Bryce Canyon - Celebrating the World God gave us!

This last 4th of July weekend Andy, Vienna and I took our first road trip in two years. Andy was one day pining that we might not take another road trip again as a family since Vienna is engaged and an adult and in college and all those things that so often mark the transition away from family adventures with your parents - ok I have to stop that or I'll start crying. Anyway, Andy was pining this potential loss when Vienna piped in that she was up for a road trip. So, we put our heads together and after rejecting a few destinations, came up with one we could all agree on - Bryce Canyon in Southern Utah.

Southern Utah is, in my opinion, the most beautiful region in the entire world - at least so far as I have seen. It actually gives me a feeling of true awe - not the kind of the modern vernacular of "awesome, dude" but the kind of awe you would have if you were in the presence of angels. The scenery of huge red cliffs, monoliths and buttes towering over you is completely captivating. This trip, I was completely surprised, though by the 30-mile stretch of interstate 15 that cuts across the northwest corner of Arizona. I'd never noticed how beautiful the mountains were and you seem to wind right through them with no effort at all as they surround you as you go.

Plus, I absolutely love travelling in Utah. As a Mormon that has never lived there, I just love seeing the beehives on the state road signs and knowing what they mean. I loved the time I was walking through a small Utah town and saw a shop window decorated with a tree covered in popcorn and thinking "I get that!". It's just fun.

So, Thursday night we piled into the car and started the 14-hour drive. I won't give you too much detail about the trip. You can get that on Andy's blog if you like. But, anticipating the days ahead and the hours spent together was exciting and relaxing at the same time. It wasn't always like that for me, though.

Andy, Vienna and I have been on a lot of roadtrips - almost every year since 1996. Andy has created websites or blogs about most of those (I'll put some links below). When we first started doing roadtrips, I was not a fan. In fact, I put up quite a fight for a good 10 years or so. Fighting because they were a hassle, took time out of my oh-so-exciting life of work (sensing my sarcasm?) and meant less time for me at home - and for a homebody like me that's a big deal. I felt like I was taking time away from my goals and the money we spent couldn't be spent on what I wanted for myself.

But a few years ago something changed. I'm not sure what it was but I think it went along with a lot of other changes that were happening that I won't go into here. (I'm trying to keep this post light-hearted.) Somehow I realized that my job was just a way to earn money so I could have a home and do things with my family - that is literally why I had a job at all. I started caring less about how much time I took off work - who cares if I have to take time off without pay? All that pay is for anyway is to be able to do things just like this so stop worrying about it. Once I let go of the stress of taking time off of work, the other stresses went away and I started to not only enjoy the trips, because I always enjoyed them, but started looking forward to them more and being excited for the time with my family.

Then, I started realizing all of the amazing things we have seen on the road of the magnificent country. There is literally no part of this country that isn't wonderful for one reason or another. The South has such charm, fantastic BBQ and a homey feel you don't get in other places (and I really want to explore Louisiana more - what a different culture, there!). The northeast has amazing cities, lakes and gorgeous color in the fall. The mid-west has just so many trees and things that you don't expect- like the Corn Palace in Mitchell, South Dakota. A building made of corn husks! Go figure! The northwest has vast expanses of sky and Andy's favorite landmark, Devil's Tower in Wyoming. And of course the Southwest is probably my favorite with deserts, mesas, native american food and culture, Joshua trees and Suaro cacti. Andy and I have been to every state in the lower 48 and Hawaii. And Andy's even been to Alaska - I can't wait until I can go via the Alaskan highway. How many people can say that?

And then there's the pop-culture that is always imbued in whatever locale you're in: the cowboy culture of Texas and the west, Route 66 which has probably more pop-culture icons associated with it than any other landmark in the country, the nautical theme that permeates Maine and the Northeast, and the New England states with American History represented in names, signs and businesses everywhere. And did I mention Louisiana? The French/Cajun culture is completely unique to anywhere else in the country. We truly have a great country.

I guess I've been all over the place in this post but my bottom line is this - if you haven't been out there, GET OUT THERE! Get on the road! If someplace is less than 2 days drive then don't take a plane - pack the car and go! You can't see the country from the air. You can maybe make out the plots of farm-land in different colors, but you can't see the trees and plants up close and guess what's being grown from that tiny window on the plane. If the thought of spending hour after hour in a car bores you just thinking about it, then remember that it is time with your family that you'd never have otherwise with everyone's hectic lives. You get to see so many beautiful things if you just watch out the window. A boring desert isn't boring when you contemplate what kinds of plants and animals can survive there, what it must feel like to walk through it (don't be afraid to get out and find out, either!), and the giant mountains that are coming up right in front of you.

And, there's always the opportunities to stop at the roadside diners, tourist traps and shops. Not only do they break up a long trip but you can get close to the local communities and people that make a trip memorable.

So, now when I take a roadtrip with my family, I am reminded of how grateful I am to my Father in Heaven for all that he has given us in this world - the beauty and variety, the people and my family. We really do live in a great land that has so much to see. I hope that if you haven't already, you can get out there and see it too!

