought about the glory that God would receive and I believed that it could be done if God's will was such. God stirred my heart to stop simply praying the words, "your will be done..." but instead interjecting the desires of my heart into that prayer. I felt as though he was chastising me to pray the words my heart was longing to pray... those words were this: "God, I pray you heal Chad and bring him to full restoration of health." I have been praying those words ever since that night -- day in and day out.

THE DAY DAWNS

Chad is awake at 5:30am, October 8th, speaking a word here and there... he's beginning to smile and drink fluids on his own! The hospice nurse mentions that in her 28 years of practice she has witnessed the spike of energy before the impending last breaths of life which are usually only hours away. But as the day progressed and Chad continued his escapade of speaking words, laughing and drinking fluids, the nurse became less familiar with the scene at hand.

God was at work.

He is a God who makes the ordinary things extraordinary. The ordinary day was now an extraordinary moment in the eyes of everyone around. Night fell and Chad had not slipped back into his previous state of unhealthy but instead left people to search their hearts and pray in ways they've never experienced before... in the least, I'm speaking for myself.



****

In Exodus 3, Moses practically interrogates God at the scene of the burning bush. Who am I, God? Who do I tell them you are, if in fact I do go? What if they do not believe me? What should I do I am not very eloquent in speech and am slow of tongue? PLEASE SEND SOMEONE ELSE!

As I've studied Moses during these last few days I have become reminded of God's authority and power to bring about freedom and restoration for His people. He can do anything that he wants to do and it is expected that we pray in such a way that we are not swayed by our finite understanding and therefore limiting our requests of the God to whom we're speaking! I sensed an anger burning towards me as I sheepishly asked God for "His will to be done" with Chad although my heart was burning with other desires and requests. It was not the simple prayer of Him completing His will in the situation that angered Him but yet my lack of belief and fear of disappointment. Like my Mom mentioned on the phone - the same God who led His people out of Egypt and brought his people to the Promised Land is the same God that resides over the Lusk house right now and listens to the prayers of His people as they beg for healing.

ANOTHER DAY DAWNS

Today, October 9th, Chad is putting full sentences together, sitting up in bed, asking for a shower and desiring more to eat than just applesauce. I imagine his family is walking around shaking their head and chuckling as they praise the God who is Sovereign and learning a lesson in endurance as they continue to pray for the healing of a man so deeply loved...

All Glory to God.

Basil plant...

Just the other day at Trader Joe's I bought myself (and my family) a basil plant - $3.29 for a basil plant... I LOVE basil. I will eat a salad o' basil -- in fact, my dearest friend Jenny makes a basil salad with wonderful toppings and a fantastic family recipe of caesar dressing that is to die for and if it weren't for those evenings of eating the remainder of that salad I wouldn't have the unquenchable (if not unhealthy) desire for basil leaves that I do today.

As I write this I have made a Wild Harvest box of baby romaines extend well beyond its intended "servings per container" due to my basil plant... and am about to sop up the rest of my homemade caesar dressing by plucking the immature leaves from the stem and shoveling the soup into my mouth... going to bed fully satisfied (ok, only partially satisfied because I ALWAYS have a bowl of cereal prior to laying my head on the pillow) and wreaking of garlic and mayo... God bless Kyle for sleeping through the in and outs of my breathing.

In an excitement to find another wonderful recipe allowing me to harvest my newly purchased basil plant (I thought originally, prior to purchasing this specimen, that I wouldn't be able to "keep up with it" but who am I kidding... it can't keep up with me!) I found a delectable recipe - Lobster, Corn, Zucchini and Basil Salad. The recipe calls for a mere 12 x 1.5lb. lobsters... that would be equivalent to approximately $273.48 of lobster. I'm planning on making it for our next small group... let me think: Christelle, Chenin, Jeremy, Rachel, Kyle, myself, Corrie, Micah, Grant and Cristin... and the kids (2 lobsters total). Yep, that about sums it up.

The perfect dinner.

A feel good moment...

The movie "Baby Boom" starring Diane Keaton is one of those movies that when I get the urge to watch it I can't stop thinking about it until I do.

