Solipseismic

A real boy...

2010-08-01T20:56:00.000-04:00

Switch On...

2010-07-14T23:18:00.002-04:00

Simon has finally flipped the switch...the walk is on.

Remembering Kentucky

2010-06-23T22:41:00.002-04:00

Memorial Day Weekend took us over the border to the bluegrass state in search of small towns and perhaps some twangy tunes. While we didn't find any music, we did discover that Florence displays its country on the water tower; Frankfort is the capital city; Simon is a little swim monkey; Abraham Lincoln was born in Kentucky; state parks in Kentucky are also golf courses; My Old Kentucky Home was horribly and appallingly re-upholstered, -papered, and -carpeted in 2007 (they don't allow photography inside, and I believe it's because they don't want the blunder publicized); and most importantly that we love to travel by the seat of our pants.

Frankfort and the Bluegrass Inn.
1. Apparently painted windows are just as good as actual glass-covered holes in the wall.
2. A quick pre-dinner dip in the pool was exactly what the doctor ordered.
3. Sunday morning as James and I packed everything up, Jonah kept himself busy in the hazy sunlight picking me a bouquet of clover flowers.

Lincoln Homestead State Park and Golf Course

The Bardstown Parkview Motel & My Old Kentucky Home State Park & Golf Course

Sweet, sweet Simon boy

2010-06-12T23:50:00.000-04:00

Happy 1st birthday, sweet boy!

2010-06-12T21:32:00.000-04:00

A few pics of our new digs.

BEANS!

2010-04-12T00:30:00.000-04:00

Or a slap-dash face paint job of the cowardly lion. You decide.

Sing a Song

2010-04-12T00:23:00.000-04:00

"Mom, will you sing 'Beautiful Night'?"

"Sure, honey, just a sec." Hefts Simon's rear up to slide in a new diaper. "'This is the night, It's a beautiful night, And they call it Bella Notte...'"

Jonah, holding an end of the silver dryer vent broken off from his robot costume in each hand begins playing his makeshift accordion.

Repeat approximately 27 times daily.

Wired

2009-06-19T16:22:00.003-04:00

Here are a few more photos from the hospital. It is so good to have gone wireless with our baby--so nice to not have monitors beeping every time we shift him.

So you know my name is...

2009-06-17T15:32:00.007-04:00

Simon Thomas Core
Friday 12 June 2009
American Fork Hospital
American Fork, UT
9 lbs .03 oz. / 19.5"

All told the labor and delivery was 17 hours--5 of which were at the hospital. The midwife and nurses were awesome and James was allowed to catch Simon as he came tumbling out. Immediately upon Simon's emergence from the womb, the delivery room was filled with nurses. He was having trouble breathing, and was whisked away before I really had a chance to see him. He was diagnosed with pneumonia and has been in the NICU for the past 5 days receiving antibiotics. We have stayed on at the hospital as boarders to be near him, and have had such a positive experience with the staff here. Aside from the infection in his lungs, he is a healthy boy with a bright, inquisitive face and a healthy appetite!

I'm putting Baby in the corner

2009-06-08T11:45:00.007-04:00

Someone needs to go into time-out for all these false starts I've been getting for the past week and a half. I could handle going over my due date, if my body would just leave me alone and send the continuous and comforting message, "not yet." Instead I have frequent and semi-strong contractions for a 24-hour period, just to have it all come to a screeching halt for a few days like a "gotcha!" gag.

Patience is a virtue.

At first I thought that there was something I was supposed to do before he came--that karma was holding back the waves of labor for me to figure something out or get something done. Nope, I made my list and checked it twice. Then we started deliberately putting ourselves into inconvenient situations and saying aloud, "Goodness, it sure would be inconvenient if this baby came now!" He's not biting. Now I'm wondering if little junior just doesn't get it. Last night he was squirming around like he was stuck under a sheet and couldn't find his way out. Somebody needs to show that boy where the ejection button is.

It's A . . .

2009-02-17T14:08:00.007-05:00

Boy, were we excited to go to the doctor back in December to find out the gender of our little bun in the oven. Unfortunately, the doctor was way backed up, so we twiddled our thumbs in the waiting room for approximately 62 minutes, then in the exam room for another 27. As we waited, we hoped that the baby would cooperate and manifest him/herself to us clearly when the time came. Finally, after we were ready to boycott all doctors offices entirely, in came the man himself. The visit was standard: we heard the heartbeat, he took our questions, and then he started to bustle out the door.

Wait! Weren't we going to do an ultrasound? I hated to put such a demand when the workday had already gone so late, but I just couldn't manage to wait another two weeks for the official sonogram. Dr. Y had said at our last visit that we'd find out today.

So instead we were ushered into another exam room. Out came the goopy gel and up slid my shirt to expose the ample (and growing ampler) midsection. It took not long to find the little one, and even less time to determine which way the wind blew.

Not Even the Chair

2009-01-06T14:59:00.013-05:00

There comes a time in every American's life when she wonders, "Does Neil Diamond still got it?" Ladies and gentlemen, HE DOES.

Our first act of any significance in 2009 was to drive down to Las Vegas, sans kid, to see the legend at the MGM Garden Arena (James' Christmas gift to me). It was a Friday night.

We arrived at the venue somewhat travel worn and weary, but starry-eyed. I was unsure what the appropriate dress for a Neil Diamond concert was, so we went as we were, in our jeans and sneakers--it was in an arena after all, and the man does say, "forever in bluejeans, babe." After determining that all of the restaurants near the arena were more than we wanted to spend on a dinner, and not wanting to go too far afield, we opted for the food court.

Two slices of pizza, one hot dog, and one well-drenched caesar salad later, we joined the throngs of pedestrians seeing and being seen. It took not long to observe that we were quite under-dressed for such a pastime in such a location. I had honestly thought that the art of dressing up had been lost--or at least that there was no one public place/event that one could go to and reliably find the majority of his fellowmen dressed to the nines. Apparently a Vegas weekend is such a place, at least at a moderately fancy casino. Sequins, silk, feathers, and cleavage abounded. I ached at the missed opportunity to join my sisters in at least the first three ingredients of a fancily-dressed Vegas experience. Ah well, once we got to our seats in the bleachers, I didn't feel so bad. Stilettos and stands don't mix.