Here are some of our previous roadtrips:

2009 Diner Tour

2008 Great Western Roadtrip

2008 Andy's Route 66 tour (Rt. 66 was our very first roadtrip in 1996 but it was before we started doing the websites. It is a definite MUST on the list of amazing US roadtrips)

2007 BBQ Tour

2006 Cross Country trip

2002 Hawaiian Holiday (While not fully a roadtrip, we definitely rented a car and toured the islands of Oahu and Kuai by road)

2001 President Trek (A Marathon trip when we visited a site for every President)

2000 Texas Roundup

Milk cans, doorknobs and space clocks

Last weekend was an interesting convergence of changes. As my grandma started living in a new house, I was tasked with packing up and shipping what was left in her old house of my mom’s things that I acquired after her passing four years ago. At the same time, the family is also integrating into our lives belongings of my Uncle Carl who passed away last year. From each one of these life changes, I have wanted particular items to have as remembrances of people and places –my mom, Uncle Carl and my grandma’s old house. I found it interesting to think about why we want to have physical items to help us remember people and feelings of the past.

As I sorted through my mom’s things, there were several that I felt absolutely no connection to – A couple of collectible bears wearing cute outfits, some needlepoint patterns and lots of frames after I took the pictures out. I put these in the donation pile – or even the recycle pile for things not necessarily fit to donate. But, I found several things that I didn’t want to part with, including an embroidery of a lovely poem about children that I believe my mom made, a small wooden knick-knack shelf she made and gave to my grandma when she was in middle school – this was a new discovery for me - and of course the milk can. I remember when my mom brought home the milk can when I was a young kid. She set it in the hallway near the front door to keep it “for now” until she decided where she wanted to keep it permanently. There it sat the rest of the time she lived there – more than 35 years. That was my mom to a “T”. The only time it moved was when I used it to sit on when I talked on the phone as a teenager. I would move it four feet across the little hall to just inside the doorway of the kitchen, under the rotary phone that hung on the wall long after everyone else had touch-tone phones. I would sit on that milk can for hours talking to my friends and boys I knew.

Once, when Andy was in the Navy in Spain – when we were engaged and anxiously awaiting our wedding day when we would be together forever – he called me and as I was sitting on the milk can, the call got cut off. I knew he would call right back so I waited on the milk can. It took longer than I expected, probably because of the crazy phone lines on the Navy base in Rota, so I laid my head down on the kitchen counter. Being a college-kid who also worked late at night at the local Pizza Hut, I was often very tired and so as I was waiting with my head down, I fell asleep. I don’t know how long I slept – maybe 20 minutes but when I woke up, my feet were just as asleep as I was. Stupidly, I tried to walk on them to get to my bed – NEVER try to walk if your feet are asleep! Two or three steps later, my right foot buckled under and I went down in excruciating pain. It was fractured – the only bone fracture I’ve ever had. It was years before I could wear heels again for any length of time. But, I still love that milk can. How can I get rid of something that holds such memories for me? I gladly paid to ship the 35lb rusty metal monstrosity home.

Earlier, when I was talking to my grandma about the old house, she told me that my cousin Gwen said she wanted the doorknobs from the old house. These are great old antique doorknobs and when I heard the idea, I loved it and wanted one, too! So, I silently apologized to Gwen for not letting her have all of them and decided to see what I could do to get the doorknobs out of the house – maybe to share among all the grandkids. So, after I was done packing mom’s stuff, I found the little red toolbox Grandma kept in the utility room and hadn’t brought to the new house yet and worked to learn if I could remove the old knob from the living room door and replace it with a new one. After all, I didn’t want to leave the house doorknob-less. Alas, I found that removing the knob and plate was easy but because this was an antique knob with one of those big skeleton keyholes beneath it, there was a lot of hardware embedded in the wood of the door that I could not remove – at least without destroying the wood. So we are leaving it to my Uncle Larry who is much more handy with these things and visits often. He may be able to come up with a solution to our problem. But, I’m already imagining that little shelf my mom made with the doorknob on top as one of the small mementos it will house. I really hope Uncle Larry can figure it out and I’d love to be able to send a Facebook message to all my cousins announcing that we can have doorknobs if we want to remember that great old house with.

The other item I received that weekend that is of great importance to me is an item that belonged to my Uncle Carl. He passed away last year and I expressed to Grandma that I would love to have a small something from his house to remember him by. Thursday, when I arrived at her home, Grandma gave me a space clock – a desk clock that says “Nasa – Sharing Space Technology – Kennedy Space Center” below the analog face that she found in his house. Uncle Carl was a physicist and worked for Nasa on the space shuttle for most of his life. I tell more about him in another post from last year. I love Carl as I love all my uncles and to have this small piece from his life means a lot to me. I think I’ll put it on the little shelf next to the doorknob.

But, I have been asking myself, why do we crave these things in our lives? Why do we collect these items that take up space in our homes and won’t mean anything to anyone 2 generations from now? Vienna’s grandkids won’t care if I sat on this milk can and broke my foot waiting for their great-grandfather to call from the Navy. They won’t have any memories of the house that belonged to my grandma and that I loved so dearly. And the clock will just be a clock to them – if it even still works – if Vienna even keeps it herself after I die. All these things will eventually go the way of the earth, just as we do.

I believe in the afterlife – that our spirits live on forever after we die and that we will be reunited with our loved ones who have passed on before us. I also believe that we will each have a perfect memory of all that happened to us while we were on the earth – unlike the fading and fallible memory we have now. I wonder if clinging to these things – these physical reminders – is kindof like clinging to or reaching beyond the veil that lies between this earthly life and the eternities - for the time to come when we will be with our family and friends again with a perfect beautiful memory of our lives on earth and won’t need these things anymore.