Diane Keaton plays a working woman in the 80s who doesn't have time to get married to her long time live in partner let alone consider a family when at a moment's notice she discovers the death of an extended relative leaves her the legal guardian of Elizabeth, a 1 year old without a family of her own. The movie transforms Diane Keaton's character as a career-oriented woman to a single Mom, living in a beautiful home in the country making her own applesauce. That in turn spins her into the owner of her very own company "Country Baby" the demand growing so quickly she can hardly keep up with it. I love the movie... if you're looking to see a clip check it out below:

Baby Boom, starring Diane Keaton (1987)

All told, in the Fall when I decide to make homemade applesauce, or any baby food for that matter at this time of year, I sense this growing urge to sit down and watch one of my all time favorite "chick flicks", Baby Boom (1987).

If any of you out there are sensing the urge to enjoy a good... down country... seasonal... romantic/comedy than let me know and we can make an evening of it.

I can't stop...

My camera's with me wherever I go these days... as I've chosen to take on the exciting challenge of photographing children and families on a professional level I realize my desire to shoot and become more familiar with the art is increasing exponentially! I love that I love it.

This morning as I walked through the bright yellow leaves in my driveway I realized that although I was initially mildly annoyed by the eyesore (aka an untidy driveway) I couldn't wait to get the camera out and capture "Fall" and all of its color! Jesseca and Regan came over early this morning to sip coffee and play dress up... hopefully its obvious as to who was doing what. The moment Regan came downstairs dressed in Katie's brilliantly pink fairy dress I rushed the kids outside to "play in the leaves" and we had a quick 10-minute photo shoot. It was after the umpteenth shot that I realized, I can't stop... I am in love with this art...

Just this past Saturday I awoke to the cool, crisp air of Fall coupled with the beautiful sunshine... the desire to get outside and take pictures before the sun shines only at the mercy of the clouds of Fall and Winter overwhelmed me. I called my dear friend, Rachel, and asked if she, Jeremy and the girls would accompany us on a trip to Stocker Farm's Corn Maze just down in the Snohomish Valley... she said 'yes' and politely asked me to refrain from using her as a 'subject'... uh... ok... but really?! How can I not photograph a classy pregnant lady... on a beautiful sunny Fall day... in the middle of a corn maze... with the fantastic hair and sexy jeans?! I took advantage of her presence and enjoyed it immensely.

We followed Kyle as he navigated the soon-to-be hungry for lunch and tired for nap crowd o' children through the corn maze. We threwthe kids in the air and some didn't even seemed to notice that they were, for an instant, suspended 12 ft. off the ground with only the hope of being caught...

Oooh... it was a fantastic time together... and you better believe I'll be back down there opening day of the pumpkin patch.

I think the hubby might have some photography skills of his own... nice shot, love.

Emma Nicole Berges

Introducing the one... the only... Emma Nicole Berges. Born in Yakima, WA on September 17th, 2008. Weighing in at a whoppin' 9lbs. 7oz. and measuring just short of a python at 22 inches. Well done Lesley and David... I'm so honored to be an Aunt to this beautiful (and dark!) little girl.

I arrived at David and Lesley's home on Sunday, September 21st to meet Emma for the first time. Katie and William were anxious to gaze upon this baby Emma that would forever be their cousin to visit and play with. William was gentle and Katie was obsessive in a sweet, clastorphobic sort of way.
Lesley looked wonderful and able to function with relative awareness... David looked like he had just won the Lottery. It was as though there was nothing that could be handed to him that could bring greater joy and he was filled with peace.

Lesley's parents, Dave and Lori Wright, were there. Dave Sr. (labeling makes it easier to distinguish between he and my brother, David, during conversation) had started the grill and was preparing to BBQ some burgers... Lori was preparing the condiments and I was busy corraling my three children in the midst of Jersey (the beautiful border collie/great dane mix that resides) and newborn Emma. Soon my parents and sister, Hannah, arrived from the Tri-Cities and we all enjoyed an afternoon of family and grandkids. The Grandmas sat in the corner discussing the issues at hand like Emma's coloring and the like... Hannah sat on the couch following a Saturday of eleven volleyball games ready to dissolve into a puddle of jell-o at any moment... Dave Sr. sat fixated to the golf tournament on TV... Grandpa Berges (my Dad, Gerry) sat back - also watching the golf tournament - with Emma curled up and sleeping on his chest. David and Lesley just breathed. For a couple that has just endured a week of labor and birth... family and friends... sleepless nights and nursing schedules... they were extremely conversational and thoughtful. They honored the importance of family by hosting all of us and by sharing their daughter so joyfully.