People-watching before the show rendered some interesting results. We were removed from the majority of the crowd by several generations, though there were a few other youngsters smattered about. There was a twenty-something indie kid who brought his mom, a young family of four, a few frat boys, and lots of older ladies dressed much younger than their age. 'Course we were in the nosebleeds, so the crowd may have been very different down on the floor.

The show was AWESOME. Neil struck a pose at the end of each song--no really, e-v-e-r-y song ended with all stage lights cutting except for one or two trained on him in some dramatic stance. He opened his set with a lively rendition of "Holly Holy", a really lively rendition--then proffered other classic hits such as "Cherry Cherry," "Love on the Rocks," "You Don't Bring Me Flowers," "Forever in Bluejeans," "He Ain't Heavy," "Brooklyn Streets," "I Am I Said," and of course, "Sweet Caroline." Neil was a gracious host, affable, personable, and totally in tune with what the majority of his fans were there to see: the old stuff, and he gave it to us with gusto. He did do some songs from his new album, which got less of a rise out of the crowd (not that most of the crowd was rising to the occasion of seeing NEIL DIAMOND in CONCERT, the guy next to me didn't stand up once during the entire show).

He ended the first set with "Hell Yeah," which was absolutely perfect. Of course, the minute he started to make his farewells, folks were on their feet filing out of the arena (Gotta beat the rush!). SERIOUSLY?? He's still talking to you, and you turn your backs on him? And besides the appalling rudeness of it, you really aren't going to stick around for the encore????? You don't deserve to be here--you don't deserve to LIVE!! Nobody turns his back on Neil. Every one of those geriatrics rushing home for overdue bedtime got the hairy eyeball from yours truly.

We, of course, remained faithfully at our seats, though standing and screaming ourselves hoarse through the entirety of the encore and until we were quite sure he was not coming back for a second. That was a sad moment. Out we shuffled with the masses. We were electrified; I couldn't stop smiling. James didn't get his voice back for at least four days. It was a good concert.

All Hallow's Eve

2009-01-06T14:21:00.004-05:00

There have been those who have expressed an interest in knowing how we followed up last year's spectacular fancy dress. We considered not doing anything for several reasons: who needs all that candy? Jonah wouldn't remember it anyway, and how can you top the King?

James' creativity juiced up, however, and he really got behind the idea of a robot. Jonah, however was not. On Hallow's Eve Eve, my parents came over to accompany us over to the ward Trunk or Treat. Jonah had had a screwy nap day and was cranky. He refused to get into his costume, so after many strategic attempts we gave up (we have quite a clump of video documenting the process which we had planned to put together into a clever little clip, but the best intentions...). We didn't make it to the activity and still have a clutch of sugarbombs lurking around here somewhere purchased to hand out to eager little mouths.

On actual Halloween we got invited by some friends to join them in taking their two little boys around Grandma Allred's neighborhood in Holladay. We hoped that their oldest, who Jonah adores mightily, could possibly coax Jonah into his costume. No dice. He wore the hat, though, and twenty-seven glowstick armbands, and achieved the look of a Tron Hershey Kiss. We toted the real costume around with us just in case.

Three days later, while James was at work, Jonah finally discovered how awesome his costume was and wore it around the house off and on all day.

The Rabbit is Dead

2008-11-29T11:54:00.007-05:00

Pooor Wabbit.

ETA June 4, 2009.

Loving the Point

2008-10-21T23:38:00.004-04:00

While we were in Monterey/Pacific Grove, we lived quite close to the beach--a ten minute walk, in fact. Lover's Point was our favorite for sandy sunbathing--very un-crowded and un-buggy (Monterey is home to copious kelp forests, which I hear is magnificent below the surface, but which brings a lot of seaweed to the beach, which brings a lot of bugs). Many blissfully toasty mornings and afternoons were spent on these sands. Just around the point were rockier beaches, ripe with skipping stones.

The Angels

2008-09-18T15:27:00.005-04:00

Labor Day weekend found us enjoying the golden rays of Los Angeles with dear friends.

BEACH
Saturday, was, of course, spent at the beach. Luke and Chrissy have a little angel of their own, Naomi, who is just a little younger than Jonah. So between the two families, we had more than an adequate number of beach toys; but no amount of toys could help me build a sandcastle. My efforts were completely fruitless--each perfect rampart that emerged from my overturned bucket was immediately crushed by Jonahzilla. He did not seem to derive any pleasure from this activity, he just coldly and methodically decimated my every creative attempt. Eventually, I left him to his own devices, and he spent the next ten minutes moving water from one bucket to the other and back using a plastic shovel. He would have gone on longer in this very important endeavor had James not dragged him along to play in the surf.

This was when Jonah found out he loves the ocean. The water there was warmer than it is here in the North, additionally the weather was warmer, thus making the cool water a relief instead of a torture. He giggled and squealed, etc.. It was very cute.

TUB
Back at the house, Chrissy and I decided we were honor-bound to begin the motherly duty of creating and compiling embarrassing blackmail material on our offspring. So up to the tub with babies and cameras we headed.

Jonah was immediately enthralled by the wealth of bath toys (we didn't bring any with us to California, since he is usually quite content to just play with a cup), and promptly turned his back on Naomi. Naomi, however, was dismayed, nonplussed, aghast that there was an intruder in her tub, and that he seemed to be equipped with different parts, as it were. She spent the entire bathtime quietly observing Jonah and looking at us like, "What is this?"

ACCESSORIES
One evening Uncle Luke brought out a riding horse toy for Jonah to try out. Our little monkey hopped right on and thought that life just couldn't get any better. Then Luke plopped a cowboy hat on his head and it did. Jonah loves to wear things: hats, jackets, hoods, the kukui nut lei that James received from co-workers in Hawaii, and those brightly primary-colored plastic stacking rings always end up on his arms. When I told Luke this, he went and got an Angel's wrist sweatband and put on Jonah's arm. It didn't come off. Later, as we were preparing to return home, Uncle Luke said Jonah could keep it. It was the perfect end to our angel weekend.