I am wondering if these things are simply for us to hold as a semblance of that joy we will have with our loved ones. Has God given us a desire for these things so that we might feel a sliver of what we will feel then and maybe have an inkling of what He has planned for us?

Well, no matter the answer to that, I love these small tokens of love, memories and life. I can’t wait to scrub, sand and paint my milkcan or hang my mom’s little shelves and on them place a doorknob, clock and other sweet mementos. I plan to cling to them until I don’t need them anymore.

My Grandma’s House

My grandma has, until recently, lived in the same house since long before I was born. It’s an old Victorian near downtown Largo, Florida that has a lot of character with a couple of unusually large bedrooms, the original hard-wood floors, antique door-knobs and built-in knick-knack shelves. It is old, creaky and drafty – not to mention hard to maintain and more difficult all the time for Grandma to maneuver because of the second story. So, despite the character, I don’t blame her for wanting something new after almost 50 years.

But, even still I am having to come to terms with the loss of this house in our family. My first memory ever was in the unusually large upstairs bedroom. I was still in a crib and just learned how to jimmy the side down and get out. I caused my young mom some frustration, I’m sure as I climbed out again and again to get into bed with her. I then remember the small toddler bed she got me with the brand new brick-colored ribbed bedspread that smelled like maple syrup. Yes, I swear it smelled like maple syrup – I have no idea why but even then I knew it was wonderful.

My great-grandmother lived just two doors down and we would often drop by to visit her. She had a great house, too with a back bedroom complete with toy box just for us little ones when we came over.

After mom and I moved into our new permanent little house in Clearwater, we still visited Grandma often – especially on the holidays. My most favorite memories of my childhood are in that old house of hers at Thanksgiving – adults at the big table, kids at the little table and lots of yummy traditional Thanksgiving foods to eat. There was turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes (lumpy and I wouldn’t have it any other way), cranberry sauce from a can, home-made dinner rolls and the pumpkin pies my mom and I would make from scratch together at home beforehand. To this day, these are my absolute favorite foods to eat and I insist on having them each year no matter what my family says. I don’t’ think I ever even asked Andy his Thanksgiving preference – there is only one meal for me at Thanksgiving. However, we have made a few changes like the homemade cranberry sauce Vienna wanted and learned how to make. This is a great addition to the wonderful traditions started in that old house.

But, it wasn’t the food that made those times so special – it was the people of my family. My uncles, Carl, Rick, Steve and Larry- my aunts, Sheila and Linda – my cousins which were few at that time – just Cliff and Teri – and of course, my mom and grandma. All these people were so special to me and I have great memories of each of them.

This is not a unique story and these are not unique people – except in the fact that they all got along. Mine was never one of those loud, obnoxious, argumentative families that make such funny and dramatic movies. The adults tended to sit around the living room sharing news of other family members with long pregnant pauses of silence, never feeling awkward but enjoying the peace of the house and the day. Only Uncle Rick would be an occasional rabble-rouser, striking up a light-hearted argument stemming from someone disagreeing with his obvious right-ness. He could irritate his siblings, for sure – especially my mom, but there would rarely be hard feelings left over.

There was also the obligatory viewing of the photo albums, an activity that I continued throughout the years. Grandma has always been faithful at keeping them current and reliving our history through them is always a treat. I remember gathering them onto the couch and flipping through the pages and enjoying the images of my mom and her brothers as children and hearing the stories that went with them.

There would of course be times of activity when grandma was cooking, setting the table and getting people to help in one way or another. Sitting around the table at dinner was much the same – family style serving and calm but interesting conversation interspersed with laughter. We kids would fool around and laugh at our little table as most kids do but never caused any real problems. But, I don’t remember even one time of drama or fighting in our family gatherings– that would be the one unique trait we have. I love my family because of that. We all loved each other and while things in our individual homes were never perfect, our times together reflected that love and caring for each other.

Through the years, things changed – branches of the family moved away, the gatherings got smaller, Grandma eventually turned the cooking over to others but the house was still there and family was always welcome anytime. As each family grew in number they would take turns staying at Grandma’s house – sometimes crowded in the back upstairs bedroom which was about the size of two living rooms so could hold all 6 of my Uncle Rick’s kids, Uncle Larry’s 3 or a combination of everyone- on the bed, in sleeping bags and on the pull-out couch-bed. Sometimes people were really crammed in there – and that’s when I loved it! When there were tons of people, it was always a blast.

Later when my cousins grew up, they started bringing their own kids to Grandma’s house, and I brought Vienna. A new generation of great-grandchildren got to know Grandma and her wonderful house. More folks lived far away, including us who moved to Georgia, Ohio and then California but there was always room at Grandma’s house and the feeling was always the same – calm, happy, peaceful – just like a home should be – a haven from the world. Often, when Andy, Vienna and I would have a harrowing adventure driving or flying across the country, we would find ourselves finally at rest in the upstairs bedrooms of Grandma’s house – hearing the crickets and birds outside but otherwise, completely quiet. This was peace. This was comfort. This was home.

I know many in the family agree that we are going to pine for those days in that old house. My cousin, Gwen has the great idea of getting all the antique doorknobs out for a keepsake. (Sorry, Gwen, Grandma told me and now I want one, too! Uncle Larry’s gonna see what he can do.) I felt that pang of sadness as I walked through the old house this weekend, taking pictures and packing up my mom’s stuff to ship home. I remembered that I used to climb the tree in the yard when I was little and thought about the locusts that used to live on the side of the house – they scared and fascinated me at the same time. But, as I got to know my grandma’s new house, I felt better.