Thank you to the both of you and thank you to the Lord for the birth and health of Emma Nicole. Uncle Geoff and Auntie (pronounced "au" as in ox) Jennifer Berges (of Cleveland, Ohio) we missed you and cannot wait for you to meet this little wonder. She is beautiful and wonderfully laid back... she's the perfect mix of David and Les. She is definitely NOT blonde and brings some much awaited "berges dark" to the grandchild pool.

We love you, Emma. Welcome home.

Memory Verse of the Week II

Memory Verse of the Week

...saying "bon appetite" and wearing feather boas.

So the expectation was "fancy"... didn't need to be princess... didn't need to make sense... just get out whatever sparkles and glam you can find and put it on...

And be at Katie's house by 1pm.

Katie will be 4 years old this coming Friday, the 19th. With wonderful ignorance she simply asked for a "Fancy Nancy" party and we made it happen -- no big event. No parents. Just 6 girls in all their glam going through outfits like water for two and half hours.

We decorated our own Fancy place mats whilst sipping pink lemonade in wine glasses, eating orange cherry chip muffins, and grazing the small array of fruit chunks threaded onto fancy toothpicks...

Katie blew out the candles atop her miniature white with pink polka-dots cupcakes and then went to unwrapping the magnificently small pile o' gifts.

It was a wonderful day with wonderful friends... William had a play date with Dylan and Benjamin couldn't have been happier... take a look...

If you say "Happy Birthday" to Katie, be warned. She will explain to you that today was the "celebration of her birthday" but she's not really four until Friday.

Thank you everyone that came... we had a wonderful day and Katie felt so cherished --

Ava - the craft o' miscellaneous couldn't have been more perfect for the Craft Queen herself...

Kylee - the ladybug home will be so much fun to take part in... even William can't wait to get his hands on it!

Ella - Katie loves to paint!! Craft anything and everything when it comes to her PLUS jewelry?! Thank you...

Bella - thank you from Katie AND HER MOM. She will love doodling and coloring in the car with her new Barbie coloring roll.

Tia - the plate, the jewelry and the wonderful plaque are so personal and mean a lot. Thank you for the thoughtfulness you put into those things! Katie loves that she recognizes her name on things now... that meant a lot to her to be able to read the plaque!

Blessings to you, Fancy friends.

"The Chef" arrived this evening...

... and turned this.













...into this.




It was wonderful! Thank you wonderful Leonardsons for a fantastic evening. We are honored to call you all friends - and yes, for more than just the food.

The adults sat around the table savoring our meal of grilled salmon, mango salsa of sorts, steamed carrots, grilled radicchio and leafy greens with heirloom tomatos marinated in balsamic vinaigrette and discussed sin and our fallen human selves in light of what God offers... we talked about the heroic feats of husbands in the face of danger... or desire. Kyle and I topped off the evening with our own boxed brownies and store-bought ice cream served alongside some Kirkland coffee -- freshly brewed, of course!

The kids watched Mary Poppins and jumped on the couch... wrestled and argued as though they were brothers and sisters... and began to deteriorate at the hour of 9:30pm. When the parents (all 4 of us) decided the fight of keeping the kids entertained and well-behaved was harder than bringing the evening to a close we called it quits. The Leonardson family of 5 scurried out the door and the Scheis turned out the lights and huddled down to blog and watch TV. A perfect evening.





We appreciate each of you and can't wait to do this again.

God bless you. Sleep tight.

Entitlement.

I'm sure the history buffs out there reading this will roll their eyes and begin reciting all the reasons as to why the boundaries are the way they are... but honestly, have you ever thought to yourself (quite likely while trying to transpose the outline of a country for your 7th grade research paper), "who came up with these jagged little boundaries and aren't there better things they could do with their time?! (...quite likely while cursing your history teacher for assigning this particular country that you've never even heard of.)