The Life Aquatic...

2008-09-10T00:47:00.007-04:00

September Summering

2008-09-09T02:19:00.008-04:00

Vacationing in September rocks. My entire life (minus two years for my mission and last year) has been dictated by the schoolyear, so this fall has been particularly pleasant. Saturday was my birthday, so we went north to Santa Cruz.

MYSTERIOUS
Our first stop was at the Mystery Spot where we got sufficiently dizzified by optical illusions (Michael). Our tour guide was glib, adolescent, and wielded a handy pocket level, which she loaned to Jonah towards the end of the tour because he was so cute (but really so he'd shut up so she could finish her spiel). After our mysterious experience we loitered a while, finishing up lunch and letting Jonah scamper about the gift shop and surrounding areas. The forest was lovely, the hot dogs were tasty, and the bathrooms smelled of freshly-cut lumber.

SANTA CRUZ BEACH BOARDWALK
The beach boardwalk of Santa Cruz was our main attraction for the day. First we found an adequately sunny spot upon which to lay our beach mats and set up camp. The ensuing activities allowed sufficient quantities of sand to ingratiate themselves in unmentionable places, which is where they stayed for the duration of the day due to a lack of adequately private showering facilities. BEACH! Jonah, of course, loves sand and water and rocks and before long had become the baby/sand equivalent of a snickerdoodle. Why bother with sunscreen when the child builds up such a protective coat on his own? He even had sand in his eyelashes.

As evening approached, it became necessary to search out victuals. So we packed up and moved out to scope the options along the boardwalk. After ascertaining there were no proper restaurants to be had, we settled upon an establishment that proffered BBQ chicken sandwich, hamburger, and corndog. So that's what we got, along with a side of fries.

After dinner we turned our attention to the various rides and immediately ruled out every one we actually wanted to go on due to the monkey on our backs (and sometimes in the stroller). We settled upon a dragon ride which inspired vehement vocalizations from said monkey. It was a go-in-a-circle-and-pull-the-lever-to-move-up-and-down ride that one of us could accompany him on. So James set off to procure tickets and returned having scored a deal off a departing patron of the park who was trying to unload his surplus. Sweet. I took Jonah, then we all went on the ferris wheel, and due to a lack of rides that all of us could enjoy together, James took Jonah on the aforementioned dragon ride once more.

To top off the evening, we stood in line for approximately 57 minutes to buy my birthday cake of the funnel variety. We ate the crispy outside nodes, and when James had the unhappy experience of biting into one that exploded fry oil all in his mouth and down his throat, we wrapped up and tossed the remains.

Back to the car and a sandy ride home brought our day to a close.

Where the air is clear

2008-09-08T00:12:00.005-04:00

An official diagnosis is pending, but all symptoms point to chronic wanderlust.

After a mere four months spent getting settled in SLC, mid-August found the James Core contingent packed into a few suitcases and on the road yet again--and this time we didn't stop until we hit ocean. Well, we did stop once.

PAGING OFFICER DANGLE
We knew it to be impossible to reach our ultimate destination in one trip due to the one-year-old-monkey-in-the-car-seat-behind-me factor. So we scheduled a sleepover in Reno.

Due to some pretty fancy footwork, I scored us a sweet deal for a room on the 19th floor of the Silver Legacy Hotel & Casino with a pretty decent view--not that it really mattered, since we were there primarily to sleep. It was a small victory in my deal-scoring portfolio, though, and we felt properly savvy and smug. Despite the late hour, we dumped our luggage in the room, and after a brief scare wherein we thought we'd lost our computer bag, hit the casino floor to stretch our legs and scope out breakfast options for the next day. The lights were twinkling, the music was bouncing, and the air pulsed with the hopes of big wins and the stink of cheap air fresheners. Oh the stink. Is that honestly supposed to be better than stale smoke?

After we had adequately explored, we returned to the room for sleeptime. Silly Mom and Dad. Who wants to sleep when there's such an awesome view? And don't even think that closing the curtains will make me forget that it's there. What's that? I don't care if there are people trying to sleep next door! I want to see the lights outside! I'm not tired! I'm not tired! I'm not tired! Repeat. For two hours. Remember how the view wasn't supposed to matter and we were just supposed to sleep? *sigh*

So it was a rough night, but the breakfast buffet next morning was AWESOME and we were able to rip some tired balloons off of an unmanned timeshare trap to keep Jonah happy in the car. They did the job and stayed there for the next two weeks.

As we drove out of town, we passed approximately seventeen Reno PD cars surrounding one rusty Camero. It did look like a dangerous Camero, though.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN
The drive from Reno on was beautiful. From the quintessential vacationing of Lake Tahoe to the golden hills of Sacramento, and the lush vineyards of wine country. Northern California is stunning. We also passed a tractor-trailer engulfed in a roiling inferno on the side of the road. It was pretty intense.

Our first In-N-Out burgers of the trip were purchased and consumed in Salinas. Ah, the tasty.

STEINBECK COUNTRY
We hit Monterey Friday afternoon, picked up the keys to our rental, and headed over to Pacific Grove to unpack and get settled in for six weeks of California dreamin' while James takes a few classes at the Monterey Institute.

It's been great being back on the peninsula--we were here two years ago and adored our wintery summer. This time 'round, we're looking forward to summery days of fall.

Workin' it

2008-07-14T22:04:00.012-04:00

I am a consultant. I consult. If ever you need a consult, please see me. But not a medical consult. Though I am quite willing and able to assess your mental capacity if you should choose to cut me off and cause an accident then drive away. If I were to see you again, I would have no problem offering a diagnosis.

At any rate, back to my consulting skills: I have recently joined forces with the School Improvement Network on a project aimed at closing the minority achievement gap. It feels so great to be back in the saddle again and contributing to the big world of education--all from the comfort of my own home (though I do so miss working with the kids directly.)

I stumbled into this, really. A friend from church is VP for the SINET and I offered to send him my resume should they need any help from a former English teacher. He contacted me a few weeks later, and we got started changing the world. I'm only working part-time, though, so it might take a few weeks.

