Drew's Second Decade: Happy Birthday!

So, this kid is probably somewhere on the other side of the country 

eating more pie or cake or something to celebrate his 11th Birthday!

How is my eldest nephew 11? Today? How does he turn 11 today?

He's had quite a year. School, family, family trips, and 

especially the trip he and mom took to Washington, D.C. in the spring. 

(Thanks for the pictures Kelli via Grumpa.)

 From the temple, to the Smithsonian's Air & Space Museum,

 to his first train/subway ride, and the super steep subway escalator,

 he and Mom were tuckered out by the end.

He's quite the big brother to Cannon and Sarah, 

with all the odd and conflicted dynamics that being a big sibling, particularly being a

big brother to a brother, and a big brother to a sister entails.

 On the one hand, there's teaching about FOOTBALL!

 Drew, even though they may bug you, you still have them eating out of your hands.

 On the other, I know you sometimes just want to play pretend on your own,

 but they pick up weapons skills too quickly

 and manage to hit you in the face. 

But even after some initial sibling screaming and squabbling, 

they still want to hang out and just watch you, and see what you are up to,

 even when you are trying to chill in front of the cartoons after a hard day of 5th Grade, 

basketball, Scouts, homework, and "just life."

(Sarah juuuuust had to see how close she could get to poking him in the head with her toes.)

Luckily, Drew's swinging some outside interests of his own, 

and running away from the rat race with his Dad and friends.

Which is really awesome.

But MY favorite part of the year is when we get to hang out, just the two of us (and hundreds of other people in a crowded games facility), or eat and talk, or play games with our own rules, or go hiking.

Drew, I know you were annoyed that you were 2 inches too short

 to drive the Go-Kart on your own, but soon kid ...

Too soon, TOO TOO SOON, *

you will be more than big enough to drive your own car - and then, we shall see.

Happy Birthday, Drewbie.

Why are you growing up so fast?

Stop it.

~photos from all over the place, c. his folks, Grumpa, iTouch, and iPhone

*Maybe my bruise from trying to get OUT of the Go-Kart will heal by then. Seriously, I still have a bruise - and this happened on Black Friday. MONTHS ago.

 

That Time I Saw POTUS: January 10, 2015

Sadly, my (first) trip to DC last year had to come to an end and I had to wend my way home. But no trip to DC would be complete without a sighting of the big man himself, POTUS.

I didn't say it was the real POTUS.

I just said there was a sighting... in the gift shop... at Union Station. By a very one dimensional version.

It was another beautiful sunny Amtrak train trip home, with all the free wifi I could enjoy, while texting to catch up on work, keep people apprised about half hour delays due to people falling down boarding the trains in Baltimore, and for me to stay plugged in to take pictures out the window. I did look up a few times to snap the sights.

 *President of the United States

~ photos by iTouch

Totally Tublar*: TVs January 8, 2015 or 1955?

Ever been walking down the promenade of a suburban strip mall, 

looking in shop windows, and realizing...

something

doesn't quite

seem right?

But the more you realize you are near a government capital, 

the less you want to investigate ...

because ... it might be a front for something?

No?

Just me?

Because apparently I am NOT the only one who realized that the displays never changed, the shop never seemed to have people going in, and everyone (Dad) was afraid to investigate the entire time they were in DC?

~ photos via iTouch January 8, 2015

And other have noticed the "frozen in time" displays ... for years.

Kensington Television Service 10309 Kensington Parkway, Kensington, MD, 

but it actually DOES do business, according to Yelp and Angie's List.

via yelp reviews

Yes, Kids .. TVs used to look like this...

*totally tubular

this phrase, which has been here since...forever, is used to mean something's cool. like rad, this was used by nerds in the 70s, but is coming back as a 'punk' thing...surfers said it too. 

man, that wave was totally tubular!!! 