Today during my BSF class here in the Seattle area, our Teaching Leader put up a map of Egypt and its neighboring lands prior to the creation of Iraq, Syria, Saudi Arabia... as we know them today and then overlaid the current countries. Sitting in the front row (suck up)... looking up at the overhead... I once again had the fleeting thought as to who does the work and why is there such detail put into the boundaries?

To me, it comes down to efficiency.

INEFFICIENT








EFFICIENT













I've got better things to do with my time and I'm simply trying to keep the kids from dropping their drawers in public! Nothing earth shattering...

But guaranteed, more important than who gets the 10 square miles of land unaccounted for... you take 5, I take 5. Fair enough.

And draw a straight line for goodness' sake.

The not-so-American way around here.

Just this morning my husband mentioned our shortness on expendable cash... I tried to respond in an even tone so as not to give away the fact that my feelings were hurt and always are a little hurt when he utters the "short on expendable cash" phrase.

The reason for my hurt feelings? Well, I like to consider myself a considerably low spender as of the past few years since having kids. We don't rent movies, we check them out from the library. We rarely buy food while out and about, we pack lunches. My husband, if he doesn't pack a lunch to work, snacks on his stash of almonds and protein bars purchased at Costco months before. I rarely purchase brand new clothes, I shop consignment - the only time clothes are purchased new is if that sale is better than the consignment store could offer me. I'm a Craigslist addict... I've realized McDonalds nickels and dimes Moms to death... the Grocery Game is the only way to shop and I get really disappointed if the sales receipt calculates less than 50% savings - and that's not a stretch. I drive an '01 minivan and I don't insist on having anything newer. Note I said both '01 and minivan... no SUV. No overwhelmingly high gas pump receipts and no "hot Mom with kids" feeling while driving. We ask for gift certificates for birthdays and holidays which has afforded our family a Woodland Park Zoo Membership and Kyle and I wonderful romantic dinners out. I've never thrown a big birthday party for any of my kids since Katie was born in '04 and William was born in '06 - we bake a cake, if that, and give a gift or two - they've never doubted the specialness of the day as they've always woken to hideously AWESOME white-trash streamers and non-helium balloons spewed across the kitchen! I've been cheap - expensive only where it counts.

As I sat across his office desk from him this morning as he offered me unsolicited information on our cash situation I began to cry. He looked from his computer screen to my face in astonishment. Truly. He was astonished! I explained to him through a low but wavy voice that I try so hard to spend as little as possible! Not because we need to but because there's so much more joy in creating a lifestyle that isn't growing in expense with every penny more that he makes! I do better now than I did when he was a full time pastor and making next to nothing! All this rolled off my tongue as he sat back in disbelief that I had very little clue as to how proud he has always been of my efforts.

My wonderful husband started into a pep talk that spoke from my mothering our kids to saving our family money and keeping the budget low. It meant the world to me and it was a wonderful moment to hear from the one man that I care the most to impress and amaze.

So, in a continuous effort to amaze him, I will throw the cheapest and most fun "Fancy Nancy" Party for my 4 year old this coming week. As I said before, she has never had a "birthday party" with friends and this will be the first. Lord knows I didn't buy any "Fancy Nancy" paraphernalia but we will have everything that Fancy Nancy would love... decorations and sparkles; cupcakes and glitter; crafts and fancy clothes. 6-8 4 year old girls dancing and twirling after decorating refrigerator boxes (aka cardboard houses) and/or puffy painting white t-shirts.

It should be a lot of fun. And it should be a lot of cheap.

First Carousel Ride

Afternoon Coffee

Its been a long time since I've felt the overwhelming sadness of emptiness... but I felt it the other day when Jenny drove out of the driveway. I smiled as best I could as the kids and I offered her our renown "Schei goodbye" from the front porch.

As I write this I'm looking at her picture and wishing that she would just walk in the room. Damn you Jenny, I'm choked up again...