It is perfect for her – one-story, spacious, bright, clean, much newer and has an amazing tree in the front that I want to climb one day – and she has brought all her old furniture with her which all has great memories: the pull-out couch, her lazy-boy that her kids got her years ago and fits her just right, the old wooden chairs and couch with the square cushions and of course the rocking chair – my favorite piece that as a kid I would have to relinquish to my wonderful Uncle Carl who loved it, too. And, best of all, Grandma brought the spirit of that old house with her – the peace, the comfort and the joy are all there and it was a pleasure to be there with her.

Then I realized, of course she brought that spirit with her because she is that spirit of the old house. The house had that feeling because she was there. She is calm and peaceful and happy. She taught her children to be the same and they have taught their children. And now, the new house has that spirit, too. Grandma is the matriarch of our family and wherever she goes, the spirit of our family goes no matter which house she lives in. Thank you, Grandma for creating that spirit and fostering it through the generations. I’ll miss the old house but I can love your new home, too.

For more pics of both houses check out my Facebook Albums: Grandma's Old House and Grandma's New House.

I helped bury my Uncle Carl - literally.

My Uncle Carl passed away a couple of weeks ago - he was a rocket scientist. We in his family really didn't know a lot about his life in the last couple of decades because he was a quiet humble man and lived a bit more secluded than the rest of us. He worked for NASA at the Kennedy Space Center in Titusville, Florida, and he loved it. He worked on the space shuttle project for many years and was also very good at what he did, winning several awards and patents that we didn't know much about. Like I said, he was humble and didn't call to tell us about these, except for one - the Silver Snoopy award. This picture is him at his award ceremony when he won this award, and it was a very prestigious award, only given to maybe one person a year working for NASA. This one he was proud of.

Yesterday, Andy and I flew to Florida for his small, casual memorial. We took the red-eye from California so were both a bit bedraggled when we went straight from the airport to the church, stopping only at the rental car place to pick up the car and change. We looked none the worse for the wear, though, and when we arrived we were met by family members we hadn't seen for a long time.

The memorial was beautiful and, as you probably know from other recent writings, I love a good funeral. The spirit was strong in the room as family members remembered Carl and his eccentricities. As a child, he was a voracious reader, spending hours on his own at the expense of many other things, chores for one. I also learned from grandma that he would make the most intricate paper airplanes, and they would always fly. Teachers would complain that he wasn't paying attention in class and grandma knew it was because his head was in the sky with the airplanes. He was eccentric but also quite brilliant as those who knew him best figured out, quickly.

In the Air Force, during Vietnam, Carl wanted to be a pilot but a chronic sinus condition kept him from the cockpit. Instead, he painted the birds, teaching him more about how to care for their surface, which involved a lot more than painting. This eventually led him through school as a physicist and then to working at NASA on the space shuttle. One of his patents was for a particle detector for the outside of the shuttle, which they used to learn about what the shuttle brought back on its surface. Nothing left earth or came back without going through Carl's clean lab. And, while rheumatoid arthritis withered and deteriorated his body, his mind was always sharp and in the sky.

We had lovely music at the memorial as well, and a great display of pictures and awards that wouldn't even scratch the surface of the life of this man. Afterward, we visited with each other telling stories and remembering him fondly. Through the day the family kept making rocket scientist jokes in his honor - "it doesn't take a rocket scientist" and "well, she's not a rocket scientist." Personally, I remember one joke he always told about higher education (being a perpetual student, he had a particular awareness), saying a BS degree was just that - b.s. An MS degree was just More of the Same, and a PhD was just Piling it Higher and Deeper. He always had this same droll sense of humor that runs in my family (though I am sure it skipped me).

Shortly after the memorial is when the big event happened for me. Uncle Rick had secured a permit, and we were going to bury Uncle Carl's urn of ashes ourselves. I had never thought I would be able to actually help dig a grave and most of the family was surprised when I chimed in that I wanted to help dig. But what a great way to serve my uncle in some small way one last time - and I'd never had much of a chance to serve him during his life anyway, so I wasn't going to pass this up.

We met out at the local cemetery, after changing into more proper digging clothes, and at the foot of my mom's grave we broke the ground as Uncle Rick hopped onto the new shovel, acquired just for this occasion. Rick is the more down to earth, preferring to work with his hands, so he led the way on the digging. Of course, the other brothers, Larry and Steve would make some joke here about leaving it to him to take the lead, alluding to his more overbearing personality. The boys jab each other often about each other's quirks - always in fun, and I've never seen it go negative. I have a great family.

Anyway, after Rick had a few turns at moving dirt, he handed the shovel to me, reminding me not to break the sides down and to put the dirt in the depression at the foot of mom's grave. That way when we were done, the excess dirt would help to even out the ground right there. He's always thinking of these kinds of things. The hole he began was a perfect rectangle, and he cut the sod with the flat-edged shovel into four perfect rectangles and removed them carefully, stacking them to the side and not where the dirt was going to go. He does this as if it's common sense, but it was new to me.