In this case referring to 

television tube

n

1. (Electronics) a cathode-ray tube designed for the reproduction of television pictures. Sometimes shortened to: tube Also called: picture tube

back when tvs looked like boxes and not screens

Noun

1.

television tube - a cathode-ray tube in a television receiver; translates the received signal into a picture on a luminescent screen kinescope, picture tube cathode-ray tube, CRT - a vacuum tube in which a hot cathode emits a beam of electrons that pass through a high voltage anode and are focused or deflected before hitting a phosphorescent screen color television tube, color tube, color TV tube, colour television tube, colour tube, colour TV tube - a television tube that displays images in full color boob tube, goggle box, idiot box, television receiver, television set, telly, tv set, tv, television - an electronic device that receives television signals and displays them on a screen; "the British call a tv set a telly"

 

Chilly Blast from the Past: January 6, 2015

January 6, 2015: 

Frozen in DC with the parental 

"Powerless" to stay warm

A lap full of yarn keeps you busy and warm.

What a fun way to kick off a fun visit.

From Style Pinner

So we had VERY warm hearts!

~ photos by iTouch

Happy Anniversary Mary and Max!

In honor of a very momentous year in the now, 48-year marriage of Mary and Max, I present their annual Christmas letter.

  ~ photos by me, by iTouch in August 2015, DC area

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR

December 2015 finds us back in Utah after a very rich and fulfilling time in the Washington D.C. area as missionaries at the Washington, D.C. temple. Our service in the temple was very spiritual. The people we met there will be eternal friends whom we miss daily. The "hundred-things-to-see-and-do-in-the-D.C.-are" list that we received when we arrived was not completed, but we did explore some places we had not seen in our thirty plus years on the East Coast--the Baltimore Inner Harbor and Ft. McHenry; Gettysburg; Hershey, PA; Ocean City, MD; Assateague Island and the wild ponies *, to name a few. In July we got permission to go up to Palmyra, NY to see the Pageant and then to Niagara Falls, which was on my "Bucket List." I was not disappointed. [So, you can now assume that Mary is writing this.]

The temple closed August 8 for some major renovations, a month earlier than our original release date. So, we took our time coming home with detours to NC to visit relatives and a week at Topsail Island and to CT and the Cape for a week. ** (No, I cannot get the Cape sand out of my heart.) We then headed West via Interstate 90 with Moscow, Idaho as our goal to meet our newest grand daughter [Jaime]. We made it as far as Mt. Rushmore when we got a call that brought us home by September 13.

The call was to inform us that the water pipe bringing water from the street into our utility room had burst above the shut-off valve for the house. (That valve was closed). Our neighbor who walks his dog discovered water coming from under the garage door on the afternoon walk. He called our friend who had keys. She rushed over and called our son [Jed] who drove quickly from Mesquite [Nevada] and then called us as we sat enjoying Mt. Rushmore. We told him to call the insurance company and ServiceMaster was here in an hour. We got home to torn out carpet, twenty fan/heaters roaring, and major decisions to make. Three months later, new flooring throughout and a clean house. Now, to convince Max to go on another mission!

The grandchildren grew and thrived while we were gone. Drew is nearly 11; his twin brother and sister are three. The Moscow kids are nearly ten, eight, and six, and Jaime is one. We did get to see her at ten months when we left the mess here for ten days. FaceTime is a farmily-connecting tool we love.

So, what do we do now? We started our service at the St. George temple December 3 and submitted our paperwork to serve for another year at the Home Storage Center the first of January. We need to be busy with enough time to explore our beautiful area, work off the weight we gained from all the missionary parties, and help our neighbors. We are grateful for all our blessings, you being one of them for enriching our lives. May 2016 be good to you.

Love, Max and Mary

~photo by me, November 2015

* Hey, that's on MY bucket list. No fair
** And, hey, I visited for a few days in August to help clear out a lot of stuff. A LOT of the stuff. A CAR FULL OF STUFF. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. MANY PEOPLE ARE ENJOYING ALL THE STUFF.