Her son, Leo, is beautiful. I held him and wished that I was his blood relative simply for the connection that cannot be lost with blood relatives. He feels that close to my heart and I feel like I've awaited his arrival for so long. But he doesn't need another family member as he's got so many who will love and adore him... JoJo, Judy, Dick and Joe... all wonderful people that I too have grown to love and appreciate. I'm lucky to be amongst the intimate circle of friends that consider themselves family... have you ever, for a moment, stepped out of your shoes and thought to yourself what it must be like to have another family as your family? Not because of a discontentedness with the one you have but because of the adoration you have of another? I have... and I've found myself caring for and appreciating the Johnson/Haferbecker "clan" as I would my own family.

Anywho, on with the "Jenny" thing. So, here she is. And as Dusty knows best, she's beautiful... witty... smart... and incredibly wise in the way she lives her life. She cares about the global perspective of things and if I know Jenny, Leo will have a handle on how the world operates before he becomes sucked into the temptations of most children today in the U.S.. He will be setting up war with his G.I. Joe in hopes of ridding the world of AIDS and Child Prostitution. He will be found, at the age of 6, creating a country out of Legos with a female president. (Not to mention the embarrassment I felt when Jenny asked my daughter if she wanted to be a doctor when she grew up and Katie said, "No! I can't be a doctor!" with a laugh. And Jenny asked, "Why?!" Katie's response was, "Because I'm a girl!")

Jenny, I cried like a baby when you left. Katie consoled me! She asked if I missed my friend and I got to discuss with her what it feels like to have such wonderful companionship in life. We talked for awhile and she came to believe in the wonders of life-long friendships...

Thank you, friend. I love you and because you are who you are... I will tell you that I have to go because my son just woke up from his nap.

Coffee this afternoon?! See you then...

Sucka

Just recently my interest in photography has hit a crossroads. I have the choice to begin understanding the fundamentals of what makes a good photographer a good photographer through research and couple it with lots of practice or I can simply plateau here and enjoy the art of photography at its most elementary level.

The satisfaction I get out of a really great picture is overwhelming. I see people out at the zoo... on their own... taking close up shots of butterflies and elephants, flowers, crowds of children, corn dogs and giraffe tongues and I want to run up and ask them if I can walk around with them. I want to know what they're thinking to see if they are as obsessed with a great shot as I am!


I think its become quite evident that I want to begin the research and venture out on developing my skills as a photographer... wish me luck!

In the midst of this realization my husband and I spoke. He gave me advice that will forever make me smile... "Krista, start at the Apple store. What a Mac can do to assist a photographer in his or her art is absolutely amazing." ...and he continued to sell me on this vision. I've come to understand this is not out of his own selfish desires to own a Mac but instead out of the deep belief in his heart that Macs rule the earth.

My love, I will make my appointment at the Apple store.

Could be YOUR child's 3rd grade teacher...

Its not even the first day, David.

My dear younger brother is having trouble coming to grips with the fact that just because he was *nursed through elementary school doesn't necessarily mean his life is a depiction of ease and convenience.

He's about to begin his second consecutive year of teaching 3rd graders in Yakima, WA and, if I've heard correctly, he's in high demand. He attempted to withdraw his name from a list of applicants following an interview he had for the aforementioned third grade position due to having already accepted a first grade job elsewhere. Though he desired to continue teaching third grade he felt that the a week's notice prior to school starting might be less than honorable and rethought the idea he had of continuing the 'hunt'.

As he called to withdraw his name it was mentioned that he was in fact the candidate that they were just about to call to OFFER HIM THE JOB. David, finding all of this to be a bit awkward and yet exhilarating (not his choice of words maybe, but that's how I'd feel!) dove right into his concern for quitting his post as a first grade teacher at another school so near the beginning of the year!

It all turned out to be a wonderful opportunity and the details were sorted from there. Consequently though, David and my Mom spent a day this weekend putting his up and coming room o' education together.

Great job, brother. I'm so proud of you.

Please see my creative Mom at work... she constructed the tree above. I've pressed her to write it all down in detail and post it on the intertron but she says I'm just shining her on... I'm not, Mom. In fact, I'd like to hire you to do the kids' playroom... but this time, construct it so they can climb. I know you can, you little sprite of creativity. Who knew!

*Note: David was not nursed through elementary school.