I enjoyed my turn at digging and gave the shovel over to Uncle Larry who took a turn. I took over his camera to take pictures and we all stood around making jokes and laughing. What a wonderful way to spend an occasion that most would think dreary or morbid. Uncle Carl is a practical man, never caring what happened to his belongings after he died - he didn't even have a will. Being practical, we knew he wouldn't want us standing around crying and mourning his loss - what use would that be? Plus, we all understand that this is more of a happy occasion for him as he is now free of the arthritis that plagued his body and his life.

The stately wooden cubicle urn, holding Carl's ashes, was put into its vault, which Rick had painted green. Why, he asked us, did he paint it green? Well, because that was his "marking color" when he was a kid. Grandma marked their underwear, socks and even kitchen cups with their colors so no one would get them mixed up - and they could keep using the same cup all day. Carl was green, Larry was blue, Steve was red, and Rick was purple. Ok, now we know what colors the other vaults need to be painted!

Using a long string, Rick and Larry lowered the vault into the hole, and then we carefully placed the dirt back in - around the sides of the vault first and then on top. Larry did the job of packing down the dirt because, as Rick said, "he had the girth." Rick carefully put the four cut squares of sod back on top of the very neatly square hole, now filled with dirt, and packed it down one more time. The leftover dirt was spread evenly over mom's grave as planned.

Then Rick said a prayer to dedicate the gravesite, a special ordinance in our church meant to protect it and its sacred contents. It is now holy ground.

The rest of the day, we spent as a family at grandma's house - our favorite gathering place. It is here that we all feel peace and love together. We conversed, joked, poured through old photo albums, especially those found at Carl's house, and played with Jennie Mae, my cousin Alina's 7-month old. She helps to remind us all of the cycle that keeps going. One person leaves this earth, another comes - all part of God's great plan of happiness.

We love Carl and will miss him greatly, but we all know he will be there after this life and for now we can celebrate him, grow in our love for each other, and feel God's spirit closer than ever as the veil between this world and the next is thin. These are the times that make life so special and worth living.

Mommy Survey

Mommy Survey

Here you go mommies - a different kind of survey for a change - it's all about your first born! Just copy and paste it in a new note for yourself!

Let's see how much you remember!


1. WAS YOUR FIRST PREGNANCY PLANNED? Yes

2. WERE YOU MARRIED AT THE TIME? Yes, 9 months

3. WHAT WERE YOUR REACTIONS? Pure joy!

4. HOW OLD WERE YOU? 20

5. HOW DID YOU FIND OUT YOU WERE PREGNANT? Preg test by the doctor

6. WHO DID YOU TELL FIRST? Andy, of course!

7. DID YOU WANT TO FIND OUT THE SEX? Yes - but they couldn't tell until she was born.

8. DUE DATE? 12/20/1989

9. DID YOU HAVE MORNING SICKNESS? Not much - only a bit in the morning - it went away with some crackers that I kept next to the bed.

10. WHAT DID YOU CRAVE? Nothing really

11. WHO/WHAT IRRITATED YOU THE MOST? heart burn

12. WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CHILD'S SEX? girl

13. DID YOU WISH YOU HAD THE OPPOSITE SEX OF WHAT YOU WERE GETTING? no, not at all.

14. HOW MANY POUNDS DID YOU GAIN THROUGHOUT THE PREGNANCY? I think around 30.

15. DID YOU HAVE A BABY SHOWER? yes

16. WAS IT A SURPRISE OR DID YOU KNOW? It was a complete surprise. They told me it was for Lynnae, my friend who was also pregnant. They told her it was for me but it was a joint shower - a total blast!! I was so oblivious, I didn't even see my name on the cake before they sprung the surprise.

17. DID YOU HAVE ANY COMPLICATIONS DURING YOUR PREGNANCY? Yes, I did - I started bleeding at a very inopportune time and rushed to the hospital. Everything was fine, though.

18. WHERE DID YOU GIVE BIRTH? Navy Hospital in Spain.

19. HOW MANY HOURS WERE YOU IN LABOR? 10 hours??

20. WHO DROVE YOU TO THE HOSPITAL? Andy

21. WHO WATCHED YOU GIVE BIRTH? Andy watched the c-section. I couldn't see it, myself but he said they took all my guts out and put them on my stomach and then pulled her out - he said it was very colorful and freaky.

22. WAS IT NATURAL OR C-SECTION? c-section

23. DID YOU TAKE MEDICINE TO EASE THE PAIN? YES!! I loved the epidural!! Pure heaven.

24. HOW MUCH DID YOUR CHILD WEIGH? 8lb 1oz

25. WHEN WAS YOUR CHILD ACTUALLY BORN ? Sunday evening, Dec. 17th at 8:01 pm, 4 hours shy of having the same birth date (18th) as both her dad and me. (though different months)

26. WHAT DID YOU NAME HIM/HER? Vienna (after an Ultravox song) Lerough (a name Andy made up)

27. HOW OLD IS YOUR FIRST BORN TODAY? 19 - just turned in Dec.

My extreme leftist/righty political view

I thought I'd take a moment to try to explain my political views, which seem confusing to some. People on the right - like my hard-core republican boss- think I'm a total liberal, while people on the left- like my husband- think I'm a right-wing nutcake.

The truth is I really am extreme on both sides, depending on the issue.

Socially, I'm very conservative. I believe life begins at conception and a woman's right to choose does NOT override the baby's right to live. The baby in-utero absolutely has every right that the same baby has as soon as it emerges from the womb. As you all probably know, I was pro- prop-8, as well. Most other social issues - I'm gonna go the same way, because for me they are all spiritual issues and the rules are actually made by God, not man.