CRASH

2008-06-29T00:48:00.013-04:00

The past week has brought a number of scrapes and injuries to various members of our family.

Last Friday we were out with a few friends for the monthly Gallery Stroll. All was going well until Jonah decided to introduce his face to the sidewalk outside the Salt Lake Art Center. He must have felt it very important for the two to get well-acquainted, because he held the pose for a few seconds, grinding his nose into the concrete. This resulted in some pretty hefty scabs.

Saturday we spent an hour slip 'n' sliding at the Cores, then two at the InstaCare getting James x-rayed for a shoulder injury. Summer good times!

Finally, today as we drove to a BBQ at my parents', some genius decided to cut off the Acura in front of us which resulted in screeching brakes and THIS happening to our beloved and trusty wagon:

*sigh*

The collisions seem to be escalating in scope, and I'm a little nervous that I've not personally been directly affected yet. My number is up, I guess...any day now.

Queue the Crickets

2008-06-05T14:09:00.020-04:00

To Whom It May Concern:

The Core family issues its deepest regrets for so sadly neglecting our duty to blogdom. Clamoring hordes have assaulted our inboxes crying for more more more!!! Well, at first they did. Now the residents of the www have turned to greener blogstures and left us to our neverending real-life house project, which has been the culprit for our long neglect of this small garden of virtuality.

It is time, however, to machete back the weeds. Now we must redeem ourselves, and in this effort we offer this brief catch-up entry and promise to do better in the future.

FEBRUARY 2008
We continued to live lives of wanderment. Luckily, some dear and sainted friends asked us to house-sit while they would be away for several weeks. We hoped that by the time they returned we would have some clear path for our future (because three months of homelessness was getting to be slightly wearing). In their townhome, Jonah learned how to crawl down the stairs and took his first steps. He also discovered the supreme joy of swiffering.

By the end of the month, we finally received the word that we had been so desperately awaiting and not telling anyone about--our secret move to Salt Lake City had a departure date! On February 26 we hastily packed our bags to catch a last-minute flight to Utah for a house-hunting trip and to drop the news on our families.

Bugged-out eyes, hands clapped over mouths, squeals, chuckles, hugs, smiles, "Huh?" 's and "REALLY???" 's punctuated the next couple of days as we spontaneously showed up at people's homes and workplaces. It was a good time. Then the work began--to find a house.

After several days of hunting and searching, we stumbled upon a rental in Sugarhouse that didn't sound particularly promising, but we checked it out anyway. It was perfect--well, not in every sense, but the price was right, the neighborhood was darling, and the house itself packed enough charm to make the whole deal worth it. We signed on the dotted line and our souls breathed a massive sigh of relief: we had a home. Finally.

MARCH 2008
The following weeks were a whirlwind of activity consisting primarily of packing and bidding adieu to dear friends. Our last day in Virginia dawned a gorgeous, sunny day. We spent the morning cleaning house, then headed out to say good-bye to the city that had been our home for so long. We walked the Mall, got hot-dogs, rode on the carousel, visited the Hirshorn one more time, then headed over to the U-Street District to meet up with friends at Ben's. It was a fun night and we're grateful to all who made an effort to be there (hopefully we made a few converts to the chili half-smoke).

March 16 we hit the road to West Virginia to take our leave of James' sister and family, then the next day we were off with a week's worth of clothes, a broken camera, and a prayer for good weather and lots of cartime napping for our little bundle of eleven-month-old energy.

Highlights of the trip: fortuitous timing of hotels for night-time stopping, scoring of seriously sweet lamp at Kansas Goodwill, calling in to Bob's radio show in Kansas to tell him he was full of crap (but surprisingly never put through to Bob himself), listening to Bryson's Short History of Nearly Everything and learning about geology whilst driving through some of the most amazing mountains and hills, visiting Core and Iverson graves in Grand Junction, putting in at Green River and hitting the local mart (complete with hand-written sale signs and cowgirl-booted owner/manager) for Ramen and pork & beans, landing on I-15 and passing familiar landmarks of Provo and Salt Lake City as we sailed on to the Legler home in Kaysville.

Immediately upon our arrival at my parents' home, Jonah got his first haircut. It took five of us to do it, but the kid looked much better. He totally rocked his Easter Sunday duds two days later.

Since arriving in Utah:
- Jonah turned one
- we vacationed in St. George with the Cores
- James got a scooter
- Jonah grew a chest hair
- we planted a garden
- James and Mejkin have been on a handful of dates--without the boy
- we've explored our new neighborhood
- fed the ducks (and ducklings) at Sugarhouse Park
- Jonah got a second haircut
- met lots and lots of super-great people

...but those are worthy of their own posts.

Stay tuned for more updates of Core adventures and developments.

Push it real good...

2008-02-16T13:55:00.006-05:00

Get a Ben's Chili Bowl half-smoke and some chili fries in a 10-month old, turn on some Salt-n-Pepa, and then just try to stop the groovin'.

Last weekend.

Laurel

2008-02-02T22:42:00.002-05:00

As we hotel-hopped in Laurel over the past couple of months, we had the unique opportunity to see America. Not the America that gets put on postcards, but the America that pulls itself along nonetheless. I knew that I wanted to capture it, and on January 16 I began my small project. After dropping James off at work and as the sun was streaking rays across the morning sky, I decided to take a few detours on the way "home." With Jonah asleep in the back, I wove my way through the morning streets and captured some of the classic mental images that I will always harbor as quintessential Laurel. A friend of mine who lived there said that when she first heard the name of the city before she moved there she thought it sounded a lovely place. Perhaps you will agree.

A Time of Sadness, A Time of Rejoicing

2008-01-30T09:25:00.000-05:00

Sunday evening President Gordon B. Hinckley, President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, passed away. Those of us who are left behind will miss his leadership, love, and sense of humor. However, this is a time to rejoice in the knowledge of God's eternal plan--that death is not the end and we will be reunited with loved ones in the eternities.