However, on the issues of government and finance, I am quite liberal. While capitalism is the way of our country, it doesn't work for everyone and those who are disadvantaged by the system must be helped so they can help themselves - not as handouts to live off the government and promote laziness, but so that they can become self-reliant and, in turn contribute to society and the less-fortunate. Some, who can never be self-reliant like the mentally handicapped should be helped on a more permanent basis - it is our responsibility as humans to care for each other this way. I also believe that government is for our benefit and if we want it to do certain things for us and the less-fortunate, we need to pay for it - taxes.

I do think the rich should pay more in taxes so the poorer people can get the help they need. I look forward to the day when I can pay more in taxes because I'm fabulously wealthy! Obviously, I have no problem with people having money - but they shouldn't hoard it and once you have enough to live comfortably - even luxuriously the rest of your life, share the rest. You don't need it and you could probably never spend it, anyway. Your kids would be better off working out their own fortunes, anyway. These ideals also come from my religious beliefs - love one another, feed my sheep and the other examples Christ set. And, I believe a rising tide really should raise all ships, not just the yachts.

So, it's not so confusing when you think about it - it's common sense to me and it fits perfectly with what I've been taught all my life. It's based on Christ and his great example. It's also based on many values coming from the left- tolerance, caring and idealism - we can be better and we absolutely should be the best we can be.

My Proposition 8 Op-Ed

Amidst the frenzied emotional opposition to Proposition 8, I’d like to make a rational argument to vote yes on this constitutional amendment defining marriage as between one man and one woman.

First, I’d like to dispel some myths. Proposition 8 wouldn’t take away any rights from same-sex couples. According to California’s domestic partnership laws, same-sex couples are given every right that opposite-sex couples have. See Family Code section 297-297.5. This includes visitation rights, divorce, probate and medical and other benefits.

Also, those opposed to Proposition 8 purport that gay marriage would not affect anyone but the same-sex couple. However, since the legalization of gay marriage in Massachusetts and the introduction of civil unions in other states, a plethora of lawsuits have been filed against religious-based organizations for discriminating against gay couples because they refused service to them based on their religious beliefs. “When Gay Rights and Religious Liberties Clash” by Barbara Bradley Hagerty on NPR.org cites several cases won by gay couples forcing adoption agencies, churches and parochial schools to either go against their beliefs or close their doors. This is a violation of their constitutional religious rights as guaranteed by the first amendment. This could and probably will happen in California if Proposition 8 fails.

Another consequence would be the teaching of children about same-sex marriage in school as early as kindergarten. The opposition would tell you that saying this is an exaggeration but, the education code section 51890 requires public schools to instruct children as early as kindergarten about marriage. If Proposition 8 fails, teachers will have little choice but to teach that same-sex marriage is the same as traditional marriage – or face complaints or even lawsuits. This takes away parents’ rights to teach this issue to their children the way they see fit.

Another issue is who decides the law? In 2000, 61% of Californian’s voted to maintain the traditional definition of marriage through Proposition 22. Unfortunately, this was simply a change to the family code. So, earlier this year, four activist judges from San Francisco were able to overturn the will of the people. This is why Proposition 8 is on the ballot again, this time as a constitutional amendment. Once it passes, these judges will not be able to overturn it again. The will of the people, not a few left-wing judges, will prevail.

This is not an issue of equality. Same-sex couples already have that. This is an issue of what constitutes a marriage, which has been understood to be an institution between a man and a woman since its introduction thousands of years ago. In an article entitled “Protecting Marriage to Protect Children”(LA Times, Sept. 19, 2008), president of the New York-based Institute for American Values, David Blankenhorn, a self-proclaimed Liberal Democrat, says that marriage is not primarily a license to have sex nor to receive benefits or social recognition, but a license to have children. He says that children have a right, specifically guaranteed by the 1989 U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child, as much as society can make it possible to “know and be cared for” by their biological parents. Gay marriage will always violate that right.

To this, some will argue that in the world today, we have divorce, hetero couples unable to have children and other instances that keep children from being raised by both biological parents. Blankenhorn points out that most time children are denied this right, it is thought of as a tragedy, whereas with gay marriage, this loss of a child’s rights is celebrated.

I urge you to vote yes on Proposition 8 to uphold the will of the people, the rights of children and proper definition of marriage. Those supporting Proposition 8 have no will to lessen the rights of same-sex couples. We, however, must not let them and left-wing judges change what marriage means in our society for the rest of us.

Making the Empty Nest Easier

I'm getting ready to send my only daughter off to college and I'm wrestling with lots of emotions - true excitement for Vienna's upcoming adventures which will surely be awesome for her but also a flood of depression, longing for my lost little girl and anticipation of a great emptiness in the place where my role of mother used to be. One friend described it as the life being sucked out of the house.

And then, I can't help but think about my mom and what she must have went through when she let me fly out of the nest. She never complained but now I know it must have been even worse for her - she was divorced with no one at home but a cat.

I lived with her until I was married at 20 and then moved to Spain with Andy who was in the Navy. As my mom always told it - I ran away with a sailor. But, as I think about her, now I am overcome with guilt for what I did to her. How could I do THIS to her? How could I leave her, the one person who loved me more than anyone else in the world, with all these horrible feelings?