Yesterday I learned that a friend just recently lost her mother to cancer, so understandably, I have spent some time reflecting on the imminent prospect of death that we all face. It struck me that when death happens, our existence in the afterlife is as real as it is right now. I think of all of the milestones I've passed through in my life: going from high school to college, serving a mission, starting a career, getting married, having a baby. Before I passed through these life-changing events, they seemed so romantic and far-off and unknowable--so completely out of my grasp. I felt that they would totally rock my world, and they did. But strangely each change when it came felt natural and real, and after a few adjustments life went on. I imagine that when it comes time to die, the experience will be similar. Right now it seems so strange and unfathomable, but when it happens, it will be real and possibly even strangely familiar.

My thoughts have also turned to that glorious reunion with our Father in Heaven that will occur as we transition to the next life. Again, I have been struck by how surprisingly natural that will feel--that when we stand before the Father and the Savior, they will be Real. President Ezra Taft Benson put it this way: "Nothing is going to startle us more when we pass through the veil to the other side than to realize how well we know our Father and how familiar his face is to us." We often hear about how much the Lord loves us and knows us, but we rarely discuss how clearly and intimately our spirits know Him. He is our Father, and we know Him as closely as we know our earthly parents. It's kind of mind-blowing to think that there is this whole other life that we've lived but have no memory of. How amazing it will be to be reunited with those memories.

So while we are sad when loved ones pass on, sometimes devastated by the suddenness with which they are taken, we can rejoice in the knowledge that we will see them again and that the Lord is orchestrating all of our lives to bring us the most joy possible in this life and in the eternities to come.

Back in the U.S.S.A.

2008-01-16T13:13:00.000-05:00

We departed Cheltenham on a sunny Nov. 27, 2007, hearts a little heavy and a lot disbelieving that our time was really up.

Since our return we have indulged our wanderlust (because six months of touring the GB hasn't knocked it out of us) and relished the joys of living out of a suitcase pretty much constantly for the past almost two months. Our first two weeks back were spent with generous friends and family, then two weeks in an ex-smoking government rate hotel room in Laurel, MD (a.k.a. where stripmalls come to die), then off to Utah for The Holidays for a snowy-wondrous three weeks, and now back to Laurel in a slightly nicer part of town (a.k.a. where stripmalls are born) and a slightly less-smoker-stinky hotel room.

Why are we doing this to ourselves? Because we really really want to have free access to a slightly green pool. And now we have one. And daily maid service.

Since leaving the U.K. we desperately miss (a non-exhaustive list):

rolling green hills speckled copiously with munching sheep, dotted with ancient stone cottages, and lined with winding hedgerows/stone walls
dear friends
our awesome primary kids
English drivers (there are benefits to rigorous driver testing!)
round-abouts
country B-roads
English talk (all of it: the accents, the completely different approach to the English language, the politeness, the charming, the everything!)
smart school uniforms swarming all over town at 3:40
queuing up at the bus stop...before the bus even arrives
the stunning Regency and Georgian architecture
history-infused everything
toilet lids on all public toilets (making diaper changes possible in a land of very few baby changing stations, besides assuaging my irrational fear of experiencing a toilet geyser whilst trapped in a public bathroom stall)
grocery shopping on Bath Road (the butcher, the baker, the fruit and veg shop)
Cornish pasties
cosy pubs
sticky toffee pudding
real chocolate
public footpaths
the pedestrian friendliness of city-, village-, and countryscapes
ecologically-minded masses
UK Television: Little Britain, QI, UKTV History, Sell this House, Saturday night countdowns on Channel 4
mentally doubling all pricetags (maybe we don't miss that part)

At any rate, it is nice to be back home and get caught up with good friends and family. Here's to more adventures in 2008!

Ah, Engrish...

2007-11-15T09:08:00.001-05:00

Today's is pretty awesome too: www.engrish.com

That's Alright, Baby...

2007-11-04T14:20:00.000-05:00

Hey there, fancy pants

2007-10-29T05:10:00.000-04:00

With the advent of Halloween upon us, consumer dialogue has turned to cardboard decoration and plastic costuming. The U.K. does not, or I should say has not, given this holiday the same attention as the U.S., but they seem to be catching up. Pumpkin displays at roadside stands, Jack-o-Lantern carving community activities, aisles of costumes and decorations at the grocery store, and BBC reports on fines for pranksters are all indications that England is getting into the spirit of All Hallows Eve.

As I've perused advertisements for different folk, church, and community events, I've made a charming discovery: the British call "costumes" "fancy dress." I love it. "Discounts for children in fancy dress!" "Fancy dress encouraged!" "Prizes given for the best fancy dress!"

So I ask you: What will be your fancy dress this Halloween?

We've discussed what Jonah's first Halloween costume will be. James wants him to be a greaser--complete with the cigarette box rolled into his white T-shirt sleeve. Last night as we bathed him (Jonah), we experimented with different hair-do's and came to the realization that in order to do a respectable pompadour one must have a more-than-respectable amount of hair. Poor kid. I suppose greaser is still on the short list, but we're also entertaining other options.

Photo Caption Contest!

2007-10-12T17:11:00.000-04:00

Leave your entry by clicking the comments link below. The author of the winning caption receives the title of Grand Solipseismologist--at least until we hold another competetive event.

Come out of the cupboard, you boys and girls...

2007-10-09T09:59:00.000-04:00

This Columbus Day weekend we escaped to the great metropolis of Londinium. What follows is a rough sketch of events, thoughts, and places we visited.

FRIDAY
Afternoon: We set up camp in the back of the bus (where the cool kids sit) to London. With our multiplicity of bags spread over the five seats of the back row and the excited squeals emanating from the car seat, we presented quite a deterrant to other cool kids who were considering any vacant seats nearby. We were just too cool for them.

The ride was approximately three hours, and over that stretch of time I came to re-realize that there is just too wide a variety of ring tones in this world. I fully understand the risks involved with too few--familiar I am with watching a movie wherein a character's phone goes off and I check my own purse. However, the opportunity for the retarded masses to each subject the rest of us to their retarded "individuality" makes me want to bludgeon their retarded phones with a cricket bat. Repeatedly.

Evening: We arrived at Victoria Coach Station and found our way to the underground where we found the rest of London vying for the ticket machines. We eventually sorted ourselves out (after two trips to said ticket machines amongst said crowd maneuvering unsaid luggage and child). We then discovered, though not unexpectedly, that England is like the rest of Europe in being quite health-conscious and wishing all underground passengers to cope with many many stairs. Handicap access? P-shaw.

Our bumbling juggling adventures notwithstanding, we finally made it to the Georgian apartment building in Kensington that would be our accommodations for the weekend. We got our keys, and hoisted luggage plus kid up to the third floor where a beautifully renovated apartment breathlessly awaited us--or maybe we were the breathless ones. We passed a pleasant evening acquainting ourselves with the secret nooks and beauty 50" HD the apartment had to offer, then settled in for sleep.

SATURDAY
Morning: After rustling up the young'un and all associated paraphernalia, we headed out in search of Notting Hill and, more specifically, the Portobello Road flea market. We tried to do this early, in hopes of heading off the not-recently-washed masses who were sure to turn up. Unfortunately, the London Council transportation authority had other ideas, and closed the Circle and District lines--the ones we needed, of course--for the whole weekend. With the wistful ambition only a man willing to say, "It doesn't look all that far on the map," possesses, we headed out on foot. By putting the ram in pram, we quickly made our way through the crowded sidewalks of Kensington and into the serene, leafy trails of London's embassy district just west of Hyde park.

As we neared Portobello Rd, we followed the crowds to the market. It stretched on for miles, offering a wide variety of merchandise from antique sporting equipment and food jars to hip bohemian fashion to rummage goods to "second-hand" bicycles (Hey, that's my bike! I thought it had been stolen. Wait a minute...). We heard so much Italian amongst the crowds that I truly forgot we were in England. I came close to addressing a stall owner/operator in Italian on a few occasions.

Afternoon: After eating our packed lunch, we discovered the food section of the market and greatly regretted our planning ahead. Ah well, onward and upward. We finished strolling the length of the market and decided to head into the heart of London. We eventually located the nearest tube stop, navigated the unrelenting stairs, and caught the next train to Westminster.

Here I will have to move to listing so as to avoid too much tedious detail. We walked to: Downing St., Whitehall, Trafalgar Sq., the Savoy Hotel (where Mom and I stayed a few years ago for a conference), and down a little alley of restaurants near the hotel to eat at a little Italian joint.

Evening: As we emerged from the restaurant, day was winding down and nightlife was winding up. The city lights danced and sparkled their invitation to join the fun in pubs, nightclubs, and theaters. We took to our feet once again to explore a few of the hopping parts of town: Leicester Sq., Covent Gardens, and all that lay in between. We jostled along with the masses for a bit, then sought the quiet that lay along the river. Our stroll brought us back to the Westminster underground stop and we hoisted Jonah plus stroller once again down the stairs into the hot belly of the city.

SUNDAY
This weekend was our church's semi-annual General Conference, which means that services were being broadcast from Salt Lake City. Unfortunately for us, we did not have an internet signal at our flat to receive said conference via the www, and we had not looked up church addresses in London where we could go to view it via satellite with the other members. So we sought other methods of worship for our sabbath.

First we went to the Tate Modern to view the beauty that man can create. Unfortunately, we didn't see much that really inspired us. So we headed out towards Westminster Abbey where we knew a three o'clock evensong would shortly be in session. We didn't relish the thought of hoisting the stroller down and up and down and up a load of stairs in the underground, so we decided to walk--quickly. The street vendors and performers along the Thames became a whirl of delicious aromas and vibrant colors as we darted through the strolling Sunday crowd.

We arrived breathless and slightly glowing just in time for the opening hymn. We were seated with the small crowd of other just-on-timers, and thanked our lucky stars that the walk had lulled Jonah to sleep. The abbey was beautiful, and the voices of the choir floated upward like lingering, sweet-smelling wisps of incense. Jonah woke up part way through the service and decided to add his own sweet, joyous voice to the choir's.

Having had our fill of the angelic, and having once again changed Jonah's diaper in a far-too-awe-inspiring setting for that particular transaction, we were off to run the city ragged once more. We headed over to Bond Street via the Tube (more stairs). We grabbed some dinner in a great Lebanese joint, during which I surreptitiously fed Jonah, unsure of how this proceeding would be viewed by our very kind hosts.

Evening: Although we had skirted through some of the Soho neighborhoods the night before, we hadn't realized where we were (which takes some of the cool out of it), and wanted to take in the full experience. So off we trotted to discover Bohemia. We immediately found the gay street--gay pubs and night clubs and transvestites mincing down the street. It was quite festive. We wound our way around the rest of Soho, drinking in the lights and the energy. Eventually a street with bobbing red paper lanterns strung back and forth above our heads told us we'd found Chinatown. Restaurants and grocery stores alike glowed from within. One restaurant proudly proclaimed the year of the pig with a large window decoration of Miss Piggy that lit up. Eventually we had our fill of the nightlife and headed home.

MONDAY
Monday was to be our last day in London. We headed back to Chinatown for lunch in a little dumpling shop we'd passed the night before. It was absolutely perfect and put us in marvelous spirits. We then hit Green Park, Buckingham Palace, Hyde Park (Jonah loved feeding the ducks), Herrod's (if you want to view paradise...), and the Victoria and Albert Museum. Back to the apartment, sorted out the keys, spent a few hours trying to locate the coach station, and back on the bus to wisk us off to dear Cheltenham once again.

Over the course of these three days we completely exhausted ourselves, but we found London to be quite a wonderful place--despite, or perhaps because of, the ubiquitous stairs, our black boogers at the end of the day, every language but English being spoken at any given point in the city, the amazing architecture, the bustling nightlife, the colorful street performers, the serene parklife, and the friendliness of the people. It's definitely on the shortlist of places we'd like to live.

A few more pictures can be found here.

Just a note

2007-10-02T08:20:00.000-04:00

We've a new addition on our sidebar: Lately on our tube. Here we have listed some of the entertainments we've been snacking on lately--TV, DVD, etc.. Some of the items listed are links to video or pictures, so please check them out.