Why do we do this to our moms? Now, when I think about it more closely, this is a cycle that has been happening for generations - even more so in the last century as the nuclear family has spread out across the country. Kids leave their parents, go off into the world, raise their own kids, only to be left behind in the same way. Some might think this is the way it should be or maybe it's poetic justice. But, I think it's a vicious cycle that doesn't have to be. At least, it doesn't have to be so painful - for the parents or the kids.

Actually, my real motivation is to save my daughter this same pain in the future. I know it sounds selfish but if I could just communicate with her how important to HER it will be to stay in touch, nurture our relationship and make this transition easier, maybe this cycle can be broken. Maybe she wouldn't have to feel the same guilt I feel for my mom and can teach her children the same. Maybe we can just be better to our parents - for our own sakes.

It seems such a small thing but why not make this time of life one of joy and excitement, unencumbered by loneliness and depression? Who knows, maybe this is one of humanity's lessons that we have to learn to evolve to the next level. Well, I say, let's give it a try. Let's teach our kids to nurture their parents through this difficult time, even when they are so focused on starting their new lives. My whole day was brightened by a call from Vienna, just today. See, it just takes a few phone calls, a few emails, a few "I love yous" to uplift the hearts of the people who devoted so much to our growth and to ensure years of joy and love.

Thursday, Aug. 14 on the road

As the Woodland Family 2008 road-trip nears its end, I find myself cherishing every moment I can. I need to because these moments are fleeting – more-so now that I will be leaving Vienna at college in just two weeks. I am glad we’ve been taking lots of photos and video this time.

Since my last writing, we have left Yellowstone and explored Idaho which has been very interesting. We’ve seen some of the state before but this time we took a little more time. We stopped at a few towns along the way – mainly to take pictures of temples (there are lots of them in this area being so close to Utah). The one below is in Twin Falls, ID. We also stopped at an old fashioned root beer drive in called Frostop. We had root bear floats and enjoyed the small-town atmosphere.

The biggest adventure of yesterday was the Craters of the Moon national monument. When Andy first expressed interest in it I thought – “ok – just humor him. It shouldn’t take that long”. But as we approached the entrance we saw some of the park from the road. It looked like a vast landscape of charred ruins. We learned that this is the site of lots of volcanic activity thousands of years ago and it left the land desolate and black. But, life (as it always does) has found a way into the crumbled rock and lava. You see plants growing out of it and even animals have come to live there and survive. It’s its own ecosystem and when you start to explore it, it becomes more and more interesting.

The best part was the caves. These are actually lava tunnels that you can explore. You enter the caves climbing down rock piles, similar to those we’ve seen at Yosemite. It can be a bit dangerous but as long as you’re careful, it’s a lot of fun. The first cave was the Dewdrop cave which wasn’t very big but it was really neat and the light inside was quite artistic the way it played on the rocks. The second one we explored was the Indian Tunnel. This one is unique because you can walk all the way through it and not need a flashlight because parts of the roof have collapsed to make skylights. There was one part that was almost completely dark, though and we heard bats above us. When we got to the end it was a huge pile of rocks to climb up and we noticed that there was too much of a gap between the rocks and the edge of the opening so we worried that we’d have to go back to get out. But the map of the cave clearly showed an exit. So we climbed the pile and realized that the cave went on afterward – this was just a collapse to climb over. It was such an adventure and when we finally did come to the end, the cave became narrow and raised up to the roof where there was just a small hole to climb out of. Once we did we looked around and didn’t see any trail – just a wide expanse of black rocks. Then, we saw the sign telling us to follow the rock markers back. We ended up walking back over the length of the cave over the lava. What a weird feeling that was to be in the middle of all that where all you could see around you was black bumpy rocks. It was vast.

By the time we were done – it was way past our dinner time so we headed to Twin Falls – about 84 miles away. The best part was that it was sunset and a beautiful night. Both Andy and Vienna drove along with a gorgeous sunset all the way and a cool breeze– the colors were beautiful and we all just had a lovely tranquil feeling.

We are now in Twin Falls getting ready for our last day on the road. We’re going to see Nevada and then head home through California. I’m sure we still have some adventures left ahead of us.

Still road-tripping Aug. 6th

Once again I was awed by the beauty of the land that is in our country. Today, we drove through a gorgeous section of Colorado – highway 550 going north from Durango to Montrose. Though the road was much curvier than most roads I’ve been on, it was worth it to see the tree-covered mountains, occasionally showing the red and brown earth underneath. You could literally see cascades – layers of mountains in the distance, just like the poems, songs and movies we’ve all encountered them in. Still, not as awesome as Monument Valley (I tend to prefer jutting rocks and sand to the green trees) but I thoroughly enjoyed the drive.

But, I promised to talk about Mesa Verde. In case you haven’t heard of Mesa Verde, it’s a National park in southern Colorado, dedicated to actual cave dwellings that were found in the cliffs of the mesas. Anasazi or Ancestral Puebloans as they are called, built homes in the sides of cliffs within natural alcoves. They are a fascinating sight and learning about the people and how they lived was very interesting. The biggest cave dwelling in North America is the Cliff Palace at Mesa Verde. Over a hundred people lived in this home with over a hundred rooms built from bricks and mortar. We enjoyed exploring it and a few other dwellings at the park.