Also, some of you may have noticed, and some have not, but occasionally we throw links within our posts. They appear as text of a different color from the rest of the post. Please do check it out.

Cheers!

Our baby can beat up your baby...

2007-09-30T15:15:00.000-04:00

How many sit-ups can your baby do? Bring it on.

English Breakfasting

2007-09-21T17:31:00.000-04:00

Crumpet. The word just sounds delicious. Like treacle, as in treacle tart and treacle golden syrup. Yum! But I digress. Now crumpet (not to be confused with strumpet) is "a thick, flat, savory cake with a soft, porous texture, made from a yeast mixture cooked on a griddle then toasted and buttered" (according to our dictionary widgit). Because of its porous nature, it soaks up the butter and whatever remotely viscous sweet gooey substance you decide to spread upon it whilst it is still warm from the toaster. For example, honey upon a buttered crumpet is divine. However, we have discovered a confectionary delight which rivals honey on the crumpet. Enter lemon curd.

Lemon curd is quite possibly the ambrosia of the Greek gods. It is basically the filling of a lemon meringue pie, though a little more spreadable, and infinitely more accessible, since you can purchase lemon curd in a jar at virtually any grocer around town. It is tasty in it's own right, and I'm not entirely sure how the English eat it, but seeped into the nooks and craters of a crumpet it is the very reason for which I hop out of bed each morning.

Unfortunately, as far as we've discovered, the crumpet is not a part of a traditional "full English breakfast". Said breakfast incorporates sausage, poached egg on toast, baked beans, a rasher of bacon (similar in appearance to a nice serving of a spiral-cut ham), and a broiled tomato. We've enjoyed full English breakfasts at each of the charming bed and breakfasts we've frequented in our travels--James even ordered a full Scottish breakfast when we visited Edinburgh (pronounced "e-din-BUR-a", of course), which is basically the same deal as the English. (Which begs the question: who is the true author of the Full Breakfast? Indeed.) Never at any of these opportunities for morning dining have we been proffered our beloved crumpets a la lemon curd. So it is not an official part of a traditional English breakfast, but it is a part of my English breakfast.

-m

Don't drive angry.

2007-08-30T17:02:00.000-04:00

Do not drive angry...

Demons Out

2007-08-16T18:14:00.001-04:00

Sometimes you just gotta dance.

(Director's note: all footage is in real-time--video was not sped-up, slowed-down, or altered in any way)

Bella Italia

2007-08-12T16:50:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago we decided to escape flooded England and head for the sunny clime of Italy.

DAY 1
Arrived in Milan and after much hand-wringing and confusion, found our way to our hotel in Genova.

Stepping out into the Ligurian night, with no plans, schedules, or deadlines, we headed into the depths of downtown to find some vittels. Genova, it turns out, is filled with sprawling alleyways just wide enough for us to walk side-by-side, pushing a stroller, and not have to physically bump into the prostitutes standing in the adjacent doorways--lots of fun to wander through, not so much fun to find a restaurant or, for that matter, find our way back out. Finally, we found an Italian butcher shop that advertised a tasty-looking menu. The hostess led us through the doorway, down a dimly-lit hallway, and into what looked like a antediluvian catacomb. The whole room was brick with buttressed ceilings and black iron fixtures. Mejkin's Gnocchi was delicious.

After dinner, we wandered down to the port and saw the city's central fountain, bought some gelato, and headed back to the hotel.

DAY 2
Our hotel had advertised a Continental Breakfast. Having spent many-a-night in U.S. hotels with "continental breakfasts", we went downstairs fully expecting something along the lines of a couple of cheap, packaged pastries, some watered-down O.J., and single-serving boxes of off-brand corn flakes. Much to our surprise, we walked into one serious breakfast spread. Fresh breads and pastries, assorted fresh fruits and juices, meats, eggs, etc. We were so excited that we stuffed ourselves and didn't need to eat again until dinner.

Having spent two months in cold, rainy England, the first thing we wanted to do was hit the beach. Genova, being a port town, doesn't offer much in the way of beaches, so we headed west to Varazze. We rented a beach umbrella, settled in, and spent the whole day luxuriating in the Mediterranean sunshine. We didn't know how Jonah would take to the water, so we edged cautiously down to the surf and let him drag his toes in it. Turns out the boy is half-dolphin. He laughed and splashed, and even when we took him into deeper water and held him in mid-chest, he loved it. Having forgotten his sun-hat back at the hotel, we rigged a head covering out of his onesie; the locals thought it was hilarious, we should have sold tickets.

Feeling nicely toasted and recharged, we set into town and found a beautiful little pizzaria so that James could discover the joy of real, Italian pizza.

DAY 3
Cinque Terre

Friday morning, after another overly-satisfying breakfast, we jumped the train to Monterosso al Mare, the first city of Cinque Terre. The plan was to walk the 12 km (63 mi.) along the coast which hits each of the 5 villages. After approximately 4 km (213 miles), and 73,271 steps up a mountain and through the terraced vineyards, we ran into a pack of German ladies heading the opposite direction. These ladies were very concerned that it would be too much work and too much heat for Jonah to make it the rest of the way (apparently being strapped to the front of Dad is a lot of work, poor guy). They insisted we turn around and go back to Monterosso. Being both ignorant, and American, we told them to take a hike (hah!), and kept on going to Vernazza. It turned out that we were right, Vernazza was only about 2 km (27,365mi.) farther, and most of that downhill.

Covered in sweat, and smelling distinctly European, we crested the final summit and watched as the city of Vernazza stretched out before us--quaint, colorful buildings perched on the edge of a tiny peninsula jutting out into the Mediterranean Sea. We sat down, exhausted and filthy, on the pier and spent a few hours watching tan children frolic and even tanner adults sunbathe (seriously, everyone over 15 looked like they were wearing full-body naugahyde suits).