Of course, last night was also quite an adventure. We camped in the park, apparently during monsoon season. So, we set up our tent in the afternoon and Vienna reminded us to put up the rain cover. We almost didn’t but figured it only took a few minutes so we did. Thanks to Vienna we avoided a flood in the tent. We still spent the night in the tent with the wind and rain alternatingly keeping us awake. It sounded a lot worse than it turned out to be but it was scary while it lasted. At least we know we have a good, sturdy tent!

The next couple of days are going to be much more relaxing. We’re in a lovely hotel in Gunnison, CO, surrounded by mountains and fresh air. We’ll be driving little and relaxing a lot.

Another day of the Wood 2008 Road-Trip

Whenever I take a road-trip through different parts of the country, I am always amazed at the incredible beauty that God has put on this earth. Yesterday and today, we drove through and photographed Monument Valley, which I have never seen before. It was truly magnificent. Only in other parts of Southern Utah have I seen such majesty. If you haven’t been through southern Utah, it would be the first place I would recommend. Every time I go through, I am stunned by the buttes, mesas and gigantic ridges all around. Yes, I like it even better than the Grand Canyon. Maybe, only because I’ve never been down to the bottom but, I prefer immense things towering over me. They fill me with awe.

So far, we’ve seen the Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, Four Corners and are now at Mesa Verde. Grand Canyon was beautiful, as always. The only drawback is that when you look down at it, it doesn’t seem real. Maybe it’s the haze that was there but it flattens out the scenery, like a photograph. Andy and Vienna went to see the sunrise early in the morning – good for them. I just thought they’d like some daddy-daughter time so I slept in – purely selfless act on my part :-).

We did hike down into it – some. We are real wimps when it comes to strenuous activity. We went down about ¾ of a mile, but it seemed like 2 miles, easily. Of course, coming back up was harder but we managed well, taking very frequent but short breaks. All in all it took us only 1 ½ hours so not too bad. But, we were worn out and ready for lunch.

That afternoon, we drove out the east entrance, stopping at spots along the way to see different vantage points. It was gorgeous. This time, it was Vienna’s turn to sleep in the back seat. After GC, we headed toward Monument Valley. I was very excited at the prospect of seeing it as I’d seen the pictures and they were all stunning. Sure, enough – we weren’t disappointed. The late afternoon sun shown brightly and red on the faces of the East and West Mittens, the three sisters and all the other huge monuments jutting out of the desert. At one point, I could imagine that it was once a city for giants that had long been deserted and left to disintegrate. Truly, one of the most beautiful sites I’ve ever seen!

Then, this morning, Andy and I woke up very early to go photograph the valley by morning light. This was one of Andy’s dreams since he’d seen some beautiful images in that light. Again, it was beautiful but in a totally different way. The monuments so brightly lit the day before were now in silhouette and the other side that was in shadow the day before was now bright yellow. We could also see for miles the lights and shadows created by many layers of other monuments as far as the eye could see.

After picking Vienna back up at our hostel room in Bluff, UT we headed out. But, not too far because only 2 blocks from where we stayed at the Far Out Expeditions guest house, there is a rock formation called the Navajo Twins and right beneath it is a lovely café with a gift shop – too much for us to resist.

Then it was on to Four Corners – a necessary stop as we passed only 5 miles from it anyway but not something you would want to go too far out of your way to see. Literally, it’s just a platform with a cross cutting it into quarters with the four states listed in their appropriate section. There is a small tower to climb to take pics and then all around the platform are little flea market shops with Native Americans selling jewelry, figurines and other folk art. Vienna and I did enjoy getting some jewelry.

More about Mesa Verde, soon!

Day 1 of Roadtrip 2008 with the Wood Family

August 2, 2008

Today we left Scotts Valley for our last roadtrip before Vienna goes off to college. We are going to see several national parks – Grand Canyon, Mesa Verde, Devil’s Tower and Yellowstone. We’re also seeing Monument Valley, which isn’t technically a national park but supposed to be awesome. I can’t wait. I’m especially excited to spend these two weeks just me and my family on the road.

Today we drove to Needles – about an 8 hour trip – 9 with stopping for lunch, and mostly through the central valley of California and the Mojave Desert. I am sure the temperature topped 100 degrees though I don’t know for sure. Most of the drive was uneventful but we were expecting that. We did take a detour through Amboy on route 66, which was cool. Route 66 seems to attract the strange, unusual and often goofy. We stopped by a shoe-tree - a tree on the side of the road that people have thrown many pairs of shoes into. We’ve seen one before on route 50 up north so it’s not unique to 66 but then we saw another shoe-tree and then a bra-tree. Now, that was unique.

Amboy, itself is a ghost town that has one famous attraction – Roy’s Café and gas station. A very famous 66 landmark, it is in the process of being renovated along with the motel on the property. Apparently, someone recently bought the town and wants to make it a thriving community. Good luck. It’s a long way off but it would be great if it works.

Just past Amboy we saw the stretch of road where people have spelled their names and made other things with rocks. It was very neat. We thought about getting out again, but after enduring the oppressing heat for the shoe-tree and Amboy we couldn’t bear the thought of getting out again.

We enjoyed the time in the car, chatting, listening to cool music and enjoying the scenery as we passed by. We made it into Needles at about 5:30 and cooled off in our air-conditioned room before heading off for dinner at a local 66 tourist restaurant – the Wagon Wheel. Good food, service and a little gift shop – all requisites for a good 66 place. After a good walk in the evening heat, I took a cold shower – not by choice and am now relaxing and getting ready for tomorrow’s adventure – the Grand Canyon.