We started Here:

Several sweat-drenched hours later, we ended up here:

DAY 4
Tearfully, we ate what we knew to be our last Continental Breakfast on the Continent and hurried back to the room to pack and rush to the station for the early train to Milan. Jonah, however, had other plans. Just as we had packed everything up, returned the key, and were turning to head out the door, the little magician conjured up a volume of vomit at least 11 times more than could possibly fit in his little tummy. It was everywhere. Jonah, and everything within 10 feet (including Mejkin) looked like someone pulled the pin, and threw a cottage cheese grenade right in his lap. We had to unpack pretty much everything, hose as much as we could off in the shower, and take a somewhat later train.

Because we were flying back to Bristol early the next day, we had made reservations at the airport hotel, which was 50 miles away from downtown Milan. We didn't want to have to make the trip from Milan to the hotel 3 times, so we decided to just have James pack Jonah in our carrier, then put our baggage in the stroller. This worked surprisingly well, but the gypsies, thinking we were one of them, kept trying to tell us jokes in their crazy gypsy tongue.

We went to the Duomo, entry to which, due to new security measures, requires a full inspection of all bags. The poor security guard who got stuck with us opened our bags, looked in a bit, checked to make sure his boss wasn't looking, then quietly hushed us inside. Interestingly, entry to the Duomo also requires modest dress--that means no short-shorts or tank tops. The piazza outside was filled with enterprising immigrants selling shawls for women to wear inside.

We spent the rest of the day wandering the city. Eventually, after loading all of our accouterments up and down 1,328 flights of subway steps and onto a tram car, we ended up in one of Mejkin's old mission areas, Zara. Looking for a place to eat, we finally found a nice looking little pizzaria. We went inside and found a Chinese family that had been running the restaurant for 10 years. James spoke to them in Chinese, Mejkin in Italian. The owner was so surprised he asked us if we wanted Chinese or Italian food, we decided to try Chinese-made Italian; it was fantastic.

We made it to our hotel about midnight, woke up at 4:30, scrambled to the airport and caught the early flight back to England.

Not a brother, not a mother...

2007-08-10T18:39:00.001-04:00

Jonah, now 4 months old, has no interest in crawling, but can't get enough of standing and walking.

Caveat Emptor:

2007-07-24T11:58:00.001-04:00

Press play at your own risk; you'll be humming this for weeks to come.

The old man is snoring

2007-07-20T17:05:00.000-04:00

After five weeks of cloudy, the last two days were actually sunny--consistently sunny--to the point where after spending a few hours reading in the park I had rosy sunkisses on my arms and the pleasant sting of the red on my legs rubbing against denim when I changed into pants later that evening when things had cooled down.

This morning, however, we woke up to rain, rain, rain that hasn't stopped all day. TORRENTIAL has been the word of the day. James passed cars up to their bumpers in water and a dude bailing out his basement apartment on his way home from the bus stop. When he got home, umbrella dripping, his jeans were soaked to the thigh. "40 ml an hour" is what the interview-ee on TV is now saying about the rain we received today. I don't know what the figures for July are, but this past June was the rainiest in recorded history--and since this is ye olde country, I'm counting that as pretty significant.

So tonight we stayed in and watched umbrellas bustle by and the newly-formed lakes in the park across the street gradually eat up more ground. As I was putting some clean laundry away, James urgently called me to come see: "There's a duck swimming in the puddle across the street!"

Indeed so there was, a female mallard was checking out the new pond and what it had to offer. We had never seen ducks in the area, as there is no body of water nearby that we've come across, but this little lady was making herself right at home.

I'm a big boy now

2007-07-19T07:00:00.000-04:00

So James' birthday was a couple of weeks ago--the big 3-0. That Saturday we celebrated by sleeping in a bit, then heading out to some fine breakfast dining:

Then we headed out for adventures in Wales (cited below). It was a lovely day. On our way back, we stopped for James' birthday dinner, bangers and mash (a.k.a. sausages and mashed potatoes) at a sweet little pub. James is quite excited to share the world of foody delights with Jonah, but so far the boy has declined most offers.

Finally, back home to open presents:

Happy b-day, Dad!

Pub-walks

2007-07-15T09:42:00.000-04:00

The pub-walk, an old cotswold tradition, is to meet at a public house (bar), order some food, walk for a good long way, then return to the pub for the food. This past week, we went on two different walks, both about 5 miles and through some of the prettiest scenery in all of Brittania--here's a taste:

Naunton

5 Mile Inn

This is the pub we ate at--apparently it's somewhere in the neighborhood of 300 years old. The doorways are approximately 5' 7".

Circus Monkey

2007-07-14T14:25:00.000-04:00

Let the training begin...

Jonah in the Wales

2007-07-08T16:33:00.000-04:00

We went to Southern Wales yesterday and spent the day wandering around Chepstow castle. Here are some photos:

Yes, Daddy dressed Jonah for the day--and yes that's a sleeper under the overalls.

Afterwards, we went here for Fish and Chips, and Bangers and Mash:

English Riviera?

2007-07-06T08:29:00.000-04:00

For Independence Day this year, we drove down to Exeter, then on to Tor Bay (it's been called the English Riviera). Exeter is a nice town with an enormous 11th century cathedral and a nice river front area. We spent the morning wandering around the cathedral, then got in the car, and headed to Tor Bay...or so we thought. After driving in the wrong direction on then turning around twice, we finally ended up on the southwest coast of Brittania. We slowly wound our way through the various towns and hamlets lining the coast until we ended up in Torquay where we had dinner.

Here are some photos:

This is Tor Bay:

Guy Smiley

2007-05-01T15:19:00.001-04:00

Jonah and the Wail

2007-04-30T14:23:00.001-04:00

Jonah occasionally shares with us what one nurse described as "a piglet squeal"...not sure how to take that, but here is a little taste.

JLC

2007-04-20T20:57:00.000-04:00

Jonah Leland Core was born March 31, 2007. He weighed 7lbs, 13oz and had a surprising amount of body hair for someone so small. Since then, Jonah has put on a couple of pounds, grown a few inches, and has almost mastered rolling from his front to his back, big-time progress.

Despite 25 hours of labor, Mejkin is recovering quickly and is relieved to be getting out of